RPM-East is BACK for 2023!!!

March 24 and 25, 2023!

And we have a NEW location!!
Westmoreland County Community College
Student Achievement Center
145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697

Hundreds of models will be on display. Photo by John Albert.

Our new home has great sized rooms for presentations, model displays, and vendor sales. We are looking forward to relaunching RPM-East in 2023! Make your plans to attend and re-energize your modeling efforts as winter melts into spring. RPM-East is sponsored by Division Two of the NMRA, Mid-Central Region.

In addition to the on-site events, we are planning operating sessions on local layouts and a Sunday self-guided home layout tour. A few railfan opportunities are nearby. The Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad runs through Youngwood as it makes rail connections in Greensburg and Connellsville. The busy Norfolk Southern main line is just north of nearby Greensburg, while the CSX mainline is 20 miles south in Connellsville, PA.

Register now to attend one of the longest running railroad prototype modeling meets in the east.

RPM-East registration is $40. A great hobby deal!

On line registration has closed. Doors open at 9:00 am, Friday March 24. Full event or single day registrations will be accepted through the day and much of Saturday.

We'll see you in Youngwood!

Keep up with RPM-East announcements on Facebook!

Check out the RPM event calendar for more events.

In 2019, Jack Consoli displayed a number of HO scale models inspired by Pittsburgh area prototoypes. Photo by Larry Linger.

Several hotels are available in nearby New Stanton, which is less than five miles to our event site. Check this Google Map for locations and contact points. Explore on that map to find options in Greensburg.

Several restaurants are located in New Stanton and Youngwood. Review this Google Map for more details. Greensburg has additional options.

 

 

 

 

 

RPM-East event schedule (subject to change)
Friday 9:00 am - Registration opens
Vendor and Model Display rooms open
10:30 am - Presentations begin
11:30-1:00 pm - Lunch break
5:00-7:00 pm - Dinner break
7:00-9:30 pm - Presentations

Saturday 9:00 am - Registration opens
9:00 pm - Presentations begin
11:30-1:00 pm - Lunch break
1:00-5:00 pm - Presentations
5:00-7:00 pm - Dinner break
7:00-9:30 pm - Presentations

Registration is open all day Friday and Saturday until the dinner break.
Vendor and Model Display rooms open both days, but these rooms will slowly clear after Saturday dinner.

 

Presentations: We have 39 speakers committed for our 2023 event! A tentative list is below.

Click here for a tentative presentation schedule PDF file.

Presentations begin at 10:30 am on Friday, March 24.

Andy Blenko Modeling Prototype Highway/Railroad Underpasses
George Bogatiuk Get the true-BLU scoop on Blunami Operations using SoundTraxx Products!
John Brown, MMR Auto Frame Transport
Brian Carlson Rust Belt Boxcars
Doug Chapman Lake Erie Coal Dumpers
Pete Clarke East Broad Top update
Kenton Colvin Impact of Railroads on WW I
Shannon Crabtree Paint schemes and detailing of RF&P diesels
Mike Crosby Tracking the PRR T1 Duplex’s
Ted Culotta

The Early 1950s PFE Fleet: Prototypes and Modeling Details You Might Have Overlooked

Keith DeVault Scenes from the B&O West End
Larry DeYoung A Survey of the Erie-Lackawanna Locomotive Fleet
Jerry Doyle The EMD GP30: Dieselization’s Next Generation
John S. Frantz York County Crossroads
Steve Funaro Mathieson Dry Ice Reefers
John Greene Building HO Gauge Passenger Cars using 3D printed and Branchline parts
Eric Hansmann Baltimore & Ohio Allegheny Yard Branch update
Mike Hauk PRR X29’s and B&O M-26’s: A Shallow Dive in a Deep Pool
Michael Hohn, MMR Modeling the Lehigh Valley Railroad Before 1900
Hunter Hughson PC 9188: Individualizing a mass-produced model in four easy mis-steps
Matt Hurst Got milk... PRR and Huntingdon & Broad Top milk operations for the Supplee Wills Jones company
Will Jamison The Mather Mine
Bernie Kempinski, MMR

Manifest Destiny—Expanding the USMRR Aquia Line

Ken Kobus

The Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona

Dennis Lippert

Modeling Conrail's Cabins (and PRR, NYC, RDG, CNJ…)

Marty McGuirk Update on the Central Vermont Railway’s Richford Branch
Mike Niedzalkoski

