2025 Summer Newsletter

From the Editor

Summer is almost here, which means you may put aside some of your model railroad projects as some other “outdoor projects” get in the way. Well, it does occasionally rain, so be ready.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Division 2 leadership volunteers who help keep our Division active.

A special thank you to both Mike Cipko and John Campbell, who have now retired from their positions of Superintendent and Yard Master. They each volunteered for 3 ½ years in their respective rolls. We will truly miss their leadership.  

This newsletter relies on articles and photos that we receive from you, our members. Have a favorite structure, loco or railroad? Share it with us. Thank you to all of you who have contributed to this newsletter.

 Send your photos (JPEG) and articles (MS Word) to us for our future newsletters. Our goal is to publish quarterly in March, June, September, and December.  The deadline for submittals will be at the end of the month prior to each quarter.

Super Sez…

Summer is time for a change.  Not just the weather, but in our Division 2 Leadership as well.

The Election results are in: (well – we all ran unopposed).

• Jens Hensel will be taking over as your Superintendent and will also continue to be your Newsletter Editor.
• Paul Anderson will be your new Assistant Superintendent and Webmaster. Paul moved to our area about one year ago from NCR Division 6 downstate. He now lives in the Cedar area.
• T.J. Stratton has taken over the Traverse City Yardmaster position. T.J. previously belonged to NCR Division 1 in Maumee, Ohio.  He is also currently on the NCR Board and lives in Cadillac.
• Mike McDougall has been appointed as the new North Yardmaster.  Mike had previously held this position from 2019 until 2022. Mike resides in Gaylord.

Please welcome all the new leadership.

We are taking a short break in our Division 2 activities in the Summer but not in the planning.

Your Leadership will be busy planning clinics for the fall. We already have the September and October Clinics penciled in. David Zolnierek will be our clinician in September showing us how to make Fall Aspens/Poplar trees. T.J. Stratton will present a Clinic in October on how to make a Resin Gondola Freight Car. We are also looking at ways to make Zoom runs smoother and polishing our Website. Please pass on any suggestions that you may have to me (future clinics and/or items you would like to have included in our Website).

Thank You,

Jens

Division News

Division Meeting held on Mar 15, 2025

This day’s event was attended by 16 individuals.

Show and Tell for the Day

Division Meeting held on Apr 12, 2025

Dan Lewis (MMR) was today’s clinician for this day’s event attended by 16 individuals.

The topic for our clinic was DPM plastic kits and included:

• Types of glues to use
• Painting
• Sanding and weathering

Add-on details not included in Kit:

• Vent Pipes
• Roof Drains
• Downspouts
• Signs
• Foundations
• Window Shades
• Exhaust Blowers
• Roof Tar Paper
• AC Units
• Bay Windows
• Interiors

Very informative! Thanks Dan!

Show and Tell

Division Meeting held on May 17, 2025

Ernie Barry was our Clinician today discussing various track cleaning methods attended by 18 individuals.

The items discussed were the following:

• Various Mechanized Cars with and without Cleaning Solutions
• Type of Fluids for Track Cleaning
• Hand Cleaning

The Power Point presentation from his clinic is available for viewing and download from the dedicated page for this clinic.

Show and Tell

Website

Our website is live – DIV2.NCRNMRA.org (it’s the site you’re currently on).

Paul Anderson has taken over from Kevin Predmore as our Webmaster.  Thanks to Kevin for his past efforts.

The Website is updated at least monthly.  New local railroad photos and writeups have been added. Please take a look.

For those of you who haven’t, our Division Members want your railroad to be included! Send Jens photos (jpeg) of your layout with a brief description so we can add it to the website!

You can forward proposed content to Paul (Contact Paul).

Anything else that you would like to see on our pages?  Please send us your ideas.

Clinics – Yardmaster News

If you are interested in giving a talk or clinic to the group, please let us know.  Please contact T.J. Stratton (Contact T.J.) or Michael McDougall at (Contact Michael).

