-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 1
In this EditionFront Office
Page 3
Achievement ProgramPage 6
Business MeetingPage 8
Tips and TechniquesPage 10
PCRContest Results
Page 12
Model ChallengePage 13
CALLBOARDAugust 18th at the Ranch!
Reserve August 18th for the Redwood Division Annual Picnic
meeting.This year we travel slightly North to Healdsburg and Ron
and Pam Kaiser’s “West Side Farms”. Things begin to get going about
10:00 AM and will continue until mid afternoon.We’ll have fun, food
and railroading RED Style. Pack your picnic for fun and don’t
forget “SHOW & TELL”. We’ve all had all summer to think about
the next project and now is the time to show your stuff! MAP ON
LAST PAGE OF CALLBOARD -READ IT.
West Side Farms 7079 Westside RdHealdsburg,CA
RED will have an information and display booth at the Santa Rosa
Home and Train Show September 21, 22, and 23 this year. We
need
members of RED to help staff the booth for a few hours each
day. Please contact Carol Alexander at (707) 484-5428 or
[email protected] to volunteer to help share our hobby with our
neighbors.
Schulz Airport
file://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtfile://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtfile://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtfile://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtfile://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtfile://localhost/Users/Dick/Desktop/Oct-Dec%20CallBoarrd/page%201%20Xmas%20greeting.odtmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 2
Empire Staff Roster
DIRECTORDave Croshere
1331 Enos AvenueSebastopol, CA(707) 829-‐9220
E-mail- [email protected]
SUPERINTENDENTStewart Benson
131 Casa Verde Ct.Sonoma CA 95476
(707)938-5941No E- Mail
CHIEF CLERKVerne Alexander907 Grouse Lane
Petaluma, CA 94954(707) 763-9072
E-mail: [email protected]
CONTESTSGiuseppe Aymar
1330 Medical Center DriveRohnert Park, CA 94928
E-mail: [email protected]
MEMBERSHIPGus Campagna
1915 William DrPenngrove CA 94957-9524
E-mail :[email protected]
NOMINATIONSOpen
ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAMGiuseppe Aymar
1330 Medical Center DriveRohnert Park, CA 94928
E-mail: [email protected]
ESTATE COUNSELORDon Clauder
305 Garfield Park, Santa Rosa, CA 95409 (707)539-3510
CALLBOARD EDITORDick Foster
219 Avenida Barbera,Sonoma CA 95476
707-935-6215E-mail: [email protected]
Director’s Reportby
Dave Croshere
Since our last meeting, there hasn’t been anything to report
from the board. The next meeting (Picnic) is at Ron Kaiser’s
vineyard farm August 18th. This summer meeting is a real treat.
Bring something to BBQ, a potluck to share and your wife, who will
also enjoy this outing. There are picnic tables under oak trees for
shade and good conversation. We also manage to get into the train
room and run a loco or two. Ron has a truly fantastic layout. This
is a don’t miss, relaxing meeting.
The November meeting is in Santa Rosa and will have a model
contest along with the usual meeting. Contest rules can be found
elsewhere and need to be reviewed.
I previously indicated I want to persuade more members to
participate in the Achievement Program. What better opportunity
than the November contest. Many of us will make a model, either
scratch built or highly modified kit, for the contest. If you
haven’t had a model judged, why not make this contest model a
first. One of the best things about the AP judging is you are
allowed to have a model judged as many times as you want. This lets
you to make changes to improve your model and score. The other
advantage is, as you make changes you learn and can apply these
techniques to subsequent modeling projects.
The whole idea of the Achievement Program is to learn, to
improve your skills, and receive recognition for your modeling
abilities.
