Location, Location, Location..

The Journey Continues: Discover Huge Savings at Our New Virginia Beach Store!

While our search for a permanent new museum home is actively underway, we’re thrilled to welcome you to our temporary hub and retail showcase! Following our departure from MacArthur Center, our museum layouts are safely resting in nearby storage, but our passion for the hobby is running at full steam.

We have officially partnered with BYMRR (Building Your Model Railroad, LLC) to bring you an incredible selection of pre-owned treasures at unbeatable prices.

Why Visit Our Store?

• Massive Selection: Explore a wide variety of quality pre-owned rolling stock, intricate structures, realistic scenery, and essential layout materials.
• Beat Inflation & Tariffs: With standard retail prices climbing—locomotives reaching $300–$400 and single cars topping $50—getting started shouldn't break the bank.
• Better-Than-Train-Show Pricing: Model railroading isn't slowing down; hobbyists just want fair value. We offer prices designed to beat typical train show deals every day.
• 50% of all store revenue goes back into renewal and redevelopment of the Museum.

Whether you're introducing the next generation to the rails, building your dream holiday layout, or expanding a seasoned collection on a budget, this is your premier local destination to find hidden gems without the retail price tag.

Visit Us Today:

• Location: 750 Lord Dunmore Drive, Suite #109, Virginia Beach, VA 23464
• Managed By: BYMRR & The Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads
• Store Hours: 2-5PM on Mon, Weds, Fri and Saturday.

Stop by, browse the collection, and chat trains with fellow enthusiasts—we look forward to seeing you trackside!

In the meantime, check out the deals you can get for some of our pre-owned products:

https://bymrr.store/product-category/all-products/available-in-store/pre-owned/

What's Happening with the Proposed Merger between UP and NS?

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are pushing forward with their revised $85 billion proposal to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad, completing supplemental filings with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in late July 2026. However, in August 2026, major grain, chemical, and industry groups—alongside a coalition of state attorneys general—urgently petitioned the STB to reject the application outright before a full review takes place. 

Current Regulatory Status

• Recent Filings: The railroads finished submitting their supplemental responses in late July 2026, which included a deal with Canadian National to transfer certain terminal interests and end its opposition. 
• Timeline: Both companies anticipate a lengthy review process, targeting a potential completion or closing in mid-2027 if regulators permit it to move forward. 

Growing Opposition

• Shipper Backlash: Groups like the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the American Chemistry Council filed petitions in mid-August 2026 asking the STB to dismiss the bid immediately. They argue the revised application fails to meet threshold regulatory standards or guarantee real public interest benefits. 
• Political Pushback: A coalition of Republican state attorneys general filed joint letters warning that the proposed competitive safeguards are inadequate and could drive up shipping costs. 

Proponent Arguments

• The "End-to-End" Defense: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern maintain that their networks do not overlap geographically, meaning the merger promotes growth and eliminates multi-day transfer bottlenecks rather than reducing direct regional competition. 
• Concessions: The railroads have expanded committed pricing programs and service-level fallback protections to reassure skittish customers and regulators. 

The proposed Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) merger shifts how cargo moves across the East Coast. If approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the combination directly reshapes freight logistics. 

Specific Concessions Offered to Freight Customers

To secure regulatory approval, the railroads filed several binding customer protections in late July 2026:

• Committed Gateway Pricing: The carriers are doubling the volume of shipments eligible for locked-in gateway pricing from 134,000 to 258,000 carloads annually, extending this protection to agricultural and bulk unit-trains for the first time. 
• Alternative Service Access: A new Targeted Access Program will grant shippers temporary access to a competing rail carrier if service metrics drop below baseline standards during the post-merger transition phase. 
• Third-Party Rail Access: For captured facilities where options would drop from two railroads to one, the merged entity will proactively grant line access to a third Class I railroad to preserve shipping options. 
• Terminal Divestitures: The railroads entered a formal agreement with Canadian National (CN). CN will acquire Norfolk Southern's ownership interests in the Kansas City Terminal Railway and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, liquidating shared infrastructure bottlenecks. 

Impact on Local Shipping and Traffic in Virginia

Because Virginia serves as a primary hub for Norfolk Southern's network, the merger carries significant regional implications:

• Single-Line East-to-West Routing: Virginia manufacturers and agricultural exporters can ship goods directly to West Coast ports without paying to interchange cars between separate rail companies. The railroads claim this single-line continuity will save shippers billions nationwide. 
• Reduced Port Bottlenecks: Enhanced network integration aims to speed up the transit of container traffic coming out of Virginia coastal ports. Eliminating hand-offs between separate regional lines avoids multi-day yard dwell times. 
• Truck-to-Rail Freight Diversion: Proponents calculate that continuous transcontinental routing will divert up to 2.1 million truckloads a year from major highway corridors onto rail lines. This shift could reduce heavy truck traffic volume on key Virginia thoroughfares. 

https://www.up.com/press-releases/growth/stb-supplemental-second-round-270727

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Golden Canopies and Crisp Rails: Why Autumn Is the Ultimate Season to Model

While summer brings lush greenery and winter blankets everything in snow, there is nothing quite as breathtaking on a model railroad as the rich, warm colors of fall. Modeling the autumn season transforms a standard layout into an evocative work of art, capturing nature at its most dramatic transition.

