NEWSLETTER

TRAK
Modular Railroading Society. Inc.
May/June, 2008
NEWSLETTER
Edited by Jim FitzGerald and Lee Monaco-FitzGerald NTRAK Website: www.ntrak.org
Photo by Tony Hines
In this issue we have three extensive reviews of three new N scale Steam
Locomotives. Starting on page 7 is a 4+ page review of the Kato GS4
Southern Pacific Daylight passenger engine.
Photo by Jim Kline
On page 14 is the start of a two page review of the Walthers 0-8-0 switcher.
Photo by Tony Hines
On page 19 you will find the beginning of a 4 page review of the Athearn
UP 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” freight locomotive.
An added feature is an interesting Maintenance of
Way show
Page
1 on page 23.
MT Car Sale
Steam Locomotive Reviews
On the next page is our usual feature of the
latest cars from MicroTrains®. Early each
month they send samples of their new cars and
I photograph six or seven of the cars to feature
in the Newsletter.
As a fundraiser for NTRAK, we are selling
some of the cars. The cars were made in the
1996 to 2003 time period. None are still “in
stock” at the factory. About half of the cars
have never been out of their boxes and the rest
were out for a few minutes while being photographed and then returned to their box. Any
cars that were sold with loads, still have their
loads.
A list of the 270 cars is in the center of this
issue, along with prices. Our price for these
cars is 10% less than the original price, except
for cars that originally sold for less than $11.00,
are all priced at $10.00. The price that you pay
includes the cost of mailing the cars.
How to order: Send a list, by e-mail, of the
cars that you want ([email protected]) or by snail
mail to NTRAK, Inc, 1150 Wine Country
Place, Templeton, CA 93465. I will put a hold
on the available cars and send a return message to you with the total cost of the cars that
I am holding for you. You then send payment
by credit card to our web site “Pay Pal” order
(last item on the list) or by check to NTRAK,
Inc, PO Box 3618, Parker, CO 80134. Dave
will let me know when he gets the money and
then I’ll mail them to you.
In this issue there are lengthy reviews of
three recently released N scale steam locomotives. The 0-8-0 switcher review is by Jim
Kline, who has edited our series of N Steam
books after feeling the need to have all the past
NTRAK articles on N steam in one place and
brought up to date. The other two reviews are
by Tony Hines, who is an active modeler and
works in a hobby store in Cincinnati, Ohio.
You will find that these reviews report both
strong and weak points of the models and,
more importantly, how to improve them.
These reviews, along with additional reviews and several “How-to” type articles will
appear in the 2008 N Scale Steam Locomotive
Book Addendum, due out late this year. This is
our way of keeping the 144 page The N Scale
Steam Locomotive Information Book up to
date, without a full revision. The 44 page 2007
Steam Addendum is now included with the
full book. See page 30 for ordering information, or www.ntrak.org
We are always looking for additional N
steam locomotive information. If you have
some N Steam tips or information to share
with other modelers, please send them to our
California address or e-mail: [email protected]
If your material is used in the 2008 Addendum, you will receive a copy of the book when
it is published. Share with your fellow modelers.
NTRAK, Inc Officers & Directors
Renewals, Orders & Shipping
Dave Porter, Director
PO Box 3618, Parker, CO 80134
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (303) 841-7365
General questions and Newsletter material.
Jim FitzGerald, NTRAK President, Editor
Lee Monaco-FitzGerald
Corporate Secretary, Editor
1150 Wine Country Place
Templeton, CA 93465
Phone & Fax 805-434-5058
e-mail: [email protected]
Bob Gatland, Chief Financial Officer
PO Box 2386, Wilton, NY 12831
e-mail: [email protected]
Next Issue Deadline: June. 1st
Page 2
Bruce Alcock, Director
1030 County St 2930, Tuttle, OK 73089
e-mail: [email protected]
Web Master, Bruce Alcock
e-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.ntrak.org
Deadline for Coming Events & other material
is the 1st of the month before publication.
(Feb 1st, Apr 1st June 1st,
Aug 1st, Oct 1st, and Dec 1st.)
New from
MicroTrains®
A Union Pacific 40’ box
car painted aluminum with
black lettering. It was built
in 1940 and is still in use in
Cheyenne shops. UP 903658
is MT 020 00 756 and $14.90.
An Evans 3 bay Covered
Hopper, lettered black for
Milwaukee Road was made
with aluminum for reduced
weight. MILW 98762 is
$16.75 and MT 099 00 050.
The Northern Pacific 50’
box is dark green with a white
horizontal stripe. the logo is
red, white, and black. NP
1265 is MT 031 00 250 and
$18.65.
A load of steel scrap is in
this black Reading 50’ gondola. RDG 3317, is $17.35
and MT 105 00 150.
A double door 50’ box car
for Southern includes a load
of paper rolls. SOU 43039 is
in white letters on the box
car red car. $22.55 & MT
037 00 030.
The 3 dome Shell Chemical car is yellow with black
lettering and underbody is
available in two road numbers, SCMX 651 & 652.
They are $22.70 each and
066 00 011 & 012.
