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The Pacific Science Center has created two 15-second commercials about the upcoming 4D Model Railroad Show January 15-19. Watch for them on Comcast cable.
And it’s never too late to volunteer to help with the show. Get involved! Email me.
After six years of fantastic service to the Skagit Valley and Whidbey NMRA Clinic, our newsletter editor Al Frasch is stepping down to assume greater responsibilities nationally for OPSIG.
Over the years he has provided us with a very illustrative newsletter and has done a great deal to promote the hobby. Many new members that we have received from the local area over the last few years were due to folks either seeing our newsletter here on the 4D website or at the local hobby shop. We also saw the newsletter grow to not only provide information about our clinics, but also as a medium to showcase much of our member’s progress on layouts and modeling as well as interesting prototype information. Al’s efforts set a very high standard and we were all privileged to have someone so dedicated to the job for so many years. Volunteer efforts like this are what keeps our clubs and clinics going.
We wish Al good luck in his continuing volunteer efforts with OPSIG and always look forward to operating with him on his excellent N scale layout, the “Pilchuck Division of the BNSF.”
Volunteers needed? You bet!
Yes, the Pacific Science Center Show is about two weeks away and we still need volunteers. This is a great way to help the model railroad community as well as helping promote a train show to the greater community of Seattle. As mentioned before, the show is Saturday, January 18 through Monday, January 20 (MLK weekend). We need your assistance on Friday for exhibitor set-up from 5 pm until 9 pm. On Saturday, the show opens at 8:30 and lasts till 6 pm. On Sunday and Monday, the show is from 9 am till 6 pm. After the show Monday, we will remove layouts until 9 pm.
Come join in on the fun. Parking is free for volunteers. There is free access to the PacificScienceCenter, so you can look at all the exhibits and check out Seattlelites in their natural habitat. (Be careful of the ones with moss growing on their backs.) See your fellow modelers struggle with dead sections of track! Be amazed at how slow locomotives move over dirty track! Learn that not all 4 legs of a module are of equal length, even though a tape measure says they are! Observe model railroad cars derail just like real ones!
If you want to help, email me at hi61izq@hotmail.com. Thank you!
The 4th Division Board of Directors has a new member. Congratulations to Stu Rogers who has become a Director following the recent changes in our leadership team. At our November Board meeting, Ken Liesse submitted his resignation. As most of you know, Ken has been attending a very heavy load of classes in GPS technologies. So, Ken will continue to hit the books and some of the rest of the leadership will shift their roles and assume new responsibilities. We thank Ken for his years of service to the Division.
As Assistant Superintendent, I succeed Ken for the balance of Ken’s term through August 2014. Russ’ first official act was to appoint Mike Highsmith to fill the Assistant Superintendent post for a two-year term from last August. That means Stu Rogers comes on to the Board as he was the next highest in votes to Mike in our last election. He will complete Mike’s two-year term which ends in August 2015. Stu will also continue as our Video Librarian, a job he has faithfully fulfilled for many years.
All of these officers will need your full support as the Division moves forward. We have a full plate with the Seattle Center Show in January and the PNR Convention in June. If you want to get more involved, talk to any of these three. They will appreciate it.
Did that get your attention? If so, this is a formal invitation to come and be a part of the Pacific Science Center train show.
We need volunteers to assist all days the show is in operation. Yes, that includes Friday evening. Any or all help will be greatly appreciated. Friday night we need help with load in of the layouts, including door monitoring, guest check-in for badges, and parking check-in. Saturday and Sunday we need folks to help give some exhibitors bathroom and lunch breaks. Many layouts are a group effort but several layouts have only a single person for operation. I admire those folks that are single operators of layouts. Give them a break and come join in on the fun. Think of it, would you want to run a train layout for three days without a bathroom break?
During Saturday, Sunday, and Monday the Break Room needs to be monitored and help will be required for exhibitor Check-In. Monday will require even more help because all the layouts will need to be broken down and packed up that evening after the days show. The more people that we have helping out the easier it will be and the faster things will go!
There will be script to cover parking. I suggest carpooling just to make life a little easier.
The Pacific Science Center train show is the 4D’s greatest financial contributor. It is probably the most attended show in the Seattle area. Last year we had over 14,000 people come and see the trains run at the show. That is a tremendous amount of exposure to the general public. I bet we got more exposure to the public than Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus would get if they visited Seattle! (Well, okay, maybe not Miley…)
Anyway, don’t feel shy about volunteering. The PacificScienceCenter train show is a great way to get involved and be an active part of the NMRA. Contact me at hi61izq@hotmail.com or 425-226-7518 (evenings). Thank you.
