Telltales 2016 June - Boulder Model Railroad Club

Telltales
June
2016
Newsletter of the Boulder Model Railroad Club
A logging train heads onto the trestle at Berthoud Falls on Jack Rummel’s partially finished
layout. (See Layout Tour details on page 5.) Our speaker this month is BMRC’s own Doug
Wright, who will share ideas he learned while building his amazing layout (soon to be
torn down). The contest topic is “Scenery,” which should provoke some interesting entries, so
join us Thursday, June 16th, 7:00 PM at the Louisville (Tri-City) Elks Lodge, 525 Main Street
in Louisville and share some railroading camaraderie. (Photo by Otto Nobetter.) x
It’s time once again to visit a subject that I first broached in a September 2008
Telltales editorial but, to use a railroad twist on a common political metaphor, has
since been “switched down the track.” That subject is human mortality and how it
affects those of us who have model railroad layouts. George Bernard Shaw
summed it up quite succinctly when he said “Life’s ultimate statistic is the same
for all people: One out of one dies.”
The 2008 editorial resulted from a family discussion. My wife was feeling
woefully unprepared to deal with my expanding layout and said, “What am I
supposed to do with it if you die suddenly?” Feeling woefully unprepared to
answer her question, I turned to my fellow BMRC’ers and editorially suggested
scheduling a seminar to discuss options and share ideas. A July 2009 follow-up
editorial indicated that a seminar was being planned and details would soon
follow. Instead, it got switched down the track.
In the meantime, Bob Rothe had been dealing with a few widows of wannabe layout owners who had died
and left a cache of engines, rolling stock and unbuilt structure kits and had no idea how to dispose of their
husband’s collections. But because the men weren’t BMRC members, Bob’s dealings didn’t provide much
motivation for change.
Bruce Kasson’s tragic death in 2013 was an emotional shock to us all, especially when we discovered
that he’d made no plans nor expressed any wishes about what to do with his large N-scale layout and its
contents. His close friend, Doug Wright, stepped in and took charge of its disposal, selling some things,
repurposing other items and ultimately demolishing what was left. Our club was a beneficiary of Doug’s decisions
when several of Bruce’s craftsman-kit structures ended up on our raffle layout at the 2013 Train Show, but any
meaningful club activity remained stuck on the siding. For Doug, however, the lesson made an indelible mark.
Fast-forward to 2016. Doug has completed his layout. It has been viewed by hundreds of people and was
featured in the April edition of Railroad Model Craftsman. He’s also had a couple of health issues that were
treatable but put him in closer touch with his own mortality. Being a great admirer of George Sellios and his
Franklin & South Manchester layout, he was saddened to learn that George, who had hoped to donate his
layout to a museum, now thinks that much of it may end up in the trash.
So it should come as no surprise that Doug plans to start dismantling his layout. Yet, people are surprised
and ask why? To careful observers, the answers should be clear. He loves his layout and hopes that many of
his creations will extend their lives on other layouts. And he also loves his wife and doesn’t want to saddle her
with the impossible task of disposing of some of the contents and trashing the rest.
Which brings me to my purpose for writing this manifesto. To any and all layout owners and collectors, have
you formulated a plan for your layout or collection after you have shuffled off this mortal coil? And have you
shared your plan with your spouse and your family? Or have you mentally just “switched it down the track?” X
EDITORIAL
—Jack Rummel, editor
Telltales
Official publication of the Boulder Model Railroad Club, P.O. Box
17691, Boulder, CO 80308. The BMRC meets on the third Thursday
of each month at 7:00 pm at the Tri-City (Louisville) Elks Club, 525
Main St., Louisville, CO.. We are on the Internet at:
<http://www.bouldermodelrailroadclub.org>.
