NERPM features more than two dozen clinics focused on a variety of model railroading topics – weathering, prototype information, layout overviews, techniques and specific pieces of equipment. We welcome presentations from everyone. That model you’ve been working on, or project you’ve been researching, could very well be a great clinic.
2025 partial list is now available; check back for more detail
including dates and times
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2025 Northeast Railroad Prototype Meet
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| CLINICIAN | TOPIC |
| Adam Twombly | Modeling Cedar Hill Yard on an apartment-sized layout. |
| Bill Badger | Marble includes: Moving marble from mines to railheads. |
| Bill Schneider |
The Old Woman in the New Basement: Bill’s new NYO&W layout now has a new basement room. There have been lots of updates in the last couple of years. Come and see what he has done with the new space, and how he managed to create a prototypically accurate layout design. Bill discusses his approach to track planning, scratch building prototype structures and phot backdrops. Bill's layout will be open for tours on Sunday. |
| Brian Carlson | The Cambria & Indiana hopper fleet |
| Dave Oppedisano | BNSF Lakeside sub update. Lessons learned from the demolition, moving, and rebuilding of a 1200 square foot layout from Pennsylvania to Texas. Including design of a new layout building and layout designed by “Bob’s Trackplans.” |
| Dave Owens | Magor DODX flat cars – An updated clinic on the first DODX flatcars and the Rapido model. |
| Dave Ramos | The New York Harbor - 3D Printing and Laser cutting to get the details done! |
| Irv Thomae | Modeling the Montpelier & Wells River, with updates on recent puzzles and progress. |
| Jim Fellows | The New Haven Railroads Norwich and Worcester line: Why model it and how I am doing it: Towns, interchanges, industries, and trains. |
| Jim Homoki | Rising from the Ashes: Design and construction of a new layout. After a devastating fire, Jim has a new home and has started construction on a new layout, focused on the CNJ in the early 1970s. He'll discuss the research being done, and present his methods of layout design and construction. |
| Joe Biagioni, Gary Munsey, Carlton Rohmer | Dead Rail for Model Trains: The advantages of powering model train locomotives (HO and Larger) with batteries instead of using track power. No more cleaning track, no track power layout wiring and no need to clean track for operation |
| John Brown | Shipment of auto frames from manufacturers such as A. O Smith of Milwaukee, Wisc. In gondolas and on flats to automobile assembly plants across the U.S. |
| Mal Houck | Wood passenger cars of the NYO&W |
| Mark Osmun |
The Branford Steam Railroad as a springboard for a layout. I’ll give a brief history and photo documentation of the line and then suggest to the audience this potential model railroad doesn’t need to be a stone hauler at all and can be anything one imagines. |
| Matt Herson |
Slide program Thursday night. Penn Central. |
| Mike Boland | HISTORY OF LIRR SWITCHERS: STEAM, ELECTRIC AND DIESEL. |
| Paul Spilman | Showing its the Seventies: In this clinic, we will take a thorough look at some of the freight car details that place it in the 1970s. From changes in consolidated stenciling requirements, to the massive effort tracking down faulty U-1 wheels and the associated little yellow dots, learn how you can narrow down your era to specifically show that you are modeling the 1970s - or even a particular year. |
| Peter Ness |
TOFC Service on the New Haven Railroad 1937-1968, Part III. This clinic provides information on various motor carriers that shipped trailers on the New Haven Railroad. Contents include motor carrier histories, revenue, ICC registration, service routes and vehicles. This section is a new addition to the clinic, and is very much still in development. Information is currently presented on 21 motor carriers. |
| Randy Laframboise |
Operations on Rutland Railroad Mainline Subdivision: Randy will discuss how operations were designed and implemented on his HO scale proto layout of the Rutland Railroad. a typical op session will be shown with a discussion on what has worked and not worked as operations have evolved on the layout. |
| Rick Abramson | The New Haven's Electrification and the Engines it Powered |
| Ron Johnson |
Rail Movements of Maine Potatoes in the 1950s and 1960s: Transportation of potatoes from Aroostook County, Maine to Rigby Yard on the Maine Central in Portland, Maine, including movements in Maine on the Bangor and Aroostook, Maine Central, Canadian Pacific, and Aroostook Valley Railroad. |
| Ron Poidomani | Modeling The Manufacturer’s Railroad Part 2 |
| Scott Mason |
Hayward Mills and the Franklin Yarn Company were two of the largest textile mills in Franklin, Massachusetts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As part of a three-phase, multi-year project for the Franklin Historical Museum, Scott Mason has replicated to scale, these two mills as they existed in 1932. Scott will show you his process for modeling these large industrial complexes using period photography and Sanborn maps as well as his own research on the existing structures. He'll discuss the unique problems encountered and the unique solutions allowed him and partner Sam Maxwell to complete this 18-month long project. |
