Sept 27th 2025 SLD Meet
The next SLD Meet will take place on Saturday September 27th, start time is 9:00 AM.
This is our first meeting for the season, so don’t miss it!
We are continuing with our “in person” meeting format which includes an On Line (on Wereby, details to be provided) feed for those who are not able to physically join us. We meet at Emmanuel United Church in Ottawa. Non-NMRA members please drop us a line if you want to join us as a guest – sld-dispatcher@sld-nmra.ca
For this season, we will be continuing with the meeting format introduced last season where the morning will be a traditional meet (clinics, display table, etc) and the afternoon will be a Hands-On Workshop. This change in format will allow members to practice what they learned in the morning clinic on their projects in the afternoon.
Our Hands-On Program for this season will focus on Rolling Stock Construction Techniques. One of the morning clinics will focus on a “rolling stock construction” which we will then be able to implement/practice on our model kits in the afternoon Kit Busters workshop. Should rolling stock not be your desire this year. No problem! All projects are welcome at our workshop sessions, where you can find fellow modellers with tips and tricks to help you.
Morning Meet
Make sure you join us at the September meet where the morning will include:
- Short business meeting
- Clinic 1 – Cornwall’s Rail History by Chris Granger
- Clinic 2 – Hands-on Workshop Outline, Building the tank car, getting weight correct. by loyd and Normand.
- Display Table Review – Summer Projects and summer acquisitions.
Afternoon Hands-On Workshop – Advanced Rolling Stock Construction
During the afternoon workshop we will unpack the Tichy rolling stock kits and commence assembly of the tank car.
Participants should bring along the following tools / for assembling of their model:
- A work surface; optional: work light, Magnifier glasses
- Hobby knife, files
- Styrene compatible liquid cement.
- Minature drills & holder;
- Pliers and cutters
Personal Project
- Even if you are not participating in this year’s project, we encourage you to bring out your own personal project to work on. Come and engage in the membership comradery!
Entry Fee
The Entry Fee for the day is $8.00.
See the Next SLD Meet page for further details
2025-2026 SLD Hands-on Project
Hurry – now is the time to sign up for the upcoming season’s club project!
Our Hands on Project objectives are to develop our kit building, kit bashing and scratch building skills, while progressing together during the season. Lloyd and his team of knowledgeable people will be helping you all with your builds.
We will build three freight cars: a tank car, a box car with kit bashing, and a flat car with kit bashing and scratch-built load. While the three kits are not ‘shake the box’ kits they do go together well with some care and consideration. All members of the St-Lawrence Division are invited to participate.
Each meeting will include a Hands-on clinic outlining the work to be done, accompanied by a step-by-step guide. You will receive detailed information regarding the necessary tools to facilitate an efficient construction process this summer. The first build, beginning with the tank car, will commence in September and finish in October, the second build box car will commence in November and finish in January. The third build, the flat car, will commence in February and finish in April. We will close the year with a display of all our work in May.
Lloyd managed to get us a 40% discount with free shipping directly from Tichy, therefore the cost for the members will be about $45 Canadian and for * non-members $65 Canadian*.
Please inform Normand Levert at normandlevert@outlook.com
or Lloyd Henchey at h13241@hotmail.com
of your participation, no later than the 28th of July, so we can order by the end of the month. Note that the order must be placed by July 31st, 2025, so we would appreciate your commitment. The kits include trucks and wheel sets but no couplers.
Lloyd and Normand are inviting individuals with relevant knowledge to assist us with Hands on clinic. Come share with us the techniques you have discovered or used successfully.
*Due to insurance requirements, non-members are required to obtain NMRA membership. Accordingly, the price includes a six-month trial membership, known as a Canadian Rail Pass.
September Mail Car – Now Online
The September issue of the SLD newsletter – The Mail Car – is now online!
Go to the Mailcar Directory page to download the resolution version you desire.
May Meet
Photographs of the May 31st Meet are now available for viewing on line.
Welcome to the St. Lawrence Division web site
We are the local Division of the National Model Railroader Association encompassing members located in Eastern Ontario and upstate New York.
The SLD “season” extends from September through to May during which we actively host meetings and workshops for the membership. Guests are always welcome so feel free to join us as we’d love to show you around.
The 2024/2025 Season
For the past season, the SLD had returned to meeting in person at the church while retaining the ZOOM component to permit those who are unable or choose not to meet in person just yet to join in. We will be continuing with this delivery approach for the foreseeable future.
The SLD meets will typically take place the last Saturday for the months of: Sept, Nov, Jan, Mar & May.
As is often our practice, the Sept and May meets will be held in the neighbouring communities. Further details will be provided closer the the event dates.
Here is the schedule for the 2024/25 season.
For this season, we are taking a different approach to our meets & workshops.
Instead of alternating between Meets and Workshops each month, we will gather every month where the morning will be a traditional meet (clinics, display table, etc) and the afternoon will be a Kit Busters Workshop. This change in format will allow members to practice what they learned in the morning clinic on their diorama in the afternoon.
| Meet / Workshop Date | Location |
|---|---|
| Sept 27, 2025 | Church Hall Meeting |
| Oct 25, 2025/td> | Church Hall Meeting |
| Nov 29, 2025 | Church Hall Meeting |
| Jan TBC, 2026 | Church Hall Meeting |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Church Hall Meeting |
| March 28, 2026 | Church Hall Meeting |
| Apr 25, 2026 | Church Hall Meeting |
| May 30, 20256/td> | Church Hall Meeting |
Contacting the SLD Executive
We have now established formal email addresses for the SLD Executive members. These can be found under the Contacts in the above menu (right hand end). So if you ever have a need to reach out to an SLD Executive member, merely click on the person’s link to send them an email.
We’d love to hear from you whether you have a question, concern, request or suggestion, we’re here for you!
SLD Kitbusters Facebook Group
We initially set up our Facebook group called St Lawrence Div NMRA to enhance our communications during the Covid Pandemic. This has proven to be a very effective tool allowing members to post/share their own material that we will continue it’s use even after we return to face-to-face meetings. Please consider joining the group. The more of you who do, the better the experience for all of us. Once you are a FB member, search for the name of the group and ask to join. The admin will then allow you in and you are all set to share with other SLDers.