Spring Meet Issue

Official Publication of the Northeastern Region SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION National Model Railroad Association VOLUME 40 ISSUE 1 SPRING 2010

A Big Hello to all our Cannonball readers, and welcome to in Burlington Vermont. Close to home, in April, look forward the first Issue of the year. I hope you're making plans to take to the Sunrise Trail Division's Spring Meet and to the Sunrise advantage of one or more of the NMRA sponsored Conventions Trail Division's Fall Convention in November. this year. Take a look inside for information on some of these Also in this issue you'll find information on an NMRA / UP conventions; first is this years Maritime Federation of Model Photo Contest, the Sunrise Trail Division's 2009 Fall Conven- Railroaders & NMRA Northeastern Region Joint Convention tion Contest Results, Long Island Rail Road Milk Car research "Tides & Trains" Convention in May. This summer, celebrat- results, a Sunrise Trail Division Members’ layout story, a ques- ing the 75th Anniversary of the NMRA, the National Conven- tion from your editor, some pictures of hirail equipment, and an tion will be held in Milwaukee, WI. In September the NMRA article on having fun with model photography. Northeastern Region Convention, The Champlain Flyer, will be Enjoy! *********************************************** SPRING MODEL RAILROAD MEET **************** April 10, 2010*************** Sponsored by SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION Northeastern Region, NMRA

St. David's Lutheran Church z 20 Clark Boulevard z Massapequa Park z 10 AM to 4 PM

• Installation of Officers for 2010

• Live Clinics

• Model Contest (NMRA Merit Award Judging)

• Photo Contest

• White Elephant Table

• Modular Layouts On Display

• REFRESHMENTS (For Sale)

ADMISSION: $3.00 non-members z $2.00 NMRA members

SPRING 2010 1 of those impressive layouts shown in the model railroading press are old guys (apologies to other old guys — I’m one commentary / WALTER WOHLEKING myself). It’s taken them years to com- EDITOR & PUBLISHER A profound change in model railroading plete some of those masterpieces. The George J. Loy Jr. is underway, something many of us chances grow slimmer that generations 441 11th Street might not even recognize. And it’s not that follow will be able so stay in one West Babylon NY 11704-3534 one of the numerous trends this space has place long enough to accomplish any- (631) 766-4300 [email protected] chewed over in the past — not the in- thing similar. So, asked for or not, here’s CIRCULATION MANAGER creased use of ready-made stuff instead one opinion of what this time squeeze Walter G. Wohleking of kit or scratch built models, or the mi- has begun to and will increasingly mean. 5 Howard Drive gration from analog to digital control, or First, more people’s layout interaction Huntington NY 11743-3032 flex track over hand laid, although will be as members of modular clubs. (631) 757-0580 [email protected] there’s a thread that connects all those They offer a relatively inexpensive and with this less noticeable trend. flexible way to experience the many ele- THE CANNON BALL The change that’s taking place has to ments of creating and operating on a is published quarterly by the Sunrise Trail Division of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. for the do with the configuration of the layouts large layout without the space, expense benefit of the model railroading community. we operate our trains on, and the thing and maintenance associated with it. At SUBSCRIPTIONS that links it to those other trends is the the same time, however, many modular U.S. and possessions: $7.00 per year. Please make time that must be apportioned to them. clubs will have to change to attract and check or money order payable to Sunrise Trail Division. Send requests for new subscriptions, We buy time when we spend money on retain the serious model railroader. renewals or address changes to the Subscription & ready-made stuff, instead of building it They’ll have to develop a better balance Circulation Manager at the above address. from a kit or by scratch. And the impres- between continuous running for display CONTRIBUTIONS Articles, photographs and artwork are welcome in sive quality of much of what’s available and the well established trend to simulat- either hardcopy or as computer files. Copy is due by today makes that money well spent, if it ing prototype operation. That means the 1st of February, May, August, and November and should be sent to the Editor at the above address. allows us to accomplish more. they’ll have to provide a way to stage Submitted material will be returned upon request. Although ready-made layouts are far trains, which fits into the modular con- less common than other ready-to-run cept. They’ll also have to upgrade and stuff, are you aware of the number of tighten their modeling standards and ap- companies these days that will build a proach to better emulate those of non- complete layout for you, either to your modular clubs in fixed locations. design or theirs? Have you noticed the There are any number of modular Fernand Washington, President increased number of articles on small clubs that have done these things, but a [email protected] layout design — layouts sized for a couple examples can be found in the arti- Edmund Neale, Vice President [email protected] bedroom, an office, a spare room or just cles, “Modular railroading with the Four Howard Dwyer, Secretary one or two walls? How about the number County Society of Model Engineers” by [email protected] of clubs that have disappeared due to Keith Albright and Karl Bond in the Oc- Steven Perry, Treasurer lease expirations and the inability to find tober, 2007 Railroad Model Craftsman, [email protected] enough people with the time to build a and “Home and away modules” by Lou DIRECTORS new layout in a new location? Sassi in Model Railroader, May 2007. John Jaklitsch (2011) All this is related to time, and it’s not In no manner is any of this meant to [email protected] news that there are more things we have suggest the demise of the home layout. It Kevin Katta (NER) [email protected] available to spend our time on than ever. is alive and well and is also changing in George Loy (2012) It’s one of the major reasons the model very creative ways. While we’ll explore [email protected] railroading community has shrunk as a its metamorphosis next time, one thing John MacGown ( 2011) [email protected] percentage of the general population (as that will increasingly relate the home Michael Martin (2012) have percentages for other venerable layout to the modular club is that more [email protected] hobbies). Whether it is time spent on the and more home layouts are being built Michael Siegel (2011) computer, on the greater number of chan- using a sectional approach, such as [email protected] nels to watch on TV, or on the expanding David Barrow’s “dominoes”, which Walter Neumen (2012) [email protected] number of places to go for recreation, could incorporate an interface to a modu- more and more things demand a piece of lar club set-up. For an example, take a ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM Michael Siegel our time, no matter what our ages. look at Mike Hamer’s piece, “2 layouts A close relation of time is mobility. in 1, a modular layout for home and CONTESTS Howard Dwyer Those in the work force often must fol- club” in the September, 2004 issue of low the job. or the job market. Retirees Model Railroader. PUBLICITY John MacGown are living longer and change locations to Next time we’ll take a look at Free- Steven Perry be nearer to grown children and grand- mo, another modular approach, which is MEMBERSHIP children or to move into more manage- gaining in popularity because of the al- Walter Wohleking able living arrangements. All of that most unlimited combinations of layout WEBSITE means less time in one location and less design it allows and even encourages. www.SunriseTrailDiv.com time to build a layout before it might And we’ll discuss what this crystal ball John Jaklitsch, Webmaster have to be dismantled or abandoned. shows for home layouts. It’s no secret that most of the owners 2 THE CANNON BALL The Long Island Railroad Milk Car Mystery SOLVED WALTER WOHLEKING PART 2

