Mike Donnelly
The NMRA is now on the Boeing gift match program. Any Boeing employees who are also NMRA members can have their NMRA donations doubled.
Grab Iron Posts
Seattle-North Clinic Goes Back to Kindergarten (Next Meeting 5/5/11)
By Jeff Moorman, Photos by Jeff Moorman
Introductions and announcements included a pitch from Bobj about the Rails Northwest (RAILSNW.COM) excursions on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad on May 21.
Talk then centered on the T-TRAK module kits. Those that pre-ordered picked up their kits and then we were able to find good homes for a few more, but there are still a couple left waiting for adoption. Those available are 2 HO corners, 2 N corners, and 1 N straight, which I will bring to the May meeting. They are $9.25 for the straight and $16.60 for the corners regardless of scale.
Show and tell brought out some interesting stuff. Rob had a beautiful brass N scale ditcher from Overland. He also had an old NP timetable and operators rule book. Michael showed a book about Lionel what was originally purchased in the Lionel store in New York City. Dennis had some N gauge electric locomotives and passenger cars from a Peruvian prototype. Finally Chris has some HO cars, but my notes don’t indicate what they were. Sorry.
After the break we got out the scissors and crayons and created some T-TRAK module designs. Everyone got a couple of one-half size outlines of N-gauge T-TRAK modules. The goal was to design the scenery and color it in using the crayons. Suffice to say it had been a long, long time since any of the participants had been to kindergarten, and it showed. There were some close calls, but everything got cut out without any blood being shed.
Then we started assembling the module drawings into various layout configurations. A couple of things became evident:
- Even with crayon-colored paper modules, things looked better when there was preplanning with regard to scenic theme and railroad operation.
- Some operation seemed possible even with a few modules, provided there were spurs and runarounds available. Furthermore, that operation could be point-to-point, not just around an oval of track.
- Adding what the T-TRAK folks call a “junction module” made for some interesting additional possibilities.
Right now there are 3 things planned for the May meeting. First, Bobj has promised us a new DVD to preview. I think I heard it is about the Empire Builder. Second, we are going to do a sort of Operations 101 mini clinic. And third, we will start taking reservations for the June tour.
Remember the next meeting is May 5 and the one after that is June 2. The June date is for our annual tour, so attendance requires an advance reservation.
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) just north of 175th Street, between the Cadillac dealer and Deseret Industries. Note that there is still a lot of construction along this stretch of Aurora. Therefore, it might be best to be going southbound so you can make a right-hand turn into the church driveway immediately after passing the Deseret location.
Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, except July and August. Plus in June we usually do a tour. Enter the lower level of the church from the parking lot at the rear. Doors open around 7:00 PM, announcements at 7:15, and the program starts about 7:30. Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.
Chattanooga Tornado Affects NMRA HQ
Gerry Leone
As you have undoubtedly heard, there has been a rash of devastating tornadoes all across the South. Chattanooga was not immune. A tornado ripped through the city on Wednesday, April 27th, taking some of our Headquarters’ shingles with it. Much of the city is without electricity; there are trees, fences, and power lines down all over. Many roads and highways are closed.
Fortunately, all our staff members were unharmed, although Chief Administrative Officer Jenny Hendricks had her house picked up, rooms ripped open, and the roof blown off. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of our staff, especially Jenny.
Please note that NMRA business will be interrupted for several days until things get back to a sem-blance of normality. If your call or problem can wait, please do so. Thanks.
Eastside Get-Together Report
Story and photos by Ken Liesse
On April 21st, about 30 folks were present when JJ Johnston opened the evening with words of welcome and recognition of our MMRs. A moment of silence was then held for 4D Superintendent Dennis Hill, who had unexpectedly passed away the previous week. We also had an update on the condition of Rev. Roger Ferris, who had suffered a stroke before last month’s meeting. Roger is resting at home and has almost full recovery of his extremities. If you’d like to leave Roger well wishes, you can write him at railfun@frontier.com. We hope Roger continues to have a speedy recovery.
JJ thanked all who donated door prizes (of which there were several) including Steve Depolo of Trains, Planes & Automobiles and Sue Van Gerpen of the Northwest Railway Museum. Sue donated a pair of tickets to ride the Snoqualmie Valley Railway. Ron Cole mentioned that the museum will be hosting “A Day Out with Thomas (the Tank Engine)” July 8-10 and 15-17. There will be an HO layout on hand for kids to run, and they are looking for people willing to help out with this project. If you are interested, contact Ron at 206-200-1059.
Thanks to a contact made by Sherm Stevens, we will probably have a field trip for our June meeting. Sherm contacted Mike O’Connell at Chooch Enterprises in Maple Valley, who agreed to host our group and show us his model railroad. JJ will be organizing carpools from our normal meeting place as parking at Mike’s is hard to come by. We expect a $5/person fee to help cover costs for drivers. Mike’s place is not handicap accessible. We’ll have more details on this excursion at the May meeting.
During the announcements portion of the clinic, Ken Liesse told the group that there are no current plans for a memorial to Dennis Hill. Dennis’ wife, Diana, would like to have a gathering at their house, but will wait for the weather to warm up a bit. Mark Anderson is again running the Issaquah Train Show in August. Details on the show will be forthcoming. Ted Becker is looking for anyone who would like to share a ride to Sacramento, CA for the NMRA convention, X2011West, in July. If you are planning on attending the convention and need a ride, contact Ted. Russ Segner brought in some photos from the Northwest Railway Museum showing the new track switch leading from the railway’s mainline to the new Train Shed as well as a 20′ solid oak beam that was being milled for use on the Chapel car.
JJ Johnston's BTS Log Dump
There were several models (and other items) presented for Model of the Month including a “stinky” diorama, a couple of N scale GPs with a short train, a very old postcard depicting the San Francisco Bay Area, a scratchbuilt N scale milling machine, some scratchbuilt sloping tree stumps, a trestle and a brass N scale ditcher from Overland Models. JJ Johnston won with his kit built log dump, which is part of a BTS sawmill. JJ figured it was about time he brought something in that he had built himself.
Following the break, CJ Riley, MMR, presented a slide show titled “Layout Development on a Prototype Theme.” Using research and his own personal knowledge of West Virginia, CJ demonstrated how he was able to develop a location for his Kanawha & Western Allegheny Railroad and how anyone could use the same techniques to come up with an idea for their own railroad. CJ showed the difference between four different approaches to designing a model railroad: shotgun, prototype, freelance and proto-freelance. Shotgun is where the modeler just builds and runs whatever appeals to him/her at the time. Prototype is as the name implies; following a specific railroad and its practices. Freelance is where one makes up their own ideas, but is a little more focused than the shotgun approach. Proto-freelance is modeling your own railroad, but following applicable prototype practices and basing the railroad on actual locations.
Master Model Railroader CJ Riley gives our clinic
CJ pointed to three words he uses when coming up with themes: Observation, Understanding, Selection. Observe the area in which you want to model, understand everything you can about the area (do your research) and select those items you really want to have on your layout. Use scenic markers for information on your area of interest and use authentic names that reflect the area you are modeling. Everyone enjoyed CJ’s presentation and the slides were quite interesting.
Next month, Russ Segner will be our clinician. His topic was not divulged, but you can bet it will worth seeing.
NMRA InfoNet News for April
Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director
Plans for The Gallery Exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum are moving into high gear. To date, organizing and fund-raising actions have raised two pledges of matching funds from anonymous NMRA member donors. One donation was for $50,000 and the other was for $250,000. The exhibit should be open by the end of 2012. More details in the May issue of NMRA Magazine.
A special Carpet Cutting Ceremony (an indoor ground breaking) for the Gallery Exhibit will be held on Thursday evening during the x2011 Convention. All are invited.
Speaking of x2011, if you haven’t yet registered for the X2011 West NMRA Convention in July, register now! If you have registered, sign up for tours and operating sessions before they fill up! More information at x2011west.org.
The Members-Only area of www.nmra.org is currently open to all members. Content is still being added, but now it houses copies of all Region and Division newsletter articles cited within the last year by Jim Zinser in his bi-monthly “Division Business Car / NMRA@Home” column in NMRA Magazine. In addition the “NMRA Magazine Classics” section of the Members-Only Area will contain classic articles from past issues of Scale Rails magazine and The Bulletin. We add new material all the time, so check back often.
