Summer 2024 President's Message
Greetings Seacoast Members,
Summer seems to have zoomed by again. Most of my summer projects got finished. Before I know it I will raking and blowing leaves. I am not looking forward to that.
My layout is progressing steadily. The bench work in the "helix room" is just about completed. I am building the EJ&E Waukegan yard and industries on top of the helix, covering about half of it. The helix can be accessed for track cleaning from underneath - not something I am looking forward to. Waukegan was the northern terminus of the EJ&E railroad and included a small yard, an interchange with the C&NW line north to Wisconsin, and several industries including Comm Ed Power Plant #16. There was also a small port facility where cement and crushed limestone are off-loaded. I am modeling all of these features and it should make for interesting operations.
The Seacoast Division Summer Event was held on July 13, 2024 at the Great Fall Model Railroad Club in Auburn Maine. Thanks go out to all of the GFMRRC members for their hospitality and for letting us use their facility. Thanks also go out to Jay Ehlen for coordinating the event and Will Everitt for taking on the A/V operator role which resulted in much improved sound for those viewing on Zoom.
Bob Bennett gave the first presentation on how he designs and builds structures and rolling stock for his On30 layout. The second presentation was given by Jim Gore, MMR on his layout construction status and how he is using Mianne Benchwork to build his layout. The third presentation was given by Tom Oxnard, MMR on how he built the B&M canning plant. Tom walked through the steps used to build a prototype-based model, starting with photos and Sanborn Insurance maps and ending in interior lighting and details. Tage Erickson gave an update on the construction of his layout. His presentation included how he installed a backdrop of an oil refinery. We thank Bob, Jim, Tom and Tage for giving great presentations.
Tage Erickson presented the status of the Concord Flyer 2025 Convention planning effort. The Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by co-chairmen Tage Erickson, Peter McKenney and Will Everitt, continues to make progress planning the Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention to be hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord, NH on September 11 - 15, 2025. Please note the change in dates from what was stated earlier. Our original date conflicted with the recently announced NASCAR race up the road in Louden.
A recent addition to the Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention activities is the tour of the Blue Seal Feed Mill in Bow NH. If you have traveled up I-93 toward Concord, you've seen the large, box shaped building and silos near the intersection of I-93 and I-89. We've managed to arrange for a 45 minute tour of the plant, while it's operating, for Concord Flyer Convention attendees. Watch for more details in the future.
"Good Job" and thanks to all the Convention Committee members who are working to make the Concord Flyer a great convention. Please remember that we will need a lot of help from Seacoast Members to run the convention. If you are interested in helping and have not already signed up to support the convention please contact Tage Erickson or me.
The Lakeshores '24 NER Convention will be held, starting this Thursday through Sunday in Rochester New York. I have managed to get signed up for two op sessions and I am looking forward to all the convention activities. I believe there are at least 8 Seacoast members attending. I hope to see you there.
Dave Delorey continues to do a great job with our website at www.seacoastnmra.com. The website has an incredible number of resource documents and clinics linked to it. Please take a look when you can.
Geoff Anthony, the Switch Tower Editor, is always in need of articles for the Switch Tower. Even a few photos of your latest project will be a welcome addition to the Switch Tower. The July 2024 edition of the Switch Tower was recently added to the website.
The Seacoast Division Fall 2024 Event is scheduled for October 5, 2024 at the Center Harbor Congregational Church, in Center Harbor, NH. The first event notice has already been sent out. The seacoast Fall Event Notice is attached.
We have not been to the Center Harbor Congregational Church location for a Seacoast Event in at least 15 years and we are holding the Fall Event there because a Seacoast Member asked about doing it. If you have an idea for the Seacoast Division to do, please step forward and suggest it. We are always looking for ideas for new activities.
Earlier this year Matt Kaiser volunteered to organize op sessions for the Seacoast Division. Recently Matt told me he is close to finalizing the date for the first op session in October. Watch for an email from Matt with the details.
Again, we are always looking for members to give presentations and clinics at the Quarterly Events. If you are interested contact Jay Ehlen or myself.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the NER Convention in Rochester NY this weekend and/or at Seacoast Fall 2024 Event.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 24 September 2024
Seacoast Summer 2024 Event News
Greetings Seacoast Members,
We are a week from the Seacoast Summer 2024 Event which will be held on July 13, 2024 at 10:00 at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club, 114 Mill St., Auburn Maine. Jay Ehlen has put together a great event and we hope to see you there live or on Zoom. I have attached the Summer 2024 Event Notice which has details.
Geoff Anthony has just released the July 2024 issue of the Switch Tower, the on-line Seacoast Division magazine. Please take a look at it on the Seacoast Division Web site - www.seacoastnmra.com. Press the Resources link and the Switch Tower Publications list is on the right side. Thanks to Geoff and all of the contributors for putting together a great July Issue.
While you are on the www.seacoastnmra.com page, click on the NER Convention 2025 banner. You will be connected to the Concord Flyer 2025 page where you can get all of the latest information and status on the Concord Flyer 2025 convention preparation and progress. The convention Committee will continuously update the page with the latest progress. We also hope that Seacoast members will volunteer to work the convention. Use the Contact button to sign up to volunteer. I would like to thank Dave Delorey, Jim Seroskie, Peter McKenney, and members of the Publication Committee for putting this page together.
Finally, I need to talk to all of the members about The Coupler - the NER magazine that is available on-line or printed (by subscription). We have been notified that those receiving a paper copy of The Coupler will no longer be able to pay for it when you pay your annual dues to the NMRA National. This was a decision of the NMRA National, not the NER or the Seacoast Division. The NER Board of Directors is working to deal with this situation. We are looking for your inputs:
- First the cost of the printed Coupler is expected to rise from $12/year to $18/year based on the increasing publications costs.
