North Raleigh Model Railroad Club

News & Information

Highlights of the Club's November 2009 Meeting
Raleigh, November 4, 2009

Eleven members and two guests attended the Club's November meeting hosted by Don Cariss. Thanks Don.

President Royse called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for October was approved. The minutes of the October meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved, with minor corrections.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The Neuse River Valley Train Show will be November 7–8, 2009 at the Exposition Center at the NC State Fairgrounds, with setup on Friday, November 6. A detailed timetable for the show and final layout plan has been sent to members via the email list. Members operating on the red track were advised to make use of the entire Red Line Route, and not just the red track around the rectangular pit; the red track turn in Red Rock Junction will be embargoed as necessary to ensure this happens.
  
  Members were also requested to maintain the open Club Work Area as clean and orderly as possible. Boxes for trains operating on the layout can be stored under Raleigh Yard.

• Danville 2010, September 24–26. Application has been made to take the layout to the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour Show in Chantilly, VA the weekend of January 23-24, 2010; no response yet. There will be a Boy Scout Railroad Merit Badge program as part of Danville 2010. Information has been provided to the Danville Science Center member who makes the arrangements with Norfolk Southern for the exhibit car, band and, hopefully, the executive F's.
  
  There was discussion about who would be doing the behind the scenes work at Danville 2010. The answer is members of the Eastern N Lines Partnership clubs, i.e. us. Doing the work will take priority over running trains.

• David Derway and Bill Royse agreed to be co-Show Superintendents for the New Bern train show in March, 2010

• Linwood Wells agreed to be Show Superintendent for the Spencer Rail Days show in 2010.

Members were reminded that Elections for Club Officers and one Director will be held at the Annual Meeting in January. Nominations were requested and will be requested at each meeting including the Annual Meeting prior to the vote. Nominated so far are:

If David Derway becomes Vice-President then the remainder (2 years) of his term as Director will become open. Bill Royse volunteered to fill that term. The Club also needs a volunteer to replace Pete Slugg as Chairman of the Education Committee.

Gene Sing and Dick Buchan updated members on the status of the Piedmont Railroad Museum & Library. Gene has a 4-year plan to acquire the necessary land, collect the needed funds and build the first stage of the building. Plans and a model of the proposed building will be available for view at the NRV show this weekend. Gene asked if anyone in the Club had connections to CEOs of local firms that could be solicited for financial donations.

The new sign mirror glass, ordered in July, finally arrived. New vinyl signs have been procured. The buildings for Traxtown Ridge are still missing.

The business meeting ended at 8:05pm.

Following refreshments David Condon conducted a 5-Minute Modeling Tip on "Getting the New Kato SD70 to Work." This locomotive has a new frame design, compared to previous locomotives, and no detailed assembly diagram that makes doing things more difficult. One problem is the lack of good contact between the light board and decoders, and the frame resulting in sporadic or no running. David showed how to disassemble the frame and insert a brace to force better contact of the light board/decoder. An alternate solution for the light board/decoder is to build a small solder bump on the board/decoder contacts. Thanks Dave.

Bill Royse then demonstrated the use of 3rd PlanIt software for track planning and layout design. This is a top of the line software program that assists with every aspect of planning and designing a layout. It includes a detailed tutorial on how to use it. Produced by El Dorado software it can be downloaded or obtained on a CD. Thanks Bill.

The December meeting will be hosted by Joel McCurry.
 

Highlights of the Club's October 2009 Meeting
Raleigh, October 7, 2009

Eleven members attended the Club's October meeting hosted by David McDowell. Thanks David.

President Royse called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for September was approved. The minutes of the September meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved, with minor corrections.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The Great Train Expo Show was held September 12 and 13 in the Exposition Building at the NC State Fairgrounds. Once some DCC problems, traced to intermittent LocoNet cables, were found and corrected the layout operated well. Missing, however, following the show are the buildings for the Traxtown Ridge module and the vinyl Club signs.

• Danville 2009, September 26–27, was a great weekend. Again DCC problems were encountered and fixed, then the layout operated very well. A lot of items relating to the 2010 NTRAK Show were discussed, agreed and resolved; these are documented elsewhere. The group decided to take the layout to the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour Show in Chantilly, VA the weekend of January 23-24, 2010; the application has been sent. The Holiday Inn Express has been selected as the official hotel for the 2010 NTRAK Show.

• Selma Rail Days was held Saturday, October 3. As usual our 16' x 20' layout was setup in the Visitor's Center, and was also open on Friday, October 2 for visits by Selma schoolchildren. Club attendance on Saturday was very disappointing with three people present all day and a fourth in the afternoon. We requested additional help to transport modules from Selma back to the storage shed, and Dave Condon responded (as he did on Wednesday transporting items to Selma), even though he did not run a single train.
  
