Elkhart Model Railroad Club Announcements
The Elkhart Model Railroad Club is a group of model railroad enthusiasts who meet every Friday evening at 2703 Hawthorne Street in Elkhart, Indiana. The club is open from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Visitors and guests are welcome every Friday from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm. The Third Friday of Every Month is EMRRC's Business Meeting. We Do Not Open to the Public Until 8:00 PM.
Here's the Monthly Schedule (please check the latest article below for more information)
- 1st Friday of the month EMRRC Train Clinic 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Maintenance follows the clinic from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The club's train clinics are open to the public and offer a chance to learn about model railroading from experienced club members. Trains are not running except for maintenance.
- 2nd Friday of the month Open Running, Public is invited from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Trains are running.
- 3rd Friday of the month EMRRC Business Meeting, Members Only, No visitors or guests, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. the Public is invited from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Check with members when trains are running.
- 4th Friday of the Month Formal Operations, Open to the Public 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The club's formal operations offer a chance to see model trains running in a realistic setting with a dispatcher, and yardmaster communicating the overall movement of trains with radio instructions. Club Trains are running for operations.
- 5th Friday of the month Open Running, Public is invited from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Trains are running if there is a 5th Friday in the month.
NEWS for May 2023
May 19, 2023
The Elkhart Model Railroad Club (EMRRC) held its monthly business meeting on Friday, May 20, 2023. The meeting was called to order by VP Matt Glassman at 7:00 PM, the members settled in, and the secretary and treasurer's reports were read.
The first item on the agenda was the upcoming operations session on Friday, May 26th.
Starting promptly at 7:00 pm Elkhart Model Railroad Club will bring back one of the Summers of Love from the late 1960s. From California to Woodstock the counterculture was meeting and on Friday, May 26th EMRRC will have locomotives from 1969. Bring your Peace Trains, Soul Trains, and Penn Central, SBC. There was no steam but plenty of classic diesel running. EMRRC had a great turnout for the last operations session so be sure to arrive by at least 6:30 PM to get an assignment. Some other items discussed included HO-Scale budgets, and members volunteering for scenery assignments. and ongoing projects.
Ballasting was also discussed. Members Zac Maierle and Jim Kitt are working on ballasting the HO-Scale layout. Zac brought in a Bachmann ballast spreader, which is helping to speed up the process. Several members are also working on buildings for the GT Exchange. The trackwork in the GT area is now operational.
3D printing was also discussed. Member Rick Cawley is working on a sniper project and is also designing older staved barrels. He is available to give lessons and help with any 3D printing projects that members want to do for the club.
The next item on the agenda was hours of operation and availability to the public. The hours are posted on the website, FaceBook, and various announcements. Members have 24/7 access to the club and its facilities.
The next item on the agenda was the club constitution and bylaws. The committee charged with updating these documents will present their recommendations at the next meeting. Members are encouraged to submit their suggestions as soon as possible.
The meeting adjourned at 7:48 PM. After the meeting, several members worked on setting up for the upcoming operations session.
A group of model railroaders from the Elkhart Model Railroad Club traveled to the Three Rivers, Michigan area recently and disassembled and moved a fellow model railroader's layout to a new location. The layout, which the donor built and enjoyed for 40 years, was carefully disassembled and transported to its new location, where it was reassembled with care. The donor was pleased to know that his layout would continue to be enjoyed by another generation of model railroaders.
The move was a major undertaking, but the model railroaders were up for the challenge. They carefully removed the layout from the donor's home and transported it to the new location by van and trailer. Once at the new location, they carefully reassembled the layout, making sure that all of the pieces were in the correct place.
The donor was very impressed with the group of Elkhart Model Railroad Clubs members. He was grateful that they had taken the time and effort to move his layout to a new location, where it would be enjoyed by others. He was also proud to know that his layout would continue to be enjoyed by another generation of model railroaders.
The EMRRC members were happy to help the donor. They enjoyed working on the layout and were glad that they could help preserve it for future generations. They were also proud to know that they were helping to keep the hobby of model railroading alive.
The move of the layout was a success. The donor was happy, the EMRRC model railroaders were happy, and the hobby of model railroading was preserved. It was a win-win-win situation.
Here is the schedule for our upcoming clinics on the first Friday of every month starting at 7:00 PM. The club's train clinics are open to the public and offer a chance to learn about model railroading from experienced club members
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
May 12, 2023
On Friday, the Elkhart Model Railroad Club held an open running event. Over 25 members and 3 guests attended to watch beautiful passenger trains run on the layout including a Milwaukee Road passenger train that has unique oval and round windows on the passenger cars. You can see it in EMRRC's "Friday Night Running at the Club" video. The video also has a Seaboard passenger train called the "Silver Meteor" and a weird runaway car that passes by on an upper track. There were also several modern and classic freight trains running on the layout. In the background, people socialized and caught up with old friends while discussing railroading.