The NMRA remains active with the two model railroad podcasts. We sponsor The Model Railway Show podcast produced by well-known modelers Trevor Marshall and Jim Martin at www.themodelrailwayshow.com. And Board Member Clark Kooning, along with other NMRA members, appears as a regular guest on Model Rail Radio podcasts at www.modelrailradio. Both of these podcasts can be downloaded from their websites or via iTunes.
Notice of 2012 Elections. The following NMRA Officers and Board of Directors positions are open for election in 2012: President, Vice President-Administration, Vice President-Special Projects, Eastern District Director, Pacific District Director, and At-Large North America Director. Check the NMRA Executive Handbook located here for the districts affected and qualifications. Submit candidate names for consideration by the Nominations Committee to Didrik Voss, davoss@pvmtengr.com, no later than June 15th.
The Summer Board Meeting will be held prior to the Sacramento x2011 Convention on Friday, July 1, 2011 (not Thursday, June 30 as previously reported). The exact start time and room number will be announced when available.
The NMRA is looking to identify and recognize any model railroad clubs that are still in existence that were formed in 1935 or earlier. We would like the name of the club, when it was founded, and a picture from the early years if possible. Send the information to Dave Thornton – NMRA Vice President of Administration, DThorn5552@aol.com, or 2027 Jeffrey Drive, Troy, MI 48085-3816.
Tacoma Clinic
Al Babinsky
MMR Gene Swanson opened the clinic in his usual manner and asks if any newcomers were present. Patrick Smith introduced himself as a newcomer to the hobby. We had 47 modelers attending the clinic. Under announcements, TNW presented a YouTube video advertising their swap meet at the Tacoma Freighthouse Square on May 14–15.
A moment of silence was held for our 4D superintendent Dennis Hill who passed away on Tuesday the 12th of April.
Mike Shaw announced that there will be a 100th Anniversary celebration for the Tacoma Union Station on May 1st.
George Bourcier from Tacoma Trains presented what’s new at the Hobby Shop which included a N scale 11-car UP city train consist, box cars with graffiti applied and many other items.
The Bring and Brag (Model of the Month) had many fine entries including a scratchbuilt log car; a gondola with a river rock load; a 2-story outhouse marked U.S. Army; an N scale Donovan’s Transfer Co. dockside building with lighthouse; an U.S. Army caustic liquid tank car in DB markings; three geared logging locomotives, Shay, Climax, and Heisler (the Shay and Climax included sound); a Lincoln-style cabin printed on paper and then assembled; a scratchbuilt static grass applicator; a Jordan miniatures chain drive Mack dump truck; N scale box cars weathered with chalk; O scale brass Milwaukee Road Bipolar re-motored, with re-manufactured gear boxes for all drive axles; a Sierra West kit of a tractor repair shop with LED lighting and a forge with flickering fire; and, last but not least, what the owner called his dinner train: a set of boxcars with advertisements for various food and beverage products. The winner of the Model of the Month was Dennis Reeves’s N scale Donovan’s Transfer Co and Lighthouse.
The clinic, “About Water,” was presented by MMR Gene Swanson. Gene wanted a shallow, slow, clear river flowing over a smooth rock bed. He experimented with various products such as Modge Podge, Triple Thick, Realistic Water, and Magic Water. He also tried combinations of different products and found that Triple Thick and Realistic Water gave him a somewhat cloudy mixture which looked a lot like water with sediment in it. The combination that satisfied him was Triple Thick and Realistic Water, which dried clear and did not wick up. Again a great clinic and thanks to Gene for sharing this with us.
Next month’s clinic will be May 12th at our usual location, the Pierce County Public Library Admin. Bldg. at the corner of 112th Street and Waller Road at 7:30 PM. The clinic presenter will be Duane Damgaard speaking on “Mines.” Hope to see you there. Bring some of your modeling friends or potential modelers. Photos of the Model of the Month should be published soon.
