Skip to main content

Grab Iron Posts

Burien Clinic (Formerly Eastside Get Together South in Renton) Now Has a Meeting Place In Burien

Written by Russ Segner
Leave a Comment

Russ Segner

What used to be the Renton Clinic (also called Eastside Get Together South Clinic) for all of 2016 will now be the Burien Clinic. We have been invited to the home of the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archives. This will give us excellent space for 40 or more. There is good parking and we can use the room from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.

The first meeting will be Thursday, January 26 starting at 6:30 PM. All the subsequent meetings are set for the fourth Thursday of each month and they will start at 6:30. The address is 425 SW 153rd St, Burien, WA, 98166. Click here for additional clinic information including a map.

Our first clinic in Burien will feature Paul Vaughn demonstrating how he kit-bashes plastic cars to get exactly what you want when a specific car is not commercially made. Paul is not afraid to cut up a new car kit to make something else. Paul has made many interesting Sn3 cars out of HO kits. He will present methods to accomplish projects by making new castings out of cut up parts and integrating weights within the castings.

We will also have a presentation by Gary Tarbox, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archives to help us get acquainted with the facilities and work at the Archives.

Bring models, finished or under construction!

Burien Clinic

Seattle-North Clinic – First Meeting of 2017 is January 5

Written by Jeff Moorman
Leave a Comment

By Jeff Moorman

Next Clinic:

The next Seattle-North clinic is Thursday, January 5, 2017.

The movie “Rocky Mountain Express” is just out on Blu-ray. So, if everything works out, we’ll take a peek and discuss a little about how the movie was made. Of course, seeing it at clinic pales in comparison to seeing it on the big Imax at the Pacific Science Center where it is now showing (hint, hint). Hopefully we’ll whet your appetite for the larger scale visual experience.

We will also do another installment of our fallen flags mini-clinics and (if time permits) start a discussion of creating layout backgrounds.

Read More

Seattle-North Clinic

Volunteers Needed for Volunteer Park Lionel Holiday Train

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Kurt Laidlaw

The conservatory at Volunteer Park is looking for volunteers to help run their Lionel Holiday Train. Shifts are 11 am – 1 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm Tuesday through Sunday. The holiday train will run through the 1st of January. If you are in Seattle and don’t have plans to work at the Washington State History Museum Train Fest, please consider helping out at Volunteer Park. For more information, contact David Helgeson at david.helgeson@seattle.gov.

Model Train Show

PNRA and BEMRRC Holiday Open House

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Gary Tarbox, PNRA Executive Director

For anyone within driving distance of the Puget Sound area, the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive (PNRA) and the Boeing Employee Model Railroad Club (BEMRRC) are holding an open house December 26 – 31, 2016.

BEMRRC will have their new modular layout running for the first time and their permanent HO layout (under construction) at PNRA will also be open for tours.

PNRA will have displays and conduct tours of the preservation storage area with its newly installed mobile shelving.

Held in the archives are Northern Pacific (NP), Great Northern (GN), Milwaukee Road and Spokane, Portland, and Seattle (SP&S) materials, as well as logging, Interurban, Amtrak and short line resources.

Date: December 26 – 31, 2016 (Mon thru Sat)
Time: Noon to 6:00 pm on Monday thru Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday
Location: 425 SW 153rd Street, Burien, WA 98166

Please contact me for information at Info@PNRArchive.comcastbiz.net or 206-349-6242.

Layout Tour, Railroad History

Model Railroading in Alaska (and Arizona)

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Mike Philo

Editor’s note: In a recent e-mail newsletter I mentioned Marty Quaas’ web site about Alaska model railroading (which includes his wonderful layout “The Consolidated South Western Railroad” as well as his well known display layout “Mooselip, Alaska”): http://alaskamodelrrnews.homestead.com/, and reminded 4th Division members that Alaska is part of this division. This is Mike’s reply.

Your recent note on model railroading in Alaska prompted me to write to you. I live in Anchorage and am a member of the NMRA. I belong to the Military Society of Model Railroading Engineers, based on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage. Our club has permanent layouts in HO, HOn3, N and O scales, plus modular layouts in HO, HOn3 and N scales.

