Summer 2023 President`s Letter

Greetings Seacoast Members,

Summer is almost over and for the first time ever, I didn`t have to water the yard. I`m sure you`ve had a lot of rain as well. It helped the water bill immensely. On the down side, the AC has been on almost non-stop. I don`t even want to see the next electric bill.

Seacoast Division Board of Director Activity

I`m about a week late with this letter, but it`s for a good reason. We`ve had a lot of things going on that needed the Board of Directors` approval and we couldn`t put together a quorum at the Aug 31 BOD meeting. Without a quorum of Directors, we can`t vote. So, I wanted to wait until the Special BOD meeting Sept 7 had occurred and several important things were approved.

As you know Dave Kotsonis has stepped down as a member, Director, and Treasurer of the Seacoast Division on Aug 31. I discussed this in my letter to you on Aug 7. We all wish Dave the best and thank him for his years of service to the Seacoast Division.

Prior to Dave`s departure, Jim Seroskie and Jay Ehlen worked with Dave to successfully complete an audit of the Treasurer`s books. The post audit Treasurer`s report shows $6,630.79 in the General Fund and $9814.73 in the Faulter Fund.

Fortunately Jim Seroskie and Jim Gore, MMR, stepped up and volunteered to be the Treasurer and Director respectively. As president, I nominated them for appointment to these positions and the Board of Directors approved them on Sept 7.

I am happy to report that the Seacoast 2025 NER Exploratory Committee received many volunteers for the vacant 2025 NER Local Committee positions at the meeting on Aug 30. Based on filling the Local Convention Committee Co-Chair positions, the Exploratory Committee recommended that the Seacoast Division host the 2025 NER Convention in Concord, NH.

A letter that I sent out on August 30th which reported the results of the meeting.

On September 7th the Seacoast Division Board of Directors approved the recommendation of the Seacoast 2025 NER Exploratory Committee that the Seacoast Division host the 2025 NER Convention in Concord, NH. It`s now official! Please remember, we still need volunteers to help with the Local Convention Committee and sub-committees.

The third major outcome of the September 7th BOD meeting was the approval of the application for funding submitted by the Southern Maine Model Railroad Club (SMMRRC). Based on the recommendation by the Chip Faulter Fund committee, the Board of Directors approved the granting of $3500 from the Chip Faulter Fund to the SMMRRC.

Finally, on September 7th the BOD approved the slate of candidates for the three Director positions that will open up on Januiary 1, 2024. The slate of candidates is made up of Will Everitt, John McHugh, and Glenn Mitchell.

Summer 2023 Event (Excerpts for Tage Erickson`s Report)

The Seacoast Division held its 2023 Summer Event at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club this past Saturday, July 15, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. We had 16 members show up in person and 7 members that viewed the Event via a Zoom meeting. The Event was recorded and was subsequently edited by Jim Seroskie. The Event recording is now available for viewing on the Division Youtube site at the addresses below:

This is a brief list of the presentations:
Up On The Roof by Tom Oxnard MMR
Scratch-Build a DCC Command Station for $70 by Will Everitt
Swing Bridge Construction by Victor Hand
Demonstration of movable layout section that can be in any of 6 different stations by Bob Bennett
Progress on the Fort Fairfield Branch of the BAR - Lessons Learned by Peter McKenney
Show, Tell & Ask

For more details of the Summer 2023 Event, see Tage`s full report or watch the event on youtube.

Seacoast Fall 2023 Event

The Seacoast Division Fall 2023 Event will be held on October 28, 2023 at Stratham Fire House in Stratham, NH at 10:00. Watch for the Event notice. Jay Ehlen is organizing the event.

Concord Model Railroad Club Show

The 37th Annual Concord Model Railroad Show was held on August 20, 2023 in Concord NH. Tage Erickson and I manned the Seacoast NMRA table and had a good time. Several Seacoast members stopped by. The Concord Show had a good turnout, reportedly back up to pre-Covid levels.

Other Upcoming 2023 Shows and Events

The NER Convention, Cannonball Express 2023, will be held in Uniondale, NY, October 5-8, 2023. Enrollment is open at the Cannonball Express web site. I will be attending along with several other members. The NER conventions are a great opportunity to see and operate on many great layouts near the convention venue. There is always a great line-up of clinics as well. It`s not too late to sign up - I hope to see you there.

Respectfully Submitted,
Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director

Published: 19 September 2023

Spring 2023 President`s Letter

Greetings Seacoast Members,

We`re well into spring and I hope you have all of your yard clean-up tasks done. This year it was time to re-apply the bark mulch and after 102 bags from Home Depot, I`m done. It`s time for me to start the layout work that requires the table saw in the drive way. I still have a lot of carpentry work to do. I hope you are making progress on your railroads as well.

Seacoast Division Board of Director Activity

The Seacoast Division BOD has had two Zoom meetings since my last letter which were held on April 13, 2023 and May 18, 2023. The BOD meetings are held regularly (8 times this year). All members are welcome to attend. Please contact me and I will get your name on the Zoom invitation.

We`d like to thank Director Jim Seroskie for setting up a Seacoast division Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@nmra-seacoast-division/videos. Thus far we have the videos of the last three Seacoast Events (Fall 2022, Winter & Spring 2023) and a video tour of Victor Hand`s layouts. Please take a moment to view the videos. If you have a video of your layout that you would like to share on Youtube, contact Jim.

We`d also like to thank Director Guy Mason for volunteering to be the Chairman of the new Seacoast Division Publicity Committee. Guy`s first task is to take over as the administrator of the Seacoast Division Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seacoastnmra/. Having someone who skilled on the social media platforms is crucial as try to attract new members to the Seacoast Division and the NMRA.

An action that came out of the recent BOD meetings is for me to contact the membership whenever a new Switch Tower is posted to the website. I will do my best to stay on top of this.

Spring 2023 Event

The Seacoast Division of the NMRA held its Spring 2023 Live Event with Zoom on April 15, 2023 at the James Foley Memorial Community Center in Rochester, NH. We`d like to offer a special thank you to Rich Breton for arranging the venue and Jay Ehlen for planning the event. A special thanks goes to Tage Erickson for handling the Zoom portion of the meeting. The event was attended by 17 NMRA members in person and 8 members via Zoom. Member Dave Robertson brought 3 guests who are members of the First Baptist Church of Shapleigh Train Club to the event. They presented Tage Erickson and the Seacoast Division with a Thank You card for the Faulter Fund donation that was made to their club. The club members are building a modular layout and the Seacoast Division is happy to support them.

I kicked off the meeting and welcomed everyone and gave a brief status of the progress that the 2025 Convention Exploratory Committee has made. Once again I addressed the need for members to step up and fill the Co-Chairman positions for each of the four committees (Overall Convention, Inside Activities, Outside Activities, and Publicity). The Division also needs help with the Audio/Video operation required to broadcast the event to Zoom Attendees.

Next, AP Chairman Tom Oxnard, MMR announced the award of a Golden Spike to Will Everett. Congratulations Will!

The first clinic, "Scratch Building a Through-Plate Girder Bridge", was given by John McHugh. John showed how he built an HO scale 79 foot through-plate girder bridge to earn a Merit Award. He presented how he measured and documented a representative prototype and modified the design to fit his layout requirements. He highlighted the many key details that were added in order to increase the complexity to meet the requirements for a Merit Award. John gave a very informative presentation. Thanks John!

The second clinic, "Does Your Layout Tell A Story?" was given by Jim Gore, MMR. Jim walked through the ten key areas that need to be addressed so that the structure/scene looks realistic to the typical viewer who may not be a model railroader Adding many minor details to a structure goes a long way toward the goal of creating a realistic looking model. Jim showed photos of many of his own models to help illustrate the ten topics that he describes. Outstanding! We never tire of seeing Jim`s great work.

