Off the Rails

Gold Award Referendum

Our Region Referendum to alter how the Gold Award affects other awards given at the National Model Contest was rejected due to some improper paraphrasing of the official wording – a technicality. I thought I had pulled the text from the website, but there may have been more than one source and I didn’t have it right.  Well, that means now that I finally have some time again that you will be seeing a revamped referendum with additional background information to let you see a little more of what has been transpiring behind the scenes.  Also to whet your whistle, up the ante, spike your interest, etc., I thought I would add another Region Survey to kick off another HOT topic, basically conduct a poll on the current NMRA logo design and see how much support there really is out there.  OK, so standby, this should be arriving hopefully before the end of February.

Achievement Program Recognition

Congratulations to recently awarded Region members:

Lynn Daugherty Master Builder – Cars

Dale Angell         Model Railroad Engineer – Civil

                        Model Railroad Engineer – Electrical

                        Model Railroad Author

Al Badham         Model Railroad Author

Division AP Chairs - Note that the Region has a new Achievement Program Chair, John Griffith (e-mail: rxr.roddin@yahoo.com) who has taken over for Jim Laird.  I would like to thank Jim who has served the Region also as a Director, and maintained the program for the last few years.  Thanks, Jim! 

I would like to begin a program to make our AP judging more consistent between Division AP Chairs,  and establish certification of judges.  I believe we do a good job of this for the Region Model Contest each year under Bill Tulley, but I would like to flow this down to the Division Chairs.  All Division AP Chairs are encouraged to participate in the Region Contest Judging. I would think it should be required for certification, what do you think?  I would love to hear your ideas.  If not, don’t worry, this is something you will hear more from me on.

Being a Contest Judge isn’t just for AP Chairs, anyone can volunteer.  You learn a lot about how models are judged, learn a lot more about modeling , and how you  can make yourself a better modeler.  So volunteer at the convention, we can always use more judges.

2015 Smoke and Steam Model Contest

I hope everyone is getting excited for this year’s convention in Denver, hosted by the South Suburban Division.  Start finishing up (or hurry up and start) those models for 2015.  We’ve got some new spruced up awards to hand out this year to spiff up the awards ceremony - no doubt you will want one for your train room!

Education Department

Some of you know already, many may not, that Dave Merrill is our new Education Department Chair and will be heading up the committee to review clinics for the NMRA EduTrain program.  If you attended the clinic at Salt Lake City, then you know these are clinics that are screened from the collective pool of clinics that we create, are rebooted into an NMRA standard presentation format, and distributed through the NMRA for all Regions, Divisions, and members.  Of course, the Education Department will also be able to collect other clinics that don’t quite make it to that level and maintain a Region library that will be available for our Divisions as well.

The Education Committee will consist of members who have an interest in building the library and helping review clinics for NMRA EduTrain.  If you are interested, contact your Division Superintendent and Dave (e-mail: atsgrr@gmail.com).  Dave is a trained and professional Educator, so I think we will make great strides in this new endeavor.

Operations and Dispatching

As I work on evolving operations at my club, the Scenic Line Modelers, I have found that it is important that I continue to operate the trains, as I also am currently the primary Dispatcher.  One goal has been to simulate the trains that operated over the lines modeled on the layout. However, it is important to also have the feel for how the operators have to deal with situations encountered while operating.   One of our recent upgrades to the layout was adding a new passing track at the entrance to the Colorado Fuel and Iron Limestone Mine at Monarch, which we started working on last fall and completed in December.

(Photo Credit: Alex Myers)

Alex and I ran the Monarch Turn with K-27s #455 and #456 independent, carefully keeping half the train in tension and the second half in compression.

Over the Christmas holidays, my son, Alex, and I got to take the Monarch Turn on its inaugural run over the new trackage to the entrance to the mine.  The prototype ran 28 cars from Salida to Monarch, split the train in half at the switchback at Garfield.  Our layout was designed to have a 14 car train, but the K-27s can only manage 6 each.  We found we could keep half the cars in tension with the lead engine #455, and push the second half of the train with #456, by running the locos independently and with good communication from the lead Engineer (Alex).  (Those Blackstone K-36s that we have on order, are going to be fun to run on these tracks with the extra cars).

(Photo Credit: Alex Myers)

#455 cuts off the first half of the train on the new mine lead passing track.  Half of my re-designed switch panel is at lower right. 

Operationally, we found having the extra passing track simplified moving and turning both engines, prior to picking up the loaded cars from the loads tracks at the far right of the mine (not shown).  Oh yes, not only easy and simpler, but we had a real fun time running the trains, too.

(Photo Credit: Alex Myers)

#455 backs the first half of the train into the empties loading tracks .  #456 waits with the second half, for $455 to return for the rest.

Alex painted the massive backdrops by hand from photos, and applied the background scenery up and around the mine and wye.  Hal Zimbelman scaled the mine from photos in the Trails Among the Columbine Monarch book, and made the mine from scratch. Gerry Glancy rebuilt a lot of the foreground scenery, in reshaping the hill in front of the mine.  I built two new switches (using FASTTRACKS jigs) and hand laid them into what was mostly flextrack before (I hate flextrack), and designed the new switch panel.  Barry Best installed the switch motors, so we have all controlled turnouts with powered frogs. Gerry continues to put the finishing touches on the scenery and we begin adding more details in the scene, but it has been a great team effort.

Simple (in Front of the TV) Projects

For Christmas presents, I got the idea for some more simple projects, which can double for birthday present ideas, since Christmas is 10 months away now.  I got the idea to weather some of the rolling stock Christmas presents I got for my brother and son.  I opened brand new Atlas and Roundhouse Ready-To-Run (RTR) cars for each.  I thought it would be nice for them to have some new things that I have built, weathered, or painted, on their layouts.

I dissasembled the trucks, painted the wheel faces, backs, and axles without painting the tips and treads.  I took the cars out to the garage, gave them very light touches of Testors Dullcote spray over the sides, ends, roof, and underframe.  I applied my Bragdon Enterprise weathering powders, with first streaks of rust along the metal roof parts and streaked down from the roof seams using old, practically bristleless paint brushes.  I streaked off some dust from the roof to simulate rain run off using slightly wider old brushes.  Then, while still in the (very) cool air of the garage, I used my old broad-soft bristled make-up brushes (I got at Sally’s Beauty Supply) to apply dust to the underframe, sides and ends, in large swirling motions.  Then, I subjected the car bodies with another dose of light touches of Dullcote to all sides, ends, top & bottom.  The trucks received a paint job of Rail Tie Brown, with some light amounts of burnt sienna for “rust” on the springs and journals, and then a similar weathering of powders.  The separated wheels were painted with the Rail Tie Brown on the faces, backs and axles, without painting the treads and axle tips.  

(Photo Credit: Alex Myers)

Atlas Woodside Reefer with light weathering, otherwise “out-of-the-box”!

The cars were reassembled and carefully repacked into the original boxes, with a personal note stating that weathering had been applied by yours truly.  The boxes were wrapped in Christmas paper, applying ribbon, bows and tags, then shipped or placed under the tree (as required).  All painting, disassembly and assembly was performed in front of an actual operating large-screen television.  All spraying and weathering powders were applied in the garage during previously viewed television commercials.  Thus, no important TV viewing was ever in danger of being missed.