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Mid- Eastern Region of the NMRA
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       Potomac Division Challenge 26 - Flat Cars (click caption to see write up)

1 / 11
John Paganoni's Flatcars
2 / 11
Ernie Little's Flatcar
3 / 11
Alex Belida's Little Flatcars
4 / 11
Jerry Stanley's Flatcars with Army Tanks
5 / 11
Martin Brechbiel's Flat with Tank & Plumbing Parts
6 / 11
 Fritz Dahlin's Three Flatcars
7 / 11
Greg Cassidy's Flatcars with Loads
8 / 11
Tim Tilson's Favorite Flatcar Load
9 / 11
Anonymous Flatcars with Loads
10 / 11
Ken Wilson's Flatcar

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.

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

DATE
 TOPIC
 CLINICIAN
November 16, 2025
 "A History of Narrow Gauge Railroads - Part 3 - D&RGW Narrow Gauge through the Cameras of Richard Kindig and Richard B. Jackson "The Northern System"
 Ed Koehler
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

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.

Summer is over! Prepare for your Winter retreat to the train room Saturday, October 18th, with a visit to our club to see a great railroad in action. 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

NOVEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The next Board of Directors meeting will be Tuesday, November 18th at 7:30 P.M. The meeting will be held using the Zoom virtual platform and can be accessed by clicking here.

EVENTS IN THE CHESAPEAKE AND CAROLINA PIEDMONT DIVISIONS

The Potomac Division has received the following information regarding an event in the Carolina Piedmont Division.

On Saturday and Sunday, November 8-9, 2025 from 10 AM to 4 PM the Neuse River Valley Railroad Club and the Carolina Piedmont Division are sponsoring a Craftman's showcase as part of the NRV Fall Train Show in Raleigh, North Carolina. There will be multiple layouts on display and over 480 vendor tables and the show hours are 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and 10 AM to 4 PM on the Sunday.This train show is reportedly the third largest train show on the east coast and held in the Jim Graham Building on the North Carolina State Fair Grounds, 4285 Trinity Road, Raleigh, NC 27607. For more information you can contact NRV.Shows @gmail.com .

MID EASTERN REGION CONVENTION

The 2025 Mid Eastern Convention was held in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania from October 16 to October 19. Many members of the division attended, presenting clinics, participating in the modeling contest, or went to clinics. We are working on a report on the convention and will post it as soon as it is ready for publication. Watch here for more details.

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. A report is being compiled and as soon as it is available it will be posted here.

2026 CONVENTIONS COMING

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. Planning is underway and as soon as we received more details we will post them here.

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.
JULY - 2024
Edson Worden - Lexington Park, MD
AUGUST - 2024
Curtis Clint - Reston, VA
 Theodore Daniels - Washington, DC
OCTOBER - 2024
Morgan Cash - Falls Church, VA
 Larry Griffin - Lake Frederick, VA
Robert Kinsey - Great Falls, VA
NOVEMBER - 2024
Barnhardt Family - Gainesville, VA
 Dean Norris - Solomons, MD
John Paschal - Bethesda, MD
 Jeffrey Phillips - Leesburg, VA
DECEMBER - 2024
Troy Hamilton - Oxon Hill, MD
 Troy Sanchez - Burke, VA
FEBRUARY - 2025
Clifford Burns - Fairfax, VA
 David Maynard - Ashburn, VA
Dee Trainham - Fairfax, VA
APRIL - 2025
Robert Peak - Strasburg, VA
MAY - 2025
John Drye - Alexandria, VA
JULY - 2025
David Komyathy - Reston, VA
 Zachary White - District of Columbia

THE NEXT POTOMAC FLYER FAVORITE CHALLENGE - "Modeler's Choice" for the December - January Issue

The Challenge for the December, 2025 - January 2026 Flyer will be for "Modeler's Choice". Get out your camera and send along photo or two with a short description of anything to do with  model railroading. Send your submissions to: Potomac-Flyer@potomac-nmra.org. The deadline for entries is  November 5, 2025.

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: November 02 2025 20:17:49.