L
----------------------------------------
2016 Officers
President - Bill Casper—
Vice-President - John Layman—
Secretary - Gerry Cole—
Treasurer - Ray Hoppes—
Past President - Jerry Bengtson—
----------------------------------------
Submissions
The TELLTALES welcomes articles, art, cartoons, puzzles, classifieds,
workshop hints and other model railroading related materials. Mail or
e-mail all contributions and/or changes of address to:
Jack Rummel, TELLTALES Editor
3827 Doral Drive, Longmont, CO 80503
e [email protected]
2
President’s Message:
On the Mainline
I want to start by thanking Jack Rummel for his clinic on building wooden trestles from
scratch. Most importantly, he gave us the benefit of learning from his mistakes. I know
that, in my clinics in the club's DVD library, very few are mistake free. I regularly was
forced to go to plan "B" and sometimes plan "C" while recording. This knowledge will
save you time and money when modeling on your own layout. I hope to learn even more
from Doug Wright's clinic on June 16th. I have already incorporated several of Doug's past
tips on my layout and they have made a world of difference. Do not miss this clinic!
Many thanks to Frank Smucker for agreeing to manage the display cases for this
year's model train Exposition. It's going to be a big task this year, but somehow I have the
feeling that Frank will institute a system to make it much easier in the future. We still need
someone to coordinate the door prizes for the Exposition. In addition to the coordinator,
all BMRC members should be looking for opportunities to collect unopened model kits and
NIB rolling stock to use as prizes. Solicit prizes at swap meets and garage sales. See
what's on Craig's List. Go through your own stuff. Should you find something you forgot you even had,
that would make a good door prize. Working together, we can execute a model train Exposition that will
make us all proud.
Don't forget that there will be a member's only swap meet at the June 16th meeting. Come early to
display your goods and to shop & swap.
x
—Bill Casper
Treasurer’s Notice!
The BMRC treasurer has begun using Bill Pay by Premier Members Credit Union. If you
receive an envelope from them, do not toss it without opening! This could be worth money
to you.
—Ray Hoppes, 2016 Treasurer
BMRC ELECTED AND VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Club Historian
Layout Tour Coord.
Layout Manager
Photographer
Video Cameraman
Club Store Manager
Lgmt. Library Layout
Bob Uhr
???
Ron Keiser
2016
Jon Bond
2009
Keith Bobo
2008
Mike Gleydura
2013
Jeff Morrison
2012
Ray Hoppes
2014
Jerry Gilland*
2007
WOW Museum Layout Loren Blaney
2015
Train Show Manager
Greg Pinkham
2016
TS Layout Coord.
Jon Bond
2013
TS Raffle Manager
Marv Van Puersem 2010
TS Advert. Coord.
David Bredemeier 2015
TS Vendor Coord.
Jeff Morrison
2013
TS Setup/Teardown Coord. Derek Walker 2013
TS Door Prize Coord. Erik Lindgren
2015
(*provides electronic tech support)
Position
Name
Began
ELECTED POSITIONS
President
Bill Casper
2016
Vice-President
John Layman
2016
Secretary
Gerry Cole
2016
Treasurer
Ray Hoppes
2015
Past-President
Jerry Bengtson 2016
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
TELLTALES Editor
Jack Rummel
1997
Webmaster
Joe Baldwin
2010
Membership Chair
Spen Kellogg
2013
HO-SIG Leader
Bruce Dickerhofe 2015
N-SIG Leader
John Clark
2015
Club Auditor 2015
Casper/Bengtson 2016
Contest Coordinator
Jerry Bengtson 2016
Video Librarian
Loren Blaney
2001
Book Librarian
Mike Mead
2011
3
Library News
Visual Library Report
"Drew's Trackside Adventures" Volume 1 (781) stars Drew Halverson, and
features modern day trains from Florida to Canada to California.
The whirlwind tour starts with a Florida East Coast (FEC) SD-40 hauling
Tropicana OJ reefers. Photographing a similar N-scale engine outdoors is shown
as a way to get a super-realistic appearance.
Next up, the BNSF is followed from St. Paul, along the Mississippi, south to
the Croix Subdivision. Train motion is emphasized using long exposures.
Commuter trains are explored in Chicago. At one point attention is focused
on a trackside box. It's explained that it's not a greaser but a "lubricating device
that pumps friction modifier on the inside rail, probably molybdenum disulfide."
Anyway, it eliminates squeaks and doesn't interfere with traction. A visit to
nearby Tower A2 reveals controls that handle 358 trains a day. John Nahodyl
will appreciate the Pennsy signal bridges.
Operations of the Canadian Pacific are examined, starting in British
Columbia. Drew is accompanied on this trip by none other than Mike Danneman,
the creator of the amazing N-scale Moffat Road we visited in Arvada in 2014.