Page 3
Blair Line Pizzaland Building
An accurate model of the building
seen in the opening credits of the hit
show “Sopranos” on HBO is being
offered by Blair Line. It fits into most
any business district or roadside. The
small 1-1/4” x 2-3/16” building footprint is easy to fit into your layout.
The photo of the original building
shows just how close the laser cut
model is in the many details. The
signs are digitized from photos of the
original signs. Blair was licensed to
create this model by the store’s owners.
Kit #096, $28.95, is available from
your dealer or from Blair Line, PO
Box 1136, Carthage, MO 64836.
More information is available at:
www.blairline.com
Above is the actual building in North Arlington, New
Jersey.
At Right is the Blair Line
model of the building.
Below, are two other views
of the model.
Page 4
Nn3 Column by Tom Knapp
sound levels at a train show usually mask the
effect.
My first N-scale sound-equipped locomotive was a brass Key Imports GS-4 locomotive
many years ago, with on-board battery powered, cam-synchronized sound. Boy, have we
come a long way since those days! DCC
decoders with sound are now small enough to
fit into Nn3 locomotives. My first Nn3 soundand-throttle DCC installation was a Soundtraxx
DSD-090 in an Aspenmodel brass K-28 kit
Photo02 – Soundtraxx Tsunami TSU-1000
with Soundtraxx 810113 oval speaker being
tested prior to installation in Kato GS-4.
Photo01 – Nn3 Aspenmodel brass K-28
with Soundtraxx DSD-090.
(Photo 1). Impressive, but very warm running.
Since then, Soundtraxx has come out with a
new generation of DCC sound and motor
controller decoder – the Tsunami. The Tsunami TSU-1000 is as small as the old DSD090 at 1.7"x0.67"x0.28”, but has far more
features, and runs much cooler. While I haven’t
installed one of these in an Nn3 loco, I did put
one in my Kato GS-4 (Photo 2) – see review of
this Kato locomotive elsewhere in this issue.
(My GS-4 sound decoder installation will be
in an upcoming issue of N Scale Magazine.)
But wait – there’s more! The Micro Tsunami
TSU-750 is even smaller, at 1.00" x 0.50" x
0.22" (Photo 3). It is provided in the following
configurations: Light Steam, Medium Steam,
Heavy Steam, K Class, Cab forward, C Class,
and Light Logging. This decoder will fit several commercial Nn3 locomotives. Even
smaller is the CTelectronik SL74 sound decoder from Austria (www.tran.at) which measures .95” x .36” x .13”. I have acquired one of
these to install in a SP Nn3 ten-wheeler’s
whale-back tender (Photo 4.)
I should note that while the sound produced
by the small speakers used in Nn3 is adequate
for your train room at home, the ambient
Photo03 – Soundtraxx Micro Tsunami TSU750.
Photo04 - CTelectronik SL74 and piezo
speaker next to Gold Rush Models SP-narrow
gauge whale-back tender.
Page 5
The 28th National Narrow
Gauge Convention is being held
September 10-13 in Portland,
Oregon. For those unfamiliar
with this annual event – it is
simply the best model train event
in the world. As promised in the
last issue of this column, I have
an update on the planned Nn3
Mini-Convention to be held in
conjunction with the NNGC this
year, hosted by Republic Locomotive Works in nearby
Cathlamet, Washington. Following is a description of the event,
which is still in the planning
stages, as conveyed by Bruce
Hunt, RLW’s Webmaster (and
one of their product designers)
and some photos of Marshall
Thomson’s Nn3 layout, which
will be on view at the event.
The Nn3 SYMPOSIUM
The Nn3 Symposium is currently being planned. We are
planning to hold the Symposium
on Friday, September 12, 2008
from 9AM to 7PM at Republic
Locomotive Works World Headquarters in beautiful Cathlamet,
Washington on the banks of the
Columbia River. The basic
theme of the Symposium is to
get the Nn3 community together
to enjoy each other's company
and expertise. RLW will host
the event and provide food and
drinks so all you need to do is
sign-up and make your way to
beautiful Cathlamet. I would be
remiss if I did not remind everyone that there is a Willamette
Shay-type locomotive on display
in the town of Cathlamet -- about
5 miles from RLW. It is one of
only 23 that were built. After an
opening continental breakfast
hosted by RLW, the basic plan
of the day is to have three concurrent 60-90 minute clinics occurring throughout the day. The
preliminary “roster” of clinics
is:
1. Construction of a Nn3 Brass 3
truck Shay by Tom Knapp.
Page 6
Photos of scenes on Marshall Thomson’s Nn3
layout, which will be open and operating at The
Nn3 Symposium. Photos by Bruce Hunt.
Nn3 Text and Photos continued on page 27
Kato’s New SP GS4 Northern
Photos & Text by Tony Hines
The Kato GS4 and the accompanying passenger car set have been a keenly anticipated
release. From all reports, this has been the
largest locomotive and passenger car release
by Kato to date with orders three to four times
larger than Kato expected. The resulting demand made the anticipation even greater as it
pushed the release date back several months.
