I mentioned in an earlier post that I was able to do some traveling before leaving the States in November.  Among the many places I visited was Fredericksburg, Virginia to attend the Mid-Atlantic Railroad Prototype Modeler’s Meet, also known as MARPM, on 25-26 September.

The meet is run by Norm Wolf and a crew of another four or five guys at the Wyngate Hotel just off I-95 between Richmond and Washington D.C.  Norm told me “Don’t think of this as a convention…think of it as a bunch of friends getting together to talk about trains.”  I did, and it was a fun event.

Over 115 folks were in attendance over the two days and I ran into a ton of guys I knew and admire.  The schedule was relaxed, and Norm had vendors, historical societies, clinics, a nice attendee-provided model display, hands-on weathering demos, home layout visits, and a lot more going on, plus a nice door prize giveaway at the end.

Included below are a few photos I took at the meet.

Our MARPM hosts, Daylene and Norm Wolf, with Scotty Mason at right.  Good people!

Ramon Rhodes, seated at right, holds court at his model display table.  In case you ever wondered, the guy in the middle is The Bomb.

One of the many clinics in the nice auditorium, this one on modeling the great Reading Railroad.

Models with local appeal included this selection of RF&P rolling stock.  These models are the work of Shannon Crabtree.

Tony Sissons, standing at center, explains soldering techniques.  Tony is one of my favorite guys in the hobby.  He is always happy and is full of great ideas, and is always trying new things, and has more energy that your average teenager.  He is a master modeler with few peers.  He is a source of great inspiration for me.

Bob Sprague’s display of 3D printed products.

Jim Lincoln came down from Massachusetts and brought a nice display of modern Proto48 rolling stock, and samples of his 3D casting work.  Jim is another exceptional modeler–they were everywhere at MARPM.

These models are the work of Brian Banna.

These passenger cars are the work of John Barry from Washington, D.C.

Butch Eyler, center, explains weathering techniques.  This was one of several hands-on clinics that went on during the day.

This LV cement car is the work of Todd Herman of Alexandria, Virginia.  Todd went to college with my brother in law, John Wemple, and we hooked up online last year.  It was great to finally meet him.

Here’s a photo of Todd Herman (at left–the tall, good-looking guy) and me (the short, goofy-lookin’ dude) at right.  Not only is Todd a great guy but he is a no-kidding terrific modeler.  He’s building a model railroad depicting the L&NE branch through Catasauqua, Pennsylvania in his basement, and is doing great work. He’s the real deal. I’ll update this post with his website soon.

Thanks Norm for a great event!  For more information on MARPM, please go to Norm’s website at www.marpm.org.