Yes, it’s a little late confirming our attendance at the Lynden Lions Train Show this weekend October 5th and 6th. To be honest last week I thought we might have to cancel as the guys were dropping like flies in DDT*. We are however in recovery and are eager to go. The plan is for a 31′ x 43′ double track layout comprising a total of 33 modules complete with our eleven track yard. The show runs from 9 am until 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am until 4 pm on Sunday. Come and play trains!
* Do you remember those days prior to DDT being widely available? Flyswatters and rolled news paper were used to attack these pesky insects. Alternatively you could use fly paper hanging from lampshades that had a sticky surface and a fly attractant. These things after a few days would collect a good number of those bugs but usually over the dinner table as that’s where the lamp was. Not nice! Then in the early 1950’s DDT became available in a spray form. A couple of pumps in the air with this spray and any bug passing through the mist would meet with instant death. Ah vengeance! We knew not what we were doing.
For you N gauge guys we have available a nice layout roughly 4′ x 7′ looking for a new home. It does contain the basic scenery and is in need of a little TLC along with accessories as well as trains. It was found whilst going through the estate of one of our members and has been in storage for some years. Like an abandoned pet, we need to find a good home for this layout, or failing that it will be destroyed. The advantage with this is, no adoption fee required, no shots required, no license required, no need to take it for walks and we’ll consider free delivery in the greater Seattle area. This layout must go one way or another before the end of October.
Four members of the Olympia monthly clinic group travelled to Sacramento to the 39th National Narrow Gauge Convention in September. Two members brought models for the contest room and five of the six models won awards. Greg Wright won a second place in internal combustion. Harry Avis won a third place in maintenance of way, a second place in rolling stock and two first places, one in cabooses and one in special equipment.
Greg Wright and Harry Avis show their prize winning models at the September 20, 2019, Olympia Clinic
Harry Avis’ On3 scratch built boxcar
Harry Avis’ HO scale kitbashed RR barge tug
Harry Avis’ 1:32 scale scratchbuilt caboose
Harry Avis’ 1:24 scale scratchbuilt velocipede
Harry Avis’ 1:24 scale scratchbuilt velocipede
The Olympia Clinic meets on the third Friday of each month. Contact Greg Wright, gregorywright2002@yahoo.com for details. The group plans a review of the national narrow gauge convention at their February 21, 2020 meeting. Other topics in 2019-2020 include scratchbuilding, weathering and prototype photos tours.
There will be an open workshop for the 4D HO model railroad display at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Center, 1301 N Highlands Pkwy, Tacoma WA on Saturday, October 12 between noon and 4 PM. Anyone is welcome to come help improve the layout and get it ready for the next “train day” the following Tuesday. We are looking for people who can saw, ballast, add scenery, clean track, solve electrical mysteries, change out wheel sets and couplers and any other modeling skills you can think of. If you have extra scenery making stuff, it would be put to good use. We have some ground foam, plaster cloth, Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast, glue and paint.
If you have time and skills you are willing to donate to this very worthwhile project or you just want to drop by and see what we are doing, please contact Warren Kerr (warrenkerr@rocketmail.com) or Kurt Laidlaw (ananas99@klaidlaw.net) so they can get your name to the receptionist at the front door.
The layout just before it was delivered to the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Center.
Kurt Laidlaw President, Pacific Northwest Region, NMRA
Clinic Chair Rich Blake welcomed 26 to the first SV&W NMRA Clinic of the season. This clinic was devoted to scratchbuilding; so without further ado, let’s get to it.
Fig 1. Cliff Aaker describes his scratchbuilding methods.
Area modelers were invited to bring in their scratchbuilding efforts, both completed and in progress, and most are on the table next to Cliff Aaker (Fig 1), who led off the evening with his presentation “Methods and Tools for Scratchbuilding Scale Models.” Cliff discussed his general approach, in which he either copies a commercial model—to improve upon it by adding details and “personality” for his own railroad—or more typically working from prototype photos. From photos he works out roof pitch and other dimensions using window, door and other features–for example, a standard door height of 6’10”. Often he builds a paper or art board mockup for a project if it’s complicated or must fit a precise space; his first such was building a road bridge for the Anacortes & Fidalgo Model Railroad Club, whose members are long-time clinic contributors.
Fig 2. One of Cliff’s scratchbuilt reefers (On30 scale).
Like most everyone, Cliff uses a mix of purchased and scratch detail parts. For his On30 reefer in Fig 2, brake wheels, roof hatches, turnbuckles—and of course couplers–are commercial parts. Other details, door hardware, latches, stirrups, and grab irons are scratch. Cliff passed around his grab iron bending and drilling jigs; the stirrups are fashioned from bent staples.
Fig 3. A boxcar by Cliff (On30 scale).
Cliff’s box cars (Fig 3 shows one example) are built over a solid wood core, or plug. This automatically keeps all car sides and ends square and provides the needed weight. All car sheathing is Kappler Lumber scribed wood. Roofs are either wood planks or ribbed metal. Metal ribs are simulated with paper strips cut with a rotary cutter. The styrene door channels were glued to the carbody with “old” thick styrene glue, which Cliff found to adhere well to wood.
Fig 4. A flatcar by Cliff (On30 scale).
Flatcars (Fig 4) are difficult to weight properly without unsightly lead weights glued to the underbody, or weighted loads. Cliff solves this by using 1/16” lead sheet sandwiched under the decking. The stake pockets are commercial parts, the stirrups scratch.
Fig 5. Scratchbuilt skeleton car by Cliff (On30 scale).
The metal parts on the skeleton log car in Fig 5 were fabricated using concrete patch and latex rubber molds. (Cliff described multiple uses of two types of concrete patch at our March 2019 clinic.) The trucks on this car, available from Precision Vintage Classics (www.pvc-sn3.com), use 3D-printed sideframes. The cars in Figures 2 and 3 also use PVC trucks.
Fig 6. Cliff Aaker’s scratchbuilt copper smelter building in O-scale. (9 volt battery for lighting effects)
Cliff brought two of his scratchbuilt O-scale buildings to discuss some of the construction methods used. The copper smelter (partial view in Fig 6) was based on drawings of a smelter in Bodie, CA published in Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette. Quickcrete Concrete Crack Seal was used to make the furnace and chimney. The roofing is ordinary household aluminum foil cut with a rotary cutter and scissors, then shaped with a tool from Brunel Hobbies, their “Corrugated Iron Maker” (www.brunelhobbies.com.au). Cliff uses all three readily available thicknesses of aluminum foil in his models.
Fig 7. Scratchbuilt depot by Cliff.
The freelanced depot (Fig 7) was designed with a deliberately high-peaked roof, 12/12 pitch, to provide maximum elevation for an IR sensor which, in conjunction with a servo, battery and Arduino, operates a train order signal (not shown) using a TV remote. During assembly, walls were kept square using a fixture constructed of Lego pieces. The beautifully-executed roof is built with individual Western Red Cedar roofing shakes. Thin wood sheets of cedar were cut into strips with a rotary cutter, chopped, and applied one-by-one with double-sided tape. Fine work, Cliff, and a great clinic!
Fig 8. Alan Murray’s O-scale scratchbuilt oil tank.
Other scratchbuilders in the group had the opportunity to describe their show-and-tell items. Alan Murray brought two of his fine O-scale structures, including the oil tank in Fig 8. Alan has discussed his techniques in several of our previous clinics, which include sawing all of his scale boards from sheet—no purchased (expensive) stripwood for him! Note the N-B-W castings, essential for any model to qualify for an NMRA Achievement Program award.
Fig 9. Alan Murray’s Olympia station interior view.
Alan showed slides detailing the history of the train station in Olympia, and his remarkable reproduction of it in O-Scale. The single photo of it here (Fig 9) can’t possibly do it justice. It sits not on land, but a pier, and the pier (not shown) is just as well-crafted as the station. Alan has featured his Olympia station module construction in previous clinics.
Fig 10. Iver Johnson’s HO-scale scratchbuilt watertank car.Fig 11. Curt Johnson’s HO-scale tool shed.Fig 12. Jack Tingstad’s Tennessee Pass depot in HO-scale.Fig 13. Jon Bentz’ O-scale sawmill and freight house both scratchbuilt.
Iver
Johnson showed off his
water tank for a logging line, Fig 10. Curt Johnson got the idea for his
scratch shed, Fig 11, from a Walther’s Catalog.
Jack Tingstad built the
replica of the Tennessee Pass Station, Fig 12, from plans he was able to obtain
after he was unsuccessful in finding one of the original kits which had gone
out of production. Jon Bentz brought two of his O-scale structures, both freelance, a
sawmill and a work-in-progress freight house (Fig 13).
Thanks to all for bringing
in some fine models and describing some of their techniques.
The National Model Rail Road Association Fourth Division of the Pacific Northwest Region (NMRA 4dPNR) Redmond Clinic for September was held Thursday evening at the Redmond Community Center, Alex Brikoff presiding. After a brief social interlude, the gathering was brought to focus around 7:15 PM. Notable attendees were introduced and upcoming events of interest were announced. The 4D Grab-Iron newsletter and Events Calendar are a great resource to keep you abreast of activities.
As we reminisced our train-themed vacation trip activities over the summer, several of the group gave short presentations about new layouts being designed, planned and built. Due to the great interest we ran over the allotted meeting time. It’ll be very interesting to hear the progress reports on these new layouts as time goes on.
