By Jeff Moorman

Please join us for our next meeting on Thursday, May 1, 2014. We are scheduled to have a discussion with a retired railroader whose experience ran the gamut from roundhouse laborer to road foreman. He has some great stories.

Last meeting I previewed a clinic, titled “Vision and the Aging Model Railroader”, which I’ll be doing at PSX2014 in June. It basically covered the effects of aging on the eyes, how those effects might impact model railroading, and what can be done to mitigate them.

Here is a high level summary of the key points:

  • This clinic is not “medical” advice
  • Make sure you see your eye care professional regularly
  • As we get older our eyes:
    • Have trouble focusing closely
    • Let in less light
    • Adapt more slowly to changes in the environment
    • Tire more easily
    • To deal with these changes we should:
      • Practice the 20-20-20 rule – once every 20 minutes focus on something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds
      • Increase intensity of light
      • Use cooler [higher K] light sources that render color accurately
      • Make judicious use of magnification

 

For show and tell 7-year old Allison J brought along some freight cars she had built with the help of her Grandfather. Here’s a picture of one.  Notice her name in graffiti on the side.

Allison's Boxcar

Allison’s Boxcar

We meet at the Ronald United Methodist Church, 17839 Aurora Avenue North, Shoreline, WA. That is on the west side of Aurora (State Route 99) between 175th and 185th Streets and more specifically, between the Cadillac dealer on the south and Deseret Industries to the north. Going southbound on Aurora, make a right-hand turn into the church driveway immediately after passing the Deseret location. The parking lot is at the rear of the church. For regular meetings enter the lower, left side of the church from the rear lot.

 

Meetings are the first Thursday of each month, September through June. However in June we often do something different, like a layout tour. Doors open around 7:00 PM and the program starts at 7:30.

Remember the next meeting is May 1. Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.