North Raleigh Model Railroad Club

News & Information

Highlights of the Club's January 2012 Meeting
Raleigh, February 1, 2012

Sixteen members attended the Club's January 2012 Meeting hosted by David McDowell. Thanks David.

President Blaustein called the meeting together at 7:28pm. The Treasurer's report for January was approved (Motion: Derway/Second: McCurry).

The minutes of the January meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved (Motion: Derway/Second: Condon).

Several train shows were discussed:

• Train Collectors Association, February 5, 2012
  The Club will have two tables for our T-TRAK layout. Set up begins at 8am, and the show will be open to the public from 10am to 3pm. Module commitments are complete. Don Cariss is Superintendent..

• New Bern, March 3 – 4, 2012
  We will have the same layout space as last year (16' x 44") plus space for a T-TRAK layout (7' x 20'). Module and people commitments were made, and transportation capabilities reviewed. A draft layout design has been prepared; only one module is questionable, and substitutes are available. We have been advised we cannot bring food or drink into the Sudan temple; they must be kept in the parking lot. Superintendent Mark Blaustein to determine start time for layout setup on Friday, March 2.

• Springmoor Retirement Center
  Don Cariss will contact Springmoor to arrange for a date in the April/May time frame.

• Selma In Spring, May 2012
  Don Cariss will contact the folks in Selma to see if the Spring celebration will take place, when and whether they would like our layout to be part of the event.

• Spencer Rail Days 2012
  The NC Transportation Museum has not yet announced dates for the 2012 Rail Days, usually scheduled in June.

Construction on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center will continue on February 18.

Transfer of ownership of Don Cariss' trailer to the NRMRC is essentially complete. The new license tag has been acquired, and the tires and broken light replaced. It was decided that based on the age of the trailer not to purchase collision insurance. Bill Royse will store the trailer between uses.

Several items from the Standards Committee were discussed:

• T-TRAK Timesaver Modules
  There was discussion over whether to construct T-TRAK modules based on John Allen's Timesaver switching layout. it was agreed to determine the costs of constructing the modules. Dave Thompson will provide a cost estimate for the module bases (three double-wide modules that are 12-3/8" deep) and John Wallis will estimate the costs for the tracks necessary.

• Larger Radius T-TRAK Corner Modules
  There has been discussion of designing and construction T-TRAK corner modules that will provide larger radius curves to handle larger locomotives and passenger cars. These include a module that will hand;le the next size of of Unitrack, a 1.5 sized module and a double size module. The issue is these corner modules make the spacing too wide for a standard banquet table. Discussion continues.

• Digitrax Duplex DT402D Throttle Firmware
  Digitrax has released firmware update 1.5a for DT402D throttles. All members should update their DT402D throttles. This can be done at New Bern. Experience at recent trains shows by other clubs indicates that this release resolves several problems.

• Email Hijacking and Passwords
  Two members have had their Email accounts hijacked recently. John Wallis will issue guidelines to club members on how to create strong passwords that are very difficult to crack.

Gerry Foster passed around a sign up sheet for 5-Minute Tips and Programs for the remaining months in 2012.

The meeting adjourned at 8:10pm.

Following the meeting and break Jim Kalenowski conducted the 5-Minute Tip on Soldering track Feeders to the Rails. Using recommended tools and techniques Jim showed how to solder feeder wires. Tools specifically mentioned were a 15 watt Radio Shack soldering iron with a small tip, Tix Flux (Micro-Mark), and needle nose pliers with a bend in the tips. Jim stressed the importance of applying flux to the rail, and tinning both the feeder wire and the tip of the soldering iron. Thanks Jim.

Andy Zimmerman presented the program "A Day in the Life of a T-TRAK Module", which he did via Skype from his home in Florida, using both charts and videos in his presentation. The charts are available in the Files section of our Email list (Meeting Program Notes/2012). The presentation technique was very successful, and members enjoyed the program with its many hints and tips on constructing a T-TRAK module. Thanks Andy.
 

Highlights of the Club's Annual Meeting
Raleigh, January 11, 2012

Twenty members and seven guests attended the Club's Annual Meeting held at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Raleigh. We welcomed John Czarny from Chesapeake, VA who attended his first Annual Meeting.

