Manhattan Modelers | February 2025 Newsletter
Feb 14, 2025 6:16 pm
Newsletter | FEbruary 2025
Hello Manhattan Modeler,
Welcome to our Frigid February edition of the Manhattan Modelers Newsletter. This one has been a long time coming. I have so many false starts. You may notice some articles seem a little old. I did not release a few months of these because plans just were not working out. Entirely my fault.
Heath Hurwitz and I are planning to go to the New Jersey Hi-Railers Final Show this Sunday in Patterson NJ. The NJ Hi-railers is a massive 3 rail O scale layout. The building they are in was recently sold and they need to move. This show is their last. They also have the former Grand Central Terminal Model Board which showed train locations to the tower operators.
If anyone would like to come along, we are planning to catch 10:16 AM NEC7833 from Penn Station to Secaucus and then MN1713 toward Suffern getting out at Hawthorn Station near Patterson. Please reach out if you would like to come along.
This winter has been very busy with many train-focused events. Our group is growing on Facebook. Our Discord channel has gotten a bit quiet lately but I’m sure it will pick up again. I am really looking forward to seeing members again.
The most important thing is that we have a confirmed February meeting planned for Feb 28th at Phil Monat’s layout.
-Andy Estep
Manhattan Modelers February Meeting
Manhattan Modelers meeting at Phil Monat’s Layout. Friday Feb 28th at 6:30 PM. Phil has graciously offered his layout to us again for a visit. His address is in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale. Please contact [email protected] or Heath Hurwitz for the address.
It has been far too long since our group has had an in-person meeting. There have been a lot of new people joining our group and I am looking forward to meeting them in person. We really hope to see you there. Phil’s massive HO scale layout is not to be missed. The layout will be featured as part of Island Ops 2025.
The Delaware & Susquehanna is a proto/freelance layout loosely based on the Lehigh Gorge area in Pennsylvania. The railroad is centered between Wilkes-Barre and Allentown, with each city having a large classification yard. The single-track main line is fully CTC controlled with US&S type S signals (searchlight), communications are FRS radio when needed. Traffic is widely based, dense and typical of the modern era of double stacks, TOFC, unit coal, ethanol, and trash trains along with heavy manifest traffic going into the New Jersey, Philadelphia and southeastern US from New England and points northeast. There are many locals and serious switching, as well as block swapping and other work.
Surprised at Springfield
I feel like I am still recovering from the Amhurst Railroad Hobby Show. Springfield is always a bit overwhelming and exhausting. I need places to stop wandering and searching the tables so I’m happy to have some places to stop and chat with people about various hobby groups I am involved in. This year I spent a bit of time at the NMRA booth talking with people about the NMRA. I occasionally stationed myself at the O scale Central booth in the Better LivingCenter at column 69. The booth was coveredwith cooperationby the New York Society of Model Engineers. We had an O scale switching puzzle layout we were having a contest and taking the best times for.
The biggest surprise of the show for me while manning the booth was when a Korean woman who spoke very little English said,"Oh it is You!" and showed me a picture of my face on her phone. How did she have my picture? Then, she said "wait, wait " and ran off. She returned a few moments later with a friendI was absolutely surprised and not expecting to see. Sung won Cho the owner of Korea Brass.
Sung won Cho sitting in front of one of the engines he made for Lionel. This was taken when I visited Seoul last September.
I had reached out to him 4 years ago on a business trip in Seoul South Korea. I had asked if I could visit his factory. Korea Brass is not a well-known name in this country, but they actually make many of the models that well known importers sell here in the US. For instance, all the Lionel highly detailed scale steam engines are made by Korea Brass. Broadway Limited’s HO scale steam is as well. They make models for many other companies all over the world, not only the US.
Sung won Cho very kindly took me to dinner and then a tour of his factory. He spent hours with me and showed me his factory and archives, patiently answering all my questions. Mr Cho Started making models by hand in brass in 1974. He learned the process from a Japanese craftsman who had come to Korea specifically to teach model building to Koreans because the market for Japanese brass was becoming too expensive. Korea Brass now covers the whole process of model making from design to casting and assembly to final painting and testing.
Last year on a return work trip I got to spend another afternoon with him at his now completed public display layout he has built in a city park with a railroad theme. The layout is filled with running examples of Korea Brass products he has made for various companies around the world.