From Alberta there's a trip through the Spiral Tunnels on the way to Banff. An N
-scale layout explains this real-life helix.
Back in the USA, intermodal freights are chased along Route 66 from
Needles to Barstow, California.
Model Railroader Video Plus on DVD; 75 minutes; copyright Kalmbach Publishing 2014.
—Loren Blaney, Visual Librarian
Work progressed a bit on the new HO SIG module. The basic track plan
has been agreed upon and the size of the three modules will be two units of
36 inches by 39 inches and one unit of 48 inches by 39 inches. By my
calculations that will make the layout 29 feet long and nearly 15 feet wide so it should be pretty impressive.*
Next we are trying to include a small yard to incorporate some switching operations. The next meeting will be
sometime in June but we will have to wait for Jerry Bengston, Project Manager, to fill in the blanks on date,
time and location.
Frank Smucker and I drove up to Cheyenne for the Depot Days. Perhaps others in the club made
that enjoyable ride also. My, those steam engines are impressive and it looks like the steam shop folks will
have # 844 ready for the Frontier Days Run on July 23. I’m thinking it may be as much fun to travel alongside
as to be pulled in a passenger car. I am surely saving the date.
Another thing caught our eye at the Sherman Hills Train show. There is a company called Scenery
Solutions which looks like they are out of Salina, Kansas. They had an interesting product called FusionFiber.
It is a base material that has an adhesive. It seems to be a very lightweight, tintable material made from
recycled cotton to use in forming mountains and other landscape features. It looks quite interesting. If any of
you have had experience with it I would appreciate your feedback before I screw up something else on my
layout.
Looks like I will be attending part of the NMRA convention in Indianapolis. That will be a first. Indy?
Reminds me of an old W.C. Fields joke. 1st prize in the contest was a week in Philadelphia – 2nd prize was two
weeks in Philadelphia – Ah – Yessss! Actually, I’ve enjoyed every visit I have made to Indianapolis, so save
your nasty emails, thank you.
(*We think Bruce may need a new battery for his calculator! —Ed.)
—Bruce Dickerhofe, HO-SIG Coordinator
HO-SIGnals t
4
June Layout Tours
Two layouts are lined up by Layout Tour Coordinator Ron Keiser for June, both fairly close to each
other and both in HO scale. The date is Saturday, June 18th and the time is 12:00—4:00 PM.
Tom Johnson says: “ My layout could be called “ D&RGW Pueblo Division” and is set in the
1950s. It’s been 45 years in the building. It features the Pueblo yard of the D&RGW, the CF&I steel
mill, and some mountain
track. The yard is used by
both the D&RGW and the
Missouri Pacific RRs, so
both are seen in the yard
and the roundhouse. An
occasional AT&SF engine
appears too. It’s about 98%
complete. ”
Jack Rummel says: “ I started this layout in 2012, following our move to Longmont. Progress was interrupted by the 2013 flood and I started anew in early 2014. I am mainly modeling my
private road name, the Tabernash Lumber Company, through areas of logging and mining, using “cast
-off” steam and diesel power from other roads that
were modernizing. On a lower level, I plan to run
D&RGW trains. TLC trackage is complete, but
D&RGW trackage is not. Scenery is about 25%
complete, mainly in lumber yard area. My main emphases are structures and scenery, not operations.”
Let’s all get out and support these two BMRC members!
N-SIG News
The Nscale Special Interest group (NSIG) meets on an as-needed basis,
generally at the Le Hand Grange in Niwot at the convenience of the
members. We shall probably have a project mee&ng in mid-to late June, to set up the layout and take
on several much-needed improvement projects – so members, be ready for my contact! And we are
always glad to welcome N-scalers to our mee&ngs to model and run trains! Contact me for info and/or
to get on my announcement list.
—John Clark, NSIG leader
erfgnx
5
Secretary’s
Report
The May 19, 2016 regular meeting was called to
order by BMRC club President Bill Casper at 7:00
p.m. There were 33 members in attendance.
• Video and book librarians had nothing new to
report
• The club has 2 Train Show positions to fill--Door
Prize Coordinator and Display Case Coordinator. Volunteers are needed.