To review a bit of what went on in Part 1of this piece, the first clue to the identity of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) “mystery” milk car came in an email from former Sunrise Trail Division president, Bill Lorence, who wrote that an Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER) he had from 1926 showed that the Long Island Railroad rostered 15 milk cars numbered 3000 to 3014 classified as “Passenger Equipment”. Furthermore, he did not see the cars listed any longer in the December 1930 ORER. He went on to say that it looked like a Pennsylvania Railroad Builder’s photo from the D. K. Retterer Collection RF class reefer and that Al Westerfield, who had an extensive Car – Modern, shown below. But the photograph of the model PRR library, might be able to help. and others in the series appeared to show rivets or some other “RF class reefer” and “Westerfield” rang a bell. I’m a fan of type of fasteners running the length of the car just below the railroading in the 20th century’s first two decades, a span roof edge, which weren’t evident in the prototype photo from included in what Westerfied calls the golden era of railroad the Retterer collection. Consequently, Westerfield felt that the rolling stock. As such, I’d acquired a number of Westerfield roof could be a Murphy flexible metal roof, but without edge kits, one of which was for a PRR XL class boxcar. If memory stays. A prototype photo with better definition might answer the served me, the copious reference notes that accompanied that question. kit (for that matter copious notes accompany all of Eureka—a milestone! Westerfield’s kits) made mention of an RF class reefer being Off went a letter to Keith Retterer asking if the print was one of the related configurations in the class. Upon reading the available for purchase and back came an 8x10 glossy builder’s reference material packed with the kit, I learned that from 1902 photo, identifying the car as one of fifteen built in May, 1917. “through 1912 approximately 37,500 XLs and 3,000 RFs were Keith apologized for the quality of the enclosed photo, pointing produced. In addition KF stock cars, XLC auto cars, and various out that the original was not great to begin with, and its harsh styles of ventilated cars were built on the same frame, bringing contrast made it impossible to see any detail in the trucks. In the total to over 41,000 cars. This included a few XM box cars, spite of that, however, the clarity of this photo answered a in reality RFs without the ice bunkers...” number of questions that I had, namely that the capacity of the Supporting the notion that LIRR 3000 was one of the XL car was 1,360 cubic feet; the typefaces used to letter the car class variants was the fact that the PRR was the LIRR’s parent, were varied, and there were no fasteners along the longitudinal making it likely to receive rolling stock similar to that supplied roof edge. to other PRR controlled roads. The Westerfield reference Thus, as a result of inputs from Lorence, Westerfield and material affirmed this by noting that in June of 1906 the LIRR Retterer, a number of things had been learned about LIRR milk took delivery of 100 XL class box cars numbered 3225-3324 car 3000. It was an XM variant of the widely produced XL from Pressed Steel Company of Pittsburgh, and by February, series of PRR box cars and 15 of them were built by the 1918 the LIRR had a total of 300 XL boxcars on its roster. Standard Steel Car Co. of Butler PA in May of 1917. The start What LIRR Milk Car 3000 was date on the mystery milk car timeline had been established. A conversation with Al Westerfield confirmed that the car Show Me the Research! and its siblings were indeed XMs and that the builder’s The next step was to determine how long the cars saw photograph of the car was from the D. K. (Keith) Retterer service on the LIRR. For that I turned to one of the best sources Standard Steel Car (SSC) collection. Unfortunately, Al couldn’t available to anyone engaged in railroad related research, the lay his hands on his copy of the picture to see whether or not it National Model Railroad Association’s Kalmbach Memorial showed the lot number and date, but the details of the Library (KML) and its Director, Brent Lambert. Not only do configuration led him to believe that “the car was built between they respond quickly to research requests that that the Library’s 1911 and 1916, which was the last year any XLs were built.” assets are qualified to address, but the cost for most research is As mentioned in the first part of this article, we also very reasonable, particularly if you are an NMRA member. I communicated about the best kit to use for modeling the car. outlined the project and what I was looking for in a telephone The logical choice seemed to be Westerfield’s 2754 XM Box conversation with Brent Lambert, and followed up with a written request for the work. In an effort to determine the last month of service, I asked him to find the latest ORER in the Library with a "Passenger Equipment" page showing LIRR milk cars 3000-3014 still in service. And just to check on how soon after the build date the cars appeared in the ORER, I also asked him to find the first ORER after May, 1917 that listed 3000 and siblings. Brent replied that the cars first appeared in a timely manner in the June, 1917 ORER. He went on to note that while the Library’s collection of ORERs was not complete, it did include Westerfield model 2754 of an XM box car as modernized and run into the early 1930's (Continued on page 4)

SPRING 2010 3 the May, 1928 issue, which showed the cars still listed, and the might reclassify the cars before ultimate disposition. When they January, 1929 issue, from which they were missing. This went missing, Brent assumed, as I originally did, that they had research thus showed that the cars apparent disappearance from left the roster. Had my instructions not been so specific, he the ORER and the LIRR had occurred sometime between June would no doubt have found that their exit from the LIRR and December of 1928. As I would later discover, “apparent” actually occurred sometime later. was the key word for those findings. “Just how much later,” was the question. Mike Boland had Brent went on to say that the Railroad Museum of added a year to our original assumption. I went back to the Pennsylvania might have a complete ORER collection, and he Kalmbach Memorial Library for some help. However, Brent provided contact information in the event I wanted to better Lambert indicated that we had essentially reached the bottom define the timeline’s end point. I felt, however, that the six of KML’s barrel as far as ORERs related to that period in time month range in 1928 for the cars’ last service date was OK for and LIRR 3000 were concerned. He could find nothing that my purposes. There were other things left to do on the project, would add to the knowledge base. and an end to the timeline was at least in sight, or so I thought. But then that guru of railroad’s golden era, Al Westerfield, Little did I realize that I’d soon be back researching once again. came to the rescue, once again, with an email message that read, Another Voice Thickens the Plot “The 3000 series is not listed in the 2/30 issue, so 1/30 is the First, however, I needed to update Steve Lynch on the end.” The only ORER Mike Boland happened to own, as it progress of the project. Steve is the creator and steward of the turned out, contained the last record of the cars’ LIRR service. internet’s best Long Island Railroad related website, located at: Summary http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrcontents.htm. Here then is a summary of what all this travail has produced For those of you not familiar with the site, go there and prepare thus far: to spend some time. It’s an invaluable LIRR resource and one 1. Cars 3000-3014 were 1,360 cubic foot capacity insulated of the sites recognized for its excellence by inclusion in the versions of the double-sheathed wood, steel underframe, Cannon Ball’s Internet Honor Roll. PRR XL class box car. Essentially a PRR class RF reefer My first encounter with LIRR milk car 3000 had come when without ice bunkers, they were designated by the PRR as I saw the prototype photograph on Steve’s website. At his class XM. request, I had provided him with what was essentially a log of 2. Since more than 37,000 XL box cars saw service and my progress, which he had added to the website. One of the XMs were of similar, if not identical, dimensional data, readers of that log turned out to be Mike Boland, an amateur drawings and other information are likely to be available LIRR historian and the author for the past decade of the regular from ORERs, railroad-related publications and modeling "Long Island Rail Road Modeler" pieces in The Semaphore, the magazines. For example, the January, 1930 ORER newsletter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) provides the following outside dimensions for Sunrise Trail Chapter here on Long Island (which is no relation cars 3000-3014 (shown to the nearest ⅛ inch): to the NMRA’s Sunrise Trail Division). By email he noted that, Length: 37 ft. 1½ in. contrary to my report that the cars were removed from the LIRR Width at eaves: 9 ft. 7⅞ in roster sometime in the latter half of 1928, he still found them Height from rail to running board top: 11 ft. 9½ in listed in his copy of the January 1930 ORER. It was only by Door opening: 4 ft. 2in. chance that he could relate this, because the January, 1930 issue Door height: 6 ft. 2 in. was the only ORER he owned, having picked it up some time 3. Built in May, 1917 by the Standard Steel Car Co. of ago at a railroad related meet or flea market somewhere in New Butler, Pennsylvania, cars 3000-3014 went into service Jersey. To my good fortune he decided to see if the cars just on the LIRR as “Passenger Equipment-Milk Car” the happened to be in it, not realizing that his curiosity would end same month or very shortly thereafter. This surprised Al up as an important contribution to the story. Westerfield (who probably has more information on the The Golden Era Guru to the Rescue PRR than the railroad itself when it existed). As noted Back I went back for a closer look at the pages of the earlier, he believed 1916 was the last year any of the XL January, 1929 ORER, which Brent Lambert had provided as class or its variants were built. part of his research and which I believed showed the cars off- 4. Sometime between June and December of 1928 the cars list. Indeed, a scan of their usual haunt, the “Passenger were taken out of milk service and reclassified by the Equipment” section, did not show them. In fact no milk cars at LIRR as “Freight Equipment-Box Car”. all were to be found there. When I looked in the LIRR “Freight 5. Cars 3000-3014 disappeared from the LIRR roster Equipment” section, however, there they were, but now sometime during January, 1930. identified as box cars. They were accompanied down the path Questions from the elevated status of “Passenger Equipment” to the more While the above chronicle puts a face on milk car 3000 and plebian level of “Freight Equipment” by eight other cars in a locates it and its siblings in time, a number of important series numbered 671–681, which had also previously been questions remain, particularly to a prospective modeler of the classified by the LIRR as “Milk, Wood” along with cars 3000– car. 3014. So, somewhere between May and December of 1928, not For instance, what was its color? It is nearly impossible to only had LIRR milk cars become Freight Equipment, but they’d judge merely from the shade of the black-and-white photo, been demoted to box cars. especially since panchromatic film had started to replace Brent Lambert’s research hadn’t turned this up, because my orthochromatic on s broad scale about that time, and the two instructions to him had been too explicit. I had told him that the had noticeably different sensitivities to colors. A number of information I desired would be in the LIRR “Passenger Equipment” section of the ORERs, never thinking the LIRR (Continued on page 5)

4 THE CANNON BALL other things, though, suggest car 3000 was painted Tuscan red. What do suppose happened to the cars after they left the For one, the builder’s photo shows a definite letterboard, with LIRR roster in January, 1930? They would have been less than “Long Island” in same extended railroad roman typeface as the 13 years old and should have had more than a few years of LIRR used on its passenger coaches. For another, of course, the useful life remaining, particularly with a steel underframe. Were car was classified as “Passenger Equipment” in ORERs for they scrapped, anyway, or did they go somewhere else in the most of its service life. vast PRR system? But this raises other questions. If the car ran in passenger For the time being, I’ll leave those answers to some else consists, why doesn’t the builder’s photo show steam and signal while I get out my Westerfield 2754 kit and some tools and try lines, typical of passenger equipment, in addition to the air line to model the car. Before that, however, My thanks go out to all that is visible? Does this mean the car was placed at the end of a those who so willingly and generously gave of themselves and train, rather than running as a piece of head-end equipment? the valuable information they possessed. Many of them are How about the trucks. Although they’re are all but listed in text of this article. I hope those unseen individuals who indistinguishable in the builder’s photo, their wheelbase does aren’t will somehow know how much I appreciate what they not seem to mark them as passenger car trucks. The explanation provided. But, then, that’s the model railroading community for for this could be that few, if any, trains on the LIRR ran at high you. And I’m sure glad to be a member. speed for an extended period, including express trains.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY (Items of particular note are in bold) “Freight Cars of the fifties: Milk Trains”, Model Railroading, May/Jun 1986 p.12 “Freight cars of the thirties: Milk Cars”, Model Railroading, Sep/Oct 1986 p.23 Ellis, Bob, “Milk Trains... Boston & Maine Milk Cars and Combines”, Railmodel Journal, Dec 1991 p.34 Giebner, Lloyd, “Milk Station - a small industry for your pike”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Apr 1955 p.20 Giebner, Lloyd, “The milk processing plant”, Railroad Model Craftsman, May 1955 p.17 Heier, Greg, “Milk runs”, 48/ft., O Scale News, Nov 1990 p.41 Holmes, Roger W., “Got milk cars?”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Mar 2003 p.92 Houghton, Phillips, “Scenery & Structures - Milk plants”, NMRA Bulletin, Oct 1954 p.8 Lambert, David & McCormick, Nelson H., “Lehigh Valley's "new" milk cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Jan 1993 p.78 Lancaster, J. Emmons, “Milk Trains, Part II - Creamery Operations”, Model Railroading, May 1989 p.30 Miller, Bill, “Borden's Milk tank car”, HO Monthly/Model Trains, Jan 1952 p.33 Mitchell, Robert, “Milk shed modeling in HO scale”, Model Railroading, Sep 1989 p.48 Mohowski, Bob, “Editors Notebook... Bottling Milk”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Mar 1986 p.115 Mohowski, Bob, “To market by rail: milk containers on flat cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, May 1988 p.58 Mohowski, Bob, “Cloverland Dairy milk cars 101 and 102”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Nov 1991 p.65 Lambert, David, “American small businesses: creameries”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Mar 2010 p.68 Nehrich, John, “Milk Trains, Part 1: History, power and passenger cars”, Railmodel Journal, Nov 1991 p.44 Nehrich, John, “Milk Operations”, Railmodel Journal, Jan 1993 p.33 Neubauer, Eric & Recordon, R.L., “The DL&W 42-foot milk cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Jul 1991 p.59 Ozanich, Jack, “Last Days of The Milk Trains, Circa 1957”, Railmodel Journal, Oct 1992 p.16 Prince, David, “Plans: Vermont Milk Shed & Ice House”, Model Railroading, Nov 1988 p.34 “PRR Class XL and X26 Boxcars”, Pennsylvania Railroad Passenger and Freight Car Diagrams p. 68 Reinberg, Russ, “Milk train - final days on the Colorado & Southern”, Finescale Railroader, Aug/Sep 1998 p.56 Russell, Harold W., “New York, Ontario & Western milk stations”, Model Railroader, Dec 1981 p.106 Sassi, Lou, “Milkin' the Job”, How to Build and Detail Model Railroad Scenes p.42 Schaumburg, William C., “Editors Notebook... More Milk?”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Jul 1991 p.110 Scherb, Jeff, “Building a Borden's milk car”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Apr 2002 p.66 Schleicher, Robert, “Modeling the Midwest Milk Trains”, Model Railroading, May/Jun 1986 p.7 Schleicher, Robert, “Modeling the Milk Trains: 50-Foot Wood Milk Tank Cars”, Railmodel Journal, Oct 2005 p.15 Schleicher, Robert, “Modeling the Milk Trains: Milk trains and cars in the Midwest and East”, Railmodel Journal, Aug 2005 p.10 Schleicher, Robert, “Modeling the Milk Trains: Modeling the Pfaudler steel milk tank car”, Railmodel Journal, Sep 2005 p.50 Schleicher, Robert, “40-Foot Wood Milk Tank Cars, a simple styrene scratchbuild”, Railmodel Journal, Nov 2005 p.21 Roseman, V. S., “Modeling the Milk Trains: GPEX 40-foot wood tank car”, Railmodel Journal, Dec 2005 p.16 Nehrich, John, “Modeling the Milk Trains: Milk trains operations in the Northeast”, Railmodel Journal, Apr 2006 p. 42 Sittner, Wayne, “Building three milk cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, May 1986 p. 55 Switzer, Mont, “Milk Tanker”, Mainline Modeler, Aug 1995 p. 62 Wright, Bill, “Modeling the Milk Industry: Walthers Creamery Complex”, Railmodel Journal, Aug 2005 p. 6 Wright, Bill, “Modeling the Milk Industry: InterMountain's ‘Grand Isle’ Creamery Complex”, Railmodel Journal, Sep 2005 p. 6 Yungkurth, Chuck, “Milk trains, milk cars and creameries”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Jun 1974 p. 26 Yungkurth, Chuck, “To market by rail: milk cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Feb 1986 p. 89 Yungkurth, Chuck, “To market by rail: privately owned milk cars”, Railroad Model Craftsman, Mar 1986 p. 85

