Grab Iron Posts

Luther E. Franklin

I have accumulated a huge amount of Marx O27 Trains, Track, Crossings and Turnouts.

I’m 90 yrs old and didn’t really remember how much I had accumulated since Santa brought me a Marx Canadian Pacific set with remote turnouts and remote uncoupling. Sigh.

I have 30 or MORE Marx remote turnouts, an impressive Marx Army Set, and M 100000 Streamliners. I need to download, but require someone or some group to buy the ENTIRE mess.

If you’re interested, email me here.

Article and Photos by Rich Thom

Cliff Aaker, filling in for Clinic Chair Rich Blake on business travel, introduced tonight’s two clinicians who presented two highly interesting talks about track planning for operations.  Both presenters are NMRA MMR’s with decades of experience between them.  Their layouts are very different not only in the era modeled, but also in their builders’ “druthers” (as layout design guru John Armstrong put it).  One shared feature, though, is that both railroads center on Colorado—not surprising considering the fascinating prototypes that this mountainous state offered.Jack Tingstad, MMR was up first with his talk titled “Making an Old Track Plan Work.”  Jack’s HO-scale Cloud City and Western RR, begun about 20 years ago, has now been hosting operating sessions for 12 years,

with crew sizes varying between 6 and 8.  The main section (Fig 1) is in a ground-floor room 12’ by 21’ in Jack’s home in Coupeville.  Jack’s layout was adapted from a John Armstrong plan (thus the “old track plan” descriptor) but whereas Armstrong’s plan featured a “big city” setting, Jack wanted his set in the Colorado mountains in the steam era and revised it accordingly.  His “druthers” included:

• “Massive” scenery—extending to the room ceiling and to just feet above the floor in places
• Maximize switching opportunities
• No duck-unders
• “Visually separated” town scenes to the extent possible
• 24” radius minimum mainline radius with easements
• Minimum #6 mainline turnouts
• Micro Engineering track in Codes 83/70/55 for mainlines/passing tracks/spurs

Jack’s resulting track plan is shown in Fig 2.

The plan is “loop to loop” with the eastern and western loops at Glenwood Springs (upper level) and Salida (lower level) shown at the upper right-hand corner of the track plan.  The two levels are connected by a 24”-radius, two-turn helix at the lower center of the plan.  The layout’s major yard is at Cloud City (Leadville), midway between Glenwood Springs and Salida, lower right in Fig 2.  All of the towns are named for actual places in Colorado but their relationships to each other on the layout do not adhere to their actual prototype locations.

Whereas large staging yards, either concealed on lower levels, visible, or in separate rooms, are currently in vogue, Jack built what might be called distributed staging all around the layout, all hidden from view, most below scenery.  See Fig 2.  He can stage up to 15 trains prior to starting an operating session.  A few years ago Jack acquired “trackage rights” to a room adjacent to his original layout space, in which he added a new yard, East and West Breckinridge, with tracks leading through the wall from Granite Junction and Cloud City.  This room also functions as crew lounge.  The addition greatly expanded operations and adds two crew slots to work the busy yard.

Jack’s “old track plan” certainly works well as this reporter–a regular crew member–can confirm, and he considers it a success.  However, there are always lessons learned and Jack shared a few:

• Make sure to provide access to all hidden track; Jack has no fewer than 20 lift-outs, of which 4 or 5 are used frequently, others rarely
• Although they save much space, avoid 3-way turnouts as their complexity can cause loco hesitation and other issues
• Ditto double-slip switches; Jack has one in his town of Malta, as part of a switching puzzle in a small space, but crews can have trouble with it
• Ensure spurs and sidings where cars are to be spotted are dead-flat—otherwise clothes pins or other braking devices are needed to prevent roll-aways
• Use of compound ladders in yards on modest-sized layouts can save space; Jack used them in his Breckinridge addition

Mark Malmkar, MMR, was up next.  His layout is about the same age as Jack’s but has traveled many more miles!  Begun in Nebraska in 1990, Mark’s layout—built in sections–was moved to two more houses in that state, with revisions to fit the spaces available.  Following some years of storage, the layout has been moved yet again to its new home in Oak Harbor where it is now being re-assembled, with plans to considerably expand it as well.

Mark’s current plan for his HO-scale layout in its new location is shown in Fig 3.  The space is 40’ in its long dimension.  His freelanced railroad is called the Rocky Mountain Central.  It’s a two-level pike (lower level is shown in green and upper in blue) with a helix interconnecting the two.  Despite being similarly located in Colorado, Mark has far different “druthers” for his layout compared to Jack’s:

• Transition era, 1955, with some steam but mostly diesel
• Town plans replicating prototype as much as possible
• Kansas City and Chicago staging yards originating and terminating trains; most traffic comes from Chicago
• Rock Island, CB&Q, and AT&SF trains cross Rocky Mountain Central’s trackage
• Passenger train emphasis, especially dome cars (Mark’s favorites)

Mark’s layout features 24-inch minimum radius curves and Code 100 track throughout for improved operation.  Referring to Fig 3, the sections at the top and at the right of the drawing are mostly re-assembled and in place; the central peninsula and Glenwood Springs at the lower left (now Mark’s office space) are planned for later construction.  Mark anticipates 3-hour operating sessions with 6- to 12-trains running, with an average of 8, and 3 to 6 crew on the mainline.  Crews could grow to 12 to 14, but aisle congestion, especially where switching districts are close together and on both levels, might make that too optimistic.  Mark’s first op sessions will tell!

Great ideas—from modelers with years of experience—for our own layouts.

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This year 2019 has proven to be a very busy one for the Pacific Northwest On30 Modular Group.  In January we participated in the Great Train Show in Puyallup at the Washington State Fairgrounds and then in February at the United Northwest & Snohomish Count 4-H Foundation show in Monroe at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds.  These are both very large and heavily populated shows and provide an important connection between the public and our model railroad hobby.

A nice change of pace however was afforded to our group with an invitation to the 34^th Annual Sn3 Symposium at the Sheraton venue in Bellevue WA April 4-6 2019 from 4D Superintendent Russ Segner and Sn3 Symposium coordinators Robin Peel and Dale Kreutzer.  This is a niche event that is similar to the National Narrow Gauge Convention but mainly focused on “S” or 1/64^th scale.  Although the space was smaller than our usual huge open train show venues, PNWOn30 Superintendent and CAD expert Alan Murray managed to design a layout to fit in the space that allowed for a nice point to point configuration providing a lot of operating opportunities. 

Alan along with PNWOn30 members Jerry Barnes, Jon Bentz, Rich Blake and Mark Clemmens set up the layout on Thursday April 4^th in a well lit private space in the hotel.  Even though we are 1/48^th scale or O scale, the layout was a welcome attraction for the Sn3 Symposium participants and generated a lot of interesting discussion on modeling, construction of modules and DCC system control (we use NCE).

Something new for the symposium and our modular group, was that we opened up the layout to guest operators on a fixed time schedule throughout the open viewing periods of the show.  Normally we just operate with our own modular group members at shows but this time we opened up the layout as a bonus operating opportunity and ended up with twelve guest operators on the crew call list over the course of three days in five different sessions. Rich Blake ran the layout as Dispatcher/Trainmaster while the rest of the PNW On30 crew assumed yard and crew assistance duties for our guest operators.

We had several “old hats” as well as a few “noobs” to operations who learned a lot about this very intensely engaging aspect of model railroading.  Our operating schema utilizes Time Table and Train Order rules typical of the early 1900s.  We also use Java Model Railroad Interface (aka “JMRI”) Operations Pro to manage car inventory and generate switchlists for yards and industries.  The operating style is laid back and slow moving but every train has a purpose and work to do.  A typical job for a conductor/engineer two man crew would take about an hour to complete which was perfect for the time slots we had for guests.

Overall it was a great event and our group would especially like to thank all the enthusiastic operators who brought the layout to life as well as the coordinators of the Sn3 Symposium who provided the great space and support.  If you would like to see our layout or are interested in operations, stay tuned here on the Grab Iron for show announcements or contact us via the Module Programs section of the 4D website or the PNW On30 website.

A few more shots from the event:

Al Lowe

Registration is now open for the annual 4D Spring Meet, to be held this June 22nd in Tacoma. We have many Master Model Railroaders signed up to educate, entertain, and amuse you — 11 clinics in all, including a Make & Take Clinic.