Oh, yeah: the disclaimer:
*Jeff Moorman will provide Z-scale canned beer! (Z-scale can openers not provided.)
Remember: this Thursday, December 19, at 7:30 pm, is the Eastside clinic’s annual “Dirty Santa” Christmas Party at the Bellevue Foursquare Church.
Don’t miss your opportunity to get a special railroad gift. Or not. Or the opportunity to take a unique gift from one of your fellow modelers. That is one of the rules for our annual gift exchange. The others will be explained at the meeting.
BRING A GIFT: In order to participate in the gift exchange, you only need bring a gift. It must be wrapped AND have the scale or gauge written on the outside. That’s it. Of course, “white elephant” gifts are also welcomed. Just kidding, but some do show up. What a fun evening to spend with each other.
DONATION: If you have not had the opportunity to make a donation to our annual collection for the benefit of a church member or two in need , you may bring your donation to the meeting. So far we have collected $599. Thanks to all of you for your generosity.
MORE: Of course CJ will bring Christmas donuts to go with the free Christmas coffee, Clay will be there to greet you, Stu may bring the library, and we’ll have a model of the month competition to see who goes first for the gifts. Maybe even some stuff for sale. See you there.
Dear Lee:
Last summer it seemed like a good idea to bring water from the outdoor standpipe into the barn where we could hook up a hose to reach the stalls. Much more convenient.
So I did.
Fed the feed line from the well through the footing/foundation wall into a stall, across the stall wall, into the center aisle to a spigot and hose. Always enjoy jack-hammering through concrete walls. Wonder what other people do for fun afternoons.
Doctor says cement flake in left eye will work itself out eventually.
Protected total run of new pipe from investigating horses with much stout lumber and screws. Not the horses, the pipe.
Wrapped all new pipe in heat tape. Plugged in heat tape about a week ago.
Didn’t notice horse had kicked plug out of socket several days ago. Or was it nights?
Amazed to see how large a lake that a day and night of free running broken pipe can deliver. Neighbor was amazed, too, when he saw his lawn and his RV inundated with ice. Thought it looked quite beautiful. Still do.
Discovered that neighbor’s sense of humor is considerably smaller than I had always assumed. Same to you, Bob!
Thought of you and guests running trains in nice warm basement while I knelt in ditch bailing water for two hours until I could cut in an emergency shut-off valve in feed line from well.
Artist’s Interpretation
Chuckled to myself when I noticed that 3/4″ valve from Home Depot didn’t fit 3/4″ line.
Enjoyed yard decorations on return trip to Home Depot. Smiled cheerfully to clerks commenting about returning so soon and possible discount for multiple trips. Great kidders.
Helpfully informed clerk who sold me incorrect valve how I could help him save money on his next colonoscopy. Can’t be too thrifty these days.
Installed shut-off valve with super fast-setting PVC cement. Great stuff. I hear that nail polish will separate thumb from eyebrow.
Opened valve, cut well pump back in, let pipe run clean, shut off valve. Pleased to see valve hold back water flow. End of adventure.
Will tear apart enclosure and repair rupture when freezing weather passes.
Will administer stern lecture to horses about stepping on cords.
Will administer similar lecture to Mary about monitoring her barn.
Me Tarzan. You Jane. Me build. You monitor.
Response from horses: “Yeah, right.”
Response from spouse: “Yeah, right.”
Enjoyed yet another chuckle after putting tools away and grasping gate with wet glove hand. I was never stupid enough as a kid to put my tongue on a frozen gate. Now, a wet glove…
Couldn’t believe how amusing I must have looked as I attempted to crack loose Levi legs frozen from thighs down. Could have sworn that Bob could have heard my cries for help. Response time from house not as rapid as your typical 911 call, but not bad. Same to you, Bob.
Well, Lee, I’m leaving out a lot of the more amusing parts, such as how the hot towel I wanted to wrap my hands in caught fire in the microwave oven (note to self: 90 seconds is about it) and how we all chuckled one more time as I tried to squat over the edge of the tub while Mary poured hot water onto the thighs of my frozen Levis. On the whole, it would have worked rather better if we had removed the cat form the tub first. (Note to self: next time wear thermal pants for outdoor jobs in freezing weather.) (Note to cat: how many times do I have go tell you not to play with spiders in the tub?)
And that’s why I missed the train meeting at your house this afternoon, Lee.
I hope you’ll invite me again when we’re not having so much fun in the barn.
I just notice Bob doing acrobatic stunts on his sidewalk. Had no idea he had a background in aerial gymnastics. Wait. He seems to be signaling me he’s O. K. Strange use of finger, though. Same to you, Bob!
