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PNR Members Invited to PCR 2013 Convention

Written by Al Lowe
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Steve Wesolowski, IHE 2013 Publicity

PNR members are invited to join our PCR “neighbors” to the south and enjoy Iron Horse Express, PCR’s 2013 convention in Dublin, CA from April 3–7, 2013. See their website to register and for the latest information.

Every convention is different: PCR 2013’s activity base at the Holiday Inn Express in Dublin, helps determine what “local” train fun is available just as Siskiyou Express, the joint 2012 PCR/PNR convention in Medford had great train fun for all of us lucky enough to attend.

A very big “Thank You” to all PNR & PCR volunteers who ensured our train fun in Medford. I found our shared convention meant PCR members enjoyed some “new” clinics by PNR presenters, as PNR members enjoyed some “new” PCR clinics. I especially encourage PNR clinicians to present your clinics at Iron Horse Express.

The Iron Horse Express will be an exceptional opportunity to broaden your knowledge and skills in this great hobby. An unbeatable list of 40+ modelers and historians have agreed to provide clinics during the convention. Our Clinicians list is a “Who’s Who” of West Coast modeling and railroading. There will be more “must see” clinics than you will be able to see, but you’ll have great fun picking and choosing and you will come away from IHE so much smarter! If you are willing to present a clinic, contact Clinic Chair Dave Connery at dgconnery@sbcglobal.net or 925-735-0134.

Our currently planned Outside Activities & Tours include:

Bob Osborne, our Layout Tours and Operating Sessions chair, has several dozen Bay Area layouts signed up already, many built by MMRs. Some are already listed here. Operating Sessions on many layouts are being planned; visit the website for more details, when available. The best way to stay informed is to register here so you get regular email updates.

Nancy Stokely, our Non-Rail Activities chair, looks forward to seeing all the friends she’s made over the years and making new friends. Non-Rails will have their own space for quilting, crocheting, puzzles, talking, classes and visiting. We plan field trips and a Non-Rails luncheon (only $5); more details on the website.

Of course, we’ll have Model and Photo Contests in all the usual categories. Giuseppe Aymar, our Contest Chair, is always looking for new judges who want to become even better modelers by helping judge. All required contest forms and more information can be found on our website. Contest forms will be available in the Contest Room, but filling them out before IHE will give you more time to enjoy IHE!

The Arts and Craft Categories are open to all convention registrants, not just Non-Rails. Entries may be turned in whenever the contest room is open. All results will be announced at the Saturday evening Awards Banquet.

Online Registration is quick and easy or you can mail a check, if you prefer. Both options are available via the website.

Full Fare registration is $89 and Non-Rail registration is $69. Register before midnight January 31, 2013 and get our “Early Bird Special Rate” of $79. The “Non-Rail or Spouse” fare of $69.00 also applies to female or male spouses who are model railroaders. Youth Fare is $50 and aDayPassis $35; these do not include the Banquet, which is an additional $45.

Our committee believes enjoying the full benefits of PCR and NMRA membership only happens if you attend conventions. Therefore, we encourage all members to attend with a special “First Timer Fare” of $69 for any NMRA member who hasn’t registered for the last 5 PCR conventions. (This should include most PNR members.)

All fares (except the Day and Youth Fare) include clinics, banquet, layout tours and operating sessions. The Banquet is not included with Youth and Day fares, but may be purchased separately. The Annual PCR Members Breakfast is not included, but is a mere $5 extra and well worth it!

Why Attend Iron Horse Express?

I find train conventions to be the most cost-effective way to enjoy full days of train fun, sharing knowledge with other train enthusiasts and a fun and easy venue to make new, and enjoy old, train friends. Enjoying the clinics, tours, layouts, operating sessions, contests, and contest entries with others will re-energize and re-inspire your train interests and lead you to more train fun for a long time. The friends I’ve made and enjoyed at previous train gatherings increase my fun significantly and daily, ever since my first PCR convention inSan Luis Obispoabout 10 years ago.

If you have not attended a PCR Convention within the past 5 years (or, ever!), I encourage you to use our First Timer Special to connect, or reconnect, with other friendly fellow train lovers. It is via our shared train fun together we make new, revitalize, and sustain lifetime friendships that connect us with more opportunities and train knowledge to enjoy even more fun train times.

I hope you’ll join us next April in Dublin, and/or at your PNR convention in Idaho, which I would like to attend also. If you have questions, contact me. Register for IHE 2013 now at http://www.pcrnmra.org/conv2013.