Small Town, Big Time Railroading

David Owens Magor DODX 38000-series flat cars
George Pandelios What’s New on the Panhandle 2?
Jim Panza Early Trailer Train Flatcars
Ramon Rhodes A Shortline You Can Model: The Alabama Southern Railroad
Neal Schorr Capturing the Commonwealth: How I Recreated Pennsy's Middle Division
Mike Shylanski

B&O, C&O and Western Maryland Airslide Covered Hoppers and How to Model Them in HO

Robert Sprague Deconstructing a Prototype Track Plan
Mont Switzer Loading the TTX F30 and F39
Chip Syme How a Railroader Details/Operates His Model Railroad
Chip Syme Pennsylvania, Penn Central, and Conrail Non-Revnue Equipment
Brad White

Developing Operations for my PRR Chautauqua Branch Railroad

Kaylee Zheng EMD, SD3ASK… IDK… WTF?! A Guide on Identifying Diesel Locomotives

Click here for a tentative presentation schedule PDF file.

Additional presentation details can be found on this page.

Review past RPM-East presenters and topics.

RPM-East photo galleries

Jerry Britton's 2019 RPM-East Recap
Bernard Kempinski's 2019 RPM-East summary
RPM-East 2019 - Eric Hansmann PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2017 - Eric Hansmann PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2015 - John Frantz PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2015 - Eric Hansmann PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2013 - Eric Hansmann PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2011 - John Frantz PBase Gallery
RPM-East 2011 - Eric Hansmann PBase Gallery

Tom Wilson shares video of an operating session at Larry Kline's Bowest O scale layout.

Matt Hurst displayed several HO scale models at the 2019 RPM-East.

Vendors: A large room will be filled with vendors and historical societies. The following plan to attend our 2023 event.

Our model display room will have plenty of tables. Over 500 models were displayed at the 2019 RPM-East. Bring your latest efforts and works-in-progress to share with others.

Click here for a model display cards PDF file so you can write up your model details. There are four cards to a sheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blenko's Conrail Pittsburgh Mainline features mainline action and heavy industry customers.
Photo by Andy Blenko.

A busy dispatcher on the Blenko's Conrail Pittsburgh Mainline layout in 2019. Photo by Andy Blenko.

Op Sessions: Nine area layouts will be hosting Thursday operating sessions.

Keith DeVault - B&O Aspen Subdivision
Bob Prehoda - Huntingdon Northern
Frank Coat - PRR Laurel Mountain Division
John Bennett - B&O and Western Maryland
Dave Baker - Cumberland & Lake Erie
Roy Ward - West Virginia Central & Pittsburg
Ken Hanawalt - Turtle Creek Railroad
Don Coulter, Jr. - Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Southern

Turtle Creek owner Ken Hanawalt encourages you to join a Thursday night operating session. These sessions are a great way to discover new friends, learn how a layout owner models history, management, and purpose of a prototype, and have some fun. Sessions are easy going with regular operators assisting visitors.

 

 

Layout Visits: Several area layouts will be open for Sunday self-guided visits.

Keith DeVault - B&O Aspen Subdivision
Bob Prehoda - Huntingdon Northern
Frank Coat - PRR Laurel Mountain Division
John Bennett - B&O and Western Maryland
Dave Baker - Cumberland & Lake Erie
Roy Ward - West Virginia Central & Pittsburg
Ken Hanawalt - Turtle Creek Railroad
Don Coulter, Jr. - Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh Southern
Neal Schorr - Middle Division of the Pennsylvania RR
Dennis Coglianese - Pacific Central

George Bogatiuk of SoundTraxx will hold a product demonstration and Q&A at the McKeesport Model Railroad Club from Noon to 6:00 pm on Sunday. The club will be open to the public and RPM attendees. Our 2,200 sq ft layout will be operating.
2209 Walnut Street McKeesport, PA 15132
Layout photos and videos are posted on our Facebook page.

Justin Mauser displayed several models in 2019, including his N scale Southwest Pennsylvania diesel.

Dave Wilson shared several HO scale steam locomotives inspired by Pittsburgh prototypes. Photo by Larry Linger.

Steve Raith displayed his Riverview Terminal tower in 2019. This was one of many models he brought. Photo by John Albert.

Greg Dizon displayed a variety of HO scale vehicles in 2019. Photo by John Frantz.

Atlantic & Yadkin modeler David Bott displayed his classic caboose at the 2019 RPM-East. Photo by Larry Linger.

Several display models followed prototypes from industrial Pittsburgh. Jack Consoli shared several HO scale models of his efforts in 2019. Photo by John Albert.

Tom Haag displayed a number of HO scale freight cars at the 2019 RPM-East.

Site updated 03/20/2023