Author: Al Lowe

Al Lowe

We were saddened to learn of the passing on April 8th of local model railroader, magazine publisher, and N scale master, Kirk Reddie.

Kirk grew up and lived in Shoreline, Wash. He began with an American Flyer train set, shifted to HO in eighth grade, but switched again to N scale in 1975 after reading Jim Hediger’s article “The NTRAK Story.”

Kirk published N Scale Railroading magazine from September 2000 through January 2020, after which it continued as a free bi-monthly downloadable PDF until October 2022. It had subscribers all over the world. He knew N scalers everywhere! Kirk was fortunate to combine his two life passions: writing and model railroading.

Kirk’s home layout, the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound, was housed in a 9,200 sq. ft. building and was the subject of many articles in N Scale Railroading. It was featured in the November 2022 issue of Model Railroader. Set in the Pacific Northwest, circa 1950, the layout modeled five railroads (Great Northern; Milwaukee Road; Northern Pacific; Pacific Coast RR; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Tacoma Belt Line; and Union Pacific) between Argo Junction and Black River Junction, south of Seattle.

Kirk attended Shoreline High School and the University of Washington, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, his CPA license, and later a master’s in business. Kirk loved to learn and excelled in school. In high school, he was an Honor Society member, a wrestler, and a trumpeter and drum major in the band. Kirk also played in the UW Marching Band and inspired those around him to share their talents. He said, “Hobbies are great in many ways; in one sense, they don’t matter and in another, they reflect who we aspire to be.”

Kirk Reddie passed peacefully at Northwest Hospital on April 8, 2024. He will be deeply missed. Per his request, there will be no services, but a celebration of life will be held this spring. Donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or to your local food bank. Arrangements: Beck’s Funeral Home, Edmonds (425) 771-1234.

4D members are invited to leave comments about Kirk below.

Cody Grivno’s obituary of Kirk in Model Railroader magazine is available here:
https://www.trains.com/mrr/news-reviews/news/in-memoriam-kirk-reddie

The northbound Milwaukee Road Olympian Hiawatha passes
Boeing Field on Kirk’s Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound. 
Kirk Reddie photo

Kevin Klettke

Hello Model Railroaders!

Our April 2024 Tacoma clinic will be this Thursday, April 11th at 7:00 PM. It will again follow the hybrid format with both in-person and virtual structure. Join us in-person at 9402 47th St. W, University Place, WA. If you can’t make it person, join us virtually on Zoom.

This month I will be digging into the archives to present a clinic I first put together and was published in Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine in 2010, entitled “Weathering Scrap Gondolas.” This clinic focuses on modeling the most abused of freight cars, with particular attention to the empty interior. This method produces great results, is easy, and pretty much impossible to screw up.

Attendees are encouraged to participate in the Bring and Brag portion of the meeting both in-person and virtually. I hope you can join us!

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4dpnrOrganizer Tacoma is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: April 2024 4D Tacoma Clinic
Time: Apr 11, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87652192617?pwd=6nisCSGBI8l3kHpLSZI9IaGxI4qpEP.1

Meeting ID: 876 5219 2617
Passcode: 478064

Al Lowe

I apologize to both candidates for Superintendent but evidently I pasted the same paragraph into both Details. The actual, correct bios are in the previous Grab Iron post. Sorry, Mike(s)!

Bob Kenworthy

Your Nominating Committee has completed its work and we’re proud to announce that we have two candidates for the office of Superintendent (Mike Slease and Mike Stepner) and one candidate for the open Board of Directors position (Ed Ives).

Our election will again be held via ElectionBuddy. You should have received an email notice with your electronic ballot.

Besides the election of officers, the 4D Board of Directors would like to change our Bylaws so we have five Directors instead of three so we can provide members with more opportunity to participate in 4D leadership. The current policy and the proposed policy are shown below, with the only changes shown in boldface italic type.

If you have questions, contact Bob Kenworthy, bkenworthy4@comcast.net.

