The

LocalVolume 54 March - April 1999 Number 2

Eureka!See page 4The Eureka, a Mason Bogie, is on thehead-end of train #265, which is awestbound freight destined forLeadville. The locomotive is anOverland model of the heavier type 2-6-6T bogies that operated on the SouthPark in the early 1880s and later on theUnion Pacific's subsidiary line, Utahand Northern. Positioning the track tocrossover this scratch built bridge andnext to a cliff obscures the transitionbetween the scenic portions of thelayout and the staging yard at Denver.

Lynchburg Convention Update

As with the layout tours, non rail will also be self guidedthereby allowing one to see more of what they really want tosee and still be with friends. Lynchburg and it’s surrounds offer sev-

eral manufacturer shoe outlets, the Mayer Museum of Art located atRandolph Macon College which also has a planetarium. The Walton’s Moun-tain Museum located about 45 minutes North of the city in Schuyler, aboutan hour North is Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia,Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home and a gazillion shopping centers andmalls. Between Lynchburg and these locations are several wineries and a lotof Antique shops.

To our west is Roanoke with many shopping centers and malls and theVirginia Museum of Transportation where the N&W J 611 resides along with

Continued on page 8

2 2 2 2 2 MARCH - APRIL 1999 T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA

Presidential Pennings

New approaches to recruitment

by Bill Gruber

In a previous column in the LOCAL, I mentioned some thought-provoking opinions that gave three reasons for the existence of the MidEastern Region. Those were: 1) the continued sponsoring of RegionalConventions held within the boundaries of the Region; 2) thepublication of a Regional “mouth piece” called the Local for the primarypurpose of conveying Region business to the membership andsecondary purpose of providing entertainment in the form of modelingrelated articles, etc. and; 3) provide for sound fund raising in order todefray the costs of running the Region.

In order to help meet these and a few other short term goals, theMER Board of Directors has recently approved some new approachestowards the recruitment of new members by promoting ourConventions and rewarding our veteran members in their recruitmentefforts.

The first and perhaps most important item approved by the BOD isthe first phase of production of a public relations video tape outlining allthe activities associated with a Mid Eastern Region Conventions. Thetape will be professionally produced by members of the Region and begeared towards those members on the Divisional level who do notattend Regional Conventions. Vice President Norm Garner will bespearheading the efforts and Brad Bowers of Digital Image Works hasagreed to help on the professional level.

Director Paul Rivers, while acting as Membership Chair until apermanent replacement can be found, will be drawing up the guidelinesfor a new member recruitment contest. This contest will reward thosepresent members who sign up new members. See Paul‘s article on page6. Let‘s launch this project ASAP!

Overall, the Mid Eastern Region is in excellent financial shape as wehead towards the next millennium. Conventions are booked through theFall of 2000 with the Tidewater Division hosting the Spring 2000Convention in Portsmouth, VA. and the Region sponsoring the Fall 2000Convention in Altoona, PA. Other groups have expressed interest in theyears following.

Don’t forget the MER Spring Convention hosted by the James RiverDivision will be held April 23-25 in Lynchburg, VA. From what I’ve readand heard, they have an excellent slate of clinics and other activities.Let‘s show them the support they deserve and send in the registrationsforms now! Also, the South Mountain Division has been working hardto bring us our Fall Convention scheduled for November 12-14 inHagerstown, MD.

It’s still not too late to think about filling one of three Director seatsthis Fall at our Annual meeting in Hagerstown. Directors are part of theMER Board of Directors who help set Region policies, convey ideas fromthe membership to the Board and vote on all issues concerning therunning of the Region. Deadline for getting your name to theNominating Committee is April 15. After that, you’ll need a petitionsigned by 25 members and filed by July 15. All you need is a photo ofyourself, a small statement not exceeding 200 words and the desire tohelp make the Region a strong and beneficial organization for themembership. Please contact Alex Pope, Nominating Chair, at 5401Temple Hills Rd., Temple Hills, MD 20748 or call him at (301) 894-4400.Let‘s have a full slate of candidates this year!

MER LOCALOfficial Publication of the

Mid-Eastern Region, NMRAA Tax-Exempt Organization

The MER LOCAL is published six times a year.Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflectthose of MER elected officials. Commercialsuppliers, supplies and materials addressed in theLOCAL in no way constitute an endorsement by theMER. Copyright material that appears in theLOCAL is used for educational and historicalbenefit only, and does not constitute infringementof the copyright holder.

Stan Knotts, Editor19808 Falling Spring Court

Laytonsville, MD 20882-1226

C. William Gruber, President79 Quaker Road

Mickleton, NJ 08056-1306

Norman Garner, Vice President3408 Wilshire Rd.

