May 2010 - the 4th Division â¢ PNR â¢ NMRA

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Page 6 Issue 520 • May 2010 ver Island, BC. Our clinic of the month was named the “Mystery Clinic.” As our presenter, I explained that it was a last minute change in plans and we didn’t know what it was going to be at our last meeting. I presented a PowerPoint presentation about railroading in 1:1 scale in a sandbox, actually a narrow gauge railroad on an island in Northern Germany called Sylt (where I grew up). The railroad started in 1888 as a 2.6 mile line to haul passengers and freight from the east side of the island to the town on the west side. The majority of the passengers were tourists that came for health reasons and, as demand grew, the line was expanded to the north. A shipping company named HAPAG started a line from the southern end and soon both systems were connected. The track ran through sand dunes at both ends of the line and the ties were usually covered by sand making it look like the track was on the sand. In 1927 a causeway was constructed to bring standard gauge rails to the island eliminating the need for the line to the east, which was dismantled. In the mid 50s, most tourists brought their own cars so passenger traffic decreased and the railroad built its own unusual vehicle, a fifth wheel tractor with passenger trailer. It ran until 1970, when the railroad ceased operation. Next month’s clinic will be at our usual location at the Pierce County Library Admin. Bldg. at the corner of 112 th street and Waller Rd, May 13 th at 7:30 PM. Matt McGinnis and Jim Sabol will present “Yard Throat Designs.” See you there! Model of the Month winner Gary Fredrickson's Backwoods water tank Skagit Valley and Whidbey NMRA Clinic Gordon Garnhart For the first item of business, I need to post a correction to last month’s report. I erroneously reported that Phil & Sue Gonzales, John White and Gordon Jones were awarded honorable mention certificates for their part in the 288 Challenge, a 2’ x 4’ diorama building contest. The correct list of awardees for honorable mention certificates is Rich Blake, John White and Susan Gonzales. Congratulations to these three. Good job! On to current business. There were 23 people in attendance at the April 14 th meeting. Al Frasch and Jack Tingstad collaborated on a very comprehensive discussion of the factors that should be weighed in designing a layout to be used for group operations. They offered an eight page single-spaced outline of thought-provoking points to consider, ranging from aisle width to people skills. They talked about layout size, layout type, group dynamics, paperwork systems, lighting, controls, locomotives, rolling stock, scenery, time requirements, and reference materials. They alternated, taking turns leading the discussion, and kept up interest with a series of computerized slides. their program was well received. As a supplement, they provided, by e-mail attachment, the responses to Scott Buckley’s recent questionnaire on operations, an article by Al Frasch on “Considerations for an Operations Layout” for the Dispatcher’s Office publication, and an article written by Rich Thom called “Operating Methods.” Rich was scheduled to be a part of the presentation team, but had to be away. On Wednesday, May 12 th , we look forward to John Mann leading a discussion on “DCC - Beyond Decoders.” The meeting was concluded with a drawing for several door prizes generously donated by Performance R/C Hobbies located on Fairhaven Avenue in Burlington. Seattle-North Clinic Bobj Berger No April Fool’s joke. I had to return home for a forgotten essential portion of my Recycled Aluminum Bale Clinic, so Jeff Moorman again stepped in to facilitate the April 1 st Seattle-North Clinic. “Show & Tell” included some really nifty large steam locomotives, a short train of reefers, and a lighted and detailed (Continued on page 12)
Issue 520 • May 2010 Page 7 Cascadian International 2010 PNR Annual Convention Rob Jones, Convention Chair The 4th Division is proud to serve as host of the PNR's Annual Convention this September 16–18, at the Embassy Suites hotel in Lynnwood, WA. Rooms are still available, so reserve yours today. Even though you may live within driving distance, you’ll have a much better convention experience if you can stay at the host hotel. You can learn more about the convention at the 4D website, 4dpnr.org. Clinics will be plentiful, with a wide variety by MMRs like Paul Scoles, Di Voss, Jack Hamilton, and Jack Burgess from the PCR in California. Many other locals will also give clinics, including Walt Huston, Al Lowe, and Dennis Hill. Prototype Tours will include Seattle’s St. Gobain Glass Co.; the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, (including a tour of the facilities plus a rail ride); a special rail tour of a local shortline with a 30- mile ride for the first twenty persons to sign up (a once-in-a-lifetime chance!); and a tour of Boeing’s Everett Plant. Layout Tours will be in two flavors: Guided Tours and Open Houses. The Tours take you on a bus (for a fee), while the Open Houses are free (but you have to drive yourself or arrange your own carpool). Tours are in 4- hour blocks. There will be three Tours each day. Layouts on Tours include: Russ Segner’s Sn3 layout, JJ Johnston’s HO layout, and many more! Open Houses are scheduled separately and include: Tom Enloe’s HO layout on Saturday and Roy Cutler’s and Walt Huston’s N Scale layouts and more! project.. And there’s loads of fun in-between. Hurry and register now so you don’t miss out! Go to 4dpnr.org, click on Cascadian International 2010 and follow the links. You can pay with Paypal or by mailing a check. For additional info or questions, contact Rob Jones, PNR Convention Chair, or Dennis Hill, 4D Superintendent, or any of the Committee members listed on the website. This is an NMRA Members Only Convention. You must be a member at the time of the Convention. So either sign up for regular membership or, if you haven't been a member of the NMRA during the past two years, a RailPass will be included in your registration. Operating Sessions are scheduled before, during and after the Convention and include Tom Enloe’s HO layout on Sunday and Roy Cutler’s N scale layout Friday evening. Non-Railroad Tours and Events are also planned. There are many fine restaurants, entertainment, and shopping in the area. On Wednesday, September 15, there will be an Ice Cream Social with a Swap Meet and BBQ. Thursday morning is the PNR’s Annual Membership Meeting (open to all PNR members). Saturday evening’s Banquet will be quite affordable and will feature as guest speaker John White on “The Inside Story on Developing Concrete Ties.” John was lead engineer in the development
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May 2010 - the 4th Division â¢ PNR â¢ NMRA