- How many of you receive the printed Coupler? Would you be willing to pay the increased cost to continue receiving the printed Coupler or would you drop the printed subscription and read it on-line for free?
- The ultimate question is: Should the NER continue to make the printer version of The Coupler available to members who chose to pay for it?
- The NER will need additional help with the collection of the subscription fee and managing the distribution process for the printed Coupler. Would you be willing to help?
Please get back to me with your inputs and comments concerning the Coupler in the next few days. I will be consolidating the response data and presenting results at the next NER BOD meeting on July 14.
I look forward to hearing from many of you and seeing many of you at the Summer 2024 Event next Saturday.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 11 July 2024
Spring 2024 President`s Message
Greetings Seacoast Members,
Summer is just a few days away and it will be in the high 90`s for the next few days. Working in the basement seems like a really good idea today. With my helix work complete (built but not installed) my current task is installing control circuitry and control panels for my West Chicago yard. I started by designing my own circuits. After getting them to work I realized how much time it would take to build them up. I looked at alternatives from Berrett Hill and NCE and finally chose NCE. Wiring up 39 Tortoises with the NCE modules is taking much more time than expected. That seems to be a common theme with all of my overly ambitious railroad projects - they take too much time. I hope all of you are making much more progress than me.
Seacoast Spring Event
The Seacoast Division Spring Event was held on April 6, 2024 at the James W. Foley Memorial Community Center in Rochester NH. Thanks go out to Rich Breton for getting us the venue. Thanks also go out to Jay Ehlen for coordinating the event and Will Everitt for taking on the A/V operator role which resulted in much improved sound for those viewing on Zoom.
Clinics
Chris Oliver gave the first clinic on Wiring a Layout for DCC. His previous clinic focused on DCC circuit breakers and power modules. This clinic focused on wiring the layout so that everything works and keeps working in the future. He explained which wiring type and interconnects to use for specific purposes. He pointed out that frog juicer circuits cannot be wired to the track feed that has current sensing. Even without a train in the block, the frog juicer circuit board will draw enough to trip the detection circuit. Chris is removing frog juicers from his layout and installing keep alive circuits in all his locomotives. That is something to think about. Thanks Chris for another informative clinic.
The second clinic was given by Bruce Nickerson, the owner of Seaport Model Works. While his product line is primarily aimed at ship and boat modelers, many are in HO scale and can be used in model railroad layouts. Bruce discussed the history of his company and his product line. He explained a lot about resin casting and how he creates the molds for the hulls of his ship kits. His website is www.seaportmodelworks.com. Thanks Bruce for a great clinic.
The third clinic was given by Rich Breton. Rich discussed adding scenery, particularly shrubbery to a layout. He reviewed many of the scenery products that are available and went into detail about creating your own shrubbery using sisal and jute rope. Once again, the attendees learned new modeling techniques from Rich. Great job Rich.
Tage Erickson and John McHugh presented the status of the Concord Flyer 2025 Convention planning effort. The Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by co-chairmen Tage Erickson, Peter McKenney and Will Everitt, continues to make progress planning the Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention to be hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord, NH on September 18 - 21, 2025. The publicity committee recently completed the logo for the convention.
Congratulations and thanks to all the Convention Committee members who are working to make the Concord Flyer a great convention. Please remember that we will need a lot of help from Seacoast Members to run the convention. If you are interested in helping and have not already signed up to support the convention please contact Tage Erickson or me.
Dave Delorey continues to do a great job with our website at www.seacoastnmra.com. The website has an incredible number of resource documents and clinics linked to it. Please take a look when you can.
Geoff Anthony, the Switch Tower Editor, is always in need of articles for the Switch Tower. Even a few photos of your latest project will be a welcome addition to the Switch Tower. The April 2024 edition of the Switch Tower was recently added to the website.
Seacoast Division - Upcoming Meetings
The Seacoast Division Summer 2024 Event is scheduled for July 13, 2024 at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club in Auburn Maine. The first event notice has already been sent out. Watch for upcoming details on the event.
NER Conventions
The Lakeshores 2024 NER Convention will be held on Sept. 19 thru 22, 2024 in Rochester Ney York. I hope to see many of you in Rochester.
The 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by co-chairmen Tage Erickson, Peter McKenney and Will Everitt, continues to make progress planning the 2025 NER Convention to be hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord, NH on September 18 - 21, 2025. The Convention committee recently completed the name selection process which chose Concord Flyer as the convention name. Also, in late January the NER officially signed the contract with the Grappone Conference Center/Courtyard by Marriott for the venue. Congratulations and thanks to all the Convention Committee members who are working to make the Concord Flyer a great convention.
The Lakeshores 2024 NER Convention will be held on Sept. 19 thru 22, 2024 in Rochester Ney York. Clinic Coordinator Jim Fairbanks, MMR is looking for members to present clinics at the convention. If you are interested in giving a clinic at the 2024 NER convention contact Jim at jfair7021@gmail.com.
Looking to the Future
Again, we are always looking for members to give presentations and clinics at the Quarterly Events. If you are interested contact Jay Ehlen or myself.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Seacoast Spring 2024 Event either in person or on Zoom.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 19 June 2024
Winter 2024 President`s Message
Greetings Seacoast Members,
We’ve past the two milestones that, in my opinion, mark the end of winter – the Springfield Train Show and the Super Bowl. Today's paper declared that the mud season in NH has officially begun. It's time for the snow to disappear and the weather to warm up. My layout is slowly progressing and I recently completed the helix. It took a lot of time to build, but it came out well. Look for a photo of it in a future Switch Tower.
