Author: Rich Blake

Article and Photos by Rich Thom

Clinic Chair Rich Blake welcomed the 25 folks who gathered at our Oak Harbor venue for the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic’s March meeting.  General announcements were brief other than to bid adieu to long-time member Al Frasch, whose n-scale Pilchuck Division of the BNSF brought hundreds of model railroaders to Whidbey Island for operating sessions.  Your reporter wishes to correct his error in last month’s report, in which he stated that Al hosted 50-plus op sessions.  Al’s final session, on March 10^th, was in fact the one-hundredth!  With anywhere between 11 and 16 crew, readers can do the math: a huge number of model railroaders enjoyed his creation.  Modest as always, Al reminded the group that he wasn’t dying, just moving to Arizona.  Rich and Program Chair Susan Gonzales reminded all that this was our last meeting at the Oak Harbor venue this season; our April meeting will be a joint one with the Mount Vernon clinic at their meeting place, and the May meeting a field trip at the Lake Whatcom Railway in Wickersham.

Your reporter Rich Thom provided the entertainment this evening, a change of pace from modeling and a look at some 1:1 scale railroading.  The title “The Very Last Steam in the World” may seem a brash claim since there are hundreds of tourist steam operations around the globe, and even a few outbacks where revenue, non-tourist steam trains remain in action.  So let’s clarify.  Featured in the 45-minute video were: (1) the last open-cast coal mine worked by a large, 100-percent steam fleet; (2) the last steel mill entirely steam-worked; (3) the last steam commuter railroad; and (4) the last long-distance steam main line.  If you haven’t guessed, all of these “lasts” were in the Peoples Republic of China.  Rich made 13 trips there between 1995 and 2007 to capture on film (and tape) this last Big Steam Show.

Fig 1. The open cast coal mine at JaLaiNur, Inner Mongolia.

We’ll include just a couple of stills here to give a flavor of the video.  Several open-cast (sometimes called open-pit or open-cut) coal mines operated in China using rail systems rather than trucks.  Although many used electric locomotives, some used steam traction, even into the 21^st century; one even survives to this day in SanDaoLing in China’s far west.  The granddaddy of them all, though, was the mine at JaLaiNur, just a few miles from the Russian border in the far north of Inner Mongolia.  This enormous pit (Fig 1) was worked by a fleet of no fewer than 54 Class SY 2-8-2 locos, a design optimized for industrial railways and the very last steamers to be built in China (a handful were even built in the early 2000’s).  In JaLaiNur’s heyday one could see up to 25 SY’s working in and around the pit at the same time.  In the photo, trains of side-dump hoppers at the lower right are being loaded at the coal face, where the seam has been newly exposed, which will then climb out of the pit on a dizzying array of switchbacks to a washing plant at the top of the pit.  Other trains are hauling out the spoil, or waste rock, to spoil dumps around the pit’s perimeter.

Fig 2. An SY Class 2-8-2 at AnShan Iron and Steel.

China’s steel mills also had large stables of SY-class (and earlier 2-6-2’s and even American-built tank engines) and the go-to mill for steam enthusiasts was AnShan Iron and Steel’s vast complex in LiaoNing Province.  Producing over 17.5 million tons of steel each year (then, a high output), this integrated steel mill—raw materials in, steel out—relied on over 100 steam locomotives to move the incoming materials to its blast furnaces, as well as the outputs of molten metal to the rolling mills and slag to the slag dumps.  In Fig 2 is one of the dozens of locos on duty each day, this one the “pride of the shed”, an SY emblazoned with a congratulatory slogan around the smokebox door, and on the cab sides ahead of the number plate, a Red Flag.  Both denote something laudable, such as minimal coal use by the loco’s crew.  The “Red Flag” award was launched by none other than Mao Zedong himself.

Whereas the SY-class was built for industry—including for example a slope-backed tender for frequent tender-first runs—the final location in the video highlighted China’s largest and most modern main line steamers: the Class QJ 2-10-2’s.  The last long-distance run for steam anywhere in the world was on the Ji-Tong line, a 695 mile long, single-track line built to bypass BeiJing’s rail traffic congestion, completed in 1995.  A railroad built for steam operation in 1995 was astonishing enough, but it also featured a 28-mile climb which became known to enthusiasts as simply “JingPeng”—a tortuous pass requiring three full horseshoe curves and one high viaduct which spanned no less than a full 90 degrees to surmount.  Almost every train required a pair of QJ’s.  Rich filmed the Ji-Tong for several years until it finally dieselized in 2005.

Fig 3. An HO model by Bachmann of a QJ Class 2-10-2.

