Manhattan Modelers | November Newsletter
Nov 10, 2023 7:21 pm
Newsletter | November 2023
Hello Manhattan Modeler,
This month the Newsletter has a heavy emphasis on News. Fall is my favorite season and a very busy one for our hobby. This month is the beginning of what most people consider “Train Season”. Our city really is reliant on the train and subway system for most people to move around but it is a city that doesn’t normally have much of a toy or model train presence. Suddenly in November it gains many seasonal sights to visit (or revisit).
First up and most timely and important. We have our upcoming November meeting on Monday the 13th. Again, this month we will meet at Lavelle’s bar in Astoria Queens. The plan is for starting between 7 and 7:30 PM at Lavelle’s Bar at 45-15 Broadway in Astoria, Queens near the 46th Station on the R/M (E at Night) Subway line. If you are coming from Manhattan, the bar is closest to the end of the train.
We will meet in the private basement room. Plan to bring along some photos or projects and there will be plenty of train focused conversation. There is plenty of seating. I will bring some snacks as usual and there can be trips upstairs to refill beverages as needed.
Governors Island Space Status
I was not able to be organized and move fast enough to get all of my eggs aligned and paperwork filed fast enough for applying for the space on Governors Island. So the plan now is to get everything lined up and ready for next year’s application deadline.
Currently the plan has evolved to Manhattan Modelers will file to become both a Special Interest Group (SIG) under the NMRA and a Full Membership NMRA Club which would allow us to receive insurance through the NMRA. Insurance and 501C3 status is a requirement to apply for the space on Governors Island. Several other model railroad groups have approached me interested in joining the effort. This would help have more bodies to have the space open to the public.
Our group has not had any membership cost requirement. To be a full NMRA club it would be required that all our members would need to be or become NMRA members.
The Sunrise Trail Division of the NMRA is the catchment division for Long Island and all of New York City with the exception of Staten Island. Most Manhattan Modelers members would fall into that Division. Many Sunrise Trail Div. events are held out on the Island and at times those are difficult for those of us in the city without cars to attend. Manhattan Modelers events can function as city based NMRA events to retain NMRA members who live in the city. I am happy to have our events open to any NMRA Division members who are interested in attending.
I would be happy to discuss anything discussed here or just in general. My email for Manhattan Modelers is estepandyprojects@gmail.com
Call for Articles
I would be very happy to have articles from any of our members to include in our newsletter. I would be very interested in model railroad layout visit images. Our space starved modeling spaces would be a great article. Small Space Solutions are always fascinating.
Please send me some images of modeling desks or workshops. I think this would an interesting subject for a future newsletter article.
Manhattan Modelers November in Person Meeting
Monday, November 13th @7 PM
Lavelle’s Bar in Astoria Queens. The plan is for starting between 7 and 7:30 PM at Lavelle’s Bar at 45-15 Broadway in Astoria, Queens near the 46th Station on the R/M (E at Night) Subway line. If you are coming from Manhattan, the bar is closest to the end of the train.
We will meet in the private basement room. Bring along some photos or projects and there will be plenty of train focused conversation. There is plenty of seating. I will bring some snacks as usual and there will be trips upstairs to refill beverages as needed.
Greenberg’s Train and Toy Show
November 25-26th
Edison, New Jersey
All Scales train show with operating model railroad displays
NYSME Winter Open House Train Show
December 2,3,9,10,16 and 17th
1PM to 5 PM
Admission $8 Adults
Children 12 and Under Free
The New York Society of Model Engineers HO and O scale layouts will be open and operating for this event. The show is near the Jane St stop on the 163 NJT bus from the Port Authority
Empire State Plaza Concourse “Under the Egg”
December 3rd 10am-4pm (not so local)
Empire State Plaza Concourse Level, Albany, NY 12220
Multi Scale train sale and operating model railroad displays
$7 admission
Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show
January 27th and 28th 2024 (again not so local)
Held at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds (The Big E), this is the largest train show in the north-east.
We are always open to sharing model events in the area. If you are aware of an event that you think others here would be interested, please share it with us and we will include it in future newsletters.
by Andy Estep
Trick or Train
I realize Halloween has come and gone but I must share this amazing costume I saw in my neighborhood. A seven-year-old was Trick or Treating with his mom as the 7 train
I loved the fact that they added lights to the passenger compartment.
New Wrapped Passenger Engines on New Jersey Transit and Metro North Railroads
Our local commuter railroads are wrapping engines in the paint schemes of fallen flag railroads that used to run on their tracks. Metro North is celebrating 40 years of service and have wrapped engines in New York Central and Conrail Paint schemes with supposedly more on the way. New Jersy Transit has CNJ, Erie Lackawanna and Pennsylvania engines.