During the event, some members arrived early to work on maintenance projects. Matt Glassman is one of the members who is working on improving the layout wiring. This is an ongoing project that will continue for months to come. The latest work includes splitting the layout into 4 power districts with a Digitrax PM42 Quad Power Manager. This will limit shutdowns to one district when a train derails and runs through a switch. The installation of the PM42 involved adding a breakout board and extensive rewiring, as well as removing some old wiring that dates back to the 1950s.
Another interesting project at EMRRC is 3D printing. The club has an Anycubic Mono X 6K resin printer and some members who know how to use it. The worker shown was mentioned last week as a new project. Rick has printed off a few samples and has painted one. If you need workers for your scenery, Rick is going to print several more in different poses and you can order them now.
Also, there’s a surprise coming for the members: the sniper has been missing for a few years now, or at least we can’t find him. A new sniper is coming, so keep an eye out for him.
Here is the schedule for our upcoming clinics on the first Friday of every month starting at 7:00 PM. The club's train clinics are open to the public and offer a chance to learn about model railroading from experienced club members
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
May 5, 2023
The month of May started as a busy month for us at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. We kicked it off with a clinic where we looked at a low-angle video of the tracks from the cab view.
This helped us spot the strengths and weaknesses of our layout. We noticed some things that needed improvement, like scenery, buildings, ballasting, and trackwork. Some tracks were new but not finished yet. Some buildings were just placeholders for the real ones. With over 1200 feet of mainline and several tunnels, passes, and high areas it gave members a different perspective they had never seen before. The clinic was a great way to get inspired to work on the scenery of our HO-Scale layout.
After the clinic, we had a maintenance night. Our main priority is to make sure the mainlines are reliable mechanically and electrically. We have made some progress by upgrading or replacing some tracks. Ken, Bill, and several other members have put in long hours making running at EMRRC more reliable. Matt has been doing a great job with the power and wiring of the command station and boosters. He has also been updating the 12-volt and 5-volt power supplies for the layout. Some of the wiring was very old and needed to be changed.
We still have a lot of work to do with over 1200 feet of mainline. That's why we have maintenance nights every Tuesday, in addition to the first Friday of each month. Maintenance is ongoing both on and off the track.
The club owns several hundred cars and engines. They are constantly being maintained and upgraded. If you are interested in model railroading or want a new hobby that constantly challenges you with enjoyable problems we are having an open run on May 12th at the clubhouse. The public is invited from 7:00 PM till 10:00 PM. Stop by and see if there is a fit between us.
Rick Cawley is a talented modeler who is working to create realistic scenes for the new machine shop he is building. He has been working hard on making some figures to populate his new structure. Here's a sneak peek at one of his workers. The first photo shows how he started with a basic figure, and the second one shows how he has smoothed out details. The 3D printer at the club will be busy printing out variations of this figure. He plans to place them around the building to make it look busy and lively.
Ben Brubaker is another club member who enjoys 3D printing. He has been away for a while, volunteering at a food pantry in Pennsylvania with his wife. He also joined a local model railroad club there, the Lehigh and Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum. They have the same 3D printer as we do, and Ben has been using it to make some cool items for their layout. He showed us some washers and dryers he 3D printed, as well as a custom 2-bay cement hopper that he is designing and building as a club car. It was based on a prototype that was used by the CNJ railroad. It was great to see Ben again, and we hope he is back at EMRRC soon.
Here is the schedule for our upcoming clinics on the first Friday of every month starting at 7:00 PM. The club's train clinics are open to the public and offer a chance to learn about model railroading from experienced club members
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading. NEWS for April 2023April 28, 2023
On the last Friday of April 2023, a large group gathered at the Elkhart Model Railroad clubhouse for Operations night. More than 20 members and guests enjoyed the 1953 operations, which featured steam passenger trains and classic diesel locomotives.
Jeff Cain showcased a new Northern-type Union Pacific locomotive. The locomotives were delivered along with 10 additional 4-8-4 locomotives equipped with low-backpressure double stacks and designated FEF-3 in December 1944. These locomotives were capable of developing 63,800 lbs of tractive effort and were equipped with 80-inch drivers and larger 14-wheel centipede-style tenders with a 23,500-gallon capacity. They were classified as FEF-2. Union Pacific passenger cars were pulled by this beautiful locomotive, which was admired by many club members.
Thanks to Chief Dispatcher Ron Breniser, the session ran smoothly despite the large turnout. Check out this week's "Friday Night Running at the Club" to see all the action.
At EMRRC, model railroading is not just about running trains. Our club has a diverse group of experts who share their skills in carpentry, electronics, scenery building, and other disciplines related to the hobby.
We have tool and die makers who use our 3D printer to create model railroad accessories for the club, such as the recently replaced milepost markers along our tracks. If you're interested in model railroading, we invite you to visit us on a Friday night and experience a piece of Elkhart's history that has been around for over 75 years. Who knows? You might discover a new hobby and make some new friends.
Maintenance and scenery are always happening in the background at the club.
The 1st Friday of every month and Tuesday nights are set aside for maintenance at the club. This includes everything from cleaning, (the members own the clubhouse and grounds) to major and minor scenery and construction on the layouts. We also have clinics on the 1st Friday of every month. May's clinic fits right in with maintenance as we are going to take a look at ground level, and front of the cab videos to look for maintenance that can be done along the right-of-way. Here's our upcoming clinic schedule.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
April 21, 2023
On April 21st, EMRRC had a brief monthly meeting. We talked about the construction that replaced the tracks and switches at the west curves and the junction for Chicago/Toledo/Flushing.
The project is done with the construction stage and will move on to scenery construction next.
Some weird things happened during the construction. A mysterious visitor appeared. She was taken outside safely.
There's a new switch that goes nowhere. The members are curious about what this switch does. Thanks to Ken & Bill and all the others who helped with the construction.
We also reviewed the Train Show and wrapped up any final details from the 2023 show. We reminded everyone that the next show will be on March 16, 2024, at the Claywood Event Center. We have already started preparing for the show. Member Paul Ewing has begun printing the brochure and vendor application for the 19th Annual Nappanee Train Show. It was also brought up that the Elkhart Model Railroad Club will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025 and we will start planning for that event in 2024. The club started in April of 1950 and has been running ever since. The club built its first clubhouse (with several additions later) at the Hawthorne Street address in 1952. The club is one of the oldest model railroad clubs in the US that still operates in its original location.
After the meeting setup was accomplished for Friday, April 28th Formal Operations Night. The year will be 1953 so steam is running and lots of classic diesel. The public is invited to either watch or be paired up with an experienced operator. Please be at the club promptly as operations start at 7:00 PM.
Here is the latest information on upcoming clinics.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
April 14, 2023
On Friday the 14th, the club hosted an open running session for members and visitors to enjoy. Check out our latest "Friday Night Running at the Club" to see trains running through detailed landscapes. Model railroading is a beloved hobby for many, and our next public open running session is on Friday, May 12th from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
We take great care in maintaining the scenery and track work, and our latest project involved replacing trackwork and switches at the west double curves and the cut-off for Chicago/Toledo/Flushing. This was a multi-day project that required the hard work of members Bill Trail and Ken Prager, who worked long hours into the evening. Their goal was to ensure that our mainline is in top-notch condition.
Thanks to their efforts, we now have improved benchwork and smooth track and switches on the mainline. It's interesting working on a layout that was started in 1952 and has been modified several times over the years. You run into modified wiring and benchwork that may have been in place since the 1950s. Ken and Bill get a lot of puzzles to solve they may not have counted on.
A vendor at our recent show donated a 3D Printed Terex Rock Crusher. The Tenex has been moved to the quarry and as soon as we find out who the vendor is we will properly thank him.
Our 3D printer has been busy creating accessories for the layouts thanks to member Rick Crawly.
The latest Clinic at the Club Catenary with Jim Kitt is online at this website and on YouTube. Click either of the links to find this interesting clinic with a member who has built several electrified layouts with catenary. Here is the latest information on upcoming clinics.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. This coming Friday April 21st is EMRRC's monthly business meeting for members only. No visitors or guests, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Afterward, we will set up for formal operations on Friday April 28th. The Public is invited from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
April 7, 2023
Hi everyone,
Just a quick update for Good Friday and Easter weekend 2023. Friday members and visitors enjoyed a clinic at the club on catenary by Jim Kitt.
Jim is a former dispatcher and engineer with the South Shore Line, the electric railroad that runs from South Bend to Chicago. The South Shore Line is operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District a government agency that consists of the four counties served by the South Shore (St. Joseph, LaPorte, Porter, and Lake counties). The South Shore serves about 1.5 million passengers a year and is undergoing major upgrades between South Bend and Chicago.
The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad is the Class III freight railroad running between Chicago and South Bend. The CSS is owned by Anacostia Rail Holdings Company.
Jim who is retired has always had an interest in electric railroads and operates his own HO-Scale Calumet Railway which of course has catenary along the entire route. Calumet Railway is a 10-mile shortline between Westville, Indiana, and Michigan City, Indiana. CLICK HERE for our video on the Calumet Railway and watch here for more information on when the clinic for catenary is posted.
EMRRC has several clinics online at YouTube the latest being Yards and Yard Limits by Chuck Hart. It's an interesting clinic on how yard limits and yards work with extensive references to documentation. After all of the clinic information club members spent the rest of the evening with layout and building maintenance. The members of the club own the grounds and building and of course the layouts. With over 30 members, and numerous visitors and guests each week the smooth operation of the club depends on maintenance.
Everything from the mundane, cleaning restrooms, vacuuming, and dusting, to major maintenance on the HO-Scale and N-Scale layouts scenery, trackwork, and electrical happen on Tuesday nights and the 1st Friday of every month. Membership has its perks but it also comes with a responsibility to the club's well-being. We are always looking for new members who share our passion for model railroading and want to contribute to our community. If you are interested in joining us or just want to check us out, feel free to stop by on Friday night from 7 pm to 10 pm (please check the top of the page for open Fridays and hours) or contact us through our website or social media. We hope to see you soon and wish you all a happy Easter!
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. This coming Friday is open running at the club. Run what you bring. Visitors and guests are invited starting at 7:00 PM CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading. March 31, 2023
Since we're right up against April Fools Day we thought you would enjoy a look at some of the mishaps and mistakes that happen at EMRRC. Gremlins and problems plague every model railroad. Switches are thrown wrong, cars derail, and engines stop. Well, engines stop except for Bryan Good's engines. Bryan runs a RailPro System with a battery car and his own separate engine communications system which does not rely on the EMRRC Digitrax DCC system. He just uses our environment and track. Bryan of course would miss the comradeship. bantering, and maintenance involved at the club.
We thought this week's "Friday Night Running at the Club" should show you what really goes on behind the scenes without a lot of editing. So be sure to check out this week's video.
The scenery keeps moving along at the Chicago/ Toledo cutoff thanks to Matt Glassman. Matt is using Woodland Scenics Plaster Cloth to form a hard shell to add molded rocks, colors, and other scenery details. 
Friday night we had open running at the club and a good crowd showed up in rainy, stormy weather for running trains and fellowship.
This coming GOOD Friday, April 7th we will start with a clinic on building catenary. Jim Kitt will show you how he built a catenary system for his electrified Calumet Railways layout. Jim has a long history with railroading as a former dispatcher and engineer for the South Shore, the electrified railroad between South Bend, Indiana, and Chicago. Jim will show you how he uses both N-Scale and HO-Scale parts to build HO-Scale catenary. Please join us for this interesting clinic on Friday, April 7th, and watch for when the video is posted. The public is invited and the clinic starts promptly at 7:00 PM.
We had some great clinics lately. The latest posted on our website and on YouTube is Chuck Hart's Clinic on Yards and Yard Limits. If you want to add and run through Yard Limits on your model railroad be sure to watch this clinic on Yards and Yard Limits. Most people have a misconception about how these areas work in railroad systems. The video is up, go and watch it. You will gain some valuable knowledge from it.
Here's our upcoming schedule for clinics.
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading. 
cutoff thanks to Matt Glassman.
As we roll toward the end of March, EMRRC had a great turnout for Chuck Hart's Yards and Yard Limits Clinic. This clinic clarified a complicated subject in an easy-to-understand way. For example, Yard Limits have nothing to do with Yards. Members, had a lot of questions as it was surprising how many preconceptions just the names Yards and Yard Limits bring about. Want to know more? Watch here for upcoming info on when the clinic will be posted on this website.
Later, we had even more visitors at Elkhart Model Railroad Club's open running. At one point we had over a dozen trains running and the great thing was there were no hiccups. The Digitrax system handled all of the trains, there were no slot errors, shutdowns, or loss of control. We were having to deal with a malfunctioning switch near the town of Liberty and had to reroute Thanks the mainline to a siding until the track maintenance crew gets the time to fix it. Want to help out on this and chores? Tuesday night is maintenance night. Several members have spent hours on electrical and trackwork. Also Tuesday night before this session several of the members spent a lot of time cleaning the track with track cleaning cars and by hand.
Here is our latest clinic schedule.
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome. Friday, March 24th would have been EMRRC's Operations Night but in order to keep the schedule moving we will have the Freight Yards and Yards Limits clinic and Operations will resume the 4th Friday in April.
CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
March 24, 2023
Another year in the books for our annual train show in the middle of Amish Country in Nappanee, Indiana, and what a train show it was. Lots of vendors with lots to sell, a ton of operating layouts for the visitors to enjoy, and a tremendous amount of attendees. No official numbers yet, but since I was working the door I'm guessing the most amount of people we have had at a show. We'll see later in the week when we get some official numbers.
Thanks to all the hard-working club members who put in a lot of hours to prep and get everything set up for the vendors and guests. Thanks, to the visitors who came through the door on a cold day and left with a lot of merchandise in their hot little hands. The vendors for their hard work in setting up and providing a great variety of merchandise. And thanks to the area clubs and organizations who brought in operating layouts and displays for the enjoyment of the public.
A big thanks to the Claywood Event Center who had their usual great environment ready to go and had great Amish food on site for all the attendees to buy when they got hungry. Enjoy some of the photos and drone footage from the show here and on our "Friday Night Running at the Club" page, YouTube, and FaceBook.
Here's our latest Clinic at the Club Schedule.