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Candidates for Superintendent

Mike Stepner

I have been an NMRA member since about 2008 when I belonged to the Denver Area N Scalers. I was a volunteer at the Colorado Railroad Museum from 2007–2010. When I moved to Washington in 2010, I joined the 4dNTRAK group (2010–2012). I was a member (2012–2018) and president (2016–2018) of the 4D OmniRail group and currently belong to 4D Freemo HO group (2023–current). I have also belonged to some non-NMRA clubs over the years, including the PSMRE (2022–current) at the Washington State History Museum. I helped with the 2014 and 2023 PNR conventions, contest room and layout tour committees, and other things here and there. I have modeled almost continuously for about 45 years. I model in N, HO (currently) and On30 and working on a Z scale layout for my wife.

Mike Slease

I have been actively involved in the NMRA and the 4th Division since 2002. My primary focus has been with the 4D HO Modular Group, which I led for 5 years. In my professional life, I’m the owner of a small printing and sign-making business. I don’t claim any special knowledge that would make me the best choice for Superintendent of the Division, but I am willing to do all I can to make this amazing hobby of ours as much fun as possible for all the 4D members.

Candidate for Director

Ed Ives

I have held a position as Board of Director for several years and am open for reelection again this year. The past pandemic forced change in what the 4D does and how we do it. The question is: what should we do now? The Board has been and will continue to be working on that over the next years. I wish to be part of that effort. Another wish of mine is that there will be more of you 40-, 50- and 60-year-olds joining the Board, replacing us gray hairs and no hairs, to lead us into the future.

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ByLaws Changes

(Existing Wording)

Article IV

Officers and Directors

2. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers and directors of the Division.

a. The officers of the Division shall consist of a Superintendent, an Assistant Superintendent, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

(1) The Superintendent and Assistant shall be determined by popular election by the Division members.

(2) The Secretary and Treasurer shall be appointed by the Superintendent and approved by majority vote of the Board of Directors.

b. There shall be three directors elected at large by the Division members.

3. Officers and directors shall each serve a term of 2 years.

a. The Superintendent and one director shall be elected in even-numbered years.

b. The Assistant Superintendent and two directors shall be elected in odd-numbered years.

c. All elected terms of office shall run from September 1 to August 31.

d. The Secretary and Treasurer will serve terms concurrent with that of the Superintendent.

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(Proposed Wording)

Article IV

Officers and Directors

2. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers and directors of the Division.

a. The officers of the Division shall consist of a Superintendent, an Assistant Superintendent, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

(1) The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent shall be determined by popular election by the Division members.

(2) The Secretary and Treasurer shall be appointed by the Superintendent and approved by majority vote of the Board of Directors.

b. There shall five directors elected at large by the Division members.

3. Officers and directors shall each serve a term of 2 years.

a. The Superintendent and two directors shall be elected in even-numbered years.

b. The Assistant Superintendent and three directors shall be elected in odd-numbered years.

c. All elected terms of office shall run from September 1 to August 31.

d. The Secretary and Treasurer will serve terms concurrent with that of the Superintendent.

Al Lowe

The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad is starting a new train show called Trucks and Trains, Dollhouses and Planes Show, on Labor Day weekend, August 31–September 1, 2024, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Setup is Friday, August 30.

The indoor/outdoor event will take place on the campus, football field and surrounding streets of Eatonville High School, 302 Mashell Ave N, Eatonville, WA 98328. Layouts will be in the gymnasium and commons areas.

Exhibits will include vendors, antique trucks, planes from the Eatonville Airport, an 1896 Satsop steam engine, radio controlled plane exhibitions, food trucks, bouncy houses and other activities for the kids. Inside exhibits will include model train layouts, dollhouses, airplane models, and vehicle models.

More information is available at www.WFIM.org/train-show. Questions? Contact Betty Nokes, 253-222-4935, bwnokes@gmail.com

By Al Lowe

I saw this on Facebook marketplace. I have no knowledge of it, other than it might be of interest to someone who reads the Grab Iron. Contact Tom here.

Dennis Terpstra

Jeff Moorman passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 9, 2023, in his home in Ferndale, WA. He had recently celebrated his 75^th birthday.

Jeff was a friend to many within the Fourth Division. He was the leader of the Seattle-North Clinic. He was co-leader of the Pacific Center Science Train Show for more than thirty years. He was the 2007 recipient of the 4D Golden Grab Iron Award. We will always remember Jeff with his positive attitude and vibrant personality. For the last few years, he was a member of the 4D-NTrak Modular group. Jeff was a great gentleman to all.

