Did you know you can watch most of our 4D clinics and layout tours on YouTube? Great if you missed one, or just want to re-watch some again later. We record and edit most clinics for our public 4D PNR YouTube channel. The channel has become very popular and now has well over 1,000 subscribers with 100+ videos published. We have separate sections for Clinics and Layout Tours.
You can get notifications when new videos are published by subscribing to the channel (when in the YouTube channel, just click SUBSCRIBE) and turn on notifications (click on the Bell button next to SUBSCRIBE). Go here to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/4DPNRMovies
Our five latest clinics are (make sure to unmute the video in YouTube to hear sound):
Topic this week is a servo tester built with a commonly available UNO and UNO shield. In the code examples a couple of the built-in Arduino functions will be covered. This device will aid in determining the values to make a servo stop where you want it.
The next session will be held Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 4:00 via Zoom.
The November 13swap meet last Saturday was great for many reasons:
We met so many old friends face-to-face even if we didn’t recognize each other at first behind the masks.
Many attendees got some real bargains.
Many others freed up space on their layouts or in their garages.
The 4th Division got a nice cash infusion from sales of donated items.
We are particularly grateful to Clay Hanson and the estate of Mike Murray for many donated items.
Thanks to so many of our members who helped set up and man our sales tables:
Ed Ives
Jack Klapwyk
Dan Peters
Wayne Grinnell
Marc Sachnoff
Mike Donnelly
Al Lowe
Dennis Terpstra
Robin Peel
Roger Nulton
Burr Stewart
It was great meeting so many in person again. AND, there’s lots of great bargains left over. I’ll post some lists of items for members to come by and bid on over the next weeks. Watch for lists in future Grab Irons.
It is now time to travel down the mainline into the town of Dry Gulch. This town is the terminus for the narrow-gauge railroad. As mentioned in the last update Dry Gulch is the last puzzle piece but had to wait for completion while all the other sections were worked on and the branch line was realigned. The area has a small business district and a few industries. A small two-stall engine house provides facilities for minor locomotive repair and servicing. A tiny turntable provides for locomotive turning. In this update we will specifically examine the access hatch area.
Photo 41 shows the Dry Gulch area before scenery and branch line realignment was completed. Yes, a station, turntable, and small coaling tower were there but the scenery was lacking. You will also note in the center of the photo a large hole directly behind the 6-dome yellow tank car! The citizens of Dry Gulch petitioned the layout owner to remedy this problem since it was a danger to the public. The hole is actually a large access hatch that is needed to service the track and switches located at Potter Flats, Raade Springs, and the interior portion of Dry Gulch. The access hatch is about 22 inches by 36 inches and is another vertical lift type of hatch.
Photo 41
Photo 42 is an arial view showing the hatch in the closed position. A lot of care was taken to hide the edges of the hatch. Since the hatch can’t have an odd trapezoidal shape it made it difficult to blend in the edges and seam. Careful placement of fencing, guardrails, and shrubbery helped hide the seam along the front of the hatch. The sides of the hatch did not require much effort, they are hidden from view by the other portions of the layout. The back side of the hatch was also difficult to hide. I have found it best to have access hatch holes with odd shapes, that allows them to be hidden much better. Of course, sometimes this can’t be done.
Photo 42
Photo 43 shows an up-close view of a couple of the businesses that cover the hatch. All the buildings have interior lighting. Wright’s fire extinguishers building has some special flicker LED lighting installed. Greg, you should know better than to place oily rags next to open flames! The police car and fire chief’s car roof lights also function. Note the curved roadway, retaining walls, old-style wire guardrails, and multitude of billboards to help add visual interest.
Photo 43
Photo 44 shows another view of the structures. Some of you will note the names of the structures. Greg Wright was poked fun at with his structure, I couldn’t resist it. JJ Johnston is the landlord of Johnston Arms apartments. Both Fred Hamilton and Jack Hamilton can fight over which side of the building belongs to them! Which one of you handles the hardware and the supply? Jim Sabol builds something in that large green structure. Trunzo Materials Handling is named after Jim Trunzo. He is head of the local Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society chapter. Most of the structures are from kits, but there are a few scratch-built structures as well. All of this scenery was placed on a rigid foam base and attached to an L-shaped sliding lift mechanism. The weight of the hatch is about 15 pounds, so it is easy to operate.
Photo 44
Photo 45 shows the back of the hatch, looking from Raade Springs. Trees, shrubs, and a small ravine help break up the seam of the hatch. Natural features such as small ravines can help hide or break up the straight line of an access hatch. Small hills or rises in land can accomplish the same.
