Summer 2009 - ser-nmra.org

Volume 50 #3.5 - E-SouthErneR - Summer 2009 1

The Official Publication of the Southeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association

Volume 50, Numb er 3 .5 www.ser -nmra.org 2009 Summer

2 Volume 50 #3.5 - E-SouthErneR - Summer 2009

The SER has now made available the fourth DVD clinic. The first clinic was "Building a Timber Trestle". The second was "Light Emitting Diodes and Their Application in Model Railroading". The third was "Scratchbuilding Styrene In-dustrial Buildings". The fourth DVD now available is "Adding Sound to Model Railroad Scenes". DCC has brought many advantages to model railroads. One of the important con-tributions has been sound. Sound has brought greater realism to locomotives. And what sound has done to bring greater realism to locomotives, the sound modules can bring to various scenes around the layout. This clinic describes how to place a Hi-Fi speaker inside an Atlas Water Tower. By adding sound modules, the sounds of water filling the locomotive tender, followed by the steam locomotive bell sounding, then the two blasts on the whistle before the train leaves, adds a whole new dimension of realism to the scene. Additional speakers can be placed in each water tower around the layout, powered by the same sound modules. But the sound does not need to be restricted to steam locomotive water towers. There are over 100 sound modules available, covering a vast array of applications to other scenes over the layout. Some of the most impressive sound modules are those of a sawmill, a machine shop, a factory, a grade crossing bell, a Honky-Tonk piano, and dozens more. So, in essence, what sounds have done to bring realism to locomotives, various sounds can bring realism to other parts of the layout. This DVD clinic, as well as the first three clinics, are available from the Treasurer of the Southeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association. The price is $10 per DVD, and $35 for all four, with a S & H charge of $2 per order. Make your check payable to: Southeastern Region And mail to: George Bloodworth 245 Hidden Meadow Dr. Alpharetta, GA 30004

New DVD Clinic Now Available to Purchase

A SouthEastern Region Fund Raising Project


SOUTHEASTERN REGION DIRECTORY

OFFICERS President: Bob Beaty, Jr., MMR (205) 987-2385 [email protected] 741 Dividing Ridge Rd, Birmingham, AL 35244 Vice-President: Joe Gelmini 770-460-8873 [email protected] 170 Camelot Drive, Fayetteville, GA 30214 Secretary: Tom Cusker (205) 621-1778 [email protected] 3022 Long Leaf Lane, Helena, AL 35080 Treasurer: George Bloodworth 678-297-1814 [email protected] 245 Hidden Meadow Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004

DIRECTORS Exec. Advisor: Phil Hutchinson (334) 272-1923 [email protected] 5743 Carriage Barn Lane, Montgomery, AL 36116 Director (2010): George Gilbert (615) 352-1254 grgi [email protected] 750 Rodney Drive, Nashville, TN 37205 Director (2010): Randall Watson 770-831-5736 [email protected] 730 Morning Creek Lane, Suwanee, GA 30024 Director (2012): Fred Coleman 828-699-0983 fred_coleman@bel lsouth.net PO Box 361, Naples, NC 28760 Director (2012): Paul V. Voelker 770-967-1644 [email protected] 6438 Paradise Point Road, Flowery Branch, GA 30542-3143

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AP Program: George Gilbert (615) 352-1254 [email protected] 750 Rodney Drive, Nashville, TN 37205 Contests: Tom Schultz (205) 879-3603 [email protected] 2798 Montevallo Road, Birmingham, AL 35223 Conventions: Tom Cusker (205) 621-1778 [email protected] 3022 Long Leaf Lane, Helena, AL 35080 Education: Dean Belowich MMR (843) 457-5661 [email protected] P.O. Box 2303, Conway, SC 29528-2303 Good & Welfare: Fred Coleman 828-699-0983 fred_coleman@bel lsouth.net PO Box 361, Naples, NC 28760 Historian: Joe Nichols, Sr. MMR (770) 396-6447 [email protected] 4554 Chadwell Lane, Atlanta, GA 30338 Legal Counsel: Vacant Member Aid: Charlie Brown, MMR (770) 943-5280 [email protected] 3 Springbrooke Trail, Dallas, GA 30157 Membership: Tom Schultz (205) 879-3603 [email protected] 2798 Montevallo Road, Birmingham, AL 35223 Registrar: Rick V. Coble 770-279-2523 [email protected] 3278 Spring Wind Ct, Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4838 Webmaster: Mike Broadway (205) 991-0626 [email protected] 3110 Meadowbrook Trail, Birmingham, AL 35242

DIVISIONS 1 Mid-South: Thomas Bailey (931) 433-4207 [email protected] 1008 First Avenue, Fayetteville, TN 37334 2 Steel City: Jack McCraw (205) 744-0758 [email protected] 1123 13th Avenue Circle, Pleasant Grove, AL 35127 3 Dixie: Phil Hutchinson (334) 272-1923 [email protected] 5743 Carriage Barn Lane, Montgomery, AL 36116 4 Gulf: Glen Hall (850) 475-1530 [email protected] 609 Phyllis Street, Pensacola, FL 32503 5 Piedmont: Howard Goodwin 770-529-2103 horn69@bel lsouth.net 79 Cross Branches, Acworth, GA 30101-7705 6 Empire: Richard Dalrymple (478) 471-8883/fax 8994 [email protected] 107 Cordell Court, Macon, GA 31220-5227 7 Palmetto: Bob Roof 803-799-1708 broof23543@aol .com PO Box 50356, Columbia, SC 29250 Co-Superintendent Jack Varadi (864) 968-2436 [email protected] 802 Mountain View Ct., Greer, SC 28804 8 Atlantic: Nathan P. Stone (912) 354-2604 ston7327@bel lsouth.net 4808 Taylor Road, Savannah, GA 31404 9 Cent. Savannah Terry Pitts, Jr (706) 854-1529 [email protected] River: 3964 Cheyenne Trail. Martinez, GA 30907-5114 10 Bluff City: Ned B. Savage (901) 682-8716 [email protected] 136 Greenbriar Drive, Memphis, TN 38117-3208 11 Cumberland: Bob Hultman (615) 833-5158 [email protected] 1305 Chestnut Drive, Brentwood, TN 37207 12 Smoky Mt.: Larry Burkholder (865) 408-9903 [email protected] 206 Coyatee View, Loudon, TN 37774-2172 13 Headquarters: Charles “Chip” Chipman (423) 892-3706 [email protected] 6906 Phyllis Lane, Chattanooga, TN 37401 Cell (423) 304-0818 14 Magnolia: Troy Lee Hight (601) 389-5370 [email protected] 10341 Highway 16E, Philadelphia, MS 39350-3730 15 Land O' Sky: John A. Williams (828) 452-4178 [email protected] 205 Sunset Ridge Rd., Clyde, NC 28721-8598

Summer 2009 Volume 50, Number 3.5

The SouthErneR The Official Publication of the Southeastern Region of the

National Model Railroad Association

Deadlines For Submission

Fall 2009 (Oct) - Sept. 1, 2009 Winter 2010 (Jan) - Dec. 1, 2009 Spring 2010 (Apr) - Mar. 1, 2010 Summer 2010 (Jul) - June 1, 2010

The SouthErneR is mailed to members of the Southeastern Region & interested parties who have paid the subscription rate of $10.00/year. Material for publication is welcomed! Please send materials to the proper Assistant Editor. All submissions become the property of The SouthErneR unless otherwise contracted. Please don’t send previously printed materials.

ADVERTISING: Rates are for electronic-format or scan-ner-ready ads. Preferred formats are Plain Text, MS Word or MS Publisher and JPG. Text or Text & JPG ads can be done by the editor. Include the company name, address, email address and/or a day-time phone number (I prefer email). All ads must be prepaid before publication. Make checks payable to: SER-NMRA

Pike Registry : $16 for 4 issues

ADVERTISING RATES

Number of Issues 1 2 3 4 $120 $240 $360 $400 $ 90 $180 $270 $300 $ 60 $120 $180 $200 $ 30 $ 60 $ 90 $100 $ 15 $ 30 $ 45 $ 60 $ 10 $ 20 $ 30 $ 40 $ 10 $ 20 $ 30 $ 40

Page Size Full 3/4 1/2 1/4 1/8

1/12 Crawler

EDITOR

Paul V. Voelker 6438 Paradise Point Road

Flowery Branch, GA 30542-3143

v o e l k e r p v @ m s n . c o m [email protected]

[email protected] (770) 967-1644 [Leave a message]

STAFF

Feature Articles Editor: Joe Gelmini - 770-460-8873

pa pa g el @c om c ast . net

Division Events Editor: Merrill Compton Jr. - 205-871-3730

bh am bon e s@ aol . com

Advertising Department: George Bloodworth

678-297-1814 G e o r g e B l o o d w o r t h @

b e l l s o u t h . n e t

Bob McIntyre - 770-518-8923 [email protected]

WAYBILL

Fall Board of Directors Meeting

10:00 AM on October 17th Birmingham, AL

Check the website for updated info

Departments: Division News The President’s Car AP Awards New Members & Membership Report The VP’s Keyboard Convention Coordinator The Club Car Editor’s Soapbox Upcoming Events Calendar

8

12 15 17 18 19 20 21 26

Rails to Sails Conv ention: Board of Directors Meeting Contest Report The Contest in Pictures Photos of the Banquet Annual Business Meeting Featu res: White Glue Window Panes The Role of the Contest Judge The Judging Matrix and its Use Hartfo rd Nati on al C onve ntio n: Judging Teams in Action Model Showcase at Hartford

28 32 33 38 40

16 42 52

45 46


www.trainmastermodels.com

601 East Main St. Buford, GA 30518 678-546-3600 11am—7pm Tues. - Wed. - Thurs., 11am—6pm Friday - Saturday, 1pm—6pm Sunday, Closed Monday


Two views looking down East Main Street from the crossing at South Water-works Road. There are many train watching spots up and down the NS mainline in Buford, GA. Generally action is light during the middle of the day but starting mid- to late-afternoon the action picks up and continues late into the night. White arrow points to Trainmaster Models new location across from the Walters signal on the Norfolk Southern mainline through Buford. Photos by Paul Voelker


The northbound signals at Walters can be seen from the front of Trainmaster

Models’ new location in Buford!


Well, the ‘Rails To Sails’ Conven-tion has come and gone. I sin-cerely hope that everyone that attended learned something new in one of the clinics, but above all

enjoyed them selves. I also want to especially thank those from other divisions that offered to lend a helping hand when needed. Lastly I’m glad that you had a chance to see some of our modeling skills on the home layout tours and at the train show. Back in April we held a very successful ‘Tailgate Swap Meet’. We had lots of sellers/swappers and a fair amount of buyers. In the past we were holding one every quarter, but attendance dropped off, so there will only be three. In May the Miracle Strip Model RR Club was ap-proached by their “Up Town Station” mall owner about holding a “Railroad Days” Train Show. Mem-ber Paul Karczewski became the chairman and along with fellow club members organized a great show. There were two HO layouts, two N layouts, plus an individual N layout, Z scale, O and G scale layouts and Paul’s 1/8th scale and several cars. There were also information booths for the Alger-Sullivan and West Florida Railroad Museums. The mall had its own Kiddies Riding Train Most of the clubs and the division will take a vaca-tion from July to October. Then we will gear up for Dothan Train Show and the local fairs. I hope eve-ryone has a wonderful and safe summer.

