Category: Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Ken Liesse

On Thursday, March 15th, JJ Johnston got the train out of the station on time at 7:30 with his words of welcome and introduction of guests. One of our guests was Sharon Ricketts, who models in 1:32 scale and holds two open houses a year at her layout. The next open house will be the 4th Saturday of April, so JJ may have more information on this at the April meeting. We also welcomed back Don & Beth McClaren, long-time Eastside members who have returned after a lengthy absence.

During the announcements, Charles Jackson stated that H&J (the tree making people) are having a roll out party at a hobby shop in Port Moody, BC and to see their brochure. There is no information about the roll out on their website, but you could probably email Charles to get the information.

Other announcements included reminders by Ed Liesse and Russ Segner about upcoming conventions (joint PNR/PCR and the Narrow Gauge Convention respectively), an open house on April 29th at John White’s layout (extreme north end), and a word about the upcoming elections by Superintendent Ken Liesse. Roger Ferris was present with the Mart and CJ Riley also had some items for sale from his vast collection.

Model of the Month consisted of two Milwaukee Road cabooses by Ron Cole; a collage of paperwork from Bob Rorabaugh’s mother showing a connection between her life and the trains and logging in this region; and a Campbell Products station built by David Yadock, who once again went home with the prize.

After the break, Ron Cole presented a clinic on how to cast resin parts for modeling. Ron makes 1:32 scale models. He walked us through the steps of transforming an idea into a passenger coach complete with seats. Some of the tricks Ron employs are using baby powder as a mold release and heating molds in a microwave oven before using them. Ron also mentioned that you can rebend a slightly warped resin kit by running it under hot water and gently bending it back into shape. He makes mold boxes out of PVC sheet, which is relatively inexpensive and can be glued together with the PVC pipe glue you can find in any hardware store. For a final tip, Ron told us that molds will last longer if you get the resin out of them as soon as possible. Ron demonstrated the mixing of the resin and actually cast a part for us to see. All in all, a very interesting presentation.

See you on April 19 in Bellevue.

By Ken Liesse

On Thursday, February 16th, attendees of the Eastside Get-Together were treated to a two-for-one clinic at the Bellevue Four Square Church.  Dave Hikel gave two great presentations, one on lighting the interiors of passenger cars with LEDs, the other with an update on the building of Peter Hambling’s layout in Medina.  More on those in a minute.

JJ Johnston opened the meeting at 7:30 with his usual introductions.  In the announcements portion of the program, JJ mentioned that Railroad Model Craftsman has a nice write-up of area layouts that will be open during the upcoming Narrow Gauge Convention in September.  He then read a couple of thank you notes written by women of the church.  Eastside members take a collection every year before Christmas to help needy families in the church where we hold our meetings.  This is our way of “paying” for the space that the church allows us to use every month for our clinics.  These women were the recipients of this year’s collection and were very grateful for the outpouring of support we provided.  JJ thanked everyone for their contributions to the fund.

In other announcements:

Bob Biese said the 4D HO modular group would be appearing at the World’s Greatest Hobby show in Portland.

Elections for Region offices are coming up; both President and Vice-President are open.  Contact Dave Faussett (PNR Nominations Chair) if you are interested in running.

4D elections are also coming up and we need someone to spearhead both finding folks interested in running and actually putting the election materials out.  If you’re interested in doing either (or both) of these, contact Supt. Ken Liesse.

Ken also stated that the Northwest Railway Museum had used a gift from 4D to place interpretive signs on three pieces of equipment that will be staying at the depot in Snoqualmie.

Frank Dekker gave a preliminary report on the Pacific Science Center show, which did not turn out as well as we had hoped, mainly because of the weather in the region that weekend.  About 12,000 people showed up, most of them on Saturday.  PSC helped out significantly this year by reserving parking space on the street outside the Center for our use.

Roger Ferris had a new collection in the Mart, mostly of Athearn blue box equipment.  Roger also stated that he has acquired all of the old, wood baggage carts from Amtrak at King Street Station and is making them available to anyone who would like to purchase one.  Cost depends on condition, but generally runs between $200-300.  Roger will provide delivery in the greater Seattle area.

Ed Liesse gave an update on the PNR convention in Medford and said the tour of Train Mountain was on.  Tickets are available from the website.  Ed also showed a map of the track at Train Mountain.