• Ron Keiser reminded us of the layout tour scheduled for May 21st. He also indicated that Chris
Komloski's layout had been omitted from the May Telltales, but that an addendum with his
address had been sent. Bill Casper reminded everyone that he would be happy to give information
to any who needed it, and that his contact information was on the home page of the club's web site.
• Doug Wright gave a rundown on the upcoming field trip to the Cussler Museum on July 16th.
Further updates will be given as the date approaches. Doug also informed us that he would be dismantling his layout soon and that he would be selling over 150 structures in diorama form at a later
date.
For Show & Tell, Joy Farquhar brought a very interesting picture book of Denver's Union Station.
Jeff MacDonald brought a picture of his 1st Prize winning entry at the O Scale West Convention in
California. Derek Walker told us about his visit to the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany with
Frank Smucker. There were flyers and post cards for the December Model Train Exposition
available on the table for those who needed them along with coupons for the Forney Museum.
Business Meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.
A Power Point clinic on scratch building wood trestles was presented by our own Jack Rummel. His
presentation was well received, eliciting many questions. He left us with these special tips to avoid
problems:
1. Use the same brand of wood throughout because size varies among brands
2. Weather your wood with India ink and alcohol BEFORE applying glue
3. Build your trestle upside down sticking your ties to a FLAT surface
4. Build a jig around your first bent
5. NutBoltWashers (NBWs) can be purchased from Grandt Line Products
Model contest results were announced by Jerry Bengtson. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm
—Bill Casper - Acting Secretary
They say marriages are made in Heaven. But so is thunder and
lightning.
--Clint Eastwood
From our V.P.
JUNE MEETING
Our speaker for June will be another accomplished member of our Club – Doug Wright. Doug says,
“Whether you're creating a small coffee table layout or an empire in the basement, the road to a great
layout is not always based on the skills you may or may not have. As time progresses, you will develop
those skills. I believe the key is striving to consistently make good decisions, and the best way to insure
that is to research every step of the way. Join me on Thursday, June 16th, when I will share time and
money saving tips on layout construction that will help you produce superior results. If you are new to
the hobby, or an old hand, I hope to have something of interest for everyone.”
Looking ahead to July, our speaker will be Joe Baldwin who will be giving a presentation entitled
“Electrical Projects Even You Can Build Without Breaking the Budget.” No one knows model railroad
electronics better than Joe. I’m sure this will be a very informative presentation. Our July meeting will
be on the 21st.
I now have all of the Mini-Clinic spots filled for our September meeting. Mini-Clinics will be given by
Bill Casper, Doug Geiger, Tom Johnson and Bob Rothe. Many thanks again to these members
who have stepped up to share their knowledge with the Club.
—John Layman, Vice-President
6
Model Ship Building... a hobby within a hobby
The story behind the Hermione La Fayette...
By Doug Wright
Long before I got serious about building my first
model railroad, I spent many leisure hours honing
my modeling skills by crafting model ships, primarily plank-on-frame kits. While I have dabbled
in scratch building, I prefer the incredible detail
and precision of a well-done craftsman kit. The
number of kits available, in a variety of scales, is
impressive. Most kits come from places like
Spain or Italy, so the instructions that guide you
through every step, while generally excellent,
can, at times, require some interpretation. While
attention to detail is necessary, ship building can
be very relaxing and can consume weeks, if not
months, of satisfying time. The ship building process can also be confined to a small work area,
and this makes it a desirable pastime for folks
with limited space.
As an old Navy guy, I've always had a love
affair with the magnificent tall ships that once
sailed the high seas. After a visit to the USS
Constitution in Boston Harbor, I knew that I had
to somehow incorporate my love of these vessels
into my layout. The opportunity to build my version of Baltimore's Canton Harbor provided the
perfect setting to display a ship that I had been
looking forward to building.
The Hermione La Fayette is a 1:90 scale (very
close to HO scale) model of the French frigate on
which the Marques de La Fayette embarked to
bring support to the American insurgents struggling for their independence. La Fayette, a
French gentleman of 21, convinced King Louis
XVI to offer military and financial assistance to the
troops of George Washington. On March 21,
1780, the young major general boarded the Hermione and began his 38 day crossing to fight
alongside the Americans. The rest, they say, is
history.
