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Eastside’s “Dirty Santa” a Big Success

Written by Al Lowe
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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.

Click for larger image

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 175th 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.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Di Voss on DCC at Eastside Clinic

Written by Ken Liesse
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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.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

JJ Johnston wins Golden Grab Iron Award

Written by Ken Liesse
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By Gay Liesse, Photo by Russ Segner

The Golden Grab Iron Service Award is given each year to a member of the 4th Division, Pacific Northwest Region, National Model Railroad Association, who exemplifies service to the organization. For 2011 the selection committee, composed of the immediate past three honorees, chose JJ Johnston for his many contributions to the hobby, the NMRA, and especially the 4th Division of PNR.

Congratulations, JJ!

JJ Johnston, Ed Liesse & Walt Huston

JJ was honored with the presentation of an engraved plaque and framed certificate at the November 17 Eastside Clinic. In addition, JJ received the traveling plaque listing him and past award winners, which he’ll keep for a year before passing it on to the 2012 winner.

JJ’s service to 4D includes his years of leadership of the Eastside Clinic, securing their meeting space at the Foursquare Church in Bellevue, assisting with the Pacific Science Center Shows, and opening his layout to fellow modelers and other visitors.

An accomplished modeler and envied owner of the Puget Sound Iron Goat Railway, which was recently featured by Paul Scoles in Railroad Model Craftsman, JJ’s accomplishments include helping to establish a link between the local Division and the Pacific Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie. Though he models in HO scale, JJ’s interest in narrow gauge railroading has led him to serve in the planning for the 2012 national narrow gauge convention to be held in Bellevue.

Ed Liesse, 2009 honoree, presented the 2011 Golden Grab Iron Service Award in the absence of committee chair Gay Liesse, 2008 winner. Gay is recovering from back surgery and was unable to attend. Walt Huston, PNR president who took home the prize in 2010 and served as the third member of the selection committee, participated in the presentation.

The full text of the citation read during the presentation is below.

The Golden Grab Iron Service Award is presented each year to a member of the 4th Division, Pacific Northwest region, National Model Railroad Association, who exemplifies service to the organization. The selection committee consists of the past three honorees, who put their heads together to consider recommendations for the newest member of this elite group.

Gay Liesse, winner of the 2008 Golden Grab Iron, regrets that she is unable to be here tonight to present the award, but recuperating from extensive spinal fusion surgery is taking longer and is more debilitating than she had anticipated and she felt the evening would be too exhausting. Ed Liesse, 2009 recipient, is taking over Gay’s duties for the evening. Walt Huston, honoree for 2010, rounds out the committee.

Because you’ll recognize the 2011 winner of the Golden Grab Iron Award almost immediately, we’ll cut to the chase and invite JJ Johnston to join us while we detail his life story. To say that he has enjoyed unique experiences over the years would be the understatement of this year.

A native of Seattle, son of a dentist and a registered nurse, JJ attended Harvard School, a military academy in Los Angeles and still maintains contact with some of his classmates. He zipped across the country for the first time to attend the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  His high school career wasn’t exactly academically impressive, but he made up for average grades by being active in swimming, high-board diving, basketball and serving as editor of the student newspaper, head of the rally committee and performing in the lead role in his school’s dramatic endeavor his senior year.

In college, JJ was part of the swim team, joined Zeta Psi national fraternity and played soccer. He had the opportunity to meet author William Faulkner and visited Cuba at the time Fidel Castro was a revolutionary fighting a guerilla war against the Batista government. With the draft in effect, JJ joined the U.S. Army after college, serving at various American bases before adventuring into the professional soccer world while stationed in Landstuhl, Germany. He defended the goal for the Sportverein Hermersberg before returning home. Forty years later JJ and Patt had the thrill of a return visit to Hermersberg for a gala reunion celebration with townspeople and soccer players, some of whom were even old enough to remember his soccer days.

JJ’s next step was a position as Director of Alumni and Public Relations at his former high school, working on fund-raising for the private education sector and developing his skills in writing, graphic design, and photography as editor of the school’s alumni magazine. After experimenting with a few other fields dealing with people, JJ earned his license and joined Windermere Real Estate in Bellevue in 1985.

There he met Patt Sellen, already an established, top producing agent, and courted his future bride. They were married during Seafair weekend and JJ still believes that Patt arranged the Blue Angel flyover – close enough for them to see the pilots’ faces – following the wedding ceremony. Patt’s four children, a daughter and three sons, quickly became JJ’s family. After almost 18 years with Windermere, JJ and Patt opened their RE/MAX Northwest Realtors office. Many local model railroaders have acquired their layout space through the efforts of JJ and his now-retired office manager, Sandy Finn.

