NCR - NORTH CENTRAL CROSSING CONV INFO! PLUS- RR History, Timetable, NMRA-NCR-Division News & more!

Transcription

1 THE HotBox THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION, NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION VOL. 54, NO. 2 SUMMER 2013 $3 RAILFANNING the READING LINES- CENTRAL DIVISION of Barry Hensel WHO ARE THESE GUYS?? A look at the make-up of local model railroaders GETTING READY FOR PHOTO CONTESTS A LOOK AT THE LITTLE RIVER RR NCR - NORTH CENTRAL CROSSING CONV INFO! PLUS- RR History, Timetable, NMRA-NCR-Division News & more!

2 HotBox Editorial The HotBox SUMMER 2013 Vol. 54, No. 2 EDITOR Barry Hensel Lotus Dr Canton, MI barry76lt@wowway.com Editorial Advisers Jack Watson Dave McMullian Tim Fisher Proof Readers Marge Hensel Marty LaForte John Beres The HotBox is published quarterly by the North Central Region of the National Model Railroad Association. Publication dates are- SPRING, March 1 SUMMER, June 1 AUTUMN, Sept 1 WINTER, Dec 1 The HotBox is available online atwww.ncr-nmra.org All material, articles and advertising must be submitted to the Editor. All material should be electronic, preferably MicroSoft Word or Powerpoint. Pictures should be in Jpeg format and color. Material can be ed or sent via US Mail on cd-rom. Materials will not be returned, unless return postage and envelope are included. Material submission deadline is FIVE weeks before publication date. Business ads- 1/2 page $20 per issue or $65 per year full page $30 per issue or $100 per year business card $10 per issue or $35 per year -or- free business card for exchange of websites and/or sales of HotBox Pike ads- $15 small, $30 double and $60 quad for a 3 year period! NCR Division Event ads- FREE To pay for any ad space... send your payment to the Editor. All checks/money orders need to be made out to "The North Central Region, NMRA" Send address corrections to the Registrar- David Simmons david@aarailfan.com Feel free to contact the Editor via , with any comments, questions or corrections. Barry Hensel, Editor HAPPY SPRING! Even though this is the summer issue, it is still Spring as we go to print. And Spring for most of us was so very long in coming! I hope your Spring and Summer is a good one. Yes I know and will admit I took the easy way out with having my own Reading Lines Central Division layout for the HotBox layout tour this issue. Sorry, but I was running out of time last issue and needed to come up with a layout fast. I hope you don t mind. This is the second time my layout has been featured in the HotBox. The last time was my previous version, way back in 1992 (and also in 1994 after my house fire). I hope you will agree that this latest version is better, it is bigger and that my modeling skills have improved. Thanks for looking and taking the tour. If you want to see it in person, I hold an annual Div 6 Layout Tour in December, usually the first or second Sunday. All are welcome to attend! Now that warm weather is here, it s that annual time for an important reminder as you go off to rail-fan in the nice weather. Please remember DO NOT go on railroad property! Stay on public land and shoot some great pictures! Many of the railroads are getting better at accepting railfanning, but always be careful and courteous!! Also remember, expect a train from any direction at any time! Let s be safe out there! I probably do not need to remind you, but I will don t forget that the registration for the NCR Convention North Central Crossing is open and deadline will be approaching fast. We ll have one more issue of convention news and information, then it s time to attend! Hope to see you there! Well, time to do some model railroading Thanks for reading Barry MODEL RAILROADING IS FUN! HOTBOX CORRECTIONS NCR "OOPS". Always striving to be correct is something we will do with the HotBox. But, we are human and mistakes can/will happen. Please forgive us, these are NOT intentional! Corrections for the September 2012 edition of the HotBox are- a few spelling errors here and there and few grammar issues. Hope you didn t notice. FRONT COVER PICTURES- RDG FP7 s crossing the Susquehanna; NC Crossing 2013 logo; Little River RR #110 REAR COVER PICTURES NCR convention logo- North Central Crossing; B&O on the Coal & Coke RR, C&O Berk on the Detroit Model RR Club, GTW Geep on the South Oakland County Model RR Club 2 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

3 NCR - NORTH CENTRAL REGION BOARD MEMBERS & DIVISION LEADERS President Dave McMullian Davemcmullian@earthlink.net Vice-President Scott Kremer skremer@wideopenwest.com Secretary Marty LaForte lafortes@gmail.com Treasurer Larry Wolohon, MMR Larrywolohon@comcast.net Registrar David Simmons david@aarailfan.com Directors Glenn Joppich steambigot@yahoo.com Skip Luyk heluyk@yahoo.com Jack Watson jwatson1212@sbcglobal.net Resident Agent Uwe Thormaehlen u.thormaehlen@yahoo.com NMRA Vice-President Dave Thornton dthorn5552@aol.com NMRA Central Director Peter Magoun MMR centdir@hq.nmra.org Model Contests Joel Goldberg, MMR joelgoldb@yahoo.com Photo Contests Howard Andrews hwandrews@wowway.com Achievement Program Larry Wolohon, MMR Larrywolohon@comcast.net Division One Dave McMullian Davemcmullian@earthlink.net Division Three Chuck White Railcarman@frontier.com Division Four Mark Baldwin baldwinmw@att.net Division Five Andy Keeney hunter48820@yahoo.com Division Six Howard Andrews hwandrews@wowway.com Division Eight John Jackson jdsmjackson@sbcglobal.net Division Ten Don Westcott dwwestcott@yahoo.com Dr. Jan Gromada D.O prrn5c@netzero.com RAILROADING "WHAT THE???" NCR HUMOR We ll call this, the tale of two extremes!! The Hand of God was seen on train Q164 at Wellington, Ohio. The other masterpiece was seen on a hopper car parked at Watrous, Saskatchewan. SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 3

