Category: News

A trip to old Durango where I rode the Cinco Animas, a business care built in the 1880’s.  The car rides at the end of the first daily train to Silverton.  The car was built with berths for eight with a galley and viewing lounge.  The platform is extra large and easily accommodates four for photos and watching the marvelous scenery along the Animas River.

Silverton is an old mining town which comes alive with thousands of daily visitors in the summer and slumbers with only 300 souls in the winter.  There are lots of shops and some very authentic leather craft shops.  My friend, Dale Kreutzer and I had a great lunch at the Grand Imperial Hotel before boarding the train for the return to Durango.  It was a great six hours well spent.

Here is a link to a video of part of the return trip.

https://goo.gl/photos/gixHcHAc8rAzCxB27

Post an article and some photos of one of your rail adventures. Send it to me or to our new Grab Iron Editor, Al Turnbull at aeturnbull@outlook.com

Russ

JJ Johnston, Chair of the Election Committee with David Yadock and George Chambers announced the results of the 2017 4th Division Election. With 151 ballots returned, Al Lowe running for Assistant Superintendent received 148 votes, Anton Faulk running for Director #1 received 142 votes and Robin Peel running for Director #2 received 146 votes. There were 4 ballots returned with no votes, 1 write-in vote for Al Frasch for Director and 1 write-in vote for Tylor Whitcomb for Director.

Congratulations to the winners who will commence their terms on September 1, 2017.

On behalf of Laurie Rathbun, I regret to inform you regarding the injury and passing of Allan. He fell in the house and suffered a head injury and was not able to recover. He died Saturday morning of the 24th of June.

The memorial service for Allan Rathbun will be July 29th at 1 pm at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, 1717 Bellevue Way, Bellevue, 98004

Norm Curtis

The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society will be having its quarterly meeting this Saturday July 15th in Burien at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive (425 SW 153rd St, Burien, WA). The meeting will begin at 12:30 and end around 5 pm. All are welcome to attend. After the meeting we usually go to Vince’s across the street for dinner.

David Yadock

Cliff Green, our Editor is retiring.  Opportunity to Excel Awaits.

The Grab Iron is the primary means of the Fourth Division to communicate with our members and to keep them advised of ongoing programs and upcoming events. Over the past several years different formats have been used. One process minimized the direct effort and intervention by the “editor” because it relied on direct postings from clinics and committee chairs and an associated automatic notice of those postings to members. A second process involved the editor collecting information and then posting and publishing it on a periodic basis with posting notification to the members. Both systems have worked well in keeping members informed. Notwithstanding the ease of handling the editor duties, our current editor, who has done an exceptional job, has a need to retire to concentrate on more pressing matters in his family. Consequentially we need a replacement Grab Iron Editor.

The “job description” for Editor is rather simple. The Editor will work with our website which uses Word Press. The Editor also requires a bit of writing skill and the ability to be proactive in contacting members who write articles and share news helpful to 4D members. That list of contact is currently defined as the local clinic managers/leaders and the various Division Committee Chairs. The task includes preparing some original work (Editorial input, if you please) and exercising some reasonable oversight on materials posted by others. The Editor may also directly solicit materials that they believe to be of interest and value to the members. The current Grab Iron format is to publish news and articles as received from members and the groups such as local clinics and modular clubs. A monthly newsletter is an option at the discretion of the Editor. The Editor is responsible directly to the Division Superintendent and receives all required support and assistance from that office. Execution of Editor responsibilities, once in the “groove”, should require less than 10 hours a month. Software support, if require, is the responsibility of the Division.

If you are interested, please call Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent at 206 200 2211.

What’s on your workbench?

Any plans for a new project;
build some new structures, weather a locomotive or tackle some scenery?.

While I have some travel plans and am still working on some small structures for my layout, I am interested in promoting some new projects to be worked on through the summer and into the fall.

First, I am planning to build two or three small modules for a switching layout that can connect to some of the HO modular groups as a branch line.

Second, I am looking for some help in constructing some exhibits for the Newcastle Historical Society. These would be specific dioramas of coal mine scenes. To keep them small, they will probably be N scale or HOn3.

So, if you are interested, give me a call or an email.

Russ Segner,
206 200 2211
russseg@gmail.com

By Russ Segner

This Thursday is our last meeting this season in Burien.
We will resume our regular meetings in September.

Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive
425 SW 153^rd Street
Burien, WA 98166
Map

The meeting is very important as we will evaluate what we want to do next season. There will be some changes, so be there to share your thoughts.

Several of us attended the Pacific Northwest Region meeting in Spokane last week and will report on our experiences there. It was a very interesting four days.

Our program will focus on industrial switching modules and possible establishment of one more group, probably in HO.
Our meetings are at 7:00