But what about that model railroading, you say. How did the well-known Puget Sound Iron Goat Railway come to be? Most of us have seen JJ’s layout with its Woody Winter paintings simulating a ticket office, a log cabin, trees, forest animals and other hidden delights. This “fantasy wing” has provided entertaining viewing for countless visitors.

JJ truly is a Johnny-come-lately as far as model railroading is concerned. He’d had the requisite plywood Lionel layout as a child but didn’t get involved in the hobby until 1993 after a chance visit to a hobby shop with a friend. Intrigued by scenery early on, JJ bought a kit, built it, and was hooked. He became a close friend of GAZETTE author Bob Christopherson, who played a major role in the development of the Iron Goat Railway. This first layout was begun in 1996. After only six years under construction, JJ’s layout was featured by Paul Scoles in the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette.

Always a “people person,” JJ soon became involved with the local model railroad organizations, serving two terms as a Director of the 4th Division, PNR, helping with the Pacific Science Center Show, and coordinating the monthly Eastside Clinic meetings here at his church. The Pacific Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie has become a favorite “cause” of many local modelers (not to mention residents), and JJ can take credit for helping create a relationship between the museum and 4th Division of PNR. Though he models in HO, JJ is immersed in the idea of Narrow Gauge modeling and is part of the organizing committee for next year’s national Narrow Gauge Convention in Bellevue.

In addition to being a familiar face to most 4D members, JJ is active in community and church affairs and has been nominated for several other service awards from other groups over the years. We are proud to recognize the talented modeler, JJ Johnston, as the recipient of the PNR 4th Division’s 2011 Golden Grab Iron Service Award.

Achievement Program, Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic, Grab-Iron, News

Eastside Get-Together Gets 2-for-1

Written by Ken Liesse
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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.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Another Month, Another 4D Layout Makes Magazine Cover

Written by Al Lowe
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Scott Buckley

In case you have yet to receive your copy, that beautiful layout seen on the cover of the October issue of Railroad Model Craftsman belongs to none other than 4D member and Eastside Get-Together chair, JJ Johnston! 4D member Paul Scoles wrote and photographed a gorgeous article about the Puget Sound Iron Goat Railway. Congratulations, JJ.

2011 may well go down as the year of the 4D layout cover story!

Achievement Program, Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Eastside Starts the New Year

Written by Ken Liesse
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Article and photos by Ken Liesse

On September 15, JJ Johnston opened the 2011-12 Eastside Clinic season with introductions of VIPs, MMRs, and guests and welcomed everyone back to Bellevue. Many exciting things have happened over the summer. JJ was proud to announce that his wife, Pat, had won First Prize and Grand Champion in the doll house competition at this year’s Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup. (I saw the doll house — it’s very nice.) Frank Dekker pointed out that JJ’s layout graces the cover of this month’s Railroad Model Craftsman (autographed copies were available as door prizes) with an article written and photographed by 4D member Paul Scoles.

JJ & Russ

JJ Johnston & Russ Segner prepare for the clinic

Frank also reminded everyone that it is not too early to start thinking about the Pacific Science Center Show in January and that everyone should be considering volunteering for the show. The PSC committee is also looking for new ideas for the show, especially in the areas of children’s activities and other hands-on events. Email Frank your ideas at rekkedrails@juno.com.

Di Voss was looking for volunteers to help with the NMRA Conformance & Standards Group, assessing decoders to see if they meet NMRA protocols. By now he should have the one or two volunteers he was looking for.

Other announcements for the good of the order included Bob Beise’s reminder of the Lynden Train Show coming up October 1st and 2nd; Russ Segner’s announcement of the grand opening of the Northwest Railway Museum Train Shed; and Ed Liesse’s commentary on the upcoming Joint PNR-PCR Convention to be held in Medford, OR next May 2-5.

David Yadock station

David Yadock won Model of the Month with this station.

The Model of the Month contest had several very good and varied entries this month. Jim Sabol brought a couple of wall pieces for his O scale Tacoma Union Station that he was building with the help of Kyle Davis, a student at Washington State University. Bob Beise showed off a #6 double-slip switch that he built with Fast Track jigs — in only four hours. Ron Cole presented a 1:32 scale 70-ton 40′ flat car for which he had built all the masters. Ron plans on making several more cars from these masters. Stu Rogers displayed an N Scale Architect lumber mill, which requires that the builder supply his own instructions as the ones in the kit are inadequate. The winner of the contest was David Yadock, who brought in the combination station seen at left. The station is a Campbell kit with details and interior lighting added as well as a good dose of weathering. Nicely done, David.

