Potomac Division
Mid- Eastern Region of the NMRA

       Potomac Division Challenge 27 - Modeler's Choice (click caption to see write up)


The Division's email group is PD2MERNMRA@groups.io. If you have not joined and wish to do so please contact the Superintendent.

POTOMAC DIVISION ACTIVITIES

BUILD AND TAKE CLINICS

PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED

The Division's "live" build and take clinics take place at Jerry Stanley's Hobby Barn and other locations.  If you have something you would like to do a presentation or wish to host a clinic please let Jerry Stanley know  by clicking here

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

DATE
TOPIC
CLINICIAN
January 10, 2026
"Styrene Scratch Building"
"Jeff Jordan"
February 12, 2026
"Sound Modules"
Jeff Jordan
March 14, 2026 - Note this
clinic will be held at Bryan Kidds home

"Operational Signal Usage"
Bryan Kidd

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

VIRTUAL CLINICS

The Division's Virtual Clinics are normally held on the third Sunday of each month at 3:00 P.M. using the Zoom video platform. 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.Click here for information on how to use Zoom. If you are interested in making a virtual presention on a railroad related topic please let Ernie Little know by clicking here.

Here is what is on tap for the next three months:

DATE
TOPIC
CLINICIAN
December 21, 2025
"Building a Helix"
"Ernie Little, MMR"
January 18, 2026
"A History of Narrow Gauge Railroads - Part 4 - D&RGW Narrow Gauge through the Cameras of Richard Kindig and Richard B. Jackson - "The Southern System"
Ed Koehler
February 15, 2026
"Making Photo Backdrops"
Bob Wundrock

If you have a topic you would like to present click here to contact our Superintendent, Ernie Little.
 
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 accessed 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 go to the NMRAX page on Facebook. Past NMRA virtual events can be accessed on their You Tube channel by clicking here.

NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES 90 YEARS

The NMRA has its' 90th anniversary in 2025 and celebrates the organization's longevity, the strength of its community, and its commitment to excellence in model railroading.
      

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

Bernie Kempinski is having an open house of his U. S. Military Railroad Aquia Line on December 13, 2025 from 1:00  to 4:00 PM. The address will be provided to members via the division's email system.

More layout tours are coming. Watch here for more info as it becomes available.

If you are willing to host an open house of your layout please email layout-tours@potomac-nmra.org and let the layout committee know.

VIRTUAL LAYOUT TOURS

Virtual layout tours are recorded and can be accessed by Clicking 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.

Enjoy the mounting expectations of the Holiday Season with children of all ages on Saturday, December 13th, by visiting our railroad. The Polar Express has made its traditional appearance in Vienna and is sharing the rails with Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. The layout’s HO scale trains depict the Western North Carolina Railroad during the steam to diesel transition. Traction fans will appreciate watching our trolleys running under overhead wire.  The layout also features award winning structures and operations conducted on a permanent 20 x 50’ layout using DCC. Bring the kids to see Thomas the Tank Engine who will be running too. The Northern Virginia Model Railroad Club resides in the historic, circa 1859, Vienna Depot of the former Washington & Old Dominion Railroad (W&OD), 231 Dominion Road NE., 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). Virtual tour: click here. 

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

DECEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The next Board of Directors meeting will be Tuesday, December 16th 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

The Board of Directors was notified by Virginia State Corporation Commission that the division has been approved as a Corporation effective September 25, 2025. This is the first step of a Board of Director initiative of becoming a non-profit organization and the adhoc committee consisting of division Senior Assistant Superintendent Greg Cassidy, division Clerk Lee Stoermer, and division member Gary Mason will be starting the necessary work to achieve the non-profit status goal. The committee has spent a considerable amount of time working on this initiative and are beginning to see results of their work.

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.

MID EASTERN REGION CONVENTION

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.

MARSHALL ABRAMS AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE

The 2025 - 2026 Marshall Abrams Award nominations are due January 1, 2026. 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.

POTOMAC/JAMES RIVER DIVISIONS JOINT FALL MEET

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.

APRIL - 2025
Robert Peak - Strasburg, VA
MAY - 2025
John Drye - Alexandria, VA
JULY - 2025
David Komyathy - Reston, VA
Zachary White - District of Columbia
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

THE NEXT POTOMAC FLYER FAVORITE CHALLENGE - "Water slide decals, Dry Transfers, Printed Signs" for the February - March, 2026 Issue

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.


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 Jim Hellwege on his achievement of the Electrical AP certificate.
Congratulations to Greg Cassidy on his achievement of the Electrical and Scenery AP certificates.
Congratulations to Lee Stoermer on his achievement of the Chief Dispatcher AP certificate

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 where you can also renew your membership.


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





Last modified: December 13 2025 12:22:41.