  The Visitor's Center has been refurbished in the past year with movable chairs and barriers, plus a new carpet. Thus our layout can be larger in the future, assuming we can get Member support for this show.
  
  It has been suggested that we develop a questionnaire for the school children to use in finding various attractions on our modules such as cows, a campsite, the M&M Factory, etc. Also, many visitors asked about the next train show in the area; we will prepare a sign that tells folks that show is the NRV Show.

• The Neuse River Valley Train Show will be November 7–8, 2009 at the Exposition Center at the NC State Fairgrounds, with setup on Friday, November 6. A new layout concept has been proposed for this show. A detailed timetable for the show and module sign up has been sent to members via the email list.

Members were reminded that Elections for Club Officers and one Director will be held at the Annual Meeting in January. Nominations were requested and will be requested at each meeting including the Annual Meeting prior to the vote. Nominated so far are:

John Wallis indicated that as both President of NRMRC in 2010 and Chairman of Danville 2010 he will not have time to be Show Superintendent for any shows prior to Danville. Thus the Club is looking for volunteers to be Show Superintendent for shows such as New Bern, Spencer, South Hills, Great Train Expo, etc.

The business meeting ended at 8:11pm.

Following refreshments David McDowell showed some videos of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad from his recent visit to Colorado. One video presented the history and current operations of the railroad, narrated by Dennis Weaver, while the other showed the rebuilding of a 2-8-2 steam engine after 33 years of being stored. Thanks David.

The November meeting will be hosted by Don Cariss.
 

Highlights of the Club's September 2009 Meeting
Raleigh, September 2, 2009

Fifteen members and three guests attended the Club's September meeting hosted by David McDowell. Thanks David. Tim Brown joined the club; welcome Tim.

President Royse called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for August was approved. The minutes of the August meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved.

The passing of Matt Schaefer of Northern Virginia NTRAK was noted. Matt was a true pioneer in NTRAK including junction modules, Aristo throttles for NTRAK, and non-standard modules (such as Hawk's Nest) to his credit. He designed the layouts for several of the large NTRAK Conventions including Alexandria, Richmond and Capitol Limited. He will be missed. Our condolences go to his wife Georgia and to their three daughters.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The Great Train Expo Show is scheduled for September 12 and 13 in the Exposition Building at the NC State Fairgrounds. Our application for a layout at this show has been approved by GTE. The layout will be 16' x 60'. Details of the show times were discussed during the meeting, as well as module commitments. More detailed information along with the proposed layout diagram will be provided via the Club's email list in the next couple of days.

• The layout design for Danville 2009, September 26–27, is nearly complete. Two 4' corner modules are still needed for the layout. Several NRMRC modules are in the layout as well as modules from the other Eastern N Lines clubs. More information and the layout diagram will be sent via the email list in the next couple of days.
  
  A second article announcing the 2010 National NTRAK Show in Danville will be in the next issue of the NTRAK Newsletter, which we should receive about mid-September. This article will provide a link to the Show's web site, which is now operational, although much information is still preliminary.

• Selma Rail Days will be Saturday, October 3. As usual our 16' x 20' layout will be setup in the Visitor's Center, and will also be open on Friday, October 2 for visits by Selma schoolchildren. Setup will be Wednesday, September 30, beginning with meeting at the storage shed at 10:00am to load. This module contains three 4' club modules which can be replaced by a member-owned 4' modules. Let Don know. Don Cariss is Superintendent. More information via the email list.

The proposed Piedmont Railroad Museum & Library was discussed, and preliminary views of the proposed building were shown. The Museum is now incorporated and in the process of filing the necessary forms with the IRS for recognition as a tax-exempt organization. The building floor plans were discussed with a view to an HO and an N scale layout.

A motion was presented and passed to provide for a $50.00 incentive to the first member who brings a newly constructed module to one of our shows. The module must be operational (main tracks fully operational, wiring complete) although scenery and secondary tracks need not be complete. The $50.00 is divided if more than one members brings a new module to the same show. Note: a module made up of more than one section counts as a single module.

The business meeting ended at 8:10pm.

Following our refreshment and socializing break Rob Rousseau and John Wallis presented a program on ATCS Monitor. ATCS = Automatic Train Control System. ACTS Mon is a software program that allows anyone to view the dispatcher's panel for a given subdivision of a prototype railroad. Examples shown were Metrolink in Orange County, CA; UP Geneva Sub west of Chicago; and CSX Florence Division from Rocky Mount to Dillon, SC. To obtain the ACTS software and download the dispatcher files you must join the ATCS_Mon list on Yahoogroups. More information is available from the ATCS Wiki at http://wiki.atcsmon.com. Thanks, Rob and John.

