Date/Time
Date(s) - Saturday, June 8, 2024
10:00 AM
Location
Alverthorpe Park - Picnic Pavilion
Fox Chase Rd.
Jenkintown, PA 19046
Located on Fox Chase Rd., across from World Mission Society Church of God
whose address is 875 Fox Chase Rd., Jenkintown, PA 19046
Coordinates: 40°05’27.4″N 75°06’27.7″W
Directions: PA TPK (I-76) to Exit 343 – PA 611. Take PA-611 south into Jenkintown, left on Greenwood Ave., left on Meetinghouse Rd., right on Fox Chase Rd. Consult your online map or GPS for the best route. Use the provided coordinates or the church address for the most accurate location. You’ll see a white sign with green lettering and PhillyNMRA signs at the entrance. Once inside, picnic area is to the left and visible at the end of the parking lot.
Categories
The Philadelphia Division will return to Alverthorpe Park for its spring picnic meet on Saturday, June 8, 2024.. The official address of the park is Jenkintown Road and Forrest Avenue, Jenkintown, PA 19046. However the picnic entrance is on Fox Chase Road (See directions and map above). The gates open at 9:00am and we will begin the festivities at 10am.
First on the agenda is our annual business meeting. Board directors and committee chairmen will deliver their reports, followed by Superintendent Joe Walters discussing the past years events, and then delving into what we have planned for the coming year. Concluding the business meeting will be the announcement of the results of the board of directors election.
At the April meet, Mike Dettinger introduced the Kato Miniature Diorama Circus as a way of creating mini-modules that can be joined together much in the same way as T-TRAK, only in smaller increments. At this meet, Mike will be conducting a workshop where all attendees will have the opportunity to design and create their own module. Members are encouraged to bring their own tools such as utility knife, glue, etc. The following is Mike’s introduction to his event:
Come Join the Kato Mini Diorama Circus
On June 8, 2024, the Philly Division is holding its annual business meeting and picnic. As a member of the Philly Division, I get a chance to see what has been happening with the Division, and I also get a chance to ask questions and offer suggestions for the Division’s continued operation – but there is an even more important reason to come to this meet.
The Circus will be at the Alverthorpe Park Picnic Pavilion. More specifically, the Kato Mini Diorama Circus. This Circus, which I like to call T-Trak Lite, is a modeler participation activity that starts with a small unfinished diorama. Your blank canvas is a 1” foam base with an attached piece of 9mm gauge track.
Part of the Philly Division’s mission is to promote the model railroading hobby. The Philly division will be providing these dioramas to all our event attendees, including guests, while our supplies last. If you are planning on coming to the June meet and would like to participate, and I would strongly encourage you to do both, we would ask you to bring the following:
- Old Newspaper to protect the tables.
- Xactos knives
- Paintbrushes
- Glues
- Masking tape.
- Any detail parts or model kits that you would like to incorporate into your diorama.
- The commitment to finish your diorama and bring it to a future meet.
In addition to your blank canvases, the Philly Division will be bringing these supplies to share with our participants:
- Completed Dioramas for inspiration.
- Craft paints.
- Ground covers.
- Ground foam adhesive and bring the pipettes.
- A hot foam cutter and extra foam pieces to build up your scenery.
- A selection of found objects that you may want to incorporate on your dioramas.
- Experienced modelers to assist as needed.
Once finished, the diorama can be displayed, or joined with other Mini Dioramas allowing an operating train display. We are planning to join our finished dioramas with a running train at the September and November meets.
Great model railroaders are never born, but only come into being by practicing their craft. It is very important to try new scenery techniques, but it is equally important to try unfamiliar techniques on a test platform. The mini-dioramas are just that – an opportunity to try something different. If the mini-diorama is successful, you have learned a new technique that can be applied to your permanent layout.
We look forward to having you join our picnic and participate in our little circus. We think that you will enjoy it very much.
All attendees are encouraged to bring a model to the meet. Toward the end of the meet, we have a show and tell. It is an open mike opportunity to share a recently completed project or give a glimpse of an in-progress work.
In addition, the Achievement Program Committee is now judging models at the meets. If you wish to have a model judged, please inform either Earl Paine or Joe Walters ahead of time.
As usual we’ll hold our 50/50 raffle, draw for door prizes, and have coffee, donuts, and Philly soft pretzels.
After the morning program, we will indulge in hot dogs, hamburgers, and other picnic goodies, all prepared with the expertise of our grillmasters, Jeff Witt and Bill Fagan.
After lunch, the GATSME club layout located nearby at the Rockledge Model Railroad Museum will be open to visitation along with two other quite impressive home layouts. Please come and join us for fun and feast.
