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Museum Updates

By Greg Warth, Editor

Museum Store

Our Museum Store is ramping up gradually. We have lots of T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, hoodies, mugs and water bottles. We have also started adding some scenery items, a Bachmann Command Control Station and a few other things. Our newest item is the very interesting book written by our own historian, Warren Leister, Marshall Parks and the Birth of Virginia Beach. You can find all these items for sale at discounted prices in our store. We will be adding some N scale track, locomotives and railcars soon. Please remember that all profits made from the store go right back into making the Museum even better.

Exhibits

The main N (1:160) scale layout is mostly completed although we are still adding a few details. We are now focusing our efforts on our HO layout for which the tracks have all been laid and the electrical wiring has been completed. We are happy to report that the DCC HO locomotives run flawlessly. Some of the trains are quite long. I think so far the record for this layout is around 60+ railcars. When our group was at Fairfield, we could run trains of well over 100 cars! The G scale layout is undergoing some changes as well. The track has been fixed and the two trains are running better now with no derailments. We intend to build an erupting, or at least simmering, volcano at the top with lights and smoke in the near future.

Visitors

We have a steady stream of visitors every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while we are open. Often up to 100 per day. We would be open more often if we has enough members and volunteers. We need to have at least three of us there whenever the Museum is open to attend to all the guests and to keep all the trains running. Admission is still FREE and wheelchair accessible. We are open to special needs kids and schoolchildren as long as they are accompanied by their parents or teachers. We are happy to invite groups of all kinds and soon we can begin hosting Birthday Parties and other special events!

S.T.E.A.M.

Our STEAM (Science, Teachnology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Program will get into gear in the very near future. We will be contacting those who have already signed up for this soon and begin scheduling regular classes. We want this to be a lot of fun and very  educational for the students as well as the teachers.

MOCA

We have put in a bid to potentially lease the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) after it is vacated at the end of this year. If we get the approval from the Virginia Beach City Council, we intend to develop it into a multi-faceted cultural arts, entertainment and educational center. Hopefully we will be able to maintain a presence at both locations. We still don't really know what's going to happen with the Mall at MacArthur Center yet. That is up to the city of Norfolk. We would hate to see it demolished, since it is still such a beautiful building, especially on the inside. We will let you know as soon as we know something.

So lots of things are happening at the Museum! Come by and take a look. Consider joining us as either a volunteer or a member. You too can be a YardMaster Member for $10/mo or even a Junior Engineer for a one-time donation of $10.

Train Song of the Month
Presented by Frank Reed

The Log Train

Hank Williams  1952

https://youtu.be/6HTHrHgeWf4?si=XsfbZ6rP_rO-jwM5

“The Log Train" was written by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952 as a tribute to his father Lon's days as an engineer .  Hank recorded it at KWKH studio in Shreveport on December 3, 1952, just weeks before his death.

Alabama logging railroads once featured dozens of operations from small, one mile (or less) lines to those that featured nearly two dozen miles of track.  Most of these railroads began operating around the turn of the century and lasted just a few years. However, some like the Alabama Central Railroad, operated for nearly six decades, accumulating quite a network of track and offering minor passenger service.

Hiram King "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.

For more “train songs” check out the “Train Songs for Model Railroad ” YouTube playlist at 

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL07n2-n5FoRHYzhKfA--soywuLOFvEv1l&si=IODFaTIeOe7OBQ7G

Video of the Month

Thank you!

Thanks for reading our newsletter and for visiting our website. If you haven't seen our Museum yet, please stop by from 12-6 on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday to see what we're working on. We love seeing and talking to our visitors. We're on the second floor of MacArthur Mall in Norfolk, VA. If you have any questions, call 757-816-8399. Hope to see you soon.

Volunteer

(Endorsed advertisement)

Welcome to

New Tracks Modeling!

New Tracks Modeling is an exciting digital opportunity to obtain mentoring to help you improve your modeling.  You will meet talented modelers and manufacturers from all over the world who will share their model building expertise and artistic advice.  New Tracks Modeling is open to all modelers of all skill levels in any scale or gauge.

Our Shows are live every Wednesday evening at 7pm Eastern/4pm Western on Zoom and YouTube. By subscribing to our website newtracksmodeling.com you’ll receive email notices containing links to both the Zoom and YouTube presentations.

New Tracks Modeling Mentoring Scholarship

Your donation will help to provide scholarships for model railroaders who are HS graduates and continuing their education in a STEAM field.Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

To donate click on this link.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/038439bf-a552-44e2-9b46-ef54aaa0e274

What's Happening with MOCA?

In case you haven't heard, the Museum of Contemporary Art at 2200 Parks Avenue near the beach is moving to a new building at Virginia Wesleyan. It will become vacant within the next few months. So, we at the Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads are putting in a serious proposal to the City of Virginia Beach to develop a space for model railroading and other cultural arts within the building. We're in the very early stages of this right now, but we're excited about the possibility and are hoping for the best. Wish us luck!

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The Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads is a fantastic community center based on running, operating and even building your own model railroads! There's something for every age here.

Learn about the real history of this area and how important it was in the building of America. Watch how railroads were built, the people involved, where America's roots were formed. 

As they build their own railroads, students will be learning about science, electronics,  architecture, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the art of 3 dimensional model landscaping. They can earn rewards for completing projects and winning contests.

Try to solve yardmaster problems on a switching layout like getting the lumber from the forest to the furniture store, by way of the saw mill and the lumber yard.

Run your train around blockades and other trains to get to the station on time without speeding or crashing.

Play railroad monopoly using model railroads. Winner is the one who can collect the most cars into his yard within an hour.

There will be programs for autistic and special needs kids, disabled adults and veterans.

School tours. Holiday Shows. Library and video rooms.  Even youngsters will have their own wooden models to enjoy. There are classes and hands-on clinics for adults. Learn how to get started in the hobby. Or just enjoy the fun.

Everybody loves trains and this will prove it!  Just click on the either the blue DONATE button below to make it happen... 

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