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New Digital Model Railroad Magazine Trackside Model Railroading

Written by Bob Stafford
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Bob Stafford

There is a new E magazine in town! Trackside Model Railroading

Cover of Trackside Model Railroading Digital Magazine

Trackside Model Railroading Digital Magazine download or view online.

is a digital model railroad magazine, published monthly. Each month on the first, subscribers receive an email containing the links to download the new magazine. There is a choice to download the full size magazine in a zipped file that is intended for desktop computers, and it also includes two images that can be used for your computer desktop. Another option is to view the magazine online with the option to save it to your computer once it opens using the Adobe tools. There are also smaller versions of the magazine formatted for tablets and cell phones.

Each magazine includes two layouts which the staff have visited and photographed extensively. There are about 20-35 images per layout in the magazine, so you get to see many different scenes. You can zoom in on a picture if you wish.

Trackside Model Railroading wants readers to feel that they have experienced a thorough tour of each layout. Accompanying the photographs is an article about each layout and its owner. Whenever possible, high definition video of the trains running on the layout are included. Actual prototypical railroad sounds are dubbed into the video of the models, giving the realism that you are actually railfanning the layout. Several layouts owned by 4th Division PNR members have already been featured in the magazine. Additional 4D PNR member layouts have been visited, photographed and videoed for future articles.

Video links are inside the magazine. As you read a model railroad layout article, you will come across a video capture image which shows a play button. Just click on the picture and the video will launch. This does, however, require that you have an internet connection, as the videos are too large to embed in the magazine.

Each month includes an article instructing the reader how to build or design something relating to modeling. Sometimes these are very specific, and sometimes they are more conceptual in nature. Now and then, extra content like large panoramic images is included within the magazine that you can download and have printed to use as a backdrop on your model train layout.

You can re-access the magazines as many times as you like, and it is fine to download them on your desktop computer as well as a tablet or smartphone if you wish. You can purchase a month here and there for $1.89 or purchase a full year subscription for $14.99, making each month of the magazine just $1.25 per issue. If you have any questions Trackside Model Railroading can be contacted at questions@tsmrr.com.

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OLY-TOUR Model Train Layout Tour May 16, 2015

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Bob Stafford

The 12th annual Olympia Model Railroad Tour, now known as the OLY-TOUR, will be held on Saturday, May 16th. Due to some scheduling conflicts, the tour had to be moved to a later date than originally anticipated.

Chuck Ricketts' SS&S On30 layout during OLY-TOUR 2013.

Chuck Ricketts’ SS&S On30 layout during OLY-TOUR 2013.

OLY-TOUR is an annual event featuring tours of layouts in the Olympia, WA area. The number of layouts hasn’t yet been confirmed, but it will include layouts in N, HO, On30, and 1:32n20. Many of the layouts have been featured in national publications.

Additional details and updates will be included in press releases sent to the 4D Yahoo Group and PNR Yahoo Group and to those on our electronic mailing list. To be included on the list, please send an email to Scott Buckley at sbuckley54@comcast.net. Please be sure to include your full name and the city in which you live. An electronic document that includes layout addresses, viewing times, and other details will be available about two weeks prior to the event. You must email Scott if you would like to receive this.

Brian Ferris layout, OLY-TOUR 2011

John Qualsand (left), Ted Becker (middle) and Laddrick Stafford (right) viewing Brien Ferris’s (behind John) layout during OLY-TOUR 2011.

Layout Tour,

4D PNR Modular Groups Displaying at United Northwest Club’s Model Train Show & Marketplace

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Bob Stafford

The 4th Division, Pacific Northwest Region, National Model Railroad Association will be participating at the United Northwest Club’s 24th Annual Model Train Show and Marketplace Saturday, February 28th and Sunday March 1st. The show is held at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington. The show offers over 50,000 square feet of family fun! Over 250 vender and swap tables. View over 20 layouts of several different scales. Modeling clinics will be offered on both days. Doors open at 10 AM both days. For more information visit http://www.unwclub.org/unwshow.html.