President Derway called the meeting together at 7:10pm. The Treasurer's report for December was approved (Motion: Blaustein/Second: Wallis).

The minutes of the December meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved (Motion: Condon/Second: McDowell).

President Derway opened nominations for Officers and a Director for 2012. Gerry Foster volunteered to be Vice President. A motion was made to close nominations (Motion: Wallis/Second: Koss). There being only one candidate for each position, the following were declared elected:

Two train shows were discussed:

• Train Collectors Association, February 5, 2012
  Members expressed interest in participating in this show. Don Cariss is Superintendent; more information via the Email list.

• New Bern, March 3 – 4, 2012
  We will have the same layout space as last year (16' x 44") plus space for a T-TRAK layout (7' x 20'). Module and people commitments were made. A draft layout design will be prepared in the next few days. It was noted that we must scale back our inside the layout "picnic" from last year.

Construction on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center continued last Saturday. Paul Ohegyi provided a report on buildings for the diorama, their state of construction and what additional buildings are necessary (2 more). Some minor dimensional changes were made, plus it was determined that some selective compression will be needed for some buildings. Some additional photos of downtown Apex were taken to assist in finalizing the street and building configuration. The next construction session will be February 18.

John Czarny brought a T-TRAK module that contains a mountain division track. This module will be evaluated with a view to establishing mountain division standards for club T-TRAK modules.

Gerry Foster indicated we have a 5-Minute Tip and a Program for the February meeting, but that he will be soliciting volunteers for the remaining months in 2012. Hosts for all meetings in 2012 have been identified.

The meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.

Following the meeting and break John Wallis conducted the Annual Chinese Gift exchange. Ten of the 22 gifts in play were stolen at some time, and two gifts were stolen the maximum three times. The event was enjoyed by all.

As required by the North Carolina Non-Profit Corporation Act a meeting of the new Officers and Directors was held.
 

Highlights of the Club's December 2011 Meeting
Cary, December 7, 2011

Thirteen members and one guest attended the Club's December meeting hosted by Joel McCurry. Thanks Joel. Two of these members participated in the meeting via Skype.

President Derway called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for November was approved (Motion: Wallis/Second: Royse). The proposed budget for 2012 was approved, and the club decided to keep 2012 dues the same as 2011 (Motion: Wallis/Second: Thompson), John Wallis will follow up with the MER re payment for our layout participation at the MER Convention in October.

The minutes of the November meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved (Motion: Blaustein/Second: Ohegyi).

Several train shows were discussed:

• Neuse River Valley Train Show, November 5 – 6, 2011
  This was an excellent show enjoyed by all. The DCC duplex system operated flawlessly, so we were not able to learn anything new about duplex problems. There was discussion about operating trains on our show layouts at prototype speeds, and the need for a method of measuring speed; it was recommended that members read the Show operating procedures, available on our web site. The Club also conducted our first Junior Engineer Program; while successful we learned a lot about how to make this program better. Discussion will take place via the Email list.

• Train Collectors Association, December 3 – 4, 2011 and February 5, 2012
  Insufficient members expressed interest in participating in the December show so the Club declined the invitation. There is interest in participating in the February show; Don Cariss will pursue with the TCA..

• New Bern, March 3 – 4, 2012
  We have not yet received any commitments about available space for our layouts, however, it would appear there will not be room for a T-TRAK layout. The overall space for the show is less than last year.

• French Broad e'N'pire Show, Hendersonville, NC, October 2012
  Joel McCurry indicated that this show is in a larger space than in past years, and thus can accommodate more modules.

Standards Committee Chairman Wallis stated that Joe Austin has requested to purchase some 40' – 50' of 12ga zip wire and some Powerpole connectors. There is 42' left on the spool, which Joe will purchase. Members indicated no current need for additional 12ga zip wire or connectors, so any purchase is deferred.

Construction on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center will resume in January. There is a need to check off what we "have" vs. what we "need" in terms of buildings, etc. for the diorama. Joe Peacock constructed and showed examples of four finishes for the module base; the club selected a stained walnut finish. John Wallis agreed to Email the display case dimensions to the list so we can be sure the base will fit. Thanks to Joe for preparing the samples, and for agreeing to construct the finished base.

At NRV we discussed the club's preferred height for skyboards on T-TRAK module; 10" was selected. Discussion is currently underway about how to provide larger radius curves for the T-TRAK corner modules.

Completion of the purchase of Don Cariss' modules and trailer by the club continues — title transfer is complete. Paperwork is in process. David Derway will handle the replacement of the trailer tires, tail lamp, wiring and bearings.

Gerry Foster requested volunteers for programs in 2012, especially for February. Andy Zimmerman picked up the challenge and will present "Constructing a T-TRAK Module" via Skype in February. A future program will feature the junior Engineer Program. Several members volunteered to be meeting hosts in 2012.

David Derway distributed the club shirts ordered following our last meeting.

President Derway opened nominations for Officers and a Director for 2012. The positions open are:

* The Vice President becomes the President per Club Bylaws.

John Wallis volunteered to be Secretary, with Jim Reske as backup. Additional nominations can be made up to and including the Annual Meeting in January.

The January meeting will be the Annual Meeting and will be held at the Golden Corral restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. Following dinner and a short business meeting our annual Gift Exchange will occur.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.

Following the meeting and break John Wallis conducted the Annual Prototype Railroad Quiz. Joel McCurry was the winner.
 

Highlights of the Club's November 2011 Meeting
Raleigh, November 2, 2011

Twelve members attended the Club's November meeting hosted by Don Cariss. Thanks Don. Andy Zimmerman participated in the meeting via Skype; the addition of the Chat 50 system significantly improved the audio portion.

President Derway called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for October was approved (Motion: Thompson/Second: Royse).

The minutes of the October meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved, as corrected (Motion: Blaustein/Second: Cariss).

Several train shows were discussed:

• Piedmont Crossing, NMRA MER Convention, October 27 – 30, 2011
  There was excellent member participation at this show, and the layout generally operated well. Extensive testing of the Digitrax duplex system was carried out. Problems continue with further testing planned for the NRV show.
  
  There were several issues with insulated rail joiners and with joiner tracks. Current Atlas insulated joiners are too thick and raise the ends of the rail, plus some flanges hit the top of the joiner base. The Club will use Peco insulated joiners on a trial basis at NRV. There was also a shortage of regular rail joiners, as well as a shortage of some joiner track lengths. These will be made from Flextrack at NRV.

• Neuse River Valley Train Show, November 5 – 6, 2011
  Information about our layout has been sent via the Email list. We will continue duplex testing at this show; a separate Email has been sent to the list with details of what we will do. The Club will also conduct its first Junior Engineer's program using trains on the Programming Track layout, conducted by Gerry Foster; certificates are being printed to give to participants.

• Train Collectors Association, December 3 – 4, 2011
  We have been invited by the TCA to bring a T-TRAK layout to their show at the Scott Building, NC State Fairgrounds. Don Cariss will determine interest via the Email list.

• New Bern, March 3 – 4, 2012
  Next year's New Bern show will be held in the Sudan Temple in downtown New Bern rather than the New Bern High School gym. The Carolina Coastal Railroaders have asked us to provide our desired layout size to them soon so they can plan space; it was decided we would request the same size layout as last year (16' x 44'). We have also asked about bringing T-TRAK. Mark Blaustein is the Show Superintendent.

Standards Committee Chairman Wallis mentioned that some of the power routing switches on Raleigh Yard are worn out and need replacing. There was a discussion about whether to make the yard all DCC, which would eliminate the switches, or make the yard DCC with the blue tracks being switchable to DC, which would still require two toggle switches. The Club voted to make the yard all DCC and eliminate the switches entirely (Motion: Wallis/Second: Blaustein). Joel McCurry "volunteered" to do the work; after NRV our next use of the yard will be in June 2012. There is also a turnout that has a bad spring; this must be either replaced or a ground throw added — ground throw to be added at NRV.

Construction resumed on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center. Except for the custom-built curved crossing track work is complete. Next session to be scheduled.