4 PRESIDENTS OBSERVATION by Dave McMullian I ve been a model railroader for 61 years, from a time when Santa encircled a boy s Christmas tree with an American Flyer freight set. Periodically I drifted toward other things, especially as a teenager when I discovered cars and girls, in no particular order. The car thing led to some drag racing in the early 70s, and I still love to tinker with a 67 Vette I restored and follow some of my old buddies who are still on the circuit. Another pastime that deeply consumed my life from the age of 8 until 17 was scouting. From Cubs to Boy Scouts, Bobcat to Eagle, I gained some of the greatest adventures, lessons, and relationships in my entire life. I ve been amazed over the years at how many of my model railroading compatriots shared my scouting experiences and reverence for the BSA. I don t know if it was an era thing or whether there are some common threads in our psyche that overlap between modeling and scouting. All I know is that there are a whole bunch of us who share both interests. I joined the Cub Scouts, and later the Boy Scouts, because my friends were members and they invited me to join them. I didn t know or care much about the parent organization. I don t remember how much the dues were, the list of member benefits, or who ran it. But I do remember that my pack and troop were close to home, personal, full of activity and I thrived on the experiences and fellowship of my little band of brothers. Lately I ve been thinking comparatively about my affiliations with the BSA and NMRA. Both are strong international organizations that have served many generations. Both provide structure, organization, and standardization to their respective interest groups. Both have achievement programs and great special events. Yet ultimately there is a deeper reason we join both groups: to participate in local activity that embodies their brand of membership, where people connect and share on a personal level. Like packs and troops, NMRA Divisions are the heart of the organization. Once folks have experienced life in a dynamic Division, most don t go back to being lone modelers. So what could this mean to those of us already involved in a Division? Well, for starters you could invite friends who have an interest in model railroading to join YOU, not an organization. Take them to a Division meeting or activity, show them what we do, connect them to your other friends, and demonstrate how much small group involvement adds to the individual modeling 4 the HotBox SUMMER 2013 experience. Let them see first-hand that we are a grass-roots, bottom-up organization that engages people where they live. Showcase the benefits of the Division experience and membership in the organization will follow, in that order. This approach THE DAVE McMULLIAN fits right into our Rail Pass program s philosophy, where prospects get a chance to see, taste, and feel what we do. What about those of you out there who are NMRA members but have never been part of a local Division? Perhaps you don t know where your Division meets, or when, or what they do. The NMRA website home page has a link on the left side menu for Regions and Divisions. Click there, then scroll down the Region list for the North Central Region (NCR). There you will see links for all our Divisions, the NCR website, and upcoming conventions. If you re not sure where you fit, drop me an at NCRPREZ@hq.nmra.org and I will be delighted to provide you with your local group s information, connect you with their leaders, and answer questions. Remember, your membership in the NMRA is rich with benefits at the Region and Division levels, so I encourage you to take full advantage of all that s offered. And finally, what does this mean to our leaders as we strive to grow the NMRA? We need to step up our efforts to plant and nurture Divisions in areas where they are not yet established. They don t have to be big groups, because this is about the quality of the experience, not numbers. If you look at Divisions across the NCR and other Regions as well, numbers and geography range all over the map, so there is no right size that fits all. If we start good small groups, they will attract new members and growth will follow naturally. It s the Field of Dreams principle: if we build it, they will come. We need to think beyond membership and build relationship. At the conclusion of the NCR Board of Directors Spring meeting last week in Lansing, I was encouraged anew at the level of commitment demonstrated by your elected leaders and Superintendents. We ve got a lot of ideas taking shape to improve what your model railroading organization has to offer, so stay tuned! See ya on down the line, Dave McMullian

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6 RAILFANNING the READING LINES HotBox reporters went railfanning on the Reading Lines Central Division and captured these great action photos. Set in 1970, the Reading Lines Central Division has been blessed with much help in it s construction and operation from members of the Rail Gang. below left- Reading Alco 5311 moves a coal drag through Reading. below right- oops! Who s going to clean that up? Humor is fun! NCR GOES TRACKSIDE above- in Sinking Spring it s another nice day. That car and billboard look interesting. right- mainline action near Birdsboro center right- on the west end of Birdsboro the Brown s Feed Mill is a busy place for the Reading. above bottom- Reading RS3 leads a coal drag through Lansdale. I think that police car was watching that new 1970 Camaro! 6 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

7 RAILFANNING the READING LINES NCR GOES TRACKSIDE More Reading action! right- downtown Birdsboro is hosting a local convertible club. below- mainline action in Reading with the Reading Pagoda on the top of Mt. Penn overlooking the city and main yard. above- Reading Brewery has just shipped out its wares as two trains pass on the mainline. left- Bethlehem Steel plant is switched by a Rdg SW1200, lots of action here today. left below- the truck dump in Stevens is working today, to fill those two hoppers. right below- the Reading is known for coal! Here is the Schuylkill Haven Mine and it has lots of hoppers to fill today. SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 7

8 PHOTO JUDGING AT A NCR CONVENTION NCR INFORMATION Convention Photo Contest Primer By: Howard Andrews, Photo Contest Chair The NCR Regional Convention is a few months away. But now s a good time get the creative juices flowing and prepare photographs for the Photo Contest. Let s start with some very simple basics. We ll have 6 categories, which are: 1. Model Photos Black & White Print 2. Model Photos Color Print 3. Model Photos - Slides 4. Prototype Photos Black & White Print 5. Prototype Photos Color Print 6. Prototype Photos Slides There will be 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, and honorable mention in each category if there are sufficient entries. In addition there will be a Best in Show selected from all the Photographs entered. You may enter photos produced by film cameras or digital cameras. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry form which you can obtain from the NMRA web site at or you may complete one at the contest room when you drop off your entries. Each member is permitted to enter a maximum of ten (10) entries with no more than five (5) entries in anyone category. Prints must be between 5 x7 and 12 x16 on a mount between 8 x10 and 12 x16. You may not enter photos in folders, frames, or under glass. Slides must be a standard 2 x2 mounts that can be projected by a Kodak Carousel Projector. OK, that s the simple part. But what makes winning photography. We re all surrounded every day with great visual works. Advertising jumps to mind as visual works that catch our attention. So, each and every one of us should have a basis for judging our own work. To help you here s the 10 Judging Factors NMRA recommends we use for the contest. (I ve shortened the descriptions if you would like to read the full text it is available on the web site at 1- IMPACT Best summed up as "I wish I'd taken that picture". This is hard to put into words, but each of us knows when a visual work has impact. 2- COMPOSITION If you take art or photography classes they will talk about this it s simply how well the elements of the photo fit together and fit in the frame of the photo. Good composition will help keep your attention on the photo. 3- ARTISTIC APPROACH This is subjective based upon the judge s opinion. One judge may like postcard type images while another may favor bold graphic images. We have multiple judges to try and balance this element of judging. 4- LIGHTING Photography is captured light it is only with light that we can create a photograph. When viewing a photograph it should look natural. If you have inky black shadows and bight white highlights, that most likely is not good use of light. 5- EXPOSURE is there a full range of colors or grays in the image. There may be times you want to deviate from proper exposure if that is the artistic approach you are striving for for example: a dark, brooding night scene may be slightly underexposed to add drama. 6- FOCUS The image should, in general, be in sharp focus. If there are out of focus areas, that is the use of selective focus, it should enhance the image, not distract from it. 7- DIFFICULTY Here examples may be there easiest. A fast moving locomotive kicking in water in the rain would be much more difficult than one sitting on a siding on a bright summer day. If working with models a shot on a layout that tells a story is much more difficult than a locomotive siting on track on the kitchen table. 8- SPECIAL EFFECTS with the advent of digital photography special effects are available to just about everyone. With traditional film photography special effects such as background blur, filtering with B&W film, night photography, etc. might be used. In digital photography additional items might be adding smoke to a locomotive, simulating fog or rain, enhancing the depth of focus, etc. Regardless of what you do it should improve the image and build on your creative vision. 9- TECHNIQUE Basically, how well did you put all the pieces together! It is the sum of all 9 items. 10- FINISH Sometimes called presentation. Prints should be matted to protect and compliment the image. The print should be firmly attached to the mat. There should be no dust spots or other blemishes on the print. Most of all, the presentation should enhance the image, not distract from it. The photo contests are a fun way to participate in Convention Activities. We encourage everyone to bring in their images the more the better. Hope to see you in November! The next contest is at the North Central Crossings, the 2013 NCR Convention 8 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