March 24, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. We had to reschedule this much-anticipated clinic due to weather problems. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks. August 4, 2023, Building Switches with Fast Tracks, by Ken Prager. Learn how model railroaders are building their own custom switches with the Fast Tracks system. September 1, 2023, LABOR DAY WEEKEND HOLIDAY NO CLINIC. October 6, 2023, Running the RailPro Control System Instead of DCC, by Bryan Good. No wiring, and no DCC headaches. Learn how to convert a model railroad with the RailPro system.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome. Friday, March 24th would have been EMRRC's Operations Night but in order to keep the schedule moving we will have the Freight Yards and Yards Limits clinic and Operations will resume the 4th Friday in April.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
March 10, 2023
EMRRC had our monthly Business Meeting on March 10th. We installed a new member Rick Cawley. Rick has been very valuable during his probation, working maintenance on Tuesday nights and has been to our member's Sunday runnings several times. He has developed an interest in our 3D printing and is a former tool & dye maker/machinist with CAD experience which allows him to design many of our 3D print files. Congratulations Rick and welcome to the club. Our other big announcement concerning members was the announcement of our EMRRC Member of the Year for 2022, Ken Prager. Ken has been involved in or spearheaded every big construction project for the club. Ken also has developed an interest in older pieces of rolling stock and how to get them to stay on track and roll easily around the track. Ken has passed along the knowledge he has gained to the other members and members are happy when trains are running smoothly. Congratulations Ken and enjoy your gift certificate.
The other big item covered at the meeting was of course the 18th Annual Train Show coming up on March 18th, at the Claywood Event Center in Nappanee, Indiana. The vendors are all set, the event center is ready with plenty of free parking, a clean modern 14,000 sq. foot space full of vendors and operating layouts, and a restaurant on-site in case you get hungry.
Here's our latest Clinic at the Club Schedule.
March 24, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. We had to reschedule this much-anticipated clinic due to weather problems. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains. August and September 2023 Clinics are being scheduled and we will update the schedule in the coming weeks.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome. Friday, March 24th would have been EMRRC's Operations Night but in order to keep the schedule moving we will have the Freight Yards and Yards Limits clinic and Operations will resume the 4th Friday in April.
The meeting Friday, March 17th will be limited due to the Train Show on Saturday, March 18th. There will be some last-minute prep for the show and open running will be allowed.
The 3D printer is busy churning out items. People and an overhead crane are the latest. Members if you need items for an area you are working on please see Rick.
One other item of importance if you are a YouTube member please go to YouTube and subscribe to the Elkhart Model Railroad Club page. We have over 750 subscribers and once we reach 1000 subscribers the club will earn a bit of money off of the page. There is an icon at the top of this page to the right. It looks like an arrow next to the F icon for Facebook. That icon will take you right to the EMRRC YouTube page.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule and check in to this page for weekly reminders on meeting schedules. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
March 3, 2023
Northern Indiana opened up in March with bad weather. The weather was so bad President Chuck Hart decided to call the meeting off for Friday the 3rd. Our next meeting will be on March 10th. That meeting will start with our monthly business meeting at 7:00 PM. The meeting was moved up due to our annual train show on March 18th. The public is welcome after the meeting but the majority of the evening will be taken up with train show prep and maintenance.
We had a clinic scheduled for March 3rd on Yards and Yard Limits. That clinic will be rescheduled after the business meeting or we may move the clinic schedule down a month. More news to come on that.
Tuesday.s maintenance session found Chuck working on the N-Scale layout solving a bug and adding a new freight yard near the grain mill.
Ken was in his element under the layout tearing out a section of track in a tunnel that had been riddled with problems. The section has been in service for years probably since the 1980s and has had problems with the switches located at both ends along with a patchwork of tracks that had been modified over the years. Hopefully, that section will be up by next Friday as it has shut down the entire layout.
While we were in Northern Indiana suffering from the weather members Eden & Aaron Marshall were in Florida. visiting the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. (I'm kidding they were there a couple of weeks ago and got back in time to share in the snowy weather with the rest of us). While there Aaron drove an SW-1500 an Ex-NASA locomotive #2. The locomotive is a former Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway unit and was donated to the museum in 2014. Its sister locomotive #3 is at the Madison Railroad in Madison, Indiana, where it is used for regular freight service and passenger excursion train service.
Member Rick Cawley has been working on a machine shop for the north wall. Here's a look at it with the 3D-printed lathes posed for a test look.
