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News from the monthly Olympia Clinic
Cumbres & Toltec #488
Colorful Colorado
The Olympia Clinic Invites You To Join Us For A Presentation On Trains In Colorado
by
Scott Buckley
Friday, November 16th at 7:00 PM
at:
The Home Of Scott Buckley
7827 Western Ct. SE.
Olympia, WA. 98501
Please bring: a folding chair, if you have one, and
a modeling project to share with the group
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On October 19th, PNR President Walt Huston and I presented Jim Younkins with his Master Model Railroader award #488. A lot of hardware is involved with becoming an MMR and it took both of us to give it all to Jim.
If you’ve ever seen Jim’s “Mud Bay & Southern” layout, you know how Jim earned his MMR. If you haven’t, it’s received plenty of press. Jim routinely opens his home during the Olympia Layout Tour, and is part of the Oly Ops operating sessions every November. Jim also schedules operating sessions throughout the year.
The Achievement Program, of which the Master Model Railroader is part, challenges model railroaders to better their skills through different disciplines in the model railroading hobby. There are 11 areas of work and, when a modeler earns Certificates of Merit in 7 of the 11 areas, he has his MMR. Jim earned his certificates in Electrical, Volunteer, Scenery, Structures, Civil, Author, and Cars. Jim has also earned his Golden Spike Award, often the first step in the A.P. program.
Jim joins other 4D’s other MMRs: Jack Hamilton, Dale Kraus, Max Maginness, Roger Nulton, C.J. Riley, Paul Scoles, Gene Swanson, Di Voss, and David Woodrell. Congratulations, Jim!
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Robert and Sherry Grove graciously opened their beautiful home and Wyoming-themed model railroad to 24 happy modelers and guests at our regular third-Friday get-together. Distinguished guests included Ed Liesse, PNR board member; Walt Huston, PNR president; and Ken Liesse, 4th Division Superintendent. The executive trio was in attendance to present our own Jim Younkins with his NMRA Master Model Railroader, the 488th modeler ever to achieve that rank. (See related story.)
Olympia Coordinator Ted Eggleston had a full slate of activities for the evening including tips, favorite models, and clinic and door prizes (many donated by Charles Lundberg). Paul Vaughn showed his ingenious yet inexpensive homemade switch controllers and later added a mini-clinic on resin-casting tall pieces.
We heard a short report on Tom Murray’s plans for developing the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad visitor center in three phases: first, a logging camp; second, a steam sawmill; and third, his 7½”-gauge railroad and a fully-rigged spar tree.
Beautifully crafted models were shown and described by Scott Groff,MikeVanderhoof, Jim Younkins, and Ryan Bates. Ryan’s kit-bashed and scratchbuilt Washington Iron Works mobile logging yarder won most popular model and will be a showpiece on Ry’s McCloud River Railroad. (See McCloud Railroad Progress Report for more details.)
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Jim and Mary Sabol presented the clinic, based on the book “Clothshell Scenery.” Jim, Mary, and Tom Todd had three little modules covered with basic clothshell ground in about ten minutes, with nothing to clean up, nothing to drip, and nothing to spill.
Ron and Carol Beghin offered their home for the December social get-together on December 14, one week earlier than usual. Speaking of the holiday season, you’d be in for a treat if you drive by Greg Wright’s home on the way to the Olympia meeting in December. Greg and Susan go all out with decorations and their house and yard are a stunning Thurston County showplace of Christmas lights.
Once again everyone present held a winning door prize number and carried home some treasure. “Itza muracle!” exclaimed Jim Elder.
The Olympia Clinic will hold its next monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m., Friday, October 19, 2012. Please join us at the home of Robert Grove, 8132 Bo Court SE in Olympia.
Jim Sabol will present “Plaster-less Cloth-shell Scenery.” Please bring a folding chair if possible and a model for Show ‘n’ Tell. As usual, we’ll have door prizes and refreshments.
See you there!
Scott Buckley receives Golden Grab Iron Service Award (Greg Wright photo)
Scott Buckley of Olympia was awarded the 2012 Golden Grab Iron Service Award during a ceremony at the September Olympia Clinic.
The award is the highest honor afforded by the 4th Division and dates from 1955. Per tradition, Scott was selected by a committee made up of the three previous winners, who this year included J. J. Johnston, Ed Liesse, and Walt Huston. The award is symbolic of the recipient’s dedication to the hobby of model railroading and his or her generosity toward one’s fellow modelers.
In presenting the award to an amazed Scott, Jim Sabol, representing the selection committee, noted Scott’s many years of volunteering with railroad museums both in Nevada and Washington, his leadership in planning and often hosting 81 monthly Olympia NMRA clinics from 2002 to 2010, and his propensity for showing up ready to work whenever friends need a helping hand.
In the audience and clapping enthusiastically were previous award winners Dale and Diane Kraus, and Keith Newsom.
A complete list of all the Golden Grab Iron Service Award winners is on the 4D website.
The complete text of the plaque Scott received is below:
The Golden Grab Iron Service Award is given each year to a member of the 4th Division, Pacific Northwest Region, National Model Railroad Association, who exemplifies service to the organization. For 2012 the selection committee, composed of the immediate past three honorees, has chosen Scott Buckley for his many contributions to the hobby, the NMRA, and especially the 4th Division.
Scott has known trains all his life, inheriting publications and memorabilia from his late grandfather, a career locomotive engineer, at the age of 9. Scott’s dad served as brakeman, conductor, and fireman on the Sierra Railroad before it became a tourist train. Scott’s volunteer career, firing engines, began there when he worked with school field trips during the summer of 1974. He qualified as brakeman and fireman as a volunteer and has had some training as an engineer.