For many years we have been displaying our three modular layouts (N, HO, HOn3) at an Anchorage winter festival called Fur Rendezvous (“Fur Rondy” for short). Until a few years ago, Marty Quaas was displaying his Mooselip layout at Fur Rondy, too. It is a wonderful layout and the crowds loved it. So did I. Unfortunately, Marty has not been able to attend Fur Rondy in recent years, probably in large part due to the long drive from his home to Anchorage. Many people, including me, miss him and Mooselip.

Read More

Articles, Convention or Meet, Model Train Show

A Plea – an HO-Scale Picture Setting for my RDC Camera Car

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Brian Pickering

I’m in the final stages of getting an article published in a major model RR publication. However, the editor has asked if I could get pictures of the subject (the RDC “Camera Car” I assembled for the 4D HO Modular Group) on a sceniced layout.

Is there anyone with a sceniced layout on which I could take some pictures in the next week or so? While the article won’t be published for a couple of months, the layout is coming due. I’m in Sammamish, WA, so obviously the East Side is most convenient for me, but I’ll be down at the Washington State History Museum model train show in Tacoma on the 26th and 31st, and am willing to drive a reasonable distance to get the shots I need.

Thanks. I can be contacted at bpickeri@gmail.com.

Member Ads

Eastside Get Together North (Redmond) Clinic Report for December 2016

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Article and Photos by Syd Schofield

Russ Segner’s Sn3 scale steam critter.

The East Side Get-Together North Clinic (Redmond), held on 15 December 2016 at the Old Redmond School House, had the usual Bring-and-Brag plus the annual Dirty Santa gift exchange. Dave Cook brought things together after the coffee and doughnuts warmup.

Dave Enger displayed seven of his side dump gondolas for the evening’s viewers choice, and first (and last) gift pick. Russ Segner also brought in a dandy steam critter in Sn3 scale to show. Then on to the main event for the evening, the railroad-themed gift exchange.

The “Dirty Santa” exchange rules established way back when steam was king (I’m told) had some strategy to somehow finagle one’s choice during the proceedings. Early picks were at a disadvantage as maybe their choice for the evening may not have been revealed. Each item has to be unwrapped at the time of selection thus exposing it to a pack rat exchange. However, the pirated “victim” then has the choice of any other item that has been picked.

Read More

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic

Northern Pacific Parlor Car 1799 Move and Restoration

Written by Cliff Green
Leave a Comment

Richard Anderson, Executive Director, Northwest Railway Museum

Note from Kent Sullivan: Hello regional NMRA friends, I am helping Richard Anderson of the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie to get the word out about saving this amazing all-wood Northern Pacific passenger car. It is rare in the extreme to find one in such complete condition. The issue is a chunk of money needs to be raised quickly in order to move it very soon, before the property owners condemn and destroy it. (It’s horrible to consider this happening but that’s exactly what is in store for the car in a couple of months.) The total cost to rehabilitate this car, if it can be moved soon, is projected to be far less than the typical restoration these days, due its superior overall condition.

Please, if you can donate to help raise the first chunk of money, contact Richard. His contact info is at the bottom of this posting. And, please forward this posting to anyone you know who might have an interest in helping – NP enthusiast or otherwise. The link is https://4dpnr.com/northern-pacific-parlor-car-1799-move-and-restoration/. Merry Christmas.

Read More

Northwest Railway Museum, Railroad History

Redmond Clinic (Eastside Get Together North) on Thursday, Dec 15th

Written by Russ Segner
Leave a Comment

Russ Segner

We all like surprises, well, most of us do. So, join us this Thursday, Dec 15th at the Eastside Get Together Clinic in Redmond for our annual “Gift Exchange”.

The meeting begins at 7:00 PM, the location is the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center at 16600 NE 80th St, Redmond, WA 98052. Additional details including a map can be viewed by clicking here.

Bring a wrapped item, funny or otherwise, worth less than $10. Or, dig into your stash of unbuilt kits and/or parts. Mark on the package what scale is appropriate. The packages are put in a pile on the table at the front of the room. We draw names to see who goes next and so on until everyone has received a mystery “gift”. The trick is that once you have yours, the next names can take it from you instead of taking one from the pile. If yours is taken, you get to choose another one. Confused? We will explain the rules at the meeting. It turns out to be lots of fun and lots of laughs. And, a few of us end up with some neat things we can actually use.

Refreshments as usual. Bring a model to display. Winner goes first for the “Gift” drawing.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic