Sunrise Trail to underwrite new NMRA memberships. Winter Meet Jan 13th

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1 Season s Greetings Official Publication of THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION, INC. Northeastern Region National Model Railroad Association VOLUME 36 NUMBER 4 WINTER 2006 Winter Meet Jan 13th Modeling Tools & Techniques with Walter Neumen MMR John MacGown plus Ray Muntz and Building the Stephentown Creamery Nominations for Officers and Directors following the clinics 1:00PM 5:00PM Westbury Memorial Library 445 Jefferson Street, Westbury Exit 32 (Post Ave) off Northern State Admission is free Light refreshments available For more information contact John MacGown (516) burlyjohn@verizon.net Exit 32 Post Ave Northern State Pkwy Rockland St Linden Pl School St N 445 Jefferson St Sunrise Trail to underwrite new NMRA memberships FREE NMRA MEMBERSHIPS are now being offered by the Sunrise Trail Division to those who reside within the Division s boundaries, including the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, as well as the adjacent counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk. The offer, part of the Division s 40 th Anniversary Sign-up with Sunrise program, is limited those who have never before had NMRA membership and is contingent upon continuance of the NMRA s Rail Pass program. Anyone interested in becoming a Rail Pass member via Sign-up with Sunrise must contact the Division s Membership Coordinator, Walter Wohleking, who will take the applicant s information and then make all arrangements for his or her registration with the NMRA as a Rail Pass member, including payment of the $9.95 fee. To encourage membership, the process is being made as painless as possible, with a motto of The no-form - no-fee way to the NMRA.. Although anyone can make application by or post, those interested can also apply by telephone and not have to fill out even one line of a form. The process could hardly be easier and certainly couldn t be any cheaper. The information the Division will need can be found on page 6. After Wohleking collects the applicant s data, he will fill out the appropriate NMRA paperwork, the Division will cut a check to the NMRA, and both will be sent off to Chattanooga. It s important to note, however, that the Sign-up with Sunrise program requires that application must be made to the Sunrise Trail Division directly, if the Division is to underwrite the cost of Rail Pass membership, and not to the NMRA, as might be the usual case. In implementing Sign-up with Sunrise, the Division hopes that a relatively short term expenditure on its part will yield long term paybacks to both the NMRA and to the Division itself in the form of increased participation in Division events. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the offer will be extended for the duration of Sunrise Trail s 40 th Anniversary year in The Division plans to publicize the program with press releases, flyers in hobby shops and public places, and via articles in the modeling press. To enroll in the program contact: Walter Wohleking wwohleki@suffolk.lib.ny.us 5 Howard Drive, Huntington NY Call for Nominations for Officers and Directors Once again, the Sunrise Trail Division will elect three directors and all of its officers to be installed at the Spring Meet on April 14th. Nominations for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director may be made at the Business Meeting, which will follow the Clinics at the Winter Meet, or mailed to: Hiram Graves Sunrise Trail Division Nominations and Ballots Chair 1849 Park Place Apt. 1 Brooklyn NY

2 EDITOR and PUBLISHER Walter G. Wohleking 5 Howard Drive Huntington NY (631) (Phone) wwohleki@suffolk.lib.ny.us ASSOCIATE EDITOR John MacGown burlyjohn@verizon.net THE CANNON BALL is published quarterly by Sunrise Trail Division, Inc. of the Northeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. for the benefit of the model railroading community. SUBSCRIPTIONS start with the first issue of a volume. Rate for the U.S. and possessions is $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 Cannon Ball, c/o Walter G. Wohleking, 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. 