Skip to main content

2024 Spring Meet Report

Written by Anton Faulk
2 Comments

By Bill Messecar, Photos By John Thompson

Weeks of planning between two 4D Board members, Kurt Laidlaw and Bob Kenworthy and the staff at the NW Railroad Museum near Snoqualmie culminated in a day 4D attendees won’t forget. It started with a train ride from the old NP depot at North Bend to the museum in beautiful spring weather. We divided into groups to attend a clinic given by Greg Wright MMR, a tour of the museum Lionel and HO layouts and a behind the scenes visit to the museum restoration shop where we saw several engines/carts being restored. The museum staff also discussed their archives of equipment blueprints and drawings. There were two more opportunities for a layout or shop visit or attend Burr Stewart’s enjoyable clinics on videography of his layout and sage advice on achieving your goals in layout building. Burr has his own YouTube channel so you can check out those great videos.

At noon we then took a 30-minute lunch break to enjoy drinks and a delicious box lunch. Bill Messecar 4D Superintendent led the 4D Annual Meeting where he introduced the 4D Superintendent elect Mike Stepner as well as the current 4D BOD members. After the meeting we had a chance to explore the many museum exhibits and then boarded our train for the return journey to North Bend. To complete a great day of Model Railroading we had the opportunity to see four excellent layouts in the area.

Members wait at the museum for the return trip to the North bend depot after a fun day.
NP Parlor Car undergoing complete restoration in the museum shops.
Weyerhaeuser FM H-12-44 on display at the museum.
NWRailway 4024 Baldwin 4S-RTC ready to pull our train to the museum.

If you were not able to make the spring meet this year—be sure to attend in 2025. It’s a great opportunity to meet local modelers and have a train filled day. This sort of event is one of the many benefits offered for your NMRA membership. Hope to see you next year.

Bill
4D Superintendent

Convention or Meet, News, Northwest Railway Museum, Superintendent’s Message, , ,

Spring Meet Registrations Status Update

Written by Anton Faulk
1 Comment

By Kurt Laidlaw

Confirmed registrations for the Spring Meet on Jun 8th:

Kurt Laidlaw
David Falconer
Michael Donnelly
GregPrice
Dennis Terpstra
EDwin Ives
David Yadock
William Messecar
Dave Enger
Thomas Keyes
Bob Rorabaugh
Russ Segner
Scott Buckley
Greg Wright
Nolan Deardorf
James Younkins
Gregg Arndt
Cole Van Gerpen
Dan Kellogg
Joel Scott
Kimberly Ford
Bob
Robin Peel
Byron Osborn
Bob Kenworthy
Dave Thompson
Lee Marsh
ROBERT BRUCE LOVE
Burr Stewart
George Chambers
scott wiesemann
syd Schofield
John Thompson
Mike stepner
Mark Malmkar
Paul Rising
Bob Staffolrd
Bud Thompson

If you think you have registered for the Spring Meet and don’t see your name, please re-register. There is still plenty of time to register, but most of the shop tour slots have been filled There are only 10 slots left. Now is the time to pull the trigger and register.

For the full schedule and registration details visit the Spring Meet page.

Kurt

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, Northwest Railway Museum, , ,

Register Today For The June 8 Spring Meet

Written by Anton Faulk
Leave a Comment

By Bob Kenworthy

There are still spots available for the 4th Division’s 2024 Spring Meet on June 8th, 2024.  Event Address:  North Bend Depot, 205 E McClellan St, North Bend, WA 98045. Register today!

There is NO parking available at the Northwest Railway Museum.  Registration begins 7:30 AM.  Our special train to the museum leaves at 8:30 AM.

The following link will connect you to the registration form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfu2EpuEj0Te-YxzWX5KiT02uvC8uey41cSfjT7skO4rfPPTQ/viewform?embedded=true

For the full schedule and details visit the Spring Meet page.

Bob

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, Northwest Railway Museum, , ,

Register Now For 2024 Spring Meet

Written by Anton Faulk
1 Comment

By Bob Kenworthy

There are still spots available for the 4th Division’s 2024 Spring Meet on June 8th, 2024.  Event Address:  North Bend Depot, 205 E McClellan St, North Bend, WA 98045. Register today!

There is NO parking available at the Northwest Railway Museum.  Registration begins 7:30 AM.  Our special train to the museum leaves at 8:30 AM.