SPRING 2010 5 STDiv CONTEST COLUMN HOWARD DWYER STD Model Contest Chairman

CONTEST RESULTS OF THE STD 2009 FALL CONVENTION

First, I like to thank Mike Siegel for filling in for me at the 2009 Fall Convention as I was attending a Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary event. Joe Kavanagh, a pass member of the Sunrise Trail Division who now resides in Upstate New York won First and Second place for two scratched built “live steam” size 1912 36’ Boxcars. Joe also won Best of Show for these two fine identical models. Al Kuhn won Third place for his CN 4 Truck Open Well Car with Load. In the structure category, Matthew Rorke won First place for his Kit-built Transition Era Gas Station. Matthew also won the New Modeler Award for his Gas Station. Al Kuhn won Second place for his Kit- built Bates Mansion model. Dave Metal won Third place for his Scooter and Tool Shack. In the Non- Revenue Car category, Al Kuhn won First place for his PRR Old Time Inspection Car. This model also won the Most Innovative Model Award. Al Kuhn also won Second place for his Western Union Camp Car. The next STD model contest event will be at our Spring Meet to be held on April 10, 2010 at St. David’s Church in Massapequa Park. This will be another opportunity for our members to showcase a model or models that they have enjoyed constructing. If you are a NMRA member you have the option to have it judged or you can just place the model on the contest table just for viewing. Have fun and hope to see you in April.

