Elkhart Model Railroad Club Announcements
The Elkhart Model Railroad Club meets Friday Evenings at 2703 Hawthorne Street in Elkhart, Indiana.
Visitors and guests are welcome every Friday from 7:00 pm - 9:00 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
1st Friday of the month EMRRC Train Clinic 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Maintenance 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Open Running 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The public is invited to clinics.
2nd Friday of the month Open Running, Public is invited from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
3rd Friday of the month Business Meeting, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Open to the Public 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
4th Friday of the Month Formal Operations, Open to the Public 7:00 PM to 9:00 P
NEWS for January 2023 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.
NEWS for December 2022 December 16, 2022
There was snow falling on the ground but that didn't keep a large crowd from gathering inside a warm clubhouse Friday, for the EMRRC annual Christmas Party. Lots of pizza, drinks and dessert were enjoyed by members and their guests. The pizza didn't last long but the socializing went well into the night while other members moved over to the large HO-Scale layout to run trains.
Upcoming clinics include;
- 6 Jan – New York Central – Gary P.
- 3 Feb – Photos of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
Elkhart Model Railroad Club's Formal Operations Sessions will 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.
December 9, 2022
Here we are for December 2022 with the year almost gone but a lot of news at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. Friday, December 16, the club will have its Annual Christmas Party and will be closed to the public. Members and family are welcome and pizza and drinks will be provided. Members are encouraged to bring dessert.
Also in December, we had a clinic on making cars from budget cars that run flawlessly on your layout. Look for that clinic coming in December on the EMRRC website and YouTube channel.
Upcoming clinics include;
- 6 Jan – New York Central – Gary P.
- 3 Feb – Photos of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
I bet you don't know we have caves big enough to hold a person at the club. Check out Ken Prager as he squeezes into a tunnel for track maintenance.
The 3D Printer has been busy as always. Here are the latest projects.
3D Printed Cab Mile Marker Speaker Enclosure
Elkhart Model Railroad Club's Formal Operations Sessions will start on January 20, 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.
NEWS for November 2022 November 18, 2022
We run trains at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club but there are always plenty of other things going on. The November Business Meeting reminded everyone that work nights are on Tuesday nights and the first Friday of the month after "Clinic at the Club". We have a good size group of workers showing up on Tuesday nights and there are always things to do. Building and layout maintenance is ongoing with a building that dates from the 1950s and a large HO-Scale and N-Scale layout with lots of trackwork, electronics, and scenery.
Matt started rewiring the command stations and boosters last week. We're hopeful rewiring these areas will help get rid of gremlins in the system.
Ken is working on track maintenance which is a continual job with1400 feet of mainline and over 1500 feet of branches, yards, and sidings.
Rick is turning out the latest 3D printing project a group of Bridgeport Mills and Grinders to populate tool shops and factories on the layout.
Formal Operations are canceled till January due to the holidays. We will be open the Friday after Thanksgiving to the public from 7:00 PM till 10:00 PM or later. We started a tradition of "Black Friday" night running last year so bring your lighted locomotives and cars. Upcoming clinics include;
- 2 Dec – Make Junk Freight Cars into Something That Works – Ken P.
- 6 Jan – New York Central – Gary P.
- 3 Feb – Photo Collage of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
The clinics begin promptly at 7:00 PM and the public is welcome.
After the meeting, a variety of classic and modern trains were running on the layout. Ken Prager had a couple of GN Consolidations pulling over 50 cars. One of the engines pulled so hard on a 2.5% grade that one of the traction tires came off. One other quick note. The Trackside Photographer featured a nice article on the NKP Roundhouse facility in Bellevue, OH. Great pictures and a story on an abandoned facility and a car trip from the club. and 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.
November 4, 2022
The Elkhart Model Railroad Club held a "Clinic at the Club" on the first Friday of November with Member Paul Ewing discussing the work that goes into the annual train show. The train show on March 18, 2023, is the largest in Northern Indiana and behind the scenes and during the run-up to the show, everyone puts in a tremendous amount of effort. EMRRC members ensure the public and vendors have a fun and safe time at the 14,000-square-foot Claywood Event Center. For more info on the 18th Annual Nappanee Train Show CLICK HERE.