9 PROTOTYPE PAGE 110 is a Pacific type locomotive weighing approximately 58 tons. It is the smallest of its kind ever built for standard gauge and it is also a one of a kind locomotive. 110 was custom built for the original Little River Railroad in Townsend, TN in ran in what is now the Great Smoky Mountain National Park until served as a logging engine, making its way up the mountains to the logging camps. 110 was built with a blind middle drive wheel; this means that the middle drive wheel doesn t have a flange on it. In was sold to the Smoky Mountain Railway and ran until the early 1950 s. In the early 1960 s 110 was abandoned in Shook s Gap, TN. In 1972 it was purchased and restored and in 1975 made its first run for the current Little River Railroad. In 110 s 95 years, she has only been out of service for approximately 20 years. In Nov 2011, 110 celebrated her 100th birthday. NCR PROTOTYPE The Little River Railroad Based in Coldwater, Michigan, this very small railroad is enjoyed by many during its summer excursion runs. It also actually does some real railroad work on occasion, switching cars to Hillsdale! The Little River Railroad is a notfor-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, operation and preservation of historic railroad equipment. The Little River Railroad is supported by ticket sales, concession sales, memberships and donations. The Little River Railroad is operated by all volunteers. Feel free to become a member today and help us keep steam trains around for future generations. SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 9

10 HotBox NEWS "BETWEEN THE RAILS" NCR INFORMATION Here is where your news items, rumors, and gossip of just about anything in the Model Railroading hobby can be reported. Whatever it is, send it to us and we'll let everyone else know! BTR#1- More good video links in our box since the last issue. Check these out- A good train video, some great steam shots here! GN safety film- I ve had a VHS tape of this movie for years. It ll show the young whipper-snappers what real railroading was like! A friend yesterday forwarded the following link: A bit of digging on YouTube found the following description: "February 6th, 1991 at mile of the CN Smiths Falls Subdivision in Smiths Falls, Ontario between a CP train and a VIA train. The locomotive types of both trains have not been in service since the 1990s. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board report number for this incident is R91H0206, entitled "Canadian Pacific Limited and Via Rail Inc. near collision, Mile 33.79, CN Smiths Falls Subdivision, Smiths Falls, Ontario, 1303 EST, 06 February 1991" although the report is not on-line." Whew!! Grain elevator moving 100 miles over the Canadian prairie. After watching this video the only question is: Why? Lastly (and JUST in to us) Bathroom designed as the cab of a Diesel Locomotive complete with a control stand, sound effects, and radio scanner. Is this taking the love of trains a little to far? BTR#2- Fellow Michigan Railroad History Enthusiast, I would like to announce the 12th Michigan Railroad History Conference to be held on Saturday, October 5, 2013, at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Bay City, MI. I have attached a Program and Registration Form in both.jpg and.pdf formats. Please share them with others that may also be interested in Michigan railroad history. Check for conference updates on or the Michigan Railroad Calendar at a major source for contemporary and historic railroad information. For questions, contact the MRHC Chairperson, Mark Worrall, at markxworrall@hotmail.com (preferred) or at Thank you, Gregory J. Degowski Registrar 12th Michigan Railroad History Conference BTR#3- Reports from a recent NCR Board of Directors meeting are that the NCR may have a new Division in the Battle Creek-Kalamazoo area and that Division 7 may be revived in the Traverse City area. Procedures have to be completed and rules followed, but it s looking good for an NCR expansion, the first in a looong time! DISCLAIMER!!- While we will try to verify most stories, the HotBox, HotBox Editor, NCR Board of Directors, its agents and representatives will not/can not be held responsible for mis-information presented in this column! NMRA-NCR ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM NCR AWARDS The talented members of the NCR just keep showing their talents by their being awarded more NMRA Certificates. Congratulations to our NCR award winners!! Model Railroad Author Golden Spike Awards Model Railroad Volunteer Radford W. Jones, Div. 8 Bruce VanHuis, Div.4 Richard Harden, Div. 6 Harley (Skip) Luyk, Div. 4 John D. Jackson, Div.8 Master Builder Scenery Master Builder - Prototype Models Thom Vanderlip, Div. 4 Harley (Skip) Luyk, Div. 4 Harley (Skip) Luyk, Div. 4 AP QUESTIONS: If you have questions about the AP program or requirements, start with your local or Region AP manager, Larry Wolohon MMR. If you still have questions, contact Frank Koch at fjkoch@hotmail.com or write Frank at 4769 Silverwood Drive, Batavia, OH the HotBox SUMMER 2013

11 NCR TIMETABLE NCR DIVISION meetings NCR INFORMATION Division One (Toledo and northern Ohio) Meets at Collingwood Presbyterian Church, 2108 Collingwood Blvd. at Floyd Street, near downtown Toledo. Division One is a 100% NMRA membership organization. Division Three (Fort Wayne, Indiana and western Ohio) All meetings to be run as "extra sections." See current Div3 newsletter "The Dispatcher" for description, date, time and location. "The Dispatcher" is available at the Div 3 website. Meetings begin at 7:00 PM. Division Four (Grand Rapids and western Michigan) Meets quarterly with other special events thrown in. For additional information contact Mark Baldwin at or baldwinmw@att.net Division Five (Lansing and mid-lower Michigan) Meets at 1pm, on the SECOND Saturday of each month in the basement of the Capital Area District Library, at the corner of South Capital and Kalamazoo Streets, Lansing. Meetings postponed until September. Division Six (Wayne & Washtenaw Counties, Michigan) Meets at 7:30pm, on the THIRD Friday of each month at the Livonia Senior Center, Farmington Road, one mile north of the I-96 Jefferies Freeway, Livonia. Division 6 meets year-round. Division Eight (Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair Counties) Meets at 7:00pm, on the THIRD Thursday of each month at Troy Christian Chapel, 400 East Long Lake Road, between Rochester and Livernois Roads, Troy. Division 8 meets year-round. Division Ten (Flint and Saginaw area) Meets on the SECOND Wednesday of the month, at the home of member Nick Racheff, 9170 Hidden Oaks Dr. Grand Blanc, MI He can be contacted at , nick.b.racheff@comcast.net. For more information please contact Don W. Westcott at dwwestcott@yahoo.com or or Jan Gromada at (hm) or (wk) OTHER GROUPS meeting in the NCR AREA There are over 60 different model and proto-type groups within the Michigan area of NCR. They can be found at SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 11

