JJ Johnston
You’ve heard us talk about it. Now it’s happening! Eastside Get-Together members should not miss our Thursday, May 17, monthly meeting. Dave Hikel, our recent clinician, has generously obtained a one-time permission for us to visit the North West Trunk Lines, a 3,200 square foot, O and On30 scale, layout owned by Peter and Laurie Hambling. This unique layout was recently featured in the Seattle Times.
It includes real world scenes from the western U.S. and Canada. Dave took over John Armstrong’s design for construction and enhancement. He drove over 16,000 miles to photograph and collect soil and rock samples of the areas modeled. Backdrops are hand-painted from his photographs. Dave created a control program based on an MTH Digital Command System integrated with a computer running RR & Co layout control software allowing the use of Apple iPads as local control panels during operating sessions. The scenery is exceptional. There’s so much more for you to see, too.
If you want to visit this unique layout, you must:
1. Parking at the Medina Elementary School, 8001 NE 8th St, Medina. NO exceptions. There is no parking available near the Hambling residence.
2. Ride the free van from the school parking lot to the layout.
3. The van will run round trips from 7:00 pm continuously until 10:00 pm. Dave will do a formal introduction and speak about computer control beginning at 7:30 pm. No admittance after 9:45.
The layout is only accessible down an outside stairway into the basement.
See you there!
I hope someone will take video of this open house on their portable phone, and post the video here on the Grab Iron.
I have to work that night, and that would be my only way to see this.
That’s what my students do now, if they’re sick and have to miss class. Why bother “borrowing your classmate’s notes” to study, when you can have them just record the lecture? We old-timers don’t think about it, but to the young people we are trying to recruit, modern technology is something they’re used to.