Division 12, Mid Central Region, NMRA, Inc., also known as the Alleghany Western Division, is a recently formed division of the National Model Railroad Association, located in Northwestern Pennsylvania and Southwestern New York.
For the most up-to-date information about our organization, membership meetings, or public events please use the News/Events page or search button at the bottom of this page.
Next Membership Meeting Event:
Saturday, April5th, 2025. (Note change of date!) 10 AM. Program: “The L. S. & M. S. Ry.’s Emergency Brake Tests of 1909”, presented by Vince Skibo. French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society’s restored B&LE freight depot, 136 Mead Avenue, Meadville, PA, 16335.
Superintendent’s Letter for April 2025:
Losing Your Mojo and How to Get It Back
Confession time: I lost a lot of my motivation for the hobby last fall and had to figure out how to get it back.
I imagine it happens to all of us from time to time. For me, it was partly due to being overwhelmed with how much more I must do on my layout; partly due to having “too many” interesting projects to choose from, and thus being immobilized by indecision regarding what to tackle next; and partly due to life events, fall chores, other hobbies, and holiday prep.
So how does one overcome this inertia? Once the holidays were over and I had time to reflect on the reasons for being stuck, I decided to start with some small projects just to get off the dime. Even 15 minutes a day on a small project adds up over time. Once those smaller tasks were accomplished, I allowed myself to celebrate these small wins. Small wins lead to satisfaction, more satisfaction leads to more enthusiasm, and more enthusiasm can lead to longer periods of engagement and completion of even more complex or larger projects.
The end result is that I think I’ve got my mojo back, and am now about to take a deep dive into the unfamiliar world of Layout Command Control and an electronic signaling project that will be controlled by LCC. Wish me luck. If I’m not back in a month or two, send a search party under my layout…
To summarize, if you’ve lost your motivation, acknowledge the problem and don’t give up on your hobby or yourself. Then, try to make incremental progress instead of ruminating over it and languishing in immobility. Allow yourself to enjoy and celebrate whatever progress you make no matter how small. Then, keep moving forward bit by bit. Before you know it, you will hopefully be back to your old enthusiastic self!
Been there, done that, got my motivation back!
Mike Hauk
Superintendent, Division 12, MCR
Current Builder’s Plate newsletter available here.
Current Mid-Central Region Kingpin newsletter available here.
Know of any train shows in Western Pennsylvania, Western New York, or North East Ohio? Please send them to me at webeditor@div12mcr.org
Allegheny Western Facebook Page or Facebook Group
National Model Railroad Association
Mid Central Region