To ease the wait, Kato kept the internet public
up to date with ongoing progress shots and
finally a video of the loco pulling 18 passenger
cars up their 4% viaduct set.
I was fortunate to be one of the first to
receive the loco thanks to my job in a hobby
shop. We received five of the locos and passenger sets days after their release. Of the five
engines one had the brass air horn loose in the
box which I easily reinstalled. All of the
engines and passenger sets are now in customers’ hands and running beautifully.
With flawless paint and stunning detail the
locomotive impressed me. I am not a Southern
Pacific aficionado, so I cannot comment about
the rivet accuracy of the engine, but from all
reports nothing was missed. I was worried
about the detail on the loco standing up against
the recent releases from Walthers and
Bachmann Spectrum.
The detail on Kato’s previous American
steamer, the Mikado, always seemed sterile
and clean to me. Steam locomotives are a
maze of plumbing and piping that seemed
lacking on the Mikado. The GS4’s detail,
however, is excellent even though the skirting
and streamlining hide much. Kato did a good
job with the piping around and under the cab
which seems strong enough to withstand handling. The valve gear is well executed and the
crosshead slide functions properly. Kato did
not shortcut and have the main rod wrap
around the slide but created a slot for it to ride
in just as the real engine did. The siderods are
fully articulated and pinned to each driver.
The cab interior has backhead detail and seating. Unfortunately, with the enclosed, all
weather cab, much of the detail cannot be seen
without removing the roof. Oddly, the seat
insert is white, but perhaps the color exists just
to make the seats more visible. The lighting
system includes a headlight, a simulated Mars
light, and train number boards mounted about
halfway back the streamline casting on top of
the boiler unlike Con-Cor’s GS4, which are in
the front.
Missing is a tender backing light; Kato
believes that customers are unlikely to do
switching with the locomotive. The Mars light
is another source of complaint, since it looks
more like a flashing LED than a truly oscillating Mars light. Richmond Controls has already announced that they will be working on
a lighting kit for those desiring a more accurate Mars light.
Mechanically the loco is a big departure
from current steam mechanisms. It uses a
double deck split frame design. The lower half
of the engine holds the gear train, worm gear,
axles, and valve gear. The upper half of the
frame holds the motor and cradle. From what
I can see the only reduction is via the worm
gear. An idler gear transmits power from the
worm gear to the #3 driver. The #3 driver has
a traction tire and is the only gear driven
driver. The remaining drivers are powered
exclusively by the siderods.
The #1 and #3 drivers are mounted solidly in
the chassis, while the #2 driver is free to float
up and down. A pair of phosphor bronze leaf
springs supports the #4 driver. The driver
suspension system makes the locomotive
smooth running. It handles track irregularities
quite well. The lighting is connected to the
lower half of the engine via a friction fit light
board that slips over the worm tower from
above.
Page 7
The lower half of the mechanism is isolated
from the upper section by the skirting on the
loco and a few strategically placed insulators.
A universal joint connects the motor to the
worm. The motor is a new skewed 3 pole
design that is smaller in diameter and a bit
longer than the current open frame GM5 motor used in other Kato offerings. It is similar if
not the same as the motor used in the NW2
switcher from Kato.
Both the upper and lower layers of the loco
frame have their own drawbar connecting
them to the tender. This is to facilitate an easy
DCC decoder installation in the tender. Kato
offers the EM13 decoder specifically for the
loco. The lower drawbar links the track pickup
between the locomotive and the tender, while
the upper drawbar transmits power from the
tender back to the upper frame and powers the
motor.
The tender has a newly designed truck that
clips in instead of using a screw or bolster pin
as in the past. The other interesting design
feature is a twist on the needle point pickup
system. The center axle on each of the 3 axle
Page 8
trucks is sprung. Through a creative and
delicate design of the pickup cups, the center
axle point pickups can float on a fine Ushaped spring. This system insures that all
wheels of each truck can maintain rail contact and improve electrical conductivity.
The locomotive handled anything I presented it. My test track is a folded dog bone
of Kato Unitrack that contains 11” and 9-3/
4” radius curves; two 195 degree radius
reverse corners are back to back with 12”
straights between them. The test layout also
features a pair of #6 turnouts. In my first run
the engine was pulling the Morning Daylight
By the Numbers
Pure DC
Start Voltage Start Currennt Run Current
3.70 V
62 ma
50 MA
Pulsed DC 2.42 V
60 MA
50 MA
Run Speed
10.5 SMPH
7.3 SMPH
Dimensions
Driver Diameter
@ Tread
Measured Size
0.49”
Scale Size
78.4”
Prototype
80”
Driver Diameter
@ Flange
0.536’
85.76”
N/A
Driver Wheelbase 1.642”
21’-10”
21’-6”
Total Wheelbase
3.64”
48’-6”
47’-8”
Pilot to Trailer
Overall Length - including tender - 108’
set. The loco and the car set performed flawlessly in forward operation; however, the engine did not do so well backing up on the 9-3/
4” sections as the trailing truck derailed. In the
foldout instructions that accompany the engine, Kato lists the following minimum curve
radii: 11” for ground level curves, and 12-3/8”
radius for viaduct and “S curves, so the derailment did not bother me. The engine handled
the #6 turnouts without hesitation both forward and backward. The pulling power of the
engine is incredible. The toughest test I have
given it so far is the entire Daylight set, 10 of
the 11 car Zephyr set and five older Kato B &
O smoothsides for a total of 25 cars. The train
is so long that it passes itself twice on the
layout in the reverse curves. The engine could
start the train at any point on the layout without a struggle.
