OPEN HOUSE
Larry & Dalene Hickman's
The River Falls & Eastern Railroad
Saturday, January 27th, 2024, 10AM-12PM
20760 Dunbridge Road,
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

Larry would like a rough number of attendees so please either let us know at the January 26th meeting or send an email to blackswampdiv@div1.ncrnmra.org so we can plan accordingly. Car pooling is highly recommended.

NCR Spring Model Railroading Meet
Our adventure in 2024 is hosting the NCR Spring Model Railroading Meet in March. We have a great start with several layouts open, nine clinic spots, a large model/show area and a warm location to host the event (you never know what March will bring).

To support the event we need volunteers for setup and teardown (it's mostly just moving tables and chairs around). If you can assist, please talk to us at the meeting or drop an email to blackswampdiv@div1.ncrnmra.org.

Jim Treadaway announced at the November meeting that he is expanding his layout. After being declared done for a few years, Jim has sold his wood working equipment and is using his shop space to expand. Jim has shared his track plan for the new space which includes his module from the Northwestern Modular Railroaders club. Below are images of Jim's progress and some notes on what he is trying to accomplish.

Photo 1 is the space in basement showing woodworking equipment which had to go to make room for more important stuff. The image also shows how I extended the legs on the module I used to take to shows before I got too old and feeble to move it around. It is now the same height as the yard on the other side of the wall.

Photo 2 is of the yard on the other side of the wall showing how the track will lead to the new extension.

Photos 3 & 4 shows the bench work as of now.

This is a MUST SEE layout! This layout is scheduled to be dismantled in 2025, so see it while you can.

Larry & Dalene Hickman's
The River Falls & Eastern Railroad
Saturday, January 27th, 2024, 10AM-12PM
20760 Dunbridge Road,
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

• Scenery: 100% Completed
• Scale: HO
• Published: April, 2016, Model Railroader
• Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio, Kanawha Central (NYC) and Western Maryland
• ERA: Mid to late 1950s, West Virginia

Larry's layout is a 28'x38' double stacked HO scale railroad with (1800) feet of track including (37) staging tracks. The layout is dispatched by the Manual Block System, using block phones for crews and radios for yardmasters. The interlocking signals are always set for a stop (red) indication. This requires the crews to contact the dispatcher for further instructions when encountering these signals. The layout is operated in two (shifts) tricks: the A or B session.

At times, four different railroads can be seen on the layout: the B&O, WM, RF&E, and the Kanawha Central, an NYC subsidiary. There are five major yards on the layout, each having different functions. RF&E Homecrest Yard is classed as an industrial yard, with crews switching industries between Homecrest, North Homecrest, and Weston, WV. RF&E Robertstown Yard is classed as an intermediate yard, as it handles inbound and outbound cars from various trains, as well as locals and transfers from the B&O and WM. Valley View Yard is an independent operation, having their own switch engine handling mostly coal, with some general freight as needed for the workers and their families.