There was a discussion about our preferred height for skyboards on T-TRAK modules. Don Cariss' skyboards are 6" while Dave Thompson's are 12". It was felt that 12" looked took high, and 10" was recommended. Discussion will continue at the T-TRAK layout at NRV this weekend.

Completion of the purchase of Don Cariss' modules and trailer by the club continues — title transfer is complete. Paperwork is in process. David Derway will handle the replacement of the trailer tires, tail lamp, wiring and bearings. John Wallis completed track repairs, the installation of additional feeders, and paint touch-up on Cariss Corner.

The Grand Strand Model Railroad Club in Myrtle Beach, SC has requested to join the Eastern N Lines Partnership. This request has been approved by all ENL clubs.

The Club has rented a larger storage shed at a price of $85 per month; everything has been moved from the old to the new. There was some question about the approval process involved with the decision to rent the larger space, so a motion was made (Motion: Thompson/Second: Royse) to approve this action.

Several members responded to David Derway's request for interest in acquiring club shirts. He has now requested a quote from the vendor.

President Derway opened nominations for Officers and a Director for 2012. The positions open are:

* The Vice President becomes the President per Club Bylaws.

Additional nominations can be made up to and including the Annual Meeting in January. The Annual Meeting will be held January 11, 2012 at the Golden Corral restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh.

A MRC Tech II 2400 DC Powerpack found in the storage shed and no longer needed was auctioned. Joel McCurry had the winning bid.

Disposition of the Mountain Straight Turnaround module was discussed. The club voted to trash the module, and it was turned over to Jim Reske for this purpose (Motion: Wallis/Second: Blaustein).

The December meeting will be hosted by Joel McCurry. Jim Kalenowski will present the 5-Minute Tip on "Soldering Track Feeders to Rails" and John Wallis will conduct the Annual Prototype Railroad Questionnaire.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.

Following the meeting and break Paul Ohegyi presented the Program on N.A.O.I.S — N-Scale All-In-One Inspection Station. Essentially this is a testing fixture that allows members to check their locomotives and rolling stock for conformance with the Club's Equipment Standards and Recommended Practices. Although not yet complete the test fixture has an ingenious method of raising one of the test tracks from level to 3% grade. Thanks Paul.
 

Highlights of the Club's October 2011 Meeting
Raleigh, October 5, 2011

Eleven members attended the Club's October meeting hosted by David McDowell. Thanks David. Andy Zimmerman, Frank Fezzie, Terry Baker and Joel McCurry participated in the meeting via Skype; there are still some technical issues to be resolved re better sound pickup and pictures of the meeting, but hopefully these will be resolved prior to the November meeting.

Vice-President Blaustein called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for September was approved (Motion: Wallis/Second: Dellafave). A motion was made and passed to reimburse Andy Zimmerman for the cost of the Skype multi-conference feature for the remainder of his subscription to the end of August 2012, with the club becoming the subscriber after that (Motion: Wallis/Second: Royse). Treasurer Cariss announced that the rent for our storage shed would increase from $62 to $68 per month effective November 1; this is the first increase since 1996.

The minutes of the September meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved (Motion: Foster/Second: Kalenowski).

Several train shows were discussed:

• Danville Old 97 Rail Days, September 24 – 25, 2011
  A good time was had by all in Danville. On the whole the layout ran very well, although some auto-reverser problems were encountered on two of the three balloon modules. Major DCC wireless testing was carried out; several reported problems were easily duplicated. Detailed problem descriptions and a copy of the LocoNet message logs were sent to Digitrax.

• Selma Railroad Day, October 1, 2011
  Due to miscommunication within the Town arrangements were not made for the school children to visit on Friday, so we simply ran trains. On Saturday after the parade we had our largest amount of visitors to the layout ever. A change we will make starting with the next layout in Selma will be to make the layout 4' narrower, as it was difficult with the crowd for people to move around the sides and back of the layout.

