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Greetings!

▲ John Valachovic's N-scale Raquette Lake Railway will be one of two featured layouts tonight on NERx.

Layout Photos by John Valachovic

NERx Tonight: Tuesday, March 17

Join us for NERx, our annual virtual convention, tonight, from 6:30–10:30 PM Eastern Time.

Tonight's program is sponsored by Inter-Action Hobbies. Look for the link in the YouTube LIVE feed description to enter the drawing for two $50 gift certificates from our sponsor.

Also tonight, we have two great layouts: Master Model Railroader Kevin Surman's HO-scale New York and Long Branch and John Valachovic's Raquette Lake Railway.

Don't miss the Roundtable Discussion on Modular Model Railroading.

And, there are two terrific clinics: "Basic Scenery from the Ground Up" by Doug Dederick and "Photography 101 for Railfans & Modelers" by Mike Hauk.

Sprinkled in between all of these fun activities will be Tips 'n Tricks and the Model Showcase.

The schedule, information on all of the activities and our sponsors, how to enter the drawings, and where to watch NERx tonight are included in the email below.

So find a comfortable seat, pour yourself a beverage, set some munchies beside you, and watch NERx!

And don't forget to ask your questions in the YouTube chat!

Enter the Nightly Drawings for Gift Vouchers during NERx!

This year, each night of NERx is being generously sponsored by different hobby companies. Each of our sponsors has donated two $50USD gift vouchers for use in a nightly drawing. Most nights have two sponsors, too!

During NERx, review the description of the LIVE feed on the YouTube channel. The description will contain a link for that evening's drawing. Click on the link to enter the drawing. Each night will have a different link, so you must enter each night's drawing separately.

Entries for the drawing will be open during the NERx live stream until 9:30 PM Eastern. Each night, the drawing will be held at 10 PM, when the winners will be announced.

Tonight's sponsor is:

Inter-Action Hobbies is dedicated to supplying high-quality, unique kits, and components in multiple scales. Inter-Action Hobbies is a husband and wife team with a love for all things miniature and a passion for the rails! Their backgrounds in design and aviation give them a foundation for accurate, precise attention to detail and quality.

Visit their website at:

InterActionHobbies.com

Subscribe to the NER Coupler for a Chance to Win a Bar Mills Gift Card

During NERx, subscribe or resubscribe to the NER Coupler, the NMRA Northeastern Region's magazine, and be automatically entered into a drawing for your chance to win a $100 gift card from Bar Mills. Just scan the QR code in the advertisement above or click on:

https://nernmra.knack.com/coupler-store

Kevin Surman, MMR's, New York and Long Branch

Master Model Railroader Kevin Surman's HO-scale New York & Long Branch Railroad is loosely based on the prototype that connected northern New Jersey’s industrial centers with the Jersey Shore. The railroad is jointly operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Railroad and is set in the late 1950s, circa 1957. Interchange connections include the Lehigh Valley at Perth Amboy and barge traffic on the Raritan River at South Amboy.

The layout occupies a 21′ × 34′ space, with a newly added second level and an additional 8′ × 12′ staging area. Motive power features a mix of steam, diesel, and limited electric operations under catenary.

Operations are controlled using an MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system with ten throttles available for monthly operating sessions. Sessions typically begin with a fast clock set at a 5:1 ratio and run using train orders, switch lists, and operating signals. Midway through the session, the fast clock is stopped and operations transition to a sequence-based format, during which most local freights and yard drills are run.

Kevin’s layout has previously been featured in Model Railroader magazine and the Hudson Berkshire NMRA Division’s Form 19 newsletter. It is time for an update, as this outstanding layout will be one of the highlights toured during this year’s NERx.

John Valachovic's Raquette Lake Railway

The Raquette Lake Railway is a 1920's era N-scale layout designed and constructed by John Valachovic. The layout is based on the 25-mile-long Raquette Lake Railway that ran from its interchange with the New York Central's Adirondack Division at Carter to Raquette Lake Village. It also contains a logging line influenced by the real logging lines in the Adirondacks.

John enjoys operations and designed this layout to accommodate up to seven operators. John did a presentation for the 2023 NERx about "Designing Operations on a Small Layout and How Operations Can Guide Your Layout Design," using this layout as an example.

His philosophy is to portray the entire idea of a time and place. The rolling stock and motive power are as close to period correct as he could find without extensively modifying equipment. The scenery is designed to represent the mid-late fall in the Adirondacks and that had the effect of giving the layout an overall sepia toned color palette reminiscent of old photos. The structures are based on real structures and feature extensively kit bashed and scratch-built buildings in addition to laser kits. His philosophy is that model railroads are time machines. John enjoys the feeling of coming into the train room and seeing scenes and buildings that don't exist anymore.

John documents his project on his Facebook Group, "Raquette Lake Railway in N-scale". Feel free to check out the layout there.

Every year, NERx hosts Roundtable Discussions covering a wide range of topics. These conversations have become a popular part of the NERx program, giving viewers the opportunity to join the discussion and share their thoughts.

Want to participate?

Post your questions in the YouTube chat during the LIVE feed!

Tuesday: Modular Model Railroading

Modular layouts are becoming more popular as the range of options increase. Just over the last decade we have seen the popularization of T-Trak layouts that can be assembled and run on banquet tables. Other modular systems include the widely used N-Trak standard and Free-mo in multiple scales. New variations are popping up in Z scale, On3, and even HO scale T-Trak. These systems allow greater participation in the hobby, serve as a "secondary" interest with existing railroaders, and allow construction of layouts when space is at a premium.

Steve Erickson and Brian McPhearson will discuss the various options available today and how to get started in each of them during this Roundtable Discussion.

Basic Scenery from the Ground Up by Doug Dederick

In this clinic, Doug Dederick will go over some basic scenery tips, starting from bare white plaster and building it from the ground up. He will show you how he applies static grass and how to build off of it by creating some basic bushes.

At the end of the clinic, Doug will show you a technique he uses to match his static grass to the backdrop.

Be sure to watch and ask any questions in the YouTube chat during his presentation.

Photography 101 for Railfans and Modelers by Mike Hauk

As you can see from the photo above, Mike knows how to take really great photographs. And now he is willing to share some of his knowledge with you. Mike is giving an introductory clinic during NERx on photo composition.

His clinic focuses on:

• Editing and adding more visual interest to the standard “wedge shot”.

• Introducing basic concepts of composition, as applied to railroad subjects.

• Breaking the “rules” of composition for artistic effect.

• Examples of thinking outside the box of the usual “train shot”.

If you are interested in improving your photography skills, Mike is sure to get you started during NERx.

There is only one option for watching NERx live on the internet: YouTube. Use the link below to go to the NMRA YouTube channel and keep refreshing the page until you see the LIVE stream. Just as the train is sometimes late to the station, if you do not see that the live stream has started, please hit refresh until the train arrives.

NMRA YouTube channel

There is no cost to attend the virtual event. Instead, we are asking for donations to support NER programs such as the NERx Virtual Convention.

To make a donation of $10, $20, $50 or any other amount, please click on the "Donate" button. As a non-profit, any financial assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Visit the NERx Website!

NERx has its own website that will be updated as information becomes available with the schedule, descriptions, and photos of clinics, layout tours, and models. The website also has links to the videos of the prior NERx events and will have links to the live streams on the days of the event.

What is the website? NERx.org, of course! The website will keep changing as details become finalized. So, bookmark it today!

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