Portsmouth, VA 23703

Eric Dervinis, Secretary632 Bob White Road

Wayne, PA 19087

Ron Schmidt, Treasurer7110 Riverdale Road

Lanham, MD 20706-1130

Contributing Editors

Roger L. Cason1125 Grinnell Road

Wilmington, DE 19803-5125(302) 478-2550

John Teichmoeller12107 Mt. Albert RoadEllicott City, MD 21042

Ron Baile24 Hampton Road

Westmont, NJ 08108-2202(609) 858-6644

LOCAL Advertising Manager

Dick Foley2021 Wallace Street

Philadelphia, PA 19130-3221(215) 232-4926

The MER LOCAL welcomes articles, photographsand model rai l road related mater ial ascontributions to members' mutual enjoyment of thehobby. Materials should have a wide appeal.Editors will exercise all due care of submissions,but contributors should not send originals withouthaving back-up copies of both articles andphotographs. Editors, by definition, reserve theright—and have the responsibility—to makecorrect ions, delet ions and changes toaccommodate space.

DUES: $8 per year; $16 - 2 years

LIFE MEMBERSHIPLife Membership in the MER is ONLYavailable to NMRA Life Members. For

quotation, apply to the Business Managerwith your date of birth.

Send all dues and membership inquiries to:Nelson D. Garber, Business ManagerMid-Eastern Region, NMRA13212 Bellevue StreetSilver Spring, MD 20904-1703

T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA MARCH - APRIL 1999 33333

On Monday January 18, 1999Norman B. Blackwood left us. Hewas a well known modeler in the1960/70 era, earned MMR inDecember of 1973 and had twoextremely well thought out andfunctional layouts. He worked forPEPCO as a Senior Circuit Testerand was responsible for theacceptance of all powertransformers that the power

company purchased for almost 10years.

Norm was a perfectionist andwould go to any length to be surehis model railroad, The MasonDixon Lines, ran as well as hecould make it. On the first layoutthat I saw, he had a rather smallbasement but was not willing toreduce the curve radius to under30 inches, nor was he willing tohave an S curve around a supportcolumn. There were brick load-bearing support columns builtinto the sides of his house that

held up a steelbeam that ranacross thebasement. One ofthe supportcolumnsprotruded intothe right-of-way.He solved theproblem byhaving a steelshop weld atunnel of 1/4"

steel safety tread plates that wastwo HO tracks wide. He put atemporary support under that endof the house beam and chiseledout the protruding brick exactlyenough to slide in the steel tunnel.He then cemented it in place andtook down the temporarysupport. When he moved, thetunnel was still there. That layoutwas a wonder to behold.

He modeled the Pennsy andmade operating 5 light blocksignals. Incredible for the 1970’s.His blocks were controlled bystepper switches which were partof a very complicated ProgressiveCab System that he designed andbuilt. The under track wiring wasjust as impressive as the rest ofthe layout. Norm scratch builtseveral brass locos, including aGS-4 SP Daylight 4-8-4. TheDaylight paint job was as accurateas that on the prototype. He alsobuilt a scratch built Southern PS-4Pacific 4-6-2. Both of these engineswere the subject of paintingarticles in the Model Railroader.

The second layout is mostnotable for the absolutely perfectdouble slip switches that he andfriend Capt. Pliny G. Holt, MMRdesigned and built together.Norm wanted to back a 15 carpassenger train through the yardfrom the main through the doubletrack slips into the passengerstation without the normal Scurves seen on other layouts (andthe prototype!). He and Plinyworked over a year making theslips work and fit right. The finalproduct was about seven feetlong.

Norm was a master of manytrades. Auto painter, restorer, 1/4mile drag car builder and driver,superb cabinet maker, Still andVideo movie producer, able to fixliterally everything bothmechanical and electronic - andone very nice family man too. Heis survived by his wife, Betty LouBlackwood, daughter Linda A.Terry, sons Bruce B. Blackwoodand Bradley B. Blackwood. BruceBlackwood owns Burrett Hobbies,a Model Trains and Hobby shopin College Park, Maryland.

—Rick Shoup, MMR

NORMAN B.BLACKWOOD, MMR

KEITH BERGMANN, ENGINEER

Hours: Tue.- Wed. - Fri. 10-7 Thu. 10-9 Sat. 10-5 Sun. 11-4 (Oct.-April)114 Main Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520

609-448-5070

MER RF&P Mill Gon Order FormGON QUANTITY MEMBER PRICE * NON-MEMBER PRICE TOTAL

#3306 _______ $8.95 $9.95 $_______

#3310 _______ $8.95 $9.95 $_______

TOTAL $_______

MARYLAND RESIDENTS ADD 5% SALES TAX $_______

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MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO MID EASTERN REGION.

