We are less than a month away from the NMRA Northeastern Region's NERx Virtual Convention. The convention is taking place on December 1-4 from 6:30 to 10:30 PM Eastern, each evening.
The convention will feature many great clinics and layout tours presented by Northeastern Region members. In addition, there is a model and photo contest. Submissions to the contest must be in by November 15.
You can read about a few of the clinics and the contest in this email. Looking for more information? Visit MillCity2020.org. |
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The Welsh Highland Railway by Ed Koehler |
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Who would think that a two foot gauge railroad that shut down in the late 1930’s and removed by the government during World War II had any chance of survival? Who would think that steam locomotives from South Africa would thrive in Wales?
In this presentation the histories of the current Welsh Highland Railway, Limited and the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway are also traced. The Welsh Highland Railway is becoming an additional major railway attraction for North Wales. We will also take a quick look at two other narrow gauge railways that operate out of Porthmadog, but neither of them is the one you are thinking of!
Come join Ed Koehler as he takes you on a tour of these fascinating narrow gauge lines.
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Building Bar Mills Magee's Tire Repair Service by Andy Reynolds |
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Andy, a recent AP Structures and Scenery awards recipient, challenges both the novice and advanced modeler to pick up some tips on how to build this Bar Mills Magee’s Tire Repair craftsman kit. You’ll either be perfecting your skill-set, or learning craftsman kit building for first time.
This 30 minute PowerPoint presentation will start by opening a basic Bar Mills building kit and discussing how to best get ready to build it, which in the long run will lead to a better crafted structure. You’ll see or be told how mistakes are made and how to best correct these for future models. The program goes over “Bar Mills Guide to Better Modeling” and incorporates some of these techniques, as we go though a step by step approach to its construction.
The goal is to become better versed in what glues to use, what paints or stains to try, how to get two walls and then four walls to properly bond and stay square, how to add signage to a wall or roof, weathering techniques, window treatments, lighting, and finally adding the building to a your landscape and properly adding your scenery and other show stopper details.
This clinic is a precursor to the hands-on clinic that will be conducted at the live clinic show next rime the NER can meet socially.
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Coal, Cod and Cash by Steve Erickson |
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How much railroad can be fit into 19 miles? Quite a lot. This clinic will take an in depth look at the Old Colony line that ran from Newport RI to Fall River MA. Newport was an inter modal port, with fishing, steamships, passenger service to Boston, freight and coal. A vast array of commercial enterprises were located around one of the more interesting railroad terminals you can model.
Heading north, the rail line serviced a coal mine, a copper mine, various agricultural businesses, and the mills of Fall River. At one time it serviced one of the main coaling stations for the US Navy, and in later years provided support for a major naval base.
From the "dandy" commuter trains to Boston to the working coastal coal mine, there is something for everyone in this short stretch of railroad. This will be an inspiration to do something different.
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My Big Fat Clinic, or How to Weigh Cars Like the Prototype by Chuck Diljak |
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This is not a clinic about the NMRA Recommended Practice regarding car weights.
Instead, it is a clinic about scale tracks, scale houses, scale test cars, and how to add them to your railroad operations.
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Foreground Trees with Leaves by Jeff Gerow |
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Jeff will demonstrate using Scenic Express SuperTrees® natural scale tree "branches" to create a full sized foreground tree using a sage branch as tree trunk (similar to Scenic Express SuperTree® armatures).
He will cover preparing the SuperTree® material for use, as well as attaching to the armature. Actual scale "leaves" will be attached in a natural manner to create a really great looking foreground tree.
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One Week Left: Submit your Model and Photo Entries into the Contests by Nov 15 |
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There is still time to enter your model or photo into the contest. Each entry must be submitted separately by November 15.
Model entries can include 1-4 digital photos of the model and 1-2 prototype photos. There are two forms to complete for models and one form for photos. The first form is common between both types of contest entries, identifying you and the model or photo. The second form is for model entries only and explains how the model was built, its details, appearance, and prototype influence. The second form and the photos are the only documentation to be reviewed by the evaluators for model entries.
There are four categories for the model contest: Motive Power, Rolling Stock, Structures, and Display. There are also four categories in the photo contest: Prototype-Color, Prototype-B&W, Model-Color, and Model-B&W.
An optional selfie can be included with your model and photo entries. All contest entries must be emailed to Ken May. Winners in each of the categories will be announced throughout the convention. To learn more, visit the model contest page or photo contest page.
There is still time to finish those models, take those photos, and get your entries into the NERx Contests!
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The HO scale "Sam's Produce & Market" by Sue Cooley from the 2019 NER Convention's model contest. |
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"Ragin' Waters by Bill Brown from the 2019 NER Convention's photo contest. |
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If you are looking to have a little extra fun with the virtual convention, we have created artwork to be used for printing decals. Use the decals with a car kit in your collection. The sheet contains a variety of options for eras and railroads.
More information and the decal artwork can be found when clicking here.
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There is no cost to attend the virtual convention. Instead, we are asking for donations to the Northeastern Region. To make a donation of $10, $20, $50 or any other amount, please click on the "Donate" button. As a non-profit, any financial assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you! |
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Do you have model railroad friends that may be interested in the NERx virtual convention?
We have made it easy for them to receive future news about the convention. Just forward this email to your friends and tell them to subscribe to future convention emails by clicking on the "Subscribe Now" button.
That's all there is to it!
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Join us online in December! |
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