2 Kevin Katta, President boxcarny@yahoo.com Walter Neumen, Vice President mmr205@optonline.net Howard Dwyer, Secretary dhdwyer@optonline.net Steven Perry, Treasurer seperry@optonline.net DIRECTORS John Jaklitsch johnjay1@optonline.net John MacGown burlyjohn@verizon.net Michael Martin mikeymart1@excite.com Michael Siegel viamdlr@hotmail.com Fernand Washington buzzyfernand@aol.com Andrew Wasowicz (NER Director) rwasowicz@aol.com Charles Weinhofer kinkchaser@aol.com ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM Michael Siegel CONTESTS Joseph Bux baybridgecondo3@aol.com PUBLICITY John MacGown Steven Perry WEBSITE John Jaklitsch, Webmaster MEMBERSHIP Walter Wohleking editor s commentary / WALTER WOHLEKING REMEMBERING CHARLIE Along with all that crowds my mind during each Holiday Season, memories of Charlie Schaefer always seem to pop up. Charlie was the owner-proprietor of the Caboose, a train store located in the Halesite area of Huntington. I first met him 47 years ago, just after Barbara and I were married and had moved to Huntington. I didn t really begin to get to know him very well, however, until Christmas nine or so years later, when I wanted to set up my 30 year old, pre-war Lionel trains for our growing family. In those days the Caboose was in its own small building at 8 West Shore Road. In addition to having a great selection of scale model kits, scratch building supplies and modeling publications, Charlie sold and repaired Lionel trains and carried some replacement parts I needed. But if Charlie had to choose one thing from among his model railroading cornucopia, it would have been the Märklin trains he also carried, for he was, first and foremost, a Märklin man. Fred Gates, the President and CEO of Märklin, Inc. since 1981, remembers that Charlie had been importing Märklin products to America well before the German parent established its subsidiary here. In 1991 Märklin, Inc. designated Charlie and his modest, little Caboose train store Dealer of the Year, just the third time the award had been presented up to that point. There was no better testament of Charlie s respect for Märklin than what was perhaps his most public creation. Standing prominently in the center of the Caboose and protected by glass, stood a beautifully scenicked, HO-scale, Märklin display layout Charlie had built himself. Affixed to its fascia and resembling no less than a controller for some giant, overhead gantry crane, was a galvanized steel, electrical box bearing two very large, very serious, push buttons one red, the other black. Pressing either of those tempting monsters would set one of the two trains on the layout in motion to roam through tunnel and bridge, past a station and a crane and other railroad artifacts and scale-size autos, buses and trucks to the apparent interest of tiny Preiser scale figures and to the real delight of the full-size, human prototypes who never seemed to tire of the exercise. Scores of Long Island children, including four of our own, became enthralled by model trains because of that display. The model railroad world was healthy in those days, and Charlie moved into larger quarters about a block south where, with his wife s help, he expanded the business to include art supplies. The wonderful Märklin display layout moved also and was placed toward the center-rear of the attractive new digs, where it continued to fascinate kids and parents alike. Over the years I stopped in often to buy or order things from Charlie. He maintained a good stock of stuff that real modelers used, despite the fact that profits on those items might have been slim. And even after the bloom had gone from the model railroading blossom and other hobbies muscled in, he continued to stock just about every model railroad periodical printed and craftsman kits and stripwood and scribed sheathing and styrene and structural shapes and super detailing parts and other supplies only the dwindling community of scratch-builders might have use for. Charlie, you see, was serious about model railroading. Often, I enjoyed going there just to bat the breeze. Charlie s normal demeanor about most things was to brook-nononsense, and he even managed to turn that up a notch when addressing model railroad signaling and the working signals he had installed on his Märklin display. Dave Metal would have loved Charlie. After his wife died and the store became difficult for him to manage alone, Charlie cleaned out most of his inventory and moved back to his original location with just a modest train store. The Märklin layout went back there with him, and it was now something my grandchildren would want to see and operate every chance they