After a Covid induced cancellation for 2020, the PNW On30 Modular Group is back on the train show circuit for 2021 starting with arguably our favorite venue – Clamshell Days at the Pacific Columbia Heritage Museum in Ilwaco WA.  The annual event was held on the typical second weekend of July 17-18th.  “Clamshell Days” is the celebration of the narrow gauge Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Co history which ran along the length of the Long Beach peninsula.  The museum hosts the event where a small model railroad exhibition is provided with several modular displays, railroad centric kids activities and tours of the various historic structures along the original line of the IR&N.

Overview of the layout in the main exhibition hall of the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.

This would be our first train show since Monroe in February 2020 and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We certainly appreciated the opportunity to get back together here in Ilwaco and owe a huge thanks to the Pacific Columbia Heritage Museum staff for making the event happen.  Although we remained masked up the entire weekend for precautions, this show was a good indicator that we are finally in the initial stages of putting the pandemic behind us and getting back to normal routines which is having fun with friends and trains!

View from Bay Lumber Company Camp 4 to the far side of the room where Ed Konchar is operating a train illustrates the vast expanse of the layout.
On18 locomotive working Rich Blake’s cranberry bog module. The loco is built on an N-scale mechanism which runs on Peco HOn30 track. Rail vehicles were frequently used over roads in early cranberry bog farming as the ties would keep equipment from sinking into the soft soil.
A majority of our time on the layout is spent running operations. Left to right, Masked up operations veterans Stephen Winter, Paul Vaughn and Byron Osborn conducing a passing move on the wye.
A small Baldwin 2-6-2 tank loco detailed by David Brockmeier for the Shoalwater Bay Railway and Navigation Company. Shoalwater Bay was the early settler’s name for Willapa Bay.
View of the Shoalwater Bay module set built by newest PNWOn30 member David Brockmeier.
Trim little Class-A Climax locomotive built by Jim Elder stretching out some skeleton cars.
View of newly built coaling module built by Budd Lather.

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