Happy New Year

Happy belated New Year to all of our RR fans!  HMRR Club started the new year with a big toot!  We had our first showing at the Home School Building in Grand Rapids on January 7th presented by Riverbend Model RR Club. The house was packed for the first 4 or 5 hours of the show. We had a lot of positive comments on our layout by old and new visitors and appreciate all comments! We are looking forward to being part of the NMRA Train Convention in July.

    Regards,  George Williams VP. PR.

Fall 2011 news

Greetings to All!  It’s been a busy Fall. In September HMRR Club had a 12'X36' foot layout on display at the Grand River Valley Railroad Club show at the Home School Building.  This is a new club that operates in Wyoming, Michigan. We had a number of different trains running that day. A couple of  passenger trains and multiple freights running. There was a fair amount of participants enjoying the different vendors wares and the many layouts that were on display.

In October HMRR Club had two different layouts on display.  The first was at the Holland Civic Center early in October for the Grand Rapids Model Railroad Historical Society Train Show and then in late October we traveled to the Kalamazoo Fair Grounds for the Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society Train show.  Both were a great time. The vendors had an array of products on display for the guest to choose from for their use at home. There were several other layouts on display for that same day and fun was had by all.

In November and December we had our annual train show at the Zeeland Community Center. It started Nov 28th, the same night that Zeeland has their Christmas parade.  We had a "L" shape layout on display,  12 X 20 X 44 foot. We also provided a scavenger hunt for the youngsters as well as some adults. We ran from the 28th of Nov thru Dec 21st and it was a very good turn out this year. It appears we had on average 90-100 guess per nights with many people coming back on multiple days. John Langdon from the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers was on hand to pass out Amtrak literature and Jr. Conductor hats for the kids. John also provided help on how to travel by train. New York Life provided Child Identification Program for free. A lot of parents took advantage of the offer. His Harvest Stand at City on a Hill provided boxes for non-perishable food so that those who attended could donate to the needy in the community.

On Dec 13th an area cable provider, MacMedia, came to the show and did a interview with Art Kole President and Vice President George Williams which lasted for about an hour. All interested can see it the next two weeks on Comcast channel 24 (916 digital) and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.  Fridays at 10AM, Saturdays at 7PM, Mondays at 10AM and 9PM, Tuesday at 9PM, Wednesday at 10AM and last Thursday at 8PM.

You can watch the video HERE!

Coming up next we will be at the Riverbend Model Railroad Club Show at the Home School Building in Grand Rapids on January 7th, 2012. We hope to see you there!

       Regards,  George Williams VP. PR.

Summer 2011 news

Hi all fellow railroaders! Whether you're a model builder or prototypical enthusiast, we are glad you are here. It's been a fun summer for HMRR Club. We had visits to some of the club members homes every other week when possible. We have made some changes as well as come up with remodeled modules. We are looking forward to displaying them at the upcoming shows we will be part of this season. We truly hope we will see all of the sight-seers this year as in the past.

Our first show this year is at Home School Building in Grand Rapids on September 24th.  Please check our Shows and Club Links page for show dates, addresses and times. Looking forward to seeing you all this year either at one of our shows or joining us at one of our weekly meetings!

    Respectfully, George Williams V.P.

April and May 2011 News

The club had nothing going for the month of April this year, hopefully next year we’ll do more.

The month of May is National Train Day which was on Saturday, May 7th this year. We had the honor to display our layout again at the grain elevator in Bangor, MI. We had one of our biggest layout assembled for all to see.  The layout was 178 ft. long with a multitude of curves that allowed us to put up an elaborate layout. We estimate that more than 200-300 were present for a look see. We thank all that partook in the event at the grain elevator.

An Amtrak passenger train stopped at the Bangor Depot for passengers to get aboard headed for Chicago, IL. The platform was loaded with passengers, railfans and well wishers. After the train left, a good time was had by all that were left behind. Ken, the owner of the depot, and his helpers provided sandwiches, soda drinks, cake and coffee to all. Live music by several bands was provided for all to enjoy while eating their goodies.