I’ll see you there, hopefully with a model.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 3
A Message from the Front Office
Superintendent’s ReportStewart Benson
Proto Type Report- The SMART rail laying program is under way in
Santa Rosa, and heading south with concrete ties, new ballast and
welded rail. Much activity to see.A personal plea! - From what I
have seen at our meetings many of you are terrific builders. But we
need more entries - built/or in progress. This isn’t a contest but
a sharing moment to show what you can do or have done recently. The
RED has a reputation for being a top group in many aspects of the
hobby. Let’s keep that reputation going!Last of all -Thank you to
Dave Croshere for offering your assistance during my eye surgery
time. See you all on August 18th at Ron Kaiser’s wonderful home and
layout.
RED Meeting May 19, 2012 At Monroe Hall
Verne Alexander, Chief Clerk
Following a period of socializing and viewing the models brought
by members for “show and tell,” President Stew Benson called the 24
attendees to sit for the briefest of business meetings. The minutes
of the previous meeting, printed in the Callboard, were approved,
and it was noted that our bank balance stands at $2311.11.Dave
Croshere introduced himself as our new representative to the PCR,
encouraging members to bring any concerns they have for him to pass
along. The PCR directors are currently dealing with the issues of
membership involvement, the increasing age of the membership (Ed
Merrin contributed a paper on this matter) and the cost of the
Branchline. The next PCR Conventions will be held in Dublin in 2013
and San Luis Obispo in 2014. There was no old business. Nor was
there new business! President Benson elicited comments from members
who attended the joint PNR/PCR convention in Medford, and this
feedback was uniformly positive. Chief Clerk Alexander noted that
the items for the raffle and door prizes for today’s meeting had
come from six different sources, five of those sources being
members and one being Hobbytown USA in Petaluma. Alexander
encouraged members to bring some of those items from home, for
Type to enter text
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 4
which they have no use, to the meeting to be door prizes for
other members who might just have a good use for them. Carol
Alexander was the big donor, contributing an HO scale ATSF U23B new
in the box.Attention now focused upon the show and tell session,
wherein members bring a model and share the “story” of that model
in their personal history. I found these stories fascinating, and
will relate them.Stew Benson showed an HO UP 4-12-2, with Gresley
valve gear (3 cylinders), noting that it could out-pull a Big Boy.
He also brought a model of a through truss bridge that was
constructed sturdily enough to bear the weight of the 4-12-2. Stew
confessed that he once inadvertently tested that construction when
he tripped and fell right onto the bridge, and it emerged
unscathed!Steve Skold brought some pictures he took at Train
Mountain, one of the Medford Convention activities. He told of
derailments, rain, hail and faces that remained smiling through the
whole experience!Dave Grundman brought an old Woodlands model of a
gas station that he had personally known in his youth. He went to
Google Earth and discovered that the station is still there!Rick
Mossholder, who has been modeling in Hon3, brought an N scale
DM&IR 4-8-8-2 Yellowstone, with a caboose. Very expensive, says
he, but it is
responsible for returning him to his first love―N scale!Frank
George brought an HO Passenger train consisting of an extremely
short coach and a very tiny industrial diesel. He also brought us
the joke―the little Passenger train is for our Short Lines!I
brought the first Craftsman Kit I ever built, back in the 1960’s,
the Alexander Haunted House. It is (or was―is he still alive?) the
residence of Laslow Bascomb, founder of the Magnesite Reduction
Plant at Chewelah on my layout. Bascomb hasn’t been seen for years,
but every so often a vehicle is seen driving up the bluff upon
which the Mansion sits. Later it leaves. What is going on . . . ?Ed
Merrin brought a photo that won first place at Medford. He then
told us how he thought it was probably the weakest of his three
entries, but it won and his personal favorite did not. Go
figure!Dave Croshere brought a Trix 2-8-2 that he initially
procured because it looked “right” and was on sale. When he got it
in his possession he liked it so well that he immediately bought
another one, and considers the two of them his best pulling
locomotives. He did some detailing on the engine, and admits he was
extremely happy to have a second copy on hand to show him how
things went back together! The fine looking model is lettered for
his A B and old C freelance railroad, and is lightly weathered.