Clinics can be hosted in Traverse City or Gaylord.

Chief Clerk’s Report

Membership Information from Keith Aleo

We have 45 Active Members.

Thank you,

Keith Aleo
Chief Clerk
Contact Keith

Paymaster’s Report

North Central Region NMRA Division 2 Financial Information
From David J. Zolnierek
Ending May 31, 2025

Description	Amount
Regular Share Deposits-e-bonus, donations, div.	$0.50
Regular Share (Savings) – ending Balance	$868.55
Checking Account- Deposits for the year	$32.00
Checking Account Balance – Total for the year	$1,590.81
Withdrawals – Total for the year	$0.00
Ending Balance in Account as of 31 Jan 2025	$2,459.36

Around the Division

Modeling the Equipment, Freight Station and Logging Forests of the Drake Lumber Company, circa 1910
Part 1 – The Research by Keith Aleo

History

The Drake Lumber Company was owned by Gaston Drake (1871-1955) and operated from 1904 to 1923 in Princeton, Florida. Princeton was 20 miles south of Miami and was along the newly completed Florida East Coast Railway main line. The town was named by Drake for his college alma mater, Princeton. Drake moved the mill to Palm Beach County in 1923 when most of the Slash Pines (aka Dade County Pines) were cleared.

There are several modeling and scenic opportunities that exist for my Florida East Coast RR. These samples are shown below.

Modeling Opportunities for Equipment and Buildings

Scenic Opportunities

The Drake Lumber Company harvested Slash Pines (pinus elliotti). However, in this area, there is a subspecies of the Slash Pine, pinus elliottii var. densa. In the Southern peninsula of Florida and the Keys the pines grow in the holes and cavities of Florida’s Atlantic limestone ridge. Basically, they grow on solid limestone. The name of the areas these trees thrived in is often referred to as “pine rock lands.” Due to their unusual growing conditions, the pines look different than standard Slash Pines. The trunks are thinner, about 2 feet in diameter and have a “spindly” look to them. The green canopies are mostly at the top of the trees. The result of this unusual growing condition is wood that is very hard, strong and highly resistant to decay and termites. The milled wood is beautiful with a figurative grain pattern. These unique and special pine trees, historically, got the name “Dade County Pines.”

Dade County Pine was used throughout the building industry in the 1800’s and during the first quarter of the 20th century. Many historic buildings in south Florida and the Florida Keys are made from Dade County pine. You can see stunning examples of Dade County Pine in the Bonnet House in Ft. Lauderdale, the Hemmingway House in Key West and the Key West Lighthouse. Sadly, there is a very small amount of these pine trees still in existence. Parks are the main areas where you can still see these unusual and stunning trees.

Saw Palmetto Palms and undergrowth Saw Palmetto palms, serenoa, were a huge part of the undergrowth of most of the Dade County Pine forests.

In addition to saw palmettos, there were a variety of native small bushes and plants that grew amongst the pines and palmettos.

Stay Tuned for Part 2, Modeling the Drake Lumber Co. in the Pine Rocklands of Princton, Florida in the Fall 2025 Newsletter.

Around the Division

GLC Office Car
By T.J. Stratton

Greetings From Cadillac.

I was out this morning and noticed the GLC Office Car setting outside of the engine house. I returned several hours later, with boots on to grab some photos.  I’m not sure if they are repairing damage and wear or if the whole car will be repainted, with the new ownership.

Around the Division

GLC Locomotives
By T.J. Stratton

I took these shots of the GLC locomotives on a Saturday afternoon at the end of March. The locs had been tied up around 6:00 PM Friday after a trip west. Kinda odd that they left the headlight on. We avoided most of the really rough weather this weekend, with only 2 days of spring showers. We did receive an inch of snow, earlier on Monday morning!

