From the Editor

I want to apologize if you have sent me info for the newsletter and I did not use it! I did not intend to leave anyone out! I will use ANYTHING that is sent to me. I have been having issues keeping up with my emails and to be honest, I think I lost a couple of things people sent me. If I have not published something you sent, please RESEND it. I make sure to confirm when I receive something, so you know I have received it. Again sorry if I missed something and please send it again!

This issue is packed with images from the Spring Modelers Meet, Show and Tell and our Flat Car build challenge. I was beginning to worry it would be too big. If you missed any of these events, you missed a lot. We had lots of great modeling in March and April.

This issue will be the last until we meet again in September. Do not stop sending things! I do collect them until the next issue is due. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting!

View from the Cab

Although we did not have an April Meeting, we have had a lot going on! I will try to recap a few of the highlights here.

Flat Car Load Build Challenge - We had a great showing of flat cars and some very unique loads were presented. We had 14 models presented showing off everything from very modern to the Civil War era. Make sure to check out the special photo section later on in this issue.

Spring Modelers Meet - I think we may have seen some of the best models yet! This was our 3rd year doing the show and although attendance may have been lighter than expected, the quality of the models, clinics and layouts was exceptional. Make sure to check out the special photo section later on in this issue.

The UP Big Boy is coming to town! The schedule has finally been released and it will be passing through our territory on June 6th. stops are scheduled at Continental, OH and Fostoria, OH. Maybe we should put together a caravan to intercept?

Division 1 Swap meet - Be prepared to discuss the proposition for a Division 1 Swap meet. A plan was laid out at the March meeting. Discussion and concerns were heard, and the team went back to review those concerns and try to address them. The team will respond to the concerns at the May meeting and the membership will decide how to proceed from here. I want to make it clear to everyone, the team worked hard to create a plan they felt was the best option. Any member may ask questions related to any recommendation put forth and voice their concerns. No action can or will take place without a majority consent from the membership.

Some members felt blindsided by the proposal last month and felt they did not have sufficient time to review the proposal. This was an error on my part. I had meant to put a preliminary overview in the newsletter but looking back, it appears I did not (I thought I had). No one was trying to push something through, and I apologize if it appeared that way.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting.

Marshall Stull,
mstull@marshallstull.com
Superintendent

Clinic Corner

This month's Clinic will be a look at how people transport and store their rolling stock. This will be a round robin discussion lead by Tony Kukwa, Marshall Stull, Steve Glass and others. If you have a preferred way to store and transport your rolling stock, please feel free to bring a sample and help out in the conversation.

See you there,

Brian Burr,
Assistant Superintendent

May 8th Meeting Agenda

Here is a quick breakdown of what to expect at the meeting:

• Rip Track Table - Have items you want to sell or just give away? Put them on the table
• Business
• Q&A - Ask our members about anything
• Show and Tell
• Break
• Door Prizes
• Clinic
• Closing Remarks - Announcements and Open Discussion Points

Doors open at 6:00PM, Meeting Starts at 7:00PM
Proclaim FM Community Center
7112 Angola Road,
Holland, OH 43528.

The lighter side of the hobby

March Meeting Highlights

March is when participants of our Flat Car Build Challenge showed off their final models. We had 14 models presented which is a lot!

Marshall Stull displayed some drawings and photos of a Civil War era flat car loaded with a 32 pounder cannon (load over 1000 lbs). The car was an all wood frame and wooden truck frames.

Tony Kukwa displayed three flat cars loaded with Maintenance of Way equipment. He also show pictures of the loading dock used to get the equipment onto the flat cars.

Rich Prorok displayed a 40' flat car loaded with 30" dia. Precast concrete pipe. The total load was 33000 lbs, well within the cars CAPACITY limits of 100000 lbs.

Steve Glass displayed a 40' B&O flat with a thrasher type steam engine as a load.

Ray Huber displayed a 40' flat car loaded with 4 reinforced concrete beams. Each beam measured 1'x4'x40' and weighted in at 23200 lbs for a total load of 92800 lbs. This load was well within the CAPACITY limit for this car. He then showed how the LOAD LIMIT of the car was checked by adding the total load to the light weight of the car (92800 + 37800 = 130600 lbs) which is less than the LOAD LIMIT (131200 lbs) of this car. He also described how he secured the load to the car using blocking and steel rod tie downs.