Bob, owner of the grain elevator, was gracious enough to let the club put up the layout for display. Rosie at the Citco Gas Station was very hospitable to the club members while we were in town. The club thanks Ken, Bob and Rosie for accommodating the club during our visit in Bangor, MI! We look forward to a repeat in 2012.

Respectfully, George Williams V.P.

January through March 2011 news

Hi fellow model railroaders and visitors! As most of you know, we were part of three shows so far this year. The first was at the Home School Association Building in Grand Rapids on the 8th of January.  That show was hosted by the Riverbend Model Railroad Club.  We had a 12’ x 36’ layout on display.  It was a great show and, as always, it was a good time for all.

On March 5th, we were at the Glenn Community Center in Glenn, MI.  It was a fundraiser for the 5th grade adventure field trip.  There we provided a 14’ x 36’ layout for the event.  The turn out was good for the youth group.  The dollar amount raised wasn’t available at this time.

Our most recent show was on March 11 and 12 as a fundraiser for Harderwyk Student Ministries.  It was in the Great Room at Harderwyk on 160th and Lakewood Blvd on Holland’s north side.  This benefit show was for student mission and service trips this summer.  We were able to help them raise nearly $700 towards their goal and we appreciate those that came out to support us and also our business vendors [Choo Choo Boutique in Saugatuck and Hobby Recycling in Wyoming] and private vendors, who helped make the show a success. We had one of our largest layouts of the year with an “L” shape that was 30’ x 64’. It was a great time for all. Our hope is that we will get some new members and visitors from the attendance at the two day show.  We really enjoy promoting model railroading.  We operate HO scale with a Digitrax DCC system running our trains. We look forward to seeing all of you in the near future!

    Regards, George Williams V.P.

November and December 2010 news

We had a wonderful November as a club.  We are pleased report that Phil Hanscom, one of the founding members, had successful surgery and is recovering very well.

Holland Modular Railroad Club had it’s annual Christmas Show once again at the Zeeland Community Center from Thanksgiving weekend until mid-December.  We had quite the turn out this year with over 2300 visitors for the eighteen days for running. Of course some of those were repeat visitors, which was great, who couldn’t get enough of the layout!   The club collected over 400 pounds of non-perishable food from the visitors for the Ken DeWilde Memorial and it was given to His Harvest Stand in Zeeland, Michigan. Pictures of the visitors were taken and can be viewed on our website.  Go to the photos and click on the guy making the face  We also had a child identification program provided by New York Life free of charge!  This was their third year in a row joining us at the show and they had a great turn out as well.

Jerry Meyaard is another member who had surgery and is recovering well. We here at the Holland Modular Railroad club are looking forward to 2011 for great things to come.  We hope to see all of our followers at our 2011 showings.

Regards, George Williams V.P.

JUly TO OCTOBER 2010 NEWS

Over July and August the club has been hibernating so to speak. In fact some of the club members have been working on new modules and rolling stock. We, as a club, will be presenting eye opening features overall on the layouts we present.  We choose to meet once a month during the summer months in order to enjoy the time with family and friends. We have some shows coming up soon and we appreciate the visits we get from visitors. The public is invited to visit and you can find our upcoming shows on our website “show and club links” page.

September was a quiet month for the club other than getting back into the swing of weekly meetings and members working on current and new modules. The club is looking forward to having something new to present to our followers for the different shows coming.

October the 11th we were at the Holland Civic Center for West Michigan's RR Club’s Annual Show.  We had a 16x44 foot layout to present to everyone. We had some nice reviews from the public as well as some of the other clubs that had layouts as well. Good comments on the additions and modifications on the existing modules. On October 31st we were invited to present our modular layout at the Kalamazoo Fair Grounds. The show was put on by the Kalamazoo RR club. Here we had a 12x36 foot layout. We got a lots of positive feed back on the changes and improvements we made to some of the modules. We are looking forward to join these clubs next year for a showing of model railroading at its best. 