Jeff’s participation in the 4D began before 1990. He served as the first 4D modular program coordinator for many years. He, along with Frank Dekker, Co-Chaired the Pacific Science Center Train Show from 1998 until 2017, with his last seven years Co-Chairing with David Yaddock.

Jeff was instrumental in getting me involved in 4D initially as a volunteer at the Pacific Science Center show and then with me helping him in the Seattle-North clinic. He traveled with me to two National NMRA conventions, the last in Salt Lake City in 2019. He was always helpful in answering my many railroad questions – some more than once. We were good friends and got along well together.

Jeff will truly be missed.

His obituary is here.

By Alan Carter

Our 2023-2024 shift is just starting. The first Open House of the season is coming next Saturday, September 9th. We will be opening the doors for the new season, so join us at the Whatcom Skagit Model Railroad Club on September 9, 2023 from 11 am to 3 pm. Bring the kids, the grandparents, your friends, your family, your boss, and your neighbor to experience the wonder that is model railroading. Come see the trains at the Whatcom Skagit Model Railroad Club this Saturday and every second Saturday until May 2024.

Check out the N Scale and HO Scale layouts. Suggested donations are $3 per person or $5 per family.

Below is a preview video of all the fun at WSMR.

More information is available here.

Dan Peters

Just a reminder to you, that the annual meeting of the Hi-Railers will take place on Saturday June 17th, 2023. For this special event, all NMRA members are also invited, to participate in the Special Event Steam Train Ride to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Northern Pacific. Northern Pacific steam engine 924 only runs three to five weekends a year, and we have scheduled our event to take part in this rare treat.

The Northern Pacific calls itself the second transcontinental railroad, and the first Northern transcontinental. It started service to Tacoma in 1873 using borrowed tracks through Oregon, but it didn’t complete its own main line until 1883.

Steam engine Northern Pacific 924 was built in 1899, for work on the waterfront yard in Duluth MN. It later moved to the Puget Sound area, where it worked the yards around Tacoma and Seattle until 1923. Sold to Inland Empire Paper Co, it continued working until retired in 1960. After rusting away in a park, it was completely restored from 2015 to 2021 by Northwest Railway Museum, where it now serves as “The Pride Of The Fleet.”

Our special excursion has some special rules, so that we can enjoy the sights and sounds of a Steam Engine in action, while the Northwest Railway Museum does not offer “reserved seating” on their trains.

We will depart from the station at the Railway History Center (RHC) yard on Stone Quarry Road at 10:00 a.m. This station is not on the public timetable, only the employee timetable; but it will permit us to take our seats in SP&S coach 213 right behind the steam engine, before the public boards at North Bend. There is no ticket agent at the RHC station, so it is imperative that you buy your ticket in advance at the trainmuseum.org web site. ( Refer to the “Grab Iron” post of April 18th.) Print out your ticket in advance or save it to your phone, the train conductor will “punch your ticket” when you board.

There is parking in the lot adjacent to the yard tracks. Overflow parking is on the shoulder on the north side of Stone Quarry Road – the shoulder is narrow, so take care not to obstruct traffic – or in front of the landscaping business to the west of the yard – they’re closed on Saturday, but still don’t block their driveways.

Remember from the 19th Century, when “the trains run on time?” Don’t be late. There’s plenty to see before departure. The engine crew starts firing up the steam engine at 6:30 a.m., and starts switching the passenger train around 9:00. Remember “Safety First” — keep off the tracks, keep your eyes open, and watch your kids. Our train ride will conclude around 11:35, followed by our picnic in the picnic grove, extended tours of the Train Shed Museum building, a short business meeting, train watching, and photography of steam run-bys until 5:00 p.m. There is no food service nearby the museum, so bring your lunch. As usual on railroad property, Rule G is in effect.

A final word to anybody who feels the urge to run, build, or work on “real” trains. The museum is always looking for volunteers, both on the train crew and the Restoration Workshop. Contact Emily B, the volunteer coordinator, for information or to sign up at Emily@TrainMuseum.org or 425-888-3030x7203

Al Lowe

The results are in and, no surprise, all three of our 2023 candidates won!

So congratulations to Assistant Superintendent Bob Kenworthy and Board of Directors members Lee Marsh and Dennis Terpstra.

We had a 23% voting rate; not bad, considering that no one ran opposed.