The following link will connect you to the registration form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfu2EpuEj0Te-YxzWX5KiT02uvC8uey41cSfjT7skO4rfPPTQ/viewform?embedded=true

The schedule will be:
7:30 to 8:30 am – Registration at the North Bend Depot
8:30 to 9:00 am – Train Ride from North Bend to Museum
9:00 to 9:10 am – Gathering Time
9:10 to 10:00 am – Clinics:

  • 1A – Shop Tour (maximum 12 people)
  • 1B – Clinic in Conference Room, topic TBA
  • 1C – Clinic in Foyer, topic TBA

10:10 to 11:00 am – Clinics:

  • 2A – Shop Tour (maximum 12 people)
  • 2B – Clinic in Conference Room, topic TBA
  • 2C – Introduction to Museum Archives (maximum 10 people)
  • 2D  – New O27 Layout at Museum

11:10 to 12:00 noon – Clinics:

  • 3A – Shop Tour (maximum 12 people)
  • 3B – Clinic in Conference Room, topic TBA
  • 3C – Introduction to Museum Archives (maximum 10 people)

12:00 to 1:00 pm – Lunch and Annual Meeting
1:00 to 1:30 pm – Free Time at the Museum
1:30 to 2:00 pm – Return Train Ride to North Bend
2:00 to 3:00 pm – Travel Time to Layout Open Houses
3:00 to 5:00 pm – Layout Open Houses

Attendance is limited to the first 80 people who register.  Attendees must be NMRA members.  You may attend the 4D PNR Annual Meeting in person during the Spring Meet or by Zoom.  A Zoom link will be sent prior to the annual meeting.

Please Note:  Parking at the Northwest Railway Museum is extremely limited and will not be available to Spring Meet attendees.  Please plan to park near the North Bend Depot.  There is a significant amount of parking available on the south side of the depot and some parking available on the north side of the depot.  The train ride and museum are ADA accessible.  If you need accessibility assistance, please mark the appropriate box when you register.

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, Northwest Railway Museum, , ,

2024 Spring Meet Set For June 8th

Written by Anton Faulk
2 Comments

By Bob Kenworthy

The 4th Division’s 2024 Spring Meet will be held June 8th, 2024.  The Spring Meet will be held at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, WA.

The schedule will be:
7:30 to 8:30 am – Registration at the North Bend Depot
8:30 to 9:00 am – Train Ride from North Bend to Museum
9:00 to 9:10 am – Gathering Time
9:10 to 10:00 am – Clinics 1 and 2
10:10 to 11:00 am – Clinics 3 and 4
11:10 to 12:00 noon – Clinics 5 and 6
12:00 to 1:00 pm – Lunch and Annual Meeting
1:00 to 1:30 pm – Free Time at the Museum
1:30 to 2:00 pm – Return Train Ride to North Bend
2:00 to 3:00 pm – Travel Time
3:00 to 5:00 pm – Layout Open Houses

Additional information will follow as plans are finalized.  Mark your calendar now and plan to attend.

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, Northwest Railway Museum, , ,

PCR 2024 Convention Early Bird Registration

Written by Anton Faulk
Leave a Comment

By Russ Segner

The great Early Bird convention rate will expire on January 15th, register now to not miss this offer. The 2024 PCR Convention will be hosted by the Coast Division at the Sonesta San Jose Hotel from April 24-28, 2024. The Sonesta is ideally located for great layout tours, prototype visits, and other activities. The hotel has great convention facilities, enabling a vendor and swap meet.

Register Now

To encourage members to register early, we are offering two prizes in a give-away drawing for all in-person attendees registered by January 15th. Register now so you do not miss out!

Early Bird Give-Away

All PCR 2024 attendees that have registered by midnight on January15th will be eligible for a drawing for two great prizes.
Prize 1 – Free Upgrade to a Sonesta Suite for up to 4 Nights
This prize will let the winner upgrade their room from the normal $139/night hotel room to a suite. This will be valid for up to four ($) nights during the convention. Win and you can not only sleep in style, but have a party with your friends in your suite!
Prize 2 – $50 Gift Certificate
This prize is a $50 gift certificate that can be used to purchase any item in in the Vendor, Swap Meet or PCR Consignment Depot. The prize will be in the form of 10 – $5 certificates that can be used with any of the vendors or swap meet sellers.

Russ

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour

Call for Clinicians – Surrey Excursion 2024 PNR Convention

Written by Anton Faulk
Leave a Comment

By Bill Messecar

Hello members of the 4th Division—my name is William Messecar the Superintendent of 4D, and I am planning to attend the 2024 PNR convention next year in Surrey, BC.

The PNR convention Surrey Excursion 2024 is the annual convention of the Pacific Northwest Region of the NMRA.  This year the 7th Division of the PNR is hosting the convention in lieu of the Railway Modelers Meet of BC.  The Convention will take place May 22nd to 26th, 2024 and will have clinics, layout tours, operating sessions, displays and much more.

2024 Surrey Excursion PNR Convention

The 7th Division is looking for clinicians as speakers at next year’s convention. Marc Simpson is the Clinic Coordinator for the upcoming 2024 Surrey Excursion PNR Regional Convention.  They have had an excellent response to their request for clinicians, however they wanted to spread the word that they are looking for clinicians for the program. They are looking for a broad range of topics that will appeal to convention attendees.  Whether you are an experienced presenter or a new clinician, it doesn’t matter.  All you need is an interesting topic that clinicians are interested in sharing with others.

In addition to the regular clinics, we are looking for people interested in presenting a tabletop clinic. This is a shorter time frame, more hands-on type of presentation for those who don’t want to prepare a full clinic presentation. Any assistance in making the Surrey Excursion clinic program a “can’t miss” event is greatly appreciated.  If you have any questions, please contact Marc Simpson, his contact information is listed below.  

