Quick recap
The Division meeting focused on several key topics, including the upcoming open house scheduled for May 16th, which will feature seven railroads and benefit local food pantries. Paul presented updates on the rebranded Tip of the Mitt website, showcasing the new NMRA logo and color schemes. The group discussed financial matters, including a successful year for the North Central Region with a net worth of $42,876, and the need to renew certificates for long-time members. Doug shared a clinic on the Terminal of Toledo railroads and a previous layout of his that represented that era, detailing the operations and infrastructure of various rail lines in the area. The conversation ended with a discussion about the PEAT Achievement Program, and the potential for future clinics, including one on static grass in February.
Action Items
- Jens/David: Send email to members about pike ads for 2026, including information on where to send checks and logos.
- Paul: Research and convert newsletter PDFs to native WordPress posts within the next year.
- T.J. or Michael McDougall to contact Ralph Moxley at the end of January about doing a clinic in April in case Dave Capron isn’t available.
- Al : Obtain verification from Skip Like regarding NMRA author certificate requirements.
- Paul: Update Al’s icon color from green to blue on the open house map.
- Jens: Send out invitations for May 16th open house.
- Paul: Embed live Google map with Open House addresses on website approximately one week before open house.
- Paul: Remove live Google map with Open House addresses from website the day after open house.
Summary
May Open House Event Planning
The division meeting discussed plans for an upcoming open house event scheduled for May 16th, which will run from 10 AM to 5 PM. The event will feature seven railroads and will be open to the public by invitation, with layouts addresses being revealed until a few weeks before the event. The decision was made to hold the open house on a single Saturday rather than two days, as last year’s event saw limited attendance from fellow downstate NMRA members.
For the open house, a live Google map providing evaluation information and navigation to all seven (7) railroads was discussed, with plans to keep the live Google map with the hosts’ home addresses private until a week before the event.
Here’s a video excerpt of the Open House discussion:
Website Updates
The website has been rebranded with a revised logo incorporating the upper peninsula and a color scheme chosen from the color guidelines from the NMRA rebranding documentation. The functionality remains the same, but recent additions include event information and updated logos for the NMRA and NCR.
The group discussed website content management, particularly focusing on converting PDF newsletters to native WordPress posts to enable better search functionality. The SearchWP plugin that allows PDF searching now will cost $199 annually. Paul demonstrated new features on the website, including expanded images and improved content presentation.
Here’s a video excerpt of the website rebranding and updates discussion:
Financial Updates
David reported on the NCR’s successful annual meeting, noting a financial surplus of $42,876, largely from National contributions, and mentioned they are still seeking a clinic presenter for April. The conversation ended with David confirming the treasury balance of $2,349.49 and noting that the Division’s debit card had been initialized. The group also discussed the possibility of adding Pike ads to the website and to create a corner for ads on the homepage.
Division Meeting: Ads and Certificates
The group also talked about renewing certificates and making changes to the design. Dr. John Campbell mentioned that an article he wrote was accepted for publication in the NMRA magazine, but the publication date is unknown. The division discussed the NMRA Achievement Program and encouraged members to participate. Finally, they shared information about a 3D printer available at the River City Public Library and mentioned that local Festival of Trains start today and run through January 4th.
Clinic – Modeling Toledo Railroads
Doug Tagsold from Division 1 attended in-person and presented a clinic on modeling railroads in the Toledo area during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
There is a dedicated page for this clinic, with video, in the Clinics archive.
Show and Tell
Finger-rack Flat Car
Paul presented his recent acquisition of a new finger-rack flat car model from Scale Trains. Scale Trains does not provide a rebar load for this car, so Paul showed a YouTube video where another modeler created realistic wire bundles and loads.
Here’s a video of the Scale Trains finger-rack flat car:
Scale Houses and Ash Pits
Based on a question posed by David, the group discussed various configurations for scale houses and ash pits on narrow gauge layouts, with Bill and others explaining different track arrangements and operational scenarios. The discussion concluded with suggestions for placing ash pits and scales in relation to engine houses and turntables, considering space constraints and operational requirements for handling two locomotives.