*************************************** * ********** April 9, 2011 SPRING MODEL RAILROAD MEET SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION

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Spring Meet Issue Official Publication of the Northeastern Region SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION National Model Railroad Association VOLUME 41 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2011 Welcome to this years first Cannonball Issue!

1 Spring Meet Issue Official Publication of the Northeastern Region SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION National Model Railroad Association VOLUME 41 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2011 Welcome to this years first Cannonball Issue! As always this Cannonball is chock-full of your local NMRA information. On the Front Cover just below is the Location and Date for the Sunrise Trail Division s Spring Meet. Inside you ll find the Contest Results for the 2010 Fall Convention, some preliminary information for this years Northeastern Regional Convention, and the link to more information for this years National Convention in Sacramento California. From Walter there is an outstanding book review and on a sad note a farewell article on Westerfield s Golden Age Line of Resin Models. To help you make plans for the future inside are some events for you to consider. In addition to the Spring Meet the Sunrise Trail Division will be hosting a Participation Clinic in May. Participants will be constructing a beautiful Bar Mills Models Industrial Water Tower. If you would like to be a part of this Clinic be sure to fill out and send your Registration Form in ASAP. Come on in and Enjoy! *********************************************** SPRING MODEL RAILROAD MEET **************** April 9, 2011 Sponsored by *************** SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION Northeastern Region, NMRA St. David's Lutheran Church 20 Clark Boulevard Massapequa Park 10 AM to 4 PM Installation of Officers for 2011 Live Clinics Model Contest (NMRA Merit Award Judging) Photo Contest White Elephant Table Modular Layouts On Display REFRESHMENTS (For Sale) ADMISSION: $3.00 non-members $2.00 NMRA members SPRING

