A new Scale Speed Calculator is available on this website for everyone to use. Just enter the distance the train travels (in inches), the time it takes to travel that distance (in seconds) and the scale you would like to convert to and click the calculate button. The scale speed will be displayed below the calculate button. If there are any modifications or changes you would like to suggest for this new feature, please let us know (admin@harm-web.org). This new feature can be found on our Resources page or by following this link (https://www.harm-web.org/scale-speed).
HARM Member Passing
On Monday, July 29, 2024, HARM lost a long standing member of the group in Stephen Fisher. Steve had been a member since about 1992 when he lived in Hartford County, MD. He spent the last several decades of his life with his wife Charlyn in Kennedyville, MD on the eastern shore. At this residence, he built several versions of his Deep Run Railroad. From On30 to an “unusual” scale of 3/8n40. He was also a pioneer in converting his layout from running on DC track power to dead rail with batteries and wireless receivers in the locomotives. Steve was a master of scratch building structures, most often without any formal plans and just positioning walls together until they “looked good”. Much of his work has been featured in model railroading magazines and can be found elsewhere on this website. He had a wonderful sense of humor and lived life to the fullest.
T-Trak Layout with BANTRAK
On Sunday, December 4, 2022, several HARM members coordinated with members from BANTRAK (Baltimore Area N-Trak) and the Kapuscinski family to setup and operate a good sized T-Trak layout at Roland Park Place in Baltimore, MD. Resident, Arthur Boyd was the host for the group and invited other residents to come visit the layout and enjoy the trains from 10am - 5pm. T-Trak modules come in various sizes, with the base single modules being approximately 12 inches by 12 inches. Our layout was built in a “Z” shape with 18 single modules, 22 double modules, 1 quad module, and 10 corners. The overall length was approximately 80 feet of track in each direction (double track main line). The residents and families that visited the layout were very grateful for our time and passion in model railroading. They asked many questions about the trains, buildings, and our module designs. A great time was had by everyone involved and we look forward to participating in something like this again.
A Sad Day for the Pennsylvania Railroad
On Saturday, April 9, 2022, several HARM members joined together to dismantle and remove the layout of Ken Meyer. Ken passed away almost two years ago, and his family decided it was time to move on. With reciprocating saws, drills, hammers, and various other tools in hand, the group began to break apart the layout into smaller chunks and dispose of them in a dumpster. Weeks before this, all of the structures, locomotives, and rolling stock was removed from the layout for safe keeping and possibly selling at a later date. We did carefully remove a couple of small sections of the layout for the family to keep. Ken’s layout was not complete, but depicted the Pennsylvania Railroad in and around Baltimore City, MD. The layout consisted of three levels with staging loops at each level to simulate movements to Washington D.C. and other points west. Ken was a fine builder with very detailed structures and track. You can see the complete story of the layout with pictures in the Fallen Flags section under the Layouts tab (http://www.harm-web.org/prr-in-baltimore). Ken was also active in the Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society.
Model Railroad Open Houses 2021
Since November is National Model Railroad month, many layout owners open up their homes and clubs to the public to share the hobby. Several HARM members visited model railroads during the month in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland.These included some large and highly detailed layouts such as those by Bill Kachel and Ken McCorry. We also visited many smaller layouts to see how these had changed during our recent pandemic quarantine. At the end of the month, HARM members Ken P., Bill F, and Scott W opened up their homes to visitors. An open house is a great way to meet new people and share the hobby. If you live in the MD, PA, DE, NJ area, check out modelrailroadopenhouse.com for more information about how to participate next year. Enjoy the pictures below from our visits.
Check out some videos that one of our members, Alan F, shot at several of the open houses. Mason-Dixon RR YouTube Channel
HARM Members Participate in MER-NMRA Convention
From October 21-24, 2021 the Mt. Claire Junction MER-NMRA Convention was held near Baltimore, MD. Several of the HARM members attended and participated in the convention at various levels. During the convention, there were several layout tours in the area that we visited. The layouts were wonderful displays of the craftsmanship and skill that these modelers have developed over many years. On Friday, Scott W presented a clinic at the convention on an “Introduction to JMRI Operations Pro.” It was very well attended and sparked a lot of interest and conversation among the attendees. It just would have been nice to have about 3 hours to go further in depth and not feel so rushed. Also during the convention, Fred E. and Scott W hosted operating sessions at their home layouts. The participants had a great time experiencing different layouts and operating schemes. Lastly, Ken P., Bill F, Fred E., and Scott W. hosted layout tours. Convention participants had a chance to stop by and see the layouts in action. Overall, the convention was a success and many new friends were made. If you have the chance to participate in an NMRA convention, don’t hesitate to pursue the opportunity, you will not regret it.
HARM Back Together
After about 15 months of weathering a global pandemic in the form of COVID-19, HARM is finally getting back together again. To kick things off in style, we met for dinner at the Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace, MD on June 1, 2021. This location is fantastic for train watchers as a view from the restaurant windows or outdoor deck is of the railroad bridge crossing the Susquehanna River between our location and Perryville, MD. Several MARC and Amtrak trains crossed the river during our dinner. Conversation for the evening centered around just getting back together and what we have all been up to in the hobby during our time in semi-isolation. Some members worked on structures and scenery, while others got a good start on a brand new model railroad. Ken P. even Brough along one of his scratch building projects (see picture below). Operating sessions for the group will resume the following Tuesday at a new, earlier time, 7pm.
HARM Does T-Trak
During this year’s pandemic/quarantine, HARM decided to try something new for most of the members, building and operating T-Trak modules. T-Trak modules are small (roughly 1-square foot) modules that sit on tables and connect with each other to form a continuously running layout. More than a dozen of our members were up for the challenge and constructed standard straight modules and four corner modules. A few members strayed from the usual double track mainlines and added switches to industries, a double crossover, and an industrial switching area. To keep everything pretty uniform, we used CMR Products (great people to work with) module kits for all of the modules. Most of the participants were able to complete their modules by the Christmas deadline, but a few will still be working on theirs into the New Year.
We will be operating the T-Trak layout at our last Tuesday of the year meeting virtually via Zoom. A YouTube video link will be posted here or you can subscribe to our channel to be notified. If you would like to vote for your favorite modules, then note the code in the bottom left corner of the pictures in the gallery below (some modules have more than one picture). Then follow the link below to vote for your favorite three modules. Also, leave us a comment and tell us what you think.
HARM T-Trak Voting Link (vote for top three using code on pictures)
YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/cefKQ5wqXUE
