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Mt Vernon Clinic Report – February 2017

Written by John O'Connell
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by Al Carter, Bob Stafford and John O’Connell

Ex-Great Northern Station, Bellingham

Nineteen hearty souls braved the worst weather of the winter to attend the Clinic. Ted Becker opened the meeting by welcoming our honored guest, Bob Stafford.

Announcements

The idea of having a Saturday clinic in May was suggested and the proposal was well received. This would be a joint operation with our sister clinic in Oak Harbor. Three possible formats were discussed and Multiple Demonstrations won hands down, or I should say hands up. Several people volunteered to do demonstrations. Details to follow, but reserve the day.

Feb 25/26          United Northwest Model RR Club Swap Meet, Monroe. Click here.
Mar 9                  Mt Vernon Clinic, Bring a project, materials, and tools and work on it and get your questions answered by the local experts. Well, not experts, but experienced modelers……
Apr 13                 Mt Vernon Clinic, Mini-Clinics. Watch this space for details.
May 11                No Thursday evening Clinic!
May 13                Multiple Demonstration, all day event at the Mt Vernon Senior Center. Details coming soon.
Jun 7-10              Pacific Northwest Region Convention, Spokane. Click here for details.

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Mt Vernon Clinic

Better Buildings, Tacoma Clinic Report, February 2017

Written by Dale Kraus
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Dale Kraus, Photos by Author

 

Twenty-two modelers were on hand Thursday evening for the Tacoma Clinic, hosted by Al Babinski. The topic for the evening was “Kitbashing/Building Better Buildings”, presented by Greg Price. Greg’s approach is simple and effective. It consists of:

  1. Choose a kit to fit your purpose. Modify it if necessary.
  2. Build a mock-up and see if it fits.
  3. Paint everything before assembling the walls. Use muted colors outside and black inside.
  4. If not lit, use a black view block. If lit seal light leaks.
  5. Put lots of detail on the roof.
  6. Weather everything.

Greg giving the clinic.

Greg has graciously allowed us online access to his presentation, click here to view the PDF (warning – large file, 28 MB in size).
 

The modeler’s showcase had five entries.

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Tacoma Clinic

Eastside Get Together, Redmond Clinic, on Feb 16

Written by Russ Segner
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by Russ Segner

We meet Thursday evening, February 16, at the Redmond Old Schoolhouse Community Center (Map) beginning at 6:45 PM.

Our program will be a description of the planning and construction of my layout, the Coal Creek Lumber Company, which was recently featured on KOMO TV. Here is the link:

http://seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/we-took-a-ride-on-a-tiny-train-and-loved-it-all-aboard/

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Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Chuck Ricketts Health Report

Written by Cliff Green
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Robert Grove

Update, Feb 21

Chuck moved to the Panorama City physical therapy complex in Lacey. His right leg is coming back under control but the right arm and fingers will take longer. Panorama will be part of his life for another 3 or 4 weeks according to the therapist. I picked him up today to visit the optometrist, pick up some new eye glasses, then a stop at his home for more clothing and re-acquaintance with Smudge the cat. Good spirits and a desire to get on with it make him the best of patients.

Original post, Feb 8

Hey everyone, Chuck Ricketts was in the hospital for a few days with pneumonia until February 1, then was readmitted with stroke-like symptoms on Friday, February 3 (according to Jim Elder). Therapy started on the stroke affected right leg and arm. As of Tuesday afternoon, Feb 7th, Chuck has been moved to the rehab section of Panorama City (in Lacey, WA).

I’m sure he would enjoy hearing from all and his cell phone (480-861-3629) is at the ready. Wish him a quick recovery.

(Editor’s note: Chuck is well known for his world class layout, which is featured every year in the Olympia Layout Tour and Oly Ops. The first picture on the front page of the 4D web site is a wharf scene from his On30 scale layout.)

News

Northwest Railway Museum Rides Begin on April 1

Written by Cliff Green
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Peggy Barchi, Marketing/Events Manager

It’s no joke – Northwest Railway Museum train rides begin on April 1st!

Excursion train ready to depart at the NW Railway Museum depot in Snoqualmie, WA.

It’s “Not Just A Train Ride” at the Northwest Railway Museum this train season! Beginning on the weekend of April 1-2, visitors can explore more of the Museum’s collection as most train excursions will include a stop at the Train Shed exhibit building in 2017. With a call of “All aboard!” Northwest Railway Museum visitors can step back in time and experience rail travel as it used to be aboard historic railway cars. The train excursions give visitors a glimpse back in time to discover how railroads influenced settlement and everyday life in Washington State.

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Northwest Railway Museum

Military Society of Model Railroad Engineers Upcoming Events in Anchorage, Alaska

Written by Cliff Green
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Mike Philo

Feb 24 – Mar 5, Anchorage, AK: The Military Society of Model Railroad Engineers (MSMRE) will have three sectional layouts set up during the annual Fur Rendezvous winter festival in Anchorage, Alaska. The layouts – in HO, HOn3 and N scales – will be on display in the Alaska Railroad Passenger Terminal from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM most days, longer on some days to accommodate arriving and departing ARR passengers. Admission is free to all. Contact: Randy “Bj” Bjorgan, bjorgan@alaska.net, 907-952-4353.

Feb 18, Mar 18, Apr 15 (all are Saturdays), Anchorage, AK: Military Society of Model Railroad Engineers monthly Open House, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the club’s location on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Layouts in HO, HOn3, N and O. Admission is Free. Contact Randy “Bj” Bjorgan, bjorgan@alaska.net, 907-952-4353 for directions and access from off post.

(Editor’s note: Marty Quaas maintains a well-known web page on Alaska model railroading at http://alaskamodelrrnews.homestead.com/, with information on his layout, “The Consolidated South Western Railroad”, as well as various model railroad clubs and prototype organizations and activities in Alaska.)

Convention or Meet, Model Train Show, The Alaska Section

Pacific Science Center Model Train Show Committee Thanks the Volunteers

Written by Cliff Green
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David Yadock

The Superintendent of the 4th Division and the Pacific Science Center Model Train Show Committee would like to thank all of those folks listed below that volunteered at the train show. It goes without saying that if you didn’t help out at the show then it wouldn’t have been possible. This train show is very demanding and requires many people to make it work smoothly. This year there were over 13,000 visitors that passed through the gates of the Pacific Science Center. That number of people allows very good exposure to our organization.

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Model Train Show

Trees, Trees and More Trees, Skagit Valley and Whidbey Clinic Report, January Meeting

Written by Chip Van Gilder
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Article and Photos by Rich Thom

The SV&W NMRA Clinic’s first meeting of the new year, held on January 11th, was all about an item which many layouts just can’t have enough of: trees. Several folks brought in a variety of trees and tree-making materials and gave demonstrations, with the hope that other attendees would try their hand at making a tree using one of the methods shown. However, few rose to the challenge! Nonetheless, the variety of materials and techniques was instructive and we’re sure that all picked up some new ideas.

Before the hands-on demos, Rich Thom gave a short presentation about the challenge of mounting trees (fir trees, in his case, modeling a northwest short line) in hardshell scenery. Especially those in foreground scenes, in front of trackage where switching will take place, putting the trees at risk of being easily damaged during operating sessions. The solution? Magnets. See Fig 1.

Fig 1 – Epoxying Magnet to Trunk

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Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island Clinic