Convention or Meet

Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic September meeting

Written by Gordon Garnhart
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by Gordon Garnhart

34 people gathered at the Summer Hill Retirement Facility on Wednesday, September 19th for our first meeting of the season. Rich Blake opened the meeting by congratulating Tom Hawkins, long time participant in Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic activities, on winning third prize in Model Railroader magazine’s 2012 nationwide layout design contest for the best that would fit in a 200 sq ft space. The write-up appears on pages 64 – 66 of the October issue.

Rich also gave a report on the death of Gordon Jones, a member of the group who died Saturday, August 25th after an unsuccessful battle with a malignant brain tumor. Jack Tingstad offered his fine layout to be included on the tour circuit on the first day of the 32nd National Narrow Gauge Convention held in Bellevue, September 12-15. He only expected 4 or 5 individuals because Coupeville is so far away, so he declined offers for assistance. But to his surprise, he had an estimated 50 people come through at various times throughout the day.

Our featured speaker for the evening was Eric Erickson, a retired engineering manager for the Seattle Water Department since 1988. He has spent years doing research about Logging and Sawmilling in Washington State leading to a number of books about the subject as well as transportation histories. He has provided numerous interactive slide show histories on both subjects throughout Western Washington. His latest book, Mile Post: A History of the Arlington-Darrington Branch of The Northern Pacific Railway. 1899 to 2009, was available for sale at $40.00 each at the clinic.

Eric presented an interactive slide show about logging and sawmilling including logging railroads. He is Vice-President of the Anacortes Antique Machinery Show, which held its free annual show on Saturday, September 8th in Anacortes. Featured were antique fire apparatus, old tractors, engines and more. His other activities have included:

  • Life member and past Board member of the Issaquah Historical Society
  • Past Board member of the Association of King County Historical Organizations
  • Past Board member Black Mountain Forestry Center
  • Member of the International Order of Hoo-Hoo’s
  • Past Historian for the Pacific Northwest Section American Water Works Association (States of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho).

Our next meeting will be October 10th at 7:00 PM in the conference room at the Summer Hill Retirement Facility in Oak Harbor, which will return us to the second Wednesday of the month. It will feature a series of mini-clinics on a variety of subjects pertinent to model railroading. We hope to see you there.

Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic

Scott Buckley Wins 2012 Golden Grab Iron Service Award

Written by Al Lowe
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Jim Sabol

Scott Buckley receives Golden Grab Iron Service Award (Greg Wright photo)

Scott Buckley of Olympia was awarded the 2012 Golden Grab Iron Service Award during a ceremony at the September Olympia Clinic.

The award is the highest honor afforded by the 4th Division and dates from 1955. Per tradition, Scott was selected by a committee made up of the three previous winners, who this year included J. J. Johnston, Ed Liesse, and Walt Huston. The award is symbolic of the recipient’s dedication to the hobby of model railroading and his or her generosity toward one’s fellow modelers.

In presenting the award to an amazed Scott, Jim Sabol, representing the selection committee, noted Scott’s many years of volunteering with railroad museums both in Nevada and Washington, his leadership in planning and often hosting 81 monthly Olympia NMRA clinics from 2002 to 2010, and his propensity for showing up ready to work whenever friends need a helping hand.

In the audience and clapping enthusiastically were previous award winners Dale and Diane Kraus, and Keith Newsom.

A complete list of all the Golden Grab Iron Service Award winners is on the 4D website.

The complete text of the plaque Scott received is below:

The Golden Grab Iron Service Award is given each year to a member of the 4th Division, Pacific Northwest Region, National Model Railroad Association, who exemplifies service to the organization. For 2012 the selection committee, composed of the immediate past three honorees, has chosen Scott Buckley for his many contributions to the hobby, the NMRA, and especially the 4th Division.

Scott has known trains all his life, inheriting publications and memorabilia from his late grandfather, a career locomotive engineer, at the age of 9. Scott’s dad served as brakeman, conductor, and fireman on the Sierra Railroad before it became a tourist train. Scott’s volunteer career, firing engines, began there when he worked with school field trips during the summer of 1974. He qualified as brakeman and fireman as a volunteer and has had some training as an engineer.

Railroading sites and the Southern Pacific were close at hand when Scott moved to Sacramento and then Roseville, California. A special event at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City provided a new opportunity for Scott’s volunteering over the next 6 years.

Scott joined the NMRA in 1990. Following the 1994 national convention in Portland and exposure to the Mount Rainier Scenic and Chehalis-Centralia Railroads, Scott moved to Olympia and the Pacific Northwest in 1996 and soon joined the 4D’s Tacoma Clinic. After several active years with that group, Scott was instrumental in successfully establishing the Olympia Clinic, which exists today. He often hosts meets and several clinics during the year and since 2004 has been responsible for organizing the annual spring Olympia Layout Tours and works with the Olympia Operating Sessions (Oly Ops) each fall.