Phil Hanscom a founding member is recovering from surgery at home. He's doing very well and looking forward to continue his contributions and activities with the club. Your thoughts and prayers for Phil would be much appreciated!

Regards, George Williams V.P.

JUne 2010 news

There have always been thoughts that some of the existing modules needed some new life incorporated into them.  That time has now come to the front as things have been worked on for the past month or so in anticipation of the 2012 Grand Rails show we have been asked to participate in.  It still may seem like it’s 2 years away but it will come upon us quickly and we need to refine and refurbish our modules to look our best for that show.

The engine terminal end of what was at one time the roundhouse was modified to a 3 track maintenance area and still wasn’t making a very good impression on those who came to our last train show.  That area has since been in the change process to and intermodal yard.  The engine house has now also been relocated to the opposite end of the yard area that is next to the swamp corner.  With these 2 changes, this should bring about some new interest int he spectator viewing and comments.  All of which are hoped to be positive.

There have also been changes to a club module that have been used when the space at a show has been available to incorporate them into the layout. We received a highly detailed lumber yard modules from a fellow railroader who disassembled his layout and donated this lumber yard to the club. He had been impressed with what we are doing and wanted the lumber yard to be used where it would make a nice module.  The basic structure has been added and one of our members, Jerry Meyaard, will be doing the scenery and detailing that will make the lumber yard fit in perfectly.  Jerry has made many modules for individuals and the club and does great work, like the “bear” scene and others.  It should turn out well when he is done and get some great comments on our upcoming shows.

   

   

Look for us in the fall in Holland, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids!  Enjoy your summer and railroading.

Regards, Art Kole • President

May 2010 News

Saturday, May 8th was National Train Day. The Holland Modular RR Club had the privilege to display their model railroad layout for all to see.  It was the biggest layout ever presented to the public to date. It was 162 feet overall in length and curved around the posts in the recently renovated feed mill in Bangor, next to the Amtrak depot.  We had a number of new modules that were shown for the first time.  Unfortunately the weather was cold and wet, therefore the turnout for spectators was a low count.  We all are looking forward to a nice summer coming.  See you all in the fall.

    Regards, George Williams • V.P. and Promotions

april 2010 news

April is a good month for the club.  We were able to make a “u” shaped modular layout for all see at a show.  One arm was 46’, the other was 40’ and the connector was 36’. This was the largest layout we’ve made to date. It was great to be able to have that large of a layout because we could run more trains than ever at the same time and have plenty of space for the members to spread out.  In order to make that large of a layout, club members started and finished 7 new modules in the three weeks prior to the event.  It was quite a frenzy in Art’s basement with all the building, wiring and soldering going on.

Club members had a great time running trains and interacting with the visitors to Harderwyk Student Ministries Fundraiser. The event drew a lot of families and little ones for nearly 300 visitors and accumulated $900.00 plus dollars for student ministries. The event served hot dogs, chips and soft drinks of all kind and there were baked goods for sale as well.

Jerry Frye's Hobby Recycling was also present with new and used model railroading equipment. Jerry carries HO, G, S, N & Z scales and a lot of tools, glues and accessories for model railroading. He also had a few N scale layouts for sale that were operated by students for the kids to see. John D. Langdon with MARP was there with the very popular Amtrak hats for the kids as well as schedules of all the train trips available to the public. Our next event will be a large layout in Bangor, MI. on May 8 2010 for National Train Day.  See you all there!

    Regards, George Williams • V.P. and Promotions

March 2010 news

A great month of modular railroading in February with the club attending a show of shows at the Ann Arbor Train Show. We had compliments from the show staff as well as from the visitors at our layout. In fact we were invited to attend the Firelands Model Train & Toy Show on May 2, 2010 by Rick Fowler VP of the club. It would quite the task for us to attend at this time, so maybe we can make this trek in the future. We wish them a successful and great show. So far we don't have any other display commitments until later on in the year. Great railroading to all! Until next month.

