Front Range DIVISION

Here is the 2nd Quarter Callboard report for Division (2716), the Front Range Division:

The Front Range Division met by Zoom. As of the April meeting, we returned to in-person meetings at the Colorado Railroad Museum, and with some persistence also via Zoom. Schedule and contact information are at the end of this note. Please join us. We have members and friends logging in from as far away as Portland, San Francisco, and other destinations. 

April Meeting Report

For our meeting in April, we had a trio of mini clinics. Scott Ogle started us off with an explanation of the use of Woodland Scenics “Shaper Sheets”. Scott is modeling a Great Northern branch line in the Northwest, the Snoqualmie Branch. To set the locale, he needs to have towering mountains with sharp edged peaks to model the volcanic Cascade Mountains. He covered the sheets with the shaper sheet plaster to create the hard shell that he desired and to maintain the formed peaks and valleys. He gave us a listing of tips for use of the material. While this system may not be suitable for all model railroads, there are advantages for some areas on nearly any model railroad.

Plastering on the shaper sheet

We continued on with Glen Gibson’s use of the Azatrax IR detection system. Glenn is using the system to control and signal his somewhat obscured yards on his Raton Pass layout. He is using the system to indicate track occupancy, indicate clearance allowances, and track power. He is using 3 sets of detectors in each yard track and on the mainline. He is wiring these sensors to a control board mounted near the yard. Indicator lights show occupancy, intrusion into the clearance points, and track power indication. These boards are hard wired into the Azatrax sensor boards and the track on a moveable panel. This will allow adjustment of the panel location as the construction and operations on the layout continue. This is an interesting use of technology in layout control.

Azatrax detectors in use

The final mini clinic was a short demonstration by Rich Gibson on the use of Pan Pastels to weather rolling stock and structures on his Maine Central Railroad. He advises that the surface should be Dull-Cote’d prior to using the pan pastels. The effects are best accomplished by building up the weathering in layers and to vary the effect on the surface. Colors should be varied to match the materials handled in the rolling stock and to the locale of the railroad. Dust and grime vary from area of the country and railroad. Maintenance varies by railroad and era. The use of prototype photos and printed materials on the car is advisable. With practice, weathering for the model railroad should proceed rapidly, yielding pleasing results in a short period of time.

Weathered boxcar

May Meeting Report

Showing agility in clinic programming, the May Clinic was presented by Rich Gibson to substitute for the scheduled presenter’s illness.

Rich Gibson chronicled his current journey on his Maine Central Rockland and Lewiston Branches. He set the era of his railroad to 1951. This allows the use of steam locomotives and early diesel engines as power.

The layout operations center around Brunswick, Maine with traffic continuing down branch lines from that point. He chose signature scenes and specific structures along the route modeled with great accuracy. He also allowed for some modelers license to add or re-locate certain industries to operational interest.

This layout was started in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a similar layout in a smaller space. He and his layout re-located to Billings, Montana where the layout really took shape with the trackwork in place and the hosting of operating sessions.

Another job-related move caused the layout to be dismantled and re-constructed in Golden, Colorado. As he had most of the components salvaged, he was able, with the help of friends, to get the layout up in a couple of years.

COVID shut down operations for a couple of years with Rich beginning to host operating sessions in late 2021. The layout’s operating scheme is by timetable on a 3:1 fast clock. Car cards are used for the trains with passenger trains added to the session. This is a wonderful layout.

Rockland Depot

June Meeting Report

Rodney Black gave our June Clinic on “Operations – Not Just Playing with Trains”. Rodney

started off by moving through elements of a model train layout to assemble a successful

operating session.

An important element of operations is the layout and planning for an

operating scheme. The layout does not need to be large to have a satisfactory operating

session - the layout just needs to have elements to support operations.

The layout should have a yard or staging tracks, and railroad supported industries. The railroad car fleet should match the common materials and shipments from the industries, and the railroad equipment should be era-appropriate. Rodney presented a number of different operating schemes and railcar controls.

This was an informative clinic given by the author of CATS, a JMRI related, computer

automated traffic control. So, he is a studied master of operations.

Car Card system by Micro Mark

In the return to normal, the Front Range Division meets the third Monday of the month at 7:00

pm at the Colorado Railroad Museum in the Delay Junction building. The meetings start off with

a clinic, followed by a “Show and Tell” session and is concluded with a short business meeting.

We do not hold meetings in August and December. In August, we have the FRD picnic and in

December we have a Christmas Party off site. However, we are still broadcasting the meeting

by Zoom the third Monday of the month at 7:00pm. Click on https://zoom.us/j/86897654169 if

you have downloaded Zoom which can be done at https://zoom.us/support/download. Anyone

who wishes to join us please feel free to do so.