November is National Model Railroad month and once again several members of HARM will be opening their home layouts up to the public. For Nov. 24, Bill M, Ken P, and Scott W will be open, and on Nov 30, Bill M, Bill F, and Scott W will be open. You can find more information such as times and addresses at modelrailroadopenhouse.com. We look forward to seeing you there.
You can get a preview of each of these layouts by visiting these links:
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of HARM member Walter Wolfel. Although Walter did not have a model railroad to operate, he was often a fixture at our operating sessions with his outspoken sense of humor. He also enjoyed hosting movie nights so that he could hang out with the railroad boys. His friendship will surely be missed. “Damn you Walter!”
Obituary as posted:
“Walter Andrew Wolfel Jr. of Bel Air, Md. passed away peacefully on October 22, 2019. Born on January 7, 1924 to Rachel Rebecca Wolfel and Walter Wolfel Sr. in Baltimore, Md. Walter was a devoted husband of 54 years to Thelma Marie Wolfel and is survived by his daughter Corey Wolfel of Baltimore Md., son Andrew Wolfel, wife Tanya Wolfel and grandson Christopher Wolfel of Richmond, Va.
Walter was a devoted Christian in the Episcopal Church, loved model railroading, bible study, Wii bowling, work shop and singing (terrible voice) in the choir at Avondell. Walter always had a positive attitude, never short on words and always felt you could never have too many friends. Special wishes to all his friends that made his life so special including Clare Dippel, Donna Panzer, Dr. Sam Wilson and the railroad boys.”
Walter Wolfel, 1924-2019
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon several HARM members, spouses and friends spent the day at Strasburg Railroad enjoying the sights and sounds of the famed Norfolk and Western J-class 4-8-4 #611. The day began with a delicious lunch at Plain and Fancy Smokehouse BBQ and Brew. After that, we made our way over to the the railroad grounds to check out the sights and pick up our tickets. On the way over, we passed several large groups of railfans parked at grade crossings, ready to catch a glimpse of the locomotive. We arrived at the station just as 611 was pulling in from its 12:30 run. The Strasburg Railroad crews had everything worked out perfectly to switch between trains. #611 pulled forward to clear the end switch, backed onto the siding, and then pulled forward on to a dedicated spur. After 611 was securely in place, the SRC SW-8 switcher then pulled forward, coupled to the passenger cars and pulled them into the yard to make room for #475 to come into the station. Once 475 departed, the process was reversed to get 611 ready for its next run. In between runs, the 611 crew allowed visitors (for an extra fee) to climb into the cab and blow the whistle. This was also a perfect time to capture some stunning pictures of this magnificent locomotive. Just before 2:30 it was our turn to board the open-air cars for a 45-minute ride up the line. The trip took us through the beautiful Lancaster County countryside and through a passing siding, where we met #475. At the end of the line, #611 moved from one end of the train to the other for the return trip. After the ride, and dusting the cinders from our har, we explored the station area a bit and then visited the Strasburg Model Railroad club in a tent on the other side the rails. They had their modules setup that give a pretty accurate depiction of the tourist line in HO scale. The weather was beautiful, the trains majestic, and visiting with friends made everything that much better.
On Saturday, September 21, 2019, a couple of HARM members, Scott M and Scott W., ventured out to see some of the model railroads featured in the Mainline Hobby Open Houses. There was some fantastic work featured this year, and we were able to squeeze in eight of them during the day. Pictures can be found below.
On Saturday, August 10, 2019, several members of HARM, Bill M., Bob U., Rich, K., and Scott W., ventured to New Jersey to participate in an operating session at the Burlington County Model Railroad Club with crossover member Harry I. After a filling breakfast at the local crew’s regular place, the Cinnimonson Diner, we drove the short distance over to the model railroad club building, which is in the basement of a converted theatre. Recently, the club has been working on an operating scheme and schedule for their wonderful layout using JMRI Operations Pro to generate train orders and switch lists. Each of the HARM members were paired with one of the BCMRC members in order to get the lay of the land and understand the operating procedures. Rich volunteered to work one of the two main yards, while the others worked through freights and locals. The layout design provides a variety of operating potential. In addition to the two main yards, there is an extensive steel mill, waterfront with barge tracks, power plant, breweries, and facilities for loading and unloading coal. All of these industries kept us busy for over three hours. It was a great day of running trains and visiting with friends. We even got to see some structures that were removed from founding HARM member Dave R’s layout to live on in another location. Check out some of the pictures from our visit.
On Sunday, January 20, 2019, the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers opened their doors to the public for the last time at their Saratoga Street location. HARM Members Bill M., Scott M, Rich K., and Scott W. took some time to drive down and visit the club layout. BSME was founded on March 4, 1932 and later moved to the Saratoga St location in 1952. They have both an HO and O scale layout on the third floor of a downtown business building and are the “oldest club in the United States exclusively devoted to model railroading.” The HO layout features double track mainline running as well as a branch line, some narrow gauge and a short trolley run. Scenes on the layout include downtown buildings, including the famous Bromo Seltzer Tower in Baltimore, as well as more rural scenes. There are several nice bridges and trestles scattered throughout the layout. The O scale layout features a continuous running live catenary trolly line with spring switches, double-track mainlines, and a large roundhouse and turntable in the engine facility. Electronically, the HO layout runs on NCE DCC, while the O scale layout runs on traditional DC. Scenery on both layouts seems to utilize traditional hardshell and layered texturing. Throughout the layout space there are also numerous railroad signs, maps, pictures, NMRA awards, and other railroad memorabilia collected by club members throughout the years. The club has a membership of about 30 active members, and hopes to find a new home in the area. HARM wishes them the best of luck on the next chapter of their club’s story.
Got a chance to take a short video of the Rail Train operating and dropping off a load on the Chesapeake, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad.
Several members of HARM will open their homes and model railroads to the public this year. November is National Model Railroad month and the group from modelrailroadopenhouse.com has again organized and publicized the open houses in the MD, DE, PA, and NJ area. Ken P., Bill M., and Bill F. will all have their HO model train layouts open, while Scott W. will be one of the few N-scale model railroads on display. They are all in various stages of completion, but well worth the stop to see what is new or has changed. All of the owners really enjoy talking model trains and answering visitors’ questions. Bring your family and friends along when you visit, look at all of the details and enjoy the trains, just don’t touch unless invited to do so. We look forward to seeing many returning visitors as well as some new ones.
