THE C OUPLER A PUBLICATION OF THE NORTHEASTERN REGION • NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION ISSUE NO. 236 • OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2009 Two Athearn Hustlers make their way through the swamped track on Bob Boudreau's well-known HO scale Lomax Lumber modules. The lead engine is slightly modified, with an original Athearn plow, and the second unit is a kitbashed freelance "B unit" made from two Hustlers. This and many other exceptional model railroads await the attendees of “Trains and Tides 2010” in St. John, New Brunswick (see page 6). PHOTO BY BOB BOUDREAU WAYBILLS AND MANIFEST “Trains and Tides 2010” - New Brunswick welcomes the NER for a joint event! - by Steve McMullin . 6 Champlain Flyer Update - Green Mountain gears up for our Fall Convention - by Glenn Glasstetter . 7 Hartford National 2009 Recap - Looking back at our hosted National - by Vin Galogly . 8 DEPARTMENTS AND L-C-L NER News and Events . 4 Made in the NER . 14 NER Brass Page . 2 NER Empire Builders . 12 NER New Members . 15 NER President’s Letter . 3 NER AP Roundup . 13 . WWW.NERNMRA.ORG . NORTHEASTERN REGION NMRA NER OFFICERS AND STAFF PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER SECRETARY KENNETH MAY PAUL ALLARD, MMR LARRY CANNON, MMR KEITH F. SHONEMAN 71 Buff Cap Road 53 Rollin Irish Road 516 Pond Road 21 Freedom Farme Road Tolland, CT 06084 Milton, VT 05468 Lewiston, ME 04240 Acton, MA 01720 www.nernmra.org (860) 872-3441 (802) 893-2228 (207) 786-3929 (978) 376-0080 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] OFFICE MANAGER ADVANCEMENT PRGM. CHAIR MODEL CONTEST CHAIR PHOTO CONTEST CHAIR MARK HARLOW PAUL ALLARD, MMR BOB HAMM, MMR ROGER OLIVER THE COUPLER 280 S. Main Street 53 Rollin Irish Road 460 Grand Avenue 61 Franklin Road Hopedale, MA 01747 Milton, VT 05468 Saratoga Spgs, NY 12866 Denville, NJ 07834-1558 The official publication of (508) 528-8587 (802) 893-2228 (518) 587-0743 [email protected] The Northeastern Region of [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] the National Model Railroad Association. CONVENTIONS CHAIR NER HISTORIAN NER OPSIG COORDINATOR NER WEBMASTER VACANT JOSEPH LECAROZ AL ONETO MIKE ROQUE Issue No. 236 PO Box 7150 327 Springer Road 60 High Manor Drive, Apt 1 Newburgh, NY 12550 Fairfield, CT 06430 Henrietta, NY 14467 EDITOR (914) 564-4626 (203) 255-1331 (585) 615-4862 PHIL MONAT [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 3125 Independence Ave. Bronx, NY 10463 (718) 884-0261 NER REGIONAL DIRECTORS [email protected] CONNECTICUT LONG ISLAND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND NMRA EASTERN DIRECTOR WORDSMITH & RHODE ISLAND & NEW YORK CITY TERRY KING KEVIN FEENEY FRANKLIN LANG VINCENT GALLOGLY ANDREW WASOWICZ P. O. Box 188 831 New Norwalk Road Stamford, CT 105 Woodhaven Drive P. O. Box 863320 East Livermore, ME 04228 New Caanan, CT 06084 Trumbull, CT 06611 Ridgewood, NY 11386-3320 (207) 933-2477 (203) 966-5175 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR (203) 268-0437 (718) 366-3830 [email protected] TOM BARTLEY [email protected] [email protected] EASTERN CANADA Pleasantville, NY NEW YORK STATE Vacant NEW JERSEY MASSACHUSETTS MIKE EVANS COPY EDITOR ROGER OLIVER WILLIAM BARRY 838 Mason Street BARRY ABISCH 61 Franklin Road 35 Blaiswood Avenue Morrisonville, NY 12962 Somers, NY Denville, NJ 07834-1558 Marlborough, MA 01752-3910 (518) 563-3989 (973) 625-3414 (508) 251-1252 [email protected] ART DIRECTOR [email protected] [email protected] OTTO M. VONDRAK Harrison, NY [email protected] NER DIVISION SUPERINTENDENTS ©2009 Northeastern Region NMRA. NUTMEG DIVISION HUB DIVISION HUDSON VALLEY DIVISION The editorial policy of The Coupler, SUPERINTENDENT PRESIDENT SUPERINTENDENT the official publication of the SEELEY C. 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Any items related to Mechanicville, NY 12118 Jamaica, NY 11434-3411 Westport, CT 06880 the activities of the Northeastern (518) 899-5707 (718) 528-2308 (203) 226-0562 Region and its member divisions are [email protected] [email protected] gladly accepted. Please address all CENTRAL NEW YORK DIVISION correspondence, news, photos, and SUPERINTENDENT GARDEN STATE DIVISION LITTLE RHODY DIVISION drawings to the Editor. Any submis - BRIAN CURRY PRESIDENT SUPERINTENDENT sions sent by mail will be gladly 3594 Chamberlain Road TOM WORTMANN HENRY PIERCE returned if the sender provides a Weedsport, NY 13166 68 Carmel Avenue 75 Shady Hill