Unfortunately, with all the good news about
the loco comes some bad. Kato’s return to
steam may be a struggle. Within days of
release troublesome reports of DCC decoder
failure have been acknowledged by Kato.
Both the factory EM13 decoders and aftermarket decoders fail when installed in the
tender. Not enough clearance exists between
the drivers and the upper frame, which leads
to a short between track power and the isolated motor. Kato is aware of the problem and
has posted a bulletin on their website advising
against installing decoders in the tender until
they can devise a solution.
They also warn against running the loco on
the DCC analog address. Kato is worried
about the background alternating current damaging the new motor design. When the problems were posted on forums, Kato had the
warning up on their site the next day. For those
not wanting to wait for Kato’s resolution of the
problem, plenty of room is in the loco to
hardwire a decoder. Isolating the motor from
the subframe and secondary drawbar will solve
the problem. Many people have already chosen to do this; they use the lighting features
available in many decoders to control the
lighting and the simulated Mars light.
A few people have reported a dragging or
rubbing noise when either going forward or
backward, but it goes away in the opposite
direction. After disassembling the loco for
photos, I think I have found the cause of the
problem. The motor cradle seems very loose
in the frame. The motor can move side to side
almost a 1/16”. I believe this was an attempt to
deaden noise, but what is happening in operation is the motor is shifting side to side and the
flywheel is rubbing the frame, causing noise.
Changing direction shifts the motor the opposite direction in the frame and cures the rub.
The motor brush contacts seem to be the only
things holding the motor in the center of the
frame. Careful shifting of the motor from side
to side a few times seems to soften the contract
tabs a bit and allows the motor to center better.
Two other problems have been reported, but
not nearly as frequently. A few modelers have
Page 9
had a problem with the lighting not working
or working intermittently. The light board
has clip on tabs that contact the frame. I
believe soldering these tabs to the light board
and then bending a bit more tension into them
may be the fix here. A rarer complaint is
traction tires coming off while running. I
think this problem is truly a fluke because the
stress I put my engine through pulling 25 cars
through a 93/4” curve radius should have
brought this difficulty to light if a design
problem had occurred.
All in all I think Kato has built a solid loco
that will appeal to many people, not just SP
fans. The loco runs smoothly, pulls exceptionally well, and does exactly what it was
meant to do. The DCC community may need
to wait for Kato’s fix or do extra work to
convert the loco. Much will depend on how
Kato handles issues that have arisen. My only
complaints are the simulated Mars light and
the engine gearing. I would have liked the
engine geared lower. Its top speed on my test
loop was 147 smph. I would prefer to see the
speed somewhere around 100. That would
give a scale passenger speed of around 50-60
mph at about 3/4 throttle. Right now that
happens at about 1/3 of my controller. Despite the DCC problems, Kato’s GS4 is impressive in looks and performance.
While working on this review, I ran the
GS4 and Daylight set at a small show and
swap meet where our NTRAK club had set
up. The locomotive ran nearly perfectly all
day except where it encountered track that
needed cleaning or additional feeders. The
train easily drew the most crowd attention
with people stopping by to say, “Hi, I just got
one of those.”
People have come up with a variety of
solutions to the DCC problem. The simplest
fix is to insulate the offending area with some
Kapton tape. Flip the loco on its back in an
engine cradle and remove the 3 screws holding the axle cover. Carefully lift the #4 and
then #3 drivers out of their bearing slots and
lay them back over the #2 and #1 drivers.
Because of the single geared axle, one need
not fear fouling up the quartering or gear
timing when reinstalling. Use alcohol and a
swab to remove any oil or lubrication from
the pockets in the upper frame where the
drivers ride. This cleaning will give the Kapton
tape the best chance to adhere. Cut 4 semicircular pieces of tape matching the diameter of
the area and install. Reinstall the drivers,
Page 10
making sure that all the bearings are back in
their correct slots. The #4 driver should be able
to float freely on the leaf springs. Reinstall the
3 screws and the trailing truck, and then the
EM13 decoder can be used in the tender.
The most popular fix seems to be isolating
the motor and installing the decoder in the loco
instead of the tender. To do this one needs to
disassemble the locomotive almost completely.
The motor subframe must be removed from the
chassis and the motor contact tabs need to be
removed and insulated. Simply remove the
contact tabs as some have shown, because
these tabs center the motor in the frame.
Without the tabs pressing on the motor, it can
move excessively in the subframe causing a
rubbing sound, and in the worst case can cause
a short circuit through the flywheels and/or
motor can. The best procedure seems to be to
remove the contact strips, directly solder them
to the decoder motor leads, and then insulate
them with Kapton tape before reinstalling.