Finally, Ron Cole attended a kick-off meeting in Kent of a group hoping to save the former Northern Pacific depot along the BNSF right-of-way.  BNSF wants to tear down the structure in preparation for laying the third mainline through town.  Anyone with knowledge of preserving old railroad buildings is encouraged to contact Ron, so he may put you in touch with the folks who are trying to make this happen.

We had five entries in the Model of the Month competition, including Ed Ives’ Hornby pre-war O scale 2009 Convention car; David Yadock’s packet of UP baggage car pictures from ACF; Jim Easley’s snow pictures of his outdoor layout; and Michael Posner’s railroad pocket watch, which belonged to his grandfather, a Seattle Streetcar Conductor.  Jim Bainbridge won the contest with a Signals Department Repair Shed, which will be a commercially available kit starting next month.

After the break, Dave Hikel gave a wonderful PowerPoint presentation on lighting the interior of passenger cars using LEDs.  Dave pointed out how far LEDs have come over the years and it is now possible to purchase them with various light outputs to simulate different kinds of lighting used throughout the years in passenger cars.  Part of the presentation included a comparison of the different types of lights used, starting with candle power back when lights were first added to equipment, up to modern day cars with their very blue fluorescent lights.  There are many advantages to using LEDs, especially in this day of DCC-controlled layouts, the most important being their low power consumption.  Dave also showed how adding a capacitor to the circuit will prevent cars from flickering when crossing bad sections of track.  This can all be avoided by the use of batteries for the lights, another topic Dave touched on.  He brought two examples of lighted cars for everyone to see, and they did look great with the room lights turned down.

Dave concluded the presentation with an update on the layout he and his team are building for Peter Hambling, founder and owner of Digital Control Incorporated.  The O Scale layout is located in a 3,200 sq. ft. space excavated from under Peter’s home in Medina, WA.  The theme of the layout is basically the Western United States, with an emphasis placed on modeling specific scenes.  Dave told us about several “field trips” taken during construction to make sure the scenes were recognizable and dirt samples were even brought back to make sure the ground cover was correct.  The layout has over 4,000′ of track and runs from the Spiral Tunnels of British Columbia to Abo Canyon in New Mexico.  This ambitious project has been underway for several years and has resulted in several new techniques in modeling.  One such advancement is in the use of computers to actually run the layout, so it can be shown without the need for a big crew.  It was very interesting to see the use of computer panels (iPads) for yard control and other operations functions.  Although the layout can be run by computer, it also has the ability to be operated by a full crew and preliminary operating sessions have been held at the layout.  As a surprise to the group, Dave and JJ announced that our end of year field trip may be to Peter’s layout for a show and tell.  More information about this will be forthcoming.

That’s it for this month.  See you all in March, third Thursday in Bellevue.  (Sorry, no pictures this month – operator error.)

By JJ Johnston

Our meeting scheduled for tomorrow, January 19th of the Eastside Get Together has been cancelled due to weather reports of more storms and potentially unsafe driving conditions. The Inside Gateway is also closed so I am unable to get door prizes and I know that’s a big reason you all come. Just kidding.

Mark your calendars now for February 16 as we will have a clinic presented by someone no one has seen before and it’s one of those
“can’t miss clinics” so watch for our announcements. We will re-schedule Ron Cole for a future clinic too. Be safe. JJ

JJ Johnston

There were great December meeting gifts for everyone and lots of “stealing” under the official “Dirty Santa” rules. One notable exception was the absence this year of a white elephant gift. There was lots of really cool stuff.

David Yadock won Model of the Month for his mostly scratchbuilt HO station and was awarded first choice at the gifts.

Roger Ferris, who attended the NMRA convention in July, went to their Nonquet (which is what they called their banquet with no dinner) and won a door prize: a G scale Bachman 175^th Anniversary boxcar.  Roger, after much thought, generously awarded the boxcar to Eastside member Jim Easley in recognition of his leadership in spearheading an amazing outdoor G scale layout involving residents of the Emerald Heights retirement community where he resides. Dr. Jim explained that each boxcar on the layout was donated by a resident of Emerald Heights and every car has a special meaning to each person providing the car. Jim thanked Roger and let him know how special his car will be to their layout.

