Al Babinsky / photos by Al Babinsky

MMR Gene Swanson opened the clinic with 45 attendees including several newcomers and a couple of youngsters. Dale Kraus reminded everyone that his hobby store is closing on June 15th and items are selling fast. If you see something, you better buy it, as it may be gone when you come back. Since the May Grab Iron was not out yet, there were no announcements to be made.

“What’s New at the Hobby Shop” was presented by Bill from Tacoma Trains and included a number of buildings, building kits, and prefab kits from Lionel and Woodland Scenics, rolling stock, motive power, and people to populate your layout.

In the “Bring and Brag” (model of the month) category, we had a number of items including a Bantam hydrocal and laser-cut wood kit; an N scale freight train; a building kit modified into a hunters’ cabin; a couple of gondolas weathered with rust by filling the gondola with water and adding rusty scraps of iron and some salt; a depressed-center flatcar with a ship’s propeller load (the propeller being an R/C boat propeller); and our winner: a dock scene diorama.

After the break, MMR Max Maginness and Jim Sabol presented their clinic on yard throat design involving a diode matrix to operate the switch machines. The entrance to the yard has two tracks which need to access all yard tracks. This is done with a double slip switch which can route the trains coming in on either track to any part of the yard. You can have two trains, one on each track, enter the yard together and go to their respective sides, or they can cross over and go to the opposite side of the yard.

After the clinic, Herb Buhl announced the “Model of the Month” winner was Tony Bentley’s dock-side diorama consisting of a scratchbuilt T-shaped dock with code 55 rail track. Tied up to the dock is a tugboat and several fishing boats.

The two attending youngsters won our door prize drawings. It is always nice to see newcomers win, especially young persons.

Our last clinic prior to the summer break will be June 10th, 7:30 PM at our usual location in the Pierce County Library Admin. Bldg. at the corner of 112th Street and Waller Road. I hope to see you there.

Here are all the entries in this month’s MotM: