NMRA logoPotomac Division
Mid- Eastern Region of the NMRA

        Potomac Division Challenge 9 - Cranes, Loading Docks, and Engine Facilities found in the Potomac Division (click caption to see write up)

The Division's email Yahoo group is PD2NERBNRA@groups.io. If you have not joined and wish to do so please contact the Superintendent.

POTOMAC DIVISION ACTIVITIES

POTOMAC/CHESAPEAKE DIVISION'S JOINT MEET -  SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023

Planning has started for the Potomac/Chesapeake Division's Joint meet that will be held on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Watch here for more information on the event as the planning progresses.

BUILD AND TAKE CLINICS

PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED

The Potomac Division has "live" build and take clinics which take place at Jerry Stanley's Hobby Barn. The next clinic is set for Saturday, May 27, 2023, and we are working on getting a clinician to present. If you have something you would like to do a presentation on please let Jerry Stanley know by clicking here.

* The July 8th clinic will be held at Ernie Little's house and will be limited to 10 attendees. To pre-register for this event email Ernie by clicking here.

Here is what on the schedule for the next three months.

DATE
TOPIC
CLINICIAN
May 27, 2023 "TO BE ANNOUNCED" TBA
*July 8, 2023
"Using DecoderPro to program Locomotives"
George Myrick and Ernie Little, MMR

Click here to see ALL OF the upcoming Hobby Barn events.

VIRTUAL CLINICS

The Potomac Division Virtual Clinics are normally held on the third Sunday of each month at 3:00 P.M. using the Zoom video platform. Click here for information on how to use Zoom. An email containing information on how to register and gain access to the on-line clinic is sent to via the Division email list prior to the clinic. Here is what is on tap for the next three months:
DATE
TOPIC
CLINICIAN
April 16, 2023
"Details Can Make the Difference: Adding Details to Your Layout"
Paul Bastek
April 23, 2023
"Signal Aspects & Indications for Modelers"
John Vogler
May 21, 2023 "Making A Motive Power "Critter" Alex Belida, MMR
June 18, 2023
"Doing the Paperwork - Earning Your Dispatcher Certificate"
Kurt Thompson, MMR

If you have a topic you would like to present click here to contact our Superintendent, Martin Brechbiel.
 
If you want to see a list of ALL Potomac Division clinics, both virtual and "build and take" click here.

To access the Virtual clinic area of the clinic page. Click here

Past Virtual clinic videos are posted on the Potomac Division's YouTube channel and can be access by clicking on "Potomac Division Mid Eastern Region NMRA".

NATIONAL VIRTUAL MODEL RAILROAD EVENTS

The NMRA has virtual model railroad events and the next event has not been announced. When information becomes available it will be posted here.  For more information click here. Past NMRA virtual events can be accessed on their You Tube channel by clicking here.
 

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL THE TIME YOU HAVE AVAILABLE?

The Potomac Division brings to your attention that the PD website provides access to past Potomac Flyer issues, past clinics, and railroad trivia in form of a crossword puzzle challenge. The crossword puzzle will be a PDF file you can download that provides the puzzle, clues, AND the solution.

LAYOUT TOURS

The Board of Directors is looking for a person(s) interested in serving as the Division's LAYOUT COORDINATOR in anticipation of starting Layout Tour visits up again. If you are interested contact the Division Superintendent by email or phone.

IN PERSON (LIVE) Layout tours have commenced after being suspended due to Coronavirus restrictions.  Watch your email for more details about upcoming tours.

It has been over two years since our first Virtual Layout tour held on Saturday, December 12, 2020. Todd Hermann and his camera person Molly took forty two of us on a tour of the Lehigh & New England Catasauqua Branch. Click here for more details of the railroad.

This and future virtual layout tours will be recorded and posted to our You Tube Channel. Click here to access the virtual layout tour area on the prior layout tour page.

If you are interested in providing a virtual layout tour please let the BOD know so it can be scheduled.


UPCOMING TRAIN SHOWS

Great Scale Model Train and Railroad Collectors Shows and Railroad Market Place. Click here to go to the show's website.

Greensberg's Great Train & Toy Show. Click here to go to the Great American Train Show's website.

Northern Virginia Model Railroaders.

Click here to go to the NVMR website.

Visit the Northern Virginia Model Railroaders Club and see their layout in action. The layout's HO scale trains depict the Western North Carolina Railroad during the steam to diesel transition. Traction fans will enjoy watching our trolleys running under overhead wire. The layout also features award winning structures and operations conducted on a permanent 20 foot by 50 foot layout controlled by DCC. Bring the kids to see Thomas the tank engine and his friends who will be running too. The Club is located in the historic, circa 1859, Vienna Depot of the former Washington & Old Dominion Railroad (W&OD), 231 Dominion Road, N.E., Vienna, VA. History buffs will enjoy the museum in the waiting room with its displays of the history of the W&OD. Hours are 1-5 P.M. with FREE ADMISSION (donations accepted)and masks are optional. Virtual tour: www.nvmr.org/tour.html. 


NMRA PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM:

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

POTOMAC DIVISION NOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA

In an effort to increase the awareness of the Potomac Division and the NMRA in general, the Division now has social medial accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Member Bill Schultheiss has been appointed as the Social Media Director and will manage the accounts for the Division. If you are interested in helping him please contact Bill by clicking here. More information regarding the accounts will be available in the next edition of the Potomac Flyer.

