Mid- Eastern Region of the NMRA
| DATE |
TOPIC |
CLINICIAN |
| February
21, 2026 |
"Environmental
Sound Modules" |
Jeff
Jordan |
| March
14, 2026 - Note
this clinic will be held at Bryan Kidds home |
"Operational
Signal Usage" |
Bryan
Kidd |
| April
25, 2026
- Note this clinic will be held at Bryan Kidds home |
"Setting
up a signalling system" |
Brian
Kidd |
| DATE |
TOPIC |
CLINICIAN |
| February
15, 2026 |
"Making
Photo Backdrops" |
Bob
Wundrock |
| March 15, 2026 |
"History of Narrow Gauge
Railroads Part 5 -Grande Western Railroad from
1940 to the end of Narrow Gauge - East Broad
Top" |
Ed
Koehler |
| April
19, 2026 |
Introduction
to the NMRA Achievement Program |
Alex
Belida, MMR |
Did you know that the NMRA has a partnership program where NMRA members can receive discounts as an NMRA member? See the information below:
POTOMAC DIVISION NEWS
FEBRUARY,
2026 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The
next Board of Directors meeting
will be Tuesday, February 17,
2026, at 7:30 P.M. The meeting
will be held using the Zoom
virtual platform and can be
accessed by clicking here.
THE
POTOMAC DIVISION IS NOW A
CORPORATION IN THE COMMONWEALTH
OF VIRGINIA AND HAS BECOME A
501(C)(3) NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATION.
The
Division became a
Virginia state
corporation as of
September 25, 2025 and
has just received news
that it has been
approved as a
501(c)(3) nonprofit by
the IRS. This final
step of a Board of
Director initiative to
becoming a non-profit
organization. The
adhoc committee
consisting of Division
Senior Assistant
Superintendent Greg
Cassidy, Division
Clerk Lee Stoermer,
and Division member
Gary Mason have have
done a significant
amount of work to make
this important status
take place and the
Board of Directors
thanks them for their
efforts and follow
through.
2026
POTOMAC DIVISION ELECTIONS
In
accordance with the Division
bylaws the 2026 Potomac
Division Board of Director
positions of Paymaster and
Assistant Superintendent are
up for election. The
nominations
committee
consists of
Mark Gionet
(Chairman),
Brian Sheron,
and Paul
Hutchins. If
you are interested in running
for one of these positions,
which are two year terms,
please let Division
Superintendent Ernie Little
and the Nominations Committee
know via email. Information
on the 2026 Election
process can be found by
clicking
here.
The deadline for notifying the
nominations committee of
intent to run for office is
midnight February 7th.
The 2025 Mid Eastern Convention was held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania from October 16 to October 19, 2025 with 15 division members participating presenting clinics, participating in the modeling contest, or attending clinics or other convention activities. Click here to see a report on the convention.
The 2025 - 2026 Marshall Abrams Award nomination deadline has passed and the selection process is underway. The recipient(s) will be notified at the Annual meeting on May 23rd. This award was created by the Board of Directors in the Spring of 2021 in honor of the late Marshall Abrams who served the Division in several positions. For more information on the awards process click here.
The
Potomac and James River
Divisions held a joint
meet on Saturday, November
1, 2025 at the Battlefield
Baptist Church. The meet
featured modeler's clinics
and demonstrations, a
modeling contest, and four
open houses. To view a
report on the Joint Meet click
here.
COMING
2026 CONVENTIONS OF INTEREST
The
2026 NMRA National Convention will
be held at the Chattanooga, TN
Convention Center from July
27 to August 2, 2026. Early bird
registration is now open and more
information can be found on this
event by clicking here.
"Tracks
to Tidewater", the 2026 MER
Convention will be held at the
Holiday Inn Virginia Beach -
Norfolk from October 15 to October
18, 2026. Click here for
details.
NMRA PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR SERVICE TO THE DIVISION
In July of 2025, NMRA President Gordy Robinson awarded past Division Senior Assistant Superintendent Alex Belida, MMR, the 2025 NMRA President's Award for Service to the Division. This award was established by the NMRA in 2017 and is awarded by the NMRA President to one individual in each Region per year who has done outstanding "beyond the call of duty" work to make his or her Division effective, engaging, and welcoming to members. Alex has been very active in the Potomac Division, in many capacities, and currently serves as the Editor of the Division's newsletter, POTOMAC FLYER, and is also involved with the publication of the Mid-Eastern's newsletter, The LOCAL. In the photo above, Division Superintendent Ernie Little presents the award to Alex. Please join the Board of Directors in congratulating Alex on this achievement.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION
Please
join the Board of Directors in welcoming new
members to the Potomac Division by reaching
out to them and helping them settle in to
their new Division.
| OCTOBER - 2025 | |
| Nicholas Bulgarino - Dunkirk, MD | |
| NOVEMBER - 2025 | |
| William Hume -
Manassas, VA |
Douglas Noble - Vienna,
VA |
| Robert Gallagher -
Fairfax, VA |
Sandra Gallagher -
Fairfax, VA |
| Ed Loose - Colonial
Beach, VA |
Joseph Rittierodt -
Burke, VA |
| DECEMBER
- 2025 |
|
| Timothy Alder, JR -
Huntington, MD |
Jim Allen - Luray, VA |
| Roy Gabriel -
Gaithersburg, MD |
Clay Hatcher - Round
Hill, VA |
| Robin Roddewig -
Leesburg, VA |
Steve Jackson -
Fairfax, VA |
The
Challenge for the February - March 2026
Flyer will be for water
slide decals or dry transfers, or
something you printed that is unique,
witty, or just something that you really
like! These
can be images that really appeared on
a freight car or a railroad structure
or any building, or they could be
something you created. Get
out your camera and send along photo or
two with a short description. Send your
submissions
to: Potomac-Flyer@potomac-nmra.org.
The deadline for entries
is January 5, 2026.
The
staff of the Potomac Flyer thanks everyone
who submitted "Flatcar" entries for our
previous Challenge.
PRIOR POTOMAC DIVISION CHALLENGES
To see the prior Potomac Division Challenges Click here to see the submissions.
