Russ Segner, 4th Division Superintendent

This is the first issue of a monthly article I will be publishing about the activities inside our 4th Division. I hope you enjoy it.

We have just completed the Pacific Science Center Model Train Show. Before that, many participated in the Christmas show at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, The Great American Train Show and last weekend the World’s Greatest Hobby Show in Puyallup. We are well into our operating season.

These shows are our major outreach to the public and, in the case of the Pacific Science Center Model Train Show, the source of our annual funding. Last year, we added support for one more modular group and funded a trailer for the OmNi-Rail modular group.

So what’s ahead? The Tacoma Layout Tour, the 4D Spring Meet (which includes our annual Division Meeting), Spokane Falls Express (SFX 2017, the PNR Convention in Spokane), the NMRA Annual Convention (in Orlando, Florida), the National Narrow Gauge Convention (which will be in Denver, Colorado this year) and all our local clinics including the new Burien Clinic at the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archives in Burien. Does that leave any time to model and work on our layouts? Well, from postings in the Grab Iron and on Facebook, many of us are doing a lot. Please keep sharing comments and photos.

As I was walking through the displays at the WGH show in Puyallup last weekend, I wondered how many of the people there realized the tremendous source of help and camaraderie that exists for all within our local clinics and modular groups. Does the public realize the organized efforts we in the NMRA make to promote the hobby and encourage application of standards? Do we recognize the push within our own membership to do better work in model building and operation of our layouts? This is where sharing our hobby comes into play. Invite others to join in. Welcome them into our meetings and share with them your enthusiasm for model railroading.

Spring is almost here and my thoughts are turning to some outside rail-fanning. Last year on our way to and from the PNR 2016 convention in Salmon Arm, Larry Sloan shared with me some of his favorite spots to shoot prototypes. We got some good pictures and some surprises. Alex Brikoff has initiated a photo contest at the Eastside Get Together (Redmond) Clinic. How about we get out and take those photos of our favorite locations and share them in the Grab Iron? Keep in mind that lots of us do not know of the best locations, so please share them with me and I will organize them into an article. I can be contacted at russseg@gmail.com.

Finally, on a personal note, KOMO TV was at my home last Tuesday and will present a showing of my layout, The Coal Creek Lumber Company, on the two o’clock Seattle Refined show sometime during next week.  I will post the date when it gets set.  I hope it turns out okay. Thanks to Al Lowe, Dave Woodrell and Fred Hamilton for helping in the operating session KOMO videoed.

Well, those are some of my musings while watching the playoffs. Watch for some more next month.  Let me hear from you.