Due to the completely unexpected, unanticipated, surprising, astounding upset appearance by the Seattle Chickens Seahawks in a playoff game this Saturday, January 8, and the unexplainable urge of certain key operators of the Cherry Valley RR to witness the carnage as it happens(!), this weekend’s op session has been cancelled. Next session February 12.
MMR Gene Swanson opened the “Dirty Santa” clinic by welcoming all attendees including several newcomers. The normal proceedings were dispensed with in order to eat prior to the “Dirty Santa” segment.
What’s new at Hobby shop presented by Tacoma Trains included a Bachmann Spectrum ON30 3 Truck Climax with sound, Christmas car from Lionel, a flat car with a tank load from Copperplate Gothic Light, and an Athearn passenger car.
In the Bring and Brag segment John Miller had a couple of unusual loads in gondolas, one was ground rubber used on athletic field track and the other was the fake turf used on the fields. Someone suggested that if properly arranged could be used to clean tunnels and cobwebs. Gene brought a number of cars that had removable loads. Patrick had a log load made from shishkabob sticks, looked very good. Dave brought a log cabin and Walt maintenance of way consist. The winner of the Bring and Brag was Gene with his removable load consist headed by a class C 3 truck Climax.
During the break food and cake was served, as always great sandwiches, salads and of course the cake and ice-cream. As always an excellent spread which was enjoyed by all.
After the break MMR Gene put his Santa hat on and we proceeded with drawing the names. It looked for a while that Dirty Santa was not going to show up but as a freight house kit was unwrapped it was snatched up. From that point on many things traded places and towards the end a number of tools changed hands a few times. Fun was had by all and the evening concluded with the clinic crew singing “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all”.
The next clinic in the New Year will be at our usual place in the Pierce County Public Library Admin. Bldg. corner of 112th Street and Waller Rd. at 7:30 PM. The clinic for the evening will be by Charles Jackson on Trees and more. Hope to see you there and bring a friend, fellow modeler and have fun.
The next meeting of the Seattle-North clinic will be Thursday, January 6th. See the end of this article for directions. Jim B is going to present a mini-clinic on freight car brake wheels. This is in response to attendees’ desire to learn more about prototype rolling stock. Also planned is an update on module research as a means to get us to actually do something as opposed to just talk about doing it. We’ll see if Dennis and Jeff can actually run an N scale train on a T-TRAK module. And we’ll also see if John has built a demo module in HO. Plus, some interesting things have been showing up for Show and Tell lately.
December’s clinic started with Al Lowe, the esteemed publisher of the 4th Division Grab Iron (and the PNR Switchlist). Internet connectivity gremlins prevented the “show” part of his presentation, but the “tell” part was pretty informative. Al talked a bit about putting the Grab Iron online and the tasks involved with maintaining the 4th Division’s website (of which the Grab Iron is just one part). Everyone should become familiar with what is on the website: https://www.4dpnr.com.
Next Al covered the Digital Grab Iron and how it is set up as a blog. The information here is generally less static than the rest of the website. The presentation puts the most current posts first, but the previous material is still out there. Everything in the Digital Grab Iron is assigned to a basic subject / topic. For example, the Seattle-North clinic is one such topic. The secret to utilizing the blogs is to ‘subscribe’ to the topics you want to be kept informed about. Then you will get an email notice whenever something new is posted in the topics you selected.
To subscribe use this link to go to the opening Grab Iron page: https://4dpnr.com/. In the right-hand column, under Administration, click the heading that says “Subscribe to Posts”. Then enter your email address, say you want to subscribe, and you will be sent a message with your subscription options. Hey, at the very least sign up for info about the Seattle-North clinic. Remember the Grab Iron is “where the 4th Division shares news and ideas.”
Thanks, Al, for coming and bringing us up to date on the Division’s online presence and how we can participate.
After the break Show and Tell made up the rest of the meeting. Chris had a lightweight N gauge diorama he had picked up somewhere. He also regaled us with another chapter in his quest to find the perfect Union Pacific yellow. The examples he brought proved there may be no end to that quest. Lastly Chris showed us a stack of wire trimmings (snippets of wire and insulation) from an electrical job he was doing. These, he thought, had the potential to make a great gondola load.
Bob R brought one of his custom display cases which he was delivering to a client. That one was spoken for, but he said he’d be happy to make one for anyone who wanted one. They are a very elegant way to display rolling stock and motive power. Bob also brought along some pictures from a caboose ride on the Eastside Freight RR.
Jeff and Dennis brought example N gauge T-TRAK modules. These were standard short straight modules about the size of a sheet of paper and did not yet have any track or scenery. Jeff had one he made from half inch gator board (or gator foam). It proves you can build a module with just a utility knife, glue, and gator board. You can get this material in some local art supply stores or from Micro-Mark. It is a lot like foam core, but with plasticized sides instead of heavy cardboard. It is very rigid and lightweight.
Dennis brought 2 modules made with more traditional wood construction – quarter inch plywood on top with dimensional lumber sides. These had been painted and had sky boards installed. Some Kato track and gator board pieces were passed around for folks to get a hands-on “look.” Overall the group had no objection to continuing the T-TRAK experiment.
By the next meeting Jeff and Dennis want to try and actually run a train on a T-TRAK module and John agreed to build a demo module in HO gauge for all to look at.
Don’t forget that the Pacific Science Center Model RR Show is coming up on January 15, 16, and 17. This is the 4th Division’s premier event and helps makes programs like the Seattle-North clinic possible. So, if you can possibly volunteer to help, it would be appreciated.
Next meeting is January 6 and the one after that is February 3. The Mart should be there and don’t forget that The Mart is an opportunity for everyone to participate on either side of the table.
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 a lot of construction along this stretch of Aurora. It might be best to be going southbound so you can make a right-hand turn into the church.
Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, except July and August. 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.
Happy New Year!
Don’t subscribe to NMRA Magazine? There’s a section on the NMRA website devoted to reporting the same NMRA news found in The Bulletin section of the magazine every month.
We’d also like you to remind your editors about the “Division Business Car” column (also known as NMRA@Home) found in NMRA Magazine every other month. It’s written by Jim Zinser MMR and features interesting summaries of articles he’s found in Division newsletters from all around the world.
John Stevens, our national Boy Scout coordinator, wanted me to forward this to everyone: In order to create the most secure environment possible for its youth members, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has developed numerous procedural and leadership selection policies for its adult leaders. Effective June 1, 2010, those policies included Youth Protection Training. After that date, no adult may register with the BSA as an adult leader in any capacity without first completing this training. The training is good for two years and can be accomplished online. The training can be found at scouting.org. Click “My Scouting” near the top of the page, create an account, and you can then access the training. Upon completion of the training, print a certificate of completion to include with your next Adult Leader Application. The whole process should take under an hour. If you have any questions, contact John Stevens, scouts@hq.nmra.org.
Trainfest, which takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is operated by the WISE Division of the NMRA, set an all-time attendance record this November with 23,476 attendees, the highest in the event’s 39-year history.
x2011, the Sacramento 2011 Convention, report that they’ve now implemented RSS feeds from their website. Attendees and potential attendees can simply subscribe to the RSS feed and they’ll receive email messages when items are added or changed on the website. Go to x2011west.org and click the orange RSS box.
And x2011 online registration is up and running. It’s presently limited to convention registration, but once tour information is released, registrants will also be able to sign up for tours and extra fare events online. Not only will this be convenient, but registrants will be able to see immediately if a tour is sold out.
Our “local” Regional Convention has recently received some YouTube mentions. Model Railroad Hobbyist interviewed local modeler (and model display case builder) Bob Rorabaugh on his diorama. See it by clicking the image below.