Seacoast Winter Event
The Seacoast Winter Event was held on Jan. 6, 2024 at the Westbrook Community Center in Westbrook ME. Thanks go out to Jay Ehlen for coordinating the event and Will Everitt for taking on the A/V operator role which resulted in much improved sound for those viewing on Zoom. Bob Kotsonis gave a slide presentation on the status of the Flying Yankee Project. There are now plans to build a new home for it on the grounds of the Conway Scenic Railroad. Tage Erickson, Chair of our upcoming Concord Flyer 2025 NER Convention, gave us a status update on convention planning. Jack Lutz narrated a slide presentation covering his trip last summer to the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in Skagway, Alaska. Jim Gore, MMR and Tom Oxnard, MMR each discussed recently completed projects. Jeff Goldberg, President of the Southern Maine Model RR Club discussed the recent move of the Club to the Westbrook Community Center, where work has starting on the transition from modules to a permanent layout.
Seacoast Division Annual Meeting
The Seacoast Division 2024 Annual Meeting was also part of the Winter Event. Will Everitt, John McHugh and Glenn Mitchell were elected to three year terms as Director. I would like to thank Ralph Brown and Jack Lutz for their service as Seacoast Directors for the last 7 years and 4 years respectively. Following the event a brief BOD meeting was held to elect Glenn Mitchell as President and Jay Ehlen as Vice President. The BOD also approved the appointments of officers, chairmen and associate chairmen. The Seacoast 2024 leadership team is as follows:
Glenn Mitchell - President and Director
Jay Ehlen – Vice President, Director and Activities Coordinator
Jim Seroskie - Treasurer and Director
Will Everitt - Secretary and Director
Jim Gore, MMR – Director
John McHugh – Director
Geoff Anthony - Switch Tower Editor and Director
Guy Mason – Publicity Chairman and Director
Tom Oxnard, MMR - AP Chairman and Director
Peter McKenney – Associate AP Chairman
Bruce Campbell - Membership Chairman
Paul Lessard - Deputy Membership Chairman
Dave Delorey - Webmaster
Steve Russo – Switch Tower Assistant Editor
Tage Erickson – Faulter Fund Chairman & Registered Agent
Jack Lutz - Historian
Seacoast Division Achievements
Financially, the Seacoast Division had a good year. The 2023 beginning balance was $6529.34 and the ending balance was $6,277.25.
The Faulter Fund made a major donation ($3,500.00) to the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club. The money will be used to support their renting a permanent layout room at the Westbrook Community Center. The beginning balance was $9764.11 and the ending balance was $6314.95. If you know any young modelers who could use some financial help, have them take a look at our website where an application form is available to down load.
2023 was not a great year for increasing the Division`s membership. Membership dropped from 157 to 145.
The Achievement Program awarded three AP Certificates for the year. Will Everitt earned his Golden Spike. Victor Hand and John McHugh earned their Author Certificates. Congratulations to Will, Victor, and John.
Dave Delorey continues to do a great job with our website at www.seacoastnmra.com. The website has an incredible number of resource documents and clinics linked to it. Please take a look when you can.
Geoff Anthony, the Switch Tower Editor, is always in need of articles for the Switch Tower. Even a few photos of your latest project will be a welcome addition to the Switch Tower. The January 2024 edition of the Switch Tower was recently added to the website.
Four quarterly Events were held in 2023. All were live with Zoom. Looking ahead to future quarterly events, we plan to put more emphasis on member participation through presentations on member layouts and projects. We are all interested in what our fellow modelers are doing and a Quarterly Event is a great place to share our work. If you would like to participate, please get in touch with Jay Ehlen at jayehlen@gmail.com
NER Conventions
Four Seacoast members attended the 2023 NER Cannonball Express Convention in Uniondale, NY. As one of the attendees, the highlight of the show was the many great layouts that I operated on or toured. Seacoast member John McHugh gave a clinic at the convention.
The 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by co-chairmen Tage Erickson, Peter McKenney and Will Everitt, continues to make progress planning the 2025 NER Convention to be hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord, NH on September 18 - 21, 2025. The Convention committee recently completed the name selection process which chose Concord Flyer as the convention name. Also, in late January the NER officially signed the contract with the Grappone Conference Center/Courtyard by Marriott for the venue. Congratulations and thanks to all the Convention Committee members who are working to make the Concord Flyer a great convention.
The Lakeshores 2024 NER Convention will be held on Sept. 19 thru 22, 2024 in Rochester Ney York. Clinic Coordinator Jim Fairbanks, MMR is looking for members to present clinics at the convention. If you are interested in giving a clinic at the 2024 NER convention contact Jim at jfair7021@gmail.com.
Seacoast Division - Upcoming Meetings
The Seacoast Spring 2024 Event is scheduled for April 6, 2024 at the James Foley Memorial Community Center in Rochester. Watch for upcoming details on the event.
NMRA News
The NMRA Board of Directors adopted a Code of Conduct at the mid-year board meeting in Springfield, MA, January 2024, available at www.nmra.org/code-conduct. Like many organizations, the Board recognized the need to set expectations for the behaviors, conduct, communication, and interactions between members, officers and directors. The Code addresses behaviors and conduct for engaging with other NMRA members, participating in an event or meeting, engaging on a social media platform or other sponsored extension of the NMRA (whether National, Regional, or Division). Importantly, the Code also includes general guidelines on the appropriate use of social media for NMRA matters at any level. I encourage all Seacoast members to review the code of conduct.
