Category: News

Eastside Virtual Clinic will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 7:00 PM (lobby opens at 6:45 PM ) PDT

Our next Eastside Clinic will be held virtually on ZOOM this Thursday, June 17, starting at 7:00 PM with our virtual lobby opening at 6:45 PM.  I would like to extend an invitation to all the 4^th Division to virtually attend this Thursday.  So be sure and save the date for the June Eastside Clinic this Thursday, June 17 at 6:45 PM!  The log in info for the clinic is below.   

The Eastside Clinic is inviting you to a scheduled 4D-PNR Zoom clinic:

Topic: Eastside Clinic for June 2021
Time: June 17, 2021, 06:45 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join the Zoom Clinic at:
https://zoom.us/j/99880801234?pwd=T0l0RkpKNitHc3dTZE82bXNJU3BWUT09
Meeting ID: 998 8080 1234
Passcode: 478281

Our Clinic this month will be “Techniques for Building Better Buildings” presented by Greg Price.   Greg will lead us through his presentation and discussion of his techniques for building structures on his layout.  I’m sure that everyone will be able to take away something new and useful for their model building!

After the Clinic, there will be an opportunity for other folks to show off their latest model work in our “Show and Brag” event. 

Alex Brikoff, 06/15/2021    

By Ted Becker

Topic this week is a presentation of a model railroad control network based on Arduino. Simpler and less expensive than commercial LCC products for those who can do some C/C++ coding.

This is the last of this series on using Arduino. Whether or not these sessions resume at some future date remains to be determined. If there is enough interest something can be done. Email Ted Becker with questions, comments and suggestions at rail.bird@att.net .

4dpnrOrganizer MountVernon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: SIMBAAB, Tinkerers alternative to LCC
Time: Jun 14, 2021 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93496077242?pwd=RHA4eE02U0h0aFhUUlVUcjJTZTZCQT09

Meeting ID: 934 9607 7242
Passcode: 521556

Update to the clinic tonight. This should be a very interesting clinic as we have a wide array of fantastic modelers to show off their train backside – the Caboose!!!

Thanks to all the volunteers who stepped up for this unique event.

Presenter Line-Up

Rich Blake

Ted Becker

Phil Gonzales

Ron Hopkins MMR

Lee Marsh

Gary Jordan MMR

Jon Bentz

Jake Swaney

Terry Kandzor

Zoom Link:

Topic: SVW June Clinic
Time: Jun 9, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92342184361?pwd=eUtkQ2p3d2ZLZGRjTEp2dEUxN1RwUT09

Meeting ID: 923 4218 4361
Passcode: 576499
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 923 4218 4361
Passcode: 576499

June’s 4DPNR Zoom layout tour will be presented by Scott Calvert (from 7DPNR near Vancouver BC). Scott has been building a large operations-oriented HO layout modeling a mountain section of the Canadian Pacific mainline, and his layout tour will be presented in two segments – the first is a tour of the layout and its scenery based on prototype scenes, and the second is how he sets it up for operations. You can get an idea for the scope of his layout beforehand by visiting his his web page, which is https://www.cprboundarysub.ca .

The link for joining the Zoom meeting on Saturday morning is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83676128886?pwd=SEJvZWRIVDdCeEVkMHR1QUVoRGNrZz09

As usual, we will open the meeting around 9:30am and start the formal presentation at 10:00.

To watch recordings of our previous 4DPNR Zoom layout tours, visit www.youtube.com/c/4dpnrmovies

Article & Photos By Russ Segner

The year we honor Burr Stewart for his very significant contribution of skill and time to make our virtual world of meetings effective. Burr has tirelessly worked to record, edit and display the many layout tours produced within the Fourth Division over the last year. He has worked to organize and train many of us in conducting our meetings online. This takes a lot of time and requires patience with us as we have learned the necessary computer skills.

While doing all this, he has been actively producing many fine videos of his own extensive HO layout. His creative skills include many videos on one screen showing multiple views of the same scene, including onboard cameras. He has hosted several remotely controlled operating sessions with operators working trains from different locations. Count on him to lead the way in adopting new and more effective ways we can share our hobby.

• 

• 

• 

Thank you Burr on behalf of all of us in the 4D.