GULF - Div. 4 Glen Hall - [email protected]

Tail Gate Swap Meet

Uptown Station Kiddies Train. Pensacola Model RR Clubs Z, HO and way in the rear N layouts

At Left is a view from the balcony of the location where the Train Show was held during the Rails to Sails convention. Many fine layouts were on display in a variety of scales along with a large num-ber of vendors. On the stage seen in the distance was a large G-scale layout along with several smaller scales. The photo was taken soon after first opening on Saturday be-fore the crowds started to arrive.


P I E D M O N T - D i v i s i o n 5

Howard Goodwin - [email protected] w w w . p i e d m o n t - d i v . o r g

Right & Below A surprise birthday party was thrown for long-time SER member Joe Nichols Sr., MMR during the July meeting. Cake and drinks were served by family members during the festivities. Here Lynn Nichols cuts and serves the birthday cake.

Right & Below “Conductor” awards were presented to Gary Jarabek, Randall Watson & Scott Povlot for their outstanding service to the Piedmont Division. Scott was also honored with an NMRA The President’s Award (bottom of page) for “Redesign and Implementation of the New NMRA Website”.


Thomas Shallcross writes: In March, the Crossville Model RR Club celebrated their 5th anniversary. More than 700 rail enthusiasts spent hours watching the trains as they traveled their various routes. The young "railroaders" were espe-cially fascinated by Thomas and the other members of his "family" while the adults wandered around in amazement at the details in the modeling. Hourly drawings were a hit as there were 3 starter train sets and savings bonds, among other items, do-nated by local establishments. Crossville's mayor, J. H. Graham III, complimented the club on their growth from 11 charter members to their present roster of 77 members. The club is unique in that they have 5 scales (Z, N, HO, O and G) running every weekend for the enjoyment of the public. The club's President, Sam Goldkopf, announced that the club is now the largest model railroad club of its type in Tennessee and probably in the South. The Club is located in Crossville, TN at I-40 exit 320 in the Crossville Outlet Center.? They are open to the public on Fridays from?12 noon to 4 pm, Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 12 noon to 3 pm.

For more information check their website at: www.crossvillemodelrrclub.org

or contact Ann Grogitsky at 931-788-2613

HEADQUARTERS - Division 13 Charles “Chip” Chipman - [email protected]

Our regular quarterly division meeting was held on March 18th. Twelve mem-bers attended. Our usual raffle netted $32. Phil Brooks and Dean Odiorne pre-

sented a joint clinic on scratch building hand thrown switch machines. Examples of several differ-ent concepts were passed around. Our next meeting will be on June 18th at 7:15 pm at the Bass Pro Shop off I-40, Exit 407. Dave Houseman will present a talk on controlling signals and turnouts for operations with DCC. Further input about the upcoming joint Norfolk & Western, Southern Railway, and National Railroad Historical Societies meeting in Bristol, TN. has been received. Titled “Laying Rails in Bristol”, the meeting will be on Saturday, October 17th, starting at 9 am in the historic Bristol train station. Reg-istration is $15. Ten presentations are planned, covering various subjects of general and specific modeling techniques. A photo session featuring the Moultrie, Powhattan Arrow, Clinchfield 500, and the Crescent Harbor equipment at the Watauga Valley Chapter of the NRHS will be available in Jonesboro, Tennessee. More information and a flier are available from Gregory Soots at:

[email protected]

The Knoxville Area Model Railroaders club operated their garden railroad on April 24th in support of the National Celebration of the Young Child program at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge. Over three hundred preschool children visited the garden and attended various craft classes and live en-tertainment during the day.

The Editor wishes to apologize to Larry for printing the wrong division report in his column in the print version of The SouthErneR. Chip Chipman’s report was acciden-tally duplicated instead of Larry’s report which appears below. PVV

SMOKY MOUNTAIN - Division 12 Larry Burkholder - [email protected]


I have fielded several questions in the past couple of months. With our network of volunteers in the Region we were able to assist these members with the infor-mation they requested. Charlie Brown answered a DCC problem and Rick Coble responded to a member contact question. Thank you gentlemen. If you were not in Pensacola for the convention this year, I hope you will make

plans to attend next year’s event in Birmingham. Glen Hall and his committee did an outstanding job as our host. The clinics that I attended were very informative and educational. Kudos to the Pensa-cola Model Railroad Club for staffing and organizing the train show. For those of you that made a point to stop me and extend a hand of encouragement, thank you. A special thanks to Ben Bartlett for allowing me to observe as he judged the contest models. Spend-ing two plus hours listening to his comments and opinions will make me a better modeler and super-intendent. Dr. Joe Nichols, Sr. shared during one of the breaks that the Piedmont Division started with five members in a round robin format at each other’s homes. I posted that statement on an in-dex card and affixed it above my workbench. "If you plan it, they will come." Our first Division meeting will be on Saturday, November 7, 2009. This will coincide with the annual Meridian Railfest. This event will allow us to gather for some rail fanning and fellowship before our afternoon meeting. More specific details to follow in the Fall is-sue. Again, if you are interested in helping with the Division, please contact me as soon as possible. See you in November! - Troy

MAGNOLIA - Division 14 Troy Hight - [email protected]

Magnolia Division 14 - First Meeting Saturday November 7, 2009 - 1 PM

In conjunction with the Meridian Railfest Meridian Union Station,

1901 Front Street, Second Floor

Call 601-389-5370 for meeting information

A copy of Troy Hight’s “Certificate of Appreciation for Participation as a Contest Judge” during the recent Southeastern Region annual convention which was held this year in Pensacola, FL. Starting last year at the Lake Junaluska convention, I had decided that we should honor those who are will-ing to sacrifice some of their valuable convention time to volunteer to judge the contest. This event-specific certificate is a result of that concept. The Editor


Greetings to all. I hope everyone that went to Pensacola had a good time. I did. Those of you that did-n’t go missed a fun and relaxing time. In order to keep you all apprised of the communi-cations between the Region and the National organization, my report to you is the report I submitted to the NMRA BOD for their meeting in Hartford in July. It is a review of our accomplishments and some of our concerns. Your feedback is welcomed.

Southeastern Region 2008-2009 Strategic Plan

VISION Using all assets available, the Southeastern Region of the NMRA will be the premier support resource of choice to its members for the enjoyment of the hobby of model railroading in the South East. MISSION The Region’s resources shall be developed and used to provide its membership with the tools, talent, tech-niques and support to advance and encourage their modeling skills. The Board of Directors will use the avail-able financial resources of the Region to support model railroading initiatives at the Division level. OBJECTIVES Provide support to its membership for the following key areas of responsibility: Communications: using The SouthErneR newsletter and internet web-page and chat group. Education: using the NMRA Achievement Program, Scouting Merit Badge program, and Member Aid. Recognition of Skills: by encouraging participation in contests and NMRA events, Awards for Personal Achievement and recognition with the AP program. Skill Development: with a mentoring program, using Clinics at the Division and Region level, modeling tech-niques and solutions from Member Aid. Promotion of the Hobby: developing Community Awareness programs to highlight the hobby, local events, layout visits, open houses and public clinics. Division Development and support to the Superintendents. Membership growth and development: with support to Divisions, clubs and individual outreach.

Plan Achievements to date Communications: Our newsletter, The SouthEneR is printed and distributed quarterly to all subscribers. It is provided to all Region members, regardless of subscriber status, annually prior to the Region Convention/Annual Meeting. It is also provided later on line with a more expanded version, free to all who log on. The newsletter contains layout features and “how to articles.” Our Web site continues to be one of the premier web sites in the NMRA. Education/Skill Development: The SER continues to support and encourage participation in the NMRA Achievement Program as a teaching and learning tool. During the current year we have awarded 33 AP cer-tificates, and 14 Golden Spike Awards, and designated one Master Model Railroader (an additional MMR completed all 11 certificates). A wide variety of clinics are shared throughout the region. We have produced four DVD clinics which can be ordered via the web page for a nominal charge. We have had excellent suc-cess with support of the Boy Scout Railroading Merit Badge program as told in a recent Scale Rails. Our an-nual contest and division level events provide excellent and rewarding challenges to both the seasoned and

The President’s Car Robert Beaty, MMR


less experienced Modelers. The Piedmont Division has implemented a mentoring program designed to guide and encourage division members to go beyond their own expectations. Promotion of the Hobby: The Steel City Division (Birmingham) and the Wrecking Crew in partnership with the McWane Science Center presented the world of model trains to the over 50,000 visitors dur-ing the 2008 holiday season, providing clinics, hands-on demonstrations and multi-scale layouts. The Piedmont Pilgrimage (Atlanta) opened 68 home layouts to the general population, resulting in a surge in interest in the NMRA and the hobby in the greater Atlanta area. Several members of Division 15 (Asheville) continue their out reach and use of model railroading, specifically T-Track, in support of abused and neglected or troubled boys and girls at Eliada Home in West Asheville, NC. Three MMRs along with other modelers in Birmingham, built an exact replica of the railroad area of the City of Bessemer, AL ca 1950 for the Hall of History. The display was constructed in the 1,000,000 Box Car produced in the local Pullman Standard plant. Region train shows, Division meets open to the public and our annual conventions continue to be a showplace for southeastern modeling excellence and a venue for recruiting opportunities. Membership Growth and Development: Our mem-bership numbers remain fairly constant. NMRA Mem-bership stands at 1037, as of June 1, 2009, a 6% increase over last year. We have an overall 44% re-newal rate. Which means that although we are re-cruiting new members, we are often losing these people at the end of the first year. Evidence indi-cates that if we can retain a new member beyond the rail pass or first year period, we will more than likely retain them for a longer period. We have developed a series of alert letters sent to members whose mem-bership is expiring, as well as welcome letters to those newly joining. We have noticed an economic impact on growth as we vie for the shrinking leisure dollars. There are considerably more railroad model-ers in the SE than the Region membership rolls sug-gest. The challenge is to encourage the non-member modeler to perceive benefit from alliance with the Association. If we (The entire organization) can not develop a clear plan of action to demonstrate implicitly the value of membership, we will continue to experience negative growth nationwide. Financial status: The region remains solvent, al-though not rich. We have used the funds remitted to us from NMRA member dues to promote the hobby within the region, providing financial support to divi-

Southeastern Region Web Pages Home Page: http://www.ser-nmra.org/ SER Officials: http://www.ser-nmra.org/officials.htm

Convention Page: http://www.ser-nmra.org/convention.htm

Birmingham Southern Railroad Company

The First Century

By

Ronald G. Mele

Laminated hardbound edition with color front and back covers.

144 pages - includes complete history of the South’s premier industrial shortline from its beginnings in 1878 to contemporary operations.

Color and black and white photos from the BSRR and US Steel archives and author’s collection.

All time steam and diesel rosters.

Maps and aerial photographs.

$25.00 postage paid

Send check or money order made payable to:

Ronald Mele 4080 Mountain View Drive NW

Pinson, Alabama 35126 (205) 681-2553


sion activities and funding our newsletter. These funds have prevented increasing the subscription costs al-though production costs have risen. Low attendance to our Conventions will hamper budget efforts in the upcom-ing 2009-2010 fiscal year. We have successfully main-tained a zero deficit budget for the last three years. Trends: It appears that regardless of recruiting efforts, our membership roll will remain relatively constant, with perhaps only a very slight increase. Our finances are stable but in order to maintain our level of support to our region members, we may have to dip into our reserves. Hopefully, the new, more open contest format will attract modelers that enjoy kit building and encourage them to participate more in Region activities. Our outreach and Community involvement programs will continue with the same fervor, and we must intensify our in person recruit-ing efforts. Concerns: There is a perception among SER NMRA members I have canvassed, that there is no direction from National leadership to resolving both the member-ship decline and the financial crisis. The concern for an-other increase in dues is significant and will, but for the most stalwart members, create migration away from our organization, not continued participation. The true issue is: you can model trains anywhere, anytime without the NMRA. We must develop a strategy that reinforces that modeling within the NMRA is better in the long run. The National leadership must develop a true strategic plan, identify achievable goals and implement a strategy to husband resources and aggressively promote the hobby externally of our organization. We are a business corpo-ration whose shares of stock are $55 (more or less) re-newable each year. The stock holder (member) renews his share annually. Just like any investment, if the stock has no value, the stockholder won’t buy it (i.e. renew).

