Category: Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Russ Segner

Note – The Eastside Get Together is on the 2^nd Thursday in March (instead of the usual 3^rd).

This month John Morrison will present The Mt. Pilatus Railway (Pilatusbahn) which operates from a Luzern suburb to an altitude of 6,778 feet on Mt. Pilatus. It climbs a continuous grade of up to 48% and is the steepest rack (cogwheel) railway in the world. All the other railways with grades above approximately 25% use a cable and are called funiculars.

The Pilatusbahn uses a unique Locher rack, together with some very interesting switches. It was built in 1886 and most of the original infrastructure is still in use. It operated under steam until 1937 when it was converted to electric traction. John’s presentation was a result of his second visit to Switzerland last September. He will also be prepared to discuss any of the other mountain railways he has visited on his trips.

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Russ Segner

This month at the Eastside Get Together clinic Burr Stewart will present his program “The 1970 merger of the NP, GN, CB&Q and SP&S into the BN”.

Burr has been railfanning around the Puget Sound area since 1976. One of his motivations for railfanning is for quick and easy ways to incorporate what he sees into his 800 square foot basement HO layout. In this clinic he shares how much fun this has been, and many of the easy ways you can copy the prototype in your model railroading, including rolling stock, right of way, and operations. There will be many pictures of those old paint schemes before they disappeared.

The meeting is at the Redmond Library located at 15990 NE 85th Street (click here for a map). We will start the meeting at 6:45 and end at 8:45. Bring a model or railroad item to share.

Thanks to Dave Cook for leading the meeting and CJ Turner for bringing the refreshments.

Russ Segner / Photos by Brian Pickering

Last Thursday, the Eastside Get Together clinic met for the first time at the Redmond library. Over thirty of us got through the traffic and rain to enjoy a program presented by Brian Pickering on structures and snow fighting equipment use by railroads to keep the tracks clear. To say the least, railroads were very creative. There was some very unusual equipment.

Our new location at the library features great parking and a very nice meeting room. Our new Eastside Get Together clinic leader Dave Cook had already organized setting up the chairs and tables by the time I arrived.

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Russ Segner

This Thursday is our first meeting at our new location in the Redmond Library. The library is located downtown Redmond at 15990 NE 85th. There is plenty of parking. We start at 6:30. Our program is “Let It Snow” presented by Brian Pickering. This is a look at how railroads deal with the white stuff.

Bring a model to share and expect to meet and make some new friends.

For more information including a map click here.

Russ Segner

For January and February (at least) the Eastside Get Together Clinic is moving from Bellevue to Redmond and will be held in the Redmond Public Library. The clinic begin and end times are changing slightly because we must clear the building by 8:45 PM, so plan to join us at 6:30 with the meeting to begin at 7:00.

Date: January 21, 2016 (same 3^rd Thursday of the month)
Time: 6:30, out of the building by 8:45
Location: 15990 NE 85th, Redmond

Our program features Brian Pickering and is titled “Let It Snow”.

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JJ Johnston

Dirty Santa Party! Celebrate with us this Thursday, the 17^th at 7:30 and get the gift of a lifetime. That’s right. You need to bring a wrapped gift and write the scale on the outside. That’s it. And when it comes to your turn, you can take somebody’s gift or pick a new one. There are always great choices.

Church Fund. You all have been extremely generous with your donations to the Church for a member(s) in financial need who we will select from recommendations offered by the Church. If you did not get a chance to donate last month, you still have time to give at our meeting. Please be generous as the Church has been very good to us during the year providing us with free coffee and setting up the room and letting us use their facility rent free. Thanks to many of you who have already participated.

Next month’s clinic will be in Redmond. Further details will be provided in a future Grab Iron post.

For Eastside Get Together location and other information, see the 4D Clinics page.

JJ Johnston

Join us this coming Thursday, November 19^th at 7:30 for an information loaded presentation on 3D printers from one of our favorite instructors, Dave Hikel.

Payback Donations

Every year at this time we offer you the opportunity to donate funds to assist someone financially who is a member of the Church where we meet. This is our way of paying back the Church for providing us with a large room for our meetings including staff to set up chairs and tables and then put them away when we are done. The Church also lets us use their kitchen, coffee makers and provides us with coffee, napkins, condiments and cups. (The average donation over the years is about $20 per person.)

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Ed Liesse / Photos by Ed

JJ Johnston at his Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

JJ Johnston welcomed everyone to the Eastside Get-Together clinic of the 4^th Division of the Pacific Northwest Region of the National Model Railroad Association (insert applause here for not stumbling through that statement!). This was the first Eastside clinic after the usual summer break and JJ, as is his custom, introduced the members of the 4D Board of Directors and the MMRs (Master Model Railroaders) in attendance. Bob Rorabaugh introduced his guest Jacob Stearns, who was welcomed to the group.

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JJ Johnston

Steve Depolo, owner of The Inside Gateway hobby store in Woodinville, will be the featured speaker at this week’s meeting on Thursday, October 15^th, 7:30 p.m., in the Bellevue Foursquare Church. Steve’s hobby store has provided door prizes for the Eastside Get Together for several years. Steve is also a fantastic modeler so you won’t want to miss this presentation.

Steve will present a clinic on how he uses photos to generate plans for scratch building structures. Learn how to turn styrene into unique structures. Bring something of your own to share. We will have a report of last weekend’s OLY-Ops and the recent Lynden Train Show.

For Eastside Get Together location and other information, see the 4D Clinics page.

JJ Johnston

Here we go. The first Eastside Get Together of the season will be held next Thursday, September 17^th, 7:30 p.m., in the Bellevue Foursquare Church. Our guest presenter will be Bob Oates speaking about selecting and building a historically-based model railroad. We have all seen stunning examples of Bob’s modeling and he will show us how he used old photos to plan and build bridges and structures. What a fabulous way to start our Fall meetings!

I hope everybody built something over the summer to bring as your Model of the Month entry. Don’t forget the free coffee and donuts (donations always encouraged), door prizes, stuff to buy and sell, and an all-around good time.

For Eastside Get Together location and other information, see the 4D Clinics page.

See ya there!