Mr. Cho and his family came to the Springfield/Amherst Railroad Hobby Show to meet with importers and he brought along some projects and product samples.
Sung won Cho very generously presented the New York Society of Model Engineers with an HO scale powered track cleaning and working Vacuum car.
Here is the donated car on the NYSME HO scale layout. It is really an interesting and unusual car. It is self-propelled and it has a track cleaning pad mounted underneath. There are magnets to pick up metal bits on the track as well as a small, powered vacuum that picks up dust. The roof is removable to access the removed debris.
Anyway, seeing my friend from halfway around the world at the big train show was a complete but very welcome surprise.
Andy Estep
This year the New York Society of Model Engineers and METCA had their joint swap meet at the St Joesph’s School in East Rutherford NJ on November 2nd. This show is the closest to the city, so I go
every year. The past two years I have been getting tables to sell things. I would argue that selling things is one of the best small space solutions.
For a long time one of my main model railroading activities was buying trains. These trains would become part of my “someday” layout. Someday kept getting pushed into the future. Something that helped me realize the dead end of this collection I had amassed was that I changed from 3 rail O scale to 2 rail O scale. I had a big collection of now useless to me trains taking up storage space. Space that I could use for something else, like a small layout.
I prefer the scale, detail and heft of O scale but I don’t have nostalgia of growing up with a Lionel train. Lionel in my youth was in the MPC/Fundimensions era of the 1980’s. It was a time of cheap junk but you could still buy it everywhere. The company was coasting on nostalgia.
For whatever reason in the US 3 rail O scale is dominant. 2 rail O scale is very much a distant secondary. People are often surprised that I now prefer 2 rail.
My issue and I would say that the issue with anyone who is trying to get into 2 rail O scale is that it is very difficult to find a place to start. There is a very steep learning curve without a clear starting point. I am sure that I am not alone in my false start(s) in O scale.
I reserved a table at the METCA/NYSME train show for my items. I brought two of those giant foam delivery bags filled with 3 Rail O scale trains. These big foam bags were from that the company named for a river. With a small army of delivery people these are left all over the sidewalks of our city. These are big, light and good for bulky O scale boxes. So, I unpacked my boxes I have been holding in my limited space for years. I set up my table with a blanket and tried to make the spread look exciting and enticing.
I set out my prices at what I knew to be very reasonable competitive prices. I had had my enjoyment from these trains,and I was ready to pass them along. On a whim I decided to make a sign saying I would take a very low price for everything on the table. I made my sign and within half an hour I had a taker. I sold everything.
The guy I sold it to was just starting in the hobby and he could not understand I was serious in my offer. I assured him nothing was wrong with them. The price was the absolute lowest I could be happy with. Sure, I could have gotten more but with it all gone I would not have to go through the hassle of listing it on an auction site and then mailing it off. These unwanted trains would be out of my life and I would have more space for my hobby.
I donated my now empty table space to the Garden State Division of the NMRA. They had a large estate donated to them that they needed space to try to sell.
It was really funny, it started to become the talk of the show. “Can you believe someone sold everything on their whole table?” was mentioned to me a few times. It felt like a burden had lifted. I realize that I need to keep my collection culled back so it doesn’t become an anchor holding me down.
I used to have a theory that people who sell at train shows don’t really want to sell their items as much as to share that they have them. Selling at a train show can seem like a separate complete hobby in itself.
Selling off unwanted stock is the ultimate small space solution.Being stuck with a ‘hot potato” is no fun thing. Letting too many no longer wanted hobby items build up really can work against your enjoyment of the hobby.
Would there be interest in making some Free-Mo type Modules?
I have been looking at Free-Mo HO or N modules for a while and I like the concept. Would anyone else be interested in making a module or two. It would be nice to have something to take around and display. I would be happy to discuss the idea.
Please email me [email protected]
Every Sunday in the month of December the NYC MTA ran their vintage museum trains in regular service. Anyone can ride these vintage trains for the price of a regular subway swipe. This year they were running the 1930’s vintage R1/9 car train from the Transit Museum. The route they followed this year was starting at 2nd Ave and Houston on the F line to 96th and 2nd on the Q line. Here is the conductor standing in his precarious between cars position.
This is a new feature I wanted to introduce this year in the newsletter. I want to start covering the different terminals around the city. I think this feature will be popular. I chose to start with a relatively obscure one.