The Hermione La Fayette is a double plank-onframe model from a kit produced by Artesania
Latina. With nearly 2000 individual pieces, this kit
is amazing in its complexity and detail. Designed
as a full hull model, I had to modify it as a waterline model before laying the keel... easier said
than done, and adding to its difficulty. From the
initial construction of the hull skeleton with its
frames and rubbing strakes, to the assembly of
the ship's masts and tackle with its intricate rigging (running and standing), this model went together like a Swiss watch. Time and a lot of patience was required, but with the aid of over 95
progress photos, the construction went smoothly.
With nearly 600 hours invested in this project, the
scene was finally complete, and the addition was
worth every minute! The results are spectacular,
and the integration of this type of modeling just
adds to the overall enjoyment of our great hobby.
Today, in my miniature world, the Hermione-La
Fayette is on permanent loan to the city of Baltimore, where it is a popular tourist attraction.
Each year, thousands of little people come from
near and far to roam the decks and be entertained by the officers and men of the French
crew.
7
Keith Bobo Photos
1
2
3
MAY CONTEST
Thank you to everyone who entered the May contest. The category for May was the “Square Foot Challenge.” In Tier I there were three entries. First place went to Spen Kellogg for his HO “Freight House,” a
Wild West kit enhanced with shingles, roof, interior framing, and other details (Fig. 1). Second place went
to Bill Casper for his N scale “Central Transfer,” a Woodland
Scenics kit with extra details from the left over box (Fig. 2).
Third place was won by Bill Bradley for his “T-Gauge Layout,”
featuring a horse farm with a mountains, lake and waterfalls
(Fig. 3) .
In Tier II, there were three entries this month. First place
went to Jerry Bengtson for
“The Shack,” an American 5
Beauties kit with extra details Fig. 4), while second
place went to Jack Rummel
for his “HOn30 Trestle ,” all
scratch-built (Fig. 5). Third
place was won by Bob
Rothe for his “ Movie
Star,” a small diorama built
for a law case Fig. 6), . Caboose Hobbies gift certificates went to Bill Bradley
and Jack
Rummel.
They will be awarded at 6
the June meeting.
The contest for June
is “Scenery.” This is a
chance to try some new
techniques or to show
us your methods of creating scenery.
—Jerry Bengtson, 2016 Contest Coordinator
4
2016 CONTEST TOPICS
Jun – Scenery
Jul – Motive Power
Aug - Open, Railroad Related
Sep - Structures
Oct - Cabooses
Nov - Humor
Dec - Holiday / Winter Theme
Dec - Model of the Year
There is great power in words, if you don’t hitch too many of them
together. Josh Billings
8
Moving the Colorado and
Santa Fe Railroad
PART 1: LEAVING ERIE
My HO layout in Erie is no more. Most, but not
all, of the pieces and parts are in our new home in
Loveland. Nevertheless, it will be a long time
By
before I tell friends it is complete. The process of
making the move proved to be much more painful
Joe Baldwin
to me personally than I expected. But out of it all,
there were a
few lessons to be learned, ones I thought might be useful to share
with others. As I am a member of both the Boulder Model Railroad
Club and the Northern Colorado Model Railroad Club I’m sending my
article to both editors.
LAYOUT OVERVIEW
The Colorado & Santa Fe RR (C&SF) was a freelanced model
incorporating the areas and kinds of landscapes I am both familiar
with and have some knowledge. The era was that glorious time of
the ‘50s when the Santa Fe was finishing its transition from Steam to
Diesel. Denver, Colorado Springs, Raton Pass and Santa Fe, NM
certainly could be connected pretty easily but Norman, Oklahoma? That's where I grew up and saw the
Santa Fe pretty much every day, as we always lived in that section of town near the mainline as it
bisected Norman. When Athearn released their brick red ATSF station, and included Norman in the
decal set, Norman became a permanent addition to my layout. I really love the look of the rugged
Colorado Rockies, so while I called it Raton, those familiar with that pass will instantly know my
mountains look more like something found on the Denver & Rio Grande.
LAYOUT FACTS
Construction
• Around the walls, walk-in twisted dog bone
• Backdrops are painted Masonite
• All bench work is sectional
• Roadbed is 3/4 plywood with soundboard in the yards and cork on the mainlines;
some spline roadbed was used in an expansion.