Frame power pickup can be derived from the
lightboard or by soldering to the motor contact
strips before reinstalling. Using this method
also allows the use of the lighting features of a
decoder to simulate the Mars light. For those
wishing sound, additional wires need to be run
to the tender for the speaker. Similarly, if a
working backup light is desired, additional
wires would be needed.
My method to cure the DCC short also helps
cure another problem, the loose motor cradle.
This method will also allow the use of the Kato
decoder in the tender. Removing the motor
subframe is necessary. Making the spacers
between the two frames thinner results in narrowing the subframe assembly, thus giving
clearance so the drivers don’t contact it creating a short. I carefully trimmed the washers on
the frame spacers to a little more than half their
thickness with a hobby knife. A comparable
amount must be removed from the spacer on
the same side. The H-shaped spacer on the
bottom of the subframe needs to be thinned a
similar amount by filing equally on both sides.
Make sure not to file too much from the spacers
so that the frame halves contact each other.
When reassembling the loco, the lower
subframe screws hidden behind the fire box
covers should not be tightened completely.
Doing so would pull the frames back outward
and defeat the purpose of the repair. Use a
small round file to enlarge the pocket for the
upper drawbar pin to keep it from being pinched
in the hole.
The last method, used by some on the Atlas
Forum, involves brute force, but the Kato
decoder in the tender can be used as a result.
The motor subframe must be removed and
disassembled, and then a Dremel or some
other grinding tool can be used to mill the
wheel pockets deeper to give more clearance
to the drivers. The #3 driver pocket only
requires a couple thousandths of an inch. The
#4 driver pocket needs more material removed,
since this driver can rock and twist due to its
suspension design.
At the time of writing, Kato has announced
that they have their own solution but have not
revealed it yet. I believe they are trying to
determine the best way to implement and
distribute the repair. For those running DC,
these repairs are irrelevant, since the engine
runs superbly in DC.
Derby Express, June 25-29, Louisville, KY 2008
NTRAK, N Collectors, World’s Greatest Hobby Show
Presented by the Kentuckiana Society of N Scalers
(KSONS) and The N Scale Collector Society (NSC), in
association with the 2008 National N Scale Partnership:
Bloomington-Normal NTRAK, Central Ohio NTRAK,
Dayton NTRAK, French Broad eNpire, Lake Erie N
Scale, The KSONS, Midwest Central N Scale, Milwaukee
Area N Scale, Nashville NTRAK, North Raleigh MRC, N
Scale Collector, Radcliff MRA, Tri-State NTRAK, and
World’s Greatest Hobby On Tour (WGH).
Here are just a few of the great features of the 2008
Derby City Express.
The layouts, clinics, contests and the WGH Show will
be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center
(KICC), a modern convention facility located
in downtown Louisville, only two blocks from
the hotel. Our show hall has 146,000 contiguPage 11
ous unobstructed square feet. That’s huge!
Our hotel is the newly renovated Galt House,
a 4 star 1200 room luxury convention hotel.
The Galt is within easy walking distance of the
KICC, restaurants, museums, entertainment,
the Waterfront Park, and is only $99 per night.
The Reception, Banquet, Breakfast, Auctions
and Swap-a-Rama will all take place at the
Galt House.
Of course we’ll have a huge NTRAK layout. Over 700 NTRAK modules will cover
50,000 square feet. We’ll also have a T-TRAK
layout that may cover 50 tables. Free-Mo,
BendTrak, oNeTrak, and layouts of all scales
will be represented at the WGH show.
The World’s Greatest Hobby On Tour show
will feature all the major manufacturers and
vendors - everyone who’s anyone will be
there. The WGH show is open to the public
and runs on Saturday and Sunday of the convention.
Delegates will be inspired by our nationally
renowned clinicians. Layout, rail fan and prototype tours will offer something for everyone. You’ll enjoy live steam excursions, both
land and sea, on the former L&N Pacific #152
and the riverboat Belle of Louisville. Family
activities will include Churchill Downs, Belle
of Louisville Steam Boat, The Bats AAA
Baseball, Bourbon Tours, Wineries, My Old
Kentucky Dinner Train, Kentucky Kingdom
Amusement Park, Entertainment District,
Museum District, Art Galleries, Waterfront
Park, Huge Malls, Great Restaurants, and
Much, Much More!
On Monday evening we board My Old
Kentucky Dinner Train for a fine dinner served
in vintage cars, pulled through the scenic
central Kentucky countryside by a pair of RJ
Coreman FP7’s.
Tuesday begins with a steam excursion at
the Kentucky Railroad Museum. Enjoy a 22
mile train excursion through the scenic and
historic Rolling Fork River Valley on a restored passenger train pulled by an authentic
steam engine, L&N Pacific #152. Then visit
one of Kentucky's finest bourbon distilleries either the Jim Beam or Heaven Hill Distilleries will be your destination for this exciting
look at a Kentucky tradition.