could. Charlie was then getting on in age, but he still tended to things mainly by himself and rarely missed a day doing so. While he might have given up much of the grandeur of the old days, he remained at heart a railroad modeler who owned a model railroad store. But Charlie s health was failing. After 50 continuous years of operation, the Caboose closed its doors for good on December 14, Shortly thereafter a peek in the window revealed dark insides and bare shelves a store devoid of everything except for that marvelous Märklin layout, standing in lonely isolation, still proudly representing its creator and master after all else had left. Charlie s gone, now, too, and I don t know what s happened to that layout. I just hope it s still out there somewhere, entertaining and stimulating yet another generation of model railroaders. If so, then Charlie lives on also still a model railroader just like always. THE CANNON BALL

3 2006 Fall Convention Model & Photo Scores JOSEPH BUX, CONTEST CHAIRMAN PHOTOS BY STEVEN PERRY MODELS CRAFTSMAN CLASS Freight Cars Category Andy Wasowicz On30 Scale Truss Rod Flat Car 83.5 Structures Category John Jaklitsch HO Scale Brick REA Freight Station 80.5 HO Scale Pump House 75.5 NEW MODELER CLASS Freight Cars Category Gail Picket HO scale Rhätische Railway Box Car 85.0 HO scale Rhätische Railway Flat Car 77.0 Motive Power Steam Category Stephen Fletcher HO Super-Detailed Ten Wheeler 70.5 Non-Revenue Cars Category Stephen Fletcher HO Steam Shovel 75.0 HO Steam Shovel Tender 72.0 HO Transfer Caboose 70.5 HO Water Car 68.5 Structures Category Frank Saladino N scale Al's Grocery Store 82.0 N scale Three Story Home for Adults 82.0 PHOTOS Color Model Category Howard Dwyer D&H Train Crossing at North Lake 72.5 D&H Train Crossing at North Lake photo by Howard Dwyer HO scale transfer caboose by Stephen Fletcher On30 scale truss-rod flat car by Andy Wasowicz Al s grocery store in N scale by Frank Saladino Gail Pickett s HO scale Swiss Rhätische Railway flat car (Rhätischen Bahn Rungenwagen) Frank Saladino s N scale 3-story home for adults Stephen Fletcher s HO scale super-detailed ten-wheeler HO scale water car by Stephen Fletcher Steam shovel & tender in HO scale by Stephen Fletcher HO scale brick Railway Express Agency freight station by John Jaklitsch BEFORE LONG IT WILL BE TIME FOR THE 2007 SPRING MEET Saturday, April 14, 2007 St. David s Lutheran Church 20 Clark Boulevard Massapequa Park Clinics Model & Photo Judging White Elephant Table Operating Modular Layouts WITH A 40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR SURPRISE OR TWO For information contact John MacGown (516) burlyjohn@verizon.net WINTER

4 Reflections on the NER Fall Convention The 2006 NER Fall Convention was held at the Hilton hotel in Parsippany, NJ. The hotel setting is in a beautiful corporate campus or park, which is conveniently located near three interstate highways. Tom Wortmann and his crew from the Garden State Division put a lot of hard work into this convention. A number of interesting clinics were scheduled, and in most cases there were at least two running simultaneously. They also made an effort to provide interesting clinics for the ladies. The downside is that the attendance was only about 117. This was reflected in the model contest, which had only eleven entries. In addition there was a non-contest display area, which featured a beautifully super-detailed Canadian passenger train by Paul Allard. Paul received this year's Spate Award for outstanding work with the Cub / Boy Scouts in promoting our hobby. Congratulations, Paul. Sunrise Trail Division s Secretary, Howard Dwyer, earned first place in the Color Model Photography category with a picture entitled, Train Traffic at Port Richmond. He also did well at the National Convention last July, earning a second in the same category for his photo, Urban Development in Utica, NY. Great job, Howard! How about sharing your secrets in a future clinic? Structures, Non-Revenue Cars and Dioramas were the model contest categories represented. I volunteered as a student judge and judged the Conformity factor with a senior judge. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. Two models really attracted my attention. While they ll undoubtedly be described more fully in an upcoming issue of the NER newsletter, the Coupler, I d like to mention them, just briefly, here. Rich Waltz, of Northampton Mass., earned 106 points in the Master category with his model of a Coal Dock and was awarded the NER Baldwin Trophy for Best in Show as a result. At the 2003 Convention in Mansfield, Mass., Rich won the New Modeler Award, donated annually by the Sunrise Trail Division to the new modeler with the best model at the NER Fall Convention. And at this year s National Convention last July, he earned first place in Offline Displays and the Scale Rails magazine s Most Photogenic Award with his HO Business Block. A photo of it graced the cover of the August 2006 issue of Scale Rails. This year Chuck Diljak of Wayne, New Jersey, earned the Sunrise Trail Division New Modeler prize with his Coal Mine Ventilation House, which accumulated 99 points in the Craftsman category. When I first saw the model, I thought to myself that it was a dead-ringer for a structure that had appeared in a fairly recent Railroad Model Craftsman magazine. Either he had done a very good job building it from the article, or he was the guy who wrote he article. Sure enough, included with his contest documentation was the February 2006 issue of RMC with the article he had written for the magazine. Steve Perry Chuck Diljak of Wayne, New Jersey, won the Sunrise Trail Division s New Modeler Award with a mine ventilation house, which was also the subject of an article in RMC. 4 PHOTO BY STEVEN PERRY Sunrise Trail Division Secretary, Howard Dwyer of Farmingville, with Train Traffic at Port Richmond, his photo that finished first in the Color Model Photography category. PHOTO BY STEVEN PERRY THE CANNON BALL

5 CONVENTION ATTRACTED STRONG INDUSTRY SUPPORT Atlas N Scale GP30 courtesy of Nassau Hobby Center THE GENEROSITY OF THIRTY manufacturers and retailers from Maine to California helped make the Sunrise Trail Division's 2006 Convention a success by providing items to be used as raffle and door prizes. Fernand Washington, who coordinated industry participation, noted that four hobby shops from the New York metropolitan area donated items, as did the Atlas Model Railroad Company from nearby Hillside, New Jersey. The stylish Stylus from Dremel Washington offered his thanks, on behalf of the Sunrise Trail Division, to all for the important part they played in the 2006 Convention. SD70 in HO from Athearn Industry Honor Roll 3 Guys Hobbies Smithtown NY A-Line Carlsbad CA Accurail Elburn IL Athearn Carson CA Atlas Hillside NJ Bar Mills Scale Model Works Bar Mills ME Blair Line Carthage MO Bowser Montoursville PA Chooch Enterprises Maple Valley WA Design Preservation Models Linn Creek MO Dremel Racine WI Evergreen Scale Models Woodville WA Hunter Scenery St. Petersburg FL InterMountain Railway Longmont CO Kadee Quality Products White City OR King Mill Enterprises Charlottesville VA Micro Engineering Company Fenton MO Micro-Trains Talent OR Nagengast Hobby Ridgewood NY Nassau Hobby Center Freeport NY Northeastem Scale Lumber Methuan MA Ram Track Round Lake Beach IL Rix Products Pikestuff Evansville IN Signs Galore London TN TLC Publishing Lynchburg VA Tomar Industries Benton Harbor MI William K. Walthers Milwaukee WI Willis Hobbles Mineola NY Woodland Scenics Linn Creek MO Xuron Saco ME Mike Martin s Favorite Christmas Cookies Editor s note In addition to being an accomplished model railroader and entertainer, Mr. Martin, a Director of the Sunrise Trail Division, is also a skilled pastry chef. In that role, he has often pointed out that even slight contact with air is detrimental to tequila used in any recipe, particularly one as scrumptious as this. For this reason, and this reason alone, it is essential that the quality of the beverage be monitored closely throughout preparation. You may rest easy knowing that Mr. Martin has taken great pains to incorporate specific steps in the recipe to thoroughly address this. 1 cup of water 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup of sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup of brown sugar 1. Sample a small amount of the Cuervo to check initial quality. 2. Take a large bowl, and...wait, first check the Cuervo again to be sure its quality is not limited to just the surface. Pour one level cup and drink. 3. Now, turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. 4. Add one teaspoon of sugar...beat again. At this point it's best to make sure that the testing thus far has not caused the Cuervo to deteriorate. Try another cup... just in case. 5. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and then chuck in the cup of dried fruit. 6. Pick the fruit that missed the bowl up off the floor. lemon juice 4 large eggs 1 cup nuts 2 cups of dried fruit 1 bottle Jose Cuervo tequila 7. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity. 8. Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. And a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. 9. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher. CHERRY MISTMAS! WINTER