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 5
Ancient Bill Williams, with his tongue planted firmly in his
cheek, showed us a shadow box containing a locomotive-looking-thing
that is constructed of nuts and screws and the like. It has to be
seen to be believed. Bill believes we should have fun with our
modeling!Don Clauder showed a beautiful O scale brass model of one
of the IC Commuter engines. The locomotive came in kit form, as was
common back in the 1950s and early 60s because the import duty on a
kit was significantly less than for a built-up model. Don says he
was nosing around at a train show and spotted a box under the
table. His inquiry produced little information from the seller, who
didn’t even know if it was all there, but resulted in a price that
had Don leaping for his wallet. He later learned from another
source that in his early years, before getting out onto the road
and into the history books, John Luther Jones probably ran a loco
just like this one in commuter service on the Illinois Central.The
piece de resistance was Giuseppi Aymar’s model of an oil loader, a
mass of pipes and hoses and ladders and framework that took him
literally hundreds of hours to construct. It won first place at
Medford. But the exquisite model work is only part of the story.
Giuseppi took about 200 pictures of this structure in, I think,
2002. And good thing that he did, because it went away a couple of
years later and no longer exists! If we think we may want
to model something at some point in the future, the message here
is to get the foundational measurements and photographs right
now!Everyone seemed to enjoy the show and tell stories a lot, and
of course enjoyed seeing the models from which the stories were
generated. However both Giuseppi Aymar and Dave Croshere were quick
to point out some of the advantages of submitting models for
judging as well as telling. Among these advantages are pushing
one’s skills to a higher level and being motivated to devote more
energy to one’s projects. Dave is a recent recruit to the Master
Model Railroader program. We will undoubtedly be hearing more from
both Dave and Giuseppi about putting models in a contest for
judging, as both of them are high energy guys with strong
commitments. Whether one favors contests or simply showing and
telling, a quite positive result was achieved at this meeting. Out
of 24 attendees, 10 brought 11 models for viewing. That is 42%! I
hope that this trend toward sharing continues!Dave Sheber, assisted
by Kent Hinton, gave an enthusiastic and fast-paced clinic on how
to construct a static grass-planting tool for about $35.00. Yes,
the ones that sell for about $190.00 when on sale! It was very
entertaining and instructive. We learned that the best source for
the requisite ionic generator is clear down in Australia! And I
learned that the reason I was getting such
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 6
unimpressive results with my commercial model is that the grass
material must be synthetic. Dave promised to put all of the
requisite information on the RED web site.Roughly 10 people held
winning tickets for an assortment of door prizes. The irony of the
raffle was that the big prize, the HO scale ATSF U23B, went to N
scaler Noble Emery! Noble said he would re-donate it to the Napa
Club, where he has been a long time member. The name of the winner
of the Hobbytown USA gift card has fallen from this Senior’s
memory!In summary, this was a very good meeting. We did get some
criticism afterward―to the effect that it was too short! Do make
every effort to attend our next meeting, the summer picnic at the
Kaiser place on Westside Road beside the Russian River in Windsor.
Along with the usual elements of a picnic, Ron’s HO scale
transition era Western Pacific layout will be on display and up and
running. This is a large layout and it runs flawlessly. Ron’s
excellent scenery construction keeps expanding with time. You will
be handed a throttle and will have a thoroughly enjoyable
experience.Financially, the Kitty car was a little light this time,
at $14.00. The raffle brought in $37.00. Someone bought hard copy
delivery of The Callboard for $6.00. Our bank balance is now
$2368.11.