SELECT CONVENTION INFORMATION

July 11 - 18, 2010 - National Model Railroad Associa- tion 75th Anniversary Convention - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.nmra75.org

September 9-12, 2010 - 2010 NER Convention - Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center - Burlington, Vermont www.nernmra.org

Sep 30-Oct 3, 2010 - 2010 MER Princeton Junction Convention - Princeton Double Tree Hotel - 4355 US Route 1, Princeton, NJ 08540

welcomes...

new to the Division since the last issue John Gallagher Brooklyn Avery Horowitz Brooklyn Tom O'Neill Flushing Walter Traeg Massapequa Cyrus Bacchi East Northport

6 THE CANNON BALL Sunrise Trail Division Members - Layout Notebook

GRAND CENTRAL STATION MOVES TO After a train leaves the station, it passes the completed SAINT JAMES, NEW YORK engine facility, which includes a turntable, {Photo #3} be-

You say that’s impossible, well with the imagination that comes with being a model railroader, John Dellova of St James, NY is in the process of building an HO scale layout in his basement with the help of his boyhood friend Chris Lamberti. The layout measures11 x 40 ft with Manhattan Island taking up an 10 x 11 ft area {Photo #1} the layout ex- tends another 30 ft that includes the towns that will be ser- viced by his New York Central Railroad. The large buildings making up the New York City skyline are from Custom Model Railroads with City Classics, Walters, DPM and Faller kits competing for air space rights on the layout. When all the buildings and streets are in place, a trolley line will be added to round out the transportation system. On a personal note, it has to be mentioned that three years ago John suffered a brain aneurysm that required a long hospital stay and caused John to loose the use of his right hand. While John was recuperating, Chris gave him a Photo # 2 - Grand Central Station

fore arriving at its first stop, Chester, NY. It then will travel over the completed mainline (less scenery) before arriving back at Grand Central Station. John and Chris used code 100 Atlas track throughout the layout. With Chris being the track foreman he has the unenviable job of ballasting all the track work. John has in- stalled NCE Digital Command Control to power this large layout. Although John and Chris may not always agree on how an area should be developed, they have an uncanny abil- ity to come up with ideas that is turning their layout into something they are very proud of. John and Chris plan to invite the Cannonball back as progress continues on this large endeavor.

Submitted By Howard Dwyer

Photo # 1 - Manhattan Island (L. Chris - C. John - R. Charles) NYC BLI F-3 A-B-A Diesel unit thinking this would be good therapy once John is back on his feet. Little did Chris realize at the time, he created a Model Railroader with some grandiose ideas. Needless to say, what would Manhattan Island be without a Grand Central Station being the center of this large city scene? {Photo #2}. Chris and John, (pictured above) with technical adviser Charles Weinhofer on the right, first built this highly detailed, underground, six-track station before breaking ground for the Manhattan skyline with its numerous structures that sit above the station. Not to be undone, John and Chris also built a subway line running below the underground station. It’s a sight to behold as the New York Central 20th Century Limited is pulling into the station you could almost imagine the conductor calling out “Grand Central Station.” Photo # 3 - Turntable & Engine Facility SPRING 2010 7 Sunrise Trail Division - Question From the Editor - Can You Be a Contributor?

Scale Rails recently had an article that dealt with to be used. If you prefer you could mail a CD-ROM with all the contributing material for publication within our NMRA material on it or even mail typed and cleanly printed pages. If Magazine (Scale Rails, February 2010, page 34 "Help Us Help you feel the photos need some editing and you don't have the You" - A Guide to Getting Your Article Published by Todd means to do that work, you can describe what areas of the Gillette). Mr. Gillette had excellent information and carefully photos to use, what people or other features to be cut out of the photo etc. Please supply captions, and identifying information, for your photos.

Ok so now that you're dying to send something in what would we like to receive for publication? We would surely appreciate any well researched and carefully documented article that you would like to submit on any subject that touches or can be applied to model railroading. However, not everything needs extensive research to be used. Some examples of what could be used: 1) You build a kit and take photographs of the stages of assembly. Describe it in an email, provide captions for the photos; gold-star; that could be used. 2) You and some friends/ family go bicycling or walking on a Rail Trail or an abandoned ROW. You photograph some still visible features of the defunct rail line, maybe you even find an old photo of when it was in use. Type it up, email it, provide captions for the photos; Super that could be used. 3) You attend a Model Railroading venue (club, museum, convention). Take some photos, type up a Water Tower at Arnold Yard - Walter Neuman laid out step by step what a magazine editor needs from any contributor to facilitate the easy publication of submitted materials. Of course an Editor will also have to consider the quality of the writing, the appeal of the subject matter to the intended readership, the uniqueness of the subject and a several other factors before choosing to include submitted articles in an International Magazine.

That brings us to our very own Cannonball. Have you considered submitting material to be included in our Division's very own Newsletter? Over the years many of our members have contributed to putting together our informative publication. I know many are thinking "I don't have the time to put together something", "How am I going to do all that research?" "Who would want to read something I put together?".

