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A model or prototype train convention or meet, where clinics, education, and meetings are the primary activities
We are pleased to announce the addition of an additional clinic.
Di Voss, MMR, will present Wiring A Layout For DCC. Di is the NMRA Chair of the Standards Committee and writes monthly for the NMRA magazine.
Get signed up soon to guarantee a seat and lunch.
Russ
Feb 24 – Mar 5, Anchorage, AK: The Military Society of Model Railroad Engineers (MSMRE) will have three sectional layouts set up during the annual Fur Rendezvous winter festival in Anchorage, Alaska. The layouts – in HO, HOn3 and N scales – will be on display in the Alaska Railroad Passenger Terminal from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM most days, longer on some days to accommodate arriving and departing ARR passengers. Admission is free to all. Contact: Randy “Bj” Bjorgan, bjorgan@alaska.net, 907-952-4353.
Feb 18, Mar 18, Apr 15 (all are Saturdays), Anchorage, AK: Military Society of Model Railroad Engineers monthly Open House, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the club’s location on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Layouts in HO, HOn3, N and O. Admission is Free. Contact Randy “Bj” Bjorgan, bjorgan@alaska.net, 907-952-4353 for directions and access from off post.
(Editor’s note: Marty Quaas maintains a well-known web page on Alaska model railroading at http://alaskamodelrrnews.homestead.com/, with information on his layout, “The Consolidated South Western Railroad”, as well as various model railroad clubs and prototype organizations and activities in Alaska.)
The first 4th Division Make-and-Take (MaT) clinic will be constructing a truss-rod flat car in wood. We will offer a choice of three scales for the project: O, HO and N. The clinic will provide the raw materials (wood, plastic parts, and metal for rods) as well as appropriate detail parts. The clinic will not provide trucks or couplers. The intent of the clinic is to address scratch building techniques and procedures, not to create a car that will be featured on your layout (if it does fit into your era and home road you get additional benefit from the clinic).
You will need to provide basic hand tools to complete the project and we will provide a list of recommended tools to those who intend to participate. Attendees will be required to measure, cut, fit, and glue up the pieces needed to complete the car. The clinic will have on hand several miter boxes and razor saws, a couple of electric model chop saws, and a variety of glues and adhesives that participants may desire to try out. The clinic will have a nominal cost for materials and we are targeting between $10 and $15. We will have a supply of additional materials on hand in the event of an “oops”.
The date for the clinic is March 4th, and the clinic will start at 9 AM with an anticipated 4-5 hours run time. The clinic will be in a Tacoma location and we will have room for up to 20 participants. The scheduled clinicians are Di Voss and me (Jack Hamilton), with others possible.
Please let me know if you intend to participate, which date(s) work for you and which scale you would like to work in. Reply to gradiver@wavecable.com. I will e-mail you the specific location of the clinic, along with other necessary details.
This is a fulfillment of the intent of the 4th Division to initiate a periodic (and traveling) MaT clinic series outside of our normally scheduled local clinics. We are now ready to move forward with the first of what we hope will be a continuing series of opportunities for our members to gain knowledge and either learn or polish skills.
Editor’s note: In a recent e-mail newsletter I mentioned Marty Quaas’ web site about Alaska model railroading (which includes his wonderful layout “The Consolidated South Western Railroad” as well as his well known display layout “Mooselip, Alaska”): http://alaskamodelrrnews.homestead.com/, and reminded 4th Division members that Alaska is part of this division. This is Mike’s reply.
Your recent note on model railroading in Alaska prompted me to write to you. I live in Anchorage and am a member of the NMRA. I belong to the Military Society of Model Railroading Engineers, based on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage. Our club has permanent layouts in HO, HOn3, N and O scales, plus modular layouts in HO, HOn3 and N scales.
For many years we have been displaying our three modular layouts (N, HO, HOn3) at an Anchorage winter festival called Fur Rendezvous (“Fur Rondy” for short). Until a few years ago, Marty Quaas was displaying his Mooselip layout at Fur Rondy, too. It is a wonderful layout and the crowds loved it. So did I. Unfortunately, Marty has not been able to attend Fur Rondy in recent years, probably in large part due to the long drive from his home to Anchorage. Many people, including me, miss him and Mooselip.