There will be no formal operations sessions during November and December due to the holidays. This will change our visiting schedule for the public.
November 11th Open Running including the public starting at 7:00 PM.
November 18th Business Meeting from 7:00 PM till 8:00 PM. Open Running including the public starting at 8:00 PM.
November 25th, The day after Thanksgiving, Open Running including the public starting at 7:00 PM.
December 2nd, "Clinic at the Club" from 7:00 PM till 8:00 PM. The public is welcome to the clinic. Maintenance 8:00 PM till 9:00 PM. Open Running including the public starting at 9:00 PM.
December 9th, Open Running including the public starting at 7:00 PM.
December 16th, EMRRC Annual Christmas Dinner Club Closed to the Public.
December 23rd, Christmas Weekend Open Running including the public starting at 7:00 PM.
December 30th. New Year's Weekend, Open Running including the public starting at 7:00 PM.
January 6th, "Clinic at the Club" from 7:00 PM till 8:00 PM. The public is welcome to the clinic. Maintenance 8:00 PM till 9:00 PM. Open Running including the public starting at 9:00 PM. EMRRC's regular monthly schedule goes back into effect.
On October 28th, EMRRC held its regularly scheduled Operations Night. We had a lot of members during the session. Chief Dispatcher Ron Breniser ran the session smoothly and everyone had a great time. Members Bryan Good and Ken Prager operated the Wood Creek area with Ken as the engineer running the train from a remote location while Bryan was conductor throwing switches and calling distances and speed. It was an interesting experiment that turned out well and may be incorporated into future operations.
Member Matt Glassman has been busy rewiring the HO Scale layout. First up new wiring to the command station and boosters.
Members Ken Prager and Rich Farrough have been busy adding new buildings to the North Wall Grand Trunk Interchange area. The 3D printer has been busy as member Jim Ford has turned out over 100 50-gallon barrels and Member Rick Crawley designed and printed a set of gears for a locomotive Ken Prager is working on. Member and Club Secretary John Banicki underwent surgery but already is back at it and the magic is still there.
Here is the upcoming "Clinic at the Club" schedule.
- 2 Dec – Make Junk Freight Cars into Something That Works – Ken P.
- 6 Jan – New York Central – Gary P.
- 3 Feb – Photo Collage of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
Friday, November 11, 2022, is Veteran's Day. There are a number of Veterans at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club including, Chuck Hart U.S. Navy, Paul Ewing U.S. Army, Nathan Overmyer U.S. Air Force, Randy Robbins Armor, U.S. Army. Gary Pressnell, U.S. Coast Guard, Jeff Cain U.S. Air Force, Bryan Good U.S. Air Force, and Ken Prager U.S. Air Force. Thanks to all of you for your service.
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 October 2022
October 21, 2022
It's a beautiful time of year in Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. The Elkhart Model Railroad Club is surrounded by trees changing into their fall colors and the air is crisp but soon it will all change and Old Man Winter will come calling. We're here to Catch up on the last two weeks at EMRRC with all of the club events. October 14th was an open running night at EMRRC and we had several members and guests running trains, talking trains, and catching up with old friends.
October 21st was the Elkhart Model Railroad Clubs' monthly business meeting. Items discussed included the Operations era for our formal operations on Friday 10/28/2022 will be 1955. Still some steam running but diesel is taking over. This will be our last formal operations session in 2022 due to the holidays in November and December. So if you want to get one more operations session in 2022 be there Friday 10/28. Also, Ron Breniser's Clinic at the Club Operations is up on the website and on YouTube. Here are a couple of links. https://youtu.be/zw3Wm5rVGJA
https://www.emrrc.com/index.php/home/tech-filesC
Please look at the video if you didn't attend the clinic as Ron intends to implement some of the procedures discussed in the video. Matt Glassman is working on rewiring the network interface between the computer and the command station and boosters. The N-Scale track plan is being worked on by Chuck Hart. Bill Trail and Rick Cawley have been working on N-Scale rolling stock getting them up to specs. One item that came up is making sure visitors are welcome and members stay with them. Inflation is affecting even the small stuff. Snacks and drinks are now $1. There is a committee to work on the Club Constitution and By-laws. It will be next year before this work is done. If any members have suggestions please turn them into a committee member. Upcoming Clinics at the Club have changed. The new schedule is;
- 4 Nov – ‘Behind The Scenes’ of Putting on the Club Train Show – Paul E.