6 Around the Division Gramps Railroad operating session On Saturday, October 21st the Sunrise Trail Division s David Metal held an operating session on his Gramps Railroad. The session, which ran from 11AM to 4PM, featured about 20 different consists, with the dispatcher granting authority to operate trains from place to place verbally. With a philosophy of just run trains and have fun no timetable or written orders were used. Operators ranged in age from 8 to 75, and all present had a great time. In addition to being an NMRA Life Member, Dave is also a member of the area s HOTrack group. Modeling with the Masters of the Sunrise Trail Build a Pumphouse Clinic the Mailbag contributions may be edited for clarity GORDON CANNON, pioneer in HO scale detailing parts and the man behind Cannon & Co., died on October 12th, 2006 after a long bout with cancer. God bless him and may he rest in peace. He will live on in the models we place on our tables and in his dedication to giving us the best parts possible. And he will be missed. My prayers go out for him and his family. Scott Fraser Calgary Long Island & Lake Erie and Island Central pictured in Walthers 2007 Catalog Two members of the Sunrise Trail Division are represented in the pages of the new 75th Anniversary Edition of the Walthers 2007 Model Railroad Reference Book. Rocky Point Harbor on Charlie Weinhofer s Long Island & Lake Erie Railroad is shown in a photograph on page 632, and Howard Dwyer s Island Central is pictured two pages later. Howard is the Sunrise Trail Division s current Secretary and Charlie is one of the Division s Directors. By the way, Charlie, we all know Hauppauge ain t in Minnesota. Now, we just have to convince the folks in Wisconsin of that. West Island in Great Model Railroads 2007 The fabulous West Island Model Railroad Club layout is one of the eleven model railroads featured in the new Kalmbach Publication, Great Model Ralroads And that s Dave Metal, again, shown in a photograph on page 82 being brought up to speed on West Island s dispatching procedures. The West Island Club, located at 188 Merritts Road, Farmingdale, will be available to the public during its annual holiday open houses. Check the Holiday Train Guide in this issue of the Cannon Ball for more information. 6 Andy Wasowicz, John Jaklitsch, Ludwig Riemenschneider and Robert Shigo at the October Participation Clinic PHOTO BY STEVEN PERRY Sign-up with Sunrise The no form, no fee way to the NMRA JUST PHONE OR US AND WE LL DO THE REST Here s what we ll need to know Name: Street address: City: Zip: address: Phone: ( ) Date of birth: Scale(s) of interest: , phone or post your information to Walter Wohleking and that s it wwohleki@suffolk.lib.ny.us (631) Howard Drive, Huntington NY Time to renew THIS IS THE FINAL ISSUE of the Cannon Ball for 2006, and it might be the last issue period for those whose subscriptions end this year. The top line on your mailing label contains the Cannon Ball Code, which can tell you whether your subscription has longer to run or will expire after this issue. Here s how to read it. The first character designates the type of subscription you have. R indicates Regular, L means Lifetime and C is for Complimentary. The second character indicates the type of subscriber you are. I stands for Individual, N indicates Non-Profit Organization and F means For- Profit Organization. The final year of your subscription follows the hyphen. If 2006 appears, it means this is your last issue. Those with lifetime subscriptions will see Finally, your NMRA identification number appears if you are or have been a member of the National Model Railroad Association. Also, if this is your last issue, a notice to that effect should have been printed in red ink above the Cannon Ball Code, but don t count on it. The computer determines what Cannon Ball mailing labels to print by looking at the Cannon Ball Code for everybody s record, and in particular the number immediately following the hyphen. If this is less than the year in which the computer is printing a run of labels, it will not print a label for that record, and Cannon Balls are only sent to those people the computer prints labels for. So check the label on this issue, and if it says, 2006, send in a renewal ASAP. THE CANNON BALL