MAIL TO: THE MID-EASTERN REGION INC.Business Manager13212 Bellevue StreetSilver Spring, MD 20904-1703

4 4 4 4 4 MARCH - APRIL 1999 T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA

By Andrew DodgeOne of the most fascinating

and romanticized railroads in theUnited States is the Denver SouthPark and Pacific Railroad.Traversing the Rocky Mountainsin central Colorado, it operatedunder several corporate structuresfrom the mid-1870s until just priorto World War II. I was introduced

to the railroad when I discoveredmy father's copy of PictorialSupplement to Denver South Parkand Pacific. Having traveled toColorado and already being amodel railroader, it was easy tovisualize a “dream layout” andsee myself running a railroad thatwas unfortunately consigned tohistory books and old pictures.

I began my modeling career inHO and moved on to HOn3 in thelate 1960s where I stayed for thenext 15 years. After building arather typical large layout, Ibecame disenchanted withmodeling the Denver and Rio

Grande and the performance ofsuch small steam locomotives. Myreal love was still the South Park.When Overland Modelsintroduced a series of On3 modelsof the South Park's most famousengines, I saw my opportunityand made the switch. TheseOverland narrow gaugelocomotives were of the Mason

Bogie 2-6-6T. They were small 22-25 ton tank type engines with arigid frame. The drivers and leadtruck swiveled under a centershank fitting, which carried steamto the pistons, and a three-axletruck under the tender supportedthe rear portion of the locomotive.

Now that I had the engines, Ihad to confront the real challengesof building an entire layout basedon a 110-year-old prototype. Allmy preceding layouts werevariations on the simple loop.This time I wanted to build andoperate a point-to-point system.

With books and photographs at-hand, I set about deciding whicharea of the line to model. Since Iwas going to follow the historicalrailroad, I felt that I had to be trueto the scenic elements and thesequence of stations. I haddetermined that I had to foregomodeling every town and station,but I would adhere to the order.Staying with the propersuccession of depots was animportant decision when it wouldcome time to operate the layout.

Designing a layout is asimportant as all the other effortand time spent in building amodel empire. I had a good sizedarea, 28 x 28 plus 18 x 13, toconstruct my layout. Even withthe biggest room, space is alwaysan issue, so I decided to have thetwo ends of the railroad, Denverand Gunnison, serve as stagingareas. Since these two terminalswere 200 miles apart, that left alarge area to consider for mymodeling efforts. The South Parkoperated through river gorges,passed over the continental dividethree times, and across some veryflat terrain. The economic baseand traffic density on the line alsovaried from area to area andchanged over time. During theearly 1880s hard-rock mining wasthe driving force that determinedwhere the line was going to bebuilt. However, in the decliningyears of operation, ice became oneof the most importantcommodities moved.

I wanted a model layout withprototypical and dramatic sceneryand also with sufficient industriesto keep train crews interested andbusy during an operating session.I also desired to include a canyonscene so typical of Coloradonarrow gauge railroads, a divisionpoint, and a high pass requiringgrades and service facilities. Aftersetting these criteria, choosing theareas to model was easy. All the

Building and Operating a Model of a Prototype Railroad

The railroad's first bogie, the Oro City has just arrived at the Deansbury hotel in thePlatte Canyon with several intrepid travelers who want to try their luck at trout fishing.The hotel is a compressed, scratch built model. I included this location on the layoutbecause it offered two important sources of traffic: passengers and railroad ties, whichfurnished a necessary building material for the construction gangs working at the end-of-track at Gunnison and Breckenridge. Continued next page

“I wanted a model layout with prototypical anddramatic scenery and also with sufficient industriesto keep train crews interested and busy during anoperating session.”

T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA MARCH - APRIL 1999 55555

traffic generated on the line orbeing shipped west had to gothrough the Platte Canyon, whichis southwest of Denver. This gaveme a good volume of thru trafficplus local freight and passengerbusiness generated at severalpoints. As the line headed furtherwest it passed over Kenosha Passat just under 10,000 feet, whichprovided the transition from thecanyon area to the South Park andthe railroad's division point atComo. Modeling the PlatteCanyon and Kenosha Passoccupied one wall of the largerroom as well as all of the smallerroom and provided ampleseparations between each townand the various elements modeledin the canyon.

The town of Como is locatedin the South Park, which is abroad basin with a low rollinglandscape between highmountains. In 1882, it was a

railroad town and a division pointwith a six-stall stone enginehouse, depot, and a large brickhotel as the main structures. Byincluding this division point inthe design, I would increase theinterests for operating crewsduring sessions by incorporatingswitching, meets, and engineservicing into one area coupledwith the added appeal of movingfreight to supply the town and tokeep the railroad functioning.

The placement of this railroadelement in the room waspredetermined by the fact that ittook the full length of one side ofthe room. The flat terrain madeconstructing and modeling thescene easier and precluded scenicdistractions. At Como, I wantedthe scenery to be a background tothe railroad facilities, while onother portions of the layout, Iwanted the trains and structuresto be seen as part of the landscape.

Since Como was a divisionpoint, I had to decide how to

Continued next page

BUILDING ANDOPERATING Continued

Train #265 is crossing the railroad's namesake, the South Park, and about to enter the line's division point at Como. While the area isrelatively flat, construction engineers had to utilize several short, low trestles to traverse the Park. To achieve the feeling of a hugenatural amphitheater surrounded by mountains several miles away, I scaled and painted the backdrop from historical photos of the areaand photos I had taken. Although not apparent in this photo, I also painted heavy cloud formations that further “crushed” the mountains,which enhanced the impression of looking at an immense area.

After passing through the town ofWebster, the line begins its long climb toKenosha Pass. The cars were scratchbuilt from wood with fittings by Grant Lineand hardware and trucks from CoronadoScale Models. The rocks in the retainingwall and the dirt and other rocks weretaken from the actual locations inColorado that are represented on thelayout. I used plaster over screen wireand stained the scenery with a thin washof colors matching the prototypelocations.

“While the construction of the layout followed rather

traditional carpentry and plaster on screen-wire

techniques, building a prototype of an 1882 railroad

presented a whole series of new challenges.”

6 6 6 6 6 MARCH - APRIL 1999 T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA

BUILDING, OPERATING

Continued

a Scot, I hate buying the samething twice. Code 70 rail in As”scale is equivalent to 35 poundrails, which is what the railroadused. There was a learning curve

The Breckenridge mixed #279 has arrived for a water stop at Halfway, which as its nameimplies is halfway between Como and Boreas Pass. The water tank is a kit bashed On3model with a redesigned enclosed base that was common in the early days of therailroad. The station/section house is scratch built of wood siding overa Plexiglas base with individual wood roof shingles.

Your Board of Directors approved a recruiting contest at the February6th BoD meeting. The purpose of this contest is to enroll more MERmembers. At present only 47% of the NMRA members residing withinthe Mid Eastern Region, are members of the MER. This leaves quite afew NMRA members in our territory, who are not enjoying MERmembership.

The awards for the best recruiters are as follows.The best recruiter will receive a one-year membership renewal for

both MER and NMRA. Second best recruiter will receive a one yearrenewal of their NMRA membership. The third forth and fifth bestrecruiters will each receive one year MER membership renewals.

How to participate…Take the MER Membership Application (located on the back cover

of The LOCAL.) then write ”referred by: (Your MER membershipnumber)” on the bottom left corner. Make copies of the application anddistribute them to fellow model railroaders. Be certain to tell themabout the upcoming MER conventions, the camaraderie of MERmembership, and the enjoyment that comes with being involved.

The contest will conclude in November, at which time all referralswill be tallied up and the winners notified.

See ya in Lynchburg, —Paul R. Rivers

RECRUITING CONTEST

Continued on next page

utilize the central area of the mainlayout room and what portion ofthe railroad could best berepresented. In 1882, the line wasstill expanding west towardGunnison and building a newbranch from Como toBreckenridge. The right-of-way toBreckenridge would give me oneof the railroad's most interestingpasses, but I would have to fit anO scale wye into the availablespace. The route west was not asinteresting and had limitedindustries to generate trafficunless I jumped even furtherwest, too far for my modelingtastes to be believable, to the eastside of Alpine Pass.

After several design sessions, Idetermined that I would create areverse, balloon-loop for stagingand to represent the western areasof the line and that I couldincorporate a wye whereBreckenridge would be located.The real modeling effort would gointo the Breckenridge branch,which included Boreas Pass withits stone engine house containinga turntable, coal, and waterfacilities inside the building, andBreckenridge, which was the end-of-track during the time I ammodeling. I felt that Breckenridgewas a wise choice because itwould give me a major source oftraffic associated with hard rockmining and the feeling of arailroad under construction withan end-of- track scene.

While the construction of thelayout followed rather traditionalcarpentry and plaster on screen-wire techniques, building aprototype of an 1882 railroadpresented a whole series of newchallenges. On all my previouslayouts, I had used flex track andmanufactured switches. Now Iwould have to hand-lay track andbuild stub-switches. I salvaged allthe code 70 rail from my Hon3layout and reconditioned it. Being

to building stub-switches, butthey are as easy or easier thanpoint-switches. I even becamecomfortable enough to overcomethe intimidating task of

T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA MARCH - APRIL 1999 77777

Continued on next page

BUILDING AND OPERATING Continued

SPECIAL AWARDOFFERED

The “Clyde L. Gerald” awardwill be presented at theLynchburg Convention to theperson that has the best kit-bashed model in the modelcontest. The kit instructionsshould be submitted with thepaperwork when the model isentered in the contest.

One example of a kit-bashedmodel would be a structure thathas had the walls and/or thewindows re-arranged. Anotherexample would be a box car thatwas built with the body shell fromone manufacturer and the roofand other details from anothermanufacturer.

Several years ago, Life-Likesponsored a contest for kit-bashing a 50 foot Mather stock carfrom two of it's 40 foot stock carskits. Jim Teese won this contestwith his NKP 50 foot stock car.Jim won a free trip to the NMRAnational convention, and also wonthe special AP Kit-bashing Awardat the NMRA model contest inMadison, WI.