Division-sponsored groups that will be present are The 4th Division HO Modular Group, 4th Division Hi-Rail O Gauge Modular Group, 4dNTRAK Modular Group, and The 4th Division OmNi-Rail Modular Group. The division will also have a membership booth.

The 4th Division HO Modular Group consists of about 20 active members with about 50 modules, a staging yard, and 6 corners. They get together monthly for breakfast. The group sets up its modular layout at about 8 to 9 events annually for charity, community service, 4th Division events, and fundraisers. For more information visit http://www.4dho.com.

The 4th Division Hi-Rail O Gauge Modular Group consists of about 18 members who collect anything from ancient Marx or Ives tinplate to the modern die-cast Lionel and MTH trains of today. The layout is O gauge, 3 rail. Boy do they run trains on it! The Hi-Rail Group has 24 modules, 4 corner modules and 4 yard modules, and the number is growing to build large displays with lots of moving trains. The current capacity of the layout is 4 long moving trains and 3 trolley cars. The group meets periodically as needed for breakfast and to conduct business meetings. The Hi-Rail Group attends 8 to 9 shows a year in the Puget Sound region, from Lynden, Washington to the North, to Portland, Oregon to the South. For more information contact Ed Ives at gresley7@gmail.com.

The 4dNTRAK Modular Group has been displaying modules and running trains for thirteen years. The group started out with four corner modules supplied by the 4th Division. Members have built more than 50 additional modules in the years since. The layout includes a new spectacular yard built in 2013 with 120+ turnouts and the capacity to handle many prototype-length trains! For more information, visit http://www.4dntrak.org.

The fourth and newest 4D PNR sponsored modular group is the OmNi-Rail Modular Group. The group has been running trains now for a bit over 2 years. The 4D PNR financed the construction of the four corner modules. The nine members of the group have built over 20 additional modules for public display layouts. The OmNi-Rail name is to represent “All Encompassing” for N Scale modular design. The intention is to bring NTRAK, Free-moN, and Bent Track to one club, so the design incorporates the best of each. It is also designed to accept older modules from these different disciplines with minor modifications. The design uses a dog-bone linear base design with no bridge tracks and power pole connections. There is also a one track branch line called the OmNi-Branch. The sky is the limit on different module designs. For more information go to http://omni-rail.net.

4D PNR HO Modular Group Layout on display.

4D PNR HO Modular Group Layout on display.

4dNTRAK Modular Group, Grab-Iron, Hi-Railers Report, HO Modular Group, Model Train Show, OmNi-Rail

Nominations Requested for Assistant Superintendent and Director Positions

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 JJ Johnston

The 4th Division, PNR, NMRA Nominating Committee is seeking names of individuals to run for three positions on the Board of Directors. Nominations are for the position of Assistant Superintendent and two Directors positions. All three positions will be for terms of two years each beginning on September 1, 2015. Members can nominate themselves or nominate someone else by contacting JJ Johnston at 425-643-1000 or jj@jtwice.com.

Nominations must be submitted prior to March 1, 2015. A candidate statement should accompany the submittal.

4D PNR NMRA

Nominations now being accepted for Asst. Supt and 2 Directors.

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Tacoma N Scalers

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Bob Stafford, 4D Communications Director

The Tacoma N Scalers meet on the first Thursday of the month at the Fircrest Rec Center, 555 Contra Costa, Fircrest, WA at 7 PM. There is no meeting on January 1st. They will begin 2015 clinics Thursday night February 5th with a clinic titled “What I Got For Christmas and What I Am Going to Do With It”.

The March Clinic will be Thursday night March 5th, “How to Convert to Body Mounted Couplers”. Later in the year there will be clinics on laser structures, electronics, “EZ” trees, setting up operations, and more.

For more information about the activities of the Tacoma N Scalers contact Tom Todd at gntrains@yahoo.com, 360-349-1968, or Kurt Laidlaw at tccrailroad@gmail.com, 253-566-7042.

N scale modeling on Jim Younkins Mud Bay and Southern layout.


N Scale modeling by Jim Younkins. Bob Stafford Photo.

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