Don’t miss the big train show this weekend at the fairgrounds in Monroe! It is Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 4. Click here to see the clinics that are scheduled all weekend long and for additional information such as driving directions.
The United Northwest Model Railroad Club is proud to host this 24th Annual Model Train Show and Marketplace. This show benefits the Snohomish County 4-H Foundation.
If you’re a new 4th Division (PNR) NMRA member (or a former member that has recently renewed), welcome! Every time a new Grab Iron post is made, e-mail notifications are sent out to those on the notification list. We have a lot of information and some great model train photos on the 4D web site (including all Grab Iron posts) – click here to navigate to the front page.
Ron Hopkins On30 layout, under construction with mock-up buildings, in Edmonds, WA.
My job as Grab Iron editor is to publicize info relating to model and prototype railroading in the 4th Division and surrounding areas. I get paid well for this. Not in money (definitely not, hah!), but in the hobby relationships I’ve made and in the personal satisfaction of helping this organization. And I’m guessing that every 4D volunteer would say something similar.
But I don’t produce the content for the Grab Iron and the 4D web site – the articles and posts and web page content (mostly) come from other people. I may organize and edit and manage it, but I don’t originate it. For that I rely on our 4D members and Grab Iron subscribers.
Mark your calendar!
The 4th Division Spring Meet will take place on May 14 at Tacoma Community College. There will be at least two clinic tracks, with a possible third clinic track of hands-on “make and take” clinics. There will be more Grab Iron posts coming soon as well as a Spring Meet website containing additional details.
Eighteen members and one visitor were in attendance at the Mt. Vernon Senior Center when Ted Becker opened the Clinic with welcoming comments and announcements.
February 27, 28, Monroe Model Railroad Show and Swap Meet. Visit http://www.unwclub.org/unwshow.html for details.
March 5, Milwaukee Road Meet. Burien, WA. Visit http://www.milwelectric.org/2016-march-milwaukee-meet-march-5-burien-wa/ for updates.
March 10, Mt. Vernon Clinic. Ted Becker, “Steam Locomotive Appliances”
March 19, Santa Fe Mini-Meet, Burien. Visit http://www.atsfrr.com/convention/MiniMeets/17th%20Northwest%20Santa%20Fe%20Mini.pdf for more information.
April 2, Pennsylvania Rail Road Meet, Burien.
April 14, Mt. Vernon Clinic. Dioramas and Mini-Clinics.
May 12, Mt. Vernon Clinic. Kevin Klettke “Fleet Weathering.” This is a reprise of his well-received Clinic at PDX 2015 on efficiently weathering large fleets of rolling stock. Not to be missed. Visit his website at http://wnrr.net.
Here’s a sample of Kevin’s work. Weathering a truck.
This month at the Eastside Get Together clinic Burr Stewart will present his program “The 1970 merger of the NP, GN, CB&Q and SP&S into the BN”.
Burr has been railfanning around the Puget Sound area since 1976. One of his motivations for railfanning is for quick and easy ways to incorporate what he sees into his 800 square foot basement HO layout. In this clinic he shares how much fun this has been, and many of the easy ways you can copy the prototype in your model railroading, including rolling stock, right of way, and operations. There will be many pictures of those old paint schemes before they disappeared.
The meeting is at the Redmond Library located at 15990 NE 85th Street (click here for a map). We will start the meeting at 6:45 and end at 8:45. Bring a model or railroad item to share.
Thanks to Dave Cook for leading the meeting and CJ Turner for bringing the refreshments.
The next 4th Division Board of Directors meeting is Saturday February 13th, 10:30 am, at Mitzel’s in Kent, Washington. As always, all 4D members are invited to attend.
There is a lot going on at the Northwest Railway Museum even though it is the off-season. There is exciting and big work happening and this is an opportunity to get involved. Several of us in the 4th Division are already involved – in particular Ken Liesse and Mike Donnelly.
The Museum is going to start construction on the Railway Education Center this spring. We are restoring the Combination Coach 272 giving it a water tight roof and a new floor section. We are switching to a 2-hour train schedule for the upcoming season and excursions will include stops at the Train Shed for all passengers to wander through.
The next Westside Clinic (in Bremerton, WA) is Tuesday, February 9th, 2016. This month’s clinic is “Basic DCC Programing” and Tom Barrett is presenting.
Please bring a model railroad friend and an item you’ve been working on. As always we will have a “Model Contest” and “Show And Tell.” Coffee and cookies will be provided.
If you are visiting the first time our clinics are held at the United Way of Kitsap Building in downtown Bremerton (647 4th Street) at 7 pm. Additional details (including a map and contact info) are on the Clinics Page.
BNSF Inspection Car, “Skagit River,” Cherry Point, WA
Date: Thursday, February 11
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland Street, Mount Vernon; click here for map & directions
Saturday, March 19, 2016 – Burien (Seattle area), WA
This is your invitation to attend the 17th annual Mini-Meet of Santa Fe Railway fans and modelers in the Northwest. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat, March 19, 2016, at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive, 425 SW 153rd Street, Burien, Washington, 98166.
A map is available on the event page.