All Aboard for National Train Day!
From the Cincinnati Railroad Club:
On May 11, 2013 Tower A will be open from 10AM- 5PM.
The Amtrak station will be open during the day.
Watch Rocky Mountain Express in the OMNIMAX Theater at 1pm and 4pm.
Explore The Cincinnati History Museum with the S gauge layout,Cincinnati in Motion.
Take a free tour of Union Terminal, one of Cincinnati’s National Historic Landmarks.
Train Orchestra - Work together with others to make the sound of a train with everyday items at11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Train Passenger - Talk with a passenger returning home from a train trip and learn about the Cincinnati Union Terminal during World War II. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
Cincinnati Stories: The Trains of Union Terminal Learn about the development of railroads in the region, culminating with the construction of Union Terminal, and discuss the types of trains that would have frequented the station from its inception to modern times. Noon to 2 p.m.
I Spy - Explore Cincinnati in Motion to discover special hidden objects in celebration of National Train Day. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Understanding the Inclines Discover how inclines helped Cincinnati grow. Witness how a system of counterbalancing allowed the inclines to work. 2 to 4 p.m.
There will be free Amtrak Timetables and Kids "Junior Conductor" Activity Books given away.
There will be FREE train and model train magazines for the kids to take.
There will be a large selection of FREE brochures for train museums and rides including many local selections.
There will be two roundtrip tickets to Chicago given away by Amtrak.
Three sets of the three books done by the Cincinnati Railroad Club, The Design and Construction of an Art Deco Masterpiece, Cincinnati, City of Seven Hills and Five Inclines and On The Right Track will be given away.
On National Train Day, May 11, 2013 The Design and Construction of an Art Deco Masterpiece will be on sale for $20, Cincinnati, City of Seven Hills and Five Inclines will be on sale for $15 and On The Right Track will be on sale for $15.
Meeting Schedule
There will be no regular meeting in May due to Division 3 hosting the MCR 2013 Regional Convention from the 15th through the 18th of May. It is highly recommended that you plan to attend the convention if possible. If you aren't available for the entire schedule, you can get a single day registration for $25. This would give you access to the op sessions and clinics on that day and also access to the self-guided tours of most of the layouts involved on Sunday, May 19. If you have contest entries that you planned for May, bring them along for the popular vate contest.
Contest Information
The contests at our monthly meetings have been becoming more popular. We are getting several terrific entries in the various categories. Some folks like to enter, some just to look and judge. In any case, if you go to the contest page and click on the monthly category for a past contest, it will take you to a table of the winners, complete with links to the photos when available.
For a look at April's items visit our Contest page.
Articles Needed
J. Hedge, editor of the Call Board, has repeated his call for articles and material for publication in the Division newsletter. Anything relating to Division activities, model railroading or railfanning is acceptable. J. has suggested that a series on "Pikes in Progress" would be interesting. If you have done work on your layout and have photos, etc., share them with J. Writing for the newsletter is an excellent way to accumulate points for the "Author" category in the Achievement Program. See details at http://www.nmra.org/education/achievement/ap_author.html
Weathering and More!
We had a terrific response to our "Weathering" contest last November. If you would like to see some additional great examples of the art, check out Ken Patterson's column on page 58 of the February 2013 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist about Butch Eyler's techniques. The column includes some amazing photos of Butch's work, an example of which appears at the left. The e-Magazine is free for download or viewing on line. Photo courtesy of Model Railroad Hobbyist.
Dalmatian Switching District
The Dalmatian Switching District is looking for operators. No experience required. The layout would be available for two weeknights and a weekday. The times would be 7pm to 10pm and 9am to 4pm operators would not be expected to stay for the entire time. The location would be the Brandt United Methodist Church and is handicap accessible. The church is located on US 40 one block west of SR 201, approximately 3 miles north of I70 exit 38 in Huber Heights. There would be no cost to operate but donations would be accepted to cover the cost of refreshments.
The layout would be run continuously during open hours with a minimum of 6 people required. The dates for operation would be determined by the group wishing to operate. We are hoping to make this a monthly event. Membership in the NMRA would not be required. If you would like more information please contact J. Hedge at hedgejn@hotmail.com.
2013 Schedule:
Wed-Sat May 15-18: MidCentral Region Convention, Miamisburg OH
Sat-Sun June 22-23: Carillon Park, Dayton OH, 9:30AM-5PM Sat, 12PM-4PM Sun
Sat-Sun July 13-14: Van Wert County Fairgrounds, Van Wert OH, Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 11AM-2PM
Sat-Sun November 2-3: Division 3 Train Show, Hara Arena, Dayton OH
Sat-Sun November (TBA): National Trail School, New Paris OH
Sat December 7: Marion County Fairgrounds, Marion OH
2013 MCR Convention
Division 3 will be hosting the 2013 MidCentral Region Convention, themed
Operations Dayton 2013 from the 15th through the 18th of May, 2013. Chairman Ray Baldwin and his team have assembled a terrific array of tours, clinics, contests and operating sessions. Some of the area's finest layouts will be open not only for visiting, but for hands-on operations. The convention website is at www.mcr2013convention.com. The convention hotel and venue is the Wyndham Gardens Hotel in Miamisburg near the Dayton Mall. This promises to be an exciting gathering and you don't want to miss it. Early registration forms and information on hotels, clinics, tours, activities and the banquet is up. Check back often.
Site Redesign
Over the next few months, both this site and our sister site, www.daytontrainshow.com, will be undergoing major revisions as we implement a Content Management System. This will enable us to make changes and updates to the sites more simply. During this redesign, we will be able to easily make any changes needed in either site. If you have questions or suggestions, we welcome them. Feel free to contact the Webmaster either by email (div3webmaster@gmail.com), or at the Division meeting.
A Blast from the Past!
Gene Smith from Smitty's Hobby Shop recently shared with Mark Stiver, Division Historian, a collection of photos of early members and activities of the Division and model railroading in the Dayton area. Click HERE to view the photos. They came with minimal descriptions and documentation. If you can identify additional people or places in these pictures, please contact the Webmaster through the website or see Norm or Mark at any Division meeting.
UPDATE! December 20. We have received updated information from Curt Marshall and Bob Fink on a few of these photos.
Video Library Update!
The Video Library contains over 200 titles of how-to programs, tours of
great model railroads, and a wide range of prototype videos. Many new titles have been added recently. These VHS
Tapes and DVD's are available for checkout by members. See Jim Montgomery at
any meeting. To view a list of titles, click
HERE.
Members are reminded to please return videos and books promptly so other members may enjoy them.
Note: This site is continuously updated. We try to keep all information as current and relative as possible. Please contact me with your suggestions and comments. - Webmaster