2 EDITOR & PUBLISHER George J. Loy Jr th Street West Babylon NY (631) CIRCULATION MANAGER Walter G. Wohleking 5 Howard Drive Huntington NY (631) wgw5hd@gmail.com is published quarterly by the Sunrise Trail Division of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. for the benefit of the model railroading community. SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S. and possessions: $7.00 per year. Please make check or money order payable to Sunrise Trail Division. Send requests for new subscriptions, renewals or address changes to the Subscription & Circulation Manager at the above address. CONTRIBUTIONS Articles, photographs and artwork are welcome in either hardcopy or as computer files. Copy is due by the 1st of February, May, August, and November and should be sent to the Editor at the above address. Submitted material will be returned upon request. Fernand Washington, President buzzyfernand@aol.com Edmund Neale, Vice President escape@optonline.net Howard Dwyer, Secretary dhdwyer@optonline.net Steven Perry, Treasurer seperry@optonline.net DIRECTORS John Jaklitsch (2011) johnjay1@optonline.net Kevin Katta (NER) boxcarny@yahoo.com George Loy (2012) georgejloy@gmail.com John MacGown ( 2012) burlyjohn@verizon.net Michael Martin (2012) mikeymart1@gmail.com Michael Siegel (2011) viamdlr@hotmail.com ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM Michael Siegel CONTESTS Howard Dwyer PUBLICITY John MacGown Steven Perry MEMBERSHIP Walter Wohleking WEBSITE John Jaklitsch, Webmaster commentary / WALTER WOHLEKING The Golden Age Line Hail and Farewell By this time the Westerfield Golden Age Line, the greatest collection of craftsman freight car kits ever offered, will likely be no more. After twenty-eight years, Al Westerfield will close the door on his involvement in one part of the hobby to open it on another a new layout based on the IRT Pelham Bay elevated in The Golden Age Line had its first stirrings in the fall of 1981, after Westerfield had built patterns for a battleship gondola and cast enough parts for an eight-car train. He super detailed one of the cars and entered it in a Midwest Region Convention contest, where it won best-in-show. It was then that he had the germ of an idea that would impact a hobby moving inexorably away from freelancing and toward modeling prototypical railroads more accurately. Westerfield knew the rudiments of casting multiple models, and he had the skills to produce prize winning models. Why not, he thought, make my hobby my business? He selected plans from Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman and Train Shed Cyclopedias and made assessments as to the difficulty of scratch building the patterns as the basis for kits. Intending from the outset to make the endeavor a full time business with product on the market within six months, Westerfield set about determining if modelers would accept specific prototypes at prices well above the then current standards. Toward the end of March, 1982, he quit his job and with his wife, Patricia, put together a decision tree of what had to go right if any step didn t work he d find a new job. He spent an evening with the marketing director of JMC learning the business end of the hobby; he spent a day at Castolite learning casting; he borrowed a vacuum pump and purchased a small vacuum chamber to learn the process. And all the while, he continued building the patterns for four freight cars of various designs. In July the Westerfields took a booth at the NMRA Convention train show, where the finished models were put on display. They passed out a marketing research form to many of the attendees to assess their willingness to pay the price that had to be charged for the kits. Westerfield knew they d have to get about $15 when, at the time, the average kit sold in the neighborhood of $5. Nonetheless, the results of the survey were encouraging. Following the show they mounted a set of castings on a display board and took them and the models to several distributors for consideration. All agreed to carry the new company s products. Only then did they purchase or build the necessary equipment to make the kits one member of Westerfield s operating group got them a discount on a lab quality vacuum pump; another built a vacuum trap; a third designed the curing oven. Westerfield placed an advertisement in Railroad Model Craftsman announcing the new company s arrival, and in October of 1982, six months after committing to the new endeavor, they made their first sale. Late last year the Westerfields went on record about closing the business. (It continues to be available for sale.) This past January they stopped taking orders for decals and detail parts and established March 31, 2011, as the last day orders would be accepted for kits. This spurred such an ordering frenzy that they had to go back to full time production with some additional weekend work to keep up with the glut of new requests. Since January 1 st, every day, seven days a week, the Westerfields have received, on average, orders for more than twice their daily output capability. At last estimate, orders received in March will take four to five months to complete. Superlatives are used loosely and too often these days, so what justifies my opinion of Westerfield s Golden Age Line as the best ever? As a minimum, three things that to my knowledge have never coexisted in any other kit line: impeccable reproductions of the prototypes; no limited production runs in what ended up being a 100 kit line; and build and configuration histories so detailed and complete they were often considered worth the price of the kits alone. I ve accumulated many Westerfield kits since 1985 when I bought my first, a coffin pickle car, from Henry Maywald, who ran Hobby Images in Hicksville at the time. The Westerfields produced that kit in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, where it all began. Recently, I ordered my last Westerfield kit, another coffin pickle car, for old time s sake and to bring things full circle, at least for me. When it arrives, it will have come from Crossville, Tennessee, where a marvelous journey has reached a most successful end. See you next on the Pelham Bay el. 2

3 STDiv CONTEST COLUMN HOWARD DWYER STD Model Contest Chairman CONTEST RESULTS OF THE STD 2010 FALL CONVENTION The STD fall Convention of 2010 had five entries to be judged in the model contest category and seventeen Prototype and model photo s to be judged. For his model of a NKPA Aluminum Head End Box Car Steve Perry won Best in Show and First Place with 95 points. Ward Ruland placed Second and Third with models of his Long Island Passenger Cars no s 2823 [77.5pts] and 2889 [72 pts]. Matt Rorke won First Place in the structure category with his model of a Single Stall Engine House [91.5pts]. Frank Saladino came in Second with his model Frankies Bait & Tackle [89 pts]. In the color photo model category Ed Neale won First Place with his photo of Rutland RS1 #406 [45pts]. Second Place was won by George Loy Jr. for his Classic City Diner photo [41pts]. Philip C. Martin won Third place for his Photo Martin & Apple # pts]. In the Prototype photo category John Jaklitsch won First Place for his photo Taking on Water [82pts]. John Jaklitsch also won Second Place for his photo Hostler at Strasburg RR [80 pts]. Elliot Courtney won Third Place for his photo Higbee Lane Crossing [73.5pts]. The next opportunity to show off our models and photo s will be at the STD Spring Meet to be held on April 9, 2011 at St David s Lutheran Church Massapequa Park NY. PARTICIPATION CLINIC The Participation Clinic that is presented to all our STD members and non- members is a great opportunity to get together and sit down and build a model with other individuals. The next participation clinic will be held on Saturday May 7, 2011 at St. David s Lutheran Church Massapequa Park NY. The people attending this year s clinic will have a Bar Mills Industrial Water Tower kit to construct. You can get additional information for the clinic on the STD Web-Site. See you at the spring meet. welcomes... new to the Division since the last issue Jesus Romero Bronx Bronx R.A. Wolter New York New York Liam Odoherty Brooklyn Kings Peter Kalmring Corona Heights Queens David Weiss-Horowitz Great Neck Nassau Richard Davis Port Washington Nassau James Duffy Roslyn Nassau Frank Saladino Coram Suffolk William MacIntyre Medford Suffolk Albert Heiserer Ronkonkoma Suffolk Lawrence Heiserer Ronkonkoma Suffolk DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT CANNON BALL IS MAY 1ST SPRING