I hope to see lots of kit-bashedmodels in the contest room atLynchburg.

—John Johnson

On its return trip to Denver on the head-end of train #268, Eureka is drifting down a 1%grade next to the Platte River. The Overland engine is painted with a Russian iron boilerjacket, walnut cab and pilot, Tucson accents, black tender and smokebox, and gold andbrass trim. The plaster is formed from rock molds made from local quartzite that closelyresembles the granite rock formations in this area of Colorado. Plant life also has aninteresting diversity of colors and textures varying from silver gray grasses to the greensof the pine and willow trees.

constructing prototype,operational 3-way stubs.

Creating a prototype alsorequires that structures representthose in existence on the line atthe time one is modeling. Today,most of the original roadbed canbe found but there are only fiveknown stations in existence, oneroundhouse, and a few assortedremains of other buildings.Scratch building for me was aprerequisite and requiredextensive photo analysis. While Iknew the general, footprintdimensions of major buildings,that was only a starting point. Ihad to size windows and theirplacement within the facade toknown dimensions, such as theheight of people. For the steeltruss bridge needed to carry thetracks over the Platte River, Iutilized the lengths of freight carsto make an approximation of thebridge's dimensions.

Compression of structures tofit an area is always an issue for

model railroaders. During thedesign phase, I had to take thatinto consideration for the Comoarea and the Deansbury Hotel inthe Platte Canyon. Como'sroundhouse, currently beingreconditioned, is a six stall stonestructure that could not beselectively compressed. This,

therefore, eliminated thecompressibility of the other majorrailroad buildings at Como inorder to keep everything inproportional balance. In one way,this made building the structureseasier because it eliminated all thecalculation necessary to reducethe mass of a building while

striving to retain its generalappearance and flavor.

When I designed theDeansbury area of the layout, Ihad to face the issue from anotherperspective. If I built the hotel tofull size, the layout would be atleast five feet deep at that point,which would consume aninordinate amount of spacedesired for other features Iwanted to incorporate into thelayout. Fortunately, the hotelstands by itself and compressionwas possible. Building the hotelfirst required a series of mock-upsto ensure good proportionalityand to give the impression of thefull size building. I have come tothe conclusion that not including

“Compression ofstructures to fit anarea is always anissue for modelrailroaders.”

8 8 8 8 8 MARCH - APRIL 1999 T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA

BUILDING AND OPERATING Continued

the placement and sizing ofstructures in the design phase canlead to some disappointingresults.

Tunnels are a design featureincorporated in many modelrailroads for obvious andnecessary reasons. On modelnarrow gauge lines, they areexpected and considered“standard.” Actually, tunnels area rarity on narrow gauge lines. Tobe faithful to the prototype, Icould not utilize tunnels, or I hadto strive to eliminate theappearance of tunnels. TheDSP&PRR had only one, and Iwas not modeling that location. Ihad to devise ways to create theillusion that I was not usingtunnels. The transition betweenthe Platte Canyon area and thestaging yard at Denver wassolved by the track passing over abridge to the near side of the riverand blocking the remaining viewby a cliff and a few trees.

Another location that posed aproblem was Kenosha Pass. Mylayout design necessitated passingthe track through a wall in an areathat was visible to visitors andoperators. To overcome thissituation, I utilized snowshedsthat appeared to curve around ahill. In the middle of the shed, Iinstalled a multi-layered “curtain”made out of strips of matte blackplastic from a garbage bag. Thisallowed equipment to freely passthrough the shed whileeliminating being able to see thecurtain and into the next room. Intwo other areas where tunnelswould normally be used, I createdthe impression of the tracks goinginto a valley with the help of hills,cliffs, and some well-placed trees.These techniques along withmany others, are effective ways tocreate visual blocks to ease andmake believable changes fromscene to scene.

Once the building phase was“finished,” I had to confront thequestion of how to operate a

prototype 1882 railroad. In thattime period, the telegraph was theonly form of long distancecommunication. Radios andtelephones were too modern andwould have detracted from thefeeling I wanted to create. Once Idecided to use a telegraph system,I also had to confront the problemof operators, including myself,who did not know Morse Code.Since each station on the DenverSouth Park & Pacific had a two-letter call designation, I used thatas a basis and applied the sameprinciple to all call signs. Eachtrain crew would be given a copyof these call signals as a quick andeasy reference during anoperating session.

As for the telegraphs, I wasable to locate a store that soldsmall keypads that electronicallyreproduced the sounds of atelegraph. I installed one at eachof my nine stations and wiredthem to a central key at the maintelegraph office, where thetelegraph operator would overseeand approve train movements.The system has been a hugesuccess with the crews since ourfirst operating session lastSeptember. Adding a personalnote, I can not express the thrill Ihad watching crews handlingfreight and passenger trains thatfirst session. It felt like the heydayof the old South Park line.

many other steam and diesel loco-motives. Heading back toLynchburg on your roughly onehour drive you will want to stop atthe Peaks of Otter a very famousscenic area run by the US Park Ser-vice. A little closer to town is Tho-mas Jefferson's “Poplar Forest”, hissummer home.