• Piedmont Crossing, NMRA MER Convention, October 27 – 30, 2011
  A layout plan for Piedmont Crossing is set; it is the same size as the Danville layout, but with a rectangle and one balloon Modules may be unloaded at the hotel after 6pm on Thursday with setup starting at 8am on Friday; trains must be running by 7pm on Friday. There will also be two tables of T-TRAK. Note that members wishing to attend Clinics or other functions at the convention must be NMRA members (a 6-month Rail Pass membership is available from http://nmra.org) and be registered for the convention (at http://www.mer2011.org/).
  
  We have invited Digitrax to come to our layout at Piedmont crossing to carry out any additional testing they may feel is necessary to help resolve outstanding problems with wireless throttles and/or verify any solutions. Awaiting response from Digitrax.

• Neuse River Valley Train Show, November 5 – 6, 2011
  NRV has confirmed our request for space and tables. The layout will be the same size as last year, but configured differently to provide room for expanded T-TRAK and the Junior Engineer program. Further discussion via the Email list.

• New Bern, March 3 – 4, 2012
  Next year's New Bern show will be held in the Sudan Temple in downtown New Bern rather than the New Bern High School gym. The Carolina Coastal Railroaders have asked us to provide our desired layout size to than soon so they can plan space; it was decided we would request the same size layout as last year (16' x 44"). We will also ask about bringing T-TRAK. Mark Blaustein offered to be the Show Superintendent.

Standards Committee Chairman Wallis mentioned that this area will have a new area code (984) overlapping the 919 area code starting March 31, 2012. This means we will have to dial 10 digits for a local call. We need to re-program our cell phones and speed dialers to add 919 to our local numbers before March 31.

Module Certification of Jim Reske's Hamlet, Mountain Left and Mountain Right modules were carried out during the September meeting; the modules were not certified. Results were provided in writing to Jim. He has indicated he is correcting the deficiencies.

Construction will resume on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center with track laying on October 15, with a subsequent session on October 22.

From the Education Committee, Paul Ohegyi volunteered to do his N.A.O.I.S program at the November meeting.

For the Junior Engineer program at NRV, John Wallis indicated he would add a turnout and siding to the inner oval of the programming test layout. Adding a turnout to the outer oval will require radius change to the track and will not be complete for the NRV show. In addition to the test layout, the T-TRAK and NTRAK layouts can be used depending on the maturity level of the young engineer..

Completion of the purchase of Don Cariss' modules and trailer by the club continues. Paperwork is in process. David Derway will handle the replacement of the trailer tires. John Wallis will carry out track repairs, the installation of additional feeders, and paint touch-up on Cariss Corner prior to the MER show.

Jim Kalenowski has replaced a damaged track on Anderson Corner, plus other refurbishment of the module. The club voted $20 to cover costs associated with the job (Motion: Wallis/Second: Royse). A crack behind the green track needs to be fixed. The module will also need a new skyboard; measurements will be taken at the MER show.

John Wallis and David McDowell had phone conversations with Alex Granados, a freelance columnist for the North Raleigh News (Sunday supplement to N&O) about the club and model railroading for an article he writing for the paper. He was sent a couple of pictures from the Danville show.

The Grand Strand Model Railroad Club in Myrtle Beach, SC has requested to join the Eastern N Lines Partnership. This request was forwarded to the other ENL clubs. All responses so far have been positive.

With the change in rent for the storage shed the question was raised whether the current shed is large enough. Treasurer Cariss will investigate the cost of the next larger size and report back to the membership.

The November meeting will be hosted by Don Cariss. Paul Ohegyi will present the 5-Minute Tip and Program "N.A.O.I.S.".

The meeting adjourned at 8:05pm.

Following the meeting and break Bill Royse presented the 5-Minute Modeling Tip on Passenger Car Rear-End Lighting. He used the Rapido Easy-Peasy light kit to illuminate the interior of the car, and then used fiber optics to illuminate the tail light. He also showed a battery tester for throttles that would show battery voltage both under no load and load conditions, and a voltmeter to measure the voltage of the LocoNet data wires. Thank you Bill.

John Wallis presented a dry run of the clinic on DCC Troubleshooting that he will present at the MER Piedmont Crossing Convention later this month. Thanks John.
 

