Category: Olympia Clinic

Robert Grove, Photo by Mer Manson

A tree created by Mer Manson following Walt Huston’s instructions. The penguins invaded after she took the tree home.

26 persons attended our Clinic in March. MMR Walt Huston brought “deciduous tree makin’s” to Olympia so we all could create a tree to take home.

This “Make N Take” used Azalea bush fall clippings as armatures to which we attached Woodland Scenics material of appropriate colors with Tacky Glue. When cutting the Azalea bush, trim it to suit the affect desired for the landscape. Save all the clippings. Big, small, short or tall – most can be used somewhere. Only after the layout scenery is “done” should we throw away leftover material.

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Robert Grove

We hosted 19 attendees in the Thurston County Office Complex in West Olympia. One person was new and one was a returning guest who had attended some clinics in the past.

The “Bring and Brag” included a variety of models and the “Give and Take” (offering items we don’t need / taking home something we can use) included a variety of items again this month.

Our program was a continuation of the theme: “Various Approaches in Developing a Freelance Layout.”

Scott Buckley drew upon the Tehama Valley Railroad he has been creating in his home for this month’s presentation. He used some highly artistic elements via a Microsoft Powerpoint to display his efforts. He showed a picture of a prototype or model railroad that he admires, explaining the key elements in the photograph.

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Robert Grove

The Olympia Clinic continued its January Guest Speaker tradition on the 8^th, a Friday evening with 33 modelers, spouses and friends in attendance.

Our presenter Dave Sprau shared a variety of historical photographs. These he used to describe historical events of “how the railroads were run.” Dave humorously recounted many tales about himself and other Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland & Seattle personnel performing their duties.

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Scott Buckley

Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, April 5 for the 11^th Annual Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour.

There will be at least ten layouts on the tour. Various scale and gauge combinations will be represented, including N, HO, On30 and 3/8n20. Some of the layouts have been featured in national publications and some have been on national convention tours. Most of the layouts are in various stages of construction, which will give you the opportunity to see each builder’s construction methods.

As with previous years, a few layouts will open early and a few will stay open late to give you the opportunity to see as many layouts as possible.

We hope you will take the opportunity to visit our layouts. As I say every year, there aren’t many chances to see so many layouts in one day without attending a convention.

Additional information will be provided in early March. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please contact Scott Buckley.

Story and Photos by Jim Sabol

Just where you’d expect to find G.O.P.H.E.R.S. On the lawn!

As per tradition, once a year the members of the Olympia monthly get-together become G.O.P.H.E.R.S. (Greater Olympia Prototype History & Engineering Research Society.) In previous years, members and their spouses and friends and grandchildren have journeyed to Longview to visit the inner workings of a paper mill, have traced old logging grade in Thurston County, and have helped fire up the last working narrow gauge locomotive in Washington at DuPont.

Wiener-Tongs Jim and Salad-Spoon Mary wield their BBQ tools

Welcoming several members of the Bellevue and Tacoma clinics to join us in the fun, we chose this year to visit the Ballard Locks to watch BNSF and Amtrak trains traverse the giant ex-GN bascule bridge, and to gaze up-close at the thousands of migrating salmon chased by hungry seals. Also per tradition, Jim and Mary Sabol fired up double grills to serve heaping helpings of humongously tasty kosher hot dogs (“Would you like two or three?”). Pitching in with condiments, salads, desserts, and soft drinks, Carol Beghin, Kathy Halliday, Michael Posner, Sheri Howe, Chuck Ricketts, Jim Elder, Jerry Julian, Jerry Barnes, Wendy Yadock, Linda Stickney, Scott Buckley, Greg Wright, and Ted Egglesgton made sure that no one went hungry. Topping it off, Robert Grove invited us to participate in the nationwide tribute to the late John Allen with ice cream and strawberry topping.

Our locomotive for a day, venerable Ballard Terminal RR #1

Now here’s the rich part: to summon ”our” locomotive after lunch, Jim Sabol simply dialed up the engineer’s cell phone per prior arrangement, and the next sound you hear is the locomotive on its way to a rendezvous with twenty-six well fed and eager model railroaders. (Do not try this at home; we have connections!) For the next two hours we enjoyed taking photos and riding on the Ballard Terminal Railroad, courtesy of General Manager and railfan-friendly Byron Cole. Engineer Aaron Gregory and Conductor Bryan Johnson patiently and safely piloted the ex-Milwaukee SW-1 back and forth from the Locks to the interchange until everyone had enjoyed a trip in the cab or on the “porch” of ancient but still capable diesel locomotive #1. “It’s a muracle!” exclaimed Ted Eggleston.

There’s no such thing as too much modeling fun. Watch the Grab Iron and join us next year! You’d like us. We’d like you.

Holy Tension and Compression, Batman!

Story and Photos by Jim Sabol

Newcomers Fred and Norma Jean Renspies seem glad they came. We hope they come again.

Our host, Scott “2012 4D Golden Grab Iron Service Award Winner” Buckley, welcomed twenty eager modelers and friends to his Tehama Valley RR layout room for May’s get together—in daylight yet! Scott greeted six first-timers including Ron Brown, Mark Clemons, Dean Cody, John Guydish, and the Renspies: Fred and Norma Jean. It was nice to see globe-trotting Jim “nothing small about N scale” Younkins back safely from his trip down under.

Much discussed was the group’s recent field trip on Amtrak to the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club for a day of guest operating on the giant Portland HO layout. Ron “call me coordinator” Bartels did a first rate job of organizing the trip and Jim “Lights! Camera! Action!” Elder shot some great video of trains on the layout

Ted Eggleston and Robert Grove look pleased at being able to find the right PowerPoint buttons.