FUNDRAISING REPORT. Our annual fundraising effort to offer financial assistance to members of the church which furnishes our meeting space, provides room setup, and use of their coffee and supplies, was very generous. We raised a total of $887, which will be divided between three ladies. The first is a 75-year-old grandmother who cared for her granddaughter and then adopted her when her parent went to jail for drug abuse. She lives in the projects on a limited income, has health issues, and has attended our church since 2002 and always gets a ride to attend church. The second lady is a widow of three years with a child in the Philippines where she and her husband were missionaries. She is getting by on food stamps while searching for a job and lives in a home as a guest of a church member. The third lady has had several surgeries and has just undergone another surgery. She only has part-time employment and financial assistance is very meaningful and appreciated over the holidays as she is unable to work until she recovers.

JANUARY 19, 2012. Our first meeting of the new year will feature well-known modeler Ron Cole with a Show And Tell entitled, “What I Learned About Casting Resin Train Parts.” Ron will bring various models, some quite large, along with casting equipment and resin. He will actually cast a few parts during his clinic while showing useful techniques. He will bring train parts used in train kits he successfully produces. This is one of those presentations you won’t want to miss. Reserve the date now!

Happy New Year to everyone.

Photos and Article by Ken Liesse

JJ Johnston receives the Golden Grab Iron Award

About 30 members were present at the Eastside Get-Together on Thursday, 11/17 when JJ Johnston opened the meeting at 7:30pm. JJ started in his usual fashion by introducing members of the 4D and PNR leadership as well as any MMR’s that were present. He then turned the floor over to 4D Superintendent Ken Liesse, who in turn gave way to Ed Liesse and Walt Huston for the presentation of the 2011 Golden Grab Iron Award. The Golden Grab Iron is the 4D’s annual “Member of the Year” award and is decided on by the winners of the award the previous three years. Only past winner Gay Liesse wasn’t present as she was recovering from back surgery only a few weeks before. Much to his surprise, this year’s winner was Eastside’s very own emcee, JJ Johnston. (See previous article on the award in the Grab Iron.)

After the presentation, JJ opened the floor for announcements. Ed Liesse reminded everyone of the upcoming PNR-PCR joint convention and that the early bird special pricing would expire on November 30. Registration can be done on the convention website, PCRNMRA.org/conv2012. JJ then introduced Bill Mostellar from Virginia, who makes and sells decals for model railroaders. Check out his website. Ken Liesse let everybody know about two local hobby shops that have moved — the Electric Train Shop (from West Seattle to Burien) and Seattle Train Center (moved to Ballard). Ken also said that the upcoming 4D BOD meeting had been changed from December 3rd to December 17th. Bob Biese told us that member Jerry Kelso is not doing well; we will keep Jerry in our thoughts.

Frank Dekker wanted to make sure everybody remembered the deal 4D members could get to see the Imax presentation of “Rocky Mountain Express,” details of which appeared previously in the Grab Iron. Ken Liesse took the opportunity to solicit help for the upcoming Pacific Science Center Show, which will take place over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, January 14–16.

Russ Segner brought in the last of Earl Mann’s estate and Bobj Berger brought the Mart, with a lot of items never before seen. Trading in the back of the room was brisk during the break.

The Model of the Month contest only garnered two entries this month, ensuring that a David would win. The two entries came from David Fausett and David Yadock. David Yadock won with his SS Limited Coaling Tower. JJ was also finally able to present Ron Cole with the certificate he had won way back in May for the Model of the Month.

Di Voss reprogams a decoder.

After the break, Di Voss was introduced as the speaker for the evening. Di’s theme was DCC, although he said it was meant to be more of a roundtable discussion on DCC rather than him just talking about it. After polling the audience, Di found he had a rather experienced crowd and so steered the discussion accordingly. He did run through the process of programming a decoder using JMRI’s Decoder Pro software. Being able to see what Di was doing projected on the wall was a big help to the discussion and many questions were answered. Di also mentioned that within a year (give or take), 8-pin connectors in decoders would be replaced with 21-pin connectors. This showed the evolution of decoders and that modelers were demanding more options with what they could actually do with their decoders. The highlight of Di’s presentation was a rotary snowplow that actually turned, thanks to a decoder. Di cautioned everyone on the growing practice of wiring a capacitor across the decoder to help trains across bad stretches of track. Although it’s okay on a small scale, too many capacitors may trick the power station into thinking there is a short somewhere and shut the whole system down. For the beginners in the room (there weren’t many), Di explained some of the common terms used with DCC. All in all, a very useful and well-received clinic. Thanks, Di.