We are less than 2 weeks away from Northern Indiana's largest train show. We will have the same 14,000-square-foot event center that has hosted our train shows the last few years, the Claywood Event Center. The event center is approximately 3 miles southwest of Nappanee, Indiana at 13924 N 1100 W (County Line Road). The building has all the amenities and the show will have over 150 tables, operating layouts, and much more. You can find your way there no matter where you are coming from thanks to plenty of direction signs. The 2023 EMRRC Train Show will be from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm EDT. The Elkhart Model Railroad Show is a long-term premier event for the hobbyist and collector. Bring the family, kids under 12 are free and it's just $5 for adults with plenty of free parking.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open most Fridays from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
February 24, 2023
We need to catch up to the end of February. The month has gone quickly and several things have happened at EMRRC. Friday the 17th was the monthly business meeting at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club and several items were discussed. The vendor tables have been sold out for the March 18th Train Show in Nappanee, Indiana. Vendors if you send in an application you will be put on a waiting list. The Vendor Information Pack has been mailed to all the vendors attending the show. Thanks to all of the vendors for your continuing support. The March Business Meeting has been moved to Friday, March 10, due to the upcoming train show. The meeting will start promptly at 7:00 PM. We are closed to the public until 8:00 PM or until the meeting ends. We are still having some throttle connection problems, but we seem to be getting a handle on the problem. Please clear/release engines when done running.
Matt made some other changes that seem to have helped with the issue. The switch machine power supply was running very hot last week. It was decided to buy a larger power supply. New buildings and track work are progressing on the N-Scale layout. Michael Wenzelmaier has passed his probationary status and has been voted in as a new member. Congratulations Michael. Michael also owns Michael's Trains located in the Old Bag Factory in Goshen, Indiana. Michael's carries a large selection of N-Scale and HO-Scale items.
Upcoming clinics include;
March 3, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
May 5, 2023, Ground Level Review of the HO-Scale Layout, by Jim Ford. We will watch videos of the layout taken from the cab view of a locomotive and will discuss improvements to be made to the layout as we find items from a different view of the layout that needs to be repaired.
June 2, 2023, Design a Layout Using AnyRail, by Bill Trail Anyrail is software that allows you to design model railways on a computer. Bill will discuss the ins and outs of using this software for your projects.
July 7, 2023, British Railways, by Will Babcoke. Blimey! Our British Railway aficionado discusses and shows his collection of British trains.The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome. Friday, March 24th was EMRRC's Operations Night.
We had a good turnout of members for operations and 2 members, Ken Prager and Bryan Good continue to experiment with the engineer being at a remote location while the conductor is with the train. This time they mounted a camera up high above Wood Creek so Ken could watch train movements and listen to Bryan as he gave instructions. They used Discord for messaging with a video call so they could see and talk on their phones. It's an experiment in progress and again there was a lot of interest in the process. The 3D printer continues to churn out projects.
Rick has put a call out to all members on The Elkhart Model Railroad Clubs groups.io page for any accessories you need for the layout. He will be glad to work with you on any project you have.
Matt Glassman is always busy with projects here are a few of his latest.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
February 10, 2023
Friday the 10th was open running at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. We had several visitors, guests, and members running a lot of engines and trains. The HO-Scale layout was started in 1952 and of course over the years has had many changes. Members of the club work to keep an over 70-year-old old layout running in top shape. We have a regular maintenance group that meets on Tuesday nights and the first Friday of the month is reserved for maintenance.
Our major maintenance project is the cutoff and roundabout. A crew has put in several man-hours over the last few weeks and work continues with track and switch adjustments. Ken uses a unique tool to find track maintenance problems, a Broadway Limited PRR T1. This is a huge engine, a 4-4-4-4 and of course, it had to have a 16-wheel tender with it. The main problem with this engine is a rigid frame, no articulation here. This makes it a great engine to find track problems. Any deviation and this beast will find it.
Also, the thing is built like a tank. The chassis is diecast if it gets away from you or a switch is thrown the wrong way disaster is not far away. By the way after this wreck only a scratch on the front shroud to the T1. We're going to do a video on wrecks at EMRRC and the T1 is doing its part for the video. As always the 3D printer keeps churning out parts. The latest is some anhydrous ammonia tanks for the local COOP and more covers for Digitrax throttles. The 18th Annual Train Show is sold out of vendor tables. Thanks to everyone as we work towards another successful train show.
Clinics upcoming include ;
March 3, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
February 3, 2023
EMRRC starts off the dreary, cold but short month of February toasty and warm in the clubhouse with a clinic presented by Jim Ford covering the history of the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. EMRRC started in 1950 and has been in the same building since 1952 building a massive HO-Scale layout along with a new N-Scale layout. Thanks to members Gary Pressnell ( a member since the 1970s. Jim Metzger another member from the 70s who recently rejoined and Jim Kitt a member from the 80s makes a 90-mile round trip to come and run and hang out at EMRRC. All 3 of these members provided valuable information about the club and its past. Hundreds of members over the years with a lot of creativity and foresight allow the members of today to enjoy the layouts and club in a facility owned by the members. CLICK HERE to check out the history of the Elkhart Model Railroad Club.