In town and within walkingdistance of the host hotel are theCity Museum which is just full ofall sorts of stuff and “Point ofHonor” an early 1800’s Federalstyle mansion that sits on a hilltopand overlooks the James River.There is the Community Market,similar to a “farmers market” butwith year round booths inside andvarious types of merchandise.Along Main street are several finejewelry, clothing and antique shops.Most of the Museums do have anadmission fee that is to be handledby the convention-goer.

CONVENTION UPDATE Continued from page 1

T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA MARCH - APRIL 1999 99999

COMPILED BY ROGER L. CASON

A feature profiling model railroad

manufacturers located in the Mid-

Eastern Region.To be included in

a future issue, contact:

Roger L. Cason1125 Grinnell RoadWilmington, DE 19803(302) 478-2550

W.S. ATARASENGINEERING, INC.

Active . . . .energetic. . . . .theseare two of the many adjectivesthat can be applied to Bill Ataras,the principal owner of W.S.Ataras Engineering, Inc. Whilethis is the formal company name,he does business in the modelrailroad hobby as The SignalingSolution.

By his own admission, Billworks close to forty hours a weekon his model railroad-relatedbusiness. He also has a significantforensic engineering consultingpractice (forensic engineeringgives technical support to legalproceedings such as patent andproduct liability disputes). He’salso an active model railroader,husband, father of three grownchildren, grandfather of three anda fraction . . . . .you get the idea.

Bill’s model railroad activitiesbegan when he was not quite fouryears old. The day afterChristmas, he was finally able toget past all the adults to operatehis new American Flyer S-gaugetrain set. As he grew older, helearned to save his allowancemoney to buy Model Railroader.By the time he was in seventhgrade, he had a fully sceniced 5' X9' layout. Over the years, thestrong interest continued. He nowhas a 16' X 16' HO layout of hisown, and regularly participates inoperating sessions on friends’layouts. He has earned fiveNMRA Achievement Certificates,and has given clinics on signalingand on hand-laid turnouts atregional and national NMRA

MADE IN

MADE IN

MADE IN

MADE IN

MADE IN

THE MER

THE MER

THE MER

THE MER

THE MER

gatherings. In other words, as amodel railroad businessman, he“walks the talk.”

Bill’s professional engineeringcareer received earlyencouragement when, at a veryyoung age, he inserted a knifeblade into an electrical receptacle.Wow!! What was this stuff thatthrew you across the room eventhough you couldn’t see it? Histechnical activities quicklyprogressed toward the moresophisticated and less hazardous.He built early block detectioncircuits using Lynn Wescott’sTwin-T (two-transistor) design.While in junior high school, heran his 5' X 9' layout with a papertape-driven computer. And hepursued amateur radio.

Bill graduated with a degreein electrical engineering fromRose Polytechnic Institute in TerraHaute, IN. He then went to workfor General Electric in Louisville,KY testing stoves and otherappliances. This led to similarwork with GE in the DC area,aerospace work with GE, andfinally aerospace work withLockheed and other employers.When limited to appliance testingwork for GE, he remembersdriving up the Washington-Baltimore Parkway and passingthe entrance to the GoddardSpace Flight Center. At that exacttime, Apollo 11 was on the padawaiting launch. “Wouldn’t it begreat to be doing that kind ofwork?” he said to himself. Somefive years later, he found himselfdoing exactly that. . . and much ofit at Goddard.

He struck out on his own asan independent consultant in1987. About four years ago, hebecame interested in installingblock detection on his layout. Hediscovered that there weredevices available, but none withwhat he considered a reasonablecost per block, if all the necessaryfactors were considered. This ledBill to develop and market theBD16, a sixteen-block occupancydetector package. This wasfollowed by products such as theBD16H high current blockdetector, the BD8 eight-blockdetector, the TC4 three-colorsignal controller, the MSC mastersignal controller, and the GCCgrade crossing controller.Products that will be offered inthe near future include anexpander for the grade crossingcontroller (for crossings with 2 to8 tracks) and an eight-blockdetector with Digitrax LocoNetcompatibility. His only heartburnissue here is that “I can’t get thestuff developed fast enough.”

Bill does all the design andmarketing, while contracting outthe manufacture. He alsodistributes a number of relatedproduct lines, such as Tomar,Oregon Rail Supply and SunriseIndustry signals, and DigitraxDCC systems. Potential customerswho are somewhat electrically-challenged will be relieved to hearthat he frequently spends moretime writing the instructionmanual than he does designingthe circuit. Almost all sales aredirect from the address listedbelow, although he is consideringtrying a booth at an appropriatenearby train show. Curiously, Billhas more customers in Australiathan in Maryland.