7 Holiday Train Guide ONCE AGAIN WE BRING YOU OUR GUIDE TO TRAIN DISPLAYS AND EVENTS, which usually take place only during the Holiday Season. This year we ve left off swap meets and similar shows (they are carried instead in Down the Track on the back page) and limited the guide to events that involve trains that operate, whether scale or full size. As always, use any contact information listed to check for last minute changes to the schedule of an event. Daily November 24 to December 29 (closed Christmas day) Daily except Mondays November 19 to January 8 Friday November 17 Saturday, November 18 Sunday, November 19 10:00AM-6:00PM Monday-Saturday Sunday 10:00AM-6:00PM (see website for holiday hours) 7:30PM-10:00PM THE STATION AT CITIGROUP CENTER 700 square foot multi-scale operating layouts with animated scenes and computer-controlled lighting effects. Built by Broadway set designer Clark Dunham and his staff, it is set in New York state during the 1940s and '50s. Citigroup Center 153 East 53 rd Street at Lexington Avenue, New York City (212) N.Y. BOTANICAL GARDEN HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW Large scale operating model railroad with historical buildings. New York Botanical Garden Bronx River Parkway & Fordham Road, The Bronx (718) Largest HO scale operating model railroad in New York metro area 10 scale miles of track can handle 15 trains at one time thru spectacular scenery 188 Merritts Road, Farmingdale (in the rear of the Merritts Shopping Center Adults: $5; Children under 12 free with paying adult YONKERS MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE Large HO scale layout based on the New York Central's Putnam Line Tibbets Brook Park Adm. Bldg. 2nd Floor, Midland Ave., Yonkers Admission free; Parking free (914) putnambb@aol.com YONKERS MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE continued overleaf NOTE for :00AM-7:00PM ROCKVILLE CENTRE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE The HO scale Sheepshead Bay Connecting Lines 200 Sunrise Highway, Rockville Centre (516) For the past two years, the Rockville Centre Model Railroaders have opened their club layout to the public on the same day as the Sunrise Trail Division Annual Convention in Baldwin. This is well before the Holiday Train Guide issue of the Cannon Ball goes to press, and the event therefore is not carried in the newsletter. Rockville Centre is the next village west of Baldwin, and the RVCMRR Club is just a short drive in that direction along Sunrise Highway. You might consider visiting the RVCMRR Club some time before, during or after next year s Sunrise Trail Division Convention. Once you ve registered for the Convention and obtained the stick-on badge, you ll always be able to leave and return without having to pay again. Best wishes for the Holidays to those who love trains and to all who love those who love trains from the Sunrise Trail Division. During this joyous season and always, remember those in our armed forces who go daily into harm s way. May God bless them all. WINTER

8 Holiday Train Guide (continued from previous page) Friday November 24 Saturday, November 25 Sunday, November 26 CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE O Hi-Rail operating model railroad 90F Raynor Avenue, Ronkonkama Admission Free (631) An hour-long ride in festive cars adorned with vintage decorations and pulled by a steam locomotive. Kids get to meet Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph & the Christmas Bear, while Elves hand out a small gift to each child. One Railroad Avenue, Essex, Connecticut Adults: $17; Children 11 & under: $9 (860) Frequent trolley rides with Santa Claus throughout the day 17 River Street, East Haven, Connecticut Adults: $6; Seniors: $5; Children 2-15: $3; under 2 free (fare is good all day) (203) TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE Under construction O Hi-Rail operating layout 1110A Route 109, Lindenhurst (behind Intercounty Bakers building) Admission Free (516) O Hi-Rail operating model railroad with spectator activated accessories 679 Hawkins Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma Adults: $4; under 12: $3 (631) CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE WEST ISLAND MODEL RAILROAD CLUB CLUB OPEN HOUSE TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE continued overleaf Anthony Dalileo Gary Hungerford John Ong James Lyman Thomas Conte welcomes... new to the Division since the last issue Brooklyn Lindenhurst Massapequa Northport Smithtown NEXT CANNON BALL DEADLINE FEBRUARY 1, 2007 The Editor s Thanksgiving Turkey s Ready! Popcorn Stuffing No more guessing at times or checking for temperature. This dandy recipe will tell you when the bird is ready even as it cooks the stuffing. 