Seacoast Division Winter 2020 Event Report
January 7, 2020
The Seacoast Division Winter Event was held on January 4, 2020 at the Westbrook Community Center in the Spruce Room, 426 Bridge St., Westbrook, ME. The Seacoast Division would like to thank Tage Erickson for providing the venue.
The "regular" Board of Directors Meeting was held at 8:30. Acting Secretary Tom Oxnard, MMR will submit a separate report for that meeting.
Prior to the general meeting Chuck Hastings and several members of the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club set up a small modular layout in the back of the room. Meeting attendees were able to view and operate the layout during lunch and after the meeting. Thank you SMMRC for supporting the Seacoast Division and the Winter Event.
Once again, Stan Jordan provided coffee and donut holes. Thanks Stan everyone appreciates your effort.
Glenn Mitchell kicked off the Event at 10:00 AM. 36 people attended and 34 were Seacoast Division members. The 5 new attendees introduced themselves.
Larry Cannon, MMR, organized the silent auction to benefit the Chip Faulter Fund. Larry and other Seacoast members donated items for the auction. The Chip Faulter Fund was set up to honor the former Seacoast Division Director, Secretary, and President Chip Faulter who passed away in November. Chip’s wish was for money donated to the fund to go to support young model railroaders entering the hobby. Thank you Larry for organizing the auction and everyone who has contributed to the Chip Faulter Fund.
Dave Kotsonis gave a presentation on Making Roads with Elmer’s Wood Filler. Dave’s layout needed another road and Dave took the audience through the steps needed to make a great looking low cost road. Dave started with planning the road, making a cardboard template, and marking the location. Next he diluted Elmer’s Wood Filler with water and applied it to the area. After the road material dried Dave shaped and sanded it. Painting the road completes the process. Dave’s process results in stable, crack-free, long lasting roads. Great job Dave!
The January Event is when the Seacoast Division holds its Annual Meeting. President Tage Erickson called the Annual Meeting to order. It was determined that the 34 Seacoast Division members in attendance constituted a quorum. (Ten percent of the 187 Seacoast members are required for a quorum.) He briefly reviewed his 2019 President’s Message that had been sent to all members in December. Treasurer Dave Kotsonis and Membership Chairman Lou Champagne gave brief financial and membership reports respectively. Tage continued on and discussed the process for the election of Directors by the membership. The election of 3 Directors began with the request for nominations from the floor. There were no nominations from the floor. The nomination committee, had found two candidates: incumbent director Tom Oxnard, MMR, and new candidate Bob Kotsonis. Both candidates were unanimously elected by the members present. Congratulations to Tom and Bob. The Seacoast Division continues to have one open Director position. If anyone is interested, please contact Tage Erickson.
The second presentation was by Chuck Hastings and was titled How to Create Your Own Photo Backdrops. Chuck project started by taking to the roads of northern Maine to photograph areas that make the background scene that he needed. He then merged the various photos together using PhotoShop. He edits the sky as needed and the results look great. Chuck has found that many of the companies that produce commercial backdrops were willing to work with him to print the final product. Chuck’s method allows the modeler to create the backdrop exactly as he or she wants and not have to settle for what’s available from a vendor. Thanks Chuck for a great presentation.
The third and last presenter was Tage Erickson. Tage took us through the steps necessary to install different TCS decoders in several HO diesel locomotives. Tage began by explaining the materials and tools needed for the job. We all know about solder and soldering irons, but Tage explained the need for Kapton tape in a stable dispenser and lacing cord things the average modeler probably doesn’t have on his work bench. Tage gave examples of installations in a variety of locomotives from Athearn "Blue Box" U-Boats which require extensive modifications to current supper-detailed locos where a sound decoder practically drops into place. Tage wrapped up his presentation by demonstrating the locomotives on the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club modular layout. Thank you Tage and thanks to all the members of the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club for making the demonstration possible.
The "Show, Tell and Ask" part of the Event consisted of 5 modelers presenting their work. Bob Bennet showed his HO Scale gas station. Jack Lutz displayed his Bissell Brothers Brewery which included an addition made from a Palmer Ice House kit. Eric and Angel Williams presented their outstanding Conway Middleton & Boston Northern "Time to Sell the Farm" diorama. Finally, Larry Cannon showed how he saves money by modifying and re-filling a Testor’s glue bottle with the metal dispensing tip. Thanks to all for participating in the Show, Tell, and Ask.
Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to Dave Kotsonis, Chuck Hastings, Tage Erickson and the SMMRRC crew for their efforts. Without volunteers like these, we wouldn’t be able to hold the events
During the event a table of model railroad sale items were available for purchase by members and Larry Cannon held the raffle of 4 items.
The Winter Event was adjourned around 2:00
Following the Event, a Supplemental Board of Directors Meeting was held. Tage Erickson was re-elected President of the Seacoast Division and Glenn Mitchell was re-elected Vice President of the Seacoast Division
Upcoming events are:
Seacoast Division Spring Event April 4, 2020
Newington Old Town Hall, 336 Nimble Hill Road, Newington NH
Seacoast Division Summer Event July 25, 2020
Great Falls Model Railroad Club, 144 Mill St., Auburn, ME
Following the conclusion of the Winter Event, Rob Selberg opened his N-scale layout for attendees. Rob thank you for supporting the Seacoast Division.
Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Vice President, Director, and NH Event Coordinator