The Artistic Appeal of an Autumn Layout

• A Breathtaking Color Palette: Say goodbye to endless stretches of monotone grass green. Autumn lets you blend vibrant ambers, burnt oranges, deep crimsons, and golden yellows across your hillsides, giving your landscape instant depth and visual warmth.
• Striking Train Contrast: Locomotives and rolling stock pop dramatically against fall scenery. Whether it's the sleek black of a steam boiler, the crisp blue of a freight line, or the silver streak of a passenger consist, autumn foliage provides the ultimate scenic backdrop.
• Atmosphere and Storytelling: Fall modeling introduces unique micro-scenes that bring a layout to life—fallen leaves gathered along track ballast, roadside pumpkin patches, harvest activity around rural grain elevators, and wisps of smoke rising from trackside cabin chimneys.
• Lighting and Mood: Autumn scenery naturally complements warm, low-angle layout lighting. Amber-tinted LEDs simulate the golden hour of a late October afternoon, highlighting every contour of your rockwork and trackage.

Tips for Getting Started

• Mix and Match Textures: Combine fine leaf scatters, coarse foams, and static grass in varying shades of ochre, russet, and olive to replicate the natural, uneven progression of the turning season.
• Vary the Tree Types: Deciduous trees change color at different rates. Intersperse bright orange maples and yellow birches with deep green evergreens and partly bare canopies for authentic realism.
• Weather with the Weather: Add light leaf accumulation in drainage ditches, yard switches, and along right-of-ways to anchor your trains directly into the environment.

Capturing the fleeting beauty of autumn on your pike immortalizes one of nature’s most stunning spectacles—giving you a cozy, vibrant masterpiece to run trains through all year long.

[Disclaimer: This is merely the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Model Railroad Museum, its members or officers. There are, of course, equally beautiful model railroads that have been modeled in every other season. This is merely a matter of personal preference. [Ed.]

Train Song of the Month

By Frank Reed

Train Shows

If you will be traveling this summer, you might want to check to see if there are any train shows in the area where you're headed, or along the way. Take enough time during your traveling to be able to spend a few hours shopping around. Trust me, this will enhance your trip 10 fold. Here is a Train Show Calendar you can use for a reference...

https://trainshows.net/calendar/

Also check out the page on this site listing Local and Regional Train Destinations.

Videos of the Month

Northlandz

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Snow Trains

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Unbelievable Train Moments

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unexpectedly picked a switch and jump the rails mid pass turning a routine run by into a sudden

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Train Collisions

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Prayers for our Leader

Fred Humphrey, our President and visionary over the past four years, the one who inspired us to create, plan and develop the Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads, is currently in Hospice. Please add your thoughts to ours as we pray for him during his final days.

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Thanks for Your Ongoing Support

Thanks for reading this issue of Making Tracks. Stay tuned to the website and to the monthly newsletter to stay informed and find out where our next location will be as we pick up the pieces and continue to move forward.

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Volunteer

We are proud to be members of the following organizations:

The Virginia Association of Museums

The Train Collectors Association

Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce

Hobby Manufacturers Association

National Railroad Historical Society

(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

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Model Railroader's Guide to Steam Engines

🚂 Model Railroader's Guide: “Modeling 1940s–1950s Steam: HO & N Scale Guide”

If you want to recreate the golden age of steam on your layout, here’s how to match locomotive types to HO and N scale models—with practical tips.

🚛 Freight Locomotives:

Mikado (2-8-2)

Best use: General freight, mixed trains

HO Scale: Widely available (Broadway Limited, Bachmann, Athearn)

N Scale: Kato, Bachmann, Model Power

Tip: A must-have for any 1940s–50s layout

Berkshire (2-8-4)

Best use: Fast freight

HO Scale: Excellent models with sound available

N Scale: Limited but high-quality options (e.g., Kato)

Tip: Great centerpiece locomotive

Santa Fe (2-10-2)

Best use: Heavy freight, grades

HO Scale: Available but less common

N Scale: Rare, specialty models

Tip: Ideal for mountain layouts

🚆 Passenger Locomotives:

Pacific (4-6-2)

Best use: Standard passenger trains

HO Scale: Very common and affordable

N Scale: Widely available

Tip: Perfect starter passenger engine

Hudson (4-6-4) ⛰️

Best use: Premium passenger service

HO Scale: High-detail models available

N Scale: Available (Kato, Bachmann)

Tip: Great for streamlined trains

Heavy Power: Articulated (2-6-6-2, 2-8-8-2, etc.)

Best use: Coal, mountains, heavy hauling

HO Scale: Good selection with sound

N Scale: Available but requires larger curves

Tip: Needs wide-radius track

🏭 Yard Operations:

Switchers (0-6-0, 0-8-0)

Best use: Yard switching, industries

HO Scale: Very common

N Scale: Available but fewer options

Tip: Essential for operational realism

🧩 Layout Planning Tips:

Mix 1–2 mainline engines (Mikado, Pacific) with specialty engines

Include at least one switcher for yard operations

Use freight + passenger to create variety

Match locomotives to your era (1940–1955) for realism

🎯 Beginner Setup Recommendation:

If starting fresh:

• 1 Mikado (freight)
• 1 Pacific (passenger)
• 1 switcher (yard)

👉 This gives you a complete, realistic operating railroad.

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The Birth of Virginia Beach

We have created and published a new historical document on the Birth of Virginia Beach. This has been written by our historian Warren Leister after researching the era and the people involved for several years. Excepts have been published here in our newsletter previously, but the information is now available all together in a 99 page document that you can purchase in our store. It factually explores the events, the dedicated people and the interesting culture in which they lived. Pick up your copy today!

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