Photo 45
Photo 46 gives you another view of the structures that are in Dry Gulch and Raade Springs. You will note just how close these towns are in relation to one another. A road and careful placement of trees helps hide the fact that they are only a few inches away from each other. Must be wash day at the apartment complex! Ed Liesse provided the Central Valley billboard sign. It is from a 1960’s era NMRA convention handout. I made a photocopy of it and made the roof sign.
Photo 46
Next time I will provide a photo of the hatch in the raised position to give you an idea of how the edges were hidden. Also, we will look at the changes happening with the Dry Gulch foreground area. As of this point it is still a work in progress. Some of the features have been installed, but most of the ground cover and especially the two-stall engine house is still waiting for final placement. I was hoping for it to be further along, but a shoulder injury has slowed its progress. Have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving.
Eastside Clinic will be held on THURSDAY, November 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM (lobby opens at 6:45 PM) PDT
The Eastside Clinic is inviting everyone to the November Clinic to be held virtually on ZOOM this Thursday, November 18, starting at 7:00 PM with our virtual lobby opening at 6:45 PM. Be sure and save the date for the November Eastside Clinic this Thursday! The log in info for the clinic is below.
Topic: Eastside Clinic for November 2021 Time: November 18, 2021, 06:45 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Our Clinic this month will be “What is a Bow Truss Buildingand How to Model it” presented by Larry Sloan. Larry will be introducing us to the bow truss method of supporting roofs on many buildings found in industrial areas serviced by railroads. Larry will also be discussing his methods of modeling these types of structures on his layout. If you want to have a unique looking building on your layout, then be sure and see this clinic.
After the Clinic, there will be an opportunity for everyone to show off their latest model work in our “Show and Brag” event.
I am launching a new train show that will be at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma, WA February 12th and 13th of 2022. I am serving as the show coordinator and want to get the word out on the street.
Clubs and vendors I want to hear from you. Please contact me and let me know if you are interested in participating.
Railroad Swap Meet & Train Show Saturday & Sunday February 12 & 13, 2022 Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma, WA Saturday 9am – 4pm Sunday 10am – 3pm Admission: $5.00 Children under 12 free with paid adult Lots of free parking, food concession, operating train layouts.
Train Club Info and Vendor Info Set up is Friday from 9am-6pm Saturday set up 7am – 9am 32 Elma/McCleary Road, Elma, WA 98541
Camping Spots available at $20 per night (no Septic) Motels: Stay Beyond, Elma 360-482-6868 Guest House, Montesano 360-249-4429
Topic this week will be pushbutton route control. One pushbutton aligning several turnouts to the selected route. We will also cover a basic method for saving turnout positions and restoring those positions.
The next session will be held Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 4:00 via Zoom.
The Mount Vernon Clinic for November 2021 will be held via Zoom at 7:00pm Monday November 15, 2021. Topic this month is Thomas Keyes’ presentation on Railway Express Operations in Seattle. Zoom session will open sometime between 6:30 and 6:45.
4dpnrOrganizer MountVernon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Mt Vernon Clinic, Nov. 2021 Time: Nov 15, 2021 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
We are looking forward to another visit (virtual) from our old friend Stathi Pappas. He will be catching us up on his activities at the railroad museum in Chehalis on the Cowlitz, Centralia, & Cascade Locomotive 15 Restoration and hopefully the Cumbres and Toltec. Clinic starts at 7:00 PM on Wednesday 10 November.
Stathi riding on the footboard of his personal loco – an 0-4-0t Porter engine affectionately called the “Chiggen”.
Some of you in the Pacific Northwest Region may remember Stathi when he worked at the Snoqualmie Railroad Museum and previously on the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad as Chief Mechanical Officer. His locomotive restoration skills are legendary and well respected nationally. If you are interested in the technical aspects of prototype steam locomotives this will be a clinic not to miss.
ZOOM Link provided:
4dpnrOrganizer SkagitValleyWhidbey is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: SV&W November Clinic
Time: Nov 10, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Topic this week will be a repeat of the session that didn’t get recorded a couple weeks ago. First example will be a method for servo slow motion using the Arduino servo library. The remainder of the session will be a review of the PCA9685 operation with an example of slow motion servo and variable brightness LED. The same example will be presented with a set of functions not requiring the use of libraries.
The next session will be held Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 4:00 via Zoom.