For orders and technicalinformation, you can reach AtarasEngineering at 40 LaughtonStreet, Upper Marlboro, MD20774; phone 301-249-5184; FAX301-249-8362; e-mailbataras@wsaeng.com; web site:www.wsaeng.com/Signaling_Solution.

1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 MARCH - APRIL 1999 T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA

INTERESTING RAIL & TRUCK LOADSSuper Detail • Ultimate Realism • Craftsmen Kits

All HO Scale • Simple to build • Inexpensive

NEWEST ITEMS!Bull Gear & Pinion Ships Propeller10 Ft. Dia.

$9.95 11 Ft Dia. $9.95• 22 Link Per Inch Chain • 5” wide Nylon Tie Down Strap

• Ladders • Steps • Squaring Tools • Labels

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILS5703 Heritage Hill Court, Alexandria, VA 22310 (703) 960-6539

Dealers & Distributors Welcome • VA res. add 4.5% tax.Complete Catalog $1.50 (refundable) with SASE• S&H Add $1.50 per each 2 items • $3.00 MaxAll kits available built up. Call for details.

SUBMIT ADS TO:

Dick Foley, 2017 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Ads must be prepaid. Include check or money order payable to MID-Eastern Region/NMRAHelp with design and layout is available at no extra charge.

Send SASE for return of materials. We can’t answer calls, but send your ad. We’ll get back to you.

Make the Connection

Your Product & Our ReadersYour Product & Our ReadersYour Product & Our ReadersYour Product & Our ReadersYour Product & Our ReadersADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL • CONNECT TO DEDICATED HOBBYISTS

AD SIZEAD SIZEAD SIZEAD SIZEAD SIZE 1 ISSUE1 ISSUE1 ISSUE1 ISSUE1 ISSUE 2 ISSUES2 ISSUES2 ISSUES2 ISSUES2 ISSUES 4 ISSUES4 ISSUES4 ISSUES4 ISSUES4 ISSUES 6 ISSUES 6 ISSUES 6 ISSUES 6 ISSUES 6 ISSUES (One Year)(One Year)(One Year)(One Year)(One Year)_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Full page $120 $210 $360 $500Half page $ 60 $105 $180 $256Quarter page $ 30 $ 55 $ 90 $125Eighth page $ 15 $ 28 $ 45 $ 62.50Pike RegistryPike RegistryPike RegistryPike RegistryPike Registry (for Clubs and Individuals) 2.5” x 1.5” $15 for the yearClassifiedsClassifiedsClassifiedsClassifiedsClassifieds (Text Only) 5 lines $5 per issueRetailers’ Listings Retailers’ Listings Retailers’ Listings Retailers’ Listings Retailers’ Listings (Business Card Size) 3.65” x 2” $60 for 6 issues

CALLBOARDComing Events

Notices must be typed and have completeaddresses. Use the style shown below andbe brief as possible. Be sure to include acontact telephone number. Send items forCALLBOARD to Stan Knotts, 19808 FallingSpring Court, Laytonsville, MD 20882-1226.E-Mail to Srknotts@erols.com

Chesapeake Bay ModelRailroaders Open House andFlea Market. April 3, 1999, 10 amto 4 pm, Grafton, VA. (5 milessouth of Yorktown on Rt. 17).Directions on our web site

Northern Virginia ModelRailroaders, Inc. Open House,March 13, April 17, May 30, July17. Washington & Old Dominionrailroad station, 231 DominionRoad (at Ayr Hill Road), Vienna,VA 22180. 1:00 pm to 5:00 pmeach day. Information call (703)938-5157 or call George Downer(757) 868-7505.

LOCAL Deadlines: The deadlinefor material to go in the May/Juneissue of the LOCAL is April 16th.

T H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A LT H E L O C A L/ MID-EASTERN REGION/NMRA MARCH - APRIL 1999 1 11 11 11 11 1

Blue Ridge Crescent 99 Registration Form — April 23, 1999(PRINT NAMES EXACTLY AS YOU WISH THEM ON YOUR NAMETAGS.)

Primary Registrant Name: ____________________________________________________________Spouse Name: ....................___________________________________________________________Children’s Names: .............___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: .............................___________________________________________________________City: ...................................___________________________________________________________State & Zip: .......................___________________________________________________________NMRA#: ............................___________________________________________________________Primary Registrant ($30 pre - Feb.1, 1999, $35.00 after January 31, 1999) = $______Spouse .............................................................................................................. $10.00 = $_______Children (under 18) .................................................................... ...#_____ X $ 5.00 = $_______Children (18 and over) ................................................................ ...#_____ X $10.00 = $_______Non-NMRA Fee (In addition to Primary Registrant Fee) ............................... . $16.00 = $_______

Banquet — April 24, 1999Meal #1: Roast Strip Sirloin of Beef with Madeira SauceMeal #2: Chicken Cordon Bleu (Breast of Chicken stuffed with Ham & Swiss cheese)Both Meals also include:

Fresh Fruit Cup Brandied Carrots Assorted Bread and RollsTossed Garden Salad Home Baked Apple Pie Coffee or Tea

Number of meal #1’s ordered ______ X $25.00 = ........................................................ $_______Number of meal #2’s ordered ______ X $25.00 = ........................................................ $_______

Total Amount Enclosed (Registration and Meals) ..................................... $_______Convention cancellations must be received by 4/9/99 for a full refund of registration/banquet fees.

Mail the top portion of this form with check payable to Blue Ridge Crescent 99 to:Linda D. Sanders, NMRA-MER, P. O. Box 11313, Lynchburg, VA 24506 -1313

————————————————————CUT HERE———————————————————Hotel Registration Form — Mid-Eastern Region of the National Model Railroad AssociationSend this portion of form to: Holiday Inn Select

601 Main St., Lynchburg, VA 24504Phone (804) 528-2500 or Fax (804) 528-0062

Special Group Rates: Standard Accommodations — Circle One:$65.00 single occupancy King Bed$65.00 double occupancy King Bed or Two Double Beds$75.00 triple occupancy Two Double Beds$85.00 quadruple occupancy Two Double Beds10% state and local tax not included.Please Note: If sharing rooms, only one (1) reservation form is required.Reservation Name:(First) _____________________________________ (Last)_______________________________________Sharing with (First)___________________________ (Last)_______________________________________Total number of persons to occupy room __________ Arrival Date: ____________ Departure Date: ____________Address: ______________________________________________________________________City: _________________________________ State: _____________ Zip: ________________Telephone Number: Day ( ) ___________________ Evening ( ) ___________________Guarantee: I have enclosed a check in the amount of ___________________________________

Credit Card # ___________________________________ Exp. _________________Special requests: (i.e., smoking, non-smoking) ________________________________________

MID-EASTERN REGION, NMRA, INC.13212 Bellevue StreetSilver Spring MD 20904-1703

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S.Postage

PAIDYork, PA

Permit No.200

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Presidential Pennings page 2

Norman B. Blackwood page 3

Building & Operating pages 4-8

Recruiting Contest page 6

Made in the MER page 9

Callboard page 10

CORRECTED ADDRESS REQUESTED

Name _________________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________

City _________________________ State ___________ Zip _____________

NMRA # ___________________________ Expire Date _________________

MER # ____________________________ Expire Date _________________

Scale ______ Birth date ____________ Tel #_________________________

Make checks payable to the Mid-Eastern Region

Remittance Enclosed for:National Dues: q New q Renewal ______

q 1 year: $32.00 q 2 years: $64.00 $ _______________Life membership cost is based on your age.Send your Birth Date to the NMRA for a quotation.

Region Dues: q New q Renewal ______q 1 year: $8.00 q 2 years: $16.00 $ _______________Life membership cost is based on your age.Send your Birth Date to the MER for a quotation.

Lapel Pin/Tie Tack @ $6 each ____ $ _______________Region Cloth Patch @ $3 each ____ $ _______________Donation $ _______________TOTAL ENCLOSED $ _______________

The Mid-Eastern Region Inc., NMRA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONBusiness Manager YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION TO BE A MEMBER OF

13212 Bellevue Street THE MID-EASTERN REGION

Silver Spring MD 20904-1703

Editor’s ColumnSpring is in sight and many of

us will be heading out for somerail-fanning. As part of your rail-fanning, keep your eyes open formodel railroads to be featured inthe LOCAL. It seems a lot of youare shy about offering your layoutfor this so I am asking yourfriends to bring you out of hiding.This issue's layout has a lot ofunique features. One of myfavorites are the stub switchesAndy uses. I have always heardfrom modelers how difficult it isto make a reliable stub switch.Well, Andy has done that andused them exclusively on hisbeautiful layout. He has devised asimple solution to sure reliableswitch positioning for his stubswitches. Another unique featureis his use of a simple telegraphy

communication system for hisoperators. That is prototypical forwhat he is modeling.

I suspect a good number ofyour are email enabled. If youwould like to provide input to theLOCAL, or just let me know howwe are doing, you can reach me at HYPERLINK mailto:srknotts@erols.comso let's hear fromyou. Those of youwho have nottaken the emailplunge shouldlook into it. Youcan do email witha very basic (readold, used)computer andthere are freeemail services (if

you don't mind a littleadvertising). Once you have emailyou should take a look at theinternet. You might be surprisedat the vast amount of railroad(prototype and model)information available there and itis very easy to use.

—Stan Knotts

Specializing in HO and N gauge Trains

14 HADDON AVENUEWESTMONT, NJ 08108 609-854-7136