- 2 Dec – Make Junk Freight Cars into Something That Works – Ken P.
- 6 Jan – New York Central – Gary P.
- 3 Feb – Photo Collage of EMRRC Through the Years – Jim F.
- 3 Mar – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
After the meeting set up for Friday, the 28th Operations Session took place.
Some other items for the club members are; Ben our 3D print Guru Ben is leaving us for a faith mission working at a homeless shelter in Pennsylvania for his church. Ben will be back with us in 2023. A group of Tuesday night regulars got together for pizza and cake for a send-off for Ben and his wife Val. All the best for your new venture Ben. Member Michael Wenzelmaier has started a new business Michael's Trains an online business selling Trains, Accessories, and Electronics. It looks like he has some good deals with free shipping so take a look. If you have an interest in passenger cars look into Streamliner Memories a site that has memorabilia, articles, postcards, posters, ads, menus, and timetables all scanned to high-quality PDFs and jpegs all downloadable and free.
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.
October 7, 2022
Here we are in the Fall of 2022 at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. It was a cool night Friday but we had several members show up for our "Clinic at the Club" on Operations with Ron Breniser with an assist from Matt Glassman. Ron shared his early days of operating on Drake Omstead's NYOW "The Old Lady". Many of the ideas learned at Drakes were passed on to the club by Ron, the Chief Dispatcher at EMRRC. Matt helped out with the clinic by running a train from Schult Yard to Liberty with commentary from Ron and himself.
After the clinic, several members were running trains on the layout. Heislers, Trackmobiles, and a 40 Ton switcher were some of the small engines on the track. Be sure to check out the "Friday Night Running at the Club" video for all the action. Gary was performing last-minute maintenance on a finicky switch, programming was taking place on the JMRI system and lots of socializing and talk about operations were all happening as the night progressed.
Our 3D instruction sessions are wrapping are coming to end as our instructor Ben will be leaving us for a faith mission working at a homeless shelter in Pennsylvania for his church. Ben will be back with us in 2023 and we wish the best for Ben and his wife in their upcoming endeavor. Ben's instruction has paid off and several of the members are able to print 3D items. Here are a few of the latest items coming out of the printer. Here's Rick working with the slicer software to turn out an early 1900s chain drive Mack dump Truck which Rick also designed with CAD, printed, and painted with craft paints.
To the left is a group of N-Scale trucks just out of the printer by Ben.
Upcoming "Clinics at the Club" include
- 4 Nov – ‘Behind The Scenes’ of Putting on the Club Train Show – Paul E.
- 2 Dec – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
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 September 2022
September 30, 2022
The last Friday in September 2022 was open running night at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. We had a good turnout of members and an enjoyable evening was had by all. There were a lot of large trains on the track and several members who are usually busy in the background ran trains. Steve Storey ran a beautiful ScaleTrains ET44AC Tier 4 GEVo. Kansas City Southern Belle, while Eden Marshall ran a Central of Georgia NS Heritage unit and Jim Ford was running a group of PRR E7s and E8s.
Also during the week, a bad spot on the main lead running into Hammes Yard was taken care of by Ken and Bryon. There was a noticeable hump that started derailing engines. The area was graded down and releveled. Unfortunately with a few thousand feet of track including mainlines, sidings, and yards. there is always continuing track maintenance. New 3D printing this week included 4 late model HO Scale pickup trucks. Chevy, Ford, Dodge, and Toyota trucks were all printed out by Ben.
Member Matt Glassman is also a member of the Michiana T-Trakers. Follow the link to their Facebook page for more pictures, specs, and info. Matt has been working on an endcap module for the T-Track Modules they exhibit around Northern Indiana. The endcap has been finished with static grass and wildlife. It simply hooks into the rest of their system by connecting the track. You can see their setup at EMRRCs Train Show in March 2023 at the Claywood Event Center in Nappanee, Indiana.