David Derway then presented a program on the use of the Fast-Tracks templates and fixtures, showing a number of examples of Code 55 hand laid turnouts he had completed as he was learning. The templates and fixtures are fairly expensive, but the investment should be paid back within about 10 hand laid turnouts or so, compared to Peco prices. The turnouts and ties really looked good, and a re easily made DCC friendly. Thanks David.

The October meeting will be hosted by Pete Slugg.
 

Highlights of the Club's August 2009 Meeting
Cary, August 5, 2009

Thirteen members and one guest attended the Club's August meeting hosted by Brian Sadler. Thanks Brian.

President Royse called the meeting together at 7:32pm. The Treasurer's report for July was approved. The minutes of the July meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved with one minor correction — Powerpole should have been Powerpoint.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The show in South Hills Mall was held the weekend of July 18 and 19. Several favorable comments were received about the layout configuration. This also may have been the first Club layout with every module equipped with Powerpole connectors, 12ga bus wires and the LocoNet Bus.

• There will be a Great Train Expo Show on September 12 and 13 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Our application for a layout at this show has been approved by GTE. The layout will be 16' x 60'. Further information will be provided via the Club's email list.

• The planned 2010 N Scale Convention will be held September 24–26, 2010 in Danville as part of Danville Rail Days. Organization discussions and planning continue. A meeting on layout operations was held at RANTRAK's clubhouse in Ashland, VA on July 11; The planned method of operations was demonstrated, and new modules displayed. This show is sponsored by the Eastern N Lines partnership.
  
  The first announcement of the 2010 show appeared in the current NTRAK Newsletter, and a second article has been prepared; both will be sent to members via the email list.
  
  Layout design for the 2009 Danville Rail Days is underway; Dave Beazley and Tom Kaeser of RANTRAK are the Superintendents. Hotel information will be available shortly.

• Selma Rail Days will be Saturday, October 3. As usual our 16' x 20' layout will be setup in the Welcome Center, and will also be open on Friday, October 2 for visits by Selma schoolchildren. Setup will be Wednesday, September 30. Don Cariss is Superintendent.

Several members constructed the bases for 5 new modules per the Dave Thompson methods at a work session on Saturday, August 1; Powerpole connectors and 12 gauge zip wire were provided to the owners at the meeting.

The CPD13 display for Seniors at the Cary Senior Center on November 17 was discussed; it was agreed NRMRC would participate, although our display has yet to be determined.

Several topics were discussed under "New Business:"

• Jim Kalenowski and Kim Parker discussed issues with a newly purchased Digitrax PR3 Programmer that did not work as it should. After checking out several potential issues it was found that the USB cable supplied with the PR3 was defective; replacing the cable cured the problems.

• In order to encourage those members who have constructed the bases for new modules to continue and finish the modules it was suggested that a prize be awarded to the member(s) who first bring a working new module for inclusion in a train show. There was general agreement that we should implement this incentive, but further discussion of the monetary amount and how multiple winners would be handled is required.

The business meeting ended at 8:10pm.

Following our refreshment and socializing break Paul Ohegyi presented a 5-Minute Modeling Tip on How to Build Your Own Electric Static Grass Applicator, using the instructions at http://www.ztrains.com/pages/tech/grassinator/grassinator.html. He then demonstrated its use by making a small patch of grass. Thanks, Paul.

David Thompson, David Derway and John Wallis then presented the program on the correct methods of setting up, installing connector tracks, connecting the electrical cables and tearing down modules at train shows. Thanks, David, David and John. These procedures are available on the Club's web site as part of the Show Operating Procedures.

The September meeting will be hosted by David McDowell.
 

Highlights of the Club's July 2009 Meeting
Raleigh, July 1, 2009

Sixteen members attended the Club's July meeting hosted by David McDowell. Thanks David.

President Royse called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for June was approved. The minutes of the June meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The Spencer Rail Days show on June 13 & 14. was reviewed. A good time was had by all.

• The show in South Hills Mall the weekend of July 18 and 19 was discussed. Planning and updates via the email list.

• There will be a Great Train Expo Show on September 12 and 13 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Our application for a layout at this show has been sent to GTE.

• The planned 2010 N Scale Convention will be held September 24–26, 2010 in Danville as part of Danville Rail Days. Organization discussions and planning are underway. A meeting was held in Danville on June 25 with staff from the Danville Science Center and City of Danville re space for the show. A meeting on layout operations is planned for RANTRAK's clubhouse in Ashland, VA on July 11. This show is sponsored by the Eastern N Lines partnership.
  
  Dave Beazley of RANTRAK will be Layout Superintendent for 2009 and Bill Royse, assisted by Joel McCurry will be the Digital Layout Superintendent for 2010.