Eastside’s next Get-Together will be on December 15th. This will be our annual “Dirty Santa” party. Bring a wrapped gift to the clinic marked with the scale of the item and join in the mayhem, er… fun.

Additional photos from the clinic can be found here.

Article and photos by Ken Liesse

(Author’s note: My apologies for this report being so tardy. Apparently, I hit the Preview button when I thought I was hitting the Publish button.)

At the regular get-together on October 20th, the Eastside Get-Together was treated to a 2-for-1 clinic by noted local modeler Glenn Farley. Glenn showed us how to make coal loads using actual coal as well as showing us how to add lights to our locomotives. For the coal loads, start by measuring the opening on whatever car is going to receive the load. Then cut a piece of foam (Glenn used white, but pink or blue would work as well) the size of the opening and give it the contours of the coal load.

PVC End Cap Sifters

Older cars would have distinct piles of coal in the load as the car would have been spotted under a tipple for each dump; modern cars would have a neater, even appearance as they continuously move under a flood loader. After the foam has been shaped, paint it black with acrylics and dust it with Woodland Scenics coal for a base. Glenn prefers to use real coal for the actual load. Since he models the Colorado-New Mexico area, he brought some coal that had been “liberated” from that area. Put the coal in a plastic bag to scale it for the load (read: pulverize with a hammer). Glenn recommends using two or three layers of bags in case any of them break during the process.  Drill holes in the bottom of PVC pipe end caps to use as sifters – the holes should be no bigger than the largest lump of coal you want in your load. Sift the pounded coal, paint the base with Dullcote and pour on the coal. Allow the load to dry, then add stand-offs of the proper height to the car. This allows the load to be removed without ruining the appearance of the empty car.

For the second part of the clinic, Glenn described how he modifies MV lenses for use in his locomotives, giving them a uniform appearance. Start by making a dimple in the back of the MV lens (which are getting harder to find, unfortunately) and drill out the back with a bit the same diameter as your light bulb. Test fit the bulb and use CA to adhere it to the ends. Run the leads where they need to go and voila! Headlights. Glenn also modifies this approach for special circumstances as well, gluing the bulb perpendicular to the plane of the headlight to make it easier to run the wires.  This works well on short headlight fixtures that would not leave any room to run wires out the back. Finally, Glenn showed us a commercial that was made for the upcoming 2012 Narrow Gauge Convention.

This, of course, was all preceded by the usual business of the clinic. JJ opened by pointing out all the MMRs in attendance as well as the 4D and PNR staff on hand. We then held a moment of silence for Bobj Berger’s father, who passed away a few days before. Our thoughts go out to Bobj and his family.

Your superintendent (that would be me) made sure everyone knew about the upcoming increase in NMRA dues and encouraged folks who could do so to prepay their dues before the end of the year. Also, don’t forget to send in your survey from the NMRA Magazineon the possibility of a cruise for the NMRA 2016 convention. These are being collected by Di Voss.

Di announced that the NMRA now has new standards and new track gauges. The new gauges are more era specific and come in Old, Classic, and Modern. Russ Segner brought in photos from projects in Dupont and Snoqualmie on which he is currently working. Russ is always looking for more volunteers who would like to try their hand at modeling in 12″:1′ scale (the real deal). He also pointed out that Ken Larson, a modeler who lives across the Sound in Winslow, is featured in this year’s Great Model Railroads.

Roger Ferris, in addition to bringing the Mart, stated that he had duplicate books from his own collection with which he was parting.  Contact Roger for the details. Ed Liesse finished the announcements with a reminder to everyone about the Joint PCR-PNR Convention being held in Medford, OR next May 2-5. After resolving issues with the convention website, the committee decided to extend the early-bird pricing to the end of November, so if you haven’t signed up yet, do so before the end of the month and get the discounted price. Visit the website at http://www.pcrnmra.org/conv2012/

Model of the Month

There were five entries in the Model of the Month contest, which was won by David Yadock for his water tower. Congratulations, David.

Next month’s clinic will be on November 17th, with the topic to be determined. We will start collecting for our annual donation to the church, which provides us with the space to hold our meetings every month. The collection will go to the church’s outreach program to help those in need within the church community to have a Christmas.