Achievement Program by Giuseppe Aymar
Congratulations are in order to Dave Croshere ( newly minted RED
Director) on receiving his second Certificate of Achievement from
the NMRA. This one is in Civil Engineering. Dave now has racked up
two Certificates in a few months and is ready to tackle his third
and fourth Certificates. At the last RED meeting at Monroe Hall,
Rich Mossholder introduced himself as a new member in RED and
immediately informed me of his intention of joining the AP. Besides
being very talented, Rich is also much younger than most of us,
thus bringing with him a fresh look and relentless enthusiasm. You
know what he said? I could have some Certificates just from stuff I
have done in the past, but I want to EARN my Certificates by going
forward and not looking back. Now, that is the enthusiasm I am
talking about. That, is what will keep RED alive in years to come.
Bravo Rich!!! Our Callboard editor, Dick Foster is also in line to
receive his Certificates for author and Volunteer.Steve Skold
already has Certificates for Volunteer and Official.
(Continued on page 7)
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 7
(Continued from page 6)
Myself included am a stones throw away from my 5th, 6th and 7th
Certificates.It is interesting to learn from many of you how
wonderfully gifted you all are in many and disparate areas of the
hobby. In fact, many of you reading this column have already,
without being aware of it, have completed the requirements on Merit
Certificates toward MMR; or at the very least are a few steps away
from acquiring them. I encourage you to get in touch with me to see
where you stand. The layout you have built or are in the process of
building, is the very resource that will earn you those
Certificates. All you need is a guiding hand to match your
accomplishments to the requirements.
Why is the AP so important in my view? I view the enthusiasm
created by a bunch of modelers who are striving to reach a lofty
goal as the spark and the fuel that keeps our Hobby alive. Aspiring
to MMR involves more than just a wish; it involves a commitment to
becoming a better modeler, to become altruistic and giving, It
spikes our enthusiasm to learn, teach; a beacon to hopefully
inspire others to achieve more. A modeler who has mastered a
specific field, let’s say building structures, will now feel
comfortable and ready to give a lecture or demonstrating hands-on
the techniques learned. Thus this person has now become a teacher,
a giver and likely an inspiration to others. He has then lifted the
spirit of many of us. If we all maintain the “Status Quo” of
mediocrity, “ I know what I know and that’s all I want from the
Hobby “ then who is there to teach us new things, to make our
meetings interesting? Who?
The famous phrase” If not me, who? If not now, when? “ echoes in
my mind. Let’s have this echo reverberate through the hills and
valleys of the great RED. Let’s pay attention to it and take
action.
Let’s go RED, let’s go RED!!!
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 8
PACIFIC COAST REGION OF THE NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD
ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
Friday, May 2, 2012 Red Lion Hotel, Medford, OR PCR/PNR Joint
Convention "Siskiyou Summit"
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 AM by President Pat
LaTorres
A. QUORUM VERIFICATION
Secretary Tom Crawford verified that a quorum was present. There
were exactly the required 35
signatures on the sign in sheet. All were members of PCR.
B. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
The minutes of the previous Business meeting were approved
without comment.
C. OFFICER'S COMMENTS
C.1. President Pat LaTorres thanked the outgoing board members
for their service. He discussed the
issue of poor voter participation in the last election even for
the contested offices, and ask that people
return their ballots.
C.2. Vice-president Ed Merrin commented on how well the
convention was going and thanked the
convention committee for their efforts.
C.3. Treasurer Larry Altbaum was not available, but President
LaTorres noted that we are financially
stable even though we still have a minor deficit due to a drop
in interest rates.
C.4. Secretary Tom Crawford gave the highlights of the Board of
Directors Meeting held May 2, 2012.
Those highlights are attached separately.
D. NMRA OFFICERS' COMMENTS
No Comments
E. MEMBER COMMENTS (comments regarding matters not on the
agenda)
Steve Wesolowski proposed that we give out door prizes for
voting.
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 9
Business Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 2 May 15, 2011
Bob Ferguson offered that we should put the address for sending
in ballots in the electronic version
of the Branch Line.
Tom Van Horn offered that we need to support efforts that bring
people into our hobby and PCR
organization, such as the efforts of our local hobby shops.
Chuck Harmon solicited photos that people take and articles for
the Branch Line.
F. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There was no Unfinished Business.
G. NEW BUSINESS
There was no New Business.
H. CONVENTIONS
H.1. Comments regarding this convention: Convention co-Chairman
Providenza was tied up in
convention business, but through the VP thanked all for coming
and acknowledged the convention
committee.
H.2. Dennis Stokely noted that the 2013 Convention will be in
Dublin, CA on April 3-7, 2013, and gave
a short review of what was in store.
H.3. The 2014 convention will be at the Sands Hotel in San Luis
Obispo in either the first or third
week in May, 2014. The 2015 convention will be in Coast
Division.
Door Prizes were handed out to a number of people.
I. Announcements
I.1. The next business meeting will be at the Holiday Inn
Express in Dublin, CA on April 7, 2013.
J. ADJOURNMENT
Steve Wesolowski moved (and it was seconded) that we adjourn.
The motion was approved on a voice
vote and the Meeting was adjourned at 8:12 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Tom Crawford
PCR Secretary
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 10
This is a short series of tips and techniques that have come
from our
fellow members as well as from some of the best craftworkers in
our hobby.
Big Red’sWorkbench Tips and Techniques
I have always cleaned my rails before operating sessions. And I
have tried many methods to keep my track clean in the past. I have
tank cars that dispense alcohol, I have a flat car with flappers. I
have used metal polish and I have used barber shop oil. And I have
sore fingers from rubbing rails clean with an alcohol soaked
T-shirt. OK, I like to have my track clean. Getting electrical
through the rails is the only way to have the locos run
smoothly.
At Medford, I heard of a product called No-Ox. It is an
antioxidant used in the electrical world to insure electrical
continuity and prevent corrosion in harsh climates. This product
has been around for 85 years and was even used on the prototype
steam locos. The word is it is pretty good at keeping your model
track and engines operating smoothly. No stranger am I to trying a
new ideas, I wanted to get some. I found it can be purchased
through Walther or on-line. I’m impatient and went looking locally
for antioxidants. (continued on page 11)
NOALOX
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 11
Support Your Local Hobby Shop
10% RED Member Discount
POGGIES TRAINS100 FOLEY ST
SANTA ROSA, CA 707-545-7643
(Continued from page 10)
I found Noalox. This stuff is great! Spread the SLIGHTEST amount
on two feet of clean track with your finger. Run one of your poorer
preforming engines on the track you just put the Noalox on. You
will see a real improvement. It’s like your loco is hard wired into
the power, no balking and no flickering lights. If the applied coat
of Noalox is very thin you shouldn’t experience much slippage. In
any event wait a day for the material to dry. When it is dry, I
think your traction will improve over previous conditions without
Noalox.
After you have become a convert, apply Noalox to all your track
and locos. Also apply it to any place on the loco where you expect
electrical pick-up, like wiper to wheels, and the throw bar post on
steam locos. Don’t put any in the motor.
A 1/2 oz tube of Noalox by Ideal (maybe a life time supply)
costs @$5.00 at Home Depot or Lowes. You will find it in the
Electrical Department.
It has been almost three months since I first applied Noalox.
Everything is still running better than ever and I haven’t
reapplied it or wiped the track since. More time for modeling.
If you have a trick or technique that you would like to share,
please send your idea to the CallBoard Editor.
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 12
Contest Report at Siskiyou Summit 2012 Giuseppe Aymar
The joint PCR/PNR Regional Convention in Medford, Oregon is now
a footnote in history . The Contest, comprising of models,
photography and Arts&Crafts, was a resounding success with over
135 entries from 105 modelers signaling the rebirth and
rejuvenation of a key ingredient of successful Conventions. RED had
an impressive success rate in the number of award winning
entries.