We are not dead, we are not dying. But unless we figure out how to get out of the middle of the road and cross to the other side, the NMRA will become just so much road kill. Suggestions There is an old adage: If you are not part of the solution you are the problem. So I offer some suggestions to address my concerns listed above.

1. Develop a classic Strategic plan with Vision, Mission, Goals and Expectations. Address the three criti-cal areas affecting the NMRA: Image (perceived value), Membership and Finances. Set a time table.

2. Define the values of the NMRA in quantifiable and demonstrable terms, not the subjective and un-measurable rhetoric in current use. Address the detractors with a proactive response.

3. Develop a financial plan that gives value to the member’s dues. Seek outside funding sources that support but do not compromise the integrity of our organization.

4. Publicize the contributions of the organization in an open and positive forum which encourages partici-pation, not selective exclusivity. Encourage initial participation by non members to introduce the or-ganization’s benefits.

Robert Beaty, MMR President, SER

SOUTHEASTERN REGION of the NMRA presents:

CLINICS ON DVD

We now have four clinics available in this continuing series by the Southeastern Region:

Building a Timber Trestle

Light Emitting Diodes & Their Application in Model Railroads

Scratch Building Styrene

Industrial Buildings

Adding Sound to Model Railroad Scenes

These DVDs sell for $10 each or 3 for $25 plus

$2 shipping for any quantity ordered.

Make your check payable to: Southeastern Region

And mail to: George Bloodworth 245 Hidden Meadow Dr. Alpharetta, GA 30004


Golden Spike

Hugh Teaford Memphis, TN

Joseph Norris Bakersville, NC

Jerry K Roberts Cantonment, FL

William (Bill) Blinn Niceville, FL

Peter Youngblood Kennesaw, GA

Daniel Hayden Pace, FL

Master Builder - Structures

Howard Goodwin Acworth, GA

Danny Head* Guntersville, AL


Master Builder - Scenery


Master Builder Prototype Models


Model RR Eng. - Civil

Joseph Norris Bakersville, NC

Model RR Eng. - Electrical


Association Volunteer

Glen Hall Pensacola, FL

Model RR Author

Charlie Crawford Marietta, GA

Robert Wheeler* Suwanee, GA

Peter Youngblood* Kennesaw, GA

Updated through September 1, 2009

A. P. Awards *Indicates first Certificate of Achievement


I can’t believe that I have not heard of this before now. A good friend of mine, Jim Duckworth, let me borrow Model Railroader’s, Dream-Plan-Build, Vol-ume 8 video. In that volume, Neil Thompson, demon-strated the way it’s done and if you like scratch build-ing you will love this idea. White glue window panes? I could not wait to try it and to my amazement it really works. So, I am sure that if I did not know about this neat technique many others have not heard of it either. Crafter’s Pick white glue The finished product has enough distortion to catch the viewer or judges eye as opposed to the smooth, clean can’t tell it’s there pane. This look is great for a factory or industrial buildings especially when the window frames are small. I had several Tichy window styles on hand so I started with the biggest window for con-

venience. I suggest that when you try this technique leave the spru attached until the job is complete. Handling is so much easier when you use a clamp, like a squeeze type paper clip. First, paint the entire window front and back with the color you want as in the finished product. The picture above I painted the window silver and the picture below I left it Tichy gray. Second, use white glue half strength and keep the window flat and elevated off the working area while the glue is drying. Spread the glue over the entire win-dow frame with a tooth pick, I prefer a skewer stick or pick. Capil-lary action will fill in the individual window frames. Try not to flood the window. Use just enough to fill in all the frames. I have tried Elmer’s and Crafter’s Pick (Hobby Lobby). There are many other brands of white glue and there might be a better one. One thing

for sure, it must dry clear. Elmer’s will dry cloudy as pictured below but Crafter’s Pick dries clear as pictured above. Elmer’s White Glue Several panes will lose glue and that is not bad because in a factory type building panes are always missing. I did not want that missing look so I just added more glue but, be careful, do not over flood with glue. When applying the half water half glue only to the windows, roll the tooth pick or skewer stick (pick) over the window. Rolling will fill in the individual windows much better than dragging the pick. Total drying time will be about four hours. I believe you will find this technique enhances the appear-ance of factory type buildings, and more so with interior lighting. Viewers to your layout will notice and make grand comments about the windows in the buildings, you have made. When you scratch build, always add that something special and a little different. In judging it is called attention to detail. Viewers to your layout or judges at a show will notice that extra effort and your reward will be either great comments and or placing in a show or competition - I guarantee.

White Glue Window Panes Story & Photos By: Jerry R (Mitch) Michnewicz

Bluff City Division


Dudley Ross Award

This newly approved award is to be given to a scratch-built or kit-bashed model which best represents a prototype structure or scene. Normal contest judging will take place, following which any mod-els meeting the above criteria will be eligible for the Dudley Ross Award. Judging will be by subjective consensus of the judges. If no contest entries meet the criteria, models entered for "display only" that meet the criteria shall be considered. In the event no models in either the contest or display categories qualify the award will be held over. The award is named for Dudley Ross who was a terrific N scale modeler and a fine gentleman in the truest sense of the word. Hope to see you in Birmingham and bring your prototype models. You could be the next recipient in what will be a long line of win-ners of the Dudley Ross Award. Tom Schultz SER Contest Chairman

This year we awarded the very first Dudley Ross Award to Scott Matherly for this exceptionally well done HO scale model of the Florida East Coast’s downtown Miami passen-ger station.

Membership Summary

NMRA Membership As of June 1, 2009, NMRA membership in the region stands at 1,037, an increase of 37 since the 2008 SER Convention. Membership dipped to 980 in No-vember, but has risen by 57, or 5.9%, since that time. Seven of fifteen divisions had a net gain in member-ship since the 2008 Convention, four divisions had a net loss, and four divisions maintained the same membership totals.

SouthErneR Subscriptions As of June 1, 2009, subscriptions of The SouthErneR total 573. This total includes 22 additional life sub-scribers not in the National database. Since the 2008 SER Convention, the total number of subscriptions has risen 25, or 4.8%.

Membership Renewal If your membership renewal date is coming up, you will receive a renewal letter from Region President Bob Beaty. We hope that our letter complements no-tices from the National office. Letters go out 60 days prior to your renewal date, and if renewal slips your mind, follow up letters go out 30 days after your mem-bership expires.

Questions and Concerns IF you have any questions about your membership, haven’t received your new membership card, or aren’t receiving Scale Rails or the The SouthErneR, let me know. I can be reached at:

[email protected]

Membership Report June 2009

Southeastern Region / NMRA

Name City Division Frances M Abbott Sevierville, TN Smokey Mountain John Barinowski Lilburn, GA Piedmont Richard Paul Brock Covington, GA Piedmont Dick Burdette Asheville, NC Land O' Sky Russell J Clark Atlanta, GA Piedmont Lisa Coffman Dahlonega, GA Piedmont Robert A Coffman Dahlonega, GA Piedmont William J Dennis Eutaw, AL Steel City Charles Donaldson Calera, AL Steel City Joseph E Dudek Lakeland, TN Bluff City Jennifer D Fisher Newman, GA Piedmont John B Fisher Newman, GA Piedmont Butch Gaglio Buford, GA Piedmont Donald Gardner Savannah, GA Atlantic Steven C Geiger Buford, GA Piedmont Louis J Gomes Dallas, GA Piedmont Don Grillo Jackson, MS Magnolia Richard S Grome Marietta, GA Piedmont Jerry R Harwood Hixson, TN Headquarters Robert Hoyt Cumming, GA Piedmont Robert D Kelsey Alpharetta, GA Piedmont Steve Kuhar Milton, FL Gulf Carol La Force Crossville, TN Headquarters Tom Lacher Suwanee, GA Piedmont Michael W Laskey Huntsville, AL Mid-South Rick C Locarno Alabaster, AL Steel City Charles E Lowery Hattiesburg, MS Magnolia Roy W Masterson Chattanooga, TN Headquarters Kenneth J Mattern Huntsville, AL Mid-South Roger Morton Braselton, GA Piedmont Jim Park Hephzibah, GA Cent. Savannah River James Phelps Kennesaw, GA Piedmont Bob Pinchook Canton, GA Piedmont Guy P Ploeckelman Tyrone, GA Piedmont Stephen C Potter Fort Mill, SC Palmetto Stephen T Powell Central, SC Palmetto John C Rice Atlanta, GA Piedmont Rex Rickson Roswell, GA Piedmont Gary Rogers Lawrenceville, GA Piedmont Carl T Smith Cordova, TN Bluff City Howard Thompson Norcross, GA Piedmont Mark Weiss Cumming, GA Piedmont Joshua Whitman Montgomery, AL Dixie David Wiley Burnsville, NC Land O' Sky James Wolfe Flowery Branch, GA Piedmont


Having just returned from “Rails to Sails”, this year’s SER annual convention in Pensa-cola, Florida, I wish to thank Glen Hall and all the Gulf division volunteers for a job well done. If you weren’t there you missed another great gathering of your fellow model railroaders along with many of their spouses and family members. Our annual region conventions provide a great opportunity to network with other modelers, catch up on new techniques through the many clinics offered, see home layouts, and view the out-standing work displayed in the contest room. And you can do all this and more for a fraction of the cost of attending a national convention. Upcoming region conventions will be in Birmingham (2010), Macon, GA (2011) and Knoxville (2012). I hope you will plan on attending. I’m sure you will not be disappointed. Another benefit of this year’s convention was free admittance to a very nice train show. The show was spon-sored by a local N Scale group. Being an N scaler myself my interest was immediately piqued! While all scales were represented at the show, there was an unusually large amount of n scale for sale as well as on display. Having gone from HO to N in the late 70’s, I can’t help but marvel at the progress made in the last 30 years. Of course, that applies to model railroading in general, not just N scale. But given the size of N scale, it just amazes me how the detail just keeps getting better and better, and how they can fit all the electronics in the locomotives. We really do live in a golden age for model railroading. Several of the vendors at the show were spotlighting some of the newest products on the market. I was very interested in Bachmann’s N scale GE 44-tonner, which comes decoder-equipped for about $65.00. I watched this little beast easily pull a ten car train, which is probably more than the prototype would. Also of great interest was Broadway Limited’s N scale EMD E8A complete with sound decoder. After a three year wait, the units are finally available in Southern Railway (my road of choice) among many others. The units have great detail and seem to run very well right out of the box. The sound is excellent given the small speaker size N scale requires. I take a lot of ribbing from you larger-scale folks about the size of my N scale trains. How about this for small: one of the vendors had some T scale trains on display and for sale. T scale is something out of Japan that is made to the scale of 1:450. That’s roughly half again as small as Z scale (1:220) and about a third the size of N scale (1:160). I hope T scale catches on so I’ll have some folks to rib! We did some actual business at the convention as well. Your Board of Directors met on Friday. Some issues we discussed were the proposed 2009-2010 SER budget, accepting a bid from Smoky Mountain division for the 2012 convention, and a proposal that division superintendents attending region BOD meetings have a vote as well as a voice. This latter issue will require member approval to change the current SER by-laws, and will be on the next ballot. Minutes of our meeting can be found elsewhere in this issue. Again, many thanks to Glen Hall and the Gulf division volunteers for hosting this event. Until next time, may all your signals be green!