Upcoming "Clinics at the Club" include
- 4 Nov – ‘Behind The Scenes’ of Putting on the Club Train Show – Paul E.
- 2 Dec – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
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.
September 23, 2022
Just a quick update for this week. Friday was operations night at the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. We had a good turnout of members and visitors for the night. Be sure to check out "Friday Night Running at the Club" for this week as Schult Yard was a very busy place Friday night. We are continuing with learning how to 3D print with our new Anycubic Photon Mono X printer. Several items are being designed and printed.
Member Rick designed a lathe with CAD printed it, and here is the painted finished product. A lot of hours to get it to this point but the cost has been under $2 and of course as many of these as we want can now be printed for a few cents. If you have an interest in 3D printing our classes will end in mid-October so be sure to show up on a Tuesday night to get an idea of how you can 3D print model railroad items at the club.
Ken Prager has been working on converting and weathering Athearn Blue Box locomotives to Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&IR). Gary Pressnell has added an ESU Loksound 5 to a 40-ton switcher. The switcher also has a keep-alive and sound stuffed into the body. Check out the front exhaust stack. Gary lost the original and turned the replacement on a lathe. (not the 3D printed one).
Upcoming "Clinics at the Club" include;
- 7 Oct – OPS Training Update – Ron B.- 4 Nov – ‘Behind The Scenes’ of Putting on the Club Train Show – Paul E.
- 2 Dec – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H. Friday, September 30, 2022, is open running at the club. The public is welcome to attend.
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.
September 16, 2022
Friday the 16th was EMRRC's monthly business meeting. There are responsibilities when the members own the club and the property it sets on. Outside and inside the EMRRC club property there are maintenance issues to deal with. Fortunately we have a vibrant membership who is willing to take on these responsibilities. Several members worked on cleaning up a disused landscaped area and a company will be out to grind the stumps out left from the cleanup. If you are interested in belonging to a model railroad club the Elkhart Model Railroad Club is interested in talking to you. Not only do we offer the latest in model railroad technology but membership is limited. We are approaching the limit to the number of members the club can support. What can you expect as a member of EMRRC?
- A fiscally solvent club owned by the members with a responsible board. The club has been in existence since 1950.
- A welcoming club environment with a variety of great members.
- 24/7 access with electronic lock.
- A commitment to the latest in model railroading technology. a new 3D printer on-site with 3D printing lessons..
- The largest yearly train show and swap meet in Northern Indiana.
- Free well lite, secure parking, air-conditioned and heated building.
- Monthly model railroad clinic, formal operations, member-only general running & railroad maintenance nights.
- Member communications through Facebook, Youtube channel, website, and private group messaging.
- Many model railroading extras are available to members only..
Friday, September 23rd is our operations night. The era is December 6, 1941. Bring your pre-war steamers and equipment. The public is welcome, we will pair you up with an experienced operator or you are free to watch. Please be at the club by 6:30 PM for assignments. Operations start promptly at 7:00 PM.
Upcoming "Clinics at the Club" include;- 7 Oct – OPS Training Update – Ron B.- 4 Nov – ‘Behind The Scenes’ of Putting on the Club Train Show – Paul E.
- 2 Dec – Freight Yards and Yard Limits – Chuck H.
Here are some of our latest 3D Printing projects.
Small coal load. Ore car load Uncoupling Tool
. 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.
September 9, 2022
Lessons continue on the Anycubic Photon Mono X and several members are starting to turn out accessories. Some of the projects include mowers loaded on a trailer, along with an HO-Scale junk load for a gondola. Upcoming projects include an industrial lath, steel coil load, and hopper ore loads. If you have an interest in turning out projects on the 3D printer show up on Tuesday nights for lessons starting at 7:00 pm. The printer is easy to use and Ben and Byron will run you through the software to get started and set you up to 3D print your first items.
Several members and visitors were at the club Friday night for open running. Long trains, multi lashup diesel, both modern and classic were running. Members were also socializing and catching up with other members. We have several members with interesting jobs including Ken who is a remodeler who specializes in rebuilding historic homes in the South Bend historic districts. He always has some interesting stories about some of the hundred-year-old problems he runs into in some of these homes.