Marc Simpson
surreyexcursionclinics@gmail.com
Surrey Excursion Clinic Coordinator

Bill

Convention or Meet, Superintendent’s Message

42nd National Narrow Gauge Convention – less than 2 weeks away

Written by Robin Peel
Leave a Comment

By Robin Peel

The 42nd National Narrow Gauge Convention is less than two weeks away! It will take place from September 1-4, over the Labor Day weekend, at the Hotel Murano in downtown Tacoma, WA. This is a national – international – convention being held in our backyard, sponsored by 4D, and it is NOT just for narrow gauge modelers – we will have 60 clinic sessions, many of which will appeal to standard gauge (and armchair) modelers, too!
https://www.seattlenngc.com/clinic-schedule

The star of the show will be the Hangman Creek Lumber Company modular layout, which will be operating adjacent to our registration desk. This outstanding On3 layout won “Best in Show” at our 2012 National Narrow Gauge Convention (in Bellevue, WA), and has been extensively refurbished since then. It is a great opportunity to view this layout one more time, along with three other great display layouts (two On30 and one HOn3). Details of each are on our website at:
https://www.seattlenngc.com/modular

Details on the Hangman Creek Lumber Company in On3
Amazing trestles on Hangman Creek Lumber Company in On3
The Palisades module, from the Arizona Division of the Mudhens, in HOn3

Standard registration for the full, Thursday – Sunday convention is $150, including a free spouse pass, but we are offering a special one-day rate for local modelers for $50 (available only on the day, at the registration desk) that will give access to all convention activities that day (clinics, contest viewing, vendor room, modular displays and 34 home layouts).

We are looking forward to seeing you in Tacoma in just a few days! Head to our website for full details.
https://www.seattlenngc.com/

info@seattlenngc.com

Convention or Meet, Narrow Gauge, News

PNR 2023 Convention

Written by Kurt Laidlaw
2 Comments

By Kurt Laidlaw

It’s official. The 2023 Pacific Northwest Region Convention—”The Prairie Line Experience”–will take place in Tacoma, WA on May 10-14, 2023. The host committee is working to put together an exciting set of activities for the convention, including multiple tracks of clinics, layout tours spanning the region, contests, AP evaluations, train spotting opportunities, tours and non-rail events.

2023 is the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad at Commencement Bay on the Prairie Line. It is also the 150th Anniversary of the City of Tacoma. Add to those significant dates the 50th Anniversary of the NTRAK modular model railroad standard, and you have exciting possibilities for celebration. The City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Historical Society have events planned throughout the year and we hope to leverage those activities to enhance our convention. Work continues on the Prairie Line Trail, which crosses the University of Washington Tacoma campus before continuing past the Tacoma Art Museum toward the original Northern Pacific Half Moon Yard.

Northern Pacific Railroad HQ: Tacoma Historical Society photo
Prairie Line Crossing Pacific Avenue. UWT photo

The convention hotel is the Comfort Inn and Suites next to the Tacoma Dome and one block away from the AMTRAK, Sounder and Tacoma free light rail stations. This location provides quick access to downtown Tacoma with its many restaurants and museums, Seattle and points beyond. We will be opening hotel registrations as soon as possible. The hotel has given us a great deal on room rates for the convention. Standard rooms are offered as follows: two doubles at $119, two queens at $129 and single kings at $129. The hotel provides free breakfast and free parking. See their website for more information on amenities: Hotel in Tacoma, WA | Comfort Inn® Official Site | Comfort Inn & Suites Downtown Tacoma.

We are still finalizing the registration costs and will have registration open on the website soon. The convention website is located here: PNR Convention 2023 – Prairie Line Experience. We will populate the website as information comes available so check back often. The Host committee is dedicated to making this an affordable convention. We are working hard to keep costs down so everybody can afford to join us next year. Mark your calendars and reserve the dates now. We look forward to seeing you in Tacoma next year.

Kurt
PNR 2023 Convention Host Committee Chairman

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, News

Narrow Gauge Convention Volunteers Needed

Written by Anton Faulk
Leave a Comment

By Gregory Wright

To all modelers!  We need volunteers to help support the 42nd National Narrow Gauge Convention in Tacoma on September 1 to 4, 2022.  You don’t need to be a narrow gauge modeler or even a train enthusiast to appreciate the high quality of this national (international) model railroad convention.  If you are wiling to serve as a volunteer you will have a front row seat to a world class event. 

I can use people that are registered for the event and others that would just like to see it first hand for a day.  If you are a single day volunteer, you will not need to register, so even if you only have one day to share with us, we need you!

Please email me that you would like to volunteer.  I will create a schedule that covers assignments in areas such as registration, clinic room, contest room, and vendor room.  Feel free to call me if you have any questions. 360-870-9449

https://www.seattlenngc.com/

Gregory
Safety and Security Coordinator, 42nd National Narrow Gauge Convention

Convention or Meet, Narrow Gauge