Drive self-addressed stamped envelope. (315) 689-1303 Staten Island, NY 10314 West Warwick, RI 02893-2336 [email protected] (718) 494-0388 (401) 821-4256 [email protected] [email protected] SEACOAST DIVISION PRESIDENT GREEN MOUNTAIN DIVISION BRUCE ROBINSON PRESIDENT 19 Hunt Pond Road DANA BROWN INACTIVE DIVISIONS Sandown, NH 03873 17 Skyline Drive # PIONEER DIVISION (603) 887-5922 Essex Jct., VT 05452 # MARITIMES DIVISION [email protected] [email protected] # DIVISION ALOUETTE SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR COUPLER #237 IS NOV. 13 We want to hear from you—Contact Editor Phil Monat at [email protected] • THE COUPLER • 2 • ISSUE 236 • Quarterly news and editorial commentary regarding the NER President’s goals and activities of the Northeastern Region NMRA, and its member divisions. Letter BY KEN MAY NER President As I write this, the pated, volunteered and helped to make our to travel to St. John to do so and support our Hartford National 2009 convention one of the best in recent times Canadian members. convention has been — all did a great job! Next spring is election time in the NER. concluded for just about At this time the status of the Northeastern This fall it is important that a slate of candi - a month. By all Region is pretty good. Financially we are in dates be selected to run for NER office. You accounts I have seen the very good shape. The membership numbers will need to elect a new President, as I will convention was a great have remained stable. We have two conven - not be standing for re-election. I also success. Total registra - tions scheduled for 2010 – a joint activity in encourage anyone with the interest in serv - tion count exceeded 1000, which we felt St. John, New Brunswick with the Maritime ing as a NER Director to consider making was very good given the present economic Federation of Model Railroaders, and our yourself available as a candidate. It will be conditions. Paid attendance to the National Fall NER Convention in September in a good thing to have new people involved in Train Show exceeded 17,000. For a train Burlington, VT. You will find publicity on the management of the NER. show in July we felt that was very, very both of these great conventions elsewhere in good. I wish to thank all those who partici - this issue. I encourage those who can afford —Ken May, NER President FROM THE EDITORS Kudos to the NER! A job well done! The NER has been initiated into the make sure the presenters were up to his and sional meetings for you will meet with Convention Hall of Fame for its superb the NER standards. It’s amazing that he many other model railroaders that will performance at the Hartford National. It encountered clinicians who were no shows expand your own horizons. We should all may not have reached the heights of atten - and never notified him. He is to be com - look forward to the next NER Regional dance seen in years past, but the real mended for his hard work and the excel - convention in St. John, New Brunswick measure of its success was in the sheer lence of the clinics. in May 2010 and the Fall 2010 conven - volume of exceptionally high quality clin - There were many other NER members tion in Vermont. Our friends across the ics, the offering to see and operate on that spent days, weeks and months giving border and in Vermont have some great some of the finest layouts in the country of their time to make this convention a suc - layouts and sharp minds that should and a modeling showcase that had over cess. They are too numerous to name here, result in excellent, and for a change, 150 entries surpassing all past records. but we all should extend our thanks for a more reasonably priced conventions. Another measure not heard much about job well done. We belong to a good and these days is “profit.” HN2009 did come active Region. Do attend your local divi - —Franklin Lang, Wordsmith out in the black. We might ask ourselves why this conven - ONWARD TO MILWAUKEE 2010 tion was so successful. To me the answer is leadership. Vin Gallogly led with a disci - plined baton through a symphony of many faces and many organizational pushes and pulls from above and below. Bob Hamm’s expanded modeling showcase, which he has worked on revising over the past few years, really paid off with some of the best entries ever. His new non-judging display category was loaded with models that in many ways equaled the quality of those entered in the judging/award segment.