Editor’s note: In this month’s Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic’s PDF newsletter is a special report on the Selkirk Express 2016 PNR Convention which was held in Salmon Arm, British Columbia this past June. This is a very nicely written article with many photos.
Rich’s special report has been extracted to a separate PDF (thanks, Al Frasch!), and is available at https://4dpnr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Skagit-Valley-Whidbey-SpecialRpt-SelkirkExpress.pdf.
As usual with PDF files your computer (or smart phone or tablet) may need to install an Adobe PDF viewer application (click here for the Adobe download link; I recommend un-checking the optional software offers).
My wife and I traveled to Salmon Arm, BC last month to take in the 2016 Selkirk Express PNR Regional Convention. The drive from Hope, BC to Kamloops and then on to Salmon Arm was a beautiful drive through some beautiful mountain scenery. The convention hotel was on the shore of Shuswap Lake. The view overlooking the lake was spectacular.
But what I found even more spectacular was that the 4th Division was well represented. It seems like everywhere I turned was a familiar face! Overall, I thought the convention was very well put together with a number of clinics that were historical in nature as well as covering a number of modeling topics as well. Although we didn’t go on any of the tours, I heard reports from folks that the tours were excellent. There were some incredibly well built models and great photographs entered in the contests.
Ted Becker receiving the 2016 Golden Grab Iron Award at the 4th Division Spring Meet.
On May 14th at the NMRA/4D Spring Meet, a surprised Ted Becker was presented with the 2016 Golden Grabiron Service Award for 2016 (formerly the Man of the Year Award). Called to the podium during the annual business meeting, Ted was presented with the award by a committee of the previous years’ winners Jim Sabol, Russ Segner, and Jim Younkins. In presenting the award, committee members remarked on how easy it was to unanimously and enthusiastically select Ted as his name kept popping up for all his many and continued services to the Fourth Division.
Among those clapping loudest for Ted were several previous award recipients: Scott Buckley, J.J.Johnson, Walt Huston, Ed Liesse, Gay Liesse, Al Lowe, Jeff Moorman, Jack Hamilton, Di Voss, Gene Swanson, Dale and Diane Kraus.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society (Pacific Northwest Chapter) will meet July 16th at 12:30 p.m. at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive in Burien. Click here to see event information, including a map to the PNRA.
Anyone who is interested in the Pennsylvania Railroad or would like to learn more about the Pennsy, please come. The meeting consists of informative clinics followed by dinner at Vince’s restaurant. We are a newly chartered group of the PRRT&HS for the Pacific Northwest area. All are welcome.
Ted Becker receiving the 2016 Golden Grab Iron Award at the 4th Division Spring Meet.
Over 75 members attended our 4th Division Annual Meeting at Tacoma Community College last Saturday, as part of the Spring Meet. Kurt Laidlaw, our Assistant Superintendent, was in charge of planning the Spring Meet event and put together a fine list of clinics and presenters. We had several first time participants and very positive comments, especially from those attending the “Hands On” clinic (building laser cut structures). Many of the presentations focused on operations for layouts and we can expect to see more layouts use prototype methods in operating sessions.
Thanks to all who shared their experience and knowledge to help us enjoy this special part of model railroading.
Our 4th Division Spring Meet is this Saturday, May 14th. This is a full day of clinics and a chance to meet other model railroaders from our area. It is also our Annual Meeting where you can discuss with your leaders the major directions the 4th Division will take over the next two years.
Your Division Superintendent gets to hand out a few awards to some very deserving individuals at the lunch break. There is a fine schedule of clinics presented by many of our best model builders. There is a special “Hands On” clinic on building laser cut kits. This is a limited space event and you must pre-register for this extra fare session. Click here to see the full clinic schedule.
While it may be too late to guarantee lunch, you can still register online and either pay online (through PayPal) or at the door. Click here for the main registration page (the “Hands On” registration is on the Clinics page).