Author: Russ Segner

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)
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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

Russ Segner

The November 13 swap meet last Saturday was great for many reasons:

• We met so many old friends face-to-face even if we didn’t recognize each other at first behind the masks.
• Many attendees got some real bargains.
• Many others freed up space on their layouts or in their garages.
• The 4th Division got a nice cash infusion from sales of donated items.

We are particularly grateful to Clay Hanson and the estate of Mike Murray for many donated items.

Thanks to so many of our members who helped set up and man our sales tables:

• Ed Ives
• Jack Klapwyk
• Dan Peters
• Wayne Grinnell
• Marc Sachnoff
• Mike Donnelly
• Al Lowe
• Dennis Terpstra
• Robin Peel
• Roger Nulton
• Burr Stewart

It was great meeting so many in person again. AND, there’s lots of great bargains left over. I’ll post some lists of items for members to come by and bid on over the next weeks. Watch for lists in future Grab Irons.

There are some large items left from the Murray estate donated to the 4th Division. These include lumber, a large desk, ladders, portable work bench and the spray booth. If interested, contact me as soon as possible. There are photos of the lumber and some other items in the garage and a photo of the desk still in the train room.

Here is a link to photos of the spray booth:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhBTSQSpn0dniYQ0iZJ83aR6odKDrg?e=uomLnM

Russ 206 200 2211

The 4th Division will have tables at the BOEING SWAP MEET November 13 at the Kent Commons. Several items available are donations from local members who have taken their layouts down. Some items are unusual and should go for significant prices. These include an IWATA air compressor, a UNIMAT lathe and several quality airbrushes from AZTEK, BINKS and PASCHE.

The Hi-Railers will have several interesting items. Most of the items I am bringing are HO or applicable to any scale, scenery materials for instance include a number of rolls of printed backdrops. A great amount of painting supplies will be available.

Half of the money raised from the estate of Michael Murray items will be a donation to the 4th Division.

If you would to see the IWATA compressor or the UNIMAT before the Swap Meet, contact me directly at 206 200 2211 or by email at russseg@gmail.com.

Russ

The local model railroad scene is finally beginning to open.  Already, the Lynden and Maple Valley shows have been held and the HO Free-Mo group led by Larry Sloan will be set up at the Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival in the Tacoma Dome starting October 21 through 24.  These guys know how to pick a venue.

Our local clinics are now operational again, although most are still virtual.  Check the Grab Iron for details on each clinic.

Next up is the Boeing Swap Meet in Kent November 13.  We will have a 4^th Division table selling items donated to 4^th Division over the last year.  There will be bargains galore, so come and collect more stuff to stash for future model building. Ed Ives is leading that effort.  I will be there and any of you who can are invited to join us for a while to greet people and promote the 4^th Division.

By the way, Clay Hansen’s layout was picked up by a newer member who will restore it to operation in his home in Tacoma.

We will have at least two modular layouts at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma for the Annual Model Train Festival December 17, through January 2, 2022.

There is no word yet on a possible show in 2022 at the Pacific Science Center or at Monroe.  Stay tuned.

I want to also bring to your attention the scheduled National Narrow Gauge Convention  September 1-4, 2022 at the Murano Hotel in Tacoma.  The 4^th Division is participating.  Clinics will be lead by local and national presenters. Manufacturers from all over the US and Canada will be there. So, you can meet model railroaders and suppliers seldom available locally.

In addition, there will be a contest room with classic work by some of the best modelers anywhere. It will be an opportunity for you to put your best work on display. Last, there will be self guided tours of over 30 local layouts in several scales and gauges.

Check out the website at www.seattlenngc.com

If you are interested in getting involved, please let me know.

Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent

Long time 4D member Clay Hanson is no longer able to work with his layout and needs to have it removed from the home. It is a well built HO 5.5 foot by 10 foot layout constructed to move. Over 100 cars and a dozen locomotives (many DCC equipped) are included. The layout and all the equipment are available and free to anyone who will take the entire collection.

Here is a link to a PDF with photos of what is included.

https://1drv.ms/b/s!AhBTSQSpn0dniP4HwMAWgBmVLDJiHw?e=ZlbRq2

Contact me if you have questions.
Russ Segner – russseg@gmail.com 206 200 2211