The VP’s Keyboard Joe Gelmini

Sunday morning Breakfast & Business Meeting.


Well we have another SER Convention in the history book. It is too bad we had such a small turnout for the 2009 Pensacola Convention but those that did make had a great time. Thanks to Glenn Hall and his group for all their hard work. The activities were great. Everyone that went on the paper mill tour had great things to say about it. The clinics were both interesting and informative. Our banquet food was outstanding and the guest speaker kept everyone listening as he involved members of the SER into his talk on the history of railroading in the Pensacola area. Thanks again Glenn and crew for a job well done. At the annual meeting on Sunday two important pieces of convention business were conducted. The mem-bership approved the Smokey Mountain Division’s request to host the 2012 convention in Knoxville and for 2013 the membership approved not having the standard SER convention but just getting a room during the 2013 NMRA convention and holding the SER Annual Meeting as prescribed in the by laws.

Convention Coordinator Tom Cusker

Our convention line up is as follows; 2010 Birmingham AL The convention dates will be May 21st to the 23rd. It will be at the same site as the 2004 convention was in Bessemer, AL Plans are coming along with our theme being “Your Layout, from Concept to Reality”. The clinics will evolved around giving you all the information you need to design and build your own railroad empire. As the old joke goes “Size does not matter” it’s how you build and operate it. Look for more details in The SouthErneR about the convention. 2011 Macon GA The 2011 convention will be hosted by the Empire Division. They are put-ting together plans to host a first class convention for you. I do not believe we have ever had a convention in the Macon area so this will be the first time for most of us to see what the Empire Division has to offer. Watch for more details in future issues of the SouthErneR. 2012 Knoxville TN I am please to report that the membership approved the Smokey Mountain Division’s bid to host the 2012 SER Convention. It has been several years since we have been to the Knoxville area and they have lots of great model railroading to offer us. 2013 Convention As you know the NMRA 2013 National Convention will be hosted by the Piedmont Division and the SER. The SER board of directors is very proud that the Piedmont Division went after and won the convention. Since we are hosting the National Convention the rules prevent us from holding a regional convention just before or after the national. So at the 2009 SER annual meeting the members voted to just hold the annual meeting, as prescribed in the by-laws, during the National Convention. No other SER convention related activities will take place during the national convention.

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FULL SERVICE

MODEL TRAIN COLLECTION

SERVICES

DON’T WAIT PRE-ARRANGE YOUR ESTATE!

PERSONALIZED AND DISCREET!

WE PAY CASH FOR YOUR COLLECTION!

SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS AND

CONTACT INFORMATION

SALES VALUATION ORGANIZATION


http://csme.livesteamtrains.com Andy Morrision (423) 344-8502 Crossville Model Railroad Club, Crossville, TN, Mike Ferry (931) 788-1828

[email protected]

Land O'Sky Division 15 Land O' Sky Division, Clyde, N.C., John A. Williams (828) 452-4178 Apple Valley Model Railroad Club, Hendersonville, NC, Ben Bartlett (828) 883-2799

Located in the Hendersonville Station, Open for visitors every Saturday 10 AM—2 PM, We always consider new member candidates. http://AVMRC.com

Western North Carolina Model Railroaders, Fred Coleman 828-699-0983

Magnolia Division 14 Magnolia Division, Philadelphia, MS., Troy Lee Hight (601) 389-5370

Jackson Society of Model Engineers, Jackson, MS Jackie Meck (601) 842-0909 www.jsme.org

Mid-South Division 1 Mid-South Division, Fayetteville, TN., Thomas Bailey (931) 433-4207 http://www.geocities.com/mta136/ Northeast Alabama Model Railroad Club, Guntersville, AL

Charles Dick (205) 878-2537 [email protected] Redstone Model Railroad Club, Huntsville, AL

Palmetto Division 7 Palmetto Division, Columbia, SC, Bob Roof 803-799-1708 Carolina Garden Rails All scales that run on 32 and 45 mm gauge track, battery, and live steam power. Dave Graley [email protected] Associated Model Railroads of Columbia, Columbia, SC Jack Huffman 803-699-2518 or amroc.org for information. Central Railway Model & Historical Association, Pickens, SC, Howard R, Garner (864) 878-4705 [email protected]

Piedmont Division 5 Piedmont Division, Acworth, GA., Howard Goodwin 770-529-2103 Atlanta Interlocking Model Railroad Club, Charlie Crawford 770-565-1845 http://home.earthlink.net/~wliles/ Chattahoochee Express Operating Group, Bob McIntyre (770) 518-8932 Georgia Association of Narrow Gaugers, Pat Turner (423) 744-0429 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgiangers [email protected]

Georgia Garden Railway Society, Donald (Don) Nute, Chair, 706 546-5462, www.ggrs.info/ [email protected] Georgia Society of Ferroequinologists, Marietta, Bob Hoenes (770) 422-0081 Jasper Roundhouse, Jasper, GA, Jim Derr [email protected] Metro Atlanta N-Scalers, Atlanta, GA, Charles Leak (404) 262-2969 or George Potter (770) 339-4775 Model Railroad Club of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, Terry Weldon (770) 979-0473 www.oscale-atlanta.info North Atlanta O-Gauge Railroad Club, Roswell, GA, Jeff Pergl (770) 516-6378 North Georgia Lego Train Club, James Trobaugh (770)-844-1076 http://www.ngltc.org OR [email protected] North Georgia Modurail, Jon Cook (770) 993-9620 Northwest Georgia N Track Club - P.E.P.S.I. Lines, 220 Washington Street, Gainesville, GA Railroad Model Club of Atlanta, Bob Peppel, (770) 934-4067 S-COG Southern Crescent Operating Group Joe Gelmini (770) 460-8873 [email protected] Southern O Scalers, Dan Mason, (770) 337-5139, [email protected] Tri-State Area Model Railroad, Inc., Gordon Tuenge, (706) 455-8903 [email protected] Volunteer Garden Railroad Club, Vines Botanical Gardens, 3500 Oak Grove Road, Loganville, GA 30052

Smoky Mountain Division 12 Smoky Mountain Division, Loudon, TN, Larry Burkholder (865) 408-9903 Knoxville Area Model Railroaders, Oak Ridge, TN, Larry Burkholder, (865) 408-9903 Mountain Empire Modular Railroaders, Johnson City, TN East Tennessee State University - George L. Carter Museum Business meetings held 3rd Tuesday of month at 7pm at ETSU Campus, Brown Hall Science Bldg. Rm. 312 Dr. Fred Alsop, III (423) 929-3733 [email protected] http://memrr07.t35.com

Steel City Division 2 Steel City Division, Birmingham, AL, Jack McCraw (205) 744-0758 Black Warrior Model Railroad Society, Tuscaloosa, AL, Bob Way 205-556-3073

Mobile Society of Model Engineers, Alabama Gulf - Chapter, NRHS 2800 Graham Rd., S. Mobile, AL Call Dave Miller (251) 645-2296 for information

Wrecking Crew Model RR Club, Call Tom Cusker for information 205-621-1778

This is a list of clubs and organizations in the South Eastern Region. Most have some NMRA members. If you have a club that is accepting new members or visitors, please send the information to the editor at: [email protected]. Please note, you must provide a contact name and phone number! If you have a website you can send us the URL as well!

Atlantic Division 8 Atlantic Division, Savannah, GA. Nate Stone (912) 354-2604 Coastal Rail Buffs, Savannah, GA., Nate Stone, (912) 354-2606 http://www.coastalrailbuffs.org/ Golden Isles Model Railroad Club, Brunswick, GA. Grand Strand Model Engineers, Myrtle Beach, SC. Charleston Area Model Railroad Club, North Charleston, SC. http://www.chamrc.com or Tom Van Horn at [email protected]

Bluff City Division 10 Bluff City Division, Memphis, TN, Ned B. Savage, (901) 682-8716 The Memphis N-Scale Road Railers The Memphis Society of Model Engineers—The 1st Saturday Night Group meets at the Highland Street Church of Christ, at 7:30 PM contact Ned for additional information at: [email protected]

Central Savannah River Division 9 Central Savannah River Division, Augusta, GA, Terry Pitts, Jr. (706) 636-9581 Georgia-Carolina Model Railroaders, Augusta, GA, Roy Tritt (706) 733-6870

Cumberland Division 11 Cumberland Division, Brentwood, TN., Bob Hultman (615) 833-5158 Mid-South Live Steamers, Columbia, TN., Hank Sherwood (615) 665-0512 www.midsouthlivesteamers.org [email protected] Nashville NTRAK, Nashville, TN., Ken Herrell (615) 352-4576 http://www.nashvillentrak.org Nashville Garden Railway Society, Nashville, TN., Ross Evans (615) 292-6555 Tennessee Central Railway Museum, Nashville, TN., Terry Bebout, (615) 244-9001 FAX -2120 [email protected] http://tcry.org

Dixie Division 3 Dixie Division, Montgomery, AL, Phil Hutchinson, (334) 272-1933 Alabama Model Railroad Association, Opelika, AL Central Alabama Model RR. Club, Montgomery/Prattville, AL, Phil Hutchinson, (334) 272-1933 MGB Model Railroad Club, Prattville, AL Brett Scott (334) 799-3096 www.mgbrr.org 100% NMRA Member Club Visitors welcome. Meetings every Thursday Evening & every other Saturday afternoon. Southeast Alabama Model Railroad Club, Dothan, AL,

Mike Porterfield and phone number of (334) 774-0720 [email protected]

Empire Division 6 Empire Division, Macon, GA., Richard Dalrymple, (478) 471-8883 FAX -8994 Columbus Model Railroad Club, Columbus, GA., David Cotton (706) 323-1417 Flint River Model Railroad Club, Albany, GA., Jimmy Swinn (299) 883-3517

MGMRC - Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club, based in Warner Robins, GA Bill Attaway (478) 328-1743 [email protected] http://members.cox.net/mgmrc/ CGMRC - Central Georgia Model Railroad Club, based in Macon, GA Ken Preston, [email protected] MGRA - Middle Georgia Railroad Association, is a railroad history group that meets in Macon and Gordon, GA Mark Mosely, [email protected] www.trainweb.org/mgr

Thomasville Model Railroad Club, Thomasville, GA., Ben Strickland (912) 465-3730

Gulf Division 4 Gulf Division, Pensacola, FL, Glen Hall (850) 475-1530 [email protected] Bay Area Model Railroaders (BARR), Mobile, AL, Dave Miller (251) 645-2296 Caboose Club, Foley, AL Charles Ebert Emerald Coast Garden Railway Club monthly meeting usually on third Saturday of the month at 1:30 PM in the Diner Car of the West Florida RR Museum, Milton FL, Keith Rapley (850) 434-6374 Miracle Strip Model RR Club, Shalimar, FL Chris Beard (850) 244-0161 www.geocities.com/miraclestriprrclub [email protected] Mobile Society of Model Engineers. Dave Miller (251) 645-2296 Okaloosa N-Scalers, Niceville, FL Bill Blinn (850) 678-8131 Pensacola Model Railroad Club (PMRC), Pensacola, FL www.trainweb.org/pmrc/ HO Division - Ron Hartman (850) 494-1783 N Division - John Hudson (850) 479-4315; Z Division - Glen Hall (850) 475-1530 Southwest Alabama Railroad Modelers (SWARM), Mobile, AL http://lots-trains.org/html/swarm.html/ Herb Kern (251) 660-1659 West Florida Model Railroad Club, Milton, FL Tom Augustine (850) 944-0471 West Florida Railroad Museum, Milton, FL