Ed Merrin - always a prolific and distinguished photographer
1stplace - “model scene” – Cumberland Blues3rdplace- “model scene”-
locomotive3rdplace- “track and structures”- Healdsburg throatStu
Benson3rdplace – “diesels and others”- Southern Pacific F7ABA
3rdplace- “diorama”- SchoolhouseGiuseppe Aymar1stplace-
“structures”- “SECO” oil loading facility for SP tank trainBest in
Show- “SECO” oil loading facility for SP tank train
Being the Contest chairman I am obviously proud of “ our little
RED “ and what it was able to accomplish. Having said that, I must
admit that, what I treasure most, was the amount of effort given to
the Convention and the unequivocal imprint left by the RED members
who helped running the Contest.
Carol Alexander spent many hours developing the electronic
program to run effortlessly all those names, numbers, scores, lists
of awards so vital to achieve efficient and precise reports.
Carol Skold ran the Contest’s front desk effortlessly and with
her typical aplomb and style.Giuseppe Aymar was Regional Co-chair
of the Contest with John DeSteese of the PNR . Stewart Benson, Dave
Croshere, Steve Skold, Carol Alexander, Mary Moore-Campagna and
Dick Foster, gave their time and talent to judge all those
entries.So, kudos to all of you listed above for having stepped
forward and because of your effort made Contest a winner, gifting
all the Convention attendees a super Convention experience.I know
there are many of you in RED who are just as capable and would like
to give of your time and knowledge. It is easy to do so, just
volunteer. It’s that simple.
GO RED, GO RED
-
REDWOOD EMIRE DIVISION JULY - SEPTEMBER 2012
PAGE 13
As it was brought out in the last edition of the CallBoard,
we’re going to let all of you be the modeler for November, so the
readers have a chance to see what you can do with a modeling
challenge. All we are asking is for you to use your creative mind
to build a small model, to the contest specs, and bring it to the
Fall meeting at Monroe Hall on November 17, 2012.
1. The structure can be built in any scale, but must adhere to
the basic dimensions listed in #2.
2. The BASE that the structure sits on is to be a maximum size
of 60 scale feet by 40 scale feet. The FOOTPRINT of the structure
is 20 scale feet by 30 scale feet. For example in HO, the Base
would be a maximum of 8-5/16”X 5-9/16” and the Footprint of the
structure would measure 2-3/4” X 5-5/8”. The base and the structure
can be smaller in any gauge - Do not mix scales in same entry.
3. The structure may have as many doors and windows, etc.,
wherever you choose to place them. You may also add porches,
chimneys, attached lean-to, fences, a fully detailed interior and
any other details unique to your building. Figures, animals,
vehicles and scenic details can be included.
4. Any type of material such as wood, plastic, resin /hydrocal
/metal casting, or even cardboard may be used. In other words use
materials that you have used before, but also be adventurous and
explore new modeling techniques.
5. Take pictures along the way and possibly the CallBoard will
use them to illustrate the winners article in the next CallBoard.
Your finished model can stand alone or be a model to put into your
own layout.
2012 MODELING CHALLENGE
-
REDWOOD EMPIRE JANUARY - MARCH 2012
Coming Down the LineAugust 18th - RED Summer Picnic - 10:00-3:00
PM Ron Kaiser’s Westside Farms - See front Cover for
detailsSeptember 21-23 - Santa Rosa 4th Annual Train Show. Friday
1:00-7:00PM; Saturday 10:00-7:00PM; Sunday 10:00-6:00PM.Senioors
$4.00. Need volunteers. See signup details n this issue.November
10-11, 2012 36th Annual International Railfair- Saturday 10:00 - 5;
00 PM Sunday 10:00 - 4:00 PM Placer County Fairground, 800 All
American City Blvd, Roseville, CA.November 17, 2012 - RED Fall
Meeting at Monroe Hall Santa Rosa, CA Doors open 12:00 Meeting
starts 1:00 PM Show and Tell and Model Building Challenge
Review.December 25th Christmas - New toys under the treeWinter
meeting for RED at Napa - Date TBA