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NMRA InfoNet News for March 2013

Written by Al Lowe
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Tom Draper, Support Services Director

Atlanta 2013 Convention Update
  • Tours are selling briskly, so be sure to register now to avoid disappointment. Most prototype and general interest tours are limited to 50 people by venues.
  • A team of PTE convention reps had an informative and entertaining tour of the American Maglev Technologies test track. If you’re interested in the future of transportation, don’t miss tours P352 or P457.
  • Tour P355 to theCSXTrainingCenterwill include a visit to the Georgia Northeastern RR, where you’ll get an overview of operations, see locos, and visit their dispatch center and yards.
  • The convention hotel, the Waverly Renaissance, is 40% booked at this time, so don’t hesitate in reserving your room.
  • The clinic schedule has been updated on NMRA2013.org.
  • A very active and entertaining general interest/non-rail program is available, so bring the family, sample some Southern hospitality, and see all thatAtlantahas to offer.
NMRA BOD appoints new At Large North American Director

The NMRA Board of Directors has appointed Mike Yurgec the new At Large North American Director, a position vacated by Miles Hale, MMR. Mike resides inSherman,ILand is a Director of North America Railroad Products for a large hydraulics company. He was recently elected Vice President of the Midwest Region, and prior to that was District 5 Trainmaster for the Illinois Valley Division. Mike also served as Chairman of the “Railsplitter 2012” Midwest Region Convention Committee.

NMRA BOD appoints new Vice President – Special Projects

The Board has also confirmed the appointment of Gerry Leone, MMR, Vice President-Special Projects. Gerry served as NMRA Communications Director for five years, and, prior to that, was Deputy Chair of the NMRA’s Member Services Department. He also served on the boards and edited the newsletters of the Thousand Lakes Region and Twin Cities Division. Gerry received the NMRA President’s Award in 2010, and the Meritorious Service award in 2012. Gerry replaces Bill Kaufman, who resigned in mid-February.

Email addresses for the NMRA eBulletin

If you did not receive the first issue of the NMRA eBulletin recently, either your spam filter is blocking it or your email address with NMRA Headquarters isn’t current. Please click here to update your email info. It may take a little while for the update to take effect, since it’s done manually by staff. The next issue of the NMRA eBulletin should be in early May.

New Email address for Division Business Car Column

Jim Zinser has announced a new email address for his Division Business Car Column: divbizcar@outlook.com.

NMRA Museum Gallery Exhibit Donation The WISE Division inWisconsin recently voted to donate $5,000 to the NMRA Museum Gallery Exhibit.

News

4D Announces Spring Meet, May 18–19

Written by Al Lowe
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Russ Segner

SAVE THE DATE!

4D Spring Meet

May 18–19, 2013

Embassy Suites Hotel, Tukwila

Clinics on Saturday, May 18

  • Layout Design For Operations
  • Prototypes ForModelBuilding
  • DCC Systems and Operation
  • MMRs, How to Get It Done
  • Model Scenes – The Final Touch
  • Build Your OwnForest
  • Installing Decoders In Really Tight Places
  • What the Heck Is Proto 87?

…and more

Plus

  • Annual 4th Division General Meeting
  • Announcement of Golden Grab Iron Award Winner
  • Lunch on premises

Layout Open Houses on Sunday, May 19

  • Great layouts within a few minutes’ drive of Tukwila
Convention or Meet

4D Election Nominations Now Open

Written by Ken Liesse
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Ken Liesse

Nominations for three positions on the 4D Board are now open. There are two Directors spots and the Assistant Superintendent position open in this year’s election. Al Lowe and Stu Rogers are both seeking re-election, but the Asst. Superintendent is an open field. If you would like to self-nominate for any of these positions, please send a candidate statement to Ed Liesse (eeliesse@aol.com) no later than March 30. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible 4th Division members after Ed gets the ballot made up and sent to Mike Slease for publishing.

News

“Pay Day,” a Santa Fe Switchman Training Film

Written by Al Lowe
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Rich Blake

This is a great period piece with a fair amount of humor that only makes sense in the 1950s era. It uses the example of a family’s busted TV to teach railroad employees to properly handle cargo during rail car shipping.

