Grab Iron Posts

by Al Babinsky / Photos by Al Babinsky

MMR Gene Swanson opened the November clinic as he usually does when Veterans Day is near. He called for a show of hands of WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars. He then thanked all members of the services and ended with a moment of silence for all the fallen vets. We had a great turnout for this month’s clinic, a total of 52 attendees including one newcomer.

Leo introduced a guest, Helen McGovern from the Emergency Food Network. The clinic members collected money to be given to a food network and decided to give the collected funds to the Emergency Food Network. Helen was presented with a check of $700 and the coffee fund added $100.00. Helen told us what the Network does and how the food is distributed to the different agencies.

November being National Model Railroad month, Walt Houston organized a layout tour for this occasion which is to be held on November 19th. (See article in the Digital Grab Iron.) The TNW announced their Swap meet for next year and of course the BEMRRC had their Swap Meet on Saturday the 12^th in the Kent Commons. The Great Train Expo is scheduled for November 19^th and 20^th at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

What’s new at the Hobby Shop was presented by Tacoma Trains and included a variety of goodies from Athearn, Micro-trains, Walthers, Lionel, and LGB. In the Bring and Brag (Model of the Month) section, entries included a scratchbuilt bridge; a portion of a lumber mill; a brass Victorian house kit; a set of ore cars and caboose decaled by Diane Kraus; a scratchbuilt Spar tavern and store with fully-detailed interior which is to become part of the old Tacoma scene on the PMRE layout at the History Museum; a Western Scale Models 1:20.3 kit of a 4 block saw mill log carriage; and a kit-bashed model of a US Army mortuary car. The Bring and Brag winner was Scott Taylor with the Spar Tavern and Store.

The clinic, presented by Jim Murrey, was named “Sarge Comes Home,” the story of how the fallen were brought home  on special mortuary trains. The cars were converted Pullman hospital cars modified with a baggage door to allow the caskets to be loaded. The train was under constant guard from the time the ship was unloaded until its arrival at its destination. The kit-bashed mortuary car was part of the clinic. A great clinic, very informative and in keeping with Veterans Day.

Next month’s clinic will be December 8^th. Dirty Santa will be there as usual, along with goodies. Bring a wrapped gift of around $15, marked as to what scale. We’ll be at the usual place, the Pierce County Library Admin. Bldg., 112^th and Waller Road.

Hope to see you all there.

Kit bashed US Army Mortuary car

Model of the Month Winner Scott Taylor’s Spar Tavern and Store

Lumber mill

Scratch built bridge

Ore cars and caboose decaled by Diane Kraus

Plate girder bridge

Western Scale Models 1:20.3 kit of a 4 block saw mill log carriage

Brass Victorian House

Article and photos by Ken Liesse

On Thursday, October 13, the Tacoma Clinic convened in the usual location at the Pierce County Library System offices with 45 folks in attendance. Gene Swanson, MMR, got the meeting started at 7:30 sharp with words of welcome and the introduction of guests. This was followed by announcements, which included news of the upcoming (May 2012) joint PCR-PNR convention in Medford, OR, the sale of most of Camp Six’s equipment (with a majority going to Willits, CA) and an update on the Corkscrew Northern’s move to the Cannery in Sumner.

Stu Rogers presented the video library (a perk of 4D membership) and told the group that if there were any specific titles on VHS that someone wanted to watch on DVD, contact Stu so he can make the conversion.

Bill from Tacoma Trains presented “What’s New at the Hobby Shop” and showed off several items, including a new book about shortlines in the Northwest. It’s heading into busy season at the hobby shop, so Bill encourages everyone to visit their local dealer to stock up for Christmas.

Rob O'Neill's BB&G engines and cabooses

Herb Buhl read off the “Bring & Brag” models, which ran from a Kato Amtrak train and some weathered N-scale cars to pictures of Jim Sabol’s O-scale Tacoma Union Station – a model that would be impossible to set up on our back tables! Winner of the contest was newcomer Rob O’Neill, who shared a couple of engines and cabooses from his freelance BB&G railroad. The BB&G runs in Bayou country, and the crews on his cabooses have “modified” the hacks for more than just bringing up the rear of BB&G trains (you can almost hear the banjo music).

Paul Vaughn pours resin during the clinic.

After the break, Paul Vaughn gave a wonderful presentation on how to make resin parts, walking us through the steps of preparing a master, making a mold, and finally, pouring the resin. Paul didn’t actually make a mold during the clinic, but he did bring several in to show how the completed parts turn out. He did pour resin for his demonstration, so everyone could see how the resin is measured out and how the finished product looks. Paul also passed around several parts to illustrate each step of the process as he went along and gave us tips on adding weight to parts as you pour them as well as how to cast holes and threads in your parts so you don’t have to drill and tap them after the parts are hardened. Paul answered several questions related to his process and encouraged everyone to give it a try.  To see more photos of Paul’s technique as well as others from the clinic, click here.

Next month’s clinic will be on November 10 at the Pierce County Library Offices, 3005 112th St. E., Tacoma WA. This meeting will feature Jim Murrie with a clinic he has titled “Sargent Comes Home.” We will also be presenting our food bank donation next month (for which we’ve been collecting all year), so you won’t want to miss it. Also, “Dirty Santa” arrives the following month, so it’s not too early to start thinking about that “special” gift you may want to bring to the December meeting.