John Pautz displayed 50' flat with an old steam crane and accessories as a load. Approximate load = 80000 lbs.

Mike Bruss displayed a 40' flat car with a old Shay Locomotive as a load. To be used as a stationary display. Notice that the locomotive is a former Stinky Creek locomotive.

Dave McMullian displayed a 40' flat car with a lumber load made from a kit and a bunch of sticks. The kit was well made and yields a very creditable lumber load. Checking the numbers, Dave discovered that if he used kin dried lumber, his car meet the load criteria. However, if the lumber was fresh sawn i.e. high moisture content, he had an over loaded car on his hands.

Henry Vance (our youngest member - Junior High School) displayed a 40' flat car with a portion of the hood of a diesel locomotive. Nice to see a young person interested!

Ron Gilbert displayed a 24' narrow gage flat car with a logging steam engine as a load.

Rick Breitzman displayed 4 Bulk Head flat cars with lumber loads in Z scale. All cars certified to be within load limits.

Bob Alexander displayed a 4 truck flatcar with a heavy transformer load. This 8 axle car was built to handle heavy loads like transformer.

Jared Bashaw displayed a 40' flat car with two heavy stationary boilers as loads. Loads were OK but, the car was classified as a HIGH-WIDE load and needed special handling over the road.

Bill Frisk displayed 40 flat car with a diesel locomotive GM prime mover as a load.

Spring Railroad Modelers Meet - APRIL 18, 2026

Well, the 2026 Modelers Meet is History. The results of the effort by Division One to put on a good show is now up to others to evaluate. I for one enjoyed myself as did my Son. It was a great chance to meet and talk to friends both old and new.

On a personal note, the event gave me a platform to display a small modular layout I put together some 20 plus years ago. Small in size (1'x6'), simple in operation (with a Locomotive move a few cars from one location to another), a Double Slip Switch and a Track Plan that can be a challenge to navigate.

I was pleased to see that 4 Railroaders (Division Members) step up to the challenge. They picked up the throttle along with a Switch List and "had fun" moving 4 different car types around the layout according to the instructions on the Switch List. My thanks to the 4 operators who meet the challenge and successfully completed the switching moves in short order.

One of the operating sessions turned out to be a very special experience for me. Not just one person stepped up but, a Team that consisted of a Father & Son. In this case, the Team was two Division members. They were Nathan Vance and his Son Henry. We all meet Henry at the last Division meeting as our newest and youngest member of NMRA hence Division One.

As I watched Father & Son work together, I recalled a bit of history that was begin repeated right before my eyes. Back in the early 1900 a man by the name Joshua Lionel Cowen put a small electric motor in an old cigar box with metal wheels and placed it on a circle of brass strips mounted on wooden ties. When he applied electricity to the "track" the box moved and the rest is history. Today we all know that that cigar box became Lionel Trains as well as American Flyer and others.

To promote the sale of Lionel Trains, the advertising people at Corporate capitalized on one theme that I witnessed on Saturday afternoon. That theme was and I'm paraphrasing, "Lionel Trains help form a lasting bond between Father & Son" and as I watched the two of them working together, I could see that bond growing into life long relationship that so many of us have already experienced.

Here's a quick snap shoot of that bonding in action. Not without its differences of opinion but, bonding none the less!

I hope your time on Saturday was well spent. I know my Son (my helper) and I enjoyed the day.

Thanks for your support,

Ray Huber

Spring Railroad Modelers Meet - Photo Gallery

For the Spring meet I brought my modular Free-mo layout, The Boat Yard. The layout is a large switching layout where I encouraged people to take the throttle and try to switch the industries or the railroad barge. During one of the clinics (when things slow down a little), I took advantage of the lull and went around to capture some of the layouts and models that were brought to the meet. The following are some of the things I saw. I hope you enjoy!

Upcoming Events

If you know about an event happening in our division (or nearby), please let us know so we can make everyone aware. If a club is having an open house, setup, or other activities, we could help promote it!