But this film should also make model railroad operators think about how you handle your switching operations. Do you back the loco into the string and keep going without stopping to check the couplings? Do you bash into strings and then take off in the other direction without allowing time to connect brake hoses and check couplings? Do you speed over turnouts to get to the runarounds because there is a lot of free track? Do you think about where your brakemen are located or where they must be dropped off or picked up by the engine or caboose? How many times have you backed into a string so soft and easy that only the couplers move as they connect? Or, when you back into a string does everything move an inch? What is “an inch” in your scale?

I’ve seen many cases, including myself, where operators get in a hurry or don’t pay attention that result in rough car handling and/or derailments.

This film illustrates these bad habits in 1:1 scale and emphasizes that we all need to slow down and go easy on the equipment. You never know what precious cargo is in there!

If the video doesn’t appear below, click this link to watch it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/nlzTqPfHrAI

 

Editor’s Note: Watching this film made me realize just how much things have changed in the past 60 years:

  1. You had friends over when you got a new TV
  2. Your wife baked them a cake
  3. Your wife baked
  4. He saved his money before buying something
  5. It was “his” money
  6. Men stood in line to get paid
  7. They got something called a “check”
  8. Multiple people were going to watch a 21″ screen
  9. The wife and daughter shopped for groceries
  10. TVs arrived via railroad
  11. The shop delivered
  12. She grocery shopped in heels and a dress
  13. The daughter wore black shoes and white socks
  14. He wore a coat
  15. The deliveryman’s handcart has 3” wheels
  16. TVs were made inChicago
  17. TVs had tubes. And wires.
  18. TVs came in wood cabinets
  19. With doors
  20. TVs were shipped in boxcars
  21. There were no forklifts in freighthouses
  22. Switches were thrown by hand
  23. Switchstands had kerosene lanterns
  24. A “fellow’s wife thinks he does his job just right”
  25. Livestock traveled by rail
  26. Airplanes had propellers
  27. Radios were the size of backpacks
  28. Ice was used for cooling
  29. Companies made slow-moving movies like this for training

It makes you wonder how different things will be 60 years from now!

– Al Lowe

Articles, Railroad History

Seattle-North Clinic – Video Cab Ride March 7, 2013

Written by Jeff Moorman
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Jeff Moorman

Please come join us on this Thursday, March 7, for our next clinic. Via the magic of video, we’ll be riding aboard Southern Pacific Cab Forward 4274 during its last run over Donner Pass on November 30, 1957.

Last month, our topic was using photography to improve your modeling. This wasn’t about photo backdrops, or creating building plans from photos, or using photo cutouts to mimic 3-D scenery. It was about the value of taking simple snapshots of your layout or individual models and studying them.

A photo stops time. When looking at a photo your brain is not distracted by what surrounds the scene, or is coming into view, or has just left the field of view. You have the opportunity to study the scene at your leisure.

During the clinic we slowly ran through about a dozen layout pictures Jeff took at the recent Pacific Science Center and Monroe Train Shows. So if you were an exhibitor at these shows, and your ears were burning the evening of February 7, it may have been because we were talking about your modeling.

Comments ran the gamut from very positive to “this looks like it could be improved.”  We have some very fine modelers here in the Fourth Division. It is amazing how well their work stands up to the rigors of constant exhibiting – set up, tear down, store, set up, tear down, store, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So, not only is there some excellent craftsmanship, it is sturdy craftsmanship as well.

The only real criteria used for evaluating the modeling was whether or not it looked realistic, regardless of any special themes or the intended audience. Most of the items that caught the clinic attendee’s attention fell into one of three categories: (1) contrast of weathered versus shiny; (2) too sterile of an environment; and (3) unrealistic scenery.

There were several instances of a group of buildings where all but one or two were weathered. But those un-weathered structures stuck out like sore thumbs. Also we saw some examples of weathered sidewalls with very clean roofs. Nature seems to weather most buildings in the same locale uniformly. There were also cases of construction or mining scenes where some of the equipment was dirty and some pristine.

In one photo there was a little town at the edge of the layout. All the buildings were nicely modeled and uniformly weathered, the roads looked realistic, but there were no signs of habitation. There were no figures, no vehicles, no stray dogs, no trash barrels, or any other sign of life. The physical town was very well done, so it was a shame to see it just sitting there like an unused movie set. Similarly there were a couple of photos of industrial scenes with no trash, or clutter, or spare parts, or anything piled outside of the buildings. That doesn’t line up with what you see in the prototype world.