Headquarters Division 13 Headquarters Division Charles “Chip” Chipman (423) 892-3706 [email protected] Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club, www.camrc.org Ed Juaire (423) 598-9925 [email protected] Chattanooga Society of Model Engineers, Dunlap, TN

THE CLUB CAR


By now you are probably wondering why your SouthErneR was so late arriving in your mail-box! Well, the answer is fairly easy, the deadline for this issue was June 1st however our region convention was not until two weeks later so I held the issue until after the convention. But then my brother was coming into town the following week and that event pushed me back even further until the week before Hartford where I have another job to do, my work as national Photo Chair. In the process of getting ready for that 1000 mile drive north, I decided that maybe I should hold off finishing The SouthErneR until after that convention so I could include things that happened at that convention as well. So now I am nearly into August and I am trying to finish up this newsletter while at the same time still working on post Hartford (national related) business that seems to grow in size each year! Hartford was a really good convention and it appears that most of you in SER didn’t come to. Too bad as we had a great time there! The weather was outstanding, cool and nice without much rain except during a couple of days in the middle of the week. After 17 straight days of 90+ degree Georgia weather I was ready for a change however the residents of Hartford were wishing for warmer days as they were thinking they might have no summer this year. (Us Georgians would have gladly traded our 90’s for their 70’s!) Anyway, the national contest was again larger than last year’s, buoyed up by a rather large increase in the Modeler’s Showcase (formerly known as Display-Only) however there was also an increase in the number of models entered into the judged contest. New this year was a split in the judged contest to include kit-built models in a separate category meaning there were judged models in both Scratch-built and Kit-built: Steam, Diesel & Other, Freight Car, Caboose, and so on. Part of this change involved merging two pairs of catego-ries into one as there is no longer a split between Online & Offline in both the Structure and the Diorama cate-

E d i t o r ’s S o a p b o x

My structure model being judged by the Finish & Lettering judging team.


gories in the national contests. The idea is to try to make a level playing field available to the kit-built model-ers who no longer have to compete against their scratch-built rivals but have their own separate contest that also gives out plaques in first thru third places meaning more opportunities are available to get an award. This was the first year I brought a model to enter in the national contest and only the third year ever entering any model contest! One of the models liberated from John Travis’ previous J&G layout was entered - the Ivan Jenkins Furniture Co. which neither placed nor earned enough points for a Merit award. I also brought with me two additional models which I at first had entered in the Showcase category but then upon the suggestion of someone, switched to Kit-built Passenger Car which had no entries by the end of the day on Tuesday. Af-ter a hurried write-up on Wednesday morning just before the judges got to the model, I was able to perform my national function of leading my team in judging the slide portion of the photo contest (we’d done prints the previous night after closing). As with any under-entered category, whatever shows up wins something and the two plaques for first and second reside on my wall as I type. The national photo contest was smaller than usual with just under 96 total entries. Usually my contest has the largest number of entries but not this year. There were however more entries in the two black & white print categories all of which were very good entries. Black & white has a lot of benefits that are often missed by photographers particularly model photographers as B&W is more forgiving of off-color modeled scenes and/or lighting issues.

This year there was a noticeable drop-off in the number of slide entries. I am told that the two film manufacturers are eliminating slide film as a part of their product lines. This is obviously bad for those who wish to shoot new slides however during their production life, billions upon billions of 35mm slides were shot of which at least a few million were with railroads (and to a lesser extent model railroads) as a subject. While fewer and fewer new slides will be pro-duced until the market dries up completely and available stocks are exhausted, there are still all of those previously shot slides still out there and for the most part un-entered in any photo contest. (Hint!) I say this because if you don’t start entering them soon your category within the photo contest may disappear entirely! Regarding the photo contest on a region level, I intend to create two new region awards for the photo contest in an attempt to increase entries at our region contests. More on this later….

Two kit-built Passenger Car entries were entered by your Editor at this year’s Hartford National con-test earning a First & Second Place. The little Walthers “Oscar” was built in the early 1970’s while the Union Pacific Southern business car was kitbashed from three Athearn cars about 1994.

This year’s Dave Muller Award winner was Robert McIn-tyre of the Piedmont Division who is shown here being presented with the award by Region Editor Paul Voelker. Photo by Del Kittendorf

2009 DAVE MULLER AWARD


SER member Major Robert Even of Panama City, FL is seen taking photos of models in the Hartford contest room as he does every year at every national convention he attends. Bob was at the Piedmont train show earlier this year and also the Rails to Sails SER convention this past June.

Probably unknown to many convention attendees were these two marvelous models, each representing a USS Hartford, on the 4th floor flanking the office door of the Hartford Convention Center. The ship on the left was Admiral Farragut’s flagship at the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. The ship (boat) on the right is a Los Angeles (688) class subma-rine also named Hartford with NMRA Contest Chair Bob Hamm, MMR standing beside it. I stumbled across these two models while touring the building after arriving very early on Sunday morning.


PRESORTED STANDARD

U.S.POSTAGE PAID

Sharon, PA PERMIT No. 22

The SouthErneR Southeastern Region, NMRA

3278 Spring Wind Ct Lawrenceville, GA

30044-4838

Charlie Crawford carted his modular layout all the way up to Hartford this past July to display it during the Hartford National conven-tion’s train show. While there he decided to enter five of the modules in the Module contest, three of which earned Honorable Mention-tions and Merit Awards which meets the requirement to obtain his AP Certificate in Scenery. Congratulations Charlie!

Piedmont member Scott Povlot, a member of the NMRA’s web presence committee, was presented with an NMRA The Presidents Award for his work in redesigning and improving the NMRA’s web-site. At Hartford, Howard Goodwin accepted the award in his ab-sence and presented it to Scott at the July Piedmont meeting.


Name Address City Phone

State

Birth Date Occupation

Zip

Scale

Cell Phone

NMRA Membership and/or Subscription Type (Circle the Option(s) of Your Choice) One Year Two Years Total

Member - All rights and benefits - does not include NMRA Scale Rails. $39.00 $78.00

NMRA Scale Rails subscription - Must be an NMRA member to subscribe. $19.00 $38.00

SER The SouthErneR subscription - Must be an NMRA member to subscribe. $10.00 $20.00

Family - Spouse or minor child of above member in good standing. No NMRA Scale Rails or voting rights. Provide family member’s name and date of birth here: Name: DOB:

$8.00 (each member)

$16.00 (each member)

Student - any person 18 yrs and under or student between the ages of 19 - 25 yrs possessing valid student ID. All rights and benefits and NMRA Scale Rails.

$32.00 $64.00

Sustaining - Mandatory for group memberships (Clubs, Associations, Businesses). All rights & benefits & NMRA Scale Rails.

$116.00 $232.00

TOTAL DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS PAYMENT ENCLOSED (Make checks payable to NMRA)

Mail To: Rick V. Coble, Registrar, 3278 Spring Wind Ct., Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4838

Credit Card:

Month Year

Expiration Card # CV #

Signature Issued To (print)

Master Card VISA AMEX Discover Diner’s Club Check

Email

NMRA / SER Membership & Subscription Application

NMRA # SER # Renewal New

Please accept my application for membership Renewal or for New Membership in the National Model Railroad Association, which includes the SouthEastern Region and my local SER Division.


2010 National Convention Milwaukee, Wisconsin

July 11-17

www.nmra75.org

Future Region Conventions 2011 Macon, GA 2012 Knoxville, TN

2013 Atlanta, GA / NMRA 2014 ?

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

P lea se se nd in fo o n yo ur eve nt t o T he Sou thErn eR a t leas t 6 mo nt hs p r io r to t he ne xt dead l ine fo r it t o appear in t ime o r be fo r e yo ur eve nt t akes p lace .

BIRMINGHAM SPECIAL 2010

May 21-23 Bessemer, AL

“Your Layout, from Concept to Reality”

September 19 & 20, 2009 Dothan 19th Annual Wiregrass Annual Model Railroad Show & Sale Main exhibit building, National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds 5622 U.S. Hwy 231 South, Dothan, Southeast, AL 36301

9 am -5 pm CDT Sept 19 and 10 am - 4 pm CDT Sept. 20

Adults $5 , Free for children under age 12 with adult

This show is sponsored annually by the Wiregrass Heritage Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The show is in a 25,000 square foot exhibit hall at the National Peanut Festival fairgrounds on US Hwy 231 three miles south of Dothan, AL The show will feature 150 tables of old and new model equipment and supplies, several operating layouts in N, HO, O and G scales, an outdoor train ride, concessions and door prizes. Call 334-790-6284 for directions from your location For more information contact Danny Lewis at 334-790-6284 or email [email protected]

ALABAMA

September 24 to 27, 2009 Jacksonville Florida East Coast Railway Society Annual Convention Meeting, Model Railroad, Operating Exhibit, Photo Exhibition/Slide Show, Tours, Workshops & Clinics Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk, 1515 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, Southeast, FL 32207 Thu 5-11 PM, Fri/Sat 8 AM-11 PM, Sun 9 AM-5 PM Signups $50 before AUG 26, $60 after, tours & Luncheon extra. (Online registration at www.fecrs.com) Must be Member to attend ($25 annual dues, can be paid at reg-istration if not already a member). Contact Info: Florida East Coast Railway Society P.O. Box 3574, Tequesta, FL 33469-1009 [email protected] Website: http://www.fecrs.com/

FLORIDA

LOCAL SHOWS & EVENTS (Date Order by State)

Every weekend between Oct. 24 & Nov. 28

Atlanta-area & North Georgia

7th Annual Piedmont Pilgrimage

DATES: October 24 & 25 Oct 31 & Nov 1

November 5, 6, 7 & 8 November 14 & 15 November 21 & 22 November 27 & 28

www.piedmont-div.org

Multiple train layouts are on tour starting generally at 10 AM on Saturdays and 11 AM on Sundays. Admission is FREE to all layouts. Tour schedule is available online or in Tour Booklets available at any Atlanta-area Hobby Shop.

Tour Schedule: http://www.piedmont-div.org/pilgrimage/tour_date.html

GEORGIA

November 21-25 & 27-29 Warner Robbins Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club The Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club will be part of the “Planes and Trains Exhibit” at the Museum of Aviation at Rob-bins Air Force Base, located at Highway 247 & Russell Parkway. Admission is FREE Hours are 9am - 5pm For more info contact Jack Copeland at 478-328-8028 www.museumofaviation.org/planestrains.php http://members.cox.net/mgmrc/


DIVISION MEETS

Steel City Division 2 - Regular Meeting 3rd Thursday of every month 7 PM Call (205) 744-0758 for meeting information Piedmont Division 5 - Regular Meeting 2nd Tuesday of every month, Elks Lodge, 1775 Montreal Rd., Tucker (Atlanta - East Side) Website: www.piedmont-div.org Smoky Mountain Division 12 - Regular Meeting 1st & 3rd Sunday of every month Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, TN 3 - 5 pm work or operating sessions 5 pm business meeting 1st Sunday Land O'Sky Division 15 - Regular Meeting 1st Thursday of every month at 7 PM, Community Center at Eliada Home For Children located at the end of Eliada Home Road in the Leicester Community of West Asheville, NC. Call (828) 694-0339 for program information & directions.