Quick! Head over to http://www.4dspringmeet.com/ and register today. If you pay in advance with PayPal, you’ll get a free lunch. (Of course, you can procrastinate, register the day of the Meet, pay the same amount, and get no lunch — it’s your choice!)

So click here and register today. You can thank me in Tacoma!

by William Hupe

Our April Clinic is Tuesday, April 9th.

This months clinic: “Speed Matching Plus. Learn how to speed match your DCC locomotive” – by Michael Boyle and Dick Stiver. 

Same time 7:00 PM
Same place: United Way of Kitsap County,
                       645 4th Street.
                       Bremerton, WA 98337

As always coffee and cookies will be served.

Bring a project.    Bring a friend.

Fellow Model Railroaders,
It’s time for the 7th clinic of the season.
Master clinicians Jack Tingstad and Mark Malmkar will present layout planning for operations Lessons learned.
Jack will talk about how his 20 year old layout has evolved.
This is going to be good.

Clinic will be at the Summer Hill retirement community (at: 165 SW 6th Ave.) 2nd floor meeting room in Oak Harbor on April 10th with a starting time of 7:00pm. The Pre Clinic Dinner is at Alfy’s Pizza in Oak Harbor (916 SE Bayshore Drive) no earlier than 5:15pm.

Also the watch for information on the upcoming train ride in Bellingham May 18th.  I am sure we all want more of the fun we had last year.

Article and Photos by Rich Thom

The 3^rd annual joint Mt. Vernon – Skagit Valley & Whidbey (“Oak Harbor”) clinic held March 23^rd at the Mt. Vernon Senior Center was by all measures once again a great success.  At least 58 participated by one count but it might have been higher; a few may have slipped by the registration table.  Thanks are due the Mt. Vernon Clinic for organizing the event, for which logistics and venue were flawless.  Also many thanks to the “women’s auxiliary” of the Skagit Valley & Whidbey group to lay on a fine lunch, which allowed attendees to stay at the Center and socialize instead of scattering all over Mt. Vernon: well done ladies!

Eight clinicians conducted clinics in morning and afternoon sessions, each given twice offering participants more opportunity to not miss anything:

• Rich Blake – Hand Laid Turnouts and Soldering Basics
• Roger Johnson – Decoder Installation/General Soldering
• Don Jones – Passenger Car and Caboose Lighting Options
• Russ Segner – Layout Planning
• Ted Becker – Introduction to Arduinos
• Didrik Voss – Create Your Own Virtual RR with Trainz
• Jon Bentz – Updated L-Girder Benchwork Construction
• Al Carter – Pan Pastel Weathering

Several swap tables also overflowed with “I gotta have that” items and most sellers seemed to carry home less stuff than they arrived with, so we hope they had a successful day sales-wise—or just clearing out some of those boxes under the layout.  Other tables along one wall were filled with the annual contest entries—but more of that later.

Before the lunch break, Greg Wright and Ted Becker, prior recipients of the 4^th Division PNR NMRA Golden Grab Iron Service Award, presented this year’s award to Jack Tingstad (Fig 3).  Jack has actively promoted the hobby for over four decades, participating in national, regional and 4^th Division NMRA events, volunteering and opening his oft-published layout for many open houses.  A founding member of his local area’s modeling group (now the SV&W NMRA Clinic), Jack has conducted dozens of clinics himself.  Jack’s skills have earned him MMR 591.  Jack was at the forefront of modelers keen on operations, and has also brought model railroading and the NMRA into the community.  For fifteen years he opened his layout to the general public every Thanksgiving weekend, with extensive newspaper coverage, often welcoming over 400 people at each event, attracting many new people into the hobby.  For good reason, Jack is known as the “train guy” on Whidbey Island.  He’s well earned that title as well as the Golden Grab Iron Service Award.

Next up, after the lunch break and judging of entries, the results of this year’s model contest were announced by contest organizer Mike O’Brien.  Mike’s model railroad supply business also generously provided an entire tableful of prizes from which winners could select their choices.  There were all together 17 entries in 4 different categories.

