Category: News

Topic: 4D Board meeting and virtual layout tours in 4D PNR NMRA
Time: Jun 6, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86122246585?pwd=Z0NFTWZ6L2hMcHI5MnhCQWZlWmRaQT09

Meeting ID: 861 2224 6585
Password: 082481
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,86122246585# US (Tacoma)
+16699009128,,86122246585# US (San Jose)

For Help call Russ Segner

206 200 2211

By Russ Segner

We are going high-tech! This year’s Annual Meeting cannot be held at a hotel, so no mediocre lunch or uncomfortable meeting room chairs. In fact, it’s FREE!

You can attend in your casuals, just need tops for sure. We will meet online using Zoom. All you will need is a computer with built in camera and audio or a tablet or smart phone. Many of you have already been in such meetings and know how it works.

All 4D Board Members will be there. We will convene a brief business meeting which will give opportunity for any members to ask questions.

A brief review of last year will be given and some ideas of how we will go forward, including any changes required to deal with the current health crisis.

We will present the Golden Grab Iron Award, as well as some special recognitions by the Superintendent.

Editor’s Note: The Clinic details in this section were revised on 5/19/20

The meeting will be followed by two online clinics, each 45 minutes, including time for questions.

• The first one is a visit with Mike Stepner who will show us his new On30 layout depicting the Magma Arizona mining railroad.
• Then Jim Younkins will take us on a tour of his wonderful layout – The Mud Bay and Southern.

So, save the date. You will receive an invitation a few days before the meeting via email with a link to the meeting and the password you’ll need to get in. SAVE THIS EMAIL AND PASSWORD!

So mark your calendar: May 23 at 9:30 AM

Russ Segner
206 200 2211
russseg@gmail.com

With the current issues with a virus running around and so many affected, the hackers and scammers come out in force.

I received a note supposedly from one of our officers asking for Gift Cards to support our health care workers and first responders.

I also have received notices from other groups and NMRA regions that they have been seeing requests going out from their group. Watch out for these.

Keep your (computer) antivirus up to date and use caution with any suspicious email.

Be careful and stay safe.

Hoping we can get back to having activities soon,
Al Turnbull

By Russ Segner

I was invited to an on-line clinic yesterday by one of the divisions in Texas. It was great. I got to interact with several guys I had met in various Conventions. Lots of good ideas were shared.

This reminded me of a recent conversation. Someone asked me, “What are the advantages of membership in the NMRA?”

So, I wrote a draft statement and shared it with Al Lowe and this is what we came up with:

The advantages of NMRA membership

We share. The NMRA is the one organization dedicated to sharing interest in model railroading.
We care about the future of the hobby by leading in the establishment of standards used by manufacturers and modelers. This has promoted a wide array of factory-built models as well as electronics used in the hobby.

We promote the hobby on a consistent basis to the general public at train shows and museums. A great many of our members are volunteers in restoration and operation of historic railway equipment. The NMRA led in recently establishing a very large permanent exhibit on model railroading at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

We educate one another and the public about railroads, their history and contribution to our economy. We also educate and promote safety around trains.

Membership comes with the NMRA magazine which contains information on activities locally and worldwide as well as articles on model building.

We have an array of local, regional and national meetings to share experience in “how to” clinics, history and research on various rail operations.

We challenge each other in model building contests with awards for excellence. We learn from each other and many work together in construction and operation of home layouts.

We have a program called Master Model Railroader which requires completion of work in the major skills of model railroading. This is a challenging program and the MMR Award and Designation is a lot of work well respected in the hobby.

The 4th Division has a strong effort going with modular layouts in several scales. This a great way to meet and work with other model railroaders, to improve modeling skills and share the hobby with the public. Camaraderie is the glue that keeps us active and strong. Model Railroading is fun.

I invite you to join us.

Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent
206 200 2211

So, if someone asks you about membership in the NMRA, here are some thoughts. Share this message.

By Russ Segner

The 4th Division Board of Directors conducted an online meeting last Saturday using the application ZOOM. It was very successful with a number of participants in addition to the Board members. The minutes of the meeting will be posted on the 4D website soon. Because there were no additional nominations to fill the one Director position and the Superintendent position, the Board voted to close nominations and submit the names of Ed Ives for Director and Russ Segner as Superintendent to the membership.

One of the actions the Board took was to amend the Rules and Procedures Manual of the By-Laws that related to the conduct of the election. We have in the past done this with a mailed ballot. The Board has decided to handle this election and future elections by electronic ballot to the 399 members who have email addresses on file. A paper ballot will be mailed to the 34 members who do not have email addresses on file.

Jack Hamilton will be sending the electronic ballots via email – a “PNR Special Run” email – and Mike Slease will send the paper ballots as done in previous election.

The email ballots and written ballots will have instructions on how to vote and return your vote. Please respond quickly so you do not forget. We have had great participation in all our elections and I hope this new method will achieve even greater results.

Russ

Article & Photos By Al Babinsky

While in quarantine I have been working on the railroad and want to share some photos. A new addition arrived at the TTT, it is a LGB model 2080D. If you not familiar with the designation D after the model number it means Dampf (steam). I decided to install a sound decoder and fan driven smoke generator. My original choice was a Zimo decoder but found out that there was extra cost involved for the sound so I checked with ESU and they had the proper sound to install and ordered the decoder and their smoke generator. The installation involved removing the control board and connecting the wiring for the lights and motor to the decoder, installing the smoke generator and two speakers. There was no soldering involved since the decoder had terminal strips. After installation the decoder was programmed with the ESU Lokprogrammer the main change was to program the chuff to the wheel rotation.
A little background on the real locomotive that the model is based on. The locomotive is a 2-6-2T, the German designation is 1-C-1 2ht. the 2ht means it carries 2 tons of coal, the letter h means high pressure steam and the t means tender locomotive. In 1938 the Reichsbahn decided to build a series of narrow gage locomotives of different wheel configuration that would have interchangeable parts. The first locomotive that was built was BR 99 6001 which is the 2-6-2T and it was the only one built because the contract was canceled due to the gearing up for war production. The BR99 6001 is still in operation on the HSB Selketahlbahn in the Harz Mountains. There are YouTube videos of this locomotive running in the winter scenery last year.
There are two photos one of the above model sitting at the station for passenger loading and the other is of the Uintah Railway #51, a 2-6-6-2T, coming out of tunnel #2 on the lower level.

Al