As part of the "Show, Tell, Ask" portion of the event, Dave Emery showed how he used servos and custom built linkages to create an Operating Ball Signal, like those used by the B&M Railroad years ago in New Hampshire. Dave, very nice work!

The third clinic, "Ten Year Anniversary of the HO Scale 1909 Boston & Maine Layout at the Heritage Park Railroad Museum was presented by Rich Breton. Rich presented about a hundred photos, out of the thousands in his collection, that walked the audience through the ten years of hard work donated by many volunteers who designed and built the layout. The layout accurately depicts the eastern New Hampshire locations traversed by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1909. Rich included history of local people`s ancestors who lived in the area or worked on the railroad. Overall, an outstanding presentation. Thanks again Rich.

Remember, If you missed the Spring event and are interested in any of the clinics listed above, You can view them on the Division Youtube Channel.

Lastly, I reviewed upcoming events and conventions and introduced the two layout tours, The Heritage Park Railroad Museum - 1909 B&B Layout and Chris Oliver`s Donner Pass HO Layout that were open to members following the event.

Again I would like to thank everyone who helped make the Spring Event possible!

Seacoast Summer 2023 Event

The Seacoast Division Summer 2023 Event will be held on July 15, 2023 at the Great Falls Model Railroad Club in Auburn ME. Watch for the Event notice. Tage Erickson is organizing the event.

Other Upcoming 2023 Shows and Events

37th Annual Concord Model Railroad Show, Everett Arena, 15 Loudon Rd, Concord, NH 03301. Exit 14 on Route 93. August 20, 2023 - Hours 10a-3:30p. For more information please visit https://www.trainweb.org/cmrc/ or contact Rich Fifield via email at rhfsaf@aol.com or 603- 736-8061.

NER Convention - Cannonball Express 2023, Uniondale, NY, October 5-8, 2023. Enrollment is open at https://ner-conventions.org/cannonball-express/.

Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee Status

he Seacoast Division 2025 NER Convention Exploratory Committee continues to investigate the possibility of the Seacoast Division hosting the 2025 NER Convention. At this time we have located one feasible venue in Concord NH - The Grapponne Center. Several committee members were able to tour the venue on May 24th. Each of the four major committees (Overall Convention, Inside Activities, Outside Activities, and Publicity) will be co-chaired in order to share the workload. At this time two Seacoast members have volunteered to be a co-chairman for the Inside Activities Committee and the Publicity Committee. We are still in need of at least one volunteer for each the co-chair positions in the Overall Convention Committee and Outside Activities Committee before we can commit to hosting the 2025 NER Convention. Please think about stepping up and becoming a Committee Co-chairman.

Once again, consider volunteering. This is your organization and we need help in several areas.

Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA President & Director

Published: 02 June 2023

Summer President's Message 2022

Hello Seacoast Members.,

The summer has flown by and once again I am late getting this letter out to you. I recently thought back to last winter, when I had planned several model railroad tasks that needed to be done in the warmer weather. Most involved rolling the table saw out on the driveway and slicing up sheets of plywood or Masonite. Fortunately I bought most of my stockpile before the prices jumped due to Covid. Unfortunately, that also tells you how far behind I am with construction. Regardless, I have not had the saw out yet. Before I begin I need to create my master "cut list." Once I know what I need, I can usually roll through it – the key is to not over think it. I’m guilty of doing that a lot. So the message here regarding building your railroad is – don’t over think it – just do it!

As my layout progresses, I find that mixing up the tasks is helpful. After a lot of layout structure work, track-work, and wiring, I needed a change. Time for some scenery. I really admire the scenery created by Pelle SØeborg and Lance Mindheim. I think one of the reasons I like their styles is that they both model "modern" eras. I think most of their scenery style would fit in my 1975 era layout with the correct vintage of motive power, rolling stock, and vehicles. I chose a section of the layout to begin scenicing that is 16 ft. long and one foot in depth with a backdrop. Just a double track mainline with a slight grade going through Illinois corn fields. I started the "landscaping" with Styrofoam insulation. I purchased a Woodland Scenics hot wire foam cutter which makes shaping foam so much easier and neater that using a knife and a rasp. Just make sure you have proper ventilation. I’ll post some pictures as things progress.

