Thaddeus,
I have been to Train O'Rama and we used that intersection you mentioned. We went around '99 through 2004 or thereabouts. My wife's family used to go to Lakeside every year when she was growing up in the late '60s and '70s.
Sounds like there is a lot of railroad and model railroad interest in the Bellevue area.
Greetings fellow Buckeyes (and our PA friends to the East), NE Ohio native here, currently living south of Cleveland in Brecksville. I think a Forum gathering is a stellar idea, and would personally look forward to meeting some of the real people behind the familiar avatars.
Hello to all who have responded!! Looks like Mike Wyatt has put something together for Nov. 17th for a breakfast get together. I plan on opening my layout to anyone that is interested that day if time permits!!
Mark I'm just 15 min from Mercer Junction and have been there many times.
Jeff Is that a new addition?
Oh this thread is making me a little homesick!
I grew up in Northeastern Ohio, went to school in Tallmadge, after graduation, moved to Stow and then settled in Cleveland. Glen's Train Shop was my favorite store hands down. I've traveled all over the Buckeye state in various jobs, one working for a hobby distributor before moving to southern Arizona. My other favorite stores were the Whistle Stop, Falls Model Trains, Trading Post Train Shop, Depot Trains, Amer's, Boardman Hobby, Buckeye Rail and Hobby, Schaffner's and so many more. If there was a train shop or a railroading attraction in Northern Ohio I've pretty much been there.
I found the old Glens building online, to me Akron will never be the same....
PA JIM, no new additions building wise. Have made a few small changes to the layout though, the Hellgate bridge that was the so called center piece of my layout has been removed and I am currently working on installing (2) Lionel Lift bridges from the early 90's that I found BNIB's. Had some help from a couple of our friends from the Tuesday night (Greenville, PA) group build the bridge abutments & painted them for me. Plan a visit some time!!
Jeff
Jeff I was talking about what you are holding in your arms.
Jeff How did you get the Tuesday night guys to come and help? I can't even get them to come and see my layout.
Bryan H. posted:Greetings fellow Buckeyes (and our PA friends to the East), NE Ohio native here, currently living south of Cleveland in Brecksville. I think a Forum gathering is a stellar idea, and would personally look forward to meeting some of the real people behind the familiar avatars.
Bryan, My aunt and uncle lived just across the Cuyahoga River from Brecksville from '71 to 2001, when my aunt moved back to Pennsylvania. My aunt was a librarian at the Brecksville library for all that time retiring in 2001 after 66 years service as a librarian in Pennsylvania and Brecksville. We used to go visit them often.
jjames9641 posted:Hello to all who have responded!! Looks like Mike Wyatt has put something together for Nov. 17th for a breakfast get together. I plan on opening my layout to anyone that is interested that day if time permits!!
Jim, I would be happy to see your layout that day if it all works out. I plan to be at Perkins for breakfast and whatever else happens!
Next two weekends the Youngstown Model Railroad Association will be holding an open house at 751 N FOUR MILE RUN RD AUSTINTOWN OH 44515. The 2 rail O scale is in the upstairs of the building and the HO layout is downstairs. Come and join us from noon to 6 PM both Saturday and Sunday. We have made many improvements on the layout (O Scale) and we are in the middle of redoing our roundhouse and turntable. We will be installing a 11 stall roundhouse and we have already installed a Millhouse 34" turntable. Memberships are open. If you can't join us this month we have another open house the first weekend of December. Downstairs we have made more improvements to the large Steel Mill complex. Both layouts are worth the visit.
Scale City Designs posted:Next two weekends the Youngstown Model Railroad Association will be holding an open house at 751 N FOUR MILE RUN RD AUSTINTOWN OH 44515. The 2 rail O scale is in the upstairs of the building and the HO layout is downstairs.... Both layouts are worth the visit.
Indeed they are! If you are in the area, make plans to visit. I make it a point to attend each year to check out the two very large layouts and also enjoy a hot dog or two and a bag of popcorn (they sell refreshments on site). They always draw a large crowd over the three weekends. Admission is, I believe, $5 for adults.
The club--especially the O scale club--can always use new members. I have been thinking about joining myself, but for me it's a matter of finding enough time to do everything I would like to do, including working on my home layout and volunteer work at the animal shelter.