1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.. 2. Ready the turkey as usual and assemble the normal ingredients for stuffing. 3. Thoroughly combine 2 cups of Orville Redenbacher low-fat, low-sodium, uncooked popcorn with the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Serve immediately 4. Fill the cavity with the stuffing-mix. 5. Place the turkey in a baking pan with the neck toward the back of the oven and close the oven door. 6. Listen for the popping sounds. 7. When the turkey s rear end blows open the oven door and the bird rockets across the room, it is done. 8 THE CANNON BALL

9 Holiday Train Guide (continued from previous page) Friday December 1 Saturday, December 2 Sunday, December 3 6:00PM-9:00PM 8:00PM-10:00PM 10:00AM-5:45PM 11:00AM-5:00PM 11:30AM-3:30PM 2:00PM-5:00PM 11:00AM-5:00PM 11:30AM-3:30PM ST. JAMES MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE O Hi-Rail operating model railroad Mills Pond House 660 Route 25A, Saint James (631) BAY RIDGE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE O scale operating model railroad 28 Marine Avenue, Brooklyn Adults: $3; children under 12: $1 (718) NEW YORK RAILROAD ENTHUSIASTS HOLIDAY EXCURSION Meet at either NY Penn Station or Hoboken Station. and ride NJ Transit Rail to Convent Station. Lunch in Rod s Steak & Seafood Grill Parlor Car adjacent to the station. Then go by chartered bus to the Whippany Rail Museum on the Morristown & Erie RR. Ride their Santa Train excursion run in a parlor car. Return by bus to Morristown station and then to NY or Hoboken by NJ Transit Rail. Adult $73; Senior $69 (516) ST. JAMES MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE SANTA COMES TO GREENPORT Santa arrives on the noon train and departs for the North Pole at 3:00PM Railroad Museum of Long Island adjacent to the Greenport railroad station Admission free (631) BAY RIDGE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE ST. JAMES MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE SANTA COMES TO GREENPORT continued overleaf In the next issue of the Cannon Ball Election results for Officers and Directors Spring Meet preview The case of the Fickle Pickle Coffin and other railroad mysteries resumes All submissions for the Spring, 2007 issue must be in by February 1st, 2007 WINTER

10 Holiday Train Guide (continued from previous page) Saturday, December 9 Sunday, December 10 Saturday, December 16 Sunday, December 17 Saturday, January 6 Sunday January 7 7:30AM-11:30AM 10:00AM-3:00PM 2:00PM-5:00PM TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES SWAP MEET LONG ISLAND MODEL RR ENGINEERS CLUB OPEN HOUSE Under construction operating HO & N scale model railroads 3661 Horseblock Road - Unit P, Medford Adults: $2.00; Children: $1.00; under 2 free (631) TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE BAY RIDGE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE TMB TRAIN CLUB OPEN HOUSE CENTRAL OPERATING LINES CLUB OPEN HOUSE 10 THE CANNON BALL

11 A Model Railroader s Visit from St. Nicholas Twas the night before Christmas, and all through my pike, Not a steamer was stirring, not even a Mike. My yard tracks invitingly empty and bare, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The diesels were nestled all snug in their sheds, While visions of DCC danced in their heads. While I, in my blue-and-white engineer's cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap. When down in the train room, there rose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the basement I flew like an ace, Tripped over the cat and fell flat on my face. I stifled a curse meant for Chessie (the cat), And muttered to no one, "I meant to do that." Then what to my wondering eyes should appear, But an HO-scale sleigh and eight Preiser reindeer, With an engineer driving, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than GG-1s onward they came, And he