I went to Long Branch to operate on a layout with Heath Hurwitz and Dan Free a few weeks ago and we caught the Pennsy wrapped electric, GG1 stand in just as it was pulling away from us and into the small commuter yard there in Long Branch.
The New York Historical Society Toy Train Display
The New York Historical Society has their yearly display of vintage toy trains from the Jerni Collection. I saw this collection when it was still in complete form and about to go to auction at Sotheby’s in parallel with Malcolm Forbes’ vintage toy soldier and toy boat collection over ten years ago.
Seeing the Forbes collection when it was touring Washington DC at the National Geographic Museum when I was child in the 1980s was personally something I saw that spurred my lifelong interest in models and museums. I had gone to the auction viewing to see the Forbes collection and spent a good half hour looking at it and was on my way out the door when I saw signs for the other toy and train collection on view upstairs. I went upstairs and was just blown away by the size and quality of the Jerni collection.
I had purchased a copy of the book “Golden Era of Toy Trains: 1890-1918”. At the time of publication this book contained images of an outstanding collection of early toy trains whose ownership was, at the time being kept anonymous. The collection was extensive and exhaustive. This is that same collection. It included many one-off pieces like very large bridges and train stations made by early companies like Marklin and Bing for the Nuremburg Toy Show in the 1910’s.
It is a wonderful collection and a large part of it was purchased by former Mayor Micheal Bloomberg who then donated it to the New York Historical Society. This collection is shown at the NYHS starting every November. The round display seen in the pictures displays different early accessories and the selection of this part changes every year.
There are several other non-changing displays that remain the same year to year. There are several Standard gauge MTH replicas that run on operating track loops both overhead and on a display layout as well.
I took these pictures a week ago, so I know the display is up already. If you are at all interested in early toy trains and models this is a great exhibit with some wonderful early toys.
Grand Central Terminal Lionel Layout is Back After a Few Years Absence
This year for the first time in 4 years the MTA Transit Museum Annex at Grand Central Terminal will be hosting the 34 foot long Lionel 3 rail O scale layout. This is a very popular exhibit and is at times very crowded. Because of the crowds it attracts and the COVID pandemic they have not hosted this layout for a few years. This year they are also asking for reservations and a $5 charge. I guess as a way to limit the overcrowding.
The layout is very highly sceniced in a toy like way. It includes a city section including Grand Central and tall stylized buildings. Elevated subway tracks weave through the city. There is also a country and suburban section with more wintery hills and trees. It is a fun, fanciful visit if you want to watch some toy trains running their loops.
The layout opens on November 16th and here’s a a little secret. If you want to avoid the crowds, is that the layout really stays up and runs to the beginning of February. The crowds really die down after New Years.
Holiday Nostalgia Train Excursions running December Saturdays
The Transit Museum Announced their “Holiday Nostalgia Train”. It will be running every Saturday from after Thanksgiving through the start of January. December 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. The departures are timed at 10AM,12AM, 2PM and 4PM from the 2nd Ave Uptown F and 11AM, 1 PM, 3 PM and 5 PM from the Downtown platform at the 145 St D train.
They are using the R1/9 train set so it will be next to see the rattan seats and Ceiling fans as well as the vintage advertisements. The conductor on these cars rides straddling between the two center cars a neat feature. It will be running starting on the F line at 2nd Ave and then switch to the D line and end at 145 St. The express running segment from 59th to 125th Street should be fun.
My favorite part of riding this annual excursion is that these trains are running in regular service so witnessing the surprise on people’s faces as true antique train pulls into the platform is really fun. It is like witnessing an unexpected Time Machine.
I always try to catch as many of these as I can so if you are planning to go, shoot me a text or email. I would be happy to meet up for a visit. The 145 Street D station is just two blocks from my apartment.
I couldn’t find any of my pictures of the R1/9 train so here is a picture of last years Redbird led train running on the 1 Line. Here it is pulling into 137th Street.
Join us on Discord
We have setup a Manhattan Modelers Discord as a place to share projects & ideas, post events, ask and answer questions and make connections.
We have chosen Discord because it is organized around specific interests instead of providing a unified newsfeed. Discord is focused on real-time interactions between people, whereas other social media options function as internet message boards.
Discord also has a Zoom like video conferencing feature, but without the limits of the free Zoom.
Click on this link which will ask you to either create an account or login to your existing account.
Once you join, you will see the logo for the Manhattan Modelers "server" on the left and the various "channel" topics on listed to their right.
Please take a moment to introduce yourself in the #introduce-yourself channel