Looking to the Future
Again, we are always looking for members to give presentations and clinics at the Quarterly Events. If you are interested contact Jay Ehlen or myself.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Seacoast Spring 2024 Event either in person or on Zoom.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 29 February 2024
Early Winter 2023 President`s Letter
Greetings Seacoast Members,
Summer is almost over and for the first time ever, I didn`t have to water the yard. I`m sure you`ve had a lot of rain as well. It helped the water bill immensely. On the down side, the AC has been on almost non-stop. I don`t even want to see the next electric bill.
Seacoast Division Event Activity
The Seacoast Division Fall Event was a success. Vice President Jay Ehlen organized the event which was held at the Stratham Fire House on November 4, 2023. We apologize for the event date slipping by a week, but the Stratham Fire Chief out-ranked us. Thanks again to Mike Grahame for providing the venue. The attendance was up, 28 members attended in person and 7 more were on Zoom. I apologize for the poor audio quality that was transmitted to the Zoom attendees. We continue to struggle to get an A/V configuration that is stable and repeatable. We will keep working on it. I would like to thank the members that gave clinics. Tage Erickson gave a presentation on his experiences at the Cannonball Express NER Convention. Tage showed his outstanding photos that he took at layouts that he toured and operated on. Mike Grahame gave a presentation on building a lift gate using high-quality drawer slides. I know my layout has at least one location that will need a lift gate like that. Chris Oliver, Seacoast Division`s resident electronics wizard, gave a presentation on practical solutions for coping with short circuits to achieve safe and reliable DCC operations. I would like to thank Tage, Mike and Chris for their informative presentations. We all appreciate the effort that you put forth to educate and entertain the Seacoast members. Several members brought in models that they are working for our "Show, Tell, and Ask" session. After the Event Mike Grahame opened his layout for visitors. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the event.
Seacoast Division Announcements
I would like to thank Will Everett for stepping up and taking on the Seacoast Division Secretary position. This is in addition to Will`s working the A/V equipment at the quarterly events.
Jim Seroskie, the Seacoast Division Treasurer now has all of the accounts under his control. The most recent balances are $6,577.25 in the general fund and $9,814.95 in the Faulter Fund.
Seacoast Division - NER Convention
The Seacoast 2025 NER Convention Committee, led by Tage Erickson, Peter McKinney, and Will Everett, continues to make progress on the 2025 NER Convention hosted by the Seacoast Division in Concord NH. The committee is working out the financial aspects with the NER Convention committee headed up by Dave Insley. We will keep everyone informed on progress to get the venue contract finalized and signed.
Seacoast Division - Upcoming Meetings
The Seacoast Division Winter 2024 Event and Annual Meeting is weeks away and will be held at the Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge Street, Westbrook ME on January 6, 2024 for 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. A key part of the Annual Meeting is the Election of Three Seacoast Division Directors. We currently have three candidates on the slate for the three director positions - Will Everett, John McHugh, and Glenn Mitchell. It is important that as many of you show up in person or on Zoom to insure a quorum for the Annual Meeting. Following the Winter Event, the BOD will hold a short meeting to elect the President and Vice President. More details about the Winter event are forthcoming.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the 2024 Winter Event.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 12 December 2023
Summer 2023 President`s Letter
Greetings Seacoast Members,
Summer is almost over and for the first time ever, I didn`t have to water the yard. I`m sure you`ve had a lot of rain as well. It helped the water bill immensely. On the down side, the AC has been on almost non-stop. I don`t even want to see the next electric bill.
Seacoast Division Board of Director Activity
I`m about a week late with this letter, but it`s for a good reason. We`ve had a lot of things going on that needed the Board of Directors` approval and we couldn`t put together a quorum at the Aug 31 BOD meeting. Without a quorum of Directors, we can`t vote. So, I wanted to wait until the Special BOD meeting Sept 7 had occurred and several important things were approved.
As you know Dave Kotsonis has stepped down as a member, Director, and Treasurer of the Seacoast Division on Aug 31. I discussed this in my letter to you on Aug 7. We all wish Dave the best and thank him for his years of service to the Seacoast Division.
Prior to Dave`s departure, Jim Seroskie and Jay Ehlen worked with Dave to successfully complete an audit of the Treasurer`s books. The post audit Treasurer`s report shows $6,630.79 in the General Fund and $9814.73 in the Faulter Fund.
Fortunately Jim Seroskie and Jim Gore, MMR, stepped up and volunteered to be the Treasurer and Director respectively. As president, I nominated them for appointment to these positions and the Board of Directors approved them on Sept 7.
I am happy to report that the Seacoast 2025 NER Exploratory Committee received many volunteers for the vacant 2025 NER Local Committee positions at the meeting on Aug 30. Based on filling the Local Convention Committee Co-Chair positions, the Exploratory Committee recommended that the Seacoast Division host the 2025 NER Convention in Concord, NH.
A letter that I sent out on August 30th which reported the results of the meeting.
On September 7th the Seacoast Division Board of Directors approved the recommendation of the Seacoast 2025 NER Exploratory Committee that the Seacoast Division host the 2025 NER Convention in Concord, NH. It`s now official! Please remember, we still need volunteers to help with the Local Convention Committee and sub-committees.
The third major outcome of the September 7th BOD meeting was the approval of the application for funding submitted by the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club (SMMRRC). Based on the recommendation by the Chip Faulter Fund committee, the Board of Directors approved the granting of $3500 from the Chip Faulter Fund to the SMMRRC.
Finally, on September 7th the BOD approved the slate of candidates for the three Director positions that will open up on Januiary 1, 2024. The slate of candidates is made up of Will Everitt, John McHugh, and Glenn Mitchell.
Summer 2023 Event (Excerpts for Tage Erickson`s Report)
The Seacoast Division held its 2023 Summer Event at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club this past Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. We had 16 members show up in person and 7 members that viewed the Event via a Zoom meeting. The Event was recorded and was subsequently edited by Jim Seroskie. The Event recording is now available for viewing on the Division YouTube site at the addresses below:
NMRA Seacoast Division on YouTube
Seacoast Meeting - Summer 2023 on YouTube
This is a brief list of the presentations:
Up On The Roof by Tom Oxnard MMR
Scratch-Build a DCC Command Station for $70 by Will Everitt
Swing Bridge Construction by Victor Hand
Demonstration of movable layout section that can be in any of 6 different stations by Bob Bennett
Progress on the Fort Fairfield Branch of the BAR - Lessons Learned by Peter McKenney
Show, Tell & Ask
For more details of the Summer 2023 Event, see Tage`s full report or watch the event on youtube.
Seacoast Fall 2023 Event
The Seacoast Division Fall 2023 Event will be held on October 28, 2023 at Stratham Fire House in Stratham, NH at 10:00. Watch for the Event notice. Jay Ehlen is organizing the event.
Concord Model Railroad Club Show
The 37th Annual Concord Model Railroad Show was held on August 20, 2023 in Concord NH. Tage Erickson and I manned the Seacoast NMRA table and had a good time. Several Seacoast members stopped by. The Concord Show had a good turnout, reportedly back up to pre-Covid levels.
Other Upcoming 2023 Shows and Events
The NER Convention, Cannonball Express 2023, will be held in Uniondale, NY, October 5-8, 2023. Enrollment is open at the Cannonball Express web site. I will be attending along with several other members. The NER conventions are a great opportunity to see and operate on many great layouts near the convention venue. There is always a great line-up of clinics as well. It`s not too late to sign up - I hope to see you there.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 19 September 2023
Spring 2023 President`s Letter
Greetings Seacoast Members,
We`re well into spring and I hope you have all of your yard clean-up tasks done. This year it was time to re-apply the bark mulch and after 102 bags from Home Depot, I`m done. It`s time for me to start the layout work that requires the table saw in the drive way. I still have a lot of carpentry work to do. I hope you are making progress on your railroads as well.
Seacoast Division Board of Director Activity
The Seacoast Division BOD has had two Zoom meetings since my last letter which were held on April 13, 2023 and May 18, 2023. The BOD meetings are held regularly (8 times this year). All members are welcome to attend. Please contact me and I will get your name on the Zoom invitation.
We`d like to thank Director Jim Seroskie for setting up a Seacoast division Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@nmra-seacoast-division/videos. Thus far we have the videos of the last three Seacoast Events (Fall 2022, Winter & Spring 2023) and a video tour of Victor Hand`s layouts. Please take a moment to view the videos. If you have a video of your layout that you would like to share on Youtube, contact Jim.
We`d also like to thank Director Guy Mason for volunteering to be the Chairman of the new Seacoast Division Publicity Committee. Guy`s first task is to take over as the administrator of the Seacoast Division Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seacoastnmra/. Having someone who skilled on the social media platforms is crucial as try to attract new members to the Seacoast Division and the NMRA.
An action that came out of the recent BOD meetings is for me to contact the membership whenever a new Switch Tower is posted to the website. I will do my best to stay on top of this.
Spring 2023 Event
The Seacoast Division of the NMRA held its Spring 2023 Live Event with Zoom on April 15, 2023 at the James Foley Memorial Community Center in Rochester, NH. We`d like to offer a special thank you to Rich Breton for arranging the venue and Jay Ehlen for planning the event. A special thanks goes to Tage Erickson for handling the Zoom portion of the meeting. The event was attended by 17 NMRA members in person and 8 members via Zoom. Member Dave Robertson brought 3 guests who are members of the First Baptist Church of Shapleigh Train Club to the event. They presented Tage Erickson and the Seacoast Division with a Thank You card for the Faulter Fund donation that was made to their club. The club members are building a modular layout and the Seacoast Division is happy to support them.
I kicked off the meeting and welcomed everyone and gave a brief status of the progress that the 2025 Convention Exploratory Committee has made. Once again I addressed the need for members to step up and fill the Co-Chairman positions for each of the four committees (Overall Convention, Inside Activities, Outside Activities, and Publicity). The Division also needs help with the Audio/Video operation required to broadcast the event to Zoom Attendees.
Next, AP Chairman Tom Oxnard, MMR announced the award of a Golden Spike to Will Everett. Congratulations Will!
The first clinic, "Scratch Building a Through-Plate Girder Bridge", was given by John McHugh. John showed how he built an HO scale 79 foot through-plate girder bridge to earn a Merit Award. He presented how he measured and documented a representative prototype and modified the design to fit his layout requirements. He highlighted the many key details that were added in order to increase the complexity to meet the requirements for a Merit Award. John gave a very informative presentation. Thanks John!
The second clinic, "Does Your Layout Tell A Story?" was given by Jim Gore, MMR. Jim walked through the ten key areas that need to be addressed so that the structure/scene looks realistic to the typical viewer who may not be a model railroader Adding many minor details to a structure goes a long way toward the goal of creating a realistic looking model. Jim showed photos of many of his own models to help illustrate the ten topics that he describes. Outstanding! We never tire of seeing Jim`s great work.
As part of the "Show, Tell, Ask" portion of the event, Dave Emery showed how he used servos and custom built linkages to create an Operating Ball Signal, like those used by the B&M Railroad years ago in New Hampshire. Dave, very nice work!
