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An Intro to Free-mo Part 2 – Building a Platform for Track and Scenery

Written by Cliff Green
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by Alan Ashton and Frank Wilhelm with contributions by Jerry Barsness and Mike Tietz

Editors note: Welcome to the second article on Free-mo by Alan Ashton. The previous article is available by clicking here, or by filtering with the category “Free-mo”. Alan welcomes discussions and feedback by comments at the bottom of the post or by e-mailing him at inwafreemo@gmail.com. If you’re interested in helping promote Free-mo in the 4th Division (e.g. event notification or writing articles) please contact me at gi_editor@4dpnr.com.

The second installment (in PDF format) of our series on Free-mo is available to read or download by clicking here. In this article we discuss some of the details related to construction of a module. Later, we will cover leg options, electrical connections, command and control, and track planning.

I’ve also created a “module cost estimator” spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) to help you determine what components you will need to build a module. In order to get some data into the worksheet, we are “building” a four foot, two main line module (26″ endplates). The model doesn’t take track or scenery into account but you can add items if you wish.

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Articles, Free-mo

Westside December Clinic is Tuesday the 8th

Written by Cliff Green
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Bill Hupé

The Westside Clinic is tomorrow Tuesday December 8th, 2015. Last month Jack Hamilton presented a clinic on basic wiring.

This month’s clinic: Weathering Rolling Stock. Walt Huston is coming up to present his hands-on clinic on weathering.

This is our White Elephant gift exchange and annual food bank drive. For those of you who are new, our White Elephant exchange consists of you wrapping a model railroading related item for exchange; old or new; useful or not; Give one get one.

As always we will have a “Model Contest” and “Show And Tell.” Coffee and cookies will be provided. Please come and bring a friend.

If you are visiting the first time our clinics are held at the United Way of Kitsap Building in downtown Bremerton (647 4th Street) at 7 pm. Additional details (including a map and contact info) are on the Clinics Page.

Westside Local Clinic

A Narrower View – Helper

Written by Cliff Green
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Syd Schofield

Editors note: Welcome to the tenth article of a series on narrow gauge by Syd Schofield. The previous article is available by clicking here, or by filtering with the category “Narrow Gauge”. Syd welcomes discussions and feedback, which can be made by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of the post.

Some of the terrain crossed by the narrow gauge railroads had easy grades for long distances. Small locomotives (the miniatures previously mentioned) were adequate. However, when push came to shove (or push and shove) was required for a steeper grade, a helper locomotive station was often built. This localized the operation of the enhanced motive power and kept the costs to a minimum as the added fuel and operation was only used briefly. Such was the standard practice that a town in central Utah (Helper, Utah) is actually named for this activity. The grade to the west of town to Soldier Summit is the price (also a nearby town, Price) that the latecomer Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) paid for the otherwise easy route between Grand Junction and Salt Lake City.

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Articles, Narrow Gauge

Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic Nov 2015 Report, BNSF Bellingham Sub Ops

Written by Cliff Green
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Rich Thom / Photos by Rich

The Skagit Valley & Whidbey NMRA Clinic’s meeting on November 11th was attended by 22 regulars and two guests. Guests were Dave Johnson, an Oak Harbor resident and long-time friend of regular Alan Murray, and the evening’s clinician Bob Stafford. In opening remarks, Clinic Chair Rich Blake observed that it was Veteran’s Day and asked: “How many attendees had served?” Many hands went up, to applause and thanks from everyone. Susan Gonzales reported that the October 24th special shop tour and train ride at the Northwest Railway Museum had been enjoyed by 12 clinic members, family and friends (click here to see the previous Grab Iron article). Susan was thanked for making the tour possible, and added that it might be repeated next year. Rich mentioned that a work day is a possibility, too – there’s always plenty of work for volunteers at the NWRM. Finally, longtime clinic participant and modeler Curt Johnson let it slip out that November 11th, meeting night, was his birthday. Accordingly Susan presented Curt a cake, but it was only an inedible, 1:1 scale model of one – a hat, which of course Curt had to don. Moral for SV & W clinic members: don’t reveal your birthday.

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Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic

4D Railroad Video Tapes and Art Prints at BEMRRC Swap Meet

Written by Cliff Green
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Russ Segner

The surplus railroad VHS tapes and digital video discs from the 4th Division Video Library will be available at Saturday’s BEMRRC Swap Meet for a small (nominal) cost. They will be at the membership table. Many are of specialized rail lines and topics. A list of titles is available here (although some of these are already gone).

NMRA members will receive a discount on the videos.

There will also be railroad art prints for sale, some mounted or framed, from a collection recently donated to the 4th Division. Money raised from sales of these items will go into a fund for special projects.

Model Train Show

Training for Christmas, Model Railroading for the Very Young (and Young at Heart)

Written by Cliff Green
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Tom Stephenson

All Things Train – Bridging the Gap Between Toy and Hobby

Training for Christmas Poster

Training for Christmas Poster

This is a free event on Saturday, November 14th from 3 pm to 7 pm at Inglewood Presbyterian Church, 7718 NE 141st Street, Kirkland, WA, 98034 (near St. Edwards Park & Bastyr University). It is of special interest for children age 1 to 11 (or 111). There will be boxes of wooden track for layout building, Lego trains and track, railroad games, and train puzzles. This is an event to introduce model railroading to a new generation in an engaging way.

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Model Train Show

Westside November Clinic is Tuesday the 10th

Written by Cliff Green
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Bill Hupé

This month’s clinic is the first of many designed to help you on your way to being a Master Model Railroader. It will be “Basic Wiring”, lead by Jack Hamilton, MMR.

Please bring a model railroad friend and an item you’ve been working on. As always we will have a “Model Contest” and “Show And Tell.” Coffee and cookies will be provided.

For those visiting the first time our clinics are held at the United Way of Kitsap Building in downtown Bremerton (647 4th Street) at 7 pm. Additional details (including a map and contact info) are on the Clinics Page.

Westside Local Clinic