Ed Liesse / Photos by Ed

JJ Johnston at his Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

JJ Johnston welcomed everyone to the Eastside Get-Together clinic of the 4^th Division of the Pacific Northwest Region of the National Model Railroad Association (insert applause here for not stumbling through that statement!). This was the first Eastside clinic after the usual summer break and JJ, as is his custom, introduced the members of the 4D Board of Directors and the MMRs (Master Model Railroaders) in attendance. Bob Rorabaugh introduced his guest Jacob Stearns, who was welcomed to the group.

Announcements included:

Russ Segner, 4D Superintendent, speaking about the National Convention in Portland and the two 4D modular groups in attendance, the National Narrow Gauge convention in Houston, and next years Pacific Northwest Region convention in Salmon Arm, BC, Selkirk Express 2016 on June 15 – 19.
Bob Rorabaugh mentioning attending the Whidbey Island clinic discussing membership and Russ Segner’s clinic as well as upcoming train shows in Lynden, Maple Valley and Lewis County.
David Yadock mentioning that for the Pacific Science Center show in January we will not have access to Bldg 4 or the classroom, that the move in and move out (always a problem) will be a little more difficult this time, and he is always looking for volunteers to help out.
JJ Johnston reporting that the December Eastside Get Together meeting will be his last as coordinator due to his retiring. He has coordinated the Eastside clinic for the last 10 years and a replacement is needed. JJ is in the process of selling his house and downsizing to a condominium and will be dismantling his layout. A new location for the Eastside clinic is also needed.
Mike Jones asking if anyone has any HO or HOn3 drivers, rods, or crossheads to please let him know as he is need of some.

The Model of the Month had three entries this time including one “display only”:

David Yadock displaying a section of Paul Scoles layout after some repair work and used for the PSC 2016 show poster.
CJ Turner displaying Doc Maynard’s Seattle Exchange store with interior.
George Chambers displaying a modified Bar Mills Rainier Fruit Company building kit with sign, winning the Model of the Month award.

After a short break for sustenance and reviewing items brought by members for disposal (either free or sale), JJ introduced our presenter of the evening, Bob Oates.

Bob Oates giving a presentation on prototype railroad selection at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

Bob gave a great presentation on how he went through the steps of selecting his prototype, including the type of scenery, type of railroad (mining, logging, etc), era, operational opportunities, availability of research, availability of rolling stock, and additional help available. He and his wife and son lived in Nevada for over 10 years before moving to the Pacific Northwest and he missed the scenery around Reno and the surrounding area which happened to include the Virginia and Truckee Railroad! He had thought about a major railroad running over and through the mountains, but ultimately settled on the V&T in the 1920s. He decided he could have lots of operation with mining equipment, logging, and freight and passenger interchange in Reno. After coming up with a reasonable track plan, he started building the layout. Since he was most interested in the scenery aspect of the layout, that’s where he spent his time and research and found others to help him with the rolling stock and engine work including the addition of DCC and sound installations. He had many pictures of his own to use for developing his scenery along with the research in old newspapers and books. He used the pictures as a guide in determining lengths and heights of various trestles, bridges and buildings. The layout took a lot of scratch-building to get trestles and bridges to fit and stay true to the reality of the photos available. Many of the buildings were also scratch-built to fit in the space available. He also hand-laid the track and stub turnouts using code 55 rail.

His presentation had many pictures of the prototype and the model so you could see the comparison and how well they matched. A very informative presentation that demonstrated his use of researching various sources to find the detail he wanted for a particular scene or item. Thanks, Bob.

George Chambers’ Rainier Fruit Company model at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015, winner of the Model of the Month

CJ Turner’s writeup explaining the origins of his Seattle Exchange model at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

CJ Turner’s Seattle Exchange model at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

CJ Turner’s Seattle Exchange model, looking through the roof, at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015

David Yadock showing a module from Paul Scoles at the Eastside Get Together clinic September 17, 2015