Even with a great history things have to change in a club to keep that history alive and growing. After the clinic, members Matt Glassman, Ken Prager, Bill Trail, Joseph Cipolla, Bryan Good, and several others tore out the bypass to Chicago and rebuilt it. Since the runaround had been added into the bypass in the early 2000s the area had been a source of problems. Derailments, power problems, and several other gremlins had made the area a pain to get through. The guys finished the work Saturday and the area is operational. There is scenery work and minor cleanup still to do but the hard work is finished. Thanks so much, guys from all the members.
In news from the 18th Annual Train Show coming up on March 18th, the vendor tables are sold out. 150 tables have been sold for the show and we will have a premier event for the hobbyist and collectors. Bring the family, kids under 12 are free and it's just $5 for adults with plenty of free parking. There will be a restaurant on-site with hot Amish sandwiches, desserts, sides, and soft drinks. Be sure to join us on Saturday, March 18th at the Claywood Event Center. We are planning a bigger and better show for 2023, you won't be disappointed. Vendors if you still want to send an application in please do so (just send the application, if we have an opening we will be in contact to bill you) and we will put you on a waiting list.
Clinics upcoming include ;
March 3, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
NEWS for January 2023 January 20, 2023 
Cold weather moved in for the last meeting in January 2023 at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. It was toasty in the clubhouse as we had a good turnout of members and guests running trains and socializing during the evening. We had a mix of modern and classic on the layout with plenty of steam and diesel running. Members were also looking at the new Athearn Big Boy running on the layout. Member Ken Prager has been working on some modifications to the drawbar helping to keep the centipede tender on our tracks. We'll cover this more in an upcoming post.
We had some dark running during the evening with several lighted engines and passenger cars moving through. The club has a lot of buildings and the streets lite but with a large layout, we have a lot of work to do adding LEDs and replacing older incandescent bulbs along the layout.
The members and visitors enjoy the night running. One unusual sighting was Steve Storey our treasurer running a train. Steve is always kept busy with a multitude of accounting functions for the club and doesn't get a chance to run too often. Unfortunately, he was running in the dark running session but I think I see a smile.
We also had members running on the N-Scale layout. A new ScaleTrains GE ET44C4 Tier 4 GEVo, BNSF/Heritage III coal train along with a Nickel Plate Berkshire pulling a 6-car passenger train were both running on the N-Scale layout.
The 3D Printer has been busy as always. We have DigiTrax throttles and have lost or broken some of the back covers. 3D print Rick to the rescue. New covers no problem. Also, Rick has been printing out a ton of lathes and bench grinders for the machine shops around the layout.
Here are a couple of interesting finds. If you have an interest in rebuilds this is a link to an album of photographs and notes showing damaged and repaired locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Really interesting reading. There is a link to download the entire album in zip files if you want. CLICK HERE for the album. For all of you, S-Scalers ScaleTrains has some S-Scale freight cars listed on their website based on MTH tooling. CLICK HERE for the link to their homepage. I was looking for a KATO motor. Here is a link to Kato's accessory page with a variety of items including the motor I was looking for. CLICK HERE for the KATO accessory page.
February starts out with a clinic on Friday the 3rd. Afterward is a maintenance night for the club until 9 pm.
February 3, 2023, Photos of EMRRC Through the Years presented by Jim Ford with a lot of help from Gary Pressnell, Jim Metzger, and Jim Kitt. (these 3 members have roots in the club going back to the 1970s). We will be looking at pictures of the club from every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s. Take a look at the picture to the left. Can anyone tell me where this is on the layout? It is from the 1970s. The club has been in business since 1950 (2 years till the 75th anniversary) so we have a lot of pictures from the past.
March 3, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
January 20, 2023
Friday the 20th was EMRRC's monthly business meeting. Items discussed included Maintenance, MAINTENANCE, AND MORE MAINTENANCE!. EMRRC is a large club with over 30 members and 2 large layouts and a 70-year-old building to maintain. Tuesday nights are our scheduled maintenance nights and we need members to show up. There are more than enough jobs to go around. If you're not sure what to do see Chuck or Jim. They have a list of several pleasant jobs to do. Also, the first Friday of the month after the Clinic is a maintenance night the same duties needed to be performed. Other items discussed included the upcoming clinics.
February 3, 2023, Photos of EMRRC Through the Years presented by Jim Ford with a lot of help from Gary Pressnell, Jim Metzger, and Jim Kitt. (these 3 members have roots in the club going back to the 1970s). We will be looking at pictures of the club from every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s. Take a look at the picture to the left. Can anyone tell me where this is on the layout? It is from the 1970s. The club has been in business since 1950 (2 years till the 75th anniversary) so we have a lot of pictures from the past.
March 3, 2023, Freight Yards and Yard Limits, by Chuck Hart. Chuck tackles the mystery of Yards and Yard Limits. These are complex areas to deal with and the rules can be as confusing as herding cats. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
April 7, 2023, Making Catenary, by Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and his passion is building Catenary. Join us for this clinic and learn how to string overhead wire like a master.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
A new Locobuffer from RR-Circuits was purchased to replace the Digitrax PR4. The PR4 seems to have problems with our system so we decided to go in a different direction with the latest RR-Circuits USB Locobuffer.