First Place in the Scratch-built Structure Category was awarded to a magnificent reproduction in HO-scale (Fig 4) of Mount Vernon Radiator Service, located on S. 2^nd Street in that Skagit County town.  It was a team effort by Al Carter and Nick Muff who utilized CAD plans, laser cut wood and styrene, and finishing and weathering entirely as the original.  It is one of those structures for which a single photo cannot do justice to the model.  The model also won First Place in the Photo Match Category for most closely replicating prototype photographs.

First Place in the Kit or Kit-Bashed Structure Category went to Jack Tingstad for his B.T.S. laser-cut generic warehouse, Master Creations kit #27106, again in HO-scale (Fig 5).  Jack used Bragdon Chalks for weathering.  Instead of etchants sometimes used to create “rust” on the corrugated porch roof panels, Jack used a combo of paint and chalk to create an equally-convincing result.

First Place kudos in the Rolling Stock Category (scratch or kit) went to John O’Connell for his 82-foot Santa Fe Observation Car No. 407 (Fig 6).  It is an HO-scale kit by Bachmann.  John added a fully-lighted, painted interior; working marker lights; wall art; and owners and guests enjoying their posh ride.  

No, not every contest entry was HO-scale—to wit, see Fig 7.  It’s the Second Place winner of the Scratch-Built Structure Category and was built by Doug Palm.  Your reporter had to switch his camera from macro-mode to the distant scenery setting to capture this G-Scale behemoth.  It’s a model of a water tower at the Gare d’Annot, France.  The tank on top of the “water castle” has a capacity of 120 cubic meters, Doug wrote in his description of the model.  Curious readers can do the conversion to U.S. gallons themselves—your reporter is tired.     

Second Place in the Kit or Kit-Bashed Structure Category was earned by Mike O’Brien for his Old Abandoned Sawmill located in the Oregon Cascades (Fig 8).  Mike kit-bashed the N-Scale model, individually cutting, distressing, and weathering all of the boards.  Another example where the photo can’t capture the detail of this impressive model.

Last but definitely not least, Fig 9 illustrates the Second Place winner in the Rolling Stock Category (scratch or kit) entered by Alan Murray.  It’s a Keystone Model Works O-Scale log car with brass core, Protocraft trucks, and Kadee couplers.

All the contest entries including others we didn’t have space to show were excellent, and well-illustrated the skill resident in both Mt. Vernon and Skagit Valley & Whidbey Clinic modelers.  We all look forward to a repeat event in 2020!

Rich Thom

Congratulations to Gary

Gary is our latest MMR in the Fourth Division. He has earned his designation as #626 for his fine model building on his layout, The Gilpin Tram. This layout features O, On3 and On30 trackwork and includes a helix between two levels of his mining scenes.

Gary holds operating sessions on a regular basis. His layout has been toured by many of us and will be open during the April – 6 Sn3 Symposium in Bellevue.

Article and Photos by Rich Thom

It wasn’t necessary for Clinic Chair Rich Blake to fire up enthusiasm.  A St. Patrick’s Day mood was already in the air (Fig 1) at our March meeting, with green tablecloth, plates, hats and delectable cake (with green icing) laid out, all carried in by some of our keen members.  Susan Gonzales (pictured, at end of table) announced our upcoming Lake Whatcom Railway outing (May 18^th) as well as her work on recruiting.  Susan created a small flyer for members to post in their towns to potentially attract new (younger?) members.  Thanks, Susan; although our attendance is strong, we would be pleased to welcome more!  Rich reminded all of the upcoming annual joint clinic with the Mt. Vernon NMRA Clinic on March 23^rd, which will feature multiple clinics, swap tables, our annual model contest, NMRA achievement award judging, and more.  Info is on the Grab Iron.

Alan Murray kicked off the evening by demonstrating a clever and simple way to add needed weight to Bachmann On30 flat cars.  These are well-detailed, popularly-priced models but too light; Alan and his On30 modular group (https://www.pnwon30.org) endeavor to weight their cars to S-scale standards since no standards specific to On30 exist. 

Fig 2 shows the underside of a weighted flat car using Alan’s method; two strips of lead are visible imbedded between longitudinal frame members.  To fashion these, Alan starts with strips of ¼” diameter lead fishing weight; it’s available in rolls in the fishing department at Sebo’s Hardware stores or similar outlets.  It turns out to be just the right diameter that—when hammered into the frame as shown—fills the spaces between the frame members perfectly.  (Trucks are obviously removed beforehand.)  Following initial shaping with an ordinary hammer, the job is finished off with a steel block and gentler hammering.