Also programming locomotives diesel and steam were happening as Matt brought in his personal programming unit. Want to see how he built it? CLICK HERE for a link to an EMRRC clinic that tells you how.
The long-awaited scenery on the N-Scale layout was underway as Jeff was busy working on buildings for the layout.
It's the time of year we start marketing for the Elkhart Model Railroad Club the 18th Annual Train Show for 2023. CLICK HERE If you are a vendor or just looking for information on the 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.
September 2, 2022
The Elkhart Model Railroad Club started September with some outside cleanup. The club had a small landscaped area at the front of the property that had deteriorated. The track crew worked hard to get the area ready for stump grinding and eventually turn it back to grass. Thanks to all of the guys who turned out to shovel and haul gravel.
Afterward in the air-conditioned clubhouse, lots of cooling off happened with open running for many members. First a bit of track maintenance from Ken to fix a rail that had moved over.
Paul Ewing brought in the new Ewing Apartments and Condos building that will replace a derelict building on the layout. Many of the apartments will have visible interiors.
Some members of the club have been hard at work on the 3D Printer turning out accessories for HO-Scale and N-Scale. Ben is conducting classes on Tuesday nights and it has been an interesting learning experience. We've had several successes with some items and failures with others. The Photon Mono X 64 makes the process of printing 3D much simpler than I thought it would be. Some of the items include HO Scale lawn mowers, and stacks of pallets designed by Rick Cawley a former tool and die maker who has CAD experience. Rick is working on designing a lath for 3D printing a more demanding CAD project. If you have an interest in 3D Printing or have CAD experience and are interested in putting that experience to work Ben is conducting classes on Tuesday nights through October.
We had a couple of visitors from Cleveland. Tony and Jeff were on their way to the Hesston Steam Museum's Labor Day Steam and Power Show. Tony was a member of EMRRC in the early 2000s before moving to Cleveland and Jeff is a member of the Central Florida Railroad Modelers Club. thanks for stopping by fellows.
We had a reader from Spain Jose Zamora point out some interesting information on Hammes Station. It is a Kibri kit and was modeled from a German station near the Black Forest area. Unfortunately, we haven't tracked down who at the club originally built the kit.
Take a look at the photos of the Calw Bahnhof. The station was opened in 1874 in the town of Calw. It was located on the Nagold Valley Railway. The building is still there but was replaced in 1989 by a more centrally located Calw station for passenger services. The original building now houses shops and offices.
Some of the trains running at the club were a lot of NS, a 5-engine Alaska Railroad hookup, and a Rivarossi Heisler steam locomotive with DCC. CLICK HERE to see the 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.
August 26, 2022
Friday was EMRRC's Operations Session for August. We had several members show up along with members of The Indiana Model Railroaders Visitors Club. The club's members visit a different railroad venue every month. They also had layouts at Goshen's Old Bag Factory but recently had to vacate the building after it was sold to new owners.
In this week's "Friday Night Running at the Club" we follow Ken Prager switching the Wood Creek area. Ken had a lot of fun tying up the main line as there wasn't room enough to stage and spot all of the cars that needed to be moved out of the Chateau Paper mill complex.
Other members involved in operations included Ron Breniser/Dispatcher, Will Babcoke & Rick Cawley/Downtown Elkhart, Gary Pressnell/Bud Liberty, Bill Trail/ Wood Creek Shuttle. Jeff & Issac Lepird/AMTRAK Passenger Train, Gary Babcoke II/VanLear Mine Shuttle, Matt Glassman/Hammes Yardmaster, Aaron Marshall/Road Freight, Jim Ford & Eden Marshall/Video, Bryan Good/Alaska Railroad Liason.
Also, Nick Farrough who usually runs one of the road freight trains successfully worked his first night switching as he spotted, switched, and delivered all of the empties from the Elkhart Industry area to Hammes Yard and returned and spotted all the incoming cars from Hammes to Elkhart Industrial.
Upcoming "Clinics at the Club" include;
-Sept 2, 2022, Clinic was Postponed till January 2023. Make junk freight cars into something that works, Ken Prager.