• Original mountains were aluminum screen wire painted with Hydrocal. Newest
ones are Woodland Scenics plaster cloth over cardboard strips with Bragdon
Enterprises resin and foam rock. I am also using red rosin paper for much of the
latest scenery underlayment.
Track plan specifics
• 2 double-ended yards with 12' siding length
• Layout room size 43’ x 16’
• Mainline 225 feet
• Maximum train length is ~ 22 cars
Controls
• DCC is currently Lenz LZV100
• Throttles – LH 100 and TouchCab iPhone throttle
• PC to DCC interface: Lenz 23151 network adapter.
• Six TAM Valley Power Boosters receiving power from a Digitrax 2012 power supply
• Signal & Detection CTI-Electronics current detectors
• Automation software CTI-Electronics TrainBrain software and JMRI
• CTI RFID detection
• 9 custom Arduino DCC Decoders for automation effects
Track
• Atlas code 83 flex track
• Atlas & Walthers code 83 Turnouts, mainline #8
CONTINUED ON
• Tortoise turnout motors
PAGE 10
• Hare and Wabbit turnout decoders
9
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
LESSONS LEARNED
A year before I moved, I went through my train stuff with a critical eye and made some tough decisions.
I separated everything I knew in my heart of hearts I’d never really use. I put all the stuff on
shelves and priced it. I then held two open houses and moved 50-60% of the excess in that venue
and eBay got the big ticket items. I sold 80% of what I’d considered excess. I also had a “free”
table, only to be surprised some of my stuff couldn’t even be given
away!
Call your refuse (trash) company and order a second container if
possible. If you currently have a small one, trade up to the largest one
and get two. You will need it, your layout and the rest of the house will
bleed trash until you have completely vacated the premises.
You ain’t 50 anymore, Joe, and your back is already barking at you. You
are going to need help. Let your friends and club(s) know you are
moving and make a list of the guys who said they’d be glad to help. I
was personally humbled by the response.
Interim storage – get some, you’ll need it. If you are moving within easy
driving distance, (under 40 miles) get a storage unit close to your new
digs. You can store a lot of your heat-immune stuff because your new
layout room is going to fill up way faster than you think it will. I found
the PODs to be very expensive. You could rent a U-Haul trailer for 10
days for about half of what getting a POD to your house will cost.
Don’t forget about the stuff in storage; “out of sight, out of mind” as the old adage goes. The monthly
bill will remind you quickly how important it is to get that stuff back in the house.
Movers – I had great luck using college kids in a rental truck. One of my kids knew somebody who
moved something for somebody and they did a good job. We found a fellow named Julian from
Greeley and he was as careful and responsive as any big brand mover ever was. Insurance, right,
well, if you have a good homeowner’s policy with good liability coverage, you are good to go, at
least that is what my outgoing and my incoming insurance dudes told me. We moved the layout in
one phase using a 26-foot van truck for $750 and they did the rest of the house in three other loads
which totaled about $2500, the same as the estimate I got from a friend-recommended formal
company who wouldn’t touch the layout.
Your modular / sectional layout will come apart like you planned but if it has been in place for a few
years, it will do it ugly.
Be prepared to live in total chaos for at least two months after the move-in. Your train room will spawn
crap and trash like a mud-hole spawns mosquitoes.
Everything you own is going to pass by your eyes at least 3 – 5 times over the move timeline. You will
find stuff you forgot you had long ago. Don’t celebrate though
because about mid-point in the move timeline you won’t be able
to find anything.
Organize two sets of tool, one at the old house the other at the new
one and keep them organized. I think I walked five miles during
our move event looking for a tape measure, screw driver or a pry
bar.
Take five or six hundred pictures of your layout, because it is fixing
to disappear.
The disassembly will create 3 or 4 monster piles you may not be
ready for; I wasn’t. All of these materials are being recycled, so
far, the only thing I will be buying in quantity is more 1X2 to
frame the new backdrops. The materials consisted of:
Lumber – 2X2, 1X2 AND 1X4
Masonite from fascia and backdrops
Fasteners – about a gallon and a half mostly drywall screws
and carriage bolts
Wire and cables
To Be Continued Next Month
10
May’s Layout Tours
(Photos by Bill Casper)
1
Starting alphabetically with Bob Johnson’s HOscale layout (Fig. 1), we saw that he has added
some wonderful rock work since last year.