October 9 & 10, 2009 Brevard Narrow Trak 09 Transylvania County Recreation Center 1078 Ecusta Road, (behind Pisgah Forest Elementary School), Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 Friday, October 9 - 1:00pm to 9:30pm Saturday, October 10 - 8:30am to 9:30pm This annual mini-convention will feature seminars, operating modules, popular-vote model contest and Saturday night music. THE FIRST SEMINAR WILL START AT 2:30pm, FRIDAY. Doors open at 1:00pm. There will be plenty of time for everyone to get in, greet each other and get seats for the seminars. For a convention package, send a SSAE to: Narrow Trak 09 11 Owen St. Ste 104SE Brevard, NC 28712-7725 and/or email to: [email protected]

October 10, 2009 Hendersonville Autumn Rails 2009 Whitmire Auditorium, Lily Pond Lane, Hendersonville, NC 28739

10:00am - 4:00pm

Teens & Adults: $5.00 Scouts in uniform & kids under 13 are Free

Dealer tables: $25.00 (8-foot table)

Operating N-Trak layout, Door prizes

Sponsored by the French Broad e'N'pire Ntrak Club Dealers, contact: Chuck Place 828-685-2726 1396 Spicer Cove Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792 [email protected] www.fbe-ntrak.com

NORTH CAROLINA

November 14 & 15, 2009 North Charleston ELEVENTH ANNUAL BEST FRIEND MODEL TRAIN SHOW Danny Jones Armory, 5000 Lackawanna Blvd North Charleston, SC 29406

10 am to 4 pm

$5 at door; children under 10 free with adult ... free parking

Vendor tables available from $20

I-26 right to E Montague to right at Mixson Dr at CVS Drugs Contact: Mary Lehr 843.768.0691 [email protected] http://www.BestFriendofCharleston.org/modeltrain.html

SOUTH CAROLINA

October 16 & 17, 2009 Bristol Laying rails in Bristol Bristol Train Station, 101 Martin Luther King Drive, Bristol, TN 37621

Friday (5:00 - 9:30pm); Saturday (8:00am - 4:30pm)

Admission Fees $15 registration

Co-sponsored by the Southern Railway Historical Association and the Norfolk & Western Historical Society.

EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Friday – At 5:00pm, weather permitting, we have a photo opportu-nity at the Watauga Valley Chapter NRHS Yard in Jonesboro, TN then at 6:30 pm, we are touring the Mt. Empire Model Railroad and the George L. Carter Museum at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN

Saturday – We will have a full day of modeling, historical, proto-type and modern railfanning presentations at the Bristol Train Sta-tion. For further information, email Greg Soots at: [email protected]

More information available at: www.srha.net and www.nwhs.org

October 10, 2009 Union City GM&O Historical Society 37th Annual Meeting Hampton Inn Centre, 2201 W. Reelfoot Ave. (U.S. 51) Union City, TN 38261-5546

9 AM to 3 PM

Admission Adults, $3.00. Children under 12 years, $2.00. Bring a friend!

In addition to the many dealer tables full of memorabilia and books, there will be slides, photos, model railroad supplies, and the ever popular GM&O related model contest. Bring your latest creations for all to see!

Contact Dave Wagner for further details, but don’t delay, as our 2008 Swap Meet was a complete sellout. Show Coordinator Dave Wagner may be reached at: 773-581-4809 or at [email protected] Website: http://www.gmohs.org

TENNESSEE


The following board members were present: President Bob Beaty, Vice-President Joe Gelmini, Treasurer George Bloodworth, Secretary Tom Cusker, Executive Advisor Phil Hutchinson, Directors George Gilbert, Fred Coleman and Paul Voelker. Absent Director Randall Watson. The following committee chairmen were present: Registrar Rick Coble, Historian Joe Nichols Sr. and Boy Scout Chairman and NMRA assistance secretary John Steven. Members present Gulf Superintendent Glen Hall, Piedmont Superintendent Howard Goodwin, Steel City Superin-tendent Jack McCraw, Magnolia Superintendent Troy Hight, and Smokey Mountain Superintendent Larry Burkholder. Also in attendance were Dr. Joe Nichols Jr. and Tom Banks members of the Piedmont Division, Joe Gamble member of Steel City Division, Bill Jones member of Empire Division, Jerry Roberts member of Gulf Di-vision and Howard Garner member of Palmetto Division. A quorum was present. Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM CDT. President Beaty welcomed all the attendees. A motion was made to accept the Secretary’s minutes from the 2009 Spring Meeting as published in the South-ErneR. Moved by George Bloodworth. 2nd by Fred Coleman. Motion passed. Treasurer George Bloodworth presented the Treasurer’s Report. The Region has a total cash and investments of $35,467.24. Total Liabilities and Reserves are $11,579.00. Non designated cash is $23,888.24. A motion was made to accept the report by VP Joe Gelmini and 2nd by Director George Gilbert. Motion passed. Treasurer Bloodworth presented the 2009-2010 proposed Budget and a discussed by the board. Phil Hutchinson made a motion to accept the budget for next year. 2nd by Fred Coleman and passed. Division Reports Joe Gelmini called on the Division Superintendents present to report on their activities. Howard Goodwin gave the Piedmont Division report. Jack McCraw gave the Steel City Division report. Glen Hall gave a report on activities within the Gulf Division. Phil Hutchinson gave the Dixie Division report. Fred Coleman gave a report on activities within the Land O’Sky Division. Troy Hight gave the Magnolia Division report. Larry Burkholder gave the Smokey Mountain Division report. Bill Jones gave the Empire Division report. Alan Hicks gave a report on the activities within the Cumberland Division. Howard Garner gave the Palmetto Division report. Committee Reports Membership Chairman Rick Coble reported we have 1037 members a increase of 37 since the last convention. We also have had an increase of 25 members or 4.8% signing up for the SouthErneR. In the last two years we have had 270 new members and of those that have had their membership expired 58% have renewed. This is a pretty good average for renewals. Rick and President Bob reported that we will be starting to send out wel-

Southeastern Region Spring BOD Meeting Friday June 12, 2009 - Pensacola, FL

Need some HELP with your model railroading? Why not give us a call! Get assistance with wir-ing, benchwork, scenery, locomotive repair, and even DCC! The service is free for all NMRA mem-bers, so give it a try!

Member Aid Chairman Charles Brown, MMR 3 Springbrooke Trail, Dallas, GA 30157

(770) 943-5280

[email protected]


come letters to new member and renewal letters to those members who have their membership expiring in hopes of getting them to renew in a timely manner. Rick also brought up the question should we have a member privacy policy. Should we allow the giving of the SER membership information to anyone? After much discussion President Beaty made a policy that the SER will not share membership information with anyone outside the region and divisions will only receive their own data. The board agreed. John Stevens reported that the mailing list coming out of the NMRA only includes active members but those mem-bers who are in the 60 day grace period for expiration are not on the list but they get still get the Scale Rails during that period. We could be missing active members when we do a mailing. That was so noted. SouthErneR Editor Paul Voelker gave the Editor’s Report. Education Committee Chairman Dean Belowich and Contest Chairman Tom Schultz were both absent so there was no report. Achievement Program Chairman George Gilbert gave his report on AP activity. We have one new MMR Mike Braunstein and President Beaty has completed the 11th and final certificate and now has all 11. Web Master Mike Broadway was absent and did not send in a report. A question was asked if generic web pages could be set up for those divisions that cannot do their own. President Beaty will talk with the web master about this. Good and Welfare Chairman Fred Coleman submitted his report. A total of 158 letters have been sent during the current year. Convention Chairman Tom Cusker submitted the following report and called on those convention chairman in at-tendance to update us on their activities. 2009 Convention: Glenn Hall reported on the current convention. We have 65 NMRA members signed up, 42 non-rail and 6 children. He will have a cash short-fall due to the low attendance. The amount is undetermined at this time. Fred Coleman made a motion that the SER cover whatever he needs to cover the expenses. 2nd by Joe Gelmini and passed. 2010 Convention: Cusker reported that the convention will be hosted by the Steel City Division. The convention will be named the “Birmingham Special”. The theme will be “Your Layout, from Concept to Reality”. Plans are progressing and a more detail report will be given at the banquet tomorrow night. 2011 Convention: The Empire Division will be hosting 2011 Convention. Bill Jones reported that he and Ken Pre-ston have taken over from Richard Dalrymple who is ill. They are in the planning stages at this time. 2012 Convention: Larry Burkholder and his group in Knoxville have submitted a bid to host the 2012 convention. It will be taken to the membership for approval at Sunday’s Annual Membership meeting. 2013 Convention: The National Convention will be in Atlanta. We still need to determine what to do about the SER annual meeting and possibly holding a convention. This will be brought before the membership on Sunday morning at the annual meeting. SSR convention in 2010 will be in Tallahassee, FL the weekend before the Birmingham convention and they re-quested a copy of our mailing list. The board determined to run an ad for them but not to give them our mailing list due to the our privacy policy.


The Southeastern Region of the NMRA is proud to announce the availability of a limited number of Red Caboose 10,000 gal. Tank Cars lettered for GATX in HO scale. These cars are “Ready-To Run” in four different road numbers - GATX 28220, 28225, 28231, 28238 never before offered by Red Caboose. Cars have underbody brake details, magnetic knuckle couplers and metal wheel sets, built date is 10-49. The GATX tank cars were in service all over North America on all major railroads.

Cars cost: $32 each, or a set of four for $110 Shipping is by US Postal Service Priority Mail: $6.00 for one or two cars; $8.00 for three or four cars Insurance: $2.25 for one or two cars; $2.75 for three or four cars Note: Insurance is optional – added to shipping rate, recommend for your protection.

Make checks or money orders payable to: SER/NMRA

Send Orders To: SER Car Project c/o Randall Watson

730 Morning Creek Lane Suwanee, GA 30024-7052

OLD BUSINESS Non-Dues Revenue Projects: Treasurer Bloodworth reported on the DVD sales. We now have DVD number 4 on “Adding sound to your lay-out”. We are doing very well with sales and have had sales of $1753 to date with about $300 in cost. A discussion was held about the advertising efforts that have gone on and what we should do next. Treasurer Bloodworth reported on the region cars project. We have had sales of $2,186 to date with a cost of $5,876. We are on schedule with the sales and should make a profit from this project. Possible By-Law Change Paul Voelker made a motion to put the following bylaw change on the 2010 election ballot. The before and after change is highlighted below. 2nd by Phil Hutchinson and a discussion held. Motion passed and the membership will be updated at the annual meeting on Sunday June 12, 2009 that the proposed change will be on the 2010 bal-lot. This is the proposed amendment to Article V Para 3). 3) Meetings of the Directors. The Board of Directors shall hold a regular meeting for the transaction of business at least once in each half of the fiscal year of the Corporation and may hold such additional meetings as the Board may deem necessary. The President shall call with seven (7) days written notice meetings of the Board of Directors at such time and place, within the geographic bounds of the Corporation as he shall decide. Additional meetings of the Board of Directors, as provided for above, shall be called upon written request of three (3) members of the Board of Directors. Five (5) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present and voting shall control. All committee chairman and Division Superintendents of the Corpora-tion may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with voice but without vote. A director who is absent from two consecutive meetings without an excuse acceptable to the Board of Directors shall be considered to have resigned from office at the end of the second such meeting. TO READ AS FOLLOWS; 3) Meetings of the Directors. The Board of Directors shall hold a regular meeting for the transaction of business at least once in each half of the fiscal year of the Corporation and may hold such additional meetings as the Board


may deem necessary. The President shall call with seven (7) days written notice meetings of the Board of Directors at such time and place, within the geographic bounds of the Corporation as he shall decide. Addi-tional meetings of the Board of Directors, as provided for above, shall be called upon written request of three (3) members of the Board of Directors. Five (5) mem-bers of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quo-rum, and a majority of those present and voting shall control. Division Superintendents of the Corpo-ration may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with a voice and vote, however, the attendance of any Division Superintendent does not have any affect to constitute a quo-rum. All committee chairman of the Corporation may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with voice but without vote. A director who is absent from two consecutive meetings without an excuse accept-able to the Board of Directors shall be considered to have resigned from office at the end of the second such meeting. Grant program for Divisions President Beaty reported that other regions have adopted a program where by divisions could request a grant from the region to do projects. This request would need to explain what they would do with the money and report back how it was spent. They would not have to repay this money. He asked the boards feelings on the SER adopting this type of program. Cusker made a motion that until the BOD can come up with ideas how make this work, to table the matter to the next board meeting. 2nd by Paul Voelker and passed Other Old Business None

NEW BUSINESS A request was made to transfer the members in Land-O-Sky zip code 28906 (currently with 5 members) in NC to the Piedmont Division. This will affect five current members and any future members that live in that zip code. Both superintendents have been con-tacted and have no problem with the change. Paul Voelker made a motion to accept the request and move the zip code to the Piedmont Division. 2nd by Phil Hutchinson and passed. Secretary Cusker announced that the next meeting will be in hosted in Birmingham on October 17th at 10 AM

SOUTHEASTERN REGION of the NMRA presents:

CLINICS ON DVD

We now have four clinics available in this continuing series by the Southeastern Region:

Building a Timber Trestle

Light Emitting Diodes & Their Application in Model Railroads

Scratch Building Styrene

Industrial Buildings

Adding Sound to Model Railroad Scenes

These DVDs sell for $10 each or 3 for $25 plus

$2 shipping for any quantity ordered.

Make your check payable to: Southeastern Region

And mail to: George Bloodworth 245 Hidden Meadow Dr. Alpharetta, GA 30004

CST. Location of meeting will be announced later. George Bloodworth made a motion to adjourn. 2nd by Fred Coleman and passed. Meeting adjourned at 12:15 PM Submitted by Tom Cusker Secretary


Keheley Lake Southern Connecting Routes with Rex & Clayton Southern and Shamrock Southern

Len Polinsky Mike Callahn, MMR

General Manager Design Engineer

l e n p o l i n s k y @ b e l l s o u t h . n e t

$16 for 4 ISSUES

770-967-4178 [email protected]

6408 Lantern Ridge Hoschton, GA 30548


COLOR PRINT - MODEL 1st Place Glen Hall Engine #453

COLOR PRINT - PROTOTYPE 1st Place J. Allen Hicks TVRM #710 crosses Hiawassee River 2nd Place J. Allen Hicks L&N C420 #1315 at Blair, TN 3rd Place Glen Hall The Way West Hon. Mention J. Allen Hicks TVRM #710 crossing Hiawassee River

COLOR SLIDE - MODEL 1st Place Dick Flock HN Tunnel Exit 2nd Place Dick Flock HN on a Trestle 3rd Place Dick Flock HN Roundhouse

COLOR SLIDE - PROTOTYPE 1st Place Dick Flock ATSF Scholle Canyon 2nd Place Dick Flock Amtrak EB #42 3rd Place J. Allen Hicks ICG Train ML-2 NB at Calvert City, KY

2009 “Rails to Sails” Contest Report Model Contest

Sixteen models were entered in six of the eleven categories by nine en-trants. We also had one entry for AP-judging only that was not entered in the contest. Twelve of these entries earned Merit Awards. There were no narrow gauge entries so neither the Gold or Silver Spike awards were given out and there also were no kit-bash entries so once again the John Dakin Award went unclaimed. However this was the first year that a new award named after late SER member Dudley Ross was given. And a special thanks to all who helped judge this year’s contest. The results of their effort are as follows:

Arts & Crafts Contest We only had one entry this year which was a very fine painting by Kathy Vardi of Greer, SC.

Theme Contest We had two entries in this year’s Theme Contest. Bob Beaty, MMR and Tom Cusker both brought waterfront scenes, Bob’s was titled “Ferry Slip-up” and Tom’s was a “Bridge Train Wreck Scene”. By popular acclaim, Bob got the most votes and claimed 1st Place while Tom had to settle for 2nd Place.

Modelers Showcase Formerly known as “Display Only”, this recently renamed part of the con-test is not a contest at all but models brought in to show-off what a mem-ber has brought. Four members, Eugene Anderson, Joe Nichols, Sr., MMR, George Gilbert & Malcolm Sokol, brought in a total of 14 items for display. We wish to thank everyone who brought an entry of whatever nature to the contest.

Photo Contest We had 3 entrants who collectively entered 18 entries in four of the six categories in the photo contest. The results were as follows:

DIESEL & OTHER 1st Place Bill Mathewson Freelanced Gas Electric 101pts

NON-REVENUE 1st Place Eugene Anderson Lynn-Lowell Line Signal MOW 88pts Inspection Car on Flat

ONLINE STRUCTURE 1st Place Ben Bartlett Hillside Lumber - Coal Trestle 107pts 2nd Place Bob Beaty Howe Truss Bridge 105pts 3rd Place Bob Beaty Steam Pile Driver 97pts Hon. Men. Charles Millar Shantz Grain Elevator 88pts

OFFLINE STRUCTURE 1st Place Danny Head E.B. Hunt Store 120pts 2nd Place Danny Head Lake London Grocery 119pts 3rd Place Herb Lindsay Barn 92pts Hon. Men. Eugene Anderson Drill Platform #4 Lone Tree Oil 89pts

ONLINE DISPLAY 1st Place Scott Matherly Miami Train Station 112pts

OFFLINE DISPLAY 1st Place Danny Head E.B. Hunt Store 111pts Special Awards

Mack Craig Award

Danny Head E.B. Hunt Store 120pts

Will Miller Award

Herb Lindsay Barn 92pts

Callahan 101 Award

Danny Head Lake London Grocery 119pts

Dudley Ross Award

Scott Matherly Miami Train Station 112pts

Modelers Showcase George Gilbert


1st Place Online Structure

Ben Bartlett 107pts

2nd Place Online Structure

Bob Beaty, MMR 105pts

1st Place Offline Structure

Danny Head 120pts

2nd Place Offline Structure

Danny Head 119pts

Kathy Vardi - General Original

1st Place


Honorable Mention Offline Structure

Eugene Anderson 89pts

Honorable Mention Online Structure

Charles Millar 88pts

3rd Place - Bob Beaty Steam Pile Driver

97pts

1st Place - Eugene Anderson Lynn-Lowell Line Signal MOW

Inspection Car on Flat 88pts


Howard Goodwin 84pts

1st Place Diesel & Other

Bill Mathewson 101pts

1st Place Theme Contest

Bob Beaty, MMR

Modelers Showcase Eugene Anderson

2nd Place Theme Contest

Tom Cusker

Scott Matherly


1st Place - Scott Matherly Miami Train Station

112pts


Southeastern Region Annual Business Meeting Sunday June 14, 2009 - Pensacola, FL

Meeting was called to order at 8:40 AM CDT by President Beaty. President Beaty welcomed all the convention attendees and made a few opening remarks. He thanked Glenn Hall and his crew for a great convention. President Beaty introduced the board members to the membership and thanked them for the job they had done over the last year. President Beaty asked Secretary Cusker to read the minutes of the last annual meeting. John Stevens made a motion to suspend the reading of the minutes and accept the minutes of the 2008 Annual Business meeting as published in the SouthErneR. 2nd by Howard Garner and motion passed. President Beaty reported on the status of the Region. A handout was given to the membership recapping the Region’s status and activity. Bob reviewed each of the points on the handout. President Beaty reported that we are not able to hold a convention in 2013 due National Convention being held in At-lanta and asked the membership how they wanted to handle this? George Gilbert made a motion to asked the 2013 com-mittee for a room where a short annual meeting could be held at the annual meeting during the 2013 National Conven-tion in Atlanta. Day and time of the meeting to be set later. 2nd by Glenn Hall and passed by vote of the membership. Rick Coble gave the membership report. We have 1037 members as of June 1, 2009. We are still holding a steady num-ber of members from year to year. The Treasurer’s Report was given by George Bloodworth. We currently have a positive cash flow and are in good finan-cial shape. We have total cash of $35,467.24 and liabilities of $11,579.00. Treasurer Bloodworth then reported on presented the 2009-10 Budget. We have planned expenses of $10,745 with planned income of $10,900 giving us about break-even budget. Several items on the budget were discussed. Glenn Hall made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report and 2009-10 Budget. 2nd by Joe Gelmini and passed by vote of the membership. Paul Voelker and President Beaty reported on the SouthErneR activities during the past year. Fred Coleman gave the Good and Welfare Report. Fred reported he has sent out 178 letters last year. He asked the membership to notify him of anyone that is sick or should be recognized by the SER. Old Business Treasurer Bloodworth reported to the membership on the non-revenue projects. Both the DVD sales and the Region car sales are progressing very well and both are making the Region money. New Business Tom Cusker gave the Convention committee report. The Convention Handbook is now online and can be downloaded by anyone interested. Cusker also reported that Knoxville made a proposal to host the 2012 convention in Knoxville TN. John Steven’s made a motion to accept the bid to hold the 2012 convention in Knoxville. 2nd by Howard Goodman. Passed by membership. President Beaty reported that 2010 will be an election of officers year and that a nominating committee will be selected at the October board meeting. President Beaty also reported that the board is recommending the following change to the bylaws;


The Sunday morning Breakfast & Business meeting was well-attended by the membership. Here we see Bob Beaty, MMR giving a sermon on…, er conduct-ing the meeting after the breakfast. Food was good and so was the meeting.

This is the proposed amendment to Article V Para 3). 3) Meetings of the Directors. The Board of Directors shall hold a regular meeting for the transaction of business at least once in each half of the fiscal year of the Corporation and may hold such additional meetings as the Board may deem necessary. The President shall call with seven (7) days written notice meetings of the Board of Directors at such time and place, within the geographic bounds of the Corporation as he shall decide. Additional meetings of the Board of Direc-tors, as provided for above, shall be called upon written request of three (3) members of the Board of Directors. Five (5) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present and voting shall control. All committee chairman and Division Superintendents of the Corporation may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with voice but without vote. A director who is absent from two consecutive meet-ings without an excuse acceptable to the Board of Directors shall be considered to have resigned from office at the end of the second such meeting. TO READ AS FOLLOWS; 3) Meetings of the Directors. The Board of Directors shall hold a regular meeting for the transaction of business at least once in each half of the fiscal year of the Corporation and may hold such additional meetings as the Board may deem necessary. The President shall call with seven (7) days written notice meetings of the Board of Directors at such time and place, within the geographic bounds of the Corporation as he shall decide. Additional meetings of the Board of Direc-tors, as provided for above, shall be called upon written request of three (3) members of the Board of Directors. Five (5) members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present and voting shall control. Division Superintendents of the Corporation may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with a voice and vote, however, the attendance of any Division Superintendent does not have any affect to constitute a quorum. All committee chairman of the Corporation may attend all meetings of the Board of Directors, with voice but without vote. A director who is absent from two consecutive meetings without an excuse ac-ceptable to the Board of Directors shall be considered to have resigned from office at the end of the second such meet-ing. President Beaty reported the agenda was complete and asked if there was any business from the floor. With no other business being heard George Bloodworth made a motion to adjourn. 2nd by John Stevens and passed. Meeting adjourned 9:15 AM. Submitted by Tom Cusker Secretary