Railroading sites and the Southern Pacific were close at hand when Scott moved to Sacramento and then Roseville, California. A special event at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City provided a new opportunity for Scott’s volunteering over the next 6 years.
Scott joined the NMRA in 1990. Following the 1994 national convention in Portland and exposure to the Mount Rainier Scenic and Chehalis-Centralia Railroads, Scott moved to Olympia and the Pacific Northwest in 1996 and soon joined the 4D’s Tacoma Clinic. After several active years with that group, Scott was instrumental in successfully establishing the Olympia Clinic, which exists today. He often hosts meets and several clinics during the year and since 2004 has been responsible for organizing the annual spring Olympia Layout Tours and works with the Olympia Operating Sessions (Oly Ops) each fall.
Having built a house with a bonus room, Scott decided that 20 years of weekend, recreational railroading was enough and began devoting more time to his own layout, which features the Southern Pacific Railroad and will be included for the first time in the Oly Ops schedule in 2012.
Scott Buckley has given his time and energy, sharing his knowledge of trains and railroading for many years, providing educational opportunities to the public, as well as sharing his knowledge with fellow modelers. His Golden Grab Iron Award is well deserved.
24 happy and suntanned modelers gathered at the home of Keith and Gayle Newsom inWest Olympia for the first Olympia Clinic of the season. Many arrived early to ride on Keith’s outdoor railroad.
Jim Younkins (N scale), Dale Kraus (HO scale), and Jim Sabol (O scale) gave clinics demonstrating locomotive care and maintenance. Each took a slightly different view but together comprised a comprehensive look at techniques for improving locomotive performance, from using jewelers’ rouge to lap in gears for a perfect fit, to rapidly cleaning wheels with a brush and denatured (important!) alcohol.
A surprise extra agenda item was the awarding of the 4th Division 2012 Golden Grabiron Service Award to Scott Buckley, longtime organizer of the Olympia clinics, frequently hosted at his own home. Although taken by surprise, all the attendees agreed with the committee’s selection that Scott was richly deserving of the award. We are proud to see one of our own so recognized.
Jim Younkins won the most popular model vote with his N scale train. Everyone present won a door prize. “Itza muracle!” said Brian Ferris.
October’s meeting will be at Robert Grove’s home where the clinic topic will be: plasterless, messless, dripless clothshell scenery. We’ll have the light on for you!
… operators!
There are a few spots still available for OLY-OPS 2012, to be held Saturday, November 3. If you’d like want to operate on some of the finest layouts in the 4th Division, sign up now!
Email your name and anyone else who will carpool with you to Gregory Wright. Tell him if you have special needs such as “can’t do steps” or “no crawl-unders.”
Participants must be in Olympia by 8:15 a.m and will operate on one layout in the morning and another in the afternoon. Everyone is also invited to a no-host dinner following.
Only request a spot if you are sure you can attend. No-shows destroy our schedule and eliminate those who could have attended.
June saw the 6th Annual G.O.P.H.E.R.S. (Greater Olympia Prototype History & Engineering Research Society) field trip and picnic. Twenty-five happy modelers, including spouses, neighbors, and grandkids from the 4D Olympia Clinic and the 4D Tacoma Clinic toured the multi-acre grounds of the Jensen Antique Machinery and Artifacts Museum in Graham, Washington.
A sunny day and grilled deluxe Kosher hot dogs served by Jim & Mary Sabol and Paul Vaughn, with desserts and salads by Carol Beghin and others, was followed by an open house at Paul Vaughn’s Sn3 layout and Jim Sabol’s O scale layout. What more could you ask on a warm June day? Model railroading really is fun!
Both Jensens were hospitalized just before the picnic. Modelers passed the hat and collected over a hundred dollars to help with their expenses. Aren’t model railroaders a great bunch?!
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The Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th. Nine layouts will be open to visitors, including:
This is your chance to see a variety of layouts in various scale/gauge combinations representing a wide variety of prototypical interests. A few of the layouts are in the early stages of construction, but all are operational. As with previous years, a few of the layouts will be open early, while a few will stay open later, so visitors may see as many as possible.
If you are interested in visiting, please contact me at sbuckley54@comcast.net and I will send you an email with layout descriptions, hours of operation, layout addresses, and a map. Those of you who have already contacted don’t need to do so again. I will beginning sending this info beginning next Saturday.
Please note: this is a semi-invitational event. While we want to make the tour available to as many interested people as possible, for security reasons we can’t allow maps to our homes to get out to those with ulterior motives. Please feel free to bring friends and family members. You may also forward this message to people who you personally know.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, April 14th, for the Ninth Annual Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour.
There will be at least eight layouts representing various scale and gauge combinations, including N, HO, On30 and 3/8n20. Jim Younkins’ N scale Mud Bay & Southern and Greg Wright’s 3/8n20 Consolidated Republic Mining Railroad have been featured in national publications. Most of the layouts are in various stages of construction, which will give visitors an opportunity to see each builder’s construction methods.
As with previous years, a few layouts will be open early and a few will stay open late, giving visitors the opportunity to see as many layouts as possible.
We hope that you will take the opportunity to visit our layouts. There aren’t many chances to see these many layouts at one time without spending the money to attend a convention.
Additional information, including how to request a tour map, will be provided soon. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please contact me, Scott Buckley, sbuckley54@comcast.net.