2
At Chris Komloski’s HO-scale layout (Fig. 2), we
were fascinated by this operating amusement park,
one of the many scenes on his layout.
There wasn’t room in last month’s issue for this
great shot from Ron Keiser’s F-scale layout, so
we’ll enjoy it this month.
3
s
A photo was snapped during our visit to Jeff
Morrison’s HO-scale layout as he gets some
electrical advice from Joe Baldwin (Fig. 3). —Ed.
11
THE END of
THE LINE...
[Editor’s Note: In anticipation of the eventual removal of his Yampa
Valley RR due to relocation to a smaller home, Bob Rothe is writing
a picture book about the layout at its zenith and he has been
sharing occasional excerpts from that writing with us since
December 2014. This is the final excerpt.]
By Bob Rothe
THANKS, DAD!
June 20 is Father’s Day. While many of us were introduced to this
delightful hobby in other ways, I suspect a large number—especially those whose interest dates back to their youth—
received their first contact with model railroading through their fathers. This was my situation, and I presume to
represent a large segment of the hobby in expressing a collective “thank you” to the many fathers who planted those
seeds of interest so long ago. The form of this expression is a brief narrative describing my initial encounter with the
hobby.
Each fall, Dad would ask my sister and me for suggestions from which he and Mother could select Christmas gifts.
Always happy to comply, my list perennially cataloged all the “latest” toys—of course consistent with the maturing
growth of a young lad. Curiously, shirts, pants and pajamas never found their way onto such a list. In 1947, Dad
amended his annual request with a remark about a fellow schoolteacher (an adult) who was engaged in a hobby called
“Model Railroading.” Dad asked me (a 12-year-old!) if I thought such a hobby might prove interesting. My immediate
(unspoken) response was negative; but that would, I felt, necessitate an explanation as to why not build model trains
when ships and airplanes seemed to be acceptable. So, a noncommittal grunt answering the latter question
accompanied an enthusiastic promise to compose the requested list.
Days later, Dad scanned he list just handed him: baseball mitt, Monopoly game, pocket knife X The exact
composition of the list is neither important nor recalled; but what was significant was the total absence of any reference
to the newly suggested hobby. Dad inquired about the omission, wondering if I had forgotten or simply was not
interested. Again, I felt threatened if I should tender a negative reply; so the simpler expedient prevailed to issue a little
white lie: “Sure, Dad, I just forgot. Here, let me add model trains to the list.” With that falsehood, the hobby was once
again forgotten—forever, as much as I cared.
Christmas 1947. The floor was littered with paper, boxes, and ribbons as little piles of
treasure began to grow. Happy, excited chatter, punctuated by oh’s and ah’s for each newly
opened gift, filled the air. My older sister carried on so about a blouse. Now, the baseball
mitt was different. There was something to crow about!
One more package remained for me under the tree. Shredding its wrapping, I read aloud the
label: “Gor-don Var-ney. Box Car Kit. NYC Pacemaker.” I remembered wondering what NYC
meant. Suddenly, the long-forgotten white lie was recalled and I had to strain a little to find
the words: “Gee, thanks. That’s really neat.” The yellow, blue, and red box remained
unopened under the tree the rest of that day and for several more to come. Monopoly and
“catch” occupied most of my holidays.
Eventually, the moment arrived. No one was around to play games; Mom and Dad had
company; my sister was out for the evening. There was nothing to do but listen to my
favorite Sunday night radio programs and fiddle with the contents of that box under the tree.
As the familiar words emerged from the little radio: “Hello again; this is Jack Benny,” the
blocks and sticks of wood, unidentified pieces of metal, and embossed paper cardstock were spread onto my desk. I
began to tinker. Gradually, the blocks of wood became a rectangular framework with the aid of model airplane glue. To
my surprise, crimped bands of brass gave the roof an appealing texture. Underframe, truck bolsters, and brake
equipment did the same for the same for the underside of the floor. I became intrigued with the thought of what the
finished product might be. Embossed card, printed in red and gray and lettered in white, magically yielding convincing
car sides when cut along a line and glued to the sub-body. My pulse quickened as the pieces took shape and character.
The newfound treasure was shown to both parents and guests for their inspection and approval with increasing
frequency.