Let me put your mind at ease and help you consider a few Dobbs Station - Walter Neuman things. First, our Cannonball is not trying to compete with the Nationally known Model Railroading Press. Second, our review, email it in. Awesome, Thank you very much. audience is smaller; basically members of the Sunrise Trail Division either currently living in the division or who used to Now if you have some meaty material that is great as well. live within the division and read the Cannonball to keep in Don't feel you have to rush, take your time, months, years, even touch, and perhaps modelers who model the areas prototypes decades, the end result will be well worth it. Walter and who look to the Cannonball for information on those Wohleking's LIRR Milk Car article is an excellent example and prototypes. we thank him for it (and everyone else who has ever contributed material). Walter’s information came together over a period of Another thing to keep in mind is it is a much simpler several years. He enjoyed solving the mystery, digging a little process to submit material to the Cannonball than to submit deeper and than putting it down so it can benefit anyone who is material to Scale Rails. Typically most information for looking for it now or in the future. I bet 100 years from now publication in the Cannonball is submitted by email. You can Walter's article will be cited as a touch-stone reference on the type everything in the body of the email, in a Microsoft subject. Notepad Document, a Microsoft Word (2003 and lower) Document, or a Microsoft Publisher (2003 and lower) Document and attach it to the email. Any photos could also be Ed Note. For more information on Walter Neuman’s attached or you could email link(s) to where you have your Chestnut Hill and Western see The Cannonball - Spring 2004, photos on the internet with a list of which ones you had in mind Volume 34 Issue Number One. 8 THE CANNON BALL ON THE ROAD WITH THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION

On a recent trip to the mid-west Sunrise Trail Division member such as cranes & dump-trucks, because they can travel over Steve Perry came across these two railroad maintenance trucks. roadways to where the work or inspection needs to be done and The railroads use trucks like these, and other HiRail equipment not tie up miles of track with a work-train.

Sperry Rail, Hirail Inspection truck - Dubois, PA UP Hirailer - Eastern Kentucky Some LIRR High Rail Equipment.

UP Hirailer - Eastern Kentucky LIRR Hirail Dump Truck - Brightwaters

LIRR Little Giant Hirail Crane - Deer Park Station, West Brentwood NY SPRING 2010 9 Sunrise Trail Division - Photographer’s Notebook- Having Fun by George Loy Jr

It’s Here! What’s here you may ask. The answer begins train was a good choice to photograph with the billboard. Than back before the NMRA National Convention last Summer in I realized that it wasn’t necessary to include the whole train, and Hartford Connecticut. Before the Hartford National Convention that just including a Locomotive would be nice and simple. I in 2009 I knew I wanted to model something small that would could have used a LIRR, NYC, B&M or a locomotive from any coincide with the Hartford National that I could photograph and of the other numerous Northeast Railroads, but this particular use in the Cannonball. It had to be something that could be Providence & Worchester Railroad Diesel had a special appeal. done fairly quickly and First the P&W was on the Prototype Tour schedule for the look good and Convention, Second photograph well. I in the months wanted it to tie in with preceding the the Sunrise Trail Convention a few Division and the layouts based on the Northeast Region and to P&W were featured mean something and in magazines and not just be used to take their owners were up space. opening them up to Convention attendees The first piece to to visit. The third solving the puzzle was reason was this found in an Athearn HO Engines road number Billboard I had picked has particular up. Originally it was significance to the part of the United States Sunrise Trail Postal Service Series. Division. Have you Athearn did a Series of noticed yet? Each trucks and billboards (and maybe some other items) decorated Year the Cannonball with USPS Stamp artwork in HO and N Scales. Each State had starts a new Volume. The first issue is issue 1, the second is it’s own stamp. Starting with the billboard I carefully measured issue two and so on. This year the Cannonball starts Volume 40 the area that was available for the advertisement. Using a and this issue is Issue 1 (or 01). As it turned out P&W 4001 graphics program I was able to design an HO Scale matches the 4001 abbreviation of this Cannonball. At this stage I still needed something for the Background. I could put it on a layout which I tried, but I couldn’t get the feel I wanted to convey. I could have built a small a diorama like Don Spiro did for the cover of the December 1997 RMC. Finally I settled on an easy way to have great control to position the various elements exactly how I liked, and to light them well to be photographed. It worked out similar to what Don Spiro did with the RMC winter diorama. Below is a photograph showing how the elements of the photo were situated. As you can see it’s basically 3 well placed advertisement to fit on the billboard. I used the train from the items. I only clinic page of the Hartford National Convention website, I concerned myself added text in a font similar to the HN from the Hartford with what could be National Logo (which is a reverse of the NH from the New seen by the camera York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad’s McGinnis Era Logo) and I am very happy listing the dates and location of the Convention. with the result. In addition to being used in the Cannonball the I was fairly happy with the Billboard but there seemed like same photo was used in the NER Coupler Issue 232 which is there should be more than just a photograph of a billboard. A still available to be downloaded.