Bronx Terminal Market
Bronx Terminal Market’sstrategic location allowed it to leverage rail connections, particularly with the New York Central Railroad’s Highbridge Line. This allowed wholesalers to receive perishable goods quickly. The car float service further enhanced its logistics capabilities, allowing freight to be brought in directly from New York Harbor and neighboring areas. This efficient transport network not only supported local vendors but also ensured a steady supply of fresh produce, making the market a vital hub in New York City's food distribution system.
Wholesalers would contract with their railroad for through delivery of their carloads The market's proximity to major rail lines, such as the New York Central Railroad's Highbridge Line, enabled wholesalers to receive perishable products quickly from distant farms and regions. The car float service allowed freight to be transported directly from various rail-marine terminals in New York Harbor using service agreements to provide car floating to the Bronx Terminal. With the notable exception of the New York Central’s main competitor the Pennsylvania Railroad whose barges and floats did not service the terminal. This combination of rail and water transport ensured a steady flow of fresh produce, making the Bronx Terminal Market a vital hub for wholesale distribution in New York City.
The design of the Bronx Terminal Market was specifically tailored to accommodate transportation needs by incorporating features that facilitated the loading and unloading of goods. The market's layout included wide access roads and strategically placed loading docks to ensure efficient movement of trucks and railcars. The buildings were designed with ample space to allow for the storage and handling of large volumes of perishable goods. Additionally, the inclusion of a transfer bridge for car float services enabled seamless transfer of freight from water to rail transport, enhancing the market's connectivity.
Bronx Terminal Market was located south of Yankee Stadium under the Major Deegan Expressway, on a wide road named Exterior Street. The area had been tidal mudflats until the late 1800’s when it was infilled. Construction on the market started in 1919 with a two-story refrigeration powerhouse (still extant) and a six-story brick cold storage warehouse “Building A”. Construction progressed in fits and starts, going slowly and the whole complex not completed until La Guardia was mayor.
The Bronx Terminal Market was located south of Yankee Stadium under the Major Deegan Expressway. It wasbetween East 150th St and East 157th St, the Harlem River to Cromwell Avenue and the New York Central tracks. Exterior Street ran through the middle.
The Bronx Terminal Market was owned by the City of New York but was served by New York Central Railroads' Highbridge Line and therefore it is considered an online terminal; but it also had car float service via a transfer bridge.
The transfer bridge could accept car float traffic from any of the railroads offering this service in New York Harbor and that had to be expedited, but freight traffic destined for the Bronx Terminal Market was Carload only, and no Less than Carload accepted. Wholesalers would contract with their railroad for through delivery of their carloads.
This image is from a Sanborne Insurance map. These maps really concentrate on the structures rather than the track layout. The short jag in the Harlem River was where the float bridge was located, tracks would have gone to there. Baseball fans will notice the old Yankee Stadium on the left. The refrigerator/ power plant building that cooled the warehouse still exists as does the angled corner Bronx Terminal building at Exterior and Cromwell. A few old building elements are preserved in the new shopping mall structure. The next map below this one would have the Mott Haven Wye and NY Central passenger yard.
Today Metro North uses the tracks labeled “Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Branch”. These tracks are in a cut to avoid street traffic. Today there is a Yankees Stadium station on these tracks just north of where the Con Ed building was. It is only in use for Yankee games days. Currently CSX track follows the Oak Point link along the Harlem River. That track follows the dotted line under the “HARLEM RIVER” name in the above map.
As the BTM was connected to New York Central's Hudson Line, the Mott Haven Yard, and likewise New York, New Haven & Hartford via Melrose Junction, freight (perishables for the market) was brought in primarily via the overland routes. The float bridge appears to have built for redundancy.
A car float transfer bridge was constructed on the Harlem River bulkhead in 1925, which permitted the direct transfer of freight cars by car float to the market from any one of the other rail marine terminals in New York Harbor, including the New Jersey waterfront terminals; but the Bronx Terminal Market had a direct track connection to the to New York Central's Hudson Line, the Mott Haven (passenger) Yard, and also the New HavenRailroad via Melrose Junction, freight was mostly brought to market by the rail connections.
The French patent design of the float bridge is the same as the one at West 72nd Street in Manhattan made for the New York Central in 1911. It follows the same design as the four Long Island RR bridges at theirBay Ridge Yard (1916) and Long Island City Yard (1925). The transfer bridge had a capacity of 170,000 pounds and vertical range of 18 feet to accommodate tidal change.