Jim here.
Thirty-two attended the Eastside Get-Together. We had the normal introductions of JJ’s VIPs and three new attendees introduced: Jack Hunter from Bellevue with American Flyer S gauge; Paul Koren, recently moved from Portland to Mount Vernon, in HO; and Aaron Hunt, getting started in HOn3. Aaron also became a door prize winner later in the meeting!
Announcements included: an update on Pacific Science Center show activities from David Yadock; Rob Jones is now working at Eastside Trains and offers a discount to NMRA members; Russ Segner commented that the 2014 PNR convention already has about 25 registrations, three prototype tours available, and the website up and running, including online registration; Russ also mentioned he was doing a model railroad presentation at the Newcastle Library on this weekend at the request of the library. As new 4D Superintendent, Russ said that he’s looking for way to improve communication among the 4th Division members and is setting up a small committee to look at ways to do it.
As usual at this time of year, the group took up a collection to help repay the Church where we meet for their great hospitality in providing the room and kitchen facilities for us. Our donation goes to help several needy members of the Church, especially at Christmas time.
JJ also reminded us that next month would be the Dirty Santa gift exchange and to bring our “gift” wrapped and marked as to category: N, HO, S, O, any or whatever.
The contest had three entries: David Yadock with a modified HO Proto-Lifelike flat car with a corrugated pipe load made of aluminum foil wrapped around a carriage both and very carefully “unscrewed”; George Chambers with a modified Bachman On3 steam donkey mounted on a modified Rio Grande Models flat car; and Bob Rorabaugh with a UP switcher that needed a lot of work to get it working – hand-made handrails, clean wheels, rewiring, etc. The winner was George Chambers.
David Yaddock’s scratchbuilt freight station
David Yadock also brought in a scratchbuilt freight station model for AP assessment and earned a Merit Award after Di Voss, MMR, and Max Maginness, MMR, evaluated it. Congratulations, David!
Brian Pickering, Decoder Pro Expert
Our clinic was “Decoder Pro How To,” presented by Brian Pickering. He explained that Decoder Pro was a free program designed to take the mystery out of programming decoders. It translates Configuration Variables (CV’s) into English and uses various screens for the programming. An interface box of some kind (depending on your DCC system) is required to connect your computer to your DCC system. He used the example of assigning or changing the address of an engine. Using the computer and projector, we could see the Decoder Pro screen and the ease of making the change. He also demonstrated the changing the direction of the engine in case the wiring on the motor was reversed without having to rewire the engine by letting the decoder handle it. Brian answered any questions as they came up and also showed how the lighting on engines could be programmed using Decoder Pro. He emphasized that once the changes are done on Decoder Pro, they are saved in the program so you always have that record. There was more Brian wanted to demonstrate, but we ran out of time so he will reschedule a date in the next several months to continue.
Door Prizes
Here’s a picture of our door prize selection for the evening. Something for almost anyone!
Next Eastside Get-Together will be on December 19! Don’t forget your “Dirty Santa” gift!
We collect donations at our November meeting to give to needy members of the Church where we meet in recognition of the Church allowing us to use the room at no charge for our monthly clinic meetings, use their kitchen and their donation of coffee and condiments at no charge, and provide a young man to set up the room each meeting with our tables and chairs and then clean the room and return it to a classroom for the school which uses the rooms daily.
Each year we work with the Church to identify a family or an individual who can benefit from a financial boost. The stories we have shared about the amazing things we have been able to do with our modest amount is significant. I’m always asked what is a good amount to donate. Last year, our donations amounted to an average of almost $20 per person who attended the November meeting. It would be meaningful if we could do that again this year. Of course donations are tax deductible and checks can be made payable to Bellevue Foursquare Church. We appreciate your consideration. See you this Thursday for a great DCC clinic and more.
I have been attending model railroad conventions at the division, region, and national level for about 20 years. Obviously, I find something in them or I would not keep going back.
First and foremost are the friends I have made over the years. Convention is our time to catch-up and share experiences. Second is the ability to learn in a very concentrated time period. I go to plenty of local clinics and, as an AP Evaluator, I get to visit a fair number of layouts. At conventions, I get to attend clinics from very knowledgeable people, many of whom I have not previously met, presenting subject matter I always wanted to know more about. I also get a chance to visit local industries and rail facilities as well as some really great layouts.
In the end, in a concentrated period, I spend time with old friends, make new friends, learn more about the hobby, expand my skill set, and get to visit facilities and layouts that I would otherwise never even know existed. How could I pass up that opportunity?
I really would like to see you in Tacoma in June so we can share together. Register now at http://www.PSX2014/