THE ROLE OF THE

CONTEST JUDGE By Editor Paul Voelker

Of all the jobs associated with our hobby, the role of the Contest Judge is often the most maligned and least understood but necessary position anyone in this great hobby of ours can occupy. Yet if we are to have con-tests, or for that matter an Achievement Program based on quality of workmanship, then we must have people to judge how well that workmanship was done. A contest judge holds a certain responsibility to the organiza-tion that must not be mishandled or misused because if their role as a contest judge appears unjust, the organi-zation will pay the price in lost membership and lost reputation. I have heard no end of complaints by people who have felt a contest judge “screwed them over” x-years ago and that is why they left the organization. As a judge we have a responsibility to make sure we are as accurate as possible in our judging. However, as we are also people and not machines, no matter to what degree we try to make the judging of a contest or AP category as objective as possible, the subjective side of all of us will creep into the equation - it is just human nature. After hearing many of these rumors of unfair judging, during the Philly convention in 2006 I decided to sit in on each of the contest judging teams to see for myself if any of these rumors were true. Well best laid plans and all, the first team I decided to “sit in on” was Finish & Lettering where I was then shanghaied into becom-ing a permanent member of the team after three team members had to leave thus ending my desire to look at how the other teams were doing. This then lead to my participation in the 2007 & 2008 contests as one mem-ber of the F&L team in those contests. I did however learn a few things without the need to actually sit in on the other teams. The desire for each team to wear blinders and only judge their one category seems to be an elusive goal. For whatever reason teams tend to drift “off track” and into other categories often merging the Construction & Scratchbuilding categories when they are indeed separate categories each with its own team of judges. Finish & Lettering has no business talking about Construction as the two are almost completely unre-lated. The judging categories are Construction, Detail, Conformance, Finish & Lettering, and Scratchbuilding. Each one of these categories requires the entrant to provide a certain amount of documentation the lack of which can cause problems. However an overwhelming abundance can also cause problems as each crew doesn’t have an hour to sift through a huge amount of material, they generally have but a few minutes, often less than five min-utes per model. (They also can’t just go to the internet and look it up!) Let me jump on Conformance first because of an incident at the Hartford contest. One of the entrants pro-vided as much information and documentation as was available from known sources which wasn’t really very much information. He pointed that out in the documentation, saying that what was provided was all of the in-formation that was known to exist. There was but a single photo of one side of the structure he was modeling forcing him to guess what was on the other sides that were not visible in that ONE photograph. Now on the comment sheet there was written the comment that he should have provided more information. From where, a crystal ball? It is inconsistencies like this that make entrants wonder if the judges really are reading the sup-plied documentation. This is but one example and I really do wish I could say this was an isolated incident but it most definitely is not. If on the comment sheet you are going to criticize the modeler for having or not hav-ing XYZ, try to make sure the explanation for XYZ isn’t in the provided documentation or you are going to look like an idiot and cause yet another modeler to write off the contest as biased one way or the other, and perhaps also our entire organization! Finish & Lettering is a somewhat slippery slope as the quality of the finish can be judged in almost any kind of light and also too the lettering - decaled, dry transfers, hand painted, or by whatever other method. However the coloration itself is subject to whatever light source is providing the light in a contest room and if that


source is not color balanced in some way then the colors on the model will not appear correct. Most of the time the contest room is located in a ballroom, many of which have abysmal lighting in general and not very good lighting to judge a model contest under. At this year’s convention in Hartford, the room provided had truly outstanding lighting that, while not perfect, was far better than what we usually have to judge under. It is for this reason that, when you are making comments regarding the colors used by the entrant, it should be remem-bered what kind of lighting you are using to judge the model under, and that what appears to you to be off-color may really be perfectly correct under a different light source like the sun! I remember judging a model in Philly that appeared to be off-color, and thinking later that perhaps we did judge that model too harshly, be-cause when I got back home and was reviewing the photographs I noticed that his use of colors was dang near right-on perfect for what he was modeling. Let me jump now to Construction, a category I could perhaps talk about for hours. Construction obviously includes the type of materials used meaning wood, cardboard, brass, plastic, plaster, stone, acrylic, resin, glass, or whatever. Years ago there was a bias against using plastic as a modeling medium, and by saying “years ago” I really mean Decades ago! Back then wood was considered by some to be the only “true” modeling me-dium and that it did not take any particular “talent” to build with plastic. This train of thought essentially dis-enfranchised most plastic modelers who went looking elsewhere to showcase their modeling skills. However (at least in my opinion) it wasn’t until the appearance of Mainline Modeler magazine in 1980, and the exceptional modeling skills of Robert Hundman (whose work was showcased in his own magazine) and the other contributors who wrote articles for his magazine, that there evolved a loose-knit organization now known today as “Prototype Modelers”. While most plastic modelers before him were using “plastic” as their main modeling medium, what Hundman was doing was scratchbuilding museum quality work in styrene unlike anything previously seen on a regular basis working with this medium. I mean most plastic modeling was done by kitbashing various Athearn diesels or cars to create somewhat more prototypically appearing models. A perusal of the 1981 Walthers catalog shows only two pages of detail parts each for both Details As-sociates and Details West (4 total pages) rather than the plethora of detail parts available today by a multitude of manufacturers. This bias against plastic would have unforeseen consequences and at times could also rob some wood-only modelers of points. How you may ask? Well, I can remember judging Construction on a team at one of the Re-gion contests about 25 years ago where a modeler had entered a wood-sided reefer. The three other judges (without reading the provided paperwork) were going to dismiss this guy’s effort as “just another plastic mod-eler” (takes no skill remember?) when in reality this guy had done a remarkable job with sanding sealer and sand paper to make wood look like plastic (!) which he was now being dismissed for as if he had actually used plastic! Unlike the rest of the team, I actually was reading the paperwork which said just that: He had used sanding sealer and sandpaper on wood. I then picked up the model and tapped the side with my fingernail and it sounded like wood to me which I then pointed out to the other three who were only then interested in what this guy had accomplished!!! Bias against any type of modeling medium should not exist, if you have a problem with this concept then per-haps you should not be a contest judge. Different skill sets are needed for different modeling mediums, one should not automatically assume that one modeling medium is easier than another or harder than another. All of the same construction standards apply regardless of the medium used, sloppy work is sloppy work, period. A well constructed, neat appearing model without obvious glue (or solder) problems should earn high points within its level of complexity, which is the same regardless of what medium is used. On the other hand a modeler’s reputation as a great modeler should not automatically mean all of his models entered are going to be great contest entries. At the same contest mentioned above a well-known modeler, whose work everyone recognized, entered a structure model that garnered a large number of points in every category except the one I was judging. Why? Because it wasn’t that good a model! When discussing his scores


later he expressed surprise that his model had scored so high because he knew it wasn’t that good a model - he had merely taken it off the layout just to have something to bring to the contest! I have included the 10-page A. P. Judging Matrix on the last pages of this publication. I have done this mainly because, while it is available on the NMRA’s website, not everyone who visits the website goes to the trouble to look at or download the Matrix. For those just starting out in contests, and for those who have some contest experience behind them but no judging experience, it really is a useful tool and worth understanding how the judges are instructed and encouraged to judge a model contest. You can learn a lot by knowing in advance what the judges will be looking for. You have probably already read this some place before, however in this instance that Matrix is just a few more pages away, so why not give it a look while you are already here? As some of you who attend the Southeastern Region conventions are aware, the last few years I have awarded Certificates of Appreciation to contest judges for their dedication, hard work & sacrifice of time during the convention. I have begun doing this at national as well, a sample of which can be seen below honoring our own John A. Williams of Land O’Sky Division 15 for his help in judging the Photo Contest at Hartford.

This year’s Model Contest judges included Bob Gangwish, Dennis Vaccaro, Mike Evans, Glen Glasstetter, John M. Johnson, Paul Lessard, Rich Coleman, Marv Kempner, Norman Frowley, Ed Fraedrich, Larry Can-non, Jack Dziadul, Pete Magoun, Jim Zinser, Larry Wolohon, Don Straub, Tom Matthews, Gary E. Children, Grey Meeks. In addition John A. Williams, Ralph Oxhandler, & Joe Rugarber helped me with judging the Photo & Pass Contests. Joe also helped John Johnson judge the Module Contest. Thanks to All!


Above The Construction judging team in action working their way around the contest room. The man with the gloves and flashlight is the team leader and as such is the only one who is allowed to handle the model being judged (hence the gloves). It is a thankless job but someone has to do it. Perhaps you might be interested in helping us next year?

Above The Conformance team in action. Notice that during “open judging” other people besides the judges are allowed into the room to view the models or watch the judging teams in action. Below The Finish & Lettering team is also working their way around the room. The team is just start-ing to have a “go” at one of my models in the lower right photo.


Above Some of the national contest staff hard at work during judging day. Pictured in both photos here are National Contest Chair Bob Hamm, MMR (black shirt), Chief Judge Allen Gross, MMR. Assistant Contest Chair Mike Evans (standing), and Wil Seaver appear in left photo.

Photo provided by Chuck Diljak

Above Allen calls out contest scores while Bob enters the data in his computer. Left Pictured in the background (wearing hat) is Photo & Pass Contest Chair (& SER Editor) Paul Voelker pointing to where his contest judges, Joe Rugarber (facing camera behind Bill Day’s bridge) and Ralph Oxhandler (red vest near back wall) will set up the photo judging on Tuesday after the room closes for the night.


Above An HO scale model of the CNJ Bronx Terminal, a circular freight house with its surrounding trackage. Many special curved turnouts and crossings were constructed to make this diorama. The diorama’s builder, Tim Warris of Fast Tracks and his wife are seen talking to Bill Schaumburg of RMC and Chuck Diljak. Chuck graciously provided me with five photos of the one model in the room I forgot to take photos of, Bill Day’s work-ing Bascule Bridge. Two of those photos are seen on the previous page. Left A scratchbuilt HO scale model of a switch tower built by NMRA Module Contest Chair John M. Johnson, MMR when he was 14. Below is a display of mostly narrow gauge models built by NMRA Contest Chair Bob Hamm, MMR. The scratchbuilt gondola pictured in the center of this display was the last car Bob needed to build to get his MMR.


This year’s Thumbs Contest First Place winner was Leslie Eaton, MMR with a cow pushing over an outhouse in N scale while Second Place went to Dr. Robert Chait, MMR with his USS William J. Clinton aircraft carrier in HO scale.

4 Photos Below Some of the many models that were entered in the non-competitive Model Showcase category can be seen here. In the bottom photo model builder Thomas Hirsh of Mystic, CT (at left below), is talking about his large display of nautical models including many barges & tugboats along with a light-house and various port structures, some still under construction, and including a shipbuilding shed and a floating dry dock.

At Right Brian Everrett of Howel, MI, brought 29 models to show in the Model Showcase. He also stayed in the room during most of the convention talking to people about his fine collection.


At Right & Below Bill Day demonstrates the operation of his working Bascule Bridge model. In addition to the bridge raising and lowering, the model had sound effects, working signals and lights.



Editors Cinthia & Stephen Priest are seen here during the Scale Rails photo shoot in the contest room after the judging scores had been tallied. Leslie Eaton ap-pears in the bottom right photo behind Stephen.


H N 2 0 0 9 H A R T F O R D

M O D E L C O N T E S T P H OTO B O O K

SCRATCH-BUILT ROLLING STOCK

Now available on this website are the first two of four HN2009 Hart-

ford Model Contest PhotoBooks - Rolling Stock and Dioramas &

Structures, covering the Scratch-built contest categories at Hartford

this year. Coming up in the near-future are the final two PhotoBooks

covering the Kit-built contest categories, plus a look at the Module con-

test, and also the Model Showcase & the other contests. Expect to find

these in the National News section of the SER’s website.


H N 2 0 0 9 H A R T F O R D

M O D E L C O N T E S T P H OTO B O O K

SCRATCH-BUILT STRUCTURES & DIORAMAS

Summer 2009 - ser-nmra.org

Documents

Transcript of Summer 2009 - ser-nmra.org