Gateway NMRA Fall Meet
Topic: Events
This past Saturday I was able to attend the Fall Meet of the Gateway Division of the NMRA. More than 20 model railroaders from both Missouri and Illinois attend each monthly meeting of this local NMRA group. Every November they get together for a full day event which is also open to the public. Several vendors are on hand with their wares. Numerous door prizes, including locomotives, are handed out and the winning raffle ticket is drawn for a table-size layout which is constructed each year by members. This year's layout was DCC powered and included a locomotive with sound.

Among the day's activities were a popular vote model contest and clinics on various model railroading topics. A number of active and talented model railroaders live in the Saint Louis area. One of those, Gary Hoover, has several by-lines in model railroad publications. The latest is in 2006 edition of Kalmbach's annual "Great Model Railroads". His clinic was the first I attended on Saturday.

After the 2001 NMRA national convention in Saint Louis, Gary dismantled his free-lanced layout which had impressed many on the NMRA tour. The new layout, in contrast with the previous, is strictly 1951 Santa Fe prototype. Gary took us on a tour of Santa Fe locations as they appeared on the prototype and now appear on his model railroad. He is both a gifted modeler and photographer of models. Even though I don't model Santa Fe steam, I was entertained and impressed with his clinic.

The topic of the second clinic I attended presented an overview of Free-Mo("Mo as in "modular", not MO as in Missouri). I've been following the N scale branch of this growing modular community and was interested to learn more about it's activities and origins. We had a little fireworks in the clinic when the data projector bulb exploded.

For me the real attraction of these events are the home layout tours. Only three layouts were open but this allowed a leisurely examination. One layout was about to be dismantled for a move out of state. The layout had not advanced beyond bench work and track, but part of the bench work consisted of an nearly eight foot helix four levels high built of 3/4 inch plywood. The owner of the layout intends that he will remove the upright 2x4 supports of the helix allowing it fold down upon itself. He contends they will then carry it from the basement to waiting trailer outside. I didn't take any pictures of the layout, but I certainly would like to have pictures of them getting that helix out of the basement!

I did take pictures of the other two layouts. John Kalin was one of the founders of the National Narrow Gauge Convention. His Sn3 layout is an awesome rendition of the Rio Grande Southern from Telluride to Ophir and Lizard Head Pass. The other layout, built by Tom Orear, is a freelance HO road influenced by the Pacific Northwest and Colorado. Both layouts have beautiful backdrops. The artist painting Tom's sets it apart, however. The man is eighty years old. He still has a steady hand and a great eye.

Ophir is the focal point of the end of the layout room nearest the entrance. It is a shame that this scene now exists only on layouts such as John's. These classic structures fell to highway construction after abandonment of the railroad.

Trestles are a signature feature of the Rio Grande Southern and this layout has plenty of impressive ones.

The coal chutes at Vance Junction were also a distinctive structure on the RGS.


Tom Orear calls his layout "Points West". He's building a town which will have some impressive structures, but right now the focal point of his layout is the logging operation.

The nicely weathered Cornerstone lumber mill structures and carefull detailing create some really nice scenes.