By Jeff Moorman

The next meeting of the Seattle-North clinic will be Thursday, January 6th. See the end of this article for directions. Jim B is going to present a mini-clinic on freight car brake wheels. This is in response to attendees’ desire to learn more about prototype rolling stock. Also planned is an update on module research as a means to get us to actually do something as opposed to just talk about doing it. We’ll see if Dennis and Jeff can actually run an N scale train on a T-TRAK module. And we’ll also see if John has built a demo module in HO. Plus, some interesting things have been showing up for Show and Tell lately.

December’s clinic started with Al Lowe, the esteemed publisher of the 4th Division Grab Iron (and the PNR Switchlist). Internet connectivity gremlins prevented the “show” part of his presentation, but the “tell” part was pretty informative. Al talked a bit about putting the Grab Iron online and the tasks involved with maintaining the 4th Division’s website (of which the Grab Iron is just one part). Everyone should become familiar with what is on the website: https://www.4dpnr.com.

Next Al covered the Digital Grab Iron and how it is set up as a blog. The information here is generally less static than the rest of the website. The presentation puts the most current posts first, but the previous material is still out there. Everything in the Digital Grab Iron is assigned to a basic subject / topic. For example, the Seattle-North clinic is one such topic. The secret to utilizing the blogs is to ‘subscribe’ to the topics you want to be kept informed about. Then you will get an email notice whenever something new is posted in the topics you selected.

To subscribe use this link to go to the opening Grab Iron page: https://4dpnr.com/. In the right-hand column, under Administration, click the heading that says “Subscribe to Posts”. Then enter your email address, say you want to subscribe, and you will be sent a message with your subscription options. Hey, at the very least sign up for info about the Seattle-North clinic. Remember the Grab Iron is “where the 4th Division shares news and ideas.”

Thanks, Al, for coming and bringing us up to date on the Division’s online presence and how we can participate.

After the break Show and Tell made up the rest of the meeting. Chris had a lightweight N gauge diorama he had picked up somewhere. He also regaled us with another chapter in his quest to find the perfect Union Pacific yellow. The examples he brought proved there may be no end to that quest. Lastly Chris showed us a stack of wire trimmings (snippets of wire and insulation) from an electrical job he was doing. These, he thought, had the potential to make a great gondola load.

Bob R brought one of his custom display cases which he was delivering to a client. That one was spoken for, but he said he’d be happy to make one for anyone who wanted one. They are a very elegant way to display rolling stock and motive power. Bob also brought along some pictures from a caboose ride on the Eastside Freight RR.

Jeff and Dennis brought example N gauge T-TRAK modules. These were standard short straight modules about the size of a sheet of paper and did not yet have any track or scenery. Jeff had one he made from half inch gator board (or gator foam). It proves you can build a module with just a utility knife, glue, and gator board. You can get this material in some local art supply stores or from Micro-Mark. It is a lot like foam core, but with plasticized sides instead of heavy cardboard. It is very rigid and lightweight.

Dennis brought 2 modules made with more traditional wood construction – quarter inch plywood on top with dimensional lumber sides. These had been painted and had sky boards installed. Some Kato track and gator board pieces were passed around for folks to get a hands-on “look.” Overall the group had no objection to continuing the T-TRAK experiment.

By the next meeting Jeff and Dennis want to try and actually run a train on a T-TRAK module and John agreed to build a demo module in HO gauge for all to look at.

Don’t forget that the Pacific Science Center Model RR Show is coming up on January 15, 16, and 17. This is the 4th Division’s premier event and helps makes programs like the Seattle-North clinic possible. So, if you can possibly volunteer to help, it would be appreciated.

Next meeting is January 6 and the one after that is February 3. The Mart should be there and don’t forget that The Mart is an opportunity for everyone to participate on either side of the table.

We meet at the Ronald United Methodist Church, 17839 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA. That is on the west side of Aurora (State Route 99) just north of 175th Street, between the Cadillac dealer and Deseret Industries. Note that there is a lot of construction along this stretch of Aurora. It might be best to be going southbound so you can make a right-hand turn into the church.

Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, except July and August. Enter the lower level of the church from the parking lot at the rear. Doors open around 7:00 PM, announcements at 7:15, and the program starts about 7:30. Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.

Happy New Year!