The third clinic, "Ten Year Anniversary of the HO Scale 1909 Boston & Maine Layout at the Heritage Park Railroad Museum was presented by Rich Breton. Rich presented about a hundred photos, out of the thousands in his collection, that walked the audience through the ten years of hard work donated by many volunteers who designed and built the layout. The layout accurately depicts the eastern New Hampshire locations traversed by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1909. Rich included history of local people`s ancestors who lived in the area or worked on the railroad. Overall, an outstanding presentation. Thanks again Rich.
Remember, If you missed the Spring event and are interested in any of the clinics listed above, You can view them on the Division Youtube Channel.
Lastly, I reviewed upcoming events and conventions and introduced the two layout tours, The Heritage Park Railroad Museum - 1909 B&B Layout and Chris Oliver`s Donner Pass HO Layout that were open to members following the event.
Again I would like to thank everyone who helped make the Spring Event possible!
Seacoast Summer 2023 Event
The Seacoast Division Summer 2023 Event will be held on July 15, 2023 at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club in Auburn ME. Watch for the Event notice. Tage Erickson is organizing the event.
Other Upcoming 2023 Shows and Events
37th Annual Concord Model Railroad Show, Everett Arena, 15 Loudon Rd, Concord, NH 03301. Exit 14 on Route 93. August 20, 2023 - Hours 10a-3:30p. For more information please visit https://www.trainweb.org/cmrc/ or contact Rich Fifield via email at rhfsaf@aol.com or 603- 736-8061.
NER Convention - Cannonball Express 2023, Uniondale, NY, October 5-8, 2023. Enrollment is open at https://ner-conventions.org/cannonball-express/.
Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee Status
he Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee continues to investigate the possibility of the Seacoast Division hosting the 2025 NER Convention. At this time we have located one feasible venue in Concord NH - The Grapponne Center. Several committee members were able to tour the venue on May 24th. Each of the four major committees (Overall Convention, Inside Activities, Outside Activities, and Publicity) will be co-chaired in order to share the workload. At this time two Seacoast members have volunteered to be a co-chairman for the Inside Activities Committee and the Publicity Committee. We are still in need of at least one volunteer for each the co-chair positions in the Overall Convention Committee and Outside Activities Committee before we can commit to hosting the 2025 NER Convention. Please think about stepping up and becoming a Committee Co-chairman.
Once again, consider volunteering. This is your organization and we need help in several areas.
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published: 02 June 2023
2023 Seacoast Division Spring Event Recap
Details:2023 Seacoast Division Spring Event Recap
Published:20 April 2023
2023 Seacoast Division Spring Event
Details:2023 Seacoast Division Spring Event
Published:12 March 2023
Winter 2023 President’s Letter
Greetings Seacoast Members,
It`s hard to believe it’s already February. I hope you are all staying warm and making progress on your railroads this winter.
Annual Meeting Summary
We held our Winter 2023 Event and Annual Meeting at the Westbrook Community Center in Westbrook Maine on January 7th. During the Annual Meeting segment of the Event the 2022 Division status was presented and the three Directors were formally elected per the bylaws. Bob Kotsonis completed his term on the Board of Directors and we all thank him for his service. Jay Ehlen, Guy Mason and Tom Oxnard, MMR were elected to three year terms as Directors. Many of you already know Jay and Tom who were incumbents. Guy Mason is a new Seacoast Member as well as a new Director. Congratulations to all three and thank you for volunteering.
Here`s the 2023 Seacoast Division Leadership Team:
Financially, the Seacoast Division had a good year. The 2022 beginning balance was $5,878.83 and the ending balance was $6,529.34. The major source of income was the sale of donated items at the Silent Auction in April and at the "for sale" table in July.
The Faulter Fund made a major donation ($1,000.00) to the First Baptist Church of Shapleigh Train Club. Several teens are building a modular layout and the Seacoast Division is happy to support them. If you know any young modelers who could use some financial help, have them take a look at our website where an application form is available to down load.
2022 was not a great year for increasing the Division’s membership. Membership dropped from 174 to 157. We lost 20 members and gained only 3. If you know anyone who dropped out, please contact them and encourage them to rejoin, or at least ask the reason why they left.
The Achievement Program gave out only one AP Certificate for the year. Hopefully we`ll see an increase in 2023.
Dave Delorey continues to do a great job with our website athttps://www.seacoastnmra.com. The website has an incredible number of resource documents and clinics linked to it. Please take a look when you can.
Geoff Anthony, the Switch Tower Editor, is always in need of articles for the Switch Tower. Even a few photos of your latest project will be a welcome addition to the Switch Tower. The January 2023 edition of the Switch Tower was recently added to the website.
Four quarterly Events were held in 2022. The Winter Event was hopefully our last "Zoom only" event. The other three were live with Zoom. Jay Ehlen has stepped up to be the Activities Coordinator. Thank you Jay! We need a second Activities Coordinator to work with Jay who is knowledgeable in MS Excel and Word, Zoom, and computers in general. Please think about stepping up and taking on this role.
Eight Seacoast members attended the 2022 NER Connecticut Yankee Convention in Windsor CT. Seacoast members John McHugh and Jim Gore. MMR gave clinics at the convention.
Winter 2023 Event
Besides losing Bob Kotsonis as a Director, he also stepped down as the Audio/Video coordinator for the events which included broadcasting them on Zoom. Tage and I tried to get everything working at the event, but we were only partially successful. Our A/V skills need improving and we are looking for a member to step up and take Bob’s place as the A/V coordinator. If you have computer skills, please consider volunteering.
Dan Pugatch gave a great clinic on Modeling Brick and Concrete, and the rest of the Winter Event focused on Operations. Included were a clinic by Bruce Robinson, a hands on demonstration by Chuck Hastings and the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club, and a panel discussion/presentation on operations with panel members Matt Keiser, John Newick, Bruce Robinson and myself. Rob Selberg opened his St. James Sub (N) following the Event. I would like to thank all of those above who participated in and supported the Winter Event.