Highlights of the Club's September 2011 Meeting
Fuquay-Varina, September 7, 2011

Seventeen members and one guest attended the Club's September meeting hosted by Jim Reske. Thanks Jim. Andy Zimmerman, Frank Fezzie, Brad Oaks and Brian Sadler participated in the meeting via Skype; some technical issues were encountered with our first use of multiple connections, but hopefully these will be resolved prior to the October meeting. Former member Joe Austin attended the meeting. Welcome back Joe.

The evening began with a hamburger cookout provided by Jim & Peggy Reske. Twelve members participated in the cookout. Thanks to Jim and Peggy.

President Derway called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for August was approved. Motions were passed to update the Bylaws (Motion by Bill Royse, Second by Mark Blaustein) to provide authorization for an Assistant Treasurer (see text of Bylaw below; and to authorize the Assistant Treasurer to be added to the bank signatory card so he/she can sign checks (Motion: John Wallis, Second Don Cariss). The Board of Directors then passed a motion to appoint non-Officer Director David Thompson to be the Assistant Treasurer (Motion David McDowell, Second Mark Blaustein). The motions were all passed unanimously.

Text of the Added Bylaw, 4.6.1:
The Board of Directors will appoint an Assistant Treasurer from among the non-Officer Directors to assume the role of the Treasurer on a temporary basis should the Treasurer be absent, incapacitated or otherwise not be available to conduct the functions of the office of Treasurer.

The minutes of the August meeting as posted on the Club's web site were approved.

Several train shows were discussed:

• Lynchburg Rail Day, August 13, 2011
  David Thomson, Joel McCurry and Jim Kalenowski attended this show. The layout was loop-to-loop with Lollipop Farm at one end and the Lynchburg balloon at the other. There was also a T-TRAK layout. All three members enjoyed this small show and the social interaction with the Lynchburg Club members.

• Danville Old 97 Rail Days, September 24 – 25, 2011
  Mickey Lugar of Lynchburg is the Layout Coordinator. Due to the fire that destroyed RANTRAK's large trailer for hauling their modules, the proposed layout for Danville includes no RANTRAK modules. A second version of the layout plan was released just after the club's meeting tonight, and was forwarded to the Email list. Setup will be Friday September 23 starting around 10:30am.
  
  Digitrax has released a software upgrade for the DT402D throttles. Frank Fezzie and John Wallis will be conducting a number of tests at Danville to verify resolution of items with this upgrade, as well as to determine if UT4D throttles have outstanding problems.

• Selma Railroad Day, October 1, 2011
  Don Cariss is Show Superintendent. As usual we will be operating the layout for Selma school children on Friday (September 30). Setup will be Wednesday, September 28. More information via the Email list.

• Piedmont Crossing, NMRA MER Convention, October 27 – 30, 2011
  Further layout discussion will take place during the Danville weekend. Note that members wishing to attend Clinics or other functions at the convention must be NMRA members (a 6-month Rail Pass membership is available from http://nmra.org) and be registered for the convention (at http://www.mer2011.org/).

• Neuse River Valley Train Show, November 5 – 6, 2011
  NRV has confirmed our request for space and tables. Discussion via the Email list following Danville.

Standards Committee Chairman Wallis indicated that Module Certification of Jim Reske's Hamlet, Mountain Left and Mountain Right modules were being carried out during the meeting. Results will be provided to Jim when the paperwork is complete in the next couple of days.

David McDowell will host a meeting this Saturday September 10 to discuss DCC Speed Matching of locomotives. The basis of the discussion is a paper published by David Eaton.

Hard and soft copies of the Club's Meeting Notes Archives from 2007 through 2010 were provided to the Secretary for permanent archiving.

Construction will resume on our Apex diorama for the Raleigh Convention Center later in September. Track laying is the next phase.

From the Education Committee a volunteer for a 5-Minute Tip is required for the November meeting. Please let Gerry Foster know at gfoster722@msn.com.

The NRV show is the first opportunity for the Club to include activities to encourage the interest of children in model railroading, through participation with our show layouts. Gerry Foster made an excellent proposal with alternatives for doing this. Discussion will take place via the Email list.

