News

Officers for 2026

Officers for 2026 are as follows:

   Bill Hardy President
   Leon Butler Vice President
   Jim Rush Secretary
   Bruce Wintersteen Treasurer

Members At Large of the Executive Committee
Rich Keckley
Rod Randow
Gerry Williams

Ex Officio Members
Betty Smiley
Bob Watson

Layout Changes

Several changes have been made to the Shannondell Model Railroad layout during 2025. Click Layout Changes in 2025 for details.

Several scenarios for Layout Operations have been developed. You can find them here.

2026 September Meeting Minutes

Minutes of 2026 September 17 Meeting - Ashcroft Movie Theater

CALL TO ORDER: The 2026 September meeting of the Shannondell Model Railroad Club was held in the Ashcroft Movie Theater and was called to order at 2:00 pm by President Bil Hardy. He welcomed 10 Members and Friends to the meeting. Bill then presented the agenda, as follows:

Secretary's Report
July Minutes Approval
Treasurer's Report
2026 July Financials
2026 August Financials
Old Business
Videos
New Business
Recent Activities
Upcoming Events
Club Promotions, Membership, Projects, etc.
Video?
Next Meeting

SECRETARY'S REPORT:

Minutes: Secretary Jim Rush reported that the minutes of the 2026 July meeting were distributed by mail and via the SMRC Web site. Bill called for corrections or additions. Hearing none, a motion was made and seconded to accept the July minutes as distributed, and it passed by voice vote of the Members present.

Web Site: Jim reported that a memorial statement marking the death of Member Chet Wurtz was shown on the Web site for about one week.

TREASURER'S REPORT:

2026 July Financials: Treasurer Bruce Wintersteen presented the Treasurer’s report for July, which accompanies these minutes. It indicates Income of $15.00 and Expenses of $92.25. The account balance as of 2026 July 31 was $4,051.44, down $577.06 from the 2026 June 30 account balance. Membership stands at 51 Members and 28 Friends. The Treasurer’s 2026 July Report was approved by voice vote of the Members present.

2026 August Financials: Treasurer Bruce Wintersteen presented the Treasurer’s report for August (there being no Membership Meeting in August), which accompanies these minutes. It indicates Income of $22.50 and Expenses of $92.25. The account balance as of 2026 August 31 was $3,974.19, down $77.25 from the 2026 July 31 account balance. Membership remains at 51 Members and 28 Friends. The Treasurer’s 2026 August Report was approved by voice vote of the Members present. It is appended herewith.

Bruce noted that SMRC membership has fluctuated slightly, with the death of Chet Wurtz and with David Nelson moving to Florida. However, the current membership count shows 51 Members and 28 Friends.

2026 Budgets: Bruce next presented the following updated budget for Recurring and Maintenance Items as of September 14. Expenditures amounted to 45.7% of budget.

The budget for Major Task Items was next presented, as shown below. Expenditures as of 2026 September 14 amount to $1,306.79 or about 53.1% of the annual budget.

Bruce noted that there was no word on when the PRR RS-3 locomotives would be delivered.

OLD BUSINESS:

Videos: For 2026 July: Australia via Railroad Australia. Attendance was Ashcroft 29, Bradford 31. For 2026 August: Cuba: On Rusty Rails. Attendance was Ashcroft 42 and Bradford 28. The following chart shows attendance by month beginning 2025.

Visitors to the Layout: Visitor totals for 2025 and 2026 are shown in the following graphic. For 2026 August, Walk-ins 21 and By Appointment 8.
.

NEW BUSINESS:

Train Room Activities:
Top Side Creeper:
It was reported that this creeper that is used to access parts of the SMR Layout from above, is missing the extension that was added some time back. The extension is now missing and we may need to fabricate a new one.

Videos of Trains in Action:
New videos of SMR trains in action on the Layout are needed for promotional purposes. The video used to introduce monthly railroad videos shown in the Movie Theaters is old and a new version needs to be made. The video shown on the monitor outside the Train Room door also needs to be updated. Rod Randow has been researching cameras that can be used for these purposes.

New Freight Cars:
Bob Watson and Gerry Williams have been working on assembling and painting several new cars for use on the Layout. Assembly and placement of hand rails and other details is delicate and time-consuming work. Here are two examples:

Here are additional photos of Bob's work.

Uncouplers:
Rod Randow has been working on uncouplers to install them without disrupting trackage. By removing a bit of track bed and some ties, it is possible to slip in the magnets needed for uncoupling, as shown below.

Kurt Leichter is building a new Arduino circuit to operate uncouplers from Control Drawers or via JMRI. Bruce has programmed a new panel to operate uncouplers from JMRI.

Automation:
Bill reported that he has now developed programming that allows 7 different locomotives to operate autonomously. It will be interesting to try these out. A new panel to start and stop “autotrains” has also been developed.

Also, JMRI now simulates the Tam Valley Shuttle controller on the dedicated shuttle line.

President’s Notes:
Letter from NMRA:

Presidents Notes:

Open Houses:
Bill reported that Open House events will be scheduled as follows:
            Friday Nov 27 & Saturday Nov 28 1:30-3:30
            Santa Day Saturday Dec 5 10:00 – 4:00
            Saturday Dec 19 and Sunday Dec 20 1:30 – 3:30
            Saturday Dec 26 and Sunday Dec 27 1:30 – 3:30

He pointed out that the following tasks still need to be completed:
            Diorama Refresh?
            Train Room Lobby tables
            Shannondell Lobby Schedule posters
            Volunteer Signups and Scheduling

2027 Club Officer Election:
            Officer Slate Approval, October meeting
            Elections, November meeting

Train Show:
Bill noted that Greenberg's Train & Toy Show will be held at the Oaks facility 2027 January 9 and 10. Help will be needed to gather and organize materials we wish to sell. Help will also be needed for staffing our tables (probably 3) at the show. Please let Bill (x2168) know if you can help.

Public Relations:
* New Promotional Brochure has been developed that will be issued to visitors to the Layout. It can also be used for promotional purposes.

*Club Promotions, Membership Expansion and Scenery/Artistic Updates:
*Ceci Haynsworth will need a committee to crystallize plans and activities. Volunteers???
*Potential areas to address:
            • Improved visibility to residents and staff
            • Membership appeal, more direct participation
            • Future projects such as landscaping, new scenes, wall coverings
            • Work with Shannondell (new residents, staff membership), promotional activities

Neal Carlson Road Trip:
Bill presented a number of slides showing places that members Neal and Maureen Carlson visited on a recent road trip, including Steamtown (Scranton, PA), Cooperstown & Leatherstocking Railroad (Milford, NY), Seashore Trolley Museum (Kennebunkport, ME), Maine Central Model Railroad building (Kennebunkport, ME). See images below).

NEXT MEETING: The next meeting of the membership will take place on 2026 October 15 at 2:00 pm in the Ashcroft Movie Theater.

ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the Meeting was adjourned at 2:46 pm.

Respectively submitted, Jim Rush, Secretary

The next Membership Meeting will be October 15, 2026 in the Ashcroft Movie Theater at 2:00 p.m.

Shannondell Model Railroad Club