 Around the Division

Old GR&I Wreck Shots near Mancelona, MI
By T.J. Stratton

My friend Art happened to be going through PRR prints and ran across these two shots of a wreck on  August 2, 1916, in Mancelona, MI.  Mancelona is 5 miles north of Traverse City on the Mackinaw City line.  Steel car is the “Geronimo,” no other car names visible.

Editor’s note. Some of you may not know, but T.J. is a time traveler. T.J. was also an Engineer on the Colorado & Southern Ore Extra #69 Freight Train in August of 1925, almost 100 years ago. (See the July 2025 issue of the Model Railroader magazine article by Doug Tagsold starting on page 32). 

Around the Division

A visit to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum
By John Campbell

Early in March I had a chance to visit family in Saint Paul, Minnesota. One of the more popular attractions in St. Paul is the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum (TCMRM). If you have never visited this amazing museum previously, you might want to include it on your model railroad “bucket list.”

The TCMRM has been around in one form or another since 1934 and has featured over the last few decades a large and highly detailed O-scale model railroad as its centerpiece. When I last saw this layout back in the late 1980’s, it was located in the old Como shops of Northern Pacific Railroad in St. Paul. The shop complex had been repurposed as an upscale retail space at that time, and the museum was able to obtain a prominent space in that complex which it occupied for many years.  Ultimately, a change in ownership of that space forced the TCMRM to relocate to its current 10,000 square foot space on Transfer Road in the University Avenue/Midtown area.

Many of the layouts focus on midwestern railroads of the area, such as the CB&Q, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Great Northern, Soo Line, Wisconsin Central, Chicago and Northwestern, and others. However, you will find the occasional Union Pacific, Santa Fe, or even Amtrak trains, as well.

Keep in mind, this museum isn’t just one amazing O-scale layout. There are multiple model railroad layouts (approximately twenty) in every conceivable scale from G-scale down to Z. There are numerous displays of model railroad equipment over the decades from traction to steam, and even a beautiful display with models of firefighting equipment over the decades.

Perhaps best of all, this is a great place to take your whole family. There are kid-friendly activities  with buttons to push and trains to operate, even for preschoolers. When I visited the museum on a Saturday morning, it was quite busy with old geezers like me, and tons of kids. In fact, there is even a nifty place in the museum for the little ones to have a birthday or pizza party, complete with railroad-inspired decorations. On Saturday evenings in winter months, the museum operates “Night Trains” which are brightly lit and decorated for the holidays, just like some of the prototype railroads do with Santa Trains.

The museum is supervised by volunteer docents who belong to the club. They are all very informative and friendly, and while you are visiting, they are also performing maintenance on the rolling stock and trackwork. One docent even invited me to operate one of the O-scale Northern Pacific passenger trains.

In addition to models, the museum also houses some rare historical items such as old timetables, railroad station signs, lanterns, bells, and other artifacts.

Finally, if seeing the layouts inspires you or your kids to go home and build or improve your own model railroad, there is a small hobby shop within the museum that sells both new and used equipment including rolling stock, locomotives, structures, track, and scenery supplies.

The museum is open year-round, Monday through Sunday, but is closed on Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.  Normal admission is $10, but kids four and under are free.

Twin Cities Model Railroad Club
668 Transfer Road, Suite 8
St. Paul, MN 55114
(651) 647-9628
Website: tcmrm.org

So, if you’re in the Twin Cities, skip the Mall of America and check out the model railroad museum instead!

Guest Pages

Chicago Cars in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Cars in Chicago
An HO Traction Layout Based on Fact and Fantasy
By Mark Albert (MCR Div. 7)
Photos by the Author

This article (F&F Spring 2025 ISE proof-v2.pdf) was originally published in the Spring 2025 issue of First & Fastest and is reprinted with the permission of the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society.

Well worth the read.
Jens

Odd Science Creations

A Useful Tool for Model Railroading?
By Jens Hensel

I found this article online and I just had to share it with all. 