Charles Jackson of H&J Trains was interviewed about his new scenery business. They have a line of inexpensive flock and tree armatures. They offer over 75 colors of flock! He demonstrates how to make a conifer on their tree-making machine, also available for sale.
While you’re there, subscribe to MRH’s YouTube channel and they’ll send you an email whenever they post a new video.
Al Lowe
We just added Kevin Klettke’s Washington Northern Railroad to the Layouts page of www.4dpnr.com joining the other 11 to make an even dozen great, local model railroads featured.
If you’re a 4D member with a layout and a web site and you’d like the world to see your work, just email me its URL (see address at bottom of any page on the site). I’ll get it posted ASAP.
At the national convention in Milwaukee this past summer, the NMRA created a new position, Vice President of Special Projects. Bill Kaufman, a well-known modeler in the San Francisco Bay area, is the first holder of this position.
In a recent interview with The Model Railway Show, Bill spoke to co-host Trevor Marshall about his plans to use this position to strengthen the ties between the national organization and its Divisions and Regions, including the creation of a “best-practices” manual. It’s well worth a listen.
The Model Railway Show is a free Internet-based newsmagazine show about our hobby, delivered twice monthly as a podcast on iTunes or by direct download. Each show includes two interviews on a broad range of topics and runs about 20 minutes. Bill’s interview appears in Episode 2, which is now available. For more information, including how to listen, click The Model Railway Show.
The next meeting of the Seattle-North clinic will be December 2nd. See the end of this article for directions. Two topics are planned. First, Al Lowe will be on hand to regale us with tales of the Digital Grab Iron. This is your chance to get a firsthand look at the direction the 4th Division is going for its communications, publications, and documentation. Plus Al has been known to tell the occasional joke or two (or two hundred).
Second, we’ll continue our exploration of modules. See the summary of last month’s discussion below. We plan to have at least one example of a T-TRAK module to show folks, plus maybe a guest presenter on the topic.
November’s meeting started with a recap of our October discussion of what we wanted from the clinic. There was general consensus that we wanted to build something (or some things), and that we wanted to run trains, and that we wanted to have something to advertise ourselves to other modelers and especially to youth. That is a lot of things to do, but modules were mentioned as a potential way to fulfill the whole wish list.
Modules still seemed like a good avenue to pursue, but what module standards and in what scale(s)? We reviewed the model railroad module schemes we knew about: NMRA, NTRAK, oNeTRAK (a sort of branch line for NTRAK), Free-mo, and T-TRAK. Most attendees were familiar with NMRA and NTRAK, since the 4th division has groups who use these standards. Free-mo was sort of familiar since we had a presentation on it last year.
T-TRAK was the biggest unknown, but it was mentioned that the United Northwest club was using it as a means to get kids involved in the hobby through 4H. T-TRAK modules are pretty small (about 8 by 12 inches in N scale) and simple. They are made to sit on a tabletop.
It seemed to boil down to this. They might be too simple and toy like for some modelers. And we do not have much experience with these modules locally. But the simplicity also makes them easier to construct, set up, and (most importantly) run trains. Plus there are standards for both N and HO, the primary interests of the clinic attendees.
It was agreed that T-TRAK was something that should be explored further. Jeff, Chris, and Dennis agreed to try and build a T-TRAK demo module by the next meeting.
Show and tell was an eclectic mix. Jeff had a copy of the basic T-TRAK specifications. There were some Milwaukee Road plans and articles. Rob showed another of his many N scale sets – a Great Northern steam locomotive and a string of matching insulated box cars from Con-Cor.
There were some recently-picked hydrangeas, which sparked a discussion of whether it was better to trim them down to the branches right away or let them dry first. There was no conclusion to this debate, but everyone agreed that they made excellent scale tree armatures. And lastly Roger showed a couple of bare generic frames from the early 4th Division module builds
John’s mystery clinic was about calculating the dropping resister values needed for LED lighting. He got the idea when a couple of clinics at the recent regional convention referred people to web-based tables for the calculations. That makes it appear much more complex than it actually is. John’s handout and explanation made it look simple. One thing I didn’t know was that different color LEDs require different amperages. It is always a good idea to get the LED data sheet when you obtain your LEDs.
I made this offer last month, but still do not have a winner. I have a little prize for the first Seattle-North Clinic attendee that can show me documented proof of who first came up with this quote: “The human brain is like a railroad freight car — guaranteed to have a certain capacity but often running empty.” Some of the attendees thought this might be an appropriate unofficial slogan for the Seattle-North clinic.
Next meeting is December 2 and the one after that January 6. The Mart should be there and don’t forget to bring something for show and tell. And, speaking of the Mart, I bet you didn’t know that the economy is so bad that Santa’s off season job is helping out at the Mart.
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. Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, except July and August. 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.
Tabooma County is moving North to Mount Vernon. Nona and I have put our house up for sale and have bought a new house in Mount Vernon, so the Tabooma County Railway, as we know it today, will be dismantled, and eventually rebuilt in its new location. This has been a great location for it for the past 11 years and we have enjoyed the Friday night group showing up to work on the layout and also the several open houses and tours we have hosted over the years.
If anyone is interested in taking a piece of the layout, please contact me via e-mail (tabooma@msn.com. The dismantling will occur on the Saturday/Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 27/28. I will be saving my structures, of course (my favorite part of the hobby!), but several sections that are fully sceniced are available if anyone is interested. Most of those sections are narrow shelf-type construction and removal will not be too difficult; there is the new large center section that might be a challenge to take out in one piece; however, it could be sectioned into smaller pieces. This center section is essentially just foam with streets and trackage laid out and installed – again, no structures. I will be keeping the harbor scene and the Eagle Falls scene has been spoken for.
MMR Gene Swanson opened the meeting at our Veterans Day location at the All Nations Church in Parkland with a moment of silence for the fallen Veterans. He then asked for all that had served in the various branches of the Armed Forces to stand up and be recognized. We had a total of 37 attendees two of which were newcomers; Jeff Kuhns who models HO BNSF and UP present era and Paul Nolten who models the Monon RR, Roger is also a newly minted MMR. Mike Shaw presented the Video Library and said he would have the library available for the next couple of month.
What’s new at the hobby shop was presented by Tacoma Trains which included a new release from Athearn of a Genesis SD-70, PGE wide vision caboose and tank car, a Bowser Baldwin VO-1000 switcher, Accurail NP gondola, Woodland Scenics ready built Megawatts Transformer power station building and N Scale Station buildings, BLMA equipment shed and metal wheel sets. Kato N scale SD-45, Portland Car & Foundry Everett & Monte Christo box car.
In the Model of the month Jim Murry presented two Ambroid Caboose Kits built by his father one of them was rebuild by Jim. Dave Faucett with a Builders in Scale bait shop, one of three buildings in that kit. Paul DeMuth with a HO Grain Elevator partly scratch build and kit bashed. It was built in various locations during his AF tours mostly in Italy with materials from local shops.
The winner was Paul DeMuth with his grain elevator. Photos of the models can be seen in the digital Grab Iron submitted by one of the attendees.
The clinic for this month was a Power Point presentation on the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg Germany by Al Babinsky. Al visited the largest model rail road in the world while on his trip to Germany. At the present time the rail road covers a 10,000 square foot area with a little over 7 miles of track. 830 trains operated on the rail road along with several thousand cars, trucks and a couple of ships which operate on real water. The operation is handled by 40 computers and is completely automatic watched by 3 operators.
Next month clinic is Gene Swanson “Dirty Santa” along with a feast, please bring a wrapped gift up to $ 15.00 and mark it as to what scale. The clinic will be at our usual place at the Pierce County Library Office Bldg at the corner of Waller Rd and 112th Street at 7:30 PM, hope to see you there.