12 NCR DIVISION HAPPENINGS DIVISION INFORMATION Division One (Toledo, Ohio area) Division One meets monthly from September through May. Seven of the nine monthly meetings consist of a business meeting, a show and tell segment, 2 minute clinics, a Tips and Tricks segment, and a program. Programs last for 45 minutes to an hour and may be presentation, hands-on, or demonstration. The May meeting is a family outing and this year s outing was to the Steam Institute in Owosso and the restored depot in Durand. Officers and board members are elected to two-year terms in April of odd years. New officers take office at the end of the May meeting. Under our revised by-laws, there are no term limits. New officers for are: Dave McMullian Superintendent; Jim Lang Assistant Superintendent; John Roth Chief Clerk; Phil Kauffman Agent; Steve Kellogg Trainmaster for services; Scott Davidson Director at Large; Fred Lux Immediate Past Superintendent (non-elected position) Since Dave McMullian is already serving on the NCR board as president, he cannot also serve and Division Representative. The Division One board of directors will fill the position of NCR board representative to serve in place of Dave at its summer meeting. All in all, Division One has had a very good and fun year. We have had several NMRA members become active in Division for the first time and have attracted a few members from our web site who have since gone on to join NMRA in order to be a part of Division. Meeting and program schedules are on our web site at (submitted by- Fred Lux, Superintendent NMRA NCR Div 1) Division Three (Fort Wayne, Indiana and western Ohio area) Negotiations are nearly complete for our division to go back to having regular monthly meetings. A permanent location, the restored former Pennsylvania Passenger Station, on Baker Street, has been made available to us. We re looking at having our meetings on the Second or Third Monday. We lost another key NMRA friend in April: Dick Moessner, our past Division President. An article about Dick is elsewhere in this HotBox. We successfully hosted our fourth OPS event on April We featured 11 layouts with about 40 attendees. We had attendees from the Carolinas, Tennessee, Chicago (& downstate Illinois), Indianapolis, Michigan, Ohio, and (of course) Indiana. Our next Op Til U Drop weekend will probably be in Our old banner is worn out, missing parts, and is now outdated. We approved ordering the NMRA s standardized version announced last fall. A regular monthly Op Session is hosted on the Third Friday of each month at one of several layouts in our division. The schedule is posted on our web site and also ed from our Yahoo Group. There are 6 or more layouts in this group. The Div3 Dispatcher newsletter is published every other month. It is available at the Div3 website, (submitted by- Chuck White, Superintendent NMRA NCR Div 3) Division Four (Grand Rapids and west Michigan area) No new news from Division 4 for this issue. (submitted by- Mark Baldwin, Superintendent) Division Five (Lansing and mid-lower Michigan area) Division 5's monthly program usually includes a model railroading clinic, often a hands on clinic where the attendees build, or start to build, a model. For a number of years, the February clinic has been held at Olivett College where Terry Davis provides materials, plans and assistance in building a model with wood. This year's project was to build a shed under construction, that is, building the framing. Models were built in both HO and N scales. Then at the April meeting, Pete Magoun, MMR of Traverse City led us in building a flat car in either wood or wood and styrene. Pete reached back to the 1950's with material from Model Railroader's old Dollar Car series, some what up dated in both technique and cost. Again, models were built in both N and HO scales. In order to allow enough time for model building, there was no show and tell at these two meetings. After the February meeting, we did go over an see Doc Fleming's On3 scale Nehi Lumber and Mining Co. railroad with his numerous award winning scratch built models. May's meeting will be a visit to Jay Qualman's amazing layout followed by "Christmas in June" meeting where we bring unneeded models, supplies and railroadiana to swap with other Division members. July will be another hands on clinic, working on airbrushing techniques and Aug. may be a fan trip. The Division continues to publish an newsletter. If you'd like to see a copy, or be put on the mailing list, contact the Div. 5 clerk at nkpcowles@yahoo.com to be put on the list. For more information, please see the Division 5 website: div5.ncr-nmra.org (submitted by- Mark Cowles, Div. 5 Clerk) 12 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

13 NCR DIVISION HAPPENINGS DIVISION INFORMATION Division Six (Wayne & Washtenaw County, Detroit area) Division 6 continues to enjoy the friendship of its members at our monthly meetings. Show & Tell, modeling questions (and answers!), tool tips, general news and clinics make up our enjoyable evenings together! We also officially welcome the members of the former Division 9, who elected to join our Division. Several members continue to work on their Achievement Awards, Congratulations to all of them! We just completed our first bragging rights model contest. Structures were the most item entered, even though it was an open subject contest. Members voted during our meeting break and a tie was declared between Jim Tilley and Barry Hensel, both showing structures. We hope to have another contest in 3 months. We been blessed with member layout tours for several months in a row and hope to continue that through the summer. Come on out and attend a meeting, have fun, meet new friends and enjoy model railroading! (submitted by Barry Hensel, Newsletter Editor) Division Eight (Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair Counties) Division 8 has continued our Model of the Quarter contest with good participation. Our most recent winner (First Quarter 2013) was Marv Linke for his beautiful cattle loading facility in N scale. We have enjoyed a variety of clinics and presentations over the past few months, ranging from how contests are judged to how the NMRA Achievement Award program works to how operations work on one member s railroad and how it could apply to your layout. Division 8 has made a donation of $250 to the NMRA s efforts to fund the National Model Railroad Museum including a drive to get more of our members to coordinate their own donations with ours in honor of Irv Shultz, long time member of Division 8 and MMR. Bill Moore was awarded his certificate of achievement for Chief Dispatcher. An another step closer to MMR. Division 8 held elections in March with the following results: Superintendent: John Jackson Dispatcher: Bill Gawthrop Treasurer: Paul Ryan Superintendent emeritus/director: Jerry Shanek Director: John Gavasso Our Division has also donated funds to the Troy Christian Chapel, our host facility and to the Steam Institute for the restoration of (submitted by, Bill Gawthrop, Secretary) Division Ten (Flint and Saginaw area) During the winter Division 10 has been meeting on the second Wednesday of each month. Our attendance has been good, despite several of our regular members going south for the winter. Our Saturday, monthly layout tours have been well received with 8-10 members attending them. We are currently working on future tours, clinics and meeting agendas. The board has been reviewing the membership in the division. We have a number of NMRA members that are not participating in the activities and there is an even larger group of past NMRA members that we would like to reach out too. An is sent out each month reminding everyone when the meeting are, what we will be doing at the meetings and also announcing our layout tours. We have placed our priorities for reaching out to the membership as: Active Members, communicating to them what is going on and inviting them to attend the activities. Sending letters to each new member when we are notified by national that they have joined. Communicate to past members of the NMRA, inviting them to our meetings and encouraging them to renew their membership. Individually division members promoting the NMRA and our division activities. Publicly promoting the NMRA by having tables at area trains shows and other railroad oriented shows. Getting names at these shows and following up with a letter to invite them to meetings and activities. We are looking at the part of the division that is located in Tuscola, Sanilac, and Huron counties and how we might better service those areas. At this time, we are contemplating having a couple of meeting in that area in addition to our regular meetings that serve the majority of our membership in the Shiawassee, Genesee, and Lapeer counties. Our board believes strongly that the divisions in the NMRA are the focal point for meeting the needs of the members. We look to the regions and national for support in meeting these needs. (submitted by Don Westcott, Co-Superintendent) YOU should join and attend your local NMRA NCR Division meetings and activities! Get the most out of our hobby participate often!! SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 13