Seacoast Spring 2023 Event
The Seacoast Division Spring 2023 Event on April 15, 2023 and the location has not been finalized yet. Watch for the Event notice. Jay Ehlen is organizing the event and we are in need of clinics and presentations. Some feedback which we received at the Winter Event was for more variety in the clinics/presentations. We are planning the Spring Event with more variety in mind. Having been the Activities Coordinator for several years, I have always looked for clinics in these four general categories:
Member’s Layouts - Concept, Design, Construction, Prototype, Operations: If you have built or are building a layout, take some photos or a video and tell us about it. We’re always interested in seeing what everyone has accomplishedOne clinic in each category makes a great Event! At this time, we do not have any clinics lined up for the Spring 2023 Event. We need your help. Please consider giving a clinic at the Spring Event and subsequent Events.
Other Upcoming 2023 Shows and Events
The Maine 3Railers Model RR & Dollhouse Show is February 18, 2023 at the National Guard Armory, 179 Western Ave., Augusta ME.
NERx - The Northeastern Region (NER) will be holding another NERx event on March 20-23, 2023. NERx is an "on-line convention" held in the evenings of the above mentioned dates. Anyone can join in and watch on- line clinics, video layout tours, roundtable discussions and model showcases. Look for it on the www.nernmra.org website.
The Southern Maine Model Railroad Club is hosting its 3rd Train Show at the Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St., Westbrook, Maine, on April 22, 2023. Details for the show are available athttps://southernmainemrc.wordpress.com. The Seacoast Division needs a few members to man a Membership Recruitment table at the event. Chuck Hastings is also looking for clinicians to give presentations during the show. Please contact me if you can work the table or give a clinic at the show. I hope many of you will attend the show and support the SMMRC.
The Great Falls Model RR Club show will be held at the Mt. Ararat High School, 68 Eagles Way, Topsham ME on April 29, 2023. Details for the show are available athttps://www.greatfallsmodelrrclub.org/train-shows/great-falls-spring-train-show-saturday-april-29/.
Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee Status
The Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee continues to investigate the possibility of the Seacoast Division hosting the 2025 NER Convention. Earlier, while waiting for another Division’s plans to firm up, we were considering either 2024 or 2025, but the Lake Shores Division has recently committed to host the convention in Rochester NY in 2024. At this time we have located one feasible venue in Concord NH and we are continuing to look at other options. Each of the four major committees (Overall Convention, Inside Activities, Outside Activities, and Publicity) will be co-chaired in order to share the workload. At this time two Seacoast members have volunteered to be a co-chairman for the Inside Activities Committee and the Publicity Committee. We are still in need of at least one volunteer for each the co-chair positions in the Overall Convention Committee and Outside Activities Committee before we can commit to hosting the 2025 NER Convention. Please think about stepping up and becoming a Committee Co-chairman.
Once again, consider volunteering. This is your organization and we need help in several areas.
Enjoy the winter and I hope to see you at the Spring Event.
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director
Published:28 February 2023
2023 Seacoast Division Winter Event
Details:2023 Seacoast Division Winter Event
Published:13 February 2023
Fall President`s Message 2022
Greetings Seacoast Members,
President`s Message November 2022 Greetings Seacoast Members, It`s hard to believe it`s already late November and Thanksgiving is just two days away. I just finished raking and blowing leaves and mowing the grass for the last time. I am glad that is over. The mover has been put away and the snow blower is fueled and ready to go. Now it`s time to get down to fun things like Thanksgiving Dinner and working on the railroad.
The Seacoast Division Fall Event was a huge success. Vice President Jay Ehlen organized the event which was held at the Stratham Fire House on October 8, 2022. Thanks again to Mike Grahame for providing the venue. James Van Bokkelen, Vice President of the Seacoast Trolley Museum, gave a presentation on the relocation of a layout that was donated to the museum. But, before they could install the layout, they had to build a building to house the layout. Tom Oxnard, MMR gave an illustrative presentation of how the Achievement program works. Rich Breton gave the third presentation on general photography and adding a video camera to a locomotive or rolling stock. After the event, Dave Kotsonis and Dick Fralich opened their layouts for visitors. I would like to thank everyone involved in putting on the Fall Event. Great job!
Summer is not usually the time for train shows, however, the Concord Model Railroad Club puts on their show every year on the second Sunday of August (Aug. 14) at the Everett Arena in Concord, NH. This show is the best show in New Hampshire and the Seacoast Division will be represented. Stop by at our table and say hello. I look forward to seeing you there.
After all of you have finished your Thanksgiving festivities, you can spend the weekend visiting layouts that are part of the Tour de Chooch tour. 36 layouts in Massachusetts and New Hampshire will be open on Saturday and Sunday, November 26-27, 2022. See thewww.tourdechooch.orgwebsite for details. Several of the layouts belong to Seacoast members. The Heritage Park Railroad Museum in Union, NH will have their Boston and Maine -1909 layout, built by a group of Seacoast members, open on Sunday as part of the tour. This is a great opportunity to see a lot of outstanding model railroading.
The Seacoast Division Winter Event and Annual Meeting will be held on January 7, 2023 at the Westbrook Community Center in Westbrook, ME. Watch for event notices in your email.