A little more tweaking of Raleigh Yard is required following the extensive testing it received in the New Bern layout; this will occur at South Hills Mall. Although the scenery is not complete the Mountain Turnaround Corner module is operational and may be used in the South Hills Mall show..

Members are committed to building another 7 modules per the Dave Thompson methods; the construction schedule is Saturday, August 1 at 1:00pm. Powerpole connectors and 12 gauge zip wire have been ordered.

Several topics were discussed under "New Business:"

• A group of people is working on the establishment of the Piedmont Railroad Museum and Library. Currently incorporation and tax-free status are being pursued. The intent is to build a building that would house a layout, have meeting space, a library for research, plus an area for the display of prototype equipment. The group will have a table at the NRV Show in November and are considering holding a train show in February 2010.

• A total of four 36" x 48" lightweight modules are available for the asking; these are formerly KMA HO modules. Contact John Wallis if you are interested.

• CPD13 has an obligation for a train-related event at the Cary Senior Center in November. They are interested in having NRMRC supply a display.

The business meeting ended at 8:10pm.

Following our refreshment and socializing break Jim Kalenowski presented a 5-Minute Modeling Tip on Modifying Peco Turnouts for DCC. He used a simple cut in the rails to the frog spaced so that the back of wheels could not short against the rails, while providing positive power pickup to those rails and the frog. Thanks, Jim

David Thompson then used a Powerpoint presentation to discuss how to operate Raleigh Yard. Thanks, David. These procedures are available on the Club's web site as part of the Show Operating Procedures.

The August meeting will be hosted by Brian Sadler.
 

Highlights of the Club's June 2009 Meeting
Cary, June 4, 2009

Sixteen members and two guests attended the Club's June meeting Hosted by Joel McCurry. Thanks Joel.

Vice President Wallis called the meeting together at 7:30pm. The Treasurer's report for May was approved. The minutes of the May meeting, as posted on the Club's web site were approved.

A number of train shows were discussed.

• The Spencer Rail Days show will be June 13 & 14. A final layout diagram is available and will be sent to members via the club's email list along with other needed information about the show.

• Club members discussed a potential show located in South Hills Mall in July. Members agreed on the weekend of July 18–19. These dates will be provided to the Mall Management. Updates via the email list.

• There will be a Great Train Expo Show on September 12 and 13 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Our application for a layout at this show has been sent to GTE.

• The planned 2010 N Scale Convention will be held September 24–26, 2010 in Danville as part of Danville Rail Days. Organization discussions and planning will be initiated very soon. This convention is sponsored by the Eastern N Lines partnership.

A little more tweaking of Raleigh Yard is required following the extensive testing it received in the New Bern layout. The first opportunity may be the show at South Hills Mall. The refurbishment of Anderson Crossovers is now complete with the module planned for inclusion in the Spencer layout. Thanks jim.

The Neuse River Valley club is deferring further action on searching for a new clubhouse until further notice.

Education Committee Chair Pete Slugg reviewed the planned programs for the next several meetings, as shown in the Programs section below. He is still looking for a program for the September meeting.

The Show Operating Procedures have been updated to include the Raleigh Yard and Geezer Gate Operating Instructions and posted to the web site; they can be accessed from the Publications page.

Members are committed to building another 7 modules per the Dave Thompson methods. There are sufficient Powerpole connectors and 12ga zip cord for 5 of the 7 modules. Additional Powerpole connectors and 12ga zip wire will be ordered. Construction schedule to be worked out.

At the may meeting it was asked if there is any interest in a family picnic meeting. The consensus at this meeting was not to pursue this at this time.

The business meeting ended at 8:10pm.

Following our refreshment and socializing break John Wallis presented a 5-Minute Modeling Tip on modifying a Loy's Toys (now Ulrich Models) decoder test to add a motor for improved ACK response and a speaker for testing sound decoders. The programming station used at train shows has had a SoundTraxx Program Track Booster added to provide the extra current required for successfully programming sound decoders.

Dan Fisher then presented the program on Modeling Steel-Framed Structures. Dan described terminology , types of structures, shapes and connections in terms of usage by time period. He then provided hints for modeling steel-framed structures in terms of materials and techniques. Thanks, Dan.

The July meeting will be hosted by David McDowell.
 

Older Meeting Notes

To access Monthly Meeting Notes older than 6 months Click Here to access the Meeting Notes Archives page.
 

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, December 2, 2008 at 7:30pm

Host: Joel McCurry

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, November 28, 2009

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 – 3:30pm
Admission: 13 years and up: $5.00 ($4.00 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.

This is a listing of prototype excursions scheduled in the near future and departing from locations within a few hours drive of the Research Triangle Park area.

There are no excursions currently scheduled for this area
Please check back from time to time.
 

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.
 

Copyright © 1997–2009 North Raleigh Model Railroad Club. All rights reserved.
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: Monday November 9, 2009

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