By Jeff Moorman and Bobj Berger, Photos by Bobj Berger
Next Clinic:
Our next clinic (7 to 10 pm, June 4, 2015) is not a clinic at all, but a layout room tour with four stops in the Edmonds and Lake Forest Park area.
None of these layouts have been open for general viewing before and two will likely never be open again, since they are being sold.
Carpooling is highly encouraged, since these are all residences without special parking facilities. As always, please be mindful of where you park and of keeping the neighbors happy.
Starting Address: Everything begins at Brent C’s, 3744 NE 165th St, Lake Forest Park. The house is located on the NW corner of NE 165th St and 39th Ave NE in Lake Forest Park, in case the address is deceptive. Enter through the garage. On this first layout tour stop each carload of visitors will be issued a “Track Warrant” with directions to the next three train rooms, which are all within a mile or so of each other in Edmonds. Call Bobj’s cell phone at 206-948-0862 if you get lost or need additional directions.
What you can expect at Brent’s:
This is a large HO layout with more buildings than most of us have ever seen on a single home layout. Most of these buildings will be for sale (see the “Note” below). We will not only visit the basement layout, but also the upstairs train display room.
Note: [Friday hours updated 6/3/15] Immediately following our tour the hundreds of buildings and vehicles will be removed and assembled in the garage for a model railroad estate sale this coming weekend. On Friday, June 5 the estate sale hours will be from 5 – 10 pm and the Friday sale is for NMRA members only (the perfect way to start your 4th Division Spring Meet weekend). On both Saturday and Sunday the hours will be from 10 am to 4 pm and will be open for everyone.
What you can expect at the next three stops:
Bob P’s: This HO empire in a lower level of the home was constructed with grandkids’ operations in mind. The owners are now contemplating a retirement downsize so the rolling stock and all supplies (including track) are for sale. This layout mostly follows USA prototypes, but there are some English trains as well, plus some stories about getting them and building the layout.
Craig J’s: Combining households resulted in the original layout space being converted into living space and a new train room was created in a former bedroom. The room has wall shelving displays of O and Standard Gauge trains and accessories, a work/repair desk, and is all next to the antique toy room you pass on the way in.
Harley O’s: This is another lower level HO layout, based on the Great Northern transition era in the Pacific Northwest. The layout is fully scenic’d and completely fills the room. There are stunning views of mountains and trees. A spur runs into the next room and we all hope for future expansion!
Here are some pics of the train rooms we’ll see:
One of the layouts on the Seattle North Layout Tour
Brent C’s double decker layout, on the Seattle North Layout Tour
Bob P’s layout, on the Seattle North Layout Tour
Prior Clinic:
If you missed last month, you missed a treat. Our clinician was Dave Honan, a civil engineer specializing in transportation. But Dave is also a train buff and a photographer. He awed us with pictures of the steam rebuilding program at the Northwest Railway Museum, followed by 2 AV presentations – one on coal mining and transportation, and one on modern urban transit.
Don’t take my word for the beautiful pictures. Go to his website at davehonan.com and see for yourself. Thanks, Dave, for a wonderful program.
The next meeting is June 4 at 7 pm when we embark on a North End Train Room Tour (see directions above). The next regular clinic is September 3. Hope to see you there or at least sometime on down the line.