The Northeastern Region (NER) will be holding another NERx event on March 20-23, 2023. NERx is an on-line conventionheld in the evenings of the previously mentioned dates. Anyone can join in and watch on-line clinics, video layout tours, roundtable discussions and model showcases. Look for it on thewww.nernmra.orgwebsite. Last March, we got to see several Seacoast members` layouts which were video-taped by Bob Kotsonis. The organizers are currently looking for clinicians and layouts to videotape for 2023. If you are interested in giving a clinic or having your layout videotaped or even just showing off your work in a short Model Showcase, contact me and I will connect you with the NERx coordinators.
The Seacoast Treasury remains stable with a balance of $6599.34. The Chip Faulter Fund has a balance of $9663.85 after making a $1000.00 donation to a church youth group that is building a modular layout in Maine. We continue to look for worthy recipients of funding from the Faulter Fund. If you know any young people that could use funding to support their model railroad activities, contact Tage Erickson or me and I will make sure that information will be sent to you.
Our 2024 NER Convention Exploratory Committee continues to look for an appropriate venue for the convention. Portsmouth and Laconia are the primary areas of interest at this time. I recently sent out a request for volunteers to help with the convention. I thank all of you that have volunteered. The email contained a “strawman” list of positions that needed filling. The convention chairmen roles are well defined in the NER Convention handbook, but the rest of positions were made up by me based on what I know and have observed at other conventions. Given that, I hope that you will not get too concerned about the specific positions listed on the chart. I am sure the specific needs might change and everything will be dependent of the final choice for a venue. At this time I ask all of you this question: “Are you willing to help with the convention?” I hope many more of you can answer YES and volunteer. We will sort out the roles and positions so that every volunteer feels comfortable with the job that they take on.
That`s all I have for now. I wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I hope to see you at the Winter Event!
Best regards,
Glenn Mitchell, Seacoast Division NMRA President and Director
Published:11 November 2022
Published:11 November 2022
2022 Seacoast Division Fall Event Recap
Details:2022 Seacoast Division Fall Event Recap
Published:8 October 2022
Seacoast Division NMRA 2022 Fall Event
Details:Seacoast Division NMRA 2022 Fall Event
Published:11 September 2022
President`s Award
Published:06 September 2022
Summer President's Message 2022
Hello Seacoast Members.,
The summer has flown by and once again I am late getting this letter out to you. I recently thought back to last winter, when I had planned several model railroad tasks that needed to be done in the warmer weather. Most involved rolling the table saw out on the driveway and slicing up sheets of plywood or Masonite. Fortunately I bought most of my stockpile before the prices jumped due to Covid. Unfortunately, that also tells you how far behind I am with construction. Regardless, I have not had the saw out yet. Before I begin I need to create my master "cut list." Once I know what I need, I can usually roll through it – the key is to not over think it. I’m guilty of doing that a lot. So the message here regarding building your railroad is – don’t over think it – just do it!
As my layout progresses, I find that mixing up the tasks is helpful. After a lot of layout structure work, track-work, and wiring, I needed a change. Time for some scenery. I really admire the scenery created by Pelle SØeborg and Lance Mindheim. I think one of the reasons I like their styles is that they both model "modern" eras. I think most of their scenery style would fit in my 1975 era layout with the correct vintage of motive power, rolling stock, and vehicles. I chose a section of the layout to begin scenicing that is 16 ft. long and one foot in depth with a backdrop. Just a double track mainline with a slight grade going through Illinois corn fields. I started the "landscaping" with Styrofoam insulation. I purchased a Woodland Scenics hot wire foam cutter which makes shaping foam so much easier and neater that using a knife and a rasp. Just make sure you have proper ventilation. I’ll post some pictures as things progress.
Summer is not usually the time for train shows, however, the Concord Model Railroad Club puts on their show every year on the second Sunday of August (Aug. 14) at the Everett Arena in Concord, NH. This show is the best show in New Hampshire and the Seacoast Division will be represented. Stop by at our table and say hello. I look forward to seeing you there.
Eleven years ago, in 2011, I went to my first North East Region Convention – the Roger Williams Express – in Warwick Rhode Island. I was able to sign up for multiple operating sessions. Model railroad operations is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby. First, I was able to operate on a club layout (I don’t remember the name.) on the way to the convention. I got to experience the dynamics of a club layout, which has to meet the needs of the many members. The second layout I toured was Don Irace’s Providence & Worcester Railroad. Every aspect of the layout – multi-level benchwork, track, scenery, and prototype modeling- was very well executed. It was also the first layout that I have encountered to use JMRI Panelpro signaling and dispatching. Don’s layout provided a lot of inspiration for my own layout design. I was lucky enough to operate on it again at the 2017 NER convention. Unfortunately, this layout was dismantled a few years ago when Don moved. Ever since that first convention, I have been signing up for as many operation sessions as possible at successive NER conventions. Seeing how other modelers have constructed and operate their layouts always provides me with new ideas.
This year I signed up for two layout tours at the Connecticut Yankee NER Convention in Windsor, Connecticut. I expect additional operating positions to become available prior to the start of the convention. Clinics are another big part of any convention. The Connecticut Yankee has 51 clinics available from Thursday thru Saturday. There are a lot more activities than I want to mention here. More information is available at ner-conventions.org/connecticut-yankee. I encourage every Seacoast member to attend the Connecticut Yankee Convention which runs from Sept. 15 thru Sept. 18. Enrollment is open!
Lastly, the Seacoast Division Fall Event is scheduled for October 8, 2022 at the Stratham Volunteer Fire Department. I want to thank Mike Grahame for providing the venue. Vice President Jay Ehlen will be organizing and running this even. Watch for the event notice.
That’s all I have for now. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I hope to see you at the CMRRC Show or the Connecticut Yankee NER Convention.
Take care,
Glenn Mitchell, Seacoast Division NMRA President and Director
Published:02 August 2022