Friday the 27th Formal Operations have been postponed to February.
After the Business Meeting, a Train Show Meeting was held. 116 tables have been sold for the show and marketing continues on track for The March 18th Train Show.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
January 13, 2023
When you're dealing with a large layout, some of which is over 70 years old, maintenance is a continuing process. Engine & car maintenance, track cleaning, and electronics updates all happen so that members, guests, and visitors can enjoy a worry-free operating session. We have had large groups operating trains the last two Fridays with over 20 engines with large trains all drawing lots of power from the system. Control is with DigiTrax and JMRI. A lot of phones, tablets, Digitrax throttles, and a RailPro throttle are all running through EMRRC's WiFi. While this is happening on the layout there are several people sitting, watching, talking, and looking at information on their phones. The Elkhart Model Railroad Club is chewing up some bandwidth on Friday Nights. At this point, we are still looking for members. We are getting close to our limit of members for the club, but if you have an interest in model railroading, in particular electronics, scenery, computer apps and programs come by and give us a look. The schedule for the public is posted at the top of the page.
3D printing is still running strong. Members Matt Glassman & Rick Crawley are turning out projects for the club. Rick is working on multiple accessories including anhydrous ammonia tanks for the local Co-Op and EMRRC uncoupling tools. Matt is working on diesel cabs, mile markers, and a floor for a Norfolk & Western auxiliary water tender. Water tender shells for the N & W are available but the floor is not included, so Matt is making his own.
It's the time of year we want to remind everyone about the EMRRC 2023 Train Show that is coming up. We have sold over 100 tables for the event so vendors if you want to make the cut for tables don't forget to get your application in soon.
The EMRRC monthly meeting is this coming Friday till 8:00 pm. The public is welcome from 8:00 PM till 10:00 PM or later.
Upcoming Clinics include;
- 3 Feb – Photos of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F. This is a pictorial look at the club from the 1950s to the mid-2000s. The club has been in business since 1950 (2 years till the 75th anniversary) so we have a lot of pictures from the past.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H. Yard Limits are a mystery to many model railroaders and trying to get through a yard can try the patience of any model railroader. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
- 7 Apr – Making Catenary – Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and has mastered stringing catenary on overhead electrified model railroads. One of his secrets is using some N-Scale parts when building an HO-scale catenary.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
At this point, we are going to postpone Elkhart Model Railroad Club's Formal Operations Sessions for January due to track maintenance. Look for more information to come on the website.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.
January 6, 2023
We're back with our first update for the new year. Since the weather has been cold there has been time for working on the layouts and running trains. We started out with a clinic by member Gary Pressnell. Gary has an extensive slide collection and over 30 members, guests, and visitors enjoyed a slide show taking a look at railroading in Northern Ohio and Indiana in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. We also had visitors from the Naptown & White River Model Railroad Club bringing the club a nice Naptown & White River boxcar. Thanks, fellows.
The 3D printer has been busy turning out everything from water tender floors to accessories for the layouts.
This is a kitty litter load Ken Prager made for an ore car. Ken has a lot of ore cars and has been experimenting with loads for the cars trying everything from 3D-printed loads to commercially available ore carloads. The kitty litter may be the winner as it's cheap and Ken may have hit on the right colors. Ken loads the cars with BBs underneath the kitty litter for weight.
The March 18th, 2023 Train Show is coming up. We have sold just over 100 tables for the event so vendors if you want to make the cut for tables don't forget to get your application in soon.
We have open running coming up for the 2nd Friday in January the public is welcome from 7:00 PM till 10:00 PM or later.
Upcoming Clinics include;
- 3 Feb – Photos of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F. This is a pictorial look at the club from the 1950s to the mid-2000s. The club has been in business since 1950 (2 years till the 75th anniversary) so we have a lot of pictures from the past.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H. Yard Limits are a mystery to many model railroaders and trying to get through a yard can try the patience of any model railroader. Learn how to master both of these areas in the March clinic
- 7 Apr – Making Cantenay – Jim Kitt. Jim is a retired South Shore Conductor and has mastered stringing catenary on overhead electrified model railroads. One of his secrets is using some N-Scale parts when building an HO-scale catenary.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
Elkhart Model Railroad Club's Formal Operations Sessions are tentatively set to start on January 27, 2023. Look for more information to come on the website.
CLICK HERE for the latest information on the 2023 Train Show. CLICK HERE for our latest "Friday Running at the Club" video. If you would like to visit the club we are open every Friday from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm to the public. Check out the top of this page for a more concise schedule. CLICK HERE If you want to see more pictures of the members and their trains. CLICK HERE to see the latest regional train show listing. Have some fun with Model Railroading.