Most of the scenery issues were related to blending the ground into the backdrop. A 90 degree corner just doesn’t seem to cut it, particularly when the color hues do not match. Even background flats do not work well when you can see that 90 degree corner between the buildings, There was an example of a very nice forest scene, but as you approached you could see that all the trees were the same color and same shape, and were constructed in exactly the same way. And occasionally items in the photos just didn’t go together, like a beautifully modeled rocky hillside right next to a grove of plastic, toy trees.

Lastly, we found one of those classic model railroad situations where there was a bridge with no supporting pier.

The above makes it sound like there were all sorts of modeling issues. While there were certainly some opportunities for improvement, there was lots of nicely done work as well. So take a picture of your modeling and study the results. You might be surprised at what you find. And at what you might be able to improve.

Dennis T brought an N Scale Olympia Beer plug door refrigerator car to Show and Tell. It was pretty although no one was quite sure a prototype ever existed. BobJ brought some TT scale equipment he had just acquired. TT is 1:120 (one tenth inch to the foot) and had a fair following in the States before N scale became so popular. It still has practitioners, primarily in Europe.

To my eyes these TT cars looked just like HO scale models from the 50’s, albeit a little smaller. There was a coupler type I had never seen before, but other items were familiar. These included using a wrapper around the tank car, separately applied box car sides with printed detail, and zinc-like castings for the angle bracing and underframes of hoppers.

Dennis' Oly Reefer

Dennis’ Oly Reefer

TT Scale #1

TT Scale #1

TT Scale #2

TT Scale #2

We meet at the Ronald United Methodist Church, 17839 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA, on the west side of Aurora (State Route 99) between 175th and 185th Streets and more specifically, between the Cadillac dealer on the south and Deseret Industries to the north. Going southbound on Aurora, make a right-hand turn into the church driveway immediately after passing the Deseret location. The parking lot is at the rear of the church. For regular meetings, enter the lower, left side of the church from the rear lot.

Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, except July and August. In June, we usually do a tour. Doors open around 7:00 PM and the program starts at 7:30.

Remember the next meeting is April 4 and the one after that is May 2. Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.

Seattle-North Clinic

John E. Roberts, NMRA Leader, Passes

Written by Al Lowe
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Mike Brestel

John Roberts passed away peacefully March 1, 2013, in Williamsburg, Virginia. John was NMRA President from 2004 to 2006 and Vice President from 2000 to 2004. He was also Eastern District Director, 2009-2013; MCR President and Trustee, 1989-1993; and held other offices throughout the NMRA. He was a well-known model railroad author and builder of several highly regarded layouts in HO and O scale.

John contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain condition that causes a rapid decrease of mental function and movement and inevitable death. He first showed symptoms in early 2012. John is survived by his wife, Suzie, his children, John (Collette) and Whitney, and two granddaughters.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be sent to the Diamond Club, National Model Railroad Association, Inc., 4121 Cromwell Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421. Cards and letters may be sent to the family at 104 Heritage Pointe, Williamsburg, VA, 23188.

News

Olympia Layout Tour March 2

Written by Al Lowe
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Jim Sabol / Photos Scott Buckley & Jim Sabol

See the Tehama Valley Railroad and Ten More Great Model Railroads

OlyLayoutTour1

This Saturday, March 2, you can visit eleven — count ‘em, eleven — great layouts in one day in the Olympia/Lacey area. Visiting hours are arranged to flow from Northeast to Southwest to help you visit as many layouts as possible without backtracking.

Lucky us! These are among the finest model railroads in the Fourth Division, several of which are regularly written up in major modeling magazines and considered “must-see” during convention tours.

One such layout is the HO Tehama Valley Railroad of Scott Buckley, recipient of the 2012 4D Grab Iron Service Award. In its purpose-built, 25′ x 40′, climate-controlled room, the TVRR short line originates and serves the northern California town of Walnut Grove (freelanced but you’ll swear you’re in Chico or Colusa or Yuba City). Even as many towns north of Sacramento were strung out along the tracks and old Route 99, the thriving agricultural town of Walnut Grove is oriented to the tracks of the little ten-mile short line. The authenticity of the scratchbuilt grain elevator, feed store, packing house, fuel dealer, and cattle pens, along with a supporting cast of era-appropriate town buildings, convinces even casual visitors that this is indeed the northern Sacramento Valley. (Don’t miss the sturdy but economical benchwork of this innovative layout.)