Well-known manufacturer Bachmann also produces a line of Chinese models, but they are hard to find in the US.  Rich brought in a pair of these models, an SY and (Fig 3) a QJ.  Although the largest in China, the QJ’s would be considered “light” Santa-Fe class locomotives: about 240 tons compared to 350 tons for Santa Fe’s 3800-class for example.  Nonetheless, they put on quite a show: the “last” in China, and the last main line steam runs anywhere in the world.

Rich Thom

By Rich Thom

Twenty-four modelers gathered in Oak Harbor for the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic’s February meeting, including guests Jan Clarke (spouse of locomotive-rebuilding wizard Dave); Dale Bearden, from our “sister” Mt. Vernon Clinic; and—all the way from Olympia—well-known 4^th-Division modelers Greg Wright and Jim Younkins.  Clinic Chair Rich Blake congratulated member Mark Malmkar for earning his NMRA MMR (no. 604) joining Jack Tingstad and other MMR’s in our area.  Program Chair Susan Gonzales appealed to all that she needs ideas for future clinics.  Susan added that our private visit to the Lake Whatcom Railway, in Wickersham, WA, has been delayed slightly due to downed trees on the property, but is now targeted for Saturday, May 19^th.  Both our clinic group and Mt. Vernon’s are invited, and the railroad won’t be open to the public during our visit.

Golden Grab Iron Service Awardee – Al Frasch

Jim Younkins (left) presents Al Frasch with the Golden Grab-Iron Award for 2017.

As most everyone around the 4^th Division (and beyond) knows by now, Whidbey Island’s own Al Frasch has decided to move to a warmer clime (near Tucson, AZ).  Al has done much to put Whidbey “on the map” so to speak, and due largely to his networking and writing skills (for example, his newsletter for the SV&W clinic), has helped our clinic, and the spun-off Mt. Vernon clinic, grow into a vibrant pair of groups with regular combined attendance of over forty modelers.  Al also spearheaded the movement towards “ops” in our area, personally forging layout owner and op session relationships from Sequim to Olympia and most everywhere in between, as well as the entire West Coast and British Columbia, too; he also serves as an official in the OpSig organization.  In recognition of this and more, Al was presented the NMRA 4^th Division Golden Grab Iron Service Award.

Al Frasch’s N-Scale Pilchuck Division of the BNSF.

Al’s championing of ops in the region was “by example”: his n-scale Pilchuck Division of the BNSF is widely-known.  The shot above shows just one detail of the double-level railroad, which models the Seattle-to-Vancouver B.C. main line, with New Westminster (lower level) and Stanwood above on the upper level.  (edit: See Model Railroad Hobbyist Issue 17 July 2011 for a full on-line article of this great layout).  If your reporter has his numbers right, Al has hosted over 50 op sessions since the Pilchuck Division began, which translates to somewhere north of 750 or more happy crew members over the years.  On a personal note, your reporter loved dispatching this railroad—and will miss it.  Thanks, Al, for all those fun hours, but the half-mile long coal train won’t be missed.  After Soundrail 2018 (next month), the Pilchuck Division will be dismantled and rolling stock, some buildings and track moved to Arizona where a new railroad will appear—knowing Al’s pace—in a few months.

Former Golden Grab Iron recipients, Jim Younkins, Ted Becker and Greg Wright presenting Al Frasch with the 2017 Golden Grab Iron award.

These guys have driven a long way from the mainland to honor Al: Jim Younkins, left; and Ted Becker and Greg Wright, right.  Jim pointed out in his remarks that among the many mutual ops arrangements, Al started WOW (Weekend on Whidbey) where, for several years running, Olympia-area folks have traveled north once a year to crew on island layouts.

Ted’s Potpourri

Ted Becker digs into his “Tub of Tricks”

Ted Becker followed with the evening’s program, “Potpourri,” alternatively Ted’s “Tub of Tricks” and various other catchy titles.  The idea: Show “stuff” very useful for our hobby but not from the train store (such as that remains) or even on-line model railroad suppliers.  The items in Ted’s tub are from craft, fabric and tool stores—even Dollar Tree—with emphasis on “cheap.”  Not “inexpensive” Ted emphasized, just plain old cheap.

Ted has presented this clinic elsewhere, and it may be coming soon to yours, so this reporter won’t spoil the fun by listing all the items—and Ted passes out a list for you to take with you.  Ted pulled about one hundred items out of his tub, such as, in above, a make-up brush.  (Buy your own, don’t “borrow.”)  Ted said his clinic was a success if each of us picked up at least one fresh idea for a cheap modeling aid.  With that criterion, your reporter was overwhelmed, taking away dozens of ideas, from gun swabs (superior to Q-tips) to Dappen dishes to a Japanese saw (“Bear Saw”) cutting on the pull-stroke.  Presented with much dry humor, a very useful clinic indeed.

The Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic kicked off the season on 13 September at the Summerhill venue in Oak Harbor led by Clinic Chair, Rich Blake. Seventeen folks were in attendance breaking their long dry spell of summer activities and looking forward to a productive model railroading season.  The guest speaker for this clinic was 4^th Division Superintendent Russ Segner who graciously made the trip up from the East Side.

Russ’ visit was twofold, not only to provide a presentation for us on the recent National Narrow Gauge Convention but also to officially award our own Jack Tingstad with his NMRA Master Model Railroader Certificate.  Jack achieved all the requirements for MMR this year and has been certified as MMR #591.

Jack Tingstad MMR #591 receiving his certificate from PNR 4D Superintendent Russ Segner.

Jack is the owner/trainmaster/superintendent of the HO scale “Cloud City and Western” layout located at his home in Coupeville, WA.  A nice article on his highly detailed finescale layout is located in the May 2011 issue of the Model Railroad Hobbyist E-Magazine.

After the awards presentation, Jack took the time to recognize several local clinic members that provided inspiration and assistance in his MMR achievement.  This was a nice gesture to exemplify the fact that we all work together to enjoy and accomplish our aspirations in the hobby.  Jack is an outstanding representative of the hobby and truly deserves this prestigious achievement.  Well done!

Russ Segner talking about the sights and sounds of the 37th National Narrow Gauge Convention in Denver Colorado.

We then gave the floor to Russ to present his slides and trip report from the 37^th National Narrow Gauge Convention held on Aug 30th to Sep 2nd in Denver Colorado.  He started by showing some videos and talking about his visit and train ride on the Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge running out of Chama New Mexico.

The scenery and well maintained locomotives were spectacular, his videos showed why this line should certainly be on everyone’s bucket list to visit. There is nothing on earth like a steam locomotive rumbling and hissing along the track, especially when it is a big outside frame K-36 Mikado.  Russ was not the only PNW guy there and was able to charter a coach for the train ride with about 20 other NNGC participants from the PNW region.  The group was also treated to a shop tour with Stathi Pappas who many may know as the former Chief Mechanical Officer of both the Mount Rainier Scenic Railway and the Northwest Railway Museum Snoqualmie.  Stathi now heads the equipment restoration efforts at the Cumbres and Toltec.

1:1 Scale #487 K-36 outside frame Mikado now running on the Cumbres and Toltec.

We then saw some photos of the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greely Colorado and also Harry Brunk’s restored Hon3 Colorado and Southern layout at the Union Pacific Depot Museum in Cheyenne Wyoming.  Harry Brunk was a frequent contributor to the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette for many years detailing his layout building adventures.   He is naturally compared to John Allen in that he devoted every inch of real estate and every minute of time to model railroading producing very realistic and detailed scenes.

Russ then showed and described many of the layouts that were visited as part of the convention.  Unlike the NMRA National Conventions, the NNGC shuts down the exhibit and vendor areas during the “tour” times.  This ensures everyone has a chance (including the vendors and exhibitors) to go see layouts without the pressure of possibly missing something else going on at the convention venue. The layouts shown included everything from Fn3 (1:20.3) all the way down to a miniscule Nn3 scale logging layout.  He also showed some of the contest models and modules which were all highly detailed.

One of the things that these conventions are famous for are the very interesting clinics presented by some of the best modelers and railroad historians in the world.  Russ talked about some of the clinics and showed some pictures of a particularly interesting one on structure building using traditional materials like strip wood and paper to make contest winning type models (what? People still do that?).  In the world of laser cut this and 3d printed that it is sometimes refreshing to see modelers who can still execute traditional craftsman skills to a high contest winning standard with just basic materials and tools.

Craftsman scratchbuilding clinic examples from the NNGC.

Although narrow gaugers are still somewhat of a minority in the hobby, their modeling skill and layouts are certainly a major inspiration for any type of modeler.  Russ’ presentation was a fine tribute to the fine modeling going on in the narrow gauge world and was enjoyed by everyone.  The National Narrow Gauge Convention happens every year in different parts of the country.  It should be on any model railroaders list of things to do at least once, twice or several times in their lifetime.  The next one is in Minneapolis 2018 and after that in Sacramento 2019.   A mostly full list with links to future and previous National Narrow Gauge Conventions is located here.