Clinicians Ted “swipe your martini” Eggleston and Robert “why not model Wyoming?” Grove presented a well-organized and visually arresting program on the nature and location of prominent railroad bridges in the state of Washington. Ted and Robert educated us painlessly on the wide variety and engineering skill evident in our state’s massive railroad bridges—wood, steel, concrete—on both sides of the Cascades.

Jim “hardly ever anything to say” Sabol reviewed the plan for next month’s G.O.P.H.E.R. (Greater Olympia Prototype History & Engineering Research Society) 7^th annual outing on June 22 at the Ballard Locks. Manager Byron Cole should have his Ballard Terminal Railroad ex-Milwaukee EMD SW-1 running for us. Members of other 4D clinics are welcome to attend and get a free hot dog lunch by emailing me.

Once again it was discovered that everyone in attendance held a winning door prize number and carried home some form of loot, from HO cars, to switch machines, to great calendar pictures. “It’s a muracle!” exclaimed an amazed Jerry “I hope I win something good” Barnes.

Greg Wright conducts a mini-clinic on car weathering.

Greg “making it a habit” Wright won most popular model with his 1:32n20″ scale boxcar. This month’s Narrow Gauge Gazette features part one of a series of articles on Greg’s layout open house.

Bonus Report

Here is Greg’s mini-clinic on how he created this nifty little car for his Consolidated Republic Mining Co Railroad:

I built this box car from a Boulder Valley Models On30 kit. I altered the underframe to get the couplers to the correct height and modified the roof to produce a taller car. Otherwise, it was built per the directions.

Boulder Valley Models supplies great painting instructions for replicating metal cars with their kits and on their web site. The car was first painted a rust brown color, then bright silver from a spray can was sprayed at arm’s length to splatter silver spots on the brown. It looks awful but it’s not done yet. Splotch on some rubber cement and let that dry. Then wet one side at a time with water (or saliva, per the BoulderValley instructions) and, using a salt grinder, let the ground salt fall on the wet car side. It will stick when the moisture dries from the side. Repeat on all the other sides.

Greg Wright’s most popular model of the month.

Now paint the car its final color. In about an hour, use masking tape to peel off the rubber cement and salt. Underneath will be combination of rusty and newly-worn bright metal spots. Pick any stubborn rubber cement or salt off with a pointed stick or leave them on for some additional texture where rust is under the paint but hasn’t broken through yet.

Use chalks or weathering powders to adjust any rust or metal spots that seem too regular or out of place. I used Dr. Ben’s weathering solutions on the metal roof.

Part of the crowd frowns at the no-more-Floquil rumor.

Jim Sabol / Photos by Brian Ferris

Hit the Road, Jack!

Brian Ferris and Greg Wright focus on their East Broad Top RR presentation. Click photo to enlarge.

Those Olympia clinicians did it again. Twenty-one attendees barely had time to finish their diet pops and fold their tray tables in the upright position when bam!, off we flew to the Appalachian coal fields of backcountry Pennsylvania, courtesy of PowerPoint pilots and tour guides Brian Ferris and Greg Wright. Whisking us more than three thousand miles across the country by means of their colorful slides and video, Brian and Greg took us on a beautifully photographed visit to the East Broad Top narrow gauge railroad of Orbisonia, PA — and still had us home before midnight. Ideas for modeling scenery, structures, track work, and paint schemes practically flew off the screen into the fertile imaginations of twenty-one happy modelers paying close attention to every railroad-y detail. (Note: if you missed the clinic, click this link for a Google search of the Orbisonia Railroad.)

Host Scott Buckley counts bodies and chairs in his layout room. Click photo to enlarge.

Meeting in gracious host Scott Buckley’s Tumwater home and layout room was a trip in itself. Scott’s TehamaValley pike never fails to inspire visitors with its innovative benchwork, prototypical track plan, efficient valences, and complementary backdrops. What a great place to get together!

Jim Sabol reported that plans are set for the 22 June G.O.P.H.E.R.S. (Greater Olympia Prototype History & Engineering Research Society) annual outing and free hot dog picnic at the Ballard Locks and the Ballard Terminal Railroad. All 4^th Division members are welcome to join us; reserve a hot dog or two by e-mailing jimsabol@msn.com.

Greg Wright won Most Popular Model Of The Month with a kitbashed snow plow for his 1:32n20 (really big models on HO gauge track) Consolidate Republic Mining Company, one more Olympia area layout often featured in national magazines.

We were reminded that next month’s get-together (always on the third Friday of the month) will feature Ted Eggleston and Robert Grove, handsome devils both, taking us on a visual and technical tour of Washington bridges.

Once again, it was discovered that everyone attending held a winning door prize number. “It’s a muracle!” exclaimed George Hansen.

Come and join in the fun. You’ll like us. We’ll like you. We’ll have the light on for you.

Greg Wright’s 1:32n20” scale plow and spreader. Click photo to enlarge.

A few notes about Greg Wright’s 1:32n20 scale plow and spreader:

Starting Point: Bachman On30 flat car; Bachman On30 2-6-0 tender shortened to fit; resin casting spreader plow from an online kit of a 2′ New England area prototype AHM HO snow plow.

Construction Notes: The plow was split down the middle and a section of wood added to the center, shaped and sealed with sanding sealer. The spreader was assembled per the instructions and added to the stock flat car. The heavy timber framework that sits in front of the spreader frame was scratchbuilt to hold the rams connected to the plow blades. The rams were scratchbuilt of brass tubing. Painting with Floquil colors in an airbrush. Weathering done with Dr. Ben’s weathering solutions (an alcohol-based suspension of pigments) and Bragdon weathering powders.