Grab Iron Posts

Announcing the Eastside Virtual Get Together Clinic to be held on THURSDAY, August 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Hello, everyone!  I’m happy to announce our next Eastside Clinic will be held virtually on ZOOM next Thursday, 08/20, starting at 7:00 PM (We have switched back to Thursdays by popular demand!).  Since our clinics are virtual these days, I would like to extend an invitation to the entire 4^th Division and encourage you to join our Clinic next Thursday.  You’ll meet some of the other modelers here in the Puget Sound area and see some of the outstanding model work that is being done.  The log in info for the clinic is below.  So be sure and save the date for the August Eastside Clinic next Thursday, 08/20 at 7 PM!

Topic: August Eastside Clinic Zoom Meeting

Time: Aug 20, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86859299442?pwd=YVJ3SU8xV2h2MUtwZ0NzNU53WjJLdz09

Meeting ID: 868 5929 9442
Passcode: 909838

One tap mobile
+12532158782,,86859299442#,,,,,,0#,,909838# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,86859299442#,,,,,,0#,,909838# US (Houston)

Dial by your location
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 868 5929 9442
Passcode: 909838

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdkPF48Ufd

Our virtual Clinic this month is titled “Scenery- Making It Work for You and Your Layout” and will be presented by David Yadock.  David is a very talented local MMR modeler.  The clinic will examine scenery planning and execution specifically on David’s Dry Gulch & Western Railroad.  It will look at scenery base materials and some various techniques used to create realistic scenes that can be applied to your layout.  There will be information for the novice to the expert model railroader.

After the Clinic, we will have some time for other folks to show off their latest model work in our “Show and Brag” segment.  The Clinic will wrap up with some administrative comments.

Alex Brikoff, 08/14/2020    

by Burr Stewart

The next 4DPNR Virtual Layout Tour will be shown immediately following the bi-monthly board meeting this coming Saturday morning, August 8.
The Board meeting will start at 10:00am, and the layout tour will follow it, at approximately 11am.
All members are welcome to observe the board meeting.
This week’s layout tour will be Greg Price’s HO Matheson & Western RR. His freelanced railroad is based in the Northwest. It’s 1953 and Greg will take you on a ride on the morning freight thru the cities and towns he has created. You’ll travel along the waterfront in Port Farley, then thru Stephenson, a small farming community. Then the big climb begins into the mountains. Great vistas with many bridges will highlight the climb to Cloverdale. Home to many businesses, including Diamond Brewing. Continuing the climb you’ll pass thru the mining town of Doyle before entering the city of Matheson.
It’ll be a great trip! 

To join this meeting, here is the Zoom info:
Topic: 4D PNR Board mtg & Greg Price layout tour

Time: Aug 8, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83009972278?pwd=NnMzUWlQSGgyUXJnRnNkUWRwVlp4Zz09

Meeting ID: 830 0997 2278
Passcode: 486837

Now that we are doing so much of 4D activity online, I want to encourage many more of our members to use Zoom. Here is a Primer prepared for an upcoming National Narrow Gauge Convention online.

Russ Segner

A ZOOM Primer

You have been invited to join a Zoom meeting. What do you do next?

Joining Zoom
• Click on the link which appears in the email.
• Join the meeting using your computer audio.
• You may see a message that indicated the Host is not ready for you to be granted permission to enter the meeting. Just be patient. Most of the time you will join right in the meeting.
• You will see your image on the screen with others.
• In most cases your microphone will automatically muted.
• The host may unmute you to interact with you.
• You can unmute yourself and speak by depressing the space bar and talk while holding it down.
• Try not to talk over someone already speaking, just wait your turn.

Presenting
• Get ready first
• Have your presentation open and ready to start with a single click.
• Share screen is the button at the bottom of the page near the middle.
• If you want to share additional mages, open the new image file and then press New Share
• When finished, press the Close Share button.

Noise on line
• It is essential that your environment is silent. No barking dogs, radios, lawn mowers or noisy grand-kids.
• If you are using a laptop or desktop computer with a built-in microphone, background noise will be a much larger problem; we recommend using a noise cancelling headset such as the Sennheiser PC-8 USB.
• If there is noise on the line, and it is not originating with your computer or background, you might need to ask the moderator to mute that person, or to remind everyone to be muted while you are presenting.

Chat Box
• The Chat Box allows participants to ask questions. The moderator will keep an eye on the Chat Box on your behalf, and help with the review of questions at the end of your presentation.
• If you need to type a response in the Chat Box, when you hit the Return key, it sends the message.
• You can select whether to respond to ‘All’ or to an individual attendee. For our purposes, just respond to ‘All’.

Slide Delay
• When you advance to the next PowerPoint slide, there is a delay before that new slide appears on the attendee’s screens. It is a good policy, when you advance to the next slide, wait for 2 or 3 seconds before you start speaking about that slide. Otherwise, viewers get confused.

Presenter Notes
• It’s a good strategy to have a written outline of points you want to remember, if they do not all appear on your slides.
• Speak slowly and clearly throughout your presentation. The technology is good, but it is less than perfect, and the viewer’s equipment may be less than ideal.
• Try to resist the temptation to tell ’war stories’ or go off topic.
• Send the moderator a pdf of your presentation for distribution.

Be sure to check out the latest offerings.

This Saturday, July 25, 10:00am to noon, will feature another pair of local area layout tours on Zoom, sponsored by the NMRA’s PNR 4th Division. The first is a tour of Russ Segner’s Sn3 layout, looking at 9 specific scenes that he has created and detailed around his layout. The second is Ray Wheeler’s outdoor Fn3 layout with a bunch of eye-level footage taken with GoPro cameras mounted on tripods. After each 30 minute presentation there will be 15 minutes for Q&A. Here is the Zoom information you need to watch it:

Topic: 4D PNR Layout Tours

Time: Jul 25, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89761792543?pwd=MXg5dDQwcE1raEN1eDNVelRoNlRvQT09

Meeting ID: 897 6179 2543

Passcode: 872682

By Roy Cutler

It’s with deep regret that I am reporting the death of my good friend and railroad buddy, Doug Walters.

Doug and I had over 30 years of fun and fellowship together, as we shared many of the same interests and much time together. In all that time together, I don’t think Doug ever met a person that he didn’t like. I never once heard him say a bad word about anyone.  

Doug had numerous friends in the model railroad community and participated as an operator and advisor on many layouts throughout the Puget Sound. But the layout that he was most influential on is the Olympic Northern, in my basement.

The ONRR is truly as much Doug’s layout as mine. Not only did he develop the operating system, but he worked hard to make every op session enjoyable for the participants. He was always concerned about the “play value” that each operator would experience and took copious notes during op sessions so that he could increase the “play value” per session for next time. 

When Doug was diagnosed with glioblastoma, he told doctors not to tell him how long they thought he had, as he preferred to live each day to the fullest. That really exemplified the Doug I knew; always getting the most out of every experience. 

I definitely miss my close friend, Doug, and I know that many others, that knew him, miss him as much as I do. Just a few weeks ago, Doug committed his life to the Lord, Jesus Christ, so I know that I will see him again. And what a happy reunion that will be! Until then may the glory of the Lord shine upon you and our friend Doug.