Completion of the purchase of Don Cariss' modules and trailer by the club is underway. David Derway will handle the replacement of the trailer tires. John Wallis will carry out the installation of additional feeders on Cariss Corner in the time between the Selma and NRV shows.

Any one wishing to purchase a club shirt should let David Derway know of your intention. Include size, quantity and whether you want a denim shirt (either long or short sleeves) or golf shirt (short sleeve only). David will then obtain quotes for the shirts.

The October meeting will be hosted by David McDowell. Bill Royse will present the 5-Minute Tip on Passenger Car Rear-End Lights. The Program will be the dry run of John Wallis' clinic for the MR Convention titled "Troubleshooting DCC Layouts".

The meeting adjourned at 8:17pm.

Following the meeting and break David Derway presented the 5-Minute Modeling Tip, the use of wooden clothes pins as a clamp for model railroad projects. He suggested reversing the pin so that the flat side would be the clamp side. He also warned about careful handing of projects that us glue since the clothes pins are wood, and would also be glued to the project. Thank you David.

Rick Dellafave presented the program on Switching a Branch Line. The program featured a demonstration of switching techniques using Rick's excellent 1' x 8' bookshelf module. He defined the terms used for switching and then demonstrated how it is done. The program notes will be posted on the Yahoogroups list in the Files/Meeting Program Notes folder. Thanks David and Rick.
 

Older Meeting Notes

To access Monthly Meeting Notes older than 6 months Click Here to access the Meeting Notes Archives page for 2011. For meeting notes in PDF form from 2007 — 2010 click on the desired date below:

The following are future Train Shows in which the NRMRC is planning to participate:

David Derway is taking orders for Club shirts. Estimated price is $20 + shipping for shirts without an embroidered name and $25 + shipping for shirts with name embroidered. Different shirts available are:

• Blue denim shirt with long sleeves and pocket including NRMRC Logo, with/without embroidered name.

• Blue denim shirt with short sleeves and pocket, including NRMRC Logo, with/without embroidered name.

• Light gray Polo shirt with short sleeves, no pocket, including NRMRC Logo, with/without embroidered name.

The Standards Committee has a number of projects underway, as follows:

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 7:30pm

Host: Mark Blaustein

If you are visiting this area or you are a non-Member and would like an invitation and directions to this meeting, send us an E-mail.

NRMRC monthly meetings are normally held the first Wednesday of each month in various Members' homes, starting at 7:30pm. The Annual Meeting each January is normally a dinner meeting held at a local restaurant held the second Wednesday, and the July meeting is normally the second Wednesday to avoid the July 4th holiday. Meetings generally include a business meeting, a program topic (see below) and socializing.
 

Sunday, February 5, 2011

The Train Collectors Association
Southeastern Division
Toy Train Sale

Sale & Display Items: Lionel, MTH, K-Line, Weaver, Atlas, Williams, American Flyer, Marklin, Ives, Marx, LGB, Aristocraft, Bachmann, Varney — Track, Switches, Accessories, Replacement Parts & other toy train related items.

Features over 100 tables of toy trains & related Items, plus door prizes and operating layouts. Raffle prize drawing of Lionel Dale Earnhardt Train Set at 3:00pm.

Kids Train Races — bring your favorite racing engine.

Scenery Workshop with Tom Staley of Tom's Train Station.
 

Kerr Scott Building
NC State Fairgrounds
Raleigh, North Carolina

Hours: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Admission: 13 years and up: $6.00 ($5.00 with flyer or newspaper ad)
Under 13 with adult — Free

 
For more information visit the Southeastern Division web-site at http://www.se-tca.org.

The North Raleigh Model Railroad Club will have a T-TRAK layout at this show.

To read articles from TRAKing Ahead, the former Newsletter of the North Raleigh Model Railroad Club, click in the appropriate box below for prototype or model railroad oriented articles, or for stories of actual train trips taken by our Members.
 

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The NRMRC is a Not-For-Profit Corporation incorporated in North Carolina.
The various logos and heralds shown here are the property of their respective organizations.

Last updated: thursday, February 2, 2012

North Raleigh Model Railroad Club
Webmaster: John M Wallis (Email)