14 National Model Railroad Association North Central Region 2013 Convention NOVEMBER 1-3, 2013 TROY COMMUNITY CENTER Troy, Michigan Clinics Operating Sessions Model & Photo Contests Layout Tours Silent Auction For more information go to - Sponsored by Division 8 Members in Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair Counties, Michigan 14 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

15 NORTH CENTRAL CROSSING - update NCR CONVENTION Greetings from the NCR Crossings 2013 Convention Committee!! Our 2013 convention - NCR Crossings 2013, is getting closer!! Registration is open with the registration form here in this issue of the HOTBOX as well as on our website The convention will be at the Troy Community Center in Troy, Michigan The center is a state of the art facility, with plenty of room for our presentation type clinics as well as our make and take ones, with additional space for our display layouts, contest room and our first Silent Auction. With our own silent auction, you need to bring those extra goodies that you have been meaning to move on, to the convention. We all know one man s extras is another s good stuff. As our time of departure draws ever nearer, we are making great strides in our preparations. Our committee met last on Thursday, April 18 th. Our subcommittees are making great progress toward meeting our goal of an unforgettable NCR convention. Layout Tours: At last count we had 14 layouts already confirmed for Layout Tours with more awaiting confirmation and scheduling. Layout tours will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the convention weekend. Ops Sessions: Layouts are now confirmed for the entire week prior to and during the convention with over 250 ops sessions slots to be available. Clinics: At this point we are in the process of filling approximately 18 clinic spots per day with make & takes, regular presentation style and demonstration type clinics. Silent Auction: Our Silent Auction committee is busy getting their process together. Marketing and Sales: Our marketing guru has produced a DVD and PowerPoint presentation for clubs and anyone else; advertising sales are also well underway as well as prizes and giveaway materials are coming in Facility: The facility is top notch and eagerly awaiting our arrival. The breakfast is contracted for and seeing action from the registrations. Display Layouts: We have commitments for 8 display layouts ranging from Z to O scales and everything in between. And yes we have traction for all you Trolley geeks. Gratiot Valley Train Show: We have also coordinated with the Gratiot Valley folks to get the best of both the convention and the show for our registrants. Website/Social media Presence: Both our website and our Facebook page are up and running and getting looks and friends. Contests: Joel Goldberg and Howard Andrews are getting their judges ready for a room full of great contest models and photos So all in all we are on track for the convention in November!!! We hope that you will all be there!!!!! SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 15

16 National Model Railroad Association North Central Region 2013 Convention Troy Community Center 3179 Livernois Road Troy, Michigan Registration Form Primary Registrant s Name (MMR # ) 1 st Convention Y/N Name on Badge Contact Phone # Family Members Attending Street Address City, State, Zip Code NMRA Region Division NMRA ID No. Registration Price Quantity Total Early Bird NMRA Member (Before Sept. 1) $60.00 Early Bird Non-NMRA Member (Before Sept. 1)* $70.00 NMRA Member (On or After Sept. 1) $65.00 Non-NMRA Member (On or After Sept. 1)* $75.00 Family member under 18 (half price) $30.00 Single-day Admission $35.00 *Includes NMRA Rail Pass Registration Subtotal Extra Fare Activities Size Quantity Price Total Sunday Continental Breakfast $10.00/ person Polo Shirt, Size: S, M, L, XL, XXL $35.00 (XL & XXL $40) Sweat Shirt, Size: S, M, L, XL, XXL $35.00 (XL & XXL $40) Make-and-take #1 Fran and Miles Hale $10.00 Make-and-take #2 Fran and Miles Hale $10.00 Extra Fare Subtotal Total (Registration + Extra Fare) Make check, money order payable to: Send completed form and payment by Oct 15, 2013 to: Division 8, NCR, NMRA, 2013 Convention NCR2013 Registration ATTN: Bill Moore 6160 Ewalt Road Imlay City, MI See website for refund policy [Registration Form the HotBox SUMMER 2013

17 ON THE B&O LOST DIVISION The Van Doren Powerhouse and the Four Turn Waybill. by Bob Hanna Hoppers cars loaded with coal for the Powerhouse come into Van Doren from various mines along the Mountain Branch. They trickle into Van Doren one or two cars at a time on various trains. But the Powerhouse is on the right side in the picture, the yard switcher can be seen to the left, and the double track main line is between them. The problem is, while the loaded hopper cars do go to the Powerhouse, having each train deliver them directly to the Powerhouse, would require crossing the east/west main line, as you can see in the picture, and ties up Van Doren and the main line. The main line is busy and we cannot have every train bringing a hopper or two of coal down the Mountain Branch, switch the powerhouse. Besides, the customer would prefer us to switch them just once a day. NCR FEATURE First on the waybill is the local mine where they load up the hopper car. Once loaded, turn the waybill and it says to deliver the car to Van Doren Yard. Once in Van Doren Yard, turn the waybill around and on the other side it says to deliver it to the Powerhouse, where they will empty the coal hopper. Once emptied, turn the waybill and it says to spot the empty hopper into Van Doren Yard. Finally, when in Van Doren yard, turn the waybill around and sends the car back to the local mine. Repeat as many times as you can! So the plan is to have the trains drop the hoppers off in the yard. Then after they have all been collected in the yard, the local switcher can spot them at the Powerhouse, just once each day. For my car card system, this requires a four turn waybill for the hopper cars. I know you re saying Why not print on the back of the paper? Two big reasons, one, my printer doesn t do that and even if it did, lining it up for cutting is frustrating. Two, the folded waybill stays in the car card more securely. A four destination waybill like this one solves the problem and keeps traffic flowing smoothly on the B&O Lost Division. YOUR article could be appearing RIGHT HERE!! Please consider writing an article for a future issue of the HotBox!! Fame, Fortune (not really) and points toward your MMR await you when you write a HotBox article! SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 17