The finished product sat before me—a New York Central boxcar. My proud eyes were unable to see the drop of
paint spilled on the side, the huge gobs of glue holding incorrectly formed ladders against the body, nor the cardstock
ends cut just a scale foot too short to cover the roof stock.
All that took place more than 30 years ago. The car hides in its familiar box in a cabinet. Few people ever see it; but
then, the car isn’t very good by anybody’s standards. I can see that now. Still, once in a while when I am alone, I pause
from my current project to view again that monstrosity of a disaster. When I do, the never present observer would catch
me in a quiet moment of misty reflection; and he might even hear a softly whispered, “Thanks, Dad!” X
(This was published in Model Railroader in June of 1978 s a “Guest Essay” in place of Russ Larson’s usual editorial
column. I gave a copy to my father for Father’s Day; and tears ran down his face as he read it! )
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Why is everybody leaving?
Building trestles is fun!
Keith’s Corner
A
Scenes from the
May meeting.
All photos by Keith Bobo.
Jack Rummel waits to start his clinic.
The completed trestle, which was featured in the PowerPoint
clinic, was raffled off at the conclusion. Jerry Bengtson was
the winner.
President Bill Casper happily confirmed that
the Denver train show which went head to
head against the BMRC’s 2015 Model Train
Expo has been cancelled for 2016.
A good turnout on a pleasant evening in May.
Our
merchandise
mart.
Spen Kellogg talked
about his blue ribbon
model.
Have you been downstairs at the ELKS to visit our book and visual
libraries? Be sure to look them over — they’re free to BMRC members!
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20 years ago, more
or less
Contributed by Bob Uhr
JUNE 1996
The June Telltales cover shows the “Galloping
Goose/Mail Delivery/Snow Plow” vehicle. The
photo was taken at the Colorado Railroad
Museum.
The Club membership for June 13th included
51 members and 3 guests. BMRC hosted the
June 30th annual picnic at the Colorado Railroad
Museum.
The Club clinic was the program
provided by Rich Coleman, entitled “Modeling the
Mt. Lowe Railway”. Doug Geiger asked Steve
Engelhardt to preside over the June and July
monthly meetings.
The N-Scale Group held its meeting at Norb
Byczek’s home on June 20th. The focus of the
meeting was to finalize the plans for the Twin
Peaks Mall FoamRail layout setup on June 22/23.
Nine FoamRail Modules were assembled,
allowing the running of trains up to 75 cars long.
The June contest’s theme was “Now There’s
Something You Don’t See Every Day” – models
for unusual things, or things not modeled very
often. Trolley System? Funeral Car? Trees,
Houses, Tree-House? And the entries were:
And the entries were (no details given):
Tier I 1st Place Justin Lauzon
2nd Place Jerry Bengtson
3rd Place Aaron Bengtson
Tier II 1st Place Max Piaseck
2nd Place Larry Price
3rd Place Kameron Price
The Treasurer’s report for April, 1996 ended
with $7,465.71 cash on hand. Same report, no
new info. X
2016 Timetable
June 16—BMRC Meeting & Swap Meet , Tri-City
Elks Lodge, 525 Main St., Louisville, 7:00 PM.
June 18—Layout Tours: Tom Johnson (HO) and
Jack Rummel (HO). 12-4PM. See page 5.
June 18—Steampunk at the Station, Colorado RR
Museum, Golden <coloradorailroadmuseum.org>.
July 3-10—NMRA Convention, Indianapolis, IN
<www.nmra2016.org>.
July 16—Swap Meet, at Green Mtn. Presbyterian
Church, 12900 W. Alameda Pkwy. at Mississippi,
Lakewood - 9AM to Noon.
July 16—Field Trip to Cussler Automobile Museum,
Arvada, 10:00AM-12:30PM. Details TBA.
July 21—BMRC Meeting , Tri-City Elks Lodge, 525
Main St., Louisville, 7:00 PM.
July 23—Dinosaur Express Train, Colorado RR
Museum, Golden <coloradorailroadmuseum.org>.
I love deadlines. I like the
whooshing sound they make as
they fly by.
—Douglas Adams
Next TELLTALES Deadline
Submissions for the July 2016 TELLTALES should be
sent no later than July 7, 2016.
y
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