Road Runner

ROAD RUNNER DIVISION

Steve Shafer works the York industrial switching job on Mike Weiss' HO scale layout.

It's been a busy year for the Roadrunner Division. We hardly have 40 members among the 65,000 square mile territory, which is twice as large as the state of West Virginia. Most of the members live in the Las Cruces and El Paso metro areas. We usually meet on the second Saturday of each month at the Las Cruces Railroad Museum, starting at 1:00 pm. This year we have met twice at member's homes and had the opportunity to review their layout progress. One member hosted an operating session. Our upcoming two meetings will also feature layout visits to a Las Cruces club and another member home.

Here's a mountain hideaway tucked into the detailed scenery on Roger Bodwell's HO scale layout. Roger hosted our NMRA meeting and picnic at his home recently.

Here are a few 2014 fact summaries that were compiled by scrolling through our division blog.

http://nmraroadrunner.blogspot.com/

Monthly meetings - 10, so far!

Total attendance - 127, with many members attending more than one meeting

Layout visits - 3

Contests - 1

Models displayed - 90

Tips and techniques discussed - 50

Phil Wiborg is an occasional guests of exceptional skills. He has built several large scale models. This scratchbuilt truck is all metal and the small round item in the photo is a quarter.

Roadrunner division meetings are informal affairs that feature member discussions on upcoming local events, local railroad activity, and the sharing tips and techniques in regard to the models brought in for display. Any member who brings a model for display is asked to make a short presentation on their efforts. There are often questions from other members as well as suggestions for the next step to take on unfinished works. Each five-to-ten minute model discussion is a mini-clinic with a good deal of shared information concerning prototype, build methods, finishing, and weathering. Here are a few of the models we have discussed and drooled over this year.

Mike Fifer is an avid N scale modeler. He displays models on a regular basis as his layout moves along.

Lynn Daugherty brought in a dozen Sn3 freight cars that he has built over the years. Most of these are Merit Award winners from previous NMRA regional events. Lynn gave a most informative presentation on the NMRA Achievement Program processes.

Ralph Troeller is a building machine. He brings a new HO scale structure to almost every meeting he attends and each piece has had a similar high level of detail.

Eric Hansmann enjoys building, detailing, and weathering HO scale freight cars of the pre-Depression Era. He has shown members a variety of weathering tips using various forms of media.

Contest

Our division holds a couple of contests each year with a topic or theme approved by the membership. We have seen layout designs, weathering, scratchbuilt sheds, and many other items submitted in the contests. This spring, our members were encouraged to build a diorama no larger than 144 square inches. Four entries were judged in April and here they are. All were displayed at the Las Cruces Railroad Museum for a couple of months.

Ken Newtson modeled one of the Burlington Northern tunnel portals on the Marias Pass line in northwestern Montana on his 144 square inch HO scale diorama.

Lynn and Sharleen Daugherty built an S scale scene reflecting the narrow gauge ash pits of the D&RGW in Chama, NM. Lynn scratch built most of the structure, even the steel beams that carry the rails across this facility. Sharleen added vegetation elements in the scenery phase.

Eric Hansmann built an HO scale diorama to convey an urban setting. Portions of three kit structures were used and modified to imply an urban canyon for the railroad right-of-way.

Mike Weiss wanted to experiment with static grass applications, so he kept his HO scale diorama focused on scenery. A little used spur is centered on a grassy field.

Next Stops!

Our next contest is this month! Members were encouraged to build a model that shows levity and/or humor. We will see the entries soon when we meet at the headquarters of our local 100% NMRA club, the Southern New Mexico N Scalers. Another member will host a holiday gathering and open his HO scale layout for review.

We keep busy each month and share ideas, techniques, and usually a few laughs. All Rocky Mountain Region members are invited to drop in when you are visiting Las Cruces, NM.

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