Cliff Aaker was up next for the main clinic of the evening, fashioning Roads from Concrete Patch and Rocks (and other things) from Concrete Crack Seal.  The selection of the right materials is the key here, and Cliff tried several, so his trial and error will save you a lot of time.  He was led down the right track by a video by Ken Paterson on making roads, which you can view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEhBYa9P-EA&t=1358s.

First, roads.  Of many similar products, use only Ready-Mixed Concrete Patch by DAP.  Other latex-based products may work, but acrylic-based will not.  Cliff applies this product up to 1/8^th” thick per layer and allows 24 hours to harden.  It applies somewhat like drywall mud but you have to keep wetting your trowel (use wet water i.e. with a couple of drops of detergent) often to keep the compound from sticking to it.  Also, keep the trowel as nearly parallel to the surface as possible and go slowly.  See Figure 3.  In this example Cliff is using a simple form of plywood and cork roadbed.   

The concrete patch will shrink and crack on the first application.  Applying a second coat is usually sufficient.  After it dries, Cliff then sands first with #60 grit sandpaper followed by #120 and #400.  Coloring and weathering are a matter of taste. One of the features of the patch is—well—it looks like concrete, so not too much effort is needed, as would be for, say, plaster or Sculptamold.  Cliff uses India ink and Pan Pastel powders to age the pavement, and to add centerlines, joints and cracks.  Potholes can be carved in later with a knife if desired.  Fig 4 shows a section of finished road at the bottom, made from the same form.  Another feature of the cured latex is that it is flexible, so you can easily create vertical curves in your roads.

Moving on to rocks, a different concrete patch is used: Concrete Crack Seal by Quickcrete.  In essence Cliff uses this material to make latex rock castings, using latex molds, in a similar way that plaster rock castings are made using these same molds.  The end products are similar to—but far cheaper than–the so-called “rubber rocks” commercially available. The Crack Seal is much thinner than the patch material described earlier as it’s made to flow into cracks.  That also means it flows into and conforms to tiny details of latex molds.  In Fig 5, Cliff begins filling a mold with the crack seal material.

Perhaps surprisingly the Quickcrete material, despite being latex-based, doesn’t seem to stick to some latex molds, even without any mold release agent being used.  Cliff has successfully used both home-made molds (such as the one he is filling in Fig 5) and Bragdon molds (bottom, Fig 5).  However some have had trouble trying this material with Woodland Scenics molds, so experimenting with small pieces is recommended.  If you run into an incompatibility, the crack seal material dissolves in alcohol before it cures.

Fig 6 shows a small display piece with both a concrete patch road and some rock outcroppings made with concrete crack seal as above.  The crack seal rock pieces can be trimmed with tin snips to fit neatly onto hillsides or into cuts and are glued into place with hot glue (high heat type).  Crack seal doesn’t stain the way plaster does: you must paint it.  Cliff uses acrylic craft paints diluted 1 part paint to 4 water applied with a squirt bottle.  He does black first and allows it to settle into the cracks and dry completely.

Cliff discovered other uses for the Quickcrete material.  One example is shown in Fig 7: a tunnel lining for one of Cliff’s On30 modules.  The module contains a small length of On18 ore track with ore cars shuttling back and forth using an automated reversing circuit.  Train Show attendees would peer into the tunnel, Cliff said, and remark that it had no walls or ceiling.  Easily fixed by using the crack seal to create a lining.  The “mold” for the lining is at the bottom in Fig 7 and the lining produced at the top.   

Speaking of molds, Cliff makes his own (Fig 8).  He uses Castin’Craft Mold Builder liquid latex rubber sold at Michael’s and similar craft stores.

Cliff has also used Quickcrete Concrete Crack Seal for creation of structural details.  In Fig 9, a portion of a larger O-scale model of a copper smelter, Cliff used it to produce the furnace and chimney: beautifully done.  The material accepts common acrylic craft paint—Cliff used Black Cherry to create the brick tones here.  He earned a well-deserved NMRA Achievement Award for his copper smelter.

Rich Thom