18 WHO ARE THESE GUYS? by: Bill Moore NCR HISTORY Demographic Survey of local Model Railroaders After 35 years of lone-wolf model railroading I emerged from my basement to join my local NMRA division. I was nearing the end of a career as a university professor, which is demanding in terms of time and mental energy, and the hour or two I stole most evenings to spend in my train room did as much to quell the daily anxieties of publish or perish as anything I could imagine. But, I also realized that my modeling skills, developed in isolation, were not as good as they could, or should be. A couple of things I learned as an academic researcher are that other people have a lot to teach you, and don t waste your time re-inventing the wheel! With regard to model railroading, I found myself often violating these guidelines. I have learned a great deal from my NMRA colleagues, but as I began to hobnob with them I was struck by what a different assemblage of personalities, what a different culture, I encountered compared to the academic environment where I spent my working years. Even though I now know many model railroaders well, I continue to be fascinated by their not so varied personalities and to wonder in a demographic sense who are these guys drawn so strongly, in many cases, obsessively, to the peculiar hobby of model railroading. As an academic researcher, what could I do to find out? I decided to take a survey! Survey My survey comprised an 18-question questionnaire that required less than 5 minutes to complete. The questions dealt with basic demographic data such as where the respondent lived, sex, age, income, and a number of model railroad questions such as how much time and money they spent on the hobby, the scale they modeled, etc. My wife and I conducted the survey by renting a table in the standard sales area at each of three model railroad swap shows. We simply asked people who passed our table if they would be willing to participate in the survey. The purpose of conducting the survey at three shows was to get a more representative sample, as each of the three locales was distinct with regard to socio-economic level. The three shows were: (1) Gratiot Valley 18 the HotBox SUMMER 2013 Train Show & Sale, November, 2010, Mount Clemens, MI; (2) Troy Train Show, January, 2011, Troy, MI; (3) Springfield Model Train Show, April, 2011, Springfield, OH. The surveys were conducted anonymously so that the names of participants are unknown to us. A total of 149 model-railroad-show attendees answered the survey questions, 142 males and 7 females, confirming the obvious: there are many more male than female model railroaders. In fact, it appeared to me that most of the women were wives who had been dragged along by an enthusiastic husband, or perhaps they tagged along of their own volition to monitor the family budget. Age and Retirement Overall, model railroaders were split nearly evenly with regard to retired versus not retired, although the retired percentage was lower at the Troy show. The overall average age of participants was 57.3 years. Occupations I asked about occupations as a fill-in-the-blank question and so specific answers of the 129 respondents were highly varied. It was apparent, though, that occupations could be grouped into a smaller, more manageable, number of categories. The category Engineer, for example, includes mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, etc. Technical includes a broader range of machinists, tool and die makers, land surveyors, mechanics, etc. Construction includes building contractors, a kitchen installer, etc. all people involved in residential or commercial construction. Percentages falling into each occupational category are summarized in Table 2. A striking result is that 24% of all respondents are engineers. If you add to this the percentages in the technical and construction categories, a total of 41% have occupations that directly or indirectly involve designing and building things. I m reminded of a conversation I had with a fellow model-railroad-club member, a retired machinist, about the joys of model railroading: He said with an air of contentment, I just like building things. Table 1: Average Age and Retirement Question (sample size) Gratiot Valley Troy Springfield Overall Percent Retired 57.5% 44.8% 54.9% 51.7% Average Age 58.4 (39) 56.0 (57) 59.6 (51) 57.3 (147)

19 Income I separated annual income into two questions, one for individuals not retired (workers) and one for retirees. Sixty-four workers and 40 retirees answered the appropriate question. The average and median incomes are broken down for each category in Table 3. Overall is for the combined samples. The median is the value where half the incomes are greater and half are less. Income levels are similar for the Gratiot Valley and Troy samples (both Detroit suburbs), but these two are substantially greater than those for the Springfield sample. To compare incomes with the population as a whole, I compared the median income of model railroaders with those taken from the 2010 U.S. Census (income-year 2009) for the three counties (bottom two rows of Table 3). The median income for working model railroaders is substantially higher than that for the host counties for the Gratiot Valley and Troy shows and about the same for the Springfield show. Thus, model railroaders appear to have more financial resources to spend on their hobby than does the population at large. Actually, this gap is probably larger than the data infer because I did not distinguish household income from individual income; some model railroaders may have given their individual income, which Table 2: Occupations Job Category Percent Engineer 24.0% Technical 11.6% Government administration 7.0% Educator 6.2% Construction 5.4% Finance 5.4% Business owner 3.9% Computer 3.9% K-12 Student 3.9% Manager 3.1% Medical 3.1% Firefighter 2.3% Other (19 listed, all less than 2%) 20.2% would be equal to or less than their household income. Income distribution histograms provide additional insight. There are two points of interest here. First, there are outliers. Especially apparent in the workers histogram are a few individuals with very high incomes, greater than $200,000 and several with very low incomes, less than $10,000. The lessthan-$10,000 group consists of K-12 students, and that cluster disappears from the retiree histogram (not shown). It is apparent that there is a substantial number of model railroaders with high incomes; in fact the tallest bar for the workers histogram (the mode) represents annual incomes of $100,000 - $110,000. Second, both histograms are polymodal, which means there are multiple peaks. Looking at the workers histogram, in addition to the $100,000 - $110,000 peak, there appears to be a peak at $50,000 separated by a valley from a peak at $30,000. The retirees historgram has a similar polymodal structure with a mode at $50,000, but the upper mode is at $90,000; there are fewer highend outliers and no one under $20,000. With regard to matching marketing to financial resources, this means model railroaders are a heterogeneous population: A good number probably have something approaching unlimited financial resources, whereas others get by on limited budgets. Education I asked respondents to circle a choice of educational level that best described their status: currently K-12 student; didn t complete high school; high school graduate; technical school; some college, no degree; associate degree (community college or equivalent); bachelor s degree; master s degree; Ph.D.; professional degree (M.D., law, other); other (fill in blank). Table 3: Average and Median Annual Income Gratiot Valley Troy Springfield Overall Not Retired Average $92,667 $89,919 $41,444 $76,930 Median $75,000 $70,000 $42,500 $55,500 Retired Average $44,383 $49,733 $37,415 $44,125 Median $42,000 $50,000 $35,000 $39,500 Macomb Co. MI Oakland Co. MI Clark Co. Ohio Median income $50,709 $62,626 $42,458 SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 19

20 Education These data are summarized in Table 4. For comparison, I obtained data from the 2010 U.S. Census for percentages of the populations that had achieved a bachelor s degree or higher for each of the three counties. Model railroaders tend to be well educated. Overall, High school graduate was the highest level for only 11.5%, a majority of 55.4% held a bachelor s degree or higher and 20.3% held master s degrees. The percentage of model railroaders with bachelor s degrees or higher substantially exceeded that of the population in all three counties, based on the census data. Table 4: Educational Level Gratiot Valley Troy Springfield Overall K-12 Student 2.5% 5.2% 2.0% 3.4% High School Graduate 7.5% 10.3% 16.0% 11.5% Technical School 10.0% 6.9% 4.0% 6.8% College, No degree 15.0% 5.2% 14.0% 10.8% Associate Degree 7.5% 15.5% 12.0% 12.2% Bachelor s Degree 30.0% 32.8% 28.0% 30.4% Master s Degree 20.0% 20.7% 20.0% 20.3% Ph.D. 2.5% 1.7% 4.0% 2.7% Professional School 5.0% 1.7% 0.0% 2.0% Bachelor s or Higher 58% 56.9% 52.0% 55.4% Bachelor s or Higher (Counties) 22% 42.2% 16.2% Political Preferences I asked two questions that reflect the political preferences of respondents: (1) Political party preference: Republican, Democrat, Green, U.S. Taxpayers, Libertarian, Tea Party, other. (2) Which presidential candidate did you vote for in Model railroaders showed a strong preference for the Republican Party over the Democratic Party overall and at each of the three shows, especially at Gratiot Valley and Springfield where Republicans had greater than 2:1 margins (Table 5). To further explore this apparent conservative leaning, I pooled the conservative parties (Republican, Tea Party, Libertarian, U.S. Taxpayers) into a single category, Conservative, and the liberal parties (Democrat, Green) into a second category, Liberal. These results are presented in the bottom two rows of Table 5. They amplify the disparity between conservative and liberal party preference. Voting patterns for the 2008 presidential election reflect the conservative inclinations of model railroaders. To establish a baseline for comparison with the population at large, I obtained 2008 election results broken-down by county. Obama received a larger percentage of the votes for all three counties than cast by the model railroaders, indicating that model railroaders are more conservative than the population at large. Table 5: Political Party Macomb Co. Oakland Co. Clark Co. Overall Democrat 19% 26% 22% 23% Republican 47% 37% 46% 43% Tea Party 3% 9% 14% 9% Libertarian 3% 0% 4% 2% U.S. Taxpayers 0% 2% 2% 1% Green 0% 2% 2% 1% Natural Law 0% 2% 0% 1% independent 19% 19% 6% 14% non-partisan 8% 0% 2% 3% other 0% 4% 2% 2% Conservative 53% 48% 66% 55% Liberal 19% 28% 24% 24% 20 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