Wednesday is Convention Check-In, Onsite Registration and Auction Check-In. Look
for the Convention Company Store featuring
Special Run and Convention Surprise Cars.
The world famous Micro-Trains Dessert Reception and the first of the silent auctions will
Page 12
take place at the Galt House. Preliminary setup for NTRAK layout will start at KICC.
We’ll also have the N Scale Home Layout
Tour when KSONS club members Bob
Kuchler, Rick Maloney and John Voller welcome the Convention to visit their N Scale
layouts.
Thursday is set-up for NTRAK layout with
the final module lock-down that afternoon.
Clinics run all day and the contest room opens.
We’ll visit the Mammoth Cave National Park
and explore the longest cave system in the
world. A return to My Old Kentucky Dinner
Train for lunch and a Bourbon Distillery Tour
will be offered for those that missed the Monday trip. The Live Auction is also on Thursday. Bring your auction paddle, a good sense
of humor and bid on some of the coolest items
around.
Friday brings the Swap-A-Rama, always a
convention favorite. The NTRAK layout operates all day. Clinics continue to inspire, the
contest room fills up and vendors open early
for an exclusive pre-show sale. A series of
self-guided tours will be offered. From the
excitement of 4TH STREET LIVE! To the
tradition-rich Louisville Slugger museum and
factory, downtown Louisville has something
for you. The Louisville Science Center, the
Muhammad Ali Peace Center and the Frazier
Historical Arms Museum are just a few of the
venues within walking distance of your hotel.
Stroll along the river at one of America's finest
waterfront parks. Visit art galleries and unique
shops. Eat at some of Louisville's best restaurants. Take a trip out to the Zoo, Churchill
Downs, major malls - whatever you choose,
your day will be packed with fun!
The Friday Fun continues when the Division Eight of the NMRA welcomes the DCE
attendee’s to tour 3 HO layouts and an extensive 027 layout. Featured attraction is Jim
Harrington’s layout. This layout was recently
reviewed in Model Railroader Magazine. And
we’ll cap off the day with an excursion on
Belle Of Louisville Steam Boat, a National
Historic Landmark and a beloved symbol of
our city. A tour of the steam boiler and engine
room is a must.
On Saturday the World’s Greatest Hobby
On Tour opens with 146,000 square feet of
model railroading for your enjoyment. The
layouts will be running, the vendors will be
making deals, and the manufacturers will announce that they are finally making the very
engine you’ve been needing all your life! The
clinics and contests continue. You’ll also have
time to visit all the attractions you missed on
Friday. The evening is capped by the Convention Banquet, featuring wonderful food, great
fun, fellowship, guest speakers, and the everpopular raffle.
It’s up early on Sunday for the
Manufacturer’s Breakfast Buffet, with lively
presentations from the leaders in N Scale
manufacturing. Be there for all the new product announcements. Then head back to the
World’s Greatest Hobby On Tour show for
running trains and finding some last-minute
deals.
All in all, those that attend this convention
will be in for the convention experience of a
lifetime. Register now by visiting:www.2008
-national-N-Scale-Convention.com
For NSC events and help with registration
contact Dean Daughenbaugh at :
<[email protected]>
For NTRAK, layouts and general information, contact Paul Downs at p or (502) 8956578.
Anaheim, Ca. NMRA National Train Show, July 15-19
Summer in Southern California and Ntrak-There's still time to register for the Ntrak
Layout at the National Train Show.
The 2008 NMRA/National Train Show is
scheduled for July 16th-20th at the Anaheim
Convention Center, and Ntrak will once
again be represented by another world-class
layout. Members from the four Ntrak clubs
headquartered in Southern California--Antelope Valley Ntrak, Group 160 Ntrak, Ntrak
Express, and the Orange County N-gineers-are finalizing a layout plan and operations
schedule for the four-day event. As many of
you know, the Ntrak layout is one of the more
popular exhibits at the Show with hundreds of
convention attendees and the general public
(on the weekend) viewing our modules and
trains.
As was mentioned in the last two
Ntrak Newsletters they are actively recruiting
for clubs and individuals who are interested in
participating in the layout to let them know of
your interest in participating. Clubs from
Arizona and Northern California have come
forward to help out, but they can always use
more Ntrakers to join in the effort. If interested in participating, or if you need additional information, you can email them at
<[email protected]>
or write to them at: So Cal N, Post Office
Box 582, Glendora, CA 91740, with the following information:
Individual or Club Name
Contact Information (email/phone)
Number of Modules
Length(s) of Modules
Format (Std Ntrak, Ntrak 2000)
Specialty Module (inside corner, 3' / 4'
Corner, Yard)
Mountain Division Track (yes/no)
Non-standard Dimensions (if any)
Parking Requirements (truck/trailer)
Any Other Special Requirements
They will be working with the National
Train Show administration to provide module
owners and participating club members Exhibitors Passes to the Show, providing that
each attendee will take an active role in the
creation, operation, and tear down of the layout. Admission to the National Model Railroad Association convention requires membership in the NMRA and a separate registration. For further information, please see their
website at: www.nmra.org .
