by Dale G. Kraus / Photo by the author
Remember, guys & gals: For good operation of long passenger cars there can be NO kinks in the track!
(Emeryville, CA Amtrak Station)
Grab Iron Posts
x2011 NTRAK/oNeTRAK Layout
Al Lowe
The video begins with an overview (literally!) from a height of about 10 feet of the entire, 80×80 space — the largest area of any layout at the show. Doug Bulger & I represented the 4th Division with 27 modules, which only took us 8 hours to set up and 4 more to tear down.
All in all, lots of fun was had… once Doug solved a myriad of layout gremlins, none of which were 4D!
if you have the bandwidth, be sure to watch in high definition by clicking on the resolution number in the lower-right corner of the video and full screen by clicking the square to its right. (This tip applies to most YouTube videos these days.)
NMRA InfoNet News for July
Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director
This year’s Sacramento convention attendance topped the 2,000 mark—the continuation of an upward attendance trend.
The folks at the NMRA Membership Booth at the National Train Show signed up 243 new members in three days!
Many of the clinicians at the Sacramento convention have uploaded their handouts or full presentations to x2011west.org. Anyone can download them. Just look for the “Clinics” tab, then click “Clinic Handouts.”
Portland was selected for the 2015 National NMRA Convention! Details and schedule of the convention will be announced when known.
The “Carpet Cutting” at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento marked the official start of fundraising for a scale model railroading exhibit in the museum’s gallery area. No NMRA dues or regular revenue streams will fund this project; its construction will rely entirely on donations. For more details about the new Gallery Exhibit, see the May 2011 issue of NMRA Magazine.
The Board continues to review the timing of future conventions. While a mid-summer date has been traditional because of lower hotel and convention center rates over the July 4 weekend, many NMRA members have voiced the concern that it conflicts with family functions. Direct your constructive suggestions to the Convention Committee, headed by Pacific Director Peter Jensen.
A complete summary of the Board of Directors meeting will be posted at www.nmra.org soon. It will also be published in NMRA Magazine in the near future.
Images from x2011, The Contest Room
Photos by Doug Bulger
Here are a few photos from the drop dead gorgeous dioramas seen in the contest room.
Images from x2011, Kermit Paul
Photos by Doug Bulger
Three select images from the Lone Pine and Tonopah Railroad.
Images from x2011, Jack Burgess
Photos by Doug Bulger
Three select images from the Yosemite Valley Railroad by Jack Burgess.
SP 4449 Crosses Stampede Pass
Photo and Article by Ken Liesse
As part of Cascade Rails 2011 (the National Railroad Historical Society’s annual convention) in Tacoma, WA, the group chartered ex-SP 4449 and train for a trip over Stampede Pass on Saturday, June 25. This was the culmination of a week of various tours and charters to railroads and museums around the Puget Sound area, much like that of an NMRA or PNR convention. Despite leaving Tacoma about 30 minutes late, it appeared that all on board weren’t too bothered with the delay. The train ran up the BNSF Seattle Subdivision to Auburn, where they turned east onto the Stampede Sub for the trip over the pass to Easton.
SP 4449 Pauses in Easton, WA
Once in Easton, the power was cut off the train and run around the wye before rejoining the train for the run back to Tacoma. The train had actually been pulled backwards over the pass on the eastbound leg so that it would be headed the right direction for the westbound run. This also put it in the right direction for the run home to Portland after the convention. The run over the pass started under cloudy skies, but the sun broke through east of the Cascades and remained for the rest of the trip.
It’s not often we get to see mainline steam in these parts, so it was a treat to see 4449 on this run. Several photos and videos of the trip are now online. Google 4449 and see what comes up.
Eastside Visits Chooch
By Ken Liesse
On June 16th, members of the Eastside Clinic and several friends descended on Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley, WA. The purpose of this visit was our season end field trip, which was graciously hosted by Chooch owner, Mike O’Connell. Members were invited to wander around the shops of Chooch, which are located on the bottom floor of a large building on Mike’s property, and also visit Mike’s wonderful O Scale layout which resides on the second floor. Mike’s layout depicts railroading in and around Spokane, WA and he has a wonderful representation of the old station there. Photos of the layout and of Chooch Enterprises can be seen here. Mike would like to thank his helpers for the evening: Fred Hamilton, Don Larsen, Sherman Stevens and, of course, our “Valley Parking,” Jim Sabol.
Summer is here and we are taking the next two months off as outdoor activities and the long northern latitude days take precedence over modeling activities. We at the Eastside Clinic hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you again in September.
Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic
Gordon Garnhart
There were 29 people gathered at the Summer Hill Retirement Community conference room on Wednesday, June 8th.
The meeting was opened by John White leading a brief discussion to finalize the line-up of programs for the coming year.
Al Frasch's N scale barn was awarded Best Entry Runner-up
The guest speaker for the evening was Jack Hamilton MMR, who spoke about many different tools, fixtures, clamping and lighting devices that a model railroader might find useful. He also took a few jabs at some tools which Micro-Mark and other catalog sales operations tout as essential but which, in Jack’s estimation, are not very effective. He distributed a very comprehensive list of 159 different tools, what each is called, where it can be purchased, its item number in a catalog, its price and, in many cases, a commentary on its practicality and usefulness. He cited a number of examples where a fancy high-priced catalog item is not as effective as a similar tool from a hardware, sporting goods or kitchen supply store. He had examples of most of the items, discussed each one briefly, and passed it around for everyone’s inspection. His lively presentation prompted many questions and sparked many thoughts on how each of us might improve our methods, skills and techniques.
The main purpose for Jack’s visit, however, was to judge, with the assistance of Di Voss, the entries in our Scratchbuilt Dilapidated Building Contest. There were only eight entries in the competition, but what the field lacked in quantity, it more than made up for in quality. Steve Jaffray, the Competition Shepherd, announced the winners: Best Entry was awarded for the work of Jack Tingstad; Best Entry Runner-up was won by Al Frasch; Most Humorous was taken by David Laws; People’s Choice went to Iver Johnson; and Honorable Mention awards went to Al Frasch, Steve Jaffray and Curt Johnson.
The clinic does not convene in July or August, but we are looking forward to Wednesday, September 14th and a visit to the very elaborate HO layout of Nick Muff in Sedro Woolley.
Steve Jaffray's HO scale barn
This HO scale barn was a joint effort by Iver Johnson and his son Curt
Jack Tingstad's HO scale mine structure will be used on his layout.
Eastside Get Together Road Trip this Thursday
JJ Johnston
This Thursday, June 16th, the Eastside Get Together will be treated to a tour of the Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley. We’ll see both their operation facilities and a owner Mike O’Connell’s fabulous O scale, Proto 48 layout. This is something you shouldn’t miss! Plus, there will be other surprises for those who attend.
Everyone is invited to Thursday’s Get Together. Due to limited parking and long walking distances, we are organizing van pools for our trip. We will depart at 6:00 pm from our usual meeting location’s parking lot, Bellevue Four Square Church, 2015 Richards Rd SE, Bellevue, WA. Map
This is important: To determine the proper number of vans for transportation, you must MAKE AN ADVANCE RESERVATION. If you plan to attend, email me at jj@jtwice.com. There is a $5.00 charge per passenger.