While the float bridge was completed in 1925 for some reason it was not activated until after the market’s reorganization in 1935. It was in use until the car float was finally discontinued in 1975.
In the early 2000s most of the buildings were demolished with a few exceptions. The area now has a park along the water and a large shopping mall called the “Bronx Terminal Market” with a Target and a Home Depot along with several other stores. Metro North still runs along the former NY Central tracks and the Oak Point link allows CSX trains to connect to Oak Point Yard by running on a long trestle along the east bank of the Harlem River.
The Bronx Terminal Market has a rich history serving as a vital hub for wholesale produce in New York City. The market facilitated rail and car float services, establishing crucial logistics for the distribution of perishables and supporting local vendors. Despite its struggles in the early years, the market evolved to meet the needs of the city and remained an important commercial site for many years.
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Email to [email protected]
-NMRAx
Live and prerecorded lectures and clinics hosted on YouTube and Facebook. A short aside about this series. When I discovered this series over COVID it reignited my interest in becoming a better model maker. Also, in the live chat was where I first found other modelers who lived in the city. In a roundabout way it was the spark of starting this group. It is a great resource that the NMRA sponsors. The subjects are often very interesting, and the presentations are well done. They do need to do a better job to get the word out and raise more interest in the series. I am going to try to help promote it. I do feel like it qualifies as a local event because it broadcasts straight to your computer desktop.
2025 Dates
February 22 -5PM EST
March 29 -5PM EST
April 26 -5PM EST
June 28 -5PM EST
August 2 -5PM EST
August 30 -5PM EST
September 27 -5PM EST
October 25 -5PM EST
November 22 -5PM EST
December 13 -5PM EST
- The Sunrise Trail Division Lecture Series
The Sunrise Trail Division of the NMRA sponsors a series of presentations using their Zoom Channel. For access and more information find a link on their webpage.
Most Wednesday Evenings at 8 PM
--Human[c]ity Junction
One of our founding members, Heath Hurwitz has a very active and popular YouTube live stream detailing his progress making an N scale layout in a limited space in Manhattan on his YouTube Channel. Every Wednesday at 9 PM
Human(c)ity Junction - https://www.youtube.com/c/HumancityJunction
-NERx
Four evenings of model making and some prototype clinics, roundtable discussions, tips and tricks and layout tours. I have become involved in this production. I will host a roundtable one night about “Computer Simulation in Model Railroading” one of the nights. If you are interested in contributing a short “Tips and Tricks” segment or a model for the “Model Showcase” please contact me. It would be nice to have some more Manhattan Modelers representation. [email protected]
More information to follow.
March 17,18,19, and 20th
Sunrise Trail NMRA Division Winter Meet Kings Park Public Library
1 Church St, Kings Park, NY 11754
Our annual Winter Meet will be held at the Kings Park Public Library, which is a 3-minute walk from the Kings Park railroad station. This is our annual business meeting, at which we will announce the results of the election of our new board of directors, as well as other important issues.
Following the popular panel discussion on operations that we had last year, Dan Shepard will host another panel discussion. This year, we will be looking at four model railroads in N, HO and S scales that focus on specific prototypes. Ron Engel, Vinny Pellitteri, Steve Vaughn, and Andreas Werder will talk about how – and why – they chose a particular prototype, how they designed their model railroad, how they decided what to include and leave out, and how they built their railroads.
Gordon Hope, who delivered an excellent clinic on 3D printing last year, will be presenting a clinic on weathering.
John Feraca, MMR, will be displaying some of his latest scratch-built models. We invite you to display your model(s) and / or photo(s), too. Judging will not be available at this meet. All in all, this promises to be an event that you won’t want to miss!
February 22 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Garden State NMRA Division Winter Meet The Oakland Public Library
2 Municipal Plaza, Oakland NJ 074336
Clinics and Afternoon Layout Tours
Our Famous Bring N' Brag Session: We will again have the opportunity for members to bring in and show their recent projects that they have been working on. Bring something of yours in to talk about!
Clinic 1: My Journey to Chief Dispatcher by Doug Chadwick
Doug will discuss his journey towards achieving the Chief Dispatcher certificate. He will talk about the NMRA Achievement Program, the MMR title, the challenges of creating an operating session from scratch and of documenting everything strictly electronically. He will relate his experiences with railroading and model railroading and the rewards of seeing his creation come to life.