Our presentation for the evening was given by Russ Segner. Russ gave an overview of some of the highlights of the recently completed Narrow Gauge Convention in Hickory, NC (attended by several 4D members). He then talked about next year’s convention, which will be held in Bellevue, although the brochures tout the convention as being in Seattle. (We won’t hold that against the committee; whoever heard of Bellevue, WA?) It is shaping up to be a great convention. Russ reminds everyone that you don’t need to be narrow minded to enjoy the Narrow Gauge convention. Registration for the convention, to be held at Meydenbauer Center, is $110. There will be a special trip to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad as an $80 additional fare. Several of our area’s famous layouts will be open for tours and there will be a ton of clinics given by well-known national and international model railroaders. Visit www.Seattle2012.com for more details.

Next month’s clinic will feature Glenn Farley, although the topic of his clinic is yet to be determined. You’ll want to drop by though, as Glenn’s clinics are always informative and entertaining. See you next month.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic,

Eastside Visits Chooch

Written by Ken Liesse
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By Ken Liesse

On June 16th, members of the Eastside Clinic and several friends descended on Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley, WA. The purpose of this visit was our season end field trip, which was graciously hosted by Chooch owner, Mike O’Connell. Members were invited to wander around the shops of Chooch, which are located on the bottom floor of a large building on Mike’s property, and also visit Mike’s wonderful O Scale layout which resides on the second floor. Mike’s layout depicts railroading in and around Spokane, WA and he has a wonderful representation of the old station there. Photos of the layout and of Chooch Enterprises can be seen here. Mike would like to thank his helpers for the evening: Fred Hamilton, Don Larsen, Sherman Stevens and, of course, our “Valley Parking,” Jim Sabol.

Summer is here and we are taking the next two months off as outdoor activities and the long northern latitude days take precedence over modeling activities. We at the Eastside Clinic hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you again in September.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Eastside Get Together Road Trip this Thursday

Written by Al Lowe
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JJ Johnston

This Thursday, June 16th, the Eastside Get Together will be treated to a tour of the Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley. We’ll see both their operation facilities and a owner Mike O’Connell’s fabulous O scale, Proto 48 layout. This is something you shouldn’t miss! Plus, there will be other surprises for those who attend.

Everyone is invited to Thursday’s Get Together. Due to limited parking and long walking distances, we are organizing van pools for our trip. We will depart at 6:00 pm from our usual meeting location’s parking lot, Bellevue Four Square Church, 2015 Richards Rd SE, Bellevue, WA. Map

This is important: To determine the proper number of vans for transportation, you must MAKE AN ADVANCE RESERVATION. If you plan to attend, email me at jj@jtwice.com. There is a $5.00 charge per passenger.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Eastside Get-Together Report

Written by Ken Liesse
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By Ken Liesse

JJ Johnston opened the evening with the announcement that our last get-together of the season in June will be a field trip to Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley. There will be a small charge to help cover the costs of transportation, which will be determined in the coming weeks. We will be visiting the business, then going upstairs to view the layout. JJ will pass on further information when it becomes available. JJ also reminded everyone that ballots for open 4D offices need to be postmarked by May 20.

Ed Liesse made mention of the upcoming NRHS convention in Tacoma (June 20-26). Although most of us may not be able to participate (membership in the NRHS is required), there will be a lot of steam trains in the area during that time, including a trip over Stampede Pass behind SP 4449.

Ed went on to inform everyone that Pacific Northwest Region will be holding a joint convention with Pacific Coast Region next May in Medford, OR. Planning is still in the early stages, but hopefully there will be tours of Micro-Trains and Campbell Scale Models. There will also be clinics and a non-rail program. Siskiyou Summit 2012 will be held May 2-5.

Ken Liesse mentioned an item that showed up in the 4D mailbox: an announcement from the Port of Everett about an upcoming auction. They’re getting rid of two dioramas that they hope someone can re-use for modeling purposes. The auction will take place on June 2nd at the Port of Everett Conference Center. Watch for more information in the Grab Iron.

Stu Rogers brought the video library and mentioned that we now have all of Paul Scole’s videos in the library for member perusal. See the whole list of available titles on the 4D website.

There were five entries in the Model of the Month contest, which was won by Ron Cole with his scratchbuilt 1/32nd scale 12-1 Pullman. Other entries included the Washington Brewery (Di Voss), a switch tower with interior details (David Yadock), a display diorama (Bob Rorabaugh) and a handlaid, code 55, N gauge yard throat (Stu Rogers). Photos of the entries can be viewed here.

