Author: Russ Segner

Here is the link for Thursday evening, September 22 at 7PM. We will discuss a New Start of an Eastside Clinic and follow with a presentation on rebuilding a 1906 flatcar at DuPont.

Russ Segner is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: New Eastside Clinic
Time: Sep 22, 2022 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 813 6311 4864
Passcode: 983108
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Meeting ID: 813 6311 4864
Passcode: 983108
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I am hosting two open houses at my layout in Newcastle September 2 and 3 and need some help. I need two helpers to run trains and control the potential crowds of visitors as part of the upcoming National Narrow Gauge Convention.

Here is a chance to meet modelers from around the country and also run a few trains on my narrow gauge Sn3 Coal Creek Lumber. If interested, please call me at 206 200 2211.

Russ Segner

I went to my first national model railroad convention in 1991. It was here in Bellevue. I had started an HO layout of Tennessee Pass and knew several local modelers I had met through a couple of local hobby shops and an occasional visit to the 4th Division clinic on Beacon Hill. But I did not know a lot of model railroaders.

That convention changed my whole approach to the hobby. It was a National Narrow Gauge Convention, but the emphasis was on great model building and interesting and impressive layouts. The models were beautifully built and detailed, the clinics were extremely helpful in improving my model building. I learned a lot about many railroads I had never heard of, and I met a lot of great modelers from all over the country and many from outside the US.

I now have a closet full of shirts from many conventions all over the US. And I have a closet full of unbuilt kits and shelves full of books and magazines. Best of all, I have a layout that runs and is fun to share with many who come over to operate.

This September, many of you will take advantage of the upcoming National Narrow Gauge Convention in Tacoma. You will meet and learn from some of the best modelers from across the world and you can see firsthand the latest in model kits and supplies from national vendors. Finally, you will have access to many fine area wide layouts seldom open to those of us who do not know the owner of the layout.

The convention is at the Hotel Murano in downtown Tacoma September 1 through 4. The next one will be in Denver and then in Pittsburg. So, here is your last chance for a long while to have all this so handy in your area. There will be over 30 clinics and over 25 local layouts featuring many scales and prototypes. Details of the clinics and layouts are on the website and in the files section of the NNG.groups.io site.
There will also be several large modular layouts in the Atrium and vendor room at the hotel. These include the Hangman Creek Logging in On3, the Arizona Mudhens in Hon3and the Monson Sheepscot River Railroad in Maine In On30.

Take advantage of this fine opportunity.
Visit the Convention website for full details at 2022 National Narrow Gauge Convention (seattlenngc.com)

HO rolling stock and engines FREE
I have been contacted by a family in Port Townsend who would like to donate to someone who would use the equipment. It is a nice collection of cars appropriate for northwest railroads. There are two diesel locomotives and one articulated steamer. All are in excellent condition.

They are available at the home on Becket Point near Port Townsend but can be brought into Kirkland by special arrangement. If you are interested, please contact me at 206 200 2211 or by email at
russseg@gmail.com

The Pacific Northwest Archives is featuring Lowell Smith of RailSmith of Railroad Models as guest speaker this Wednesday at 1PM. RailSmith features outstanding N scale models.

Here is the link to the Zoom meeting. Please do not forward this to anyone not a regular reader of the Grab Iron.

PNRA Admin is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: PNRA Admin’s Zoom Meeting
Time: May 25, 2022 12:45 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83745654188?pwd=UjU5bU0xa1pKZ25QcW5uRU9zNlg2QT09

Meeting ID: 837 4565 4188
Passcode: 375006
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Meeting ID: 837 4565 4188
Passcode: 375006
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The PNRA is hosting Lowell Smith founder of RailSmith, a producer of N scale passenger cars. This is a Zoom meeting next Wednesday, May 25 at 1PM. I will forward the link as soon as it is released.

I have appointed a Nominating Committee to seek candidates for our upcoming election of officers. Their task is to identify and/or recruit candidates for one Director position and for a new Superintendent. Ed Ives holds the one Director position to be voted on and I do not know if he will seek another term. Ed has done a fine job dealing with train shows, especially the Thanksgiving Show at MOHAI as well as being a leader in our considerations in Board meetings.

I told the Board of Directors last week that I would like to see someone new step into the Superintendent role. I have served some ten years now and it is time for someone else to have a chance to lead all of you and represent the Fourth Division. It has been an honor and very rewarding to fill this position.

I want to thank you all for your involvement in the hobby of model railroading and especially in the Fourth Division. It has been a great pleasure to know many of you and come to understand your many individual talents. My term runs through the end of this year. I intend to stay very active in the 4D and look forward to working with many of you on your layouts and in operating sessions.

I hope whoever is elected will agree to step up early to work with me on the upcoming events which include planning for next year’s PNR Regional Convention. So, please give some thought to running in this year’s election. You can suggest to the Nominating Committee the name of someone you feel would be a good leader. You can, of course, put your name in the hat for either position.

The committee consists of Burr Stewart (burrst@hotmail.com), Dan Kellogg and Al Lowe. Please contact them to put a name forward, perhaps your own.

Thanks, again.

Russ

Interested in traction? Here is an opportunity to learn of Seattle’s extensive electric railway system.

Larry Sloan did a clinic recently describing an industrial warehouse with a bow string roof structure. It inspired me to revisit an area I became very familiar with during my 40- year career as an industrial real estate broker. My clients included Foss Maritime, Olympic Stain, Colonial Cedar Products and Marco Marine.

Lake Union was once a very busy complex of warehousing and shipping served by rail and ships. The Great Northern served both sides of the Lake Washington Ship Canal with extensive trackage in the area now home to Amazon and fine waterfront restaurants. Many of the buildings along Westlake had rail service and Terry Avenue had significant trackage before the Terry Avenue Freight house there became a fine restaurant. So, let’s take a tour of the area using Google Earth and photographs I shot in the 1970’s of the many interesting structures and businesses.

There will be many locations that can inspire intricate trackwork, scratch-built structures and operational challenges. This is a chance to see buildings not available as Cornerstone kits.

Russ Segner