| Steve Meyer | Waybills from the 1960s illustrate the activities of the New Haven’s Thompsonville, CT freight agent. His duties focused on incoming loads to Enfield Lumber, but many other shipments are documented, including a consignment of Ramblers to a dealer in Enfield, and a shipment of Bigelow-Sanford carpets to a warehouse in San Francisco. Maps show the sometimes-circuitous routings used by the freight cars as they moved across the national rail network. |
| Stuart Chirls | A 40-foot boxcar isn't truly obsolete until a thrifty New England railroad says so! A straightforward project to help create a fleet of ersatz hoppers serving a paper mill. |
| Ted Culotta |
Three PRR 50-foot Car Projects: This clinic provides modeling fodder for superdetailing a resin kit, kitbashing a styrene kit, and making patterns and castings to create a resin kit in order to replicate three distinctive PRR 50-foot prototypes: the X32A, X41A, and the X45. Even if you're not a Pennsy modeler (and we all are whether we like it or not given the size of their fleet!) there will be valuable modeling techniques presented. |
| Ted DiIorio | Hands on weathering. Ongoing during the meet. Bring a model you’d like to weather. Ted will guide you. |
| Ted Shasta | Tuning and Weathering Freight Cars: Tuning involves switching to code 88 wheels, eliminating truck wobble, switching to semi-scale couplers, adding air hoses and cut levers (if required), addressing any misaligned, loose or missing parts, and making sure the car is square and plumb and runs true. Weathering with a variety of materials and by working in layers. |
| Todd Hermann |
In the Weeds: Modeling the Lehigh & New England's Catasauqua Branch -- Dubbed the "Crossroads of the Anthracite Lines," the town of Catasauqua, PA was served by six rail carriers at its peak in the 1950s. This clinic will explore this unique prototype location and discuss how I've adapted it to tell the story of rail operations in and around Catasauqua via my 16x24 HO scale layout. Along the way, I'll share updates on recent progress, some structure and scenery-building tips and tricks, and an overview the layout's emerging operations scheme. |
| Tony Koester | A Wabash Branch Line in Proto:48: In addition to the HO Nickel Plate St. Louis Division in his basement, Tony Koester is now building a two-town tribute to the Wabash R.R.’s Mogul-powered High Line in his enclosed porch. A long, weak span over the Illinois River couldn’t support even a Geep, so the 2-6-0s — made famous by a Kemtron kit and a David P. Morgan/Philip R. Hastings Trains article — soldiered on into the 1950s. The first of at least two Moguls has been converted to fine-scale wheel and gauge standards. Tony is about halfway finished handlaying the code 100 track, the fascia and LED lighting canopy and valance are installed, and he has started some scenery work. |
| Tony Sissons | Prototype Authenticity, a few ideas to improve your railroad without too much fuss. |
| Vince Lee | Growing Up CNJ: A Personal Look at the Central Railroad of New Jersey in the 1960s. This talk will be a mixed color and B&W photographic review of the eastern portion of the Jersey Central Railroad throughout the 1960s. The CNJ’s motive power consisting of 1st generation diesels, facilities, buildings, and views along the mainline from the floatbridges of Jersey City to Bethlehem PA will be shown. |
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Neil Schofield |
A tour of the CP Rail's Newport & Lyndonville Subdivision, with a discussion of operations, equipment, and photos from around the layout. |
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Brendan Richardson |
Bridging the Gap: A photo slideshow of present-day 1:1 scale railroad construction in New England |
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Randy Hammill |
Designing Immersive Model Operations. |
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Nick Santo |
Power Bridge Stay Alives and Decoder Buddys |
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Mike Rose |
Mike updates progress on his massive layout with a focus on Pittston Junction and creating the Pocono Northeast Branchline, plus some work at the Crestwood Industrial Park. He’ll also discuss using a 7-foot-long structure to create a major industry and hide track inside it, and considering a huge prototype structure into a believably large industry. Mike will also talk about a Super Tree alternative he has been using. |
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Ken Freeman |
Gas Stations and Auto Repair shops in Hilton, NY 1910 to 1975: Back in the day, gas stations were way more interesting than modern ones. |
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Jim Otto |
Train sets not owned by railroads: A number of entities had railroad equipment, but owned no tracks. The Western Union Telegraph company had work trains that moved to job locations. The US Army had some tracks, and we'll discuss their equipment, but focus will be on World War II medical trains. |
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Don Valentine |
A brief update of newer milk car information and developing a roster of available models in HO scale of freight cars for New England based roads in the transition era. |
We are always looking for new clinics and layout owners interested in showcasing their work. Please contact Dave Owens at neprotomeet@gmail.com or call 860-209-8155.