Skip to main content

The Footplate – April 2017

Click for larger image

Robin Peel assembles an Sn3 turnout at the Fast Tracks clinic.

 

Three new MMR’s are David Yadock, Dale Kreutzer and Bill Busacca

All our MMR’s in attendance, Max Maginness, Roger Nulton, Chuck Ricketts, Jack Hamilton, David Yadock, Di Voss, Dale Kreutzer, Jim Younkins and Bill Busacca. Congratulations to all of you gentlemen.

Russ Segner

We just had a great weekend at the Bellevue Sheraton. The 4D Spring Meet which is our Annual Meeting was attended by 80 members. Ten clinics included a Make and Take “FastTracks” session with 14 working furiously to finish a hand built turnout.

Paul Rising presented a clinic on backdrop painting.

The Golden Grab Iron Award was presented to Greg Wright. Greg was out of town, so, Jim Younkins accepted the award on his behalf.

Jim Sabol reads citation and Jim Younkins accepts the Golden Grab Iron Award on behalf of Greg Wright

Russ presents the Superintendents Award to Jim Sabol

There were over 80 in attendance to share the clinics, fellowship, a very nice luncheon prepared by the hotel and to enjoy a presentation by Ron Perrone in charge of track construction for Sound Transit and Link Light Rail.

Three candidates for Board positions, Anton Faulk, Robin Peel and Al Lowe were introduced.

We are already planning for next year, probably in the northern part of 4D territory.

Next Saturday is a Board of Directors meeting at MItzel’s in Kent.

Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent

MV/OH May Clinic – A Great Big Deal

Russ Segner

The Mt. Vernon and Oak Harbor clinics are joining forces to bring you the first-ever joint clinic event. This will replace the normally scheduled May clinics at Mt. Vernon and Oak Harbor.

This event will be a “multiple demonstrations” format. Experienced modelers will demonstrate various aspects of model railroading. You will be free to roam and decide which demonstrations to observe and ask questions. Some may offer “hands on” opportunity.

10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the
Mt Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland Avenue, Mt Vernon, WA

Coffee and snacks will be available, bring a brown bag for your lunch. A dining area will be available for eating, drinking and general social gathering. A list of nearby eateries will be available.

A swap table will be available if you have items to sell, trade or give away.

There will be a model display table for you to display your diorama or DPM structure projects from your clinic. Other model railroad items are welcome.

Table space will be available if you want to bring a project to work on.

Clinicians confirmed so far:

  • Mark Malmkar – passenger car interiors
  • Paul Koren – resin kit assembly
  • Mike O’Brien – fir trees (hands on possibility)
  • Roger Johnson – decal application
  • Al Frasch – fences &/or deciduous trees
  • Dick Haynes – weathering buildings
  • John O’Connell – making bracket arm poles for overhead wire

Tentative Clinicians, TBD

  • Doug Nighswonger – scratchbuilding structures with styrene
  • Al Carter – roads or pan pastels
  • Ted Becker – kit assembly (wooden cars, plastic cars, wood structures) or electrical/electronics/Arduino

Two volunteers are needed to fold and return tables and tidy up.

If you have questions or can volunteer to help with cleanup, contact Ted Becker at  rail.bird@att.net

Eastside Clinic – Redmond This Thursday

Our monthly Eastside Get Together will be this coming Thursday at the Redmond Old Schoolhouse Community Center.

16600 NE 80th Street
Redmond, WA 98052

JJ Johnston will present ” Freelancing a Small Layout”. He will share photos of his famous layout “Puget Sound Iron Goat Railway” to describe the many small scenes with their unique details. He will also show photos of the beautifully painted Fantasy Wing area next to his train room.

We meet at 6:45 with the program beginning at 7:00. Bring a model or project to share.

Spring Meet Scenery Clinic Expanded to Two Hours

The following changes are made to the clinic schedule.

Di Voss will replace Russ Segner’s 3:45 Clinic in Room 2 with a clinic on DCC, How to wire a DCC Layout.
This clinic will discuss how to find those niggles on a layout that cause shorts – Crossovers, reverse loops, and Wyes. This clinic will also discuss how to select power segments.
Finally, this clinic will discuss the different turnouts – Power Routing, Insulated Frog and Power Frogs – that present different problems for a modeler.

Di not talk about LCC unless someone asks a question. “

Russ Segner will then lead and present his clinic which is:

Scenery – pink foam, plaster and two-part epoxy. Tinting with acrylic washes. It will be a two hour hands on clinic starting at 2:15 in Room 3.

Spring Meet Clinic Update

There have been several adjustments to the clinic topics, presenters and times. Please continue to check the website for additional information.

9:00 Session
Modular Construction Techniques – Alan Murray
Have you considered starting or joining a modules group? Do you need some help getting started?
This clinic will take the mystery out of module layout design, types of operations, module standards and the construction of individual modules.
You will be exposed to techniques developed for construction of simple, robust rectangular modules and complex inside/outside curved modules. Prototype examples will be available for viewing.
Alan Murray is a member of the PNW On30 Modules Group which has shown and operated its layouts at Monroe, Puyallup, Ilwaco, the Seattle Center, Portland and the 2012 National Narrow Gauge Convention. Thirty-two modules (130 feet) were assembled at the Monroe show in February 2017. He has constructed more than 20 modules for use by club members.

9:00 Session

Modeling the Southern California Citrus Industry – Bill Messecar, MMR

Synopsis: The clinic will cover Southern California citrus packing houses served by the Santa Fe, SP and UP in the 1950s. It will include how to kit bash existing models as well as scratch build models of these packing houses and other aspects of modeling the citrus industry such as orange groves

10:30 Session
Backdrops – Paul Rising

Techniques and tips from a well known artist, Paul Rising

10:30 Session

Construction Materials – Jim Sabol
Prototype construction methods still around during the steam-to-diesel transition era: stone, brick, pole, timber, stick framing. Flip Chart Talk plus Slides

2:25 Session
Trees – Big and Small – Mark Allen
Mark has assembled a fine clinic on building model trees. He will explain his techniques and those developed by Tom Beaton, Paul Scoles and others. Mark’s module won recognition at the Portland NMRA Convention.
2:25 Session
Water Falls and Streams – David Yadock
This clinic will explore the use of common materials to produce realistic waterfalls and river rapids. The clinic will be concentrated on those two water features since they are usually very difficult and time consuming to produce. The keys to this method combine fast installation, realism, inexpensive common materials, and only a few easy to follow steps that produce great results.

3:45 Session
Freelancing a small layout – JJ Johnston

A discussion of 7 key decisions to make prior to actual construction of a non-prototypical layout. After obtaining the designated right of way, topics will include establishing the legend, scenery and operations, scale or gauge, time period, continuous run or point to point and naming rights. This fast paced and sometime humorous clinic will feature photos from JJ’s well-known Puget Sound Iron Goat Railway and his Fantasy Wing.

3:45 Session
Scenery – pink foam, plaster and two-part epoxy. Tinting with acrylic washes – Russ Segner
Practical demonstration of the use of plaster in latex rubber molds to simulate rock structures. Use of two-part epoxy Bragdon casting will also be demonstrated, Tinting and coloration of rock will be demonstrated.

Burien Clinic Thursday

by Russ Segner

Our new clinic in Burien will meet this Thursday at 6:30 at the Northwest Railroad Archives. Because this will be the third meeting, we are still getting acquainted. So, we share our various interests in model building, layouts and operation.

Bring a model to discuss or a project to describe. If you have questions about techniques or sources of information, there should be someone there with answers.

Location:

Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive
425 SW 153rd Street
Burien, WA 98166

Time: 6:30 to 8:30

We are meeting this Thursday to share interests in different topics of model railroading.  One interest I know many modelers have is how to model waterfront scenes.

In preparing for a clinic I will give in Spokane at the PNR Convention this June, I found some shots taken in 2002 for inclusion in a Paul Scoles article for the 2004 NMRA Convention in Seattle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These pictures are of Jerry Kinney‘s beautiful layout in Cashmere.  The layout is long gone, but these deserve to be shared.  The scenes include beautiful waterfront structures as well as a very neat urban industrial area. I will share them Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Election of Directors and Assistant Superintendent

 

Russ Segner

 

A Nominating Committee headed by JJ Johnston has begun receiving nominations for two Director Positions on the 4D Board as well as nominations for Assistant Superintendent.

The terms of these positions are for two years commencing September 1, 2017. The Board holds six meetings during the year and usually meet at Mitzells Restaurant in Kent.

If you are interested in serving or wish to nominate someone, contact JJ Johnston at jj@jtwice.com or 425 985 9805. Full information on duties is available in the Members section in the 4D website.

The Ballot shall be distributed to the Membership in May by mail. To be counted, Ballots must be received by the Committee at the address printed on the ballot, postmarked by no later than June 1, and received by June 15. All ballots shall be tallied by June 20.