June 2008 - the 4th Division â¢ PNR â¢ NMRA

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Page 2 Issue 501 • June 2008 From the Superintendent’s Desk Walt Huston Summer! We might have a difficult time recognizing Spring, if it actually shows up here in the Pacific Northwest. It has been a long time since the weather has truly invited us outdoors. Once it does, or Summer fills the void, we’ll get the opportunity to get out and do some rail fanning again, which would sure be nice. In the meantime, we have time for indoor activities like working on the railroad. I think I’ll get started on another project today. Ride The Train In addition to taking some great photographs, be sure to ride a few trains this year. Nancy and I have several in mind. Our first stop will be The Chehalis Western. We plan to ride the Mt. Rainier Scenic and a couple of the Oregon trains. In addition, we are riding a train out of Louisville, Kentucky in June. Wherever your travels take you, find a train, especially if you can ride it to your destination. The operators of the tourist railroads can use your ticket funds to keep them running and if you’re able, a few dollars in donations is always appreciated. Conventions Convention season is approaching, with several good ones coming soon. First is the PNR Convention in Chilliwack, BC, then the N Scale National/N Scale Collector/WGH Show in Louisville, KY, followed by the granddaddy of them all, the NMRA National in Anaheim, CA. Time spent at a convention is time well spent. You get to see old friends, make a bunch of new friends, see nice layouts, and learn a bunch by attending numerous clinics. I don’t think you’ll ever be sorry you attended a model railroader convention. Adieu My term as your Superintendent is almost over. It has been quite a ride and I thank you for allowing me to fill the role for these last two years. I hope you will support my replacement as well as you have me. Thanks, and “Happy Railroading!” Editor’s Corner Cliff Green This issue wraps up another year for the Grab-Iron and I hope you enjoy the mix of model contest pictures, announcements, news, advertisements, and clinic reports. It has been two enjoyable years working with this skilled and extremely competent team: Al Lowe compiles and formats the content in a newsletter form each month and provides significant 4D leadership coordination, Doug Bulger’s photography expertise is essential, and Mike Slease coordinates advertising, subscriber lists, and prints and mails the hard copies each month. As I coordinate and solicit content each month, there’s tension in fitting everything into a twelve-page printed format. For many months, I’ve had a set of general interest model railroading articles that I would like to include, but there’s not been space available. There’s no easy solution — even with a fully electronic newsletter or GI specific web pages, providing essentially unlimited space, there is still a need to produce printed versions for members without computers or who still like printed copies. However, there is an easy compromise that will allow those with computer access a way to view these excellent articles I’ve had sitting around for months (or years). Over the summer, I’ll be working with Al to put these articles and presentations on the 4D web site — look for an announcement on the 4D mailing list. If you have an article you would like to contribute, please let me know at cliffg@codewrangler.net. Enjoy your railfanning and model railroading summer! Master Model Railroader Reception at Anaheim Convention John Lowrance, MMR I am pleased to announce that NMRA president, Mike Brestel, will once again host a reception for all MMRs at the 2008 NMRA Convention in Anaheim, Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 4:00 PM, location TBA. Mike and the Education Department will provide light refreshments and Mike promised “no long written speeches!” Those who have not attended a previous MMR Reception should enjoy meeting your President and putting faces to the names of MMRs you frequently hear about or email. Please add Thursday, 4:00 – 5:30 to your convention schedules. Cover Photo This month's cover is unusual to say the least: it's a digital scan, of a 4"x6" B&W print, made from a 1907 8"x10" glass negative, of a Cooks steam rotary snowplow, Great Northern X-801, and provided by longtime Grab-Iron reader Rick Shoup MMR 234, of Sun City Center, Florida, a member of the Sun City Center Model Railroad club, www.sccmrrc.org. Walt
Issue 501 • June 2008 Page 3 4D News TTMT 2008 Follow-Up Report Susan Evans Trains, Trains & More Trains – 2008 is history and was well received. We had 1,524 paid adults, 134 paid children, and 52 paid families, for an total paid attendance of 1,862. Of these 40 were pre-sold Friday to volunteers and show staff, 1,158 sold on Saturday (including approximately 50 early admissions), and 664 on Sunday. The busy time was 11:30–12:30 Saturday when 331 people bought tickets. 114 attendees turned in postcard coupons and 283 turned in web coupons. From those coupons or from our 700 door prize entries, the majority came from Washington but we also had guests from Alaska, California, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia, plus British Columbia and Newfoundland. We had 58 vendors, 19 layouts, 2 educational displays and lots of entertainment. Most vendors were from Western Washington, but several came from Eastern Washington and Oregon, as well as Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho and Utah. We had a wonderful collection of historical equipment on hand, plus the Operation Lifesaver simulator. We had Clinics on various layout building topics geared for beginner modelers, plus a variety of other clinics on intermediate and advanced modeling topics, including: electronics, animation, weathering, backboards and prototypical information on logging and trains through Tacoma Station. Our attendees enjoyed the show and participated in all there was to see and do. Families commented that there was lots for kids to do. People stayed at the show for extended times. Layouts were pleased at their generous space and the interest expressed by those stopping to talk. Vendors were pleased with the show’s organization, promotion, and the attendees’ spending habits. Many layout owners asked immediately to be included next year. Some vendors have already signed up and paid for next year’s space. We really appreciate all of you who volunteered at the show or in the planning process – you were critical to the show’s success. Several volunteers commented to me personally just how much fun they had “working” at the show. Financially, we earned a slight profit! Some of this year’s expenses (like signs) may be reused, lowering our future expenses. The momentum is going for TTMT – 2009; our vendors are confident that we can host a great show. We have room for more vendors, if we can assure them of a good increase in attendance. There are only 330 days to TTMT – 2009. We welcome any efforts you are willing to expend to help us grow our attendance. Call me at 253-835-7667 evenings or at ttmt@4dpnr.org and tell me what you are willing to do. See all of you at the show next year. 4D Icon Rolan Brockhoff Rides to Final Destination Bobj Berger Rolan Brockhoff truly lived, and lived up to, the life of a Golden Grab-Iron Service Award winner, which is why it was awarded to him in 1991. Although his life ended May 14, 2008, his memory and legend will live on throughout the 4 th Division because of his dedication and service to his fellow NMRA members and the overall railfan hobby in general. His friend and fellow railfan, Al Robinson, while speaking of their decades-old friendship, described him as “a railfan for life, since he was 2 years old. He never grew out of it!” Besides decades of community service as a regular blood donor (measuring in the hundreds of gallons!), since his birth in 1923 he was involved in many facets of trains and in the operation of the NMRA, PNR, and the 4 th Division. Thursday, 4D Superintendent Walt Huston wrote, “Rolan was a well-respected member of 4D.” A few examples: • All those years he had the Door Prize and Model of the Month Contest duties at the Seattle Beacon Hill Clinic. • Legions of children knew him for giving them their first train ride during the many years he ran his Mighty Casey kiddie trains at the PSC Show. • Not only did he have one of the only two 4D O-scale modules, but he personally constructed, along with Roger Ferris, Jim Martin, New Bob Martin and Bobj Berger every single module in every scale in each the first two module program builds, and then assisted in the final two module program group builds. • Back when our entire video library fit into one cardboard box, he carried it on the back of his motorcycle to the Beacon Hill, Tacoma and Eastside clinics every month.
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June 2008 - the 4th Division â¢ PNR â¢ NMRA

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June 2008 - the 4th Division â¢ PNR â¢ NMRA