OlyLayoutTour2

Like most of the home and club layouts in Thurston County, the Tehama Valley is built for prototypical operation, with local freights shuttling loads and empties related to the predominant ag business and other community necessities between Walnut Grove and its interchange with the mighty Southern Pacific’s mainline at Hamilton City, as well as serving other small towns along the way. Even the scenery Scott Buckley has created convinces the guest operator that this is, indeed, Golden Bear territory.

OlyLayoutTour3

Steaming out of Hamilton City headed east with the morning local, the summer sunrise in your eyes and deer grazing along the right of way, you half expect to see wisps of steam from distant Lassen Peak drifting across the rolling landscape of golden grass and black oaks. The friendly waves from ranchers stopped at the grade crossings in their pickup trucks tell you that the Tehama Valley road is both needed and appreciated by the hard-working citizens of this important crop-growing region. They will enjoy waving back to you, too, on Saturday, March 2, from noon to 5 p.m.

For a map to Scott Buckley’s Tehama Valley Railroad and the ten other layouts open on March 2, from N scale to 1:32 scale, email Scott. Ten more talented modelers and their helpers would love to share their layouts and their knowledge with you. Come visit!

OlyLayoutTour4

Layout Tour, Olympia Clinic

NMRA InfoNet News for February

Written by Al Lowe
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Tom Draper

NMRA Organizational Changes

  • Eastern District Director John Roberts is unable to continue serving on the BOD due to health reasons. Joe Gelmini has been designated as John’s replacement to serve out the remaining years of John’s term as Eastern District Director. We all wish John well. The family requests that you not contact John at this time.
  • Gerry Leone has resigned as Communications Director for personal reasons including some unfortunate personal snipes from other officials and the organization’s slow pace of modernization.
  • At Large Worldwide Director, Tony Koester is retiring from the BOD due to term limits. Tony has served as a Director for the past six years. This position will be filled via the upcoming elections.
  • Atlantic District Director, Nobby Clarke is retiring from the BOD due to term limits. Nobby has served as Director for the past six years. This position will be filled via the upcoming elections.
  • As a result of a disciplinary action the BOD declared the At Large North America Director position vacant. As a result, Miles Hale is no longer the ALNAD. A replacement will be named according to NMRA policy and procedures. Reference the NMRA web page for additional information.
  • Bill Kaufman, Vice President for Special Projects has resigned for personal reasons.
  • Tom Draper has been appointed Director of Support Services to fill any vacancies until a replacement can be found starting initially with the publication of the InfoNet News.
  • Rick Coble was confirmed by the BOD as Assistant National Secretary supporting National Secretary John Stevens.
  • Most of the functions of the Member Services and Map Departments have been folded into the Marketing Department. Those functions that were not moved to the Marketing Department were assigned to other existing departments.
  • PresidentCharlieGetz hastens to add there is no village coup in all of these changes but rather a combination of events that has led to a dynamic turnover. The NMRA is is good shape!

2016 National Convention Bid

An excellent presentation was made by the host committee for the 2016 National Convention inIndianapolis,IN(“Highball toIndianapolis”). The BOD approved the bid. The convention will be July 3-10, 2016 in downtownIndianapolisat the Westin hotel andIndianaConvention Center. The National Train Show will also be in the Center, directly across from the hotel.

Future National Convention Dates

The BOD approved a motion to allow more flexibility in scheduling the dates and areas of the country for our conventions starting with the 2017 convention.

Donations to the NMRA

The BOD approved a motion to provide NMRA members a first opportunity to purchase items donated to theNMRAMuseumor Library or which were undesignated but were deemed surplus. Any unsold items may be offered for sale to the general public.

Data Sheets and Calendar

…are now the responsibility of the Publications Department.