“The Isolator” was a helmet created in 1925 by Hugo Gernsback to eliminate distractions and maximize concentration. Made of wood, it almost completely blocked out sounds and peripheral vision, leaving only a narrow slit for reading. It was equipped with an oxygen supply system to prevent the sensation of suffocation.

Hugo Gernsback was a Luxembourgish American editor and magazine publisher whose publications included the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His contributions to the genre as a publisher were so significant that, along with the novelists Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, he is sometimes called “The Father of Science Fiction”. In his honor, annual awards presented at the World Science Fiction Convention are named the “Hugos” (as quoted from Wikipedia).

Your significant other can’t bother you when you are working on a project that requires your utmost attention.

I bet you that the “Tool Junkie” never previewed this one.

NCR Region News

The NMRA National Convention is Coming! Last Call – Sign up now!

Mystery Spot

Who can identify the location of this old Picture?

Spring Newsletter’s answer was: Glen Arbor, Michigan.

AP Corner – Summer 2025

By Pete Magoun, MMR©

“Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,” and I know where some of the flowers is… in the yard! I am also aware of some AP activity within the Division, and today, 17 May, I had the pleasure of presenting Dr. John Campbell with his AP Certificate for Chief Dispatcher. This is John’s fourth certificate, and he is very, very close to the remaining three he’ll need to earn his MMR. Life is Good.

I also announced today at the Division meeting that I have sent “retired” Division Superintendent Mike Cipko’s paperwork for his Association Official Certificate to Region AP Chair Skip Luyk, MMR. Skip has received it, has skimmed it and is happy with what he sees, but he’ll have to take care of some major storm damage before he can carefully review the paperwork and forward it to National AP Chair Ray Persing. I need to note in passing that Mike stepped into the Superintendent’s job under ugly circumstances… the sudden, unexpected passing of Superintendent Scott Pandorf back in January of 2022. Mike took the reins, handled them very well, and we have a strong, functioning Division as a result. We owe him a large vote of Thanks for his efforts on our behalf.

In other news, incoming Superintendent Jens Hensel is planning to submit his paperwork for Association Volunteer to me this next week. Again, Life is Good.

As I mentioned in February, this is overwhelming my own meager progress, and I’m OK with that, as my Antiquity Issues are improving, but it has become obvious that I am no longer a youth. The white gifts from above have receded into the distant past, and the new attraction has arrived with a bang… thunderstorms. Some areas of the Division have suffered lots of storm damage this year, given ice, snow, and now thunder, hail and tornadoes, but my area has so far escaped the brunt of the ugly. The light and sound shows, though, have been at night and have been spectacular. So far….

But what of the rest of you? Are any of you contemplating using the Achievement Program for its intended purpose, which is to stretch your skills and abilities to improve the quality and joy of your hobby? Are you laden with questions on how things work or what is necessary? And are any of those questions ones you’re afraid to ask because they’re “dumb,” but you still don’t understand the answers?  If so, then ask ahead, because there are NO “dumb questions” here.  Again, the whole purpose of this process is to educate You, to help You become a better modeler and get more joy from Your hobby….

As I mentioned in our last Newsletter, if you have questions or comments on any of the AP stuff, I’m easy to find. Let’s hear from you!

High Green!

The NMRA Achievement Program is designed to challenge the skills of the modeler. The Achievement Program is divided into eleven categories covering different aspects of the hobby and the NMRA.  As members of the NMRA earn credit in the different categories, awards are presented to signify the member’s achievement. All current AP Awards are listed in the NMRA Magazine each month.  Those who have earned the Master Model Railroader® award are listed both by number and by Region on this website. 

Need additional information? Please reach out to Pete Magoun – MMR©. (Contact Pete)

Pike Ads

Support Your division. Buy a space for the year – only $20.00. Contact the Paymaster.

Division Leadership

The leaders of Division 2 can be found on our Officers page, which has a contact form for emailing officers.

In Closing