Eastside Get-Together Thursday, April 21st
By JJ Johnston
Don’t forget the Eastside Get-Together, next week, Thursday, April 21, 7:30 PM at the Bellevue Four Square Church in Bellevue. Our group sends condolences to the Hill family and will take a moment of prayer to remember our friend Dennis.
TOPIC: Join legendary modeler C.J. Riley, MMR, for his clinic “Layout Planning On A Prototype Theme.” He will feature a slide presentation
illustrating the concept of modeling from the prototype to create a more believable model railroad. We’ll see prototype and model slides illustrating the concept of CJ Riley’s Kanawha & Western Allegheny RR. Further info is available in Allen Keller’s Great Model RRs Vol. 3, available from the video library. Video Librarian Stu Rogers will be there, so maybe he will bring some copies of this early video.
Of course, we will offer all the usual stuff that makes the Eastside group so popular; Stuff like free coffee, fresh donuts, the Mart with great prices on railroad items (bring some of your own to sell too), super door prizes donated by Steve Depolo, the red-hot Model of the Month competition and a great venue with convenient parking. See ya.
Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic
Gordon Garnhart
There were 27 people gathered at the Summer Hill Retirement Community conference room on Wednesday, April 13th. The mini swap meet brought some HO locomotives, some rolling stock, both freight and passenger, and a few buildings.
The meeting was opened by John White leading a discussion on recent progress in the project to furnish modeling kits to hospitalized veterans. We may even be able to provide coaching to help a veteran get started in his project.
An informal survey was conducted to determine what programs for next year might be of greatest interest to the group. A lively discussion followed.
For the main event of the evening, Dick Haines offered a very interesting, comprehensive and thought provoking presentation on modeling water on a model railroad layout. He talked about the various forms that water takes in a landscape, such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, rapids, falls and surf. He suggested gathering photographs or taking your own photographs of examples of the kind of water situation one intends to model. We should try to make our water look as realistic as we can and yet, the water should not be a focal point in itself but should point to some aspect of the layout related to operations such as a bridge, a pier or a sawmill. And don’t just think about the water, but also consider the adjacent land features, so that the surrounding landscape looks logical. Make the water surface appropriate to its circumstances; should it be smooth rippled or wavy. Ripples and waves are in motion in real life, but are static in a model and only suggest motion. But there are some ways to create the illusion of motion. He then showed a sketch of a revolving screen covering ceiling lights that cause rippled or wavy water to sparkle. He followed that with a demonstration of a waterfall made of a silica or acrylic sheet with an irregularly shaped surface and back lighted with a small light bulb mounted within a revolving motor driven perforated drum that gave the illusion of falling water. He talked about, and showed examples of various materials applied to glass, showing different smooth and rough surfaces He distributed copies of a very comprehensive list of products that are available, together with cost information and comments on effectiveness and ease of use. The program was well received.
We look forward to Wednesday, May 11th, when Craig Williams will talk about “The South Whidbey Logging Railroad”, a real narrow gauge railroad that existed on Whidbey Island at one time.
Dennis Hill Passes
Ken Liesse
It is with deep sadness that I report the passing of 4D Superintendent, Dennis Hill. Dennis was stricken with an aneurysm in his abdomen earlier today and rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, he had lost a lot of blood before his first surgery at 11:00 and the doctors could do nothing else for him. Dennis passed away at 5:50 this evening.
Please keep Dennis and his wife Diana in your thoughts and prayers. Diana plans a memorial service this summer, during warmer weather.
Tacoma Union Station 100th Anniversary May 1st
Al Lowe
George Northcroft, Regional Administrator of the United States General Services Administration Northwest/Arctic Region invites you to the 100th Anniversary Ceremony for Tacoma Union Station, 1717 Pacific Ave, Tacoma on Sunday, May 1st from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. You need to register by April 22. Click Here to register or call Ross Buffington, 253-931-7085.
Panel Discussions in the Washington State History Museum next door will follow from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm on:
- Diversity in the City of Destiny: Tacoma’s Untold Cultural History
- History of the railroads and Union Station in Tacoma.
- Efforts to save the station and construct the courthouse and the resulting impact on the revitalization of downtown Tacoma.
A Government Photo ID is required to enter the building. Please arrive early for security.