21 Money and Time Spent on Model Railroading I asked how much money individuals spend per month on model railroading materials (car kits, locomotives, scenery supplies, decoders, etc, everything that becomes incorporated into a layout) and the average number of hours per week they spend model railroading. The averages are $135/ month and 10.8 hours/ week. The distribution graphs are perhaps more informative. and vast collections of rolling stock and locomotives many of them brass, not to mention Fine Scale Miniature and South River structure kits. So, I take these values to be truthful. The bimodalities may reflect the bimodalities in income as noted earlier, but I suspect they reflect underlying levels of devotion to model railroading: there are true enthusiasts and dabblers. Similarly, I suspect the bimodality in the hours-per-week graph is distinguishing the dabblers from the true enthusiasts. NMRA and Other Group Activities The model-railroaders I now hangout with are a gregarious bunch who seem to thrive on the social interactions provided by NMRA division meetings. However, the survey indicates that only about 35% of model railroaders are NMRA members and only 22% attend division meetings. Although model railroading engenders socialization and exchange of how-to and technical information, apparently there are still a lot of lone-wolf model railroaders out there. The patterns are similar between the two graphs. In both, there are outliers and slight bimodalities. The two extreme monetary outliers claimed monthly expenditures of $1,750 and $3000. This initially struck me as outlandish and suggested that the claims were apocryphal. But I personally know several model railroaders with layouts in excess of 2000 sq ft, DCC systems with 10 or more throttles, The Typical Model Railroader So, what can we distill out of this? Who is the Everyman of model railroading? We can certainly say he, because there are very few women in the hobby. Beyond that there is a broad range of variation but also some strong central tendencies. Most likely he would be in his late fifties or older, retired or approaching retirement, most likely from a career as an engineer or in a technical field related to the design or fabrication of things. He can afford his hobby because his annual income is well over $50,000, and if he is not retired it is probably closer to $100,000 or more. He spends on average $135/ month on model railroading and works on his hobby about 11 hours/ week. But, many truly devoted model railroaders spend more in some cases much more than that in both dollars and hours. He is well educated, almost certainly holding a bachelor s degree and would likely have a master s degree or a professional degree of some sort. Politically, our Everyman-model-railroader has conservative inclinations relative to the population at large. Editors note: The HotBox would like to Thank Bill for this interesting article. The original was a bit longer and would have required at least 2 more pages. We agreed on this edited version, as it has the meat of his research and is just large enough to fit in one issue, as opposed to doing a two part article and losing some impact. We hope you enjoyed it. SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 21

22 RAILROAD HISTORY by Don Watson NCR HISTORY HISTORY OF THE RR AUTOMOBILE CAR Part 1 of 3 In 1894, Charles B. King had built Detroit's first "horseless carriage". Five years later, the city boasted two automobile manufacturing companies. The Olds plant, touted as the largest automobile factory in the world", turned out several hundred Oldsmobiles in It s new rival, the Detroit Automobile Company with Henry Ford as chief engineer, only managed to construct 20 vehicles before going bankrupt in Buying a new car in 1899 was a completely different routine than it is today. In the first place, anyone contemplating the purchase of a "horseless carriage" had to be independently wealthy. Who else would buy such an expensive toy? The car could only be used in good weather, because there was no roof overhead. It wouldn't operate in the mud and there were no paved roads. Nor would it operate in deep snow. You couldn't use the vehicle on an extended trip without advance research because there were no gas stations and most small towns had never heard of gasoline, or if it was known, the local merchants didn't handle it because it was too dangerous. Normally a well to do individual would send a letter to the auto manufacturer of his choice and eventually get a letter back telling him to pick up his car at the factory on a specific summer day and bring a certified check for the full price. The buyer would take a train to the city where the factory was located and after paying the full price would be given the car including a short course on how to operate and maintain it, no driver s license was required. It was the owners responsibility to get the car back to his own home. This was the normal way to obtain a new car because there were no automobile dealers. If advance arrangements were made with the manufacturer, the auto would be shipped via rail flat car to the town of your choice, if the buyer paid the freight. Detroit's major industries in 1899 were stoves, drugs, shoes, seeds, tobacco, corsets and varnishes, but times were changing. In most of the nation's iron and steel was produced in the Pittsburgh area and most of the nation's crude oil came from wells located in Pennsylvania, but the big portion of that crude oil was converted to kerosene. Electricity was known but almost all homes used kerosene lamps. In 1899, all freight and passenger cars in the U.S. were built out of wood except for a few metal parts, mainly the trucks. By 1899, the existing manufacturing plants in the Pittsburgh area that produced iron and steel were outdated because new techniques for manufacturing steel had been developed. In 1900 along the southern end of Lake Michigan where boats could easily deliver the iron ore now available in Minnesota some new steel plants came to life along with a place known as Gary, Indiana. On January 10, 1901 in a little place unknown to most people at the time, called Beaumont, Texas a roar carne from the bowels of the earth and a stream of black liquid gushed forth like never before. Oil was now in quantities never dreamed of before. In spite of the many difficulties faced by the early automobile companies, the industry continued to grow. By 1904, some 53 companies produced 22,130 cars and some 400 trucks. But the growth continued. Production in 1905 was 24,250 and by 1908 had doubled to 53,000. In the meantime a 49 year old man who had already failed twice in the automobile business decided to try a third time. Only this time, he was going to build cars using his ideas, not someone else's ideas, so Henry Ford in 1909 began to build a ridiculous car known as the Model T (soon to earn the knick names of Fliver and Tin Lizzie) at a rate that revolutionized the industry. My production figures continue by year and include all manufacturers, however most of the increase was due to the Model T Ford. (continued on page 24) 22 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

23 HOBBY SHOP & BUSINESS CORNER OTHER HOBBY SHOPS in the NCR First Place Hobbies, Bluffton, IN Phil's Hobby Shop, Fort Wayne, IN The Gladieux Train Depot, Oregon, OH Jackie s Trains & Gifts, Erie, MI Whistle Stop Hobby, St Clair Shores, MI Rider s Hobby, Grand Rapids & Flint, MI Please visit your local hobby shop! SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 23