The Anaheim Ntrak Layout Team is looking forward to a great show, but they can't do
it without you! Come join them in Southern
California for a great vacation/train experience. The Convention Center is across the
street from Disneyland, a few miles from a
number of the finest beaches in the U.S., and
close to some of the western United States'
best railfanning locations--Tehachapi Loop,
Cajon Pass, Beaumont Hill, the California
Coast Line and Surf Line routes. Come to
Anaheim this summer and help them construct another outstanding Ntrak layout for the
National Train Show and enjoy all that Southern California has to offer!
More information will be available on the
So Cal N website, hopefully in March:
www.socaln.com
(we are in the process of upgrading and
updating the information, but we've run into
some unexpected glitches along the way,
so please be patient with our webmaster).
Page 13
Walthers 0-8-0 USRA Switcher
Photos and Text by Jim Kline
The USRA 0-8-0 switcher offered by
Walthers is a nice looking engine with several
pieces of separately applied detail. It is smooth
and quiet and runs well at low speeds. Pulling
ability, however, varies depending on the position of the wiring harness between the engine and tender.
Walthers modeled this 0-8-0 on the USRA
design which, along with copies, was used by
at least 52 different railroads. The first was
built in 1918 and, because they were switchers, they lasted to the very end of steam. The
USRA intended to use road tenders (similar to
the Spectrum 2-8-0 tender) but these were
often changed or modified to the version modeled as the crew could not see around the high
sides of the road tender when backing. In
addition to switching, the engine was also
used for transfer service between yards.
Length and other dimensions of this model
are more accurate than most N scale steamers
probably because of fewer wheels and smaller
flanges. Drivers are 51 inches in diameter
which match the prototype. Both the headlight
and backup light are bright good color LED’s
and both are directional.
Separately applied detail on this 0-8-0 engine equals the standard set by prior Walthers
steamers, the Berkshire and 2-8-8-2. These
include 2 1/4 scale inch diameter boiler handrails, cab handrails, a swinging bell, whistle,
steam turret, air compressor, feedwater injectors, ash pan plus handrails at the front of the
tender and a ladder on the back. Feedwater
Page 14
and sand piping is crisply molded on the
boiler. Both the engine and tender have finely
molded footboards and Accumate couplers.
Lettering is crisp and includes minute items
such as builder’s plates, capacity on the back
of the tender and test stencils on the air tanks
below the running boards.
Running gear is nicely modeled with accurately sized main and side rods and working
eccentric and combination levers for the Baker
valve gear. The only criticism of the appearance is the toy train length of the drawbar. The
distance between the cab footplate and tender
is 2-1/2 scale feet - a long step for the fireman.
This 0-8-0 has the now common split frame
and skew wound motor. Pickups are on all 16
wheels. Tender pickups are sled type.
(Walthers used the preferred cone type pickups in the 2-8-8-2.) All drivers are gear driven
and the side rods are pinned to the first three
sets. The fourth set has traction tires and
another set without traction tires is included in
the box. The result is a very smooth and quiet
running engine. With exceptionally clean track
I coaxed 3 to 4 scale mph at 2 to 2.2 volts out
of my 0-8-0. A more reasonable expectation
for low speed might be somewhere above 5
scale mph at 2.5 volts. Top speed at 12 volts is
around 70 scale mph.
Careful installation of the six wire harness
between the engine and tender will result in
pulling ability of around ten cars on straight
level track, acceptable for switchers on smaller
layouts. The delicate wires will not stand
abuse and using tweezers to hold the plug
while plugging it in is suggested. The angle of
the wires coming out of the plug is also important. If they are not angled down enough, the
engine will tend to lift reducing pulling power.
When angled down too far the tender will lift
making pickup poorer. A 15 degree angle
downward has been suggested.
Sometimes the drawbar is too
tight to allow up and down flexing between the engine and tender. Correct this by loosening
the drawbar screw one turn. Also
cut off the tabs on the top of the
drawbar if the wires hang up on
them. Pulling may also be reduced on uneven track and upgrades where the drivers tend to
slip due to the rigid frame.
The tender has a socket for
plugging in a DCC decoder.
There is space for only a small decoder and the
plug may be too high preventing reinstallation
of the shell. If so, cut off the plug and solder on
a smaller plug.
Please do not be put off by the excess of
negative comments repeated over and over in
a thread on the Atlas forum as this engine, like
most, is not perfect but still is a nice engine.
(The same thread is also interspersed with
nuggets of very valuable advice about the 0-80.) Those interested in ready-to-run should be
aware that the engine and tender are shipped
separately and require plugging in and adjustWheel arrangement: 0-8-0
Type: switcher
Mfr.: Walthers
Prototype: USRA
Price in MR ad.: US$124.99
Engine weight: 1.6 oz.
Driver dia.: 51 scale inches
Gear ratio: 28:1
Tender weight: 1.0 oz.
Rating: 8.0
Comments: Beautiful smooth runner.
Delicate wiring harness.
ing the delicate wiring harness and screwing
in an eyeglass size screw, with a washer, to
attach the drawbar. A magnetic Phillips screwdriver helps with the screw.