NMRAMuseum

The NMRAMuseumhas reached over $300,000 in pledges for the California State Railroad Museum Gallery Exhibit (“The Magic if Scale Model Railroading”). This pledge amount has triggered a matching pledge amount of an additional $250,000 which puts the Museum closer to its goal of reaching $750,000. Fundraising will still be needed as we are not to our ultimate goal yet. The Museum is now in a position to ask for construction bids. It is estimated the gallery exhibit will probably be completed within 14 months of awarding a construction contract. TheCaliforniaStateRailwayMuseum is visited by over 600,000 attendees each year.

The BOD offered its sincere appreciation for the recent donations to the fund raising program of $10,000 by Model Railroader Magazine and $50,000 by The World’s Greatest Hobby. There were also four pledges of $25,000 or more and 12 pledges of $10,000 or more.

Financial Reporting

It was reported that the Summary of Financials for 2012 and the 2011 Auditors report will be published on the NMRA web site.

Both the 2012 NMRA Convention and the 2012 National Train Show made a profit from their operations.

HASEA Agreement Extended Indefinitely

The BOD approved extending indefinitely the one-year working agreement with HASEA, an association of 100,000 Chinese Model Railroaders and railfans, to share the NMRA’s standards and organizational knowledge. This agreement can be cancelled for no cause upon a 30 day written notice by either party.

Marketing Plan

Marketing Director Page Martin reported on a new ambitious marketing plan for the NMRA including in-package membership inserts with Walthers products as well as on-line and hard building hobby establishments, museums, special attractions and national and regional model railroad shows and conventions. An active program is being created for November which is National Model Railroad Month.

The Constant Contact email system has been set up and is ready for use by Regions and Divisions.

Awards

PresidentCharlieGetz presented the President’s Award to outgoing At Large Worldwide Director Tony Koester and outgoing Atlantic District Director Nobby Clarke for their years of service to the NMRA.

The BOD adjourned in Honor of John Roberts, HLM, MMR (MER), former President and Eastern District Director and in memory of Lt. Cdr. John M. Baker (USN) (MER), John Baker (AR), and Jim Long (PCR).

News

February Skagit-Whidbey Clinic Shows Road Making

Written by Al Lowe
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By Al Frasch / Photos by Perry Lambert & Al Frasch

Al Carter presented a fascinating clinic on making roads for a layout. He does seem to have an inordinate fascination with both asphalt and concrete surfaces, probably something from his ill-spent youth. However, he did indicate via both pictures and actual samples, the making of realistic roadways.

Especially interesting was the use of numerous brick material as a kind of underlayment for asphalt and concrete surfaces, with the brick showing through in places. It’s a great way to model older roads in industrial areas of cities or even back alleys!

Al used Red Devil OneTime Lightweight Spackling for making roads that won’t shrink. Spread the material between two styrene strips to create a roadbed; use several thin layers if you need to have it deeper.

Al also showed many samples of cracks in road surfaces and explained how to make them look realistic. Micron brand pens make excellent cracks on prepared roadways.

Plus, he explained that asphalt is not black, but weathers to shades of gray. He creates roadway stripes with colored pencils rather than tape or paint.

Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic

Oly Layout Tour to be Saturday, March 2

Written by Al Lowe
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Scott Buckley

The 10th Annual Olympia Model Railroad Layout Tour is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd. Eleven layouts will be open to visitors:

  • Kevin Gastreich’s N scale P-3 Line
  • The Olympic Model Railroad Society’s HO scale layout
  • Jerry Barnes’ On30 scale Southern Idaho Narrow Gauge Railroad
  • Dave Rakestraw’s HO scale PNW Railroad
  • Dean Cody’s N scale KD&S Railroad (first time participant)
  • Chuck Ricketts’ On30 scale Sherwood,Sheltonand Sarazen
  • Greg Wright’s 1:32n20 Consolidated Republic Mining Co
  • Brian Ferris’s HO scale Port Townsend & Southern
  • Jim Younkins’ N scale Mud Bay & Southern Railway
  • Scott Buckley’s HO scale Tehama Valley Railroad
  • Keith Newsom’s HO scale P&B Railway (first time participant)

This your chance to see a variety of layouts in various scale/gauge combinations that represent 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 to give you the opportunity to see as many as possible.

If you are interested in visiting, you must email me in advance so I can email you layout descriptions, hours of operation, addresses, and a map. Please include your full name and the city in which you live. If you have already contacted me, you don’t need to do so again.

Olympia Clinic