Whistle Post" Newsletter & Fall Meet Info

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Electronic Newsletter of the NMRA Garden State Division Greetings! The latest issue of the Whistle Post is available on-line.  And, we have provided a few highlights of the issue, below.  Additionally, The Fall Meet is coming soon,  Sept. 23,  in Franklin, NJ See the details below on clinics and four great layouts on tour. The GSD fall meet is at a new location: Franklin, NJ on Sept 23 The Garden State Division is always looking for a new venue.  For the fall meet, we will be meeting at the Franklin Fire House Hall at 137 Buckwheat Road in Franklin, NJ on September 23.  The morning session will begin at 9 AM and feature two clinics. The first presentation will be by Doc Bayne, on the Sterling Mountain Railway that was created in 1865. This line served the iron mines on Sterling Mountain, producing iron ore as well as billets that would then be shipped via the Erie Railroad to steel mills in Pennsylvania. Doc will discuss the creation of the iron industry in New York and what it took to run this industry. The second presentation will be by Bruce De Young, entitled "Scenery Tips for the Last 6" of Your Layout". Bruce will provide specific tips and utilize many photos to analyze the "Background Thoughts from the AP Scenery Requirements". This clinic will help you achieve the desired goal of blending your scenery into the backdrop. In addition to the two clinics, there will be coffee, doughnuts, Bring 'n Brag, model judging, door prizes, and sales tables. The afternoon will feature four layouts, including two that have never been open at a GSD meet.   One of those first timers is Mark Lutz, who models a fictitious HO scale single-track branch line loosely based on the Erie Railroad in the steam to diesel transition era. The other first timer is Kai Ebinger. Kai's HO layout is freelanced with several American railroads and there is also some equipment from Europe. The roster represents Kai's interests and includes steam, diesel and electric locomotives pulling both freight and passenger trains. All the trackwork is complete and the scenery is about 30% completed. The structures are a combination of plastic kits, craftsman structure kits and scratch built. Anthony Piccirillo will open his HO scale P&LE layout after an absence of several years. The two level layout is set in the 1948-1950 period featuring mostly steam and small diesel. The P&LE serviced the coal and steel industry in Western Pennsylvania, which are modeled by Anthony. Ted Pamperin's large HO scale C&O and HOn3 Mann's Creek layout, featured in the photo above, is fully sceniced and operational. The era is 1943 so wartime traffic is heavy, and all power is steam-most of it very large! The setting features the division point of Hinton, WV, with the main line to the east and west of there. Ted installed a CTC system on a section of the layout and recently added an ABS signaling system on the rest of the main line.  Come join us on September 23! Click on the Google logo for directions to the meet: In the Fall Issue of the Whistle Post               Auto Train: A great way to travel Bruce De Young recently traveled to the NMRA national convention in Orlando, FL via Auto Train.  Bruce shares his experience, including some helpful tips, on Amtrak's most profitable train.  In his article, Bruce discusses the accommodations, food, and the car loading and unloading process.  His article makes you wonder why you haven;t traveled to Florida on Auto Train. What are those funny looking things  included in the layout maps? Have you noticed those funny looking square diagrams included in the layout maps at GSD meets?  They are called QR codes and will help guide you to each layout destination using GPS and your smartphone. Chuck Diljak will tell you what applications you need to download for your smartphone and how to use them. So even if your car may not have GPS, if you are armed with a smartphone, you can have GPS guide you at GSD meets! These are only the highlights of the new, just published Fall Issue of the Whistle Post shown here. This issue contains more information about the upcoming GSD event in Franklin.  And, it also contains articles on the last GSD event in Staten island, the Achievement Program, conventions, tools, and much more. To get the full issue See what is happening on our social sites:

NMRA Garden State Division, 537 Malcolm Road, Union, NJ 07083