Having built a house with a bonus room, Scott decided that 20 years of weekend, recreational railroading was enough and began devoting more time to his own layout, which features the Southern Pacific Railroad and will be included for the first time in the Oly Ops schedule in 2012.

Scott Buckley has given his time and energy, sharing his knowledge of trains and railroading for many years, providing educational opportunities to the public, as well as sharing his knowledge with fellow modelers. His Golden Grab Iron Award is well deserved.

Achievement Program, Grab-Iron, News, Olympia Clinic

Olympia Clinic September Report

Written by Al Lowe
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Jim Sabol

24 happy and suntanned modelers gathered at the home of Keith and Gayle Newsom inWest Olympia for the first Olympia Clinic of the season. Many arrived early to ride on Keith’s outdoor railroad.

Jim Younkins (N scale), Dale Kraus (HO scale), and Jim Sabol (O scale) gave clinics demonstrating locomotive care and maintenance. Each took a slightly different view but together comprised a comprehensive look at techniques for improving locomotive performance, from using jewelers’ rouge to lap in gears for a perfect fit, to rapidly cleaning wheels with a brush and denatured (important!) alcohol.

A surprise extra agenda item was the awarding of the 4th Division 2012 Golden Grabiron Service Award to Scott Buckley, longtime organizer of the Olympia clinics, frequently hosted at his own home. Although taken by surprise, all the attendees agreed with the committee’s selection that Scott was richly deserving of the award. We are proud to see one of our own so recognized.

Jim Younkins won the most popular model vote with his N scale train. Everyone present won a door prize. “Itza muracle!” said Brian Ferris.

October’s meeting will be at Robert Grove’s home where the clinic topic will be: plasterless, messless, dripless clothshell scenery. We’ll have the light on for you!

Olympia Clinic

Special Eastside Get-Together Tonight!

Written by Al Lowe
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JJ Johnston

Remember: Tonight, September 20, 7:30 p.m., in Bellevue, is our regularly scheduled meeting and this is one program you will want to attend.

Noted modeler Dave Hikel, who is in charge of Peter Hambling’s amazing layout we all visited in May, will present a clinic on modeling water in many forms using the two part product EnviroTex. Dave is always informative and we all can use some great ideas on how to add water effects to our layouts.

All the usual good stuff, too.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

September NMRA InfoNet News

Written by Al Lowe
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Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

After several years of work by incoming NMRA Secretary John Stevens, all U. S. Region boundaries are now defined by state and county boundaries instead of zip codes. This will help keep boundaries stable as the U. S. Post Office redefines zip code areas.

Michiana Division co-founder Jim Six, college professor and experienced education expert, has agreed to lead a team charged with developing a standardized clinic format to help ensure consistency and uniformity for clinics made available to Divisions and Regions. The format will be based on one currently in use in the Michiana Division.

Following the recommendation of Standards & Conformance Department head Didrik Voss, MMR, the Board directed that all eight DCC-related Recommended Practices now become NMRA Standards. Further, in the future the issuance of a Conformance Warrant is not to be influenced by Recommended Practices but will be based solely on adherence to applicable NMRA Standards.

President Charlie Getz appointed outgoing president Mike Brestel to replace Larry DeYoung, who retired as publisher of NMRA Magazine. Charlie also announced thatMike has also agreed to serve as assistant to the president to ensure a smooth transition between administrations.

Chief Financial Officer Frank Koch reported that the attendance of the National Train Show inGrand Rapids was the fourth-best ever. Saturday’s attendance exceededSacramento on the same day. Three more booths were sold at Grand Rapids thanSacramento.

Looking ahead to next year’s convention in Atlanta, the Peachtree Express team reports that it’s putting the finishing touches on a series of short videos featuring selected layouts that will be on tour during the convention. The videos will be posted to YouTube and will be able to be accessed from links on http://www.nmra2013.org

The Peachtree team is also proud to announce that there will be a number of Civil War-related tours – both rail-related and general interest – as well as a “Civil War track.”

And it’s not too soon to plan for the 2014 convention! The Cleveland Convention’s website is now up and running and taking registrations at http://www.2014cleveland.org.

News

Model Railroad Garage Sale this Saturday

Written by Al Lowe
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Ted Becker

There will be a Model Railroad Garage Sale this Saturday, September 22, 2012, from  9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at 23715 NE 6th Court, Sammamish, WA (in the Tree Farm development).