24 RAILROAD HISTORY by Don Watson NCR HISTORY In addition to the total number of cars produced, I have also noted the price decrease in the Model T Ford. 1909: 123, : 181,000 $ : 199,319 $ : 356,000 $ : 461,500 $ : 540,139 $ : 895,930 $ : 1,525,578 $345 This onslaught of automobile production caught the nation unprepared. In 1916, although there were more paved roads than there had been in 1904, it was still next to impossible to go many places by paved roads. Many a farmer, whose home was located next to a heavily travelled unpaved road that contained a sizeable mud hole that could not be negotiated by the automobiles of that day, earned extra money to feed the family by keeping a team of harnessed horses tied up to a fence IN MEMORIAM alongside such a mud hole. Ever since the arrival of man upon this earth, humor has helped him to survive. The following story caused uncontrollable laughter in 1916, but only causes a faint smile today because we grew up with paved roads. "A young man who lived in the city, who had just purchased a new car, went for a ride in the country on an unpaved road, the day after a drenching rain. Before long, his car became engulfed in a typical mud hole. To his surprise and pleasure he found a farmer already waiting for him with a team of harnessed horses ready to pull him out of his predicament for a fee. While pulling the city slicker out of the mud, the farmer commented that he spent 90% of his time nowadays pulling city folks out of the mud hole. To keep the conversation going the driver asked the farmer what he did with the other 10% of his time. Oh I haul water down here so the mud hole won't dry up". part 2 next issue Division 6 member Don Watson, gave these lessons nearly every month and they always entertained and informed. After Don s passing at the age of 90, his family presented them to Div. 6 and the NCR. NCR NEWS Division 3 has suffered another heart-felt loss. On April 5, 2013, long time member Dick Moessner passed away. Dick was a long time NMRA member. He wasn't that well known as such, until he retired (with his "tin foil" parachute) and moved to Fort Wayne. Things changed dramatically as he enthusiastically joined our division. He participated in our Annual Meet, giving a DIY clinic on installing DCC decoders in his tiny HO 1890's steam engines. Later he became our division's president, and also worked on the 2007 national convention, handling the convention program book. Dick, with his wife Karen, was a regular NCR convention attendee. His bad knees kept him from going on the layout tours. Instead, he maxed out on the clinics. He regularly attended the NCR BOD meetings. He didn't speak up too often. However, when he did, his point was usually well taken. He also would often bring a different point of view, or share an insight, few of us had previously considered. Dick was also a member of the Maumee Valley Rail Road Club. He brought several design innovations to their portable/modular layout, several of which are still incorporated to this day. At the MVRRC swaps, he would be the "point man" handling our NMRA division's publicity table, making sure we had enough handouts and brochures. Our division's brochure was his creation. Finally, Dick's best role, was that as Editor of our newsletter, The Dispatcher. Besides doing a bang up job of throwing it together, and publishing it regularly, he usually would include an article of whimsy about his 19th century Wisconsin Central. One of my favorites was about the company's baseball team. The newsletters are archived on our website. If you haven't read any of Dick's articles, you might do so. I've had many of you tell me these were the best part of The Dispatcher. We'll miss Dick. He was a good man, with a big heart. He listened to you thoughtfully, dispensing good advice, and giving you words of wisdom. Thanks, Chuck White, Superintendant NMRA NCR Div 3 24 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

25 NCR TIMETABLE EVENTS! NCR AREA EVENTS Saturday-Sunday, July Model Railroad Show & Swap Van Wert County Fairgrounds 1055 South Washington St. Van Wert, OH July 13-10:00 AM - 4:00 PM - July 14-11:00 AM - 3:00 PM Admission: $ Children 12 $ under Free Over 100 Vendor Tables - Operating Layouts - Good Food Wheelchair Accessible Contact Information- General Info. Jan Dunlap snapshotjan@embarqmail.com - For Table Info. Larry Webb webbie@watchtv.net Website- Wert County Historical Society.com Saturday-Sunday, August st - Annual Railfans Weekend - Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad 6140 Bray Road Flint, MI Phone: :00am to 5:00pm both days Admission: $13-$10 tickets are available from the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission at or by calling PARK Huckleberry Railroad Railfans Weekend will have 10 layouts of different scales (N, HO, HO30, S, 0-27, and G live steam) running that weekend as we well has the other railroad activities. Rio Grande K-27 will be powering the train that weekend and there will be special photo runs on both Saturday and Sunday. The shops will be open for tours. Currently we have a caboose and a Baldwin Ten Wheeler, #US152 under restoration. It is a great place to bring the family, if they are not interested in the train stuff, there are plenty of activities to entertain other members of the family. Many Division 10 members are members of the Mid-Michigan Railway Historical Society. website: Friday-Sunday, August and Day out with Thomas Weekend - Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad 6140 Bray Road Flint, MI Phone: :00am to 5:00pm Admission: $16-$20 tickets are available from the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission at or by calling PARK It s the full size Thomas the tank engine here for rides!! website: Sunday, September 22 Monroe Train Show MBT Expo Center 3775 Custer Rd. (M-50) Monroe, MI Early Admission 9:30am-4pm - Regular Admission11am - 4 pm Early Admission 9:30am-4pm -$10.00 Regular Admission11am - 4 pm - $6.00 Children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. While not the biggest in Michigan, this is a high quality show featuring some of the best vendors around. We have over 200 sales tables, operating layouts as well a a play area from young children feathuring "Riding Thomas" and many other toys. A great family show fun for young and old alike. Wheelchair Accessible Contact Information- Alan Mitchell Friend of Model Railroader (FOMRR) PO Box 1259 Adrian, MI Ph Trainshow@modelrailstuff.com NOTE- Events listed have been compiled from listings on website for Model Railroader magazine. If you have an event you want listed, it s FREE, but information must be submitted to the Editor at least 45 days in advance of our publication dates! SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 25

26 NCR TIMETABLE EVENTS! NCR AREA EVENTS Various dates - MICHIGAN RAILROAD CLUB - program list June 05 - TBA July 03 - MRC Member Jim Bradford with two videos; N&W steam Triple header in Chattanooga, TN and the L&N Hook & Eye Line. August 07 Powerpt Program by John Martin on the New York Central Flexi-Van service. September 04 - Mark Cowles, slide program. Meetings are held at the Henry Ford Centennial Library, Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Mich Meeting starts at 7pm with program starting around 7:30pm Contact- Kenneth Borg 3512 Merrick, Dearborn, MI NCR HotBox PIKE ADS 26 the HotBox SUMMER 2013

27 NCR HotBox PIKE ADS SUMMER 2013 the HotBox 27

28 Permit Holder: National Model Railroad Association The North Central Region, c/o Uwe Thormaehlen Pheasant St. New Baltimore, MI NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LIVONIA, MI Permit No in the next issue of THE HotBox MORE LAYOUT PHOTOS MORE HOW-TO-DO ARTICLES MORE INFORMATION 2013 NCR... stay tuned! Convention Last Minute News! Part 2 Automobile Car History Div 8 Convention Layouts Sneak Peak!