After the break, Russ Segner presented the clinic, which was an update on what’s happening at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie through a slide/video show. There has been quite a bit of progress since last June when Eastside held a picnic at the museum. Weyerhaeuser #1, the Fairbanks-Morse, has been pretty much completed and is now awaiting lettering. There has been much progress on Chapel Car #5, the “Messenger of Peace,” and the museum has a paid staff on hand to oversee the work being done on the car. Russ himself is continuing work on coach #218, a 1912 built Barney-Smith car. A lot of work has gone into this car, and the train crew is looking forward to adding it into the regular service. The other big news is that two items from the museum collection – WRL caboose #1 and GN caboose #001 – have been moved into the new Train Shed at the Railway History Center. These are the first exhibits to be housed in the Train Shed with many more to follow. (These cabooses were moved in Thursday afternoon between School Train runs and Russ had pictures of them to show us that night.) Russ reminded everyone that anyone who is interested in restoring equipment, teaching kids about railroading or even operating the railroad can volunteer at the museum. He will keep us up-to-date as progress continues.

At the end of the evening, JJ reminded everyone of the BOD meeting on 5/21 and Michael Kavanaugh reported that he was now cancer free. A great way to end the evening.

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Eastside Get-Together Report

Written by Ken Liesse
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Story and photos by Ken Liesse

On April 21st, about 30 folks were present when JJ Johnston opened the evening with words of welcome and recognition of our MMRs. A moment of silence was then held for 4D Superintendent Dennis Hill, who had unexpectedly passed away the previous week. We also had an update on the condition of Rev. Roger Ferris, who had suffered a stroke before last month’s meeting. Roger is resting at home and has almost full recovery of his extremities. If you’d like to leave Roger well wishes, you can write him at railfun@frontier.com. We hope Roger continues to have a speedy recovery.

JJ thanked all who donated door prizes (of which there were several) including Steve Depolo of Trains, Planes & Automobiles and Sue Van Gerpen of the Northwest Railway Museum. Sue donated a pair of tickets to ride the Snoqualmie Valley Railway. Ron Cole mentioned that the museum will be hosting “A Day Out with Thomas (the Tank Engine)” July 8-10 and 15-17. There will be an HO layout on hand for kids to run, and they are looking for people willing to help out with this project. If you are interested, contact Ron at 206-200-1059.

Thanks to a contact made by Sherm Stevens, we will probably have a field trip for our June meeting. Sherm contacted Mike O’Connell at Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley, who agreed to host our group and show us his model railroad. JJ will be organizing carpools from our normal meeting place as parking at Mike’s is hard to come by. We expect a $5/person fee to help cover costs for drivers. Mike’s place is not handicap accessible. We’ll have more details on this excursion at the May meeting.

During the announcements portion of the clinic, Ken Liesse told the group that there are no current plans for a memorial to Dennis Hill. Dennis’ wife, Diana, would like to have a gathering at their house, but will wait for the weather to warm up a bit. Mark Anderson is again running the Issaquah Train Show in August. Details on the show will be forthcoming. Ted Becker is looking for anyone who would like to share a ride to Sacramento, CA for the NMRA convention, X2011West, in July. If you are planning on attending the convention and need a ride, contact Ted. Russ Segner brought in some photos from the Northwest Railway Museum showing the new track switch leading from the railway’s mainline to the new Train Shed as well as a 20′ solid oak beam that was being milled for use on the Chapel car.

JJ Johnston's BTS Log Dump

There were several models (and other items) presented for Model of the Month including a “stinky” diorama, a couple of N scale GPs with a short train, a very old postcard depicting the San Francisco Bay Area, a scratchbuilt N scale milling machine, some scratchbuilt sloping tree stumps, a trestle and a brass N scale ditcher from Overland Models. JJ Johnston won with his kit built log dump, which is part of a BTS sawmill. JJ figured it was about time he brought something in that he had built himself.

Following the break, CJ Riley, MMR, presented a slide show titled “Layout Development on a Prototype Theme.” Using research and his own personal knowledge of West Virginia, CJ demonstrated how he was able to develop a location for his Kanawha & Western Allegheny Railroad and how anyone could use the same techniques to come up with an idea for their own railroad. CJ showed the difference between four different approaches to designing a model railroad: shotgun, prototype, freelance and proto-freelance. Shotgun is where the modeler just builds and runs whatever appeals to him/her at the time. Prototype is as the name implies; following a specific railroad and its practices. Freelance is where one makes up their own ideas, but is a little more focused than the shotgun approach. Proto-freelance is modeling your own railroad, but following applicable prototype practices and basing the railroad on actual locations.

Master Model Railroader CJ Riley gives our clinic

CJ pointed to three words he uses when coming up with themes: Observation, Understanding, Selection. Observe the area in which you want to model, understand everything you can about the area (do your research) and select those items you really want to have on your layout. Use scenic markers for information on your area of interest and use authentic names that reflect the area you are modeling. Everyone enjoyed CJ’s presentation and the slides were quite interesting.

Next month, Russ Segner will be our clinician. His topic was not divulged, but you can bet it will worth seeing.

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