Summer is not usually the time for train shows, however, the Concord Model Railroad Club puts on their show every year on the second Sunday of August (Aug. 14) at the Everett Arena in Concord, NH. This show is the best show in New Hampshire and the Seacoast Division will be represented. Stop by at our table and say hello. I look forward to seeing you there.

Eleven years ago, in 2011, I went to my first North East Region Convention – the Roger Williams Express – in Warwick Rhode Island. I was able to sign up for multiple operating sessions. Model railroad operations is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby. First, I was able to operate on a club layout (I don’t remember the name.) on the way to the convention. I got to experience the dynamics of a club layout, which has to meet the needs of the many members. The second layout I toured was Don Irace’s Providence & Worcester Railroad. Every aspect of the layout – multi-level benchwork, track, scenery, and prototype modeling- was very well executed. It was also the first layout that I have encountered to use JMRI Panelpro signaling and dispatching. Don’s layout provided a lot of inspiration for my own layout design. I was lucky enough to operate on it again at the 2017 NER convention. Unfortunately, this layout was dismantled a few years ago when Don moved. Ever since that first convention, I have been signing up for as many operation sessions as possible at successive NER conventions. Seeing how other modelers have constructed and operate their layouts always provides me with new ideas.

This year I signed up for two layout tours at the Connecticut Yankee NER Convention in Windsor, Connecticut. I expect additional operating positions to become available prior to the start of the convention. Clinics are another big part of any convention. The Connecticut Yankee has 51 clinics available from Thursday thru Saturday. There are a lot more activities than I want to mention here. More information is available at ner-conventions.org/connecticut-yankee. I encourage every Seacoast member to attend the Connecticut Yankee Convention which runs from Sept. 15 thru Sept. 18. Enrollment is open!

Lastly, the Seacoast Division Fall Event is scheduled for October 8, 2022 at the Stratham Volunteer Fire Department. I want to thank Mike Grahame for providing the venue. Vice President Jay Ehlen will be organizing and running this even. Watch for the event notice.

That’s all I have for now. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I hope to see you at the CMRRC Show or the Connecticut Yankee NER Convention.

Take care,

Glenn Mitchell, Seacoast Division NMRA President and Director

Published:02 August 2022

Spring President's Message 2022

Greetings Seacoast Members,

It`s hard to believe that it`s been a month since I was elected by the Board of Directors to the office of President. It`s an honor to serve the members of the Seacoast Division. I hope I can perform up to your expectations. It`s time for me to reach out and speak to you, the Seacoast Membership. I`ll talk a little about myself and then discuss where we`re going as a division.

But first, I want to thank Tage Erickson and Mike Pedersen who have completed their 3 year terms as Directors and have chosen to step down. Tage served as a Director for 5 years and as the Seacoast President for 3½ years. Mike served 3 years as Director. We all greatly appreciate all of the good work and support to the division that Tage and Mike have given. We also know that they will both continue to support the Seacoast Division in the future. Tage has already stepped up to manage the Chip Faulter Fund. Mike has volunteered to organize and run the silent auction at the Seacoast Division Spring Event.

A Brief Introduction

While I know many of you from the Events over the past years, I also know there are many more of you that I have not met. I look forward to the opportunity to meet with all -of you in the future. I have been an NMRA member since 2008 and a Director for 5 years. I have served as Vice President and Event coordinator for 3½ years prior to becoming President.

My interest in model railroading began at an early age when my parents gave me an American Flyer S gauge trainset. Soon after that, I was at the throttle on my uncle Russ`s amazing HO layout which had hand laid track and many NMRA contest winning scratch built structures. It was my inspiration to model HO gauge.