APRIL  BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. using the Zoom Virtual meeting platform. To attend the meeting click on the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqc-CopjgrE9Wwg8R94G4nzG6swK5t9eGe

After registering you will receive an email with the link to the BOD meeting. The agenda will be available before the meeting date.

2023 POTOMAC DIVISION BOARD OF DIRECTOR ELECTIONS

The positions of Superintendent, Senior Superintendent, and Clerk on the Board of Directors are up for election in 2023. The nominations committee consist of Mark Gionet (Chair), Paul Hutchins, Bill Demas, and Brian Sheron. The election process will take place in April with ballots sent electronically via email to members and by mail to those members who the Division does not have an email address for.

The deadline for expressing interest in running for office has passed. The Nominations Committee members can be contacted at the following: Mark Gionet, Paul Hutchins, Bill Demas, Brian Sheron.

IMPORTANT DATES:

February 4, 2023 (midnight) - deadline passed
Deadline to notify Nominations Committee of intent to run for office.
April 1, 2023
Potomac Flyer and Division emails will provide a list of Candidates for office.
April 15, 2023
eVoting will commence
April 22, 2023
eVoting will conclude, deadline for receipt of mailed ballots by the Nomination Committee.
April 30, 2023
2023 Annual Meeting
May 16, 2023
First meeting of New Board of Directors

MARSHALL ABRAMS AWARD

    
   

Nominations for the 2023 Marshall Abrams Award have closed and the committee has selected the recipient to receive the award which will take place at the 2023 Annual Meeting.The 2021-2022 Marshall Abrams Award was presented at the Division's 2022 ANNUAL MEETING on Sunday, May 1st to Mat Thompson, MMR. Shown in the picture above is Assistant Superintendent Ernie Little (on the left) presenting the award to Mat (on the right).

POTOMAC DIVISION MEMBERS IN ACTION

Twelve Potomac Division members were at the Greensberg's Train Show the weekend of December 17th and 18th staffing the Potomac Division booth. The Board of Directors thanks all involved and appreciates their time spent. This kind of activity is important to the recruitment of members and supporting the model railroad hobby. The following members participated:

Nigel Phillips
Thomas Washburn
Ken Wilson
Paul Buzby
Bill Lyders
Christopher Barks
Jerry Stanley
Grace Stanley
Doug Hess
Jim Kinder
Michael McDonnel
Mike Powers
Bill Mosteller

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.

JULY - 2022
Matt Hulse - Washington, DC
Al Ravella - Bristow, VA
SEPTEMBER - 2022
Don Slatt - Arlington, VA Dale Roberts - Germantown, MD
Eric CalaLuca - Leesburg, VA James Butler - Springfield, VA
Peter Gentieu - Alexandria, VA
DECEMBER - 2022
Miachel Rexrode - Washington, DC
JANUARY  - 2023
Alan Lander - Huntington, MD
Jeff Lodge - Alexandria, VA
Frank Mallison - Alexandria, VA
Christopher Thayer - Vienna, VA

THE NEXT POTOMAC FLYER FAVORITE CHALLENGE - Your Favorite Billboard, Building Sign, or Poster --- April - May, 2023 Issue

The next Potomac Flyer Challenge is for the April - May 2023 issue and the editor is asking members to send in photos and a short description of your favorite scene with a Billboard, Building Sign, or Poster.  Come on, get out your camera, take a picture, and make up a short description of what it is. Let's see what you have to offer! Send your submissions to: Potomac-Flyer@potomac-nmra.org. The deadline was March 10, 2023.

The staff of the Potomac Flyer thanks everyone who submitted an entry for the Favorite Crane, Loading Dock, or Engine Facility Challenge. Check them out in the February - March issue

PRIOR POTOMAC DIVISION CHALLENGES

To see the prior Potomac Division Challenges  Click here to see the submissions.


ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM NEWS:

The Potomac Division has several Master Model Railroaders (MMRs). To see a list of the PD MMRs click here.

There are several members working on Achievement Program Certificates and getting closer to becoming Master Model Railroaders. They continue to work toward the goal and are making progress. To see a list of the AP certificate members click here.

Congratulations to Mat Thompson on his achievement of the Association Volunteer certificate.

Congratulations to John Griffith on his achievement of the Model Railroad Engineer Electrical and Civil certificates.

Congratulations to Bill Mosteller on his achievement of the Model Railroad Engineer Electrical certificate and Chief Dispatcher certificate.

Congratulations to Bob Rodriguez, Pete LaGuardia, and Rich Steinmann on their achievement of the Master Builder - Cars certificate.

Congratulations to Pete LaGuardia, Bob Rodriguez, Rich Steinmann, and John Griffith on their achievement of Master Model Railroader. Pete is MMR #716 ,Bob is MMR #718, Rich is MMR #719, and John is MMR #723.

Many more of our members are one certificate from achieving Master Model Railroader status. Keep up the good work!


    Have you changed your email address recently. Please notify NMRA headquarters of any changes in address, email address, or phone numbers so you can continue to receive  National, Region, and the Division notifications. Click here to go the the NMRA website.

Potomac Division (PD)       PD Contacts       Mid‑Eastern Region       National Model Railroad Association (NMRA)





Last modified: March 27 2023 10:51:09.