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Eastside Layout Tour on October 1

Written by Russ Segner
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Russ Segner

On Saturday, October 1st from 1 to 5 PM is a wonderful opportunity to visit four fine layouts located about half an hour apart in Fife, Auburn, Kent, and Bellevue along the I-405 corridor and Kent / Auburn / Puyallup valley area. Take advantage of this chance to meet some great model railroaders and see how they have designed, built, and operate their layouts.

(Editor’s Note: The layouts are listed in south to north order. Two of the listings below have links to dedicated layout web pages, and the others have links to web pages with pictures of the layout.)

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Layout Tour

August 28 Eastside Layout Tour – BEMRRC Layout Added

Written by Russ Segner
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Russ Segner

We are pleased to announce that the Boeing Employees Model Railroad Club has agreed to have their layout open on Sunday August 28th from 10 AM to 3 PM. The address is 425 SW 153th St. in Burien (same building as the Pacific NW RR archive).

This is an addition to open houses at Al Lowe’s and Steve Depolo’s – click here to view the previous Grab Iron post with additional details.

Make a full day of it. Start with the Boeing Club in Burien (open 10 AM to 3 PM) and then head to Bellevue and Woodinville (layouts open from 1 PM to 5 PM). This is a great opportunity to see three excellent approaches to model railroading. For addresses and directions, email me at russseg@gmail.com and I will send maps and contact information.

Layout Tour

August Eastside Layout Tour Changed to Sunday, Aug 28th

Written by Russ Segner
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Russ Segner

The Eastside Layout Tour has been changed to Sunday, August 28th (from Saturday Aug 27th)

Two of the layouts originally scheduled for the Eastside layout tour in August have had to cancel. (Mike O’Connell’s mother passed away suddenly and the service is scheduled for the 27th; my wife, Susan, will be recovering from major back surgery the week of the 27th.)

The great news is that we will have two very special layouts open to 4D members and guests on Sunday, August 28th. Steve Depolo invites you to tour his Sn3 Alaska Pacific Rwy in Woodinville. The theme is “Mining in Alaska”.

This is a very large layout with all trackwork finished and scenery almost complete. Steve has scratch built many large mining structures and two complete waterfront scenes. All locomotives have sound decoders and are controlled by NCE. This layout will inspire you.

Al Lowe is one of our NTrak leaders and will show us how he uses his modules in a home layout. When not setting up at local shows, Al has several of his modules organized as a layout in his Bellevue home. These modules are highly detailed. Al has a very creative way of setting them up in his garage.

Both layouts will be open from 1 PM to 5 PM. For addresses and directions, email me at russseg@gmail.com and I will send maps and contact information.

Note – there will be another Eastside layout tour in October in the Renton and Maple Valley areas.

4dNTRAK Modular Group, Burien Clinic, Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic, Layout Tour

Eastside Layout Tour Proposal

Written by Cliff Green
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Russ Segner

Many of us visited layouts open in Olympia on April 30th. So far, several groupings of layouts throughout the region are open on weekends during the year, but there is no such opportunity on the Eastside (East of Lake Washington). These open houses are usually Saturdays from 1 to 5.

I am proposing a layout tour in the Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Renton, Maple Valley, Kent, Auburn, and other close by areas for a weekend in mid July.

If you have a layout you would be willing to open to members sometime this summer and are located in one of these areas, please contact me at 452-228-7327 or by email at russseg@gmail.com.

Burien Clinic, Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic, Layout Tour

13th Annual Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour Saturday, April 30th

Written by Cliff Green
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Scott Buckley

This is a reminder that the 13th annual Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour will be held on Saturday, April 30th. The following layouts will be on the tour this year:

  • Jim Younkins’ N scale Mud Bay & Southern Railway
  • Greg Wright’s 1:32 scale Consolidated Republic Mining Co
  • Brian Ferris’s HO scale Port Townsend & Southern
  • Scott Buckley’s HO scale Tehama Valley Railroad
  • Chuck Ricketts’ On30 scale Sherwood, Shelton and Sarazen
  • Dave Rakestraw’s HO scale PNW mainline and logging layout
  • Robert Grove’s HO scale Rawlins, Lincoln, and Greeley Railway
  • Dean Cody’s N scale KD&S Railroad
  • The Olympic Model Railroad Society’s HO scale Olympic Mountain Rail System
  • Ryan Bates’ HO scale McCloud River Railroad
  • Scott Groff’s On30 Quevic Valley Railway (new to the tour this year)

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Layout Tour, Olympia Clinic

Cloud City and Western Annual Open House

Written by Rich Blake
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Rich Blake

This weekend Nov 28th and 29th marks the 15th public open house of Jack Tingstad’s “Cloud City and Western” HO scale layout in Coupeville on beautiful Whidbey Island. This event has been a local favorite every weekend after Thanksgiving and can also be a great opportunity for local 4D modelers to stop by and have a visit.

Class C Shay crossing the high trestle at Cloud City.

Class C Shay crossing the high trestle at Cloud City.

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Miners awaiting the work train at Tennessee Pass Station. Small scenes like this are all over the highly detailed Cloud City and Western.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the years Jack’s HO scale layout has received regional and national recognition. It has appeared twice in Railroad Model Craftsman and the May 2011 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist. Jack has also been recognized for his excellence in scenery, structures, rolling stock and electrical wiring through several NMRA AP Certificates. The layout has been featured on National Convention tours and is frequently operated among local operators. During national OPSIG events such as Sound Rail the CC&W is part of some of the best operating layouts in the Northwest hosting operators from all over the country.

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Layout Tour, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic

Have a JAM Breakfast on Thursday, July 2nd

Written by Cliff Green
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David Yadock

Thursday, July 2nd marks the birthday of John Allen. He constructed the famous Gorre and Daphetid Railroad (pronounced “gory & defeated”). It was a true model railroading marvel. The Gorre & Daphetid Yahoo group usually celebrates with a JAM (John Allen Memorial) breakfast. John Allen was a real pioneer in model railroading. Just like Frank Ellison, Whit Towers, and many others, he promoted many of the things we now take for granted in our model railroading hobby. So help celebrate his birthday by having a hearty breakfast!

Layout Tour, News, Operations, , ,

Paul Scoles Layout on PBS Tracks Ahead

Written by Cliff Green
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Cliff Green

According to a reliable source (Russ! As forwarded to him from Fred …) Paul Scoles’ Sn3 scale Pelican Bay & Railway Navigation Company layout will be featured on the Tracks Ahead program on PBS Channel 8 (Seattle area – 108 hi-def on many of the cable channels) at 8:30 am this morning (June 7, 2015). Yes, this is late notice, so you may be able to catch it on a re-broadcast.

Layout Tour,