There will be 8–10 tables of great stuff: HO Locomotives, rolling stock, assembled and kit structures, dozens of HO turnouts, N Scale, railroad memorabilia, photos, slides, etc. S gauge, American Flyer, and  more!

Email me for more info.

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Tacoma Clinic

Written by Al Babinsky
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Al Babinsky

In the absence of MMR Gene Swanson, Al Babinsky opened the clinic and welcomed all to the 2012-2013 season. Gene decided that he would rather be in Alaska than doing the clinic but he missed an interesting clinic on how to become a “Sparky.”

Only 24 modelers attended, mostly due to the Narrow Gauge Convention in Seattle. Ed Liesse read a letter from his friend in Alaska concerning Gene’s visit. Mike Shaw gave us some information about the Video Library and obtaining access to the library. Bill Deutscher from Tacoma Trains presented what’s new at the Hobby Shop which included books and models in the scales from O to Z, including a model of a saw mill from Woodland scenic, almost good enough to qualify for the model of the month.

Speaking of the model of the month, we only had two entries; a couple of GP’s from Walt Houston in N scale and three cabeese to show how weight was installed. Walt Houston won the model of the month.

After the break, Al Babinsky presented a clinic on how to build a DC adjustable power supply. Power supplies are available at reasonable cost, but sometimes the output voltage is not correct, so by building one you can correct that problem. Not everyone is a “sparky” but if you follow the rules and watch out you should not have a problem. The high amperage adjustable regulators have the case as the output which is positive and need a heat sink. Be sure that the case of the regulator has insulation between it and the heat sink and that the screws have an insulating sleeve and washer. The DC power supply is required to use the SPROG II to program and then run the programmed locomotive. In the hand-out it was explained how to get 16V out of a 12v transformer and how to carry the load required without a drop in voltage. The handout will attached to this report so that anyone desiring to build one has the required information.

Next month clinic will be on October 11 at our usual location the Pierce County Library Admin. Bldg. the corner of 112th Street and Waller Road at 7:30 PM. Hope to see all of you there. Bring a friend to share in our good time and learn something new.

 

 

 

 

 

Tacoma Clinic

Tom Hawkins, 4D member, wins MR’s Track Plan Contest

Written by Al Lowe
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Al Carter

Tom Hawkins, 4D  member from Anacortes, recently won third place in Model Railroader’s 2012 track plan contest and will have an article called, “Room-sized Plan With A Car Float” in the October issue.

Tom’s plan depicts the fictional Port Thomas and Southern, inspired by the original Port Townsend and Southern. The plan is closely based  on Tom’s own layout.

The article includes a great photo of the prototype Seattle & North Coast (ex-Milwaukee Road) rail barge facility in Port Townsend, a photo I have never seen before. Most rail barge facilities seem to have straight tracks leading out to the ramp and float, but not this one. It snakes out into the bay on an S-curve approaching the float. A cool photo in a neat article!

Tom carries the title “Layout Planning Guru” for the Skagit/Whidbey NMRA clinic and, as the title suggests, he really enjoys working up different track plans. He has helped several fellow model railroaders with their layout plans. This comes naturally to Tom, a retired architect.

So, Tom: now that your’re famous, when will you be open for layout tours?

News, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic

Sept 6 – Seattle North Debut for the 2012-13 Clinic Season

Written by Jeff Moorman
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By Jeff Moorman

Please come join us this Thursday, September 6, for the first clinic of the new season. The Mart should be there with the promise of some “freebies,” but they didn’t provide any specifics.

Bring your summer modeling projects and we can all admire your work during “show & tell.” And come prepared to talk about what you did this summer (railroad-wise, that is).

At our last meeting, Bobj regaled us with tales from his railroad tour trip to Cuba. It sounded like quite the trip. Based on what I heard, Cuba seems to be defined by four things: (1) some wonderful people; (2) an inconsistent bureaucracy; (3) some marvelous older American cars with jury-rigged, non-American power trains; and (4) some very interesting railroads (of all sorts). The pictures of the sugar cane mill railroad operations were particularly interesting.

Glenn F was there to give a presentation on the upcoming National Narrow Gauge Convention. This convention is being held September 12-15 right here in Bellevue. It is still not too late to register. Their website is www.seattle2012.com.

“Show and tell” had two displays. Dennis T showed an N scale VO-1000 switcher and a Doodlebug. Rob J brought an N scale modern fire truck.

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) 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 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 September 6. And the one after that is October 4.

Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.

Seattle-North Clinic