Allan you are correct admission is only 5 dollars and children are FREE a perfect opportunity to introduce the young ones to a great hobby.
We can always use new members (even an Editor in Chief) ask any member for a application. Red or Grey shirts with YMRA on them . I will be wearing a Black Scale City shirt tomorrow make sure you introduce yourself. Also check out the new downtown area with Ameritown Buildings. (Free plug for Allan).
I made the trip over to the Youngstown Model Railroad Association from Butler, Pennsylvania a few years ago! It was well worth the trip! I talked with a few members, but have no idea who they were now. 
Sounds like I need to make another appearance and see what's new!!! It is actually almost the same length trip for me as the Pittsburgh area events; a little over an hour!
Thank you for the the tip that it is open house time again!! 
Mark Boyce posted:Bryan, My aunt and uncle lived just across the Cuyahoga River from Brecksville from '71 to 2001, when my aunt moved back to Pennsylvania. My aunt was a librarian at the Brecksville library for all that time retiring in 2001 after 66 years service as a librarian in Pennsylvania and Brecksville. We used to go visit them often.
I bet your aunt helped me with research from time to time. I attended Brecksville High School '79-'83 and used the library often.
raising4daughters posted:Mark Boyce posted:Bryan, My aunt and uncle lived just across the Cuyahoga River from Brecksville from '71 to 2001, when my aunt moved back to Pennsylvania. My aunt was a librarian at the Brecksville library for all that time retiring in 2001 after 66 years service as a librarian in Pennsylvania and Brecksville. We used to go visit them often.I bet your aunt helped me with research from time to time. I attended Brecksville High School '79-'83 and used the library often.
Yes, she probably did help you. She loved research on any topic! Twila Bakken is her name, she will be 93 in January.
Allan Miller posted:Scale City Designs posted:Next two weekends the Youngstown Model Railroad Association will be holding an open house at 751 N FOUR MILE RUN RD AUSTINTOWN OH 44515. The 2 rail O scale is in the upstairs of the building and the HO layout is downstairs.... Both layouts are worth the visit.
Indeed they are! If you are in the area, make plans to visit. I make it a point to attend each year to check out the two very large layouts and also enjoy a hot dog or two and a bag of popcorn (they sell refreshments on site). They always draw a large crowd over the three weekends. Admission is, I believe, $5 for adults.
The club--especially the O scale club--can always use new members. I have been thinking about joining myself, but for me it's a matter of finding enough time to do everything I would like to do, including working on my home layout and volunteer work at the animal shelter.
I think it's great that most, perhaps all, of the OGR Magazine leadership are hobbyists themselves, with their own home layouts. Arnold
Thanks to the moderators for letting us go a little off train topics as NE Ohio O Gauge enthusiasts get to know each other.
Will be paying a visit to the Youngstown Model Railroad Association's annual open house tomorrow (Sunday).
This is a group that will (I hope) enjoy meeting and doing some things train-related.
On the 17th, we will
- look to the coming months, and
- set up a schedule and hosts(esses). We will need to move it around to different areas, with a different host setting things up each time.
- We will poll all attendees as to whether (a) we do this 12 months? (b) whether Saturdays or some other day fits most peoples' schedule and (c) best time. I wouldn't want to get in the way of guy's who still work!!
I thought each time three things:
- Breakfast - Discussion of some topic. - A visit to either a layout, a store, show, or display, etc.
For December 15 I will set up a breakfast at Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen in Middlefield, a topic and then a tour of Center Field RR Museum in Middlefield.
Topic Ideas: Ideally one person who has considerable experience in that area can lead the topic and the rest chime in.
- mixing of post-war "traditional" Lionel w/ other product lines. Example- I bought a Lionel Pacific Fruit Express Reefer, and the thing looks HUGE with my traditional postwar cars. Yet at York, I bought a weathered Atlas O 50' boxcar, and it looks OK- juuust a little big. Should we go by the description - "50' boxcar" or the era the model was made??
- Lionel Legacy vs. MTH DCS
- Electronics- changing over to LEDs
- Upgrading locomotives PS-1 to later; etc.
Mike
Mike Wyatt posted:SO_ PA Jim- Happy Birthday!!! AND... are you coming to the Perkins in Warren on Nov. 17th??
Well how about that!! PA Jim and I both have a November 3rd birthday! Happy Birthday, Jim!
Mike, You have given this a good bit of thought. I plan to be at Perkins on the 17th. Let me ponder your suggestions, and see what I come up with.
Allan, I hope you have a good time at the YMRA tomorrow.
I can't go on Sundays, and I'm going to Greenberg in Monroeville on the 10th. But I see from the YMRA Website flyer, they are open again December 1 and 2. I'm going to plan to go on the First.
Mike Wyatt posted:Happy Birthday MARK!!
Thank you, Mike!
Okay Mike, I have thought about it for a while. Did you smell the smoke? 
All of this sounds great to me.
On the 17th, we will
- look to the coming months, and
- set up a schedule and hosts(esses). We will need to move it around to different areas, with a different host setting things up each time.
- We will poll all attendees as to whether (a) we do this 12 months? (b) whether Saturdays or some other day fits most peoples' schedule and (c) best time. I wouldn't want to get in the way of guy's who still work!!
I thought each time three things:
- Breakfast - Discussion of some topic - no topic on the 17th though.
- A visit to either a layout, a store, show, or display, etc.
So for December (date to be determined) I will set up a location, topic and then a tour of Center Field RR Museum in Middlefield. The breakfast maybe Mary Yoder's??
Mary Yoder sounds good to me, just around the corner almost from Corner Field.
PA Jim and I have mentioned two places just over the line into Pennsylvania already, Greenville Train Museum and Mercer Junction Train Shoppe. Harlansburg Train Museum is closer to me, and I think it would be a good place to go, but they are closed in January and February. Hopefully we have a core group by March and we could try there. I can contact them while they are still open, since it's been probably 15 years since I have stopped in.
As to discussion topics, making manure into a smoke fluid that didn't smell like manure would be a great trick indeed!
The other topic ideas you posted are all good!
Well, I look forward to seeing many folks on the 17th too!
I did buy benchwork from Matt Hewitt, who runs Benchridge Benchworks, out of Indianapolis. Matt has been written up in Model Railroader (he is an HO modeler) and did great job for me. You can all see it when we visit my layout. Some pics of the tables are attached.
I thought it was you, Mike! I even remembered the state! I decided I would get killed on shipping. Looks great!!
uh- Matt BROUGHT the tables for the layout here to Perry OH, AND assembled it. That's the way he prefers it. He said "But I don't do the tops", I said "Then I don't buy tables." He replied: "What material do you want for the tables?" Ah- the market forces at work. It's a beautiful thing.
Ah ha, Mike! I see it looks like photographs of your layout on Matt's Website on the bottom of the "Dreams 2" tab; "And now a trip to Cleveland..."
You drove a hard bargain! But Matt accepted on your terms! Market forces at work...Yes indeed!! 
Mike Wyatt: Google shows two Perkins in Warren. Would you please post the specific address? Thanks.
I got it, Mike!! I should be able to leave home at 8:00 and be there in plenty of time. Most people pass me, so the guys in funny painted cars ignore me! Good advice however!! It's on my calendar!!
Mike, thanks for the address. Route 422 to the Route 82 and 5 outer belt is the easiest trip from the eastern Cleveland suburbs. Frank
If I get pulled over do you think they would buy it that I was doing model train research and wanted to get pulled over to see the lights flashing because I'm trying to put some in my own police cars?
Easy travel from Pennsylvania, too.
Since my car is going in the shop for some body work tomorrow, I got clearance to use my wife's van Saturday. I'll look forward to seeing everyone at Perkins on Elm Road.
Mark just noticed that you had commented Nov 3 thanks. I try to forget these days. Will try and make the 17th in Warren but have another commitment will see how it works out.
Yes Jim, November 3rd, our joint birthday!!
I was in Menard's this morning, there is a decent amount of buildings, both HO & O. Also, there were some of the new gondola's, boxcars, nose art boxcars and a few flatcars with loads!!
Cool Jeff! I will see what strikes me. I've never been in Menards, this is the closest they have opened to me. I am interested in the open hoppers, Western Maryland to be specific, but they won't be released until sometime in December. No matter; it will be fun. Thank you for the report!!
Mike, Is the starting time 8:30 or 9:30?
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