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