I grew up in the small western suburb of Chicago named Berkeley. Berkeley`s northern border abutted the massive Chicago and North Western Proviso yard (the largest yard in the country until the mid-1950`s). The Chicago Great Western Railroad bisected the town. I remember counting the cars on the typical 100+ car CGW trains when I should have been paying attention in grade school. Needless to say, these two railroads would play a part of my future plans.

After college and starting a family, we moved to New Hampshire in 1981. I joined the Bedford Boomers Club in 1985 and spent many years building two modules which were part of the club show layouts for almost 30 years. Having moved several times since 1981, I never got that home layout built even though I started a couple of times.

Around 2008 after joining the NMRA, I got my first taste of serious operating and I have been hooked since. Besides operating regularly on several friends` home layouts in southern New Hampshire, I have attended several NER conventions and have always signed up for as many op sessions as I possible could.

After working for a major defense contractor for 34+ years, I retired in 2015. My fiancée and I both sold our houses and we bought one together in Concord, NH. One of the criteria was it had to have a useable basement. (I was going to say “large basement” but it will never be large enough).

The ambitious home layout that I am currently building models the C&NW in 1975. The Elgin & Joliet Eastern Railroad is modeled as well and interchanges traffic with the C&NW. The EJ&E gives me a connection to the steel mills in Gary, IN that will be modeled. The layout design is a two level around-the-room bookshelf style layout that is being designed for operations. I am designing it in XtrakCad, a free model railroad CAD tool available from JMRI.org. It will include a PanelPro computer based CTC panel, Block detection, and signals on the C&NW main line. (remember â€" I said it was AMBITIOUS!) So far, I am still working on the first phase of the layout and have a couple hundred feet of track and about 50 turn-outs installed. Stand by for updates and possibly a clinic as construction proceeds.

The Seacoast Division Going Forward

The major goal of the Seacoast Division is to serve the membership and promote the hobby. The quarterly Events have been our primary way of accomplishing this. We work to make the events educational as well as entertaining. They also provide a venue to meet and socialize with other members. We continue to look to the Seacoast membership for clinic and presentation ideas as well as for volunteers to give the clinics and presentations. We need your help. I have been the Seacoast Activities Coordinator for the past for 3½ years. I cannot continue in that position and be president. Besides, it is time for a new coordinator to bring in new ideas for the division events. One option that has been discussed is to have a member organize and run a single event. If anyone wants to give it a try, but is not sure how to do it, don`t worry, you will be supported. If you`re interested, please contact me.

An Election Update

Every year, 3 of the 9 Director positions are up for re-election. The voting is conducted prior to and the results are announced at the Annual Meeting held at the Winter Event held in January. This year we had 4 candidates for 3 Director positions. After the election was over it was discovered that one of the winners was not eligible to run for or hold the position of Director because that individual was not an active member in the NMRA. Article VI para. 1 of the Seacoast Division Bylaws states that a Director must be a member of the NMRA.

A Special BOD meeting was held via Zoom on Feb 11, 2022. The seven BOD members present unanimously certified that the remaining three eligible candidates Dave Kotsonis, Geoff Anthony, and Jim Seroskie won the three Director positions. Please join me in congratulating them.

An Election Update

I would like introduce the new Seacoast Division Leadership Team:

As I stated earlier, the Activities Coordinator position is open. Please consider stepping up and taking on this role.

Spring Event April 23, 2022

As the number of covid cases in New Hampshire and Maine diminishes, the prospect for a live Spring 2022 Event is improving. At this time we are planning on the Spring event being live with Zoom at the Newington Old Town Hall on April 23, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 pm. We need 3 more clinics to round out the agenda. Again, I ask for your help to make the Spring Event a success. We will also be holding a silent auction as a fundraiser for the Seacoast Division. We are asking members to donate their un-needed model railroad items. Details will be announced soon. I hope to see many of you at the Spring Event in person or on Zoom.

Best regards,

Glenn Mitchell
Seacoast Division NMRA Director and President

Published:03 March 2022