Russ Segner, Superintendent

By Ted Becker

Topic this week is using the PCA9685 I2C PWM multiplexer for driving servos or LEDs with your Arduino. Included will be a set of functions that replace the Arduino library that may be simpler to use.

4dpnrOrganizer MountVernon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: PCA9685 PWM driver for servos & LEDs
Time: Jun 7, 2021 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98257793045?pwd=WWYwV3MxbmNuTExiOVZ6eTUzN1JLdz09

Meeting ID: 982 5779 3045
Passcode: 593189

Our last clinic before the summer break will be on June 9th at 7:00pm on Zoom.

Our topic – and volunteers needed – is on the last car of the train – THE CABOOSE.

We want to see your crummies.  What do you have, what have you done, lets see those train tushies!!!!

I will kick off the clinic with some examples of my own work in O scale (On30).  We also have a couple other volunteers lined up but a few more 5-10 minute segments are needed.

Would like to see models of any scale that have been weathered, kitbashed and/or super detailed or scratchbuilt. NMRA AP Merit award models are certainly of interest.

This is a great opportunity to show off your train’s back side!!!

All you need to be able to do to share your work is participate in zoom with a web cam or share pictures from your computer with screen share.  You could simply hold up your project and talk about your work.  Alternatively, if you have an external webcam or phone/tablet you could show off your model on your layout or workbench.  Whatever the case, we need volunteers to make this work so please RSVP via email and I will put you on the crew list for this clinic. 

RSVP to : slugsmasher@oakharbor.net

LINK TO ZOOM BELOW:

4dpnrOrganizer SkagitValleyWhidbey is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: SVW June Clinic
Time: Jun 9, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92342184361?pwd=eUtkQ2p3d2ZLZGRjTEp2dEUxN1RwUT09

Meeting ID: 923 4218 4361
Passcode: 576499
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 923 4218 4361
Passcode: 576499

Come join a virtual chat about all things trains tonight at the North End Clinic tonight. Here’s the link to the Zoom meeting:

https://zoom.us/j/92509457931?pwd=czViSWdvUisvK25YUlFIcUNmeDd4UT09
Meeting ID: 925 0945 7931
Passcode: 595559

As always, the meeting starts at 7pm and we typically start letting people in around 6:45pm

See you then!
Lisa Murray, Clinic Chair

By Emily Boersma, Volunteer & Program Coordinator

Here is a great opportunity to run trains in person at “Day Out With Thomas”.

Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie is recovering from the COVID epidemic.

Their annual “Day Out With Thomas” event is back on, after a year hiatus. Come and help them celebrate, and satisfy your craving to run model trains, and to rub elbows with prototype trains, too.

Day out With Thomas is on July 9, 10, 11 and 16, 17, 18, 2021. We will want to have at least two volunteers each of those days who can monitor and run the O scale layout for visitors. ( This is not the Hi-Rail module layout. This is the layout and trains which were saved from the Bellingham Railway Museum. There is also an N scale layout, which visitors run themselves. ) If we have two volunteers each of those days, we can have at least one stationed at the O scale layout and the other can rove around the Train Shed Exhibit Hall to answer questions, keep an eye on things, and direct people through the hall.

Shifts would be from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Half day shifts are also available.
Because of crowding, face masks are required while at the Museum, even if you are vaccinated.
Bring your own name tag. ( You probably have one, from other shows. )
Food and beverages are not available on-site. But there are picnic tables, an outdoor lounge area, and a refrigerator.
On-site parking is limited, so plan to get there early.

Anyone interested is welcome to contact the Museum directly.
Emily Boersma
Volunteer & Program Coordinator
425-888-3030 x 7203 or 425-772-8870
Emily@TrainMuseum.org

Here is a link to the volunteer application that you will need to fill out for background checks. ( Required by state law. )
https://trainmuseum.org/index.php/component/rsform/form/3-volunteer-application
This is very similar to the form we all fill out for the Pacific Science Center show.

By Ted Becker

This week we are taking a side trip through the realm of printed circuit boards and how you can design your own board and have it made at a very reasonable cost.

4dpnrOrganizer MountVernon is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Arduino Class
Time: May 31, 2021 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98173181344?pwd=Vk82S3BjdCtCZUs5eFNUd1kybUdwQT09

Meeting ID: 981 7318 1344
Passcode: 165446