4 Sunrise Trail Division 2010 Fall Convention - Model Contest for AP Credit NKPA Aluminum Head End Box Car - Steve Perry Ward Ruland - Long Island Passenger Cars no s 2823 and

5 continued Matt Rorke - Single Stall Engine House Frankies Bait & Tackle - Frank Saladino Thumbs Contest SPRING

), and not because he overlooks the fact that, as a card carrying dental coward, I want a shot of Novocain before he does anything, including before starting to read the magazines in the waiting room.

6 6 book review / WALTER WOHLEKING I have the greatest dentist in the world. Not because he s very good at what he does, (which he is, but don t tell him I said so), and not because I ve known him for fifty or so years (yikes!), and not because he overlooks the fact that, as a card carrying dental coward, I want a shot of Novocain before he does anything, including before starting to read the magazines in the waiting room. No, the reason he is the greatest dentist in the world is that the route I take from my home in Huntington to his office in Stewart Manor passes Willis Hobbies. Okay, okay, so it passes a block or two away, but that s close enough, as far as I m concerned, to make a visit there mandatory. Willis has an excellent publications area, which of course includes all the usual suspects in the model and prototype railroad magazine genre and most of the current magazine-sized soft cover books. But the Willis shelves contain much more than the softcover offerings of Carstans, Kalmbach, MBI and other well-known publishers. A goodly number of the wonderful Arcadia Images of Rail series are in evidence, as are The Railroad Press s volumes of northeastern railroads passenger and freight rolling stock. And it was there that I came upon a true gem and a definite must-have for any modeler whose locomotive roster now includes or will include one of those neat Alco HH600/660s from Atlas. It is Withers Publishing s Alco s HH Series American Locomotive Company s Pioneering Diesel Switcher. It is by R. Daniel Cupper, David R. Sweetland and Paul K. Withers and based on photos and notes compiled by the late, Thomas R. Landigran, who grew up watching Alco high hoods at work on railroads in Maine and then was employed as an engineer for several New England and Pennsylvania railroads. It is hard to imagine that there could be any more information about these locomotives than is packed into this book s 128 glossy pages. Even an early Editor s note on model names and ALCO s HH SERIES One of the single best locomotive references ever the book s Preface are very informative and not merely information throwaways, as is often the case. In his review of the Atlas model (Model Railroader, June, 2009, pp ), Jim Hediger noted that Alco built 78 HH600s and 43 HH660s between 1932 and Well Alco s HH Series contains text and graphic material about most, if not all, of them. But rather than generalizing, let me take you on a tour of the contents by section. The Introduction, which follows the aforementioned Preface, discusses Alcos early diesel entries, including the well-known CNJ 1000 boxcab, which operated at the railroad s Bronx Terminal. Early Locomotive Production describes three models: a pair of 300-horsepower boxcab and end-cab designs, and a 600 horsepower, end cab model. Demonstrators speaks for itself and provides information about those locomotives, which ended up on the Lehigh Valley, Boston and Maine and Lackawanna railroads. Production Begins followed by The 538 Engine are the meatiest sections of the book and where you ll want to go to verify the accuracy of your HH markings or paint scheme for the era you re modeling. The text lists each build quantity and delivery chronologically by Alco shop order. Each of the 62 pages contains 3 or more black and white photos of the corresponding locomotives, usually dated for reference. Some are builder s photos from the ALCO Historic Photos collection, others are later photos of the same locomotive showing changes in appliances or markings. Do the math that s about 186 photos of locomotives in the livery of their original purchasers. 39 or so more photos follow on the 13 pages of Secondhand Owners. Under Construction is what you might expect: in this case a series of photos showing the construction in early 1940 of a Northern Pacific order for three locomotives. Prime Mover contains information about and mechanical drawings of the 531 and 538 engines in both normally aspirated and turbo-charged configurations. Trucks covers various types of the famous Blunt trucks with photos and more beautifully reproduced mechanical drawings, and Spotting Features provides a couple pages, which outline variations in body styling and appliances that took place during the HH production run. Appendixes are included, which list the Major Purchasers and Operators of Alco High Hoods (including Class 1 railroads, steel company operators, and terminal, industrial and subsidiary roads), the Owners and Basic Equipment, the Dispositions, and the location of Surviving High Hoods. The final pages of the book, just ahead of a complete Index, contain 32 color photos of Alco High Hoods, all dated. If you have an Alco High Hood on your railroad or on your mind, get this book. You won t be sorry.