-Oct 7, 2022, Operations, Ron Breniser
- Nov 4, 2022, Behind the scenes of putting on the club train show, Paul Ewing
- December 4, 2022, Freight yards and yard limits - Chuck Hart
CLICK HERE to see the 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.
August 19, 2022
EMRRC's August Business meeting took place on Friday. The item's discussed included; The coming Operations Session era on Friday, August 26 will be Modern. So bring your latest engines, container cars, car carriers, and AMTRAK for operations starting at 7:00 PM. Please be at the club by 6:30 for assignments. The public is welcome for operations. The next Clinic at the Club will be with Ken Prager showing how to "Make Junk Freight Cars Into Something That Works". The clinic will be on September 2nd at 7:00 PM. The new parking scheme to handle the increased number of cars in the lot is working great. Keep pulling those cars in straight.
One new permanent member was welcomed to the Elkhart Model Railroad Club. Bryan Good successfully fulfilled his probationary membership. Bryan has brought in a new era of Alaska Railroad engines to the club as you have seen from the videos. Bryan has been busy on Tuesday nights with track maintenance and is looking forward to becoming one of our 3D Printer gurus. We also welcomed 2 new probationary members to the club. Jim Metzger, a former member from the 70s and 80s is making a comeback now that he is retired, and Rick Cawley a retired CNC and tool and diemaker. Congratulations to the new members. With those additions, the club is now carrying 30 members.
Tuesday Work nights, we are getting a good turnout for Tuesdays. Ben will be available Tuesday nights for 3D Printer Training. The 3D Printer has a permanent home and has passed its initial checks. The printer is a Photon Mono X 64 and includes the following Technical Specifications● System: ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X 64● Operation: 3.5 inch Touch Screen● Printing accuracy: 5,760 x 3,600 px (6K)● Light source: Parallel matrix (LED x 40). What does all of this mean? The printer can build several duplicate items at once and is fast. We are building 6 N-Scale Hoppers at a time. HO Scale Hopper loads are next for me.
Other items discussed included; The club had shelves of old model railroading magazines. All of the magazines have been donated or recycled. We are keeping 2 years' worth of Model Railroader print magazines on hand. Thanks to John, Paul, Rich, and Nick for handling this. After the meeting, we had several visitors including Tom Nelson from New Hamshire. Tom was a member of the St. Joe Valley Model Railroad Club and was in the area visiting. 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.
August 5, 2022
August 2022 started with a clinic on how to make trees with Steve Storey. Steve did this clinic a few years ago but we never got it on camera. If you want to learn to make some great-looking trees watch for this clinic on the website and on Youtube coming in the next week.
We had several visitors for the evening and many came for our monthly "Clinic at the Club". Every month on the first Friday we present a clinic on a model railroading subject and the public is invited. The kids in attendance and several members had a great time making several trees for us and some are already on the layout.
Projects are moving along. Thanks to Chuck for adding the shelving for our radios. Also thanks to Ken for working on the new 3D printer area and Chuck for putting the wiring in. We are still getting a good turnout for Tuesday night maintenance. One of the major track projects taking place involves rebuilding the cutoff for Elkhart and Flushing. This cutoff is just west of the large trestle that leads to the Bud/Liberty area. The cut-off has its dangers because of the curve radius and elevation drop. These problems are going to be solved after the rebuild.
Check out The Trackside Photographer for some interesting articles on "Mill Marks" and "Railroad Towns" There are still a lot of rails out there with mill marks from the 1800s and 1900s. It's amazing some of these rails are nearly 150 years old. There are some Rock Island fans at EMRRC and one of the articles visits Stuart, Iowa with its historic restored Rock Island depot with plenty of old Rock Island photos.
Member Ken Prager brought in his new ScaleTrains GE ES44AC BNSF 25th Anniversary unit. On September 22nd, 1995, Santa Fe and Burlington Northern merged to become the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. The company’s name was later shortened to BNSF Railway. To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, BNSF added the heralds of eight predecessor railroads to 10 ES44AC locomotives. Following the clinic, several members and visitors enjoyed the rest of the evening running trains.
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.