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Skykomish Tunnel Days & Train Swap Meet

Written by Anton Faulk
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By Michael Walcker

On June 18th, the city of Skykomish is hosting Tunnel Days, a city event honoring the GN railroad and James Hill.  There will be a train swap meet included in the event.  Vendors can bring their own table, one table per vendor, and set up at no cost.  There is no admission fee and there is room for 20 vendors inside the fire truck barn with all others outside by the little train depot.  The indoor sites will be on a first come basis. Table space can be reserved by emailing mawalcker@aol.com.  The meet will be from 9am to 3pm, with a pancake breakfast at 7am and many family fun events planned for the entire day.

Michael

Convention or Meet, Railroad History

PNR 2023 Convention

Written by Anton Faulk
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By Kurt Laidlaw

4D members, we need your help. We are scheduled to host the PNR regional convention next year. Putting on a regional convention takes a lot of work by a dedicated group of people. The convention will take place in Tacoma (tentatively May 18-21, 2023). We are two years behind schedule planning the event because of the pandemic, but we can make it happen if people pull together and step up to work as a team.

We still need volunteers for the following committee chairperson positions as soon as possible:

Treasurer
Publicity/website
Non-Rail
Awards and Favors
Layout Tours
Prototype Tours
Souvenir (shirt/hat)
Transportation

As we get under way, committee chairs will need help on their various committees. If you are willing to help or have questions about what is involved, please contact me at ananas99@klaidlaw.net or call me at 253-495-8351.

Kurt Laidlaw
2023 PNR Convention Host Committee Chair

Convention or Meet, News

Olympia Clinic and the 39th National Narrow Gauge Convention

Written by Anton Faulk
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By Gregory Wright

Four members of the Olympia monthly clinic group travelled to Sacramento to the 39th National Narrow Gauge Convention in September. Two members brought models for the contest room and five of the six models won awards. Greg Wright won a second place in internal combustion. Harry Avis won a third place in maintenance of way, a second place in rolling stock and two first places, one in cabooses and one in special equipment.

Greg Wright and Harry Avis show their prize winning models at the September 20, 2019, Olympia Clinic
  • Harry Avis’ On3 scratch built boxcar
  • Harry Avis’ HO scale kitbashed RR barge tug
  • Harry Avis’ 1:32 scale scratchbuilt caboose
  • Harry Avis’ 1:24 scale scratchbuilt velocipede
Harry Avis’ 1:24 scale scratchbuilt velocipede

The Olympia Clinic meets on the third Friday of each month. Contact Greg Wright, gregorywright2002@yahoo.com for details. The group plans a review of the national narrow gauge convention at their February 21, 2020 meeting. Other topics in 2019-2020 include scratchbuilding, weathering and prototype photos tours.

Gregory

Convention or Meet, Olympia Clinic

A Very Busy Spring

Written by Russ Segner
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By Russ Segner

The 2019 Sn3 Symposium is just around the corner.  Come explore some of the finest Sn3 model railroads on the planet. There will be excellent clinics, a vendor room, world-class layouts on display, and a contest.

Register now at www.sn3seattle.com!

Sn3 Symposium – Bellevue Sheraton
April 4 – 6
12 clinics featuring national instructors
Local layout tours
Check the website for details.
www.sn3seattle.com

Other notable events coming soon:

  • Kootenay Express 2019 | May 29 – June 2, 2019
    • The Cranbrook History Centre is a museum and archive dedicated to the research, preservation, and restoration of heritage pertaining to the history of Cranbrook and the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is located adjacent to both active railway operations and the Convention Hotel.  https://www.kootenayexpress2019.ca

Convention or Meet, Layout Tour, News

The Footplate for June 2018

Written by Al Lowe
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Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent

Chuck Ricketts at the Spring Meet

Summer is here – put away the umbrellas and galoshes! It’s time to get outdoors and do some railfanning, ride a train, or visit one of our historic rail sites. I’m heading for Colorado again to ride the Cumbres & Toltec. Some are heading to Train Mountain in Oregon, others may head to Sacramento to the California Railroad Museum. Some will stay local and take the kids or grandkids to visit Thomas at Snoqualmie. In any event, get out there and check out some new rail location.

Make & Take Clinic

June has been a very busy month. The PNR meetings in Portland drew many of us to Jantzen Beach for some great clinics and layout visits. It was a chance to meet many of our fellow modelers from all over the Northwest. Jim Fugate, publisher of Model Railroader Hobbyist, was there demonstrating LokSound decoders and a really nifty control unit that emulates the control stand of the modern diesel engine.

The Pacific Northwest Region is one of the very best and most active regions in the entire NMRA. Your own Fourth Division is strong and very active. We just completed our Spring Meet in Redmond which was well organized and executed by Al Lowe and clinicians Alex Brikoff, Larry Sloan, Byron Osborn, MMR Bill Messecar, MMR Didrik Voss, MMR Max Maginness and MMR Chuck Ricketts. MMR Jack Hamilton, conducted a well-received Make and Take clinic building wood trestles. Make a point to attend in 2019!

Your Fourth Division is beginning a major effort to establish additional modular groups, at least one for HOn3 and possibly a Free-Mo HO group. Another group will begin building museum-quality dioramas to display at shows.

So, you have all summer to experience real trains, locally or around the world. Take lots of pictures and come back this fall prepared to share and perhaps present a clinic on what you have modeled or experienced. As a favorite beer commercial says: “One life right, don’t blow it. Mahalo!”

Convention or Meet, Superintendent’s Message

2018 Spring Meet on Saturday June 9th

Written by Russ Segner
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Russ Segner

The 4th Division’s 2018 Spring Meet will be held at the Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village (formerly Lake Washington Institute of Technology), 6505 176th Avenue NE, Redmond on Saturday, June 9th.

The Spring Meet web site is 4dSpringMeet.com, which includes an online registration page and venue details. The cost is a measly $20 for NMRA members. If you register by Tuesday May 29, you’ll get a free box lunch. You can register at the door, but you’ll probably not get a box lunch. Non-NMRA members are still welcome; if you haven’t been a member for a while, you join the national for a six-month “trial membership” for another $20.

There will be at least two simultaneous clinics, plus a Make & Take session. Click here for complete details.

Convention or Meet

PNR Convention 2018 Stumptown Express

Written by Al Turnbull
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by Jack Hamilton

Our convention will be in Portland (Second Division) this year. Stumptown Express dates are May 30 – June 2, 2018 at the Red Lion on the River, Jantzen Beach, Portland, Oregon is our annual Pacific Northwest Region Convention. This is the time for our annual meeting of the PNR Membership.
It is opportunity for people who may not have participated in our largest annual get-together to experience this unique event.
We are always on the lookout for new clinics and clinicians. If you have a topic which has been successfully presented at your club or division meet, please consider offering it for a wider audience. Contact Charlie Comstock at trains@upwardaccess.com
Our banquet speaker is Doyle McCormack of SP 4449 restoration and operation fame.
Geoff Bunza will conduct a make and take (materials charge) clinic on programming the Arduino microcontroller.
Our non-rail chair, Ruth Kaser, has excellent tours planned, including wine tasting in the Willamette Valley and a visit to Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store, Restaurant and Bakery.
Check out our website pnr2018.org

Registration and Hotel reservations are open.

Convention or Meet, News

Spring Meet Scenery Clinic Expanded to Two Hours

Written by Russ Segner
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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.

Articles, Convention or Meet, News