NORTHEASTERN REGION - 2011 CONVENTION Partial List of Expected Clinicians Scott Mason Building Craftsman Structures John Pryke Detailing and Weathering Steam Locomotives John Sacerdote Hand-Laying

7 NORTHEASTERN REGION CONVENTION Partial List of Expected Clinicians Scott Mason Building Craftsman Structures John Pryke Detailing and Weathering Steam Locomotives John Sacerdote Hand-Laying Track Neil Schofield Selective Compression Andy Small Rhode Island Narrow Gauge Military RRs Earl Smallshaw Middletown and Mystic Mines Brian Whiton New England Mills Marine Railroading Eliott Janofsky Modeling Transfer Bridges, Modeling DUMBO in HO Bill Nesbitt Kitbashing a Walthers Carfloat Ron Parisi Car Floats Extra Fare George Barrett Building a Model Truck Scott Mason Learning to Paint and Weather with an Airbrush Walter Kabalo Building an Electrical Panel Layout Tours At this time - 10 layouts committed. Providence and Worcester Donald Irace Western Maryland Anthony Donatelli Quebec and New England Jim Reddington Aquidneck Valley Ed Silvia Old Colony and South Shore Cliff Coutinho New England and Western Bill Robertson Mashamou Valley and Western Bob Davis Providence and Northern Ray Schofield East Bay and Westerly Railroad Justin Maguire Old Colony Model Railroad Club Dennis Ingalls The convention hotel will be the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Crossings in Warwick, a few miles south of Providence. Located just off 1-95, this hotel offers beautiful sleeping rooms for $109 per night and will provide three large clinic rooms, a contest room, hospitality room and display room all located in the same part of the facility. ( Taken from The Coupler Please visit for more information ) SPRING

8 2010 Fall Convention - Baldwin Extra Layout Tour - Mike Efthymiou's LIRR layout 8

9 Continued - Mike Efthymiou's LIRR layout SPRING

The Next National Convention http://www.x2011west.

Unconventional Convention" THE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Westburys - Given by David Morrison Saturday April 17,

Street, Westbury (Exit 32 of Northern State Pkwy (Post

10 The Next National Convention The 2011 NMRA National Convention July 3-9, 2011 "The Unconventional Convention" THE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA STATION Presented by The Historical Society of the Westburys - Given by David Morrison Saturday April 17, :30PM Westbury Memorial Library 445 Jefferson Street, Westbury (Exit 32 of Northern State Pkwy (Post Road)) THE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA STATION With Special Emphasis From 1900 to the 1960 s 10

Sunrise Trail Division Participation Clinic 2011 Assemble A Craftsman HO Kit Bar Mills Industrial Water Tower by Steve Perry When: Saturday, May 7, 2011, 10 AM Where: St.