In addition, Doug will have handouts of his version of the various forms required for this certificate. He will display the items he had to build to support this theoretical operating session.
Clinic 2: Estate Planning for Model Railroaders and Collectors by Robert McQueen
As model railroaders, we spend years building layouts and collecting models and equipment. Alternatively, you may spend years putting together a collection of model trains. Either way, you end up with an accumulation of stuff and you can't take it with you when you leave this world. No matter what your survivors think of your hobby or the items that you acquired, they will be left to deal with it all.
In this clinic, Robert will discuss assessing and planning to determine the disposition of your collection. He will share his observations and experience in going through this process for himself.
February 22 10:00 AM
Manhattan Modelers February Meeting
Manhattan Modelers meeting at Phil Monat’s Layout. Friday Feb 28th at 6:30 PM. Phil has graciously offered his layout to us again for a visit. His address is in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale. Please contact [email protected] or Heath Hurwitz for the address.
Most of the public holiday train displays in the city continue past the holidays themselves and the crowds go down considerably.
The MTA Museum Annex at Grand Central Terminal
There is still some time to see this layout with much smaller crowds. This is the 20th year of the TW Trainworks/Lionel displayed at Grand Central Terminal. The layout is 34 feet long and two levels. It depicts train and subway travel from Grand Central and the city to the upstate suburbs and on to the fantasy of the north pole. This display remains very popular with young children and tourists especially around the holidays. The display stays up into February and the crowds are often smaller then so if you want to avoid the crowds I would plan accordingly.
The 89 East 42 Street, New York, NY 1000
Through – Feb 20th 2025
Admission free
Mon-Fri 10:00-7:30pm
Sat-Sun 10:00-6:00pm
NYSME Open House Train Show
321 Hoboken Road, Carlstadt NJ 07072
Reachable from the Jane Street and Patterson Ave stop on the NJT 163 bus from Port Authority Admission $8
March 1, 2, 8, 9 15, 16 2026 1-5 PM
2025 Island Ops
16 layouts around the city, New Jersey and Long Island (including several owned by Manhattan Modelers Members) will be holding operation sessions for this event. It is the biggest in the area on the model railroad operator’s calendar. Registration is still open at www.islandops.org
The railroads range in size from a layout representing a single city block to an outdoor layout that is several hundred feet long. They range in era from the 1950s to today. They range in theme from hectic urban canyons to the wide-open west.
All the featured layouts are within about an hour from central Nassau County on Long Island. There are four operating slots scheduled on Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning.
May 2, 3, 4 2025
Riverside Transfer Short Line
Heath Hurwitz is now hosting operation sessions on his Manhattan based and Manhattan themed layout the “Riverside Transfer Short Line”. You can sign up for future operating sessions. More information on the layout can be found at http://www.rtsl.nyc
The railroad will be participating in Island Ops 2025. This is the first N scale layout that will be a part of this annual event.
While not the first layout built for operations in Manhattan, New York City and hopefully not the last operating layout in Manhattan, New York City, the Riverside Transfer Short Line is now holding regular operations sessions. The RTSL is an N scale point to point terminal railroad focused on LCL operations on the west side of Manhattan.
If model railroad operations are of interest to you, please check out the schedule at the bottom of http://wanted.rtsl.nyc and reach out to schedule yourself for a session. There is also a sign up for the email list which will provide updates regarding upcoming sessions and other relevant layout information.
The Riverside Transfer Short Line Railroad (RTSL) is a freelanced N-scale model railroad designed to offer a fun and engaging operating experience. While the layout draws inspiration from real-world railroading practices, it prioritizes creative problem-solving, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment over strict adherence to prototypical rules. Whether you're a seasoned operator or new to the hobby, the RTSL provides a welcoming and enjoyable environment for all.
Join the RTSL Operations Email list for the latest on available upcoming session
Eastern Division Train Collectors Association Train Meet (York)
York Fairgrounds 334 Carlise Ave York, PA 17404
April 24-26th 2025
Oct 16-18th 2025
April16-18th 2026
Oct 15-17th 2026
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
Please consider sharing this newsletter with your favorite modelers.
The Manhattan Modelers and NMRA are independent, non-profit organizations who have chosen to affilliate for the mutual benefit of our membership, and each is not responsible for the publications, actions or omissions of the other.