Author: Al Lowe

Al Lowe

This Saturday morning at 10:00 AM the 4th Division will host its annual Spring Meet. This includes our legally required annual meeting for all members, to be hosted by Superintendent Russ Segner.

There will be two clinics, by Gary Jordan and Di Voss, that you won’t want to miss, plus a short speech by 4D member Jim Sabol on “How to Get the Most Out of Being a Model Railroader.”

Burr Stewart will open the meeting around 9:30 for those who like to drink coffee and chat. (Coffee provided by you, at home, of course.) You’ll be home on time – since you’ll never leave home!

Here’s the Zoom information you need to log in. To eliminate zoom-bombers, you will have to be admitted to the meeting so be sure your real first and last names are displayed in Zoom.

See you Saturday!

Topic: 4DPNR Spring Meet 2021

Time: May 22, 2021 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86490912590?pwd=ZGR6OHo0Z1VHRXQzMXQva3MwME1KUT09

Meeting ID: 864 9091 2590

Passcode: 896122

One tap mobile

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Dial by your location

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Meeting ID: 864 9091 2590

Al Lowe

Don’t forget: this Saturday morning, May 22nd, your 4th Division will hold its annual Spring Meet. I hope you can join us. Complete Zoom details are below. This year’s theme is utilizing new technology in our hobby.

Burr Stewart will open the Zoom session at 9:30 AM for chat, help with logging in, and general assistance. Please provide your own coffee and donuts. I may even ask for video evidence!

At 10:00 AM, we’ll begin with a clinic by new MMR #626, Gary Jordan on how he set up operations on his Gilpin Tram Railway during the pandemic using Zoom. Utilizing old cell phones for video, it didn’t cost a lot but allowed operators from across the U.S.

After Gary’s clinic, Superintendent Russ Segner will host our annual 4D business meeting. Since the division is a non-profit, tax law requires us to hold at least one annual meeting. This is it! Russ has some important announcements, including our new social media offering.

Then, MMR #325 Di Voss will show you how he built a virtual Everett & Monte Cristo in Trainz to go along with his “real” E&MC. I’m really looking forward to this one.

Then Russ will present a few awards to deserving 4D members, including the 2021 Golden Grab Iron Award.

Finally, our guest speaker, Jim Sabol, will present “Some Thoughts on the NMRA.”

We should be done around noon; we all know how model railroaders hate to miss a meal!

Here’s the Zoom information you need to log in. To eliminate zoom-bombers, you will have to be admitted to the meeting so be sure your real first and last names are displayed in Zoom

Topic: 4DPNR Spring Meet 2021

Time: May 22, 2021 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86490912590?pwd=ZGR6OHo0Z1VHRXQzMXQva3MwME1KUT09

Meeting ID: 864 9091 2590

Passcode: 896122

One tap mobile

+12532158782,,86490912590# US (Tacoma)

+13462487799,,86490912590# US (Houston)

Dial by your location

        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

        +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

Meeting ID: 864 9091 2590

Al Lowe

Mark 10:00 a.m., May 22nd on your calendar now so you don’t miss this year’s 4D Spring Meet. We will meet via Zoom, right on your computer or phone. We’ll have some important announcements, plus two MMR clinicians and a few surprises.

Di Voss,MMR, NMRA Western District Director

Di will discuss how he created the virtual Everett & Monte Cristo Railway on his computer using Trainz and the various tools and programs needed so you can do the same.

Gary Jordan, MMR, Gilpin Tram Railway

I was tired of operating my layout alone. Burr Stewart had a session with several operators in remote locations. I thought I could do the same thing. He used Zoom and some old cell phones at strategic locations with access to the layout provided by JMRI on each operator’s cell phone throttle and their computer as a Zoom meeting client. I thought, ‘That could work on the Tram!’

Superintendent Russ Segner will announce this year’s Golden Grab Iron winner. We’ll hold our annual business meeting (in merely a few minutes). Jacob Wright will show off the new 4D Facebook page. And much more. How can we pack all this in to a mere two hours? Show up and see!

We will post Zoom access links in the Grab Iron a few days before the meet. We’ll open up at 9:45 for you early birds who love to chat before meetings. But you have to provide your own coffee!

By Al Lowe

The 4D’s annual election of officers ends this Friday evening. You received your ballot via email on April 1. That’s a whole month for you to vote. But time is running out. Please do so.

Remember: voting ends this Friday evening, April 30th, just before midnight. So dig through your old emails, find the one that came just after midnight on April Fool’s Day, open it, click the link inside, and VOTE!

Al

By Al Lowe

The 4th Division’s annual Spring Meet 2021 will be held online on Saturday, May 22 via Zoom.

We have some good clinics planned plus our Annual Meeting of all 4D members, the announcement of the 2021 Golden Grab Iron winner, the introduction of the new 4D MMRs, plus much more. All squeezed into two hours on a Saturday morning — and you don’t even have to leave the house, let alone shave!

Stay tuned to the Grab Iron and Wazz Up! for more information. For now, just add the morning of May 22nd to your calendar. There’s lots more information coming!

Al

posted by Al Lowe

Eric Olsen has an N scale layout available for FREE to a good home. If you’re interested, contact him by email at beakenator@hotmail.com. Here’s his description and photos of it:

I have a small n-scale MRR that began its humble life as an old wooden door.  Overall it is approximately 7’ x 3’ in size and includes block wiring for 2-cab operation.  The track layout features a main station with 3 tracks, a regional station with 2 tracks and a branchline station with a single track.

The MRR structure is notable in that it has a cantilevered fold-up design so that it takes up much less space when not in use.

Features:

• Cantilevered folding table design.  Reduced footprint in erect position.  Safety lock in up position.  Attached legs fold with the table.
• Peco code 80 track with Peco code 80 electrofrog switches
• Tortoise switch machines with frog wiring and 12V DC power supply
• Control panel with block wiring for 2 throttle control
• Parking track (electrical off) for engine shed in main station
• Branch line station also has electrical off switch position for parking a train
• Dual throttle pack included

Size:

• Raised position 3.5’ w x 7’ l x 2’ d
• Lowered track height is 34” so suitable for children

Caveats:

• I disconnected all the switch frogs electrically while trying to track down a short. The wiring is there but the short remains (somewhere)
• The outer track on the double-track end is of marginal quality at the join and should probably be reworked at some point
• Like all MRRs, it’s never been completed but that’s part of the fun

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by Al Lowe

The 4dNTRAK Group will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, August 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. All members are encouraged to log in and anyone interested in joining the group is also encouraged!

Here’s the link to the meeting. See you at 10:00.

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78100140403?pwd=bGMrMU9kQ1YzMExGQ2I2Rmd6M3FnQT09

Meeting ID: 781 0014 0403
Passcode: 5ivcTS

Al Lowe

The 4th Division’s annual Spring Meet and home Layout Tour has been postponed this year due to Covid-19. We will set a date when we know more.

Stay safe!

By Al Lowe

The Fourth Division is pleased to announce that this year’s Spring Meet will be held on May 16–17, 2020. Saturday the 16th will be filled with great clinic sessions at Everett Community College. Sunday the 17th will be Layout Tour Open Houses, where you’ll get to see the great layouts of some local model railroaders.

Full details will be coming soon. For right now, mark the weekend of May 16-17 on your calendar. You won’t want to miss it!

Al