East Side Clinic Attendees
For the model of the month and photo if the month, Russ Segner showed two brass locomotive purchases, an Sn3 consolidation and an HOn3 consolidation. Bob Rorabaugh showed an article on massive northwest tree stumps and the stories they hold. Syd Schofield showed a picture of the Bear River bridge and trestle on the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad in northern California obtained at their museum in Grass Valley, CA.
Bob Rorabaugh brought his usual “For Sale” items as an opportunity available to all attendees. Due to the clinic running late, the door prize portion of the clinic was very abbreviated with a promise to return to the regular door prize give away next month. The meeting concluded at 9:15 PM.
The September 2019 Eastside Get Together Clinic will resume its monthly meetings for the 2019/2020 Clinic Season on September 19, 2019.
The Clinic will meet at the: Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village 6505 176TH AVE NE, Rm. 202 REDMOND WA 98052-4930
Doors open at 7:00 PM and meeting starts promptly at 7:15 PM
We will kick off this year’s Eastside Get Together Clinic season by bringing everyone up to date on the noteworthy model railroad and railfan events coming up in the area for the fall months ahead. We’ll also have our Model of the Month contest and Rail Photo of the Month contest. So, please bring your models and photos for the contests! Winners will have first choice of many fine items from our Door Prize table.
This month’s clinic will be “What I did on my Summer Vacation, Railroad-wise” and moderated by Alex. This will be a round robin where everyone in the room will have a few minutes to tell the rest of the group what they did over the summer months in terms of model building, railfanning, conventions or any combination of the above that has to do with railroading. I encourage everyone to bring a flash drive with photos to go along with your talk since we will have a projector there. Also, please try to limit your talks to 5-10 minutes to allow as many folks as possible to share their summer vacations with us. Participation is optional but encouraged!
We will have refreshments and snacks available as always. We’ll also have a great selection of Door Prizes to give away at the end of the clinic.
Tuesday Sept 10th: The Westside Clinic meets Tuesday evening. The program will be “NMRA Gauge, How to use it” presented by Jack Hamilton. Event Details
Wednesday Sept 11th: The Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic meets Wednesday evening. The program will be “Scratch building techniques, tools and materials” presented by Cliff Aaker. Event Details
Thursday Sept 12th: The Tacoma Clinic meets Thursday evening. The program will be “Weathering techniques using Pan Pastels” presented by Kurt Laidlaw. Event Details
Thursday Sept 12th: The Mount Vernon Model Railroad Clinic resumes Thursday evening. The program will be “What I did this summer.” Event Details
Full event details can be found on the Events page.
I was trying to find a more inviting way of starting this, maybe, ‘Free Ice Cream’ but that would not be true. So what is it? I NEED VOLUNTEERS for the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) train show at Thanksgiving. This will be the second year for this show, a larger event and a little more income for us in 4D.
What is required:
Set-up on Wednesday afternoon/evening November 27th – someone to control the show traffic outside of the museum. One vehicle at a time to unload, once unloaded the vehicle must go and park to keep the loading dock free.
Set-up on Wednesday afternoon/evening November 27th – several volunteers to assist one man displays in setting up.
Show time Friday November 29th thru Sunday December 1st – several volunteers to assist one-man displays.
Tear down on Sunday evening December 1st – someone to control the show traffic outside of the museum. One vehicle at a time loading and when loaded to leave to allow others to load.
Tear down on Sunday evening December 1st – assist one man displays loading out.
In addition to the load in and load out there will be five displays operated by a lone person. That person will need a break from time to time and a volunteer to fill in for him or her. Your assistance is needed for a couple of hours upwards to all three full days, or whatever you can offer. A crew lounge will be available for your breaks as well as free snacks and refreshments provided by MOHAI. Be aware these events will crumble without sufficient volunteer effort in running the shows. If everyone chips in the show will run smooth and be a great success.
The first Seattle North clinic of the 2019-20 year is this coming Thursday, September 5, at 7:00pm.
PLEASE NOTE: We are meeting in a NEW location. The new location is a bit south of our other meeting place. It is at:
United Church 1420 NW 80th Street Seattle, WA 98117
The building is at the corner of 80th and Mary Ave in the north Ballard area of Seattle. It is one block east of 15th Avenue. There is a parking lot accessible from Mary Ave. There will be signage around the building to let you know what doors to enter. I am excited about our new meeting place since we will have a lot more space. And, since I attend the church, I know where things are located.
The program for Thursday is Train Adventures of Summer 2019. Some of us went to the national NMRA convention in SLC in July (it was amazing!) and/or did other train-related things this summer. Please bring photos and/or souvenirs from your adventures to share with the crowd. Think of this as one big show-and-tell session! We will have tables set up for displays/show and tell, as well as for the marketplace.