10 THE CANNON BALL REVISED

The National Model Railroad Association, Inc.’s 75th Anniversary Photography Contest

Win a cab ride in a Union Pacific steam locomotive!

The National Model Railroad Association and the Union Pacific Railroad are pleased to announce a model photography contest to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NMRA. The NMRA will pick one photograph submitted by an NMRA member in good standing depicting one or more models of UP equipment and/or structures in a realistic scene. The photograph will be judged for prototype fidelity of the modeling and scene as well as for photographic art.

The member submitting the photograph will win a cab ride in one of the mainline steam locomotives operated by the Union Pacific on the Kansas City to Jefferson City leg of the Missouri River Eagle Excursion. Airfare (up to $500.00), two hotel nights, and transportation to and from the excursion will be provided for the winner by the NMRA.

To be eligible, the photograph must be in an envelope postmarked (or originated in transit by a third-party service such as FedEx or UPS) by August 31, 2010, and received no later than September 7, 2010. Only one photograph may be submitted per envelope, but there is no limit on the number of photographs a member may submit. Photographic prints, slides, or digital images are acceptable. Prints must be 8” x 10.” Digital images must be taken with a camera of 7.1 megapixels or greater to satisfy the printing requirements. All submitted photographs shall become the property of the NMRA, and the NMRA and Union Pacific may use the photograph in any manner they choose. All members participating in the contest agree to provide to the NMRA the original medium of the photograph (negative, transparency, or digital file) if requested.

Please send all photographs to Robert J. Amsler, Jr., 514 Dover Place, St. Louis MO 63111. Be sure to protect photographs from bending or mishandling in the mail.

SPRING 2010 11 FIRST CLASS MAIL PLACE STAMP HERE 5 HOWARD DRIVE HUNTINGTON NY 11743

PLACE MAILING LABEL HERE

IN THIS ISSUE IT”S HERE LIRR MILK CAR MYSTERY STDIVISION 2010 SPRING MEET MODEL RAILROADING CHANGES GRAND CENTRAL MOVES TO ST JAMES

SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER OF THE SUNRISE TRAIL DIVISION Name ______Scale(s) ______

Address ______

City ______State ______Zip ______

Phone ______Email ______1 year _____ $7.00 2 years _____ $14.00 Please send a completed copy of this form and a check made payable to the Sunrise Trail Division to: Walter Wohleking, 5 Howard Drive, Huntington NY 11743-3032 LOCAL Apr 10 10:00AM-5:00PM STDiv Spring Meet, St. David’s Lutheran Church, 20 Clark Blvd, Massapequa Park NY - Apr 17 12:00PM-5:00PM STDiv Annual Layout Tour Kevin Katta - 631-539-8671 - [email protected] May 16 2:30PM-5:00PM STDiv Board of Directors meeting – 42 Indian Drive Sayville NY 11782 - Ed Neale - 631-589-3940 - [email protected] Nov TBA 10:00AM-5:00PM STDiv Fall Convention, - United Methodist Church, 881 Merrick Rd, Baldwin NY - Fernand Washington 718-528-2308 [email protected] Nov TBA 6:00PM-9:00PM STDiv Banquet / Awards Dinner, At above location Jan 2011 1PM - 4:30PM Tentative - STDiv Winter Meet, Westbury Public Library - 445 Jefferson Ave, Westbury NY - NORTH EAST REGIONAL / NATIONAL May 20-23, 2010 - 2010 MFMR/NER Convention - Fort Howe Hotel - 10 Portland Street Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada - www.tracksandtides2010.org July 11 - 18, 2010 - National Model Railroad Association 75th Anniversary Convention - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.nmra75.org September 9-12, 2010 - 2010 NER Convention - Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center - Burlington, Vermont www.nernmra.org Sep 30-Oct 3, 2010 - 2010 MER Princeton Junction Convention - Princeton Double Tree Hotel - 4355 US Route 1, Princeton, NJ 08540 RECURRING (NMW means “new members welcome’) 3rd Fri of each month, Sep-Jun, NRHS L.I. Sunrise Trail Chapter (NMW) meets 8:00PM-10:00PM at Christ Episcopal, Carll Ave & Prospect St, Babylon www.nrhs-list.org 3rd Fri of each month, Sunrise Trail Model RR Club (NMW) meets at its HO scale layout in Farmingdale, Mark Conca 516-752-0636 1st Tue of each month, Long Island Model RR Engineers (NMW) meets at its multi-scale layouts at 3661 Horseblock Rd, Farmingville 631-345-3415 DOWN THE TRACK Each Wed, Rockville Centre Model RR Club (NMW) meets 8:00PM-10:00PM at its HO scale layout, 200 Sunrise Hwy, Rockville Centre, Duane Yorke 516-520-2996 1st Mon, 2nd Tues, 3rd Wed, 4th Thurs 8:00PM (NMW) The Great South Bay Model Railroad Club (HO Scale) - 9 North Long Beach Ave Freeport - Kevin McKay (516)223-9357

12 THE CANNON BALL