blew a steam whistle and called them by name: "On Athearn! On Lionel, Kato and Walthers! On Kadee! On Micro-Trains, Atlas all others! To the top of the mountains of Hydrocal plaster, Now dash away, dash away, dash away faster!" As dry leaves that behind a new Genesis fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So in through the window the coursers they flew With the sleigh full of trains, and Santa Claus too. And then, on my roundhouse, I saw on the roof The prints in the dust of each HO-scale hoof. As I drew a deep breath, and was turning around, From neath the benchwork, Santa came with a bound. He was dressed like an engineer from head to foot, And his clothes had that fine smell of ashes and soot. A bundle of trains he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes were like marker lights! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks like a Warbonnet, nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And his beard was so white, it would please Phoebe Snow. He puffed on a pipe as he refilled its bowl, And its smoke looked and smelled like bituminous coal. He had a broad face and a belly (I found) That shook like a tank car with wheels out-of-round. He was chubby and plump, and I wanted to shout, "The man's got a route UP cannot buy out!" A wink of his eye as he passed near the door Soon gave me to know I'd have freight cars galore. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work. He filled all my yard tracks; then turned with a jerk, And leaving an airbrush he'd found on ebay, And giving a nod, he returned to his sleigh. He pumped up the brakes, blew two blasts on his whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all! Keep em rolling! Good night!" WINTER

12 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION Name Scale(s) Address City State Zip 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 DOWN THE TRACK Nov 19 Dec 3 Dec 3 Dec Jan 7 Jan 7 Jan 13 Jan 14 Jan 20 Jan 21 Feb 3 Feb 18 Mar 4 Mar 18 Apr 14 7:30AM-11:30AM 11:00AM-4:00PM 10:00AM-3:00PM 7:30AM-11:30AM 10:00AM-4:00PM 8:30AM-1:00PM 10:00AM-3:00PM 11:00AM-3:30PM 7:30AM-11:30AM 10:00AM-4:00PM 8:30AM-1:00PM 7:30AM-11:30AM 8:30AM-1:00PM 10:00AM-5:00PM Central Operating Lines All-Gauge Swap Meet Bingo Hall, 1644 Locust Ave, Bohemia. Michael Iorio (516) $3, under 12 free Westbury Community Reform Temple Train Show Community Reform Temple, 712 The Plain Rd, Westbury St. Vincent DePaul Model Train & Toy Show 1510 DePaul St, Elmont. Frank Deorio (516) $5, under 12 free Central Operating Lines All-Gauge Swap Meet Bingo Hall, 1644 Locust Ave, Bohemia. Michael Iorio (516) $3, under 12 free Great South Bay Winter Model Train Show & Exhibition Freeport Recreation Center, 130 East Merrick Rd, Freeport Northern Spur Train, Diecast Vehicles & Toy Meet Knights of Columbus Hall, 400 South Broadway, Lindenhurst $3, under 16 free Sunrise Trail Div Winter Meet. Westbury Public Library, 445 Jefferson St. John MacGown (516) burlyjohn@verizon.net Free. St. Vincent DePaul Model Train & Toy Show 1510 DePaul St, Elmont. Frank Deorio (516) $5, under 12 free Northrup Grumman Club Train Show Bethpage High School, Stewart & Cherry Aves, Bethpage Central Operating Lines All-Gauge Swap Meet Bingo Hall, 1644 Locust Ave, Bohemia. Michael Iorio (516) $3, under 12 free Model Railroading Museum Train Show Marcus Christ Hall, Jericho Tpke & New Hyde Park Rd, New Hyde Park. Frank Blennau (516) free Northern Spur Train, Diecast Vehicles & Toy Meet Knights of Columbus Hall, 400 South Broadway, Lindenhurst $3, under 16 free Central Operating Lines All-Gauge Swap Meet Bingo Hall, 1644 Locust Ave, Bohemia. Michael Iorio (516) $3, under 12 free Northern Spur Train, Diecast Vehicles & Toy Meet Knights of Columbus Hall, 400 South Broadway, Lindenhurst $3, under 16 free Sunrise Trail Div Spring Meet. St. David s Lutheran, 20 Clark Blvd, Massapequa Park. John MacGown (516) burlyjohn@verizon.net $3 Also National Railway Historical Society Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter meets 8:00PM the 3rd Friday of each month at Christ Episcopal, Carll Ave & Prospect St, Babyon 5 HOWARD DRIVE HUNTINGTON NY FIRST CLASS MAIL PLACE STAMP HERE IN THIS ISSUE FREE NMRA MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM 2006 CONVENTION MODELS & PHOTOS GUIDE TO HOLIDAY TRAIN DISPLAYS NER FALL CONVENTION REPORT REMEMBERING CHARLIE STDIV GOOFY HOLIDAY RECIPES MODEL RAILROADER S VISIT FROM ST. NICK PLACE MAILING LABEL HERE