11 Sunrise Trail Division Participation Clinic 2011 Assemble A Craftsman HO Kit Bar Mills Industrial Water Tower by Steve Perry When: Saturday, May 7, 2011, 10 AM Where: St. David s Evangelical Lutheran Church 20 Clark Blvd., Massapequa Park, NY All materials will be provided. A list of tools will be provided with your reservation conformation. Spots are limited so sign up as soon as possible. PARTICIPATION CLINIC REGISTRATION FORM NMRA $20 each $25 each Please make check payable to: Sunrise Trail Division and mail to Steve Perry 6 Brookhaven Dr. Rocky Point, NY (631) Name: Address: City: Zip: NMRA No.: Phone: Amount enclosed: $ PARTICIPATION CLINIC REGISTRATION SPRING

12 5 HOWARD DRIVE HUNTINGTON NY FIRST CLASS MAIL PLACE STAMP HERE IN THIS ISSUE GOLDEN AGE LINE STDIVISION 2011 SPRING MEET STDIV 2011 PARTICIPATION CLINIC BOOK REVIEW - ALCO HIGH HOODS NER & NMRA 2011 CONVENTION PREVIEWS PLACE MAILING LABEL HERE SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER OF THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION Name Scale(s) Address City State Zip DOWN THE TRACK Phone 1 year $ years $14.00 Please send a completed copy of this form and a check made payable to the Sunrise Trail Division to: Walter Wohleking, 5 Howard Drive, Huntington NY LOCAL Apr 9 10:00AM-5:00PM STDiv Spring Meet, St. David s Lutheran Church, 20 Clark Blvd, Massapequa Park NY - Mike Martin - mikeymart1@gmail.com Apr 17 2:30PM The History of Penn Station By David Morrison, Westbury Public Library Jefferson Ave, Westbury NY - Ray Muntz May 7 10:00AM-4:00PM STDiv Participation Clinic - St. David s Lutheran Church, 20 Clark Blvd, Massapequa Park NY - Steve Perry Nov 5 10:00AM-5:00PM STDiv Fall Convention, - United Methodist Church, 881 Merrick Rd, Baldwin NY - Nov 5 6:00PM-9:00PM STDiv Banquet / Awards Dinner, At above location Jan 1PM - 4:30PM Tentative - STDiv Winter Meet, Westbury Public Library Jefferson Ave, Westbury NY - NORTH EAST REGIONAL / NATIONAL July 3-9, National Model Railroad Association National Convention - Sacramento, CA - October 13-16, NER Convention - Crowne Plaza at the Crossings - Warwick, Rhode Island July 29 - August 4, National Model Railroad Association National Convention - Grand Rapids, MI. July 14-20, National Model Railroad Association National Convention - Atlanta, GA RECURRING (NMW means new members welcome ) 3rd Fri of each month, Sep-Jun, NRHS L.I. Sunrise Trail Chapter (NMW) meets 8:00PM-10:00PM at Christ Episcopal, Carll Ave & Prospect St, Babylon 3rd Fri of each month, Sunrise Trail Model RR Club (NMW) meets at its HO scale layout in Farmingdale, Mark Conca st Tue of each month, Long Island Model RR Engineers (NMW) meets at its multi-scale layouts at 3661 Horseblock Rd, Farmingville Each Wed, Rockville Centre Model RR Club (NMW) meets 8:00PM-10:00PM at its HO scale layout, 200 Sunrise Hwy, Rockville Centre, Duane Yorke st Mon, 2nd Tues, 3rd Wed, 4th Thurs 8:00PM (NMW) The Great South Bay Model Railroad Club (HO Scale) - 9 North Long Beach Ave Freeport - Kevin McKay (516)

SPRING MEET REPORT TEXT & PHOTOS BY JOE BUX. The O-Trolley bunch and the modular layout they displayed and operated at the Spring Meet.

Official Publication of THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION, INC. Northeastern Region National Model Railroad Association VOLUME 36 NUMBER 1 SPRING 2006 SPRING MEET REPORT TEXT & PHOTOS BY JOE BUX Evelyn MacGown