Don’t forget a couple of upcoming events for the entire family!

1. •We are having a Benefit Train Show @ the Anchor at Harderwyk Ministries on April 10th.  Look at the Shows and Club Links page for more information, a map and a flyer.
   

1. •The Grand Rapids Model Railroad and Historical Society is having a free Open House on May 15th from 11 AM to 4 PM. You can go and enjoy a great layout and club.  Click HERE for their web page with more details and directions to their location.
   

    Regards, George Williams • V.P. and Promotions

Zeeland Library children’s book expo

Ty, George and Percy the Small Engine are heading to the Children’s Book Expo at the Howard Miller Public Library in Zeeland on the evening of March 9th!  The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. We’ll have a small area where kids can have a chance to run Percy on a small circle track.  We’ll be reading several books about trains and motivating young ones to get into the wonderful hobby of model railroading.  If you live in the West Michigan area, come check us out.  There will be all kinds of great booth and books for kids.  The Howard Miller is at 14 S. Church Street in Zeeland.  This is a free event and there is plenty of free parking behind the library.

ann arbor show REView

Wow, what a great day in Ann Arbor!  We had the chance to participate in the Ann Arbor club’s show this year so 8 members headed East in the early morning in order to set up and be ready for the 10 am opening.  Attendance was great throughout day and interest was high in not only our layout but the layouts from the other clubs that were participating.  We were able to answer a lot of questions for folks interested in the hobby and those who had technical questions regarding our DCC system, module construction, bridge building, how the layout is connected and taken apart.  It was a fun day interacting with the people and it’s nice to hear people enjoy our layout and operations.  We hope that it works out for us to participate in 2011.

february 2010 news

Fellow Model Railroaders!  HMRRC has grown with some changes and upgrades. The changes are that we now have new appointed officers for the club. Rob Osborn, a new member, was voted our new treasurer. Ty Hogue is now our new webmaster and George Williams the new vp & public relations person.  Art Kole continues on as our club president.

The upgrades have been that our membership has grown to seventeen members. Dave Wathne is looking forward to joining soon as well as several folks looking into visiting the club to check us out. We welcome Moses Troyer and David Bouwman aboard as new members. The new members have come from member referrals, train show visits and an internet search.The club is looking forward to the Ann Arbor train show and swap coming up February 21st. Come out and see us if you near Ann Arbor. It’s at the Saline Middle School at 7190 N. Maple Road in Saline.  That's all for now. Have a great February.

    Respectfully yours, George Williams • V.P. and Promotions

late breaking Crash Report!

Art Kole’s CP Rail was involved in a crash this past Monday night moving a coal train from the mountain mines to the main yards.  New operating engineer Hogue, was found responsible for the crash after entering the mail line in front of a express freight and then slowing down without warning to enter the main yards.  After removing the derailed coal cars from the main and re-staging the consist in the yard, engineer Hogue was placed on suspension pending a mandatory drug test and review of all pertinent information.  Engineer Bouwman was the replacement engineer and ran the CP Rail without incident for the rest of the evening.

January 2010 news

Our annual business meeting went quite well. We had two members unable to attend at this time and they will be informed as to what decisions were made in their absence. The majority voted for the following new officers in the club...

        • President:  Art Kole

        • V.P. and Promotions:  George Williams

        • Treasure:  Rob Osborn

        • Web Master:  Ty Hogue

Club dues increased from $25.00 to $30.00 annually.

New module ideas and refurbishing present units were discussed. We talked about what changes can be made to keep people interested at shows by giving them new things to look for and discover on our layout.  Also it was suggested that we have at least one UP5 connector on each module for easy access for UT4's and DT400’s.  It was also suggested that if a UT4 is not used that it should be dispatched and unplugged from the UP5.  All the members can email Ty any and all information concerning the club and it's operations for posting on the new web pages for all to see.  Looking forward to another year of great railroading and new membership. Congratulation to the new officers and new members.

    Regards, George Williams • V.P. and Promotions