Like most steamers not made in Japan, quality control varies, so it is best to test run in the
store before buying or recognize that it may be
necessary to send the engine back for repair or
replacement. The one year warranty asks that
$15 accompany returns but, depending on the
problem, Walthers may send the check back
with the repaired engine.
Those interested in modifying the engine to
improve appearance and performance might
consider a shorter drawbar and improve pulling by adding weight to the engine (there is
ample room) and by lowering the rear drivers
with a .005 inch shim. Those using only DC
could also replace the wiring harness with two
more flexible wires.
This 0-8-0 is a good looking smooth running engine with moderate pulling ability when
the wiring harness is correctly adjusted. Because the prototype was so widely used, this
model should be welcome on all steam era
pikes.
Page 15
Front view or the Ottawa VIA station with the Bus Transitway in the
foreground. Opened in 1967 this station still looks modern.
Small Trains in a Big Station
Story and photos from John Kabesh.
Last year the Ottawa Valley N Trak club
was invited to put together a layout in the
Ottawa, Ontario VIA Rail Station as part of
“Doors Open Ottawa”, a programme that opens
up many public and private building to the
public. Not having a permanent location we
jumped at the chance to get in an extra set up.
It turned out to be a perfect location for NTrak. Once we moved a few rows of seats out
of the way there was plenty of room for a 26’
by 18’ oval layout in the lobby. We were able
to unload the modules at the main entrance,
only a few feet way from the layout site.
There were plenty of spectators to keep us
motivated; mostly passengers waiting for outbound trains. In-between departures we had
the station to ourselves and could run multiple
DCC trains without fear of interruption. Past
experience has taught us the perils of running
more than one train per line when there are
spectators asking questions. Not that some of
us don’t try.
Our club uses a Digitrax Empire Builder
DCC system with wireless throttles. The UR91
receivers have been mounted in plastic cases
that can be easily clamped to the back boards.
The DCC system and power supply are
mounted in an inexpensive plastic tool case. It
takes no longer to set up the DCC system than
it did the Aristo Throttles we were using
before. We still do use Aristo Throttles on the
Red Line if a club member brings non-DCC
locomotives but this is happening less and
less.
Corner view of the layout. Goose neck lamps are an inexpensive way of
improving the poor lighting.
Page 16
The bus we use to transport our modules makes quite the impression
with its’ distinctive “Warbonnet” paint scheme. A converted school bus,
it easily accommodates a large layout. The bus is owned by Mike Hind
a long time member of the club and our current club president
Of course we also had the opportunity to
many see many 1:1 scale trains. Laying between Montreal and Toronto, Ottawa in on the
busiest passenger route in Canada. Several
VIA passenger trains came and went during
the show. There was also some interesting
maintenance of way vehicles to photograph.
I think it is fair to say that everyone enjoyed
this show and hope to return to the Ottawa
Station again.
2 snowplows sit near the end of the platform waiting for next winters work.
Page 17
VIA 911 on the Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto run.
VIA 6406 in Spiderman colours pulls a rack of RDC passenger cars.
One of several Maintenance of
Way vehicles on a siding at the
station.
This view shows the lift
bridge module that provided
easy access. I does not use cut
off switches so a good eye
and sense of timing are
required. So far there have
been no accidents.
Page 18
The New Athearn N Scale 4-8-8-4 Big Boy
Photos and Text by Tony Hines
The Big Boy is a welcome addition to many
steam rosters. It is an iconic locomotive that
many will own just to have one. The last
opportunity to purchase a new Big Boy was
the Con-Cor Rivarossi release, which hasn’t
been available new for about twenty years.
Before the arrival of the Athearn engine, used
Con-Cor Big Boys could command around
$400 in the resale market, so demand for the
engine has been very strong. Athearn has
made their engine available with dual mode
DC/DCC and sound at a retail price of $450
and with a street price under $350. Athearn’s
first offering of large N scale steam was last
year’s Challenger. On the release of the Challenger, most believed that the Big Boy would
not be far behind. This is the same pattern
followed in the HO scale releases. If this
pattern continues, UP fans may have an FEF3 Northern in fairly short order as that was
recently announced for the HO market.
The Big Boy arrived in my
hobby shop the same day as the
Kato GS4 and Daylight passenger set. The packaging
matches that of the Challengers
with the locomotive arriving in
a large blue box with gold lettering. Inside the box the loco
was nestled in foam and sleeved
in a two piece clear plastic
cradle. Also in the box is a
comprehensive instruction
manual and the remote control
for operating the locomotive
and sounds in DC mode. The
manual lists the history of the
engine and features some nice
exploded views with a parts
listing should the engine need
repair. So far Athearn has been very responsive to the few problems reported. Most modelers have had their locomotives back on their
layouts in under two weeks.
Modelers will find an incredibly well painted
and detailed rendition of the Big Boy inside
the packaging. A multitude of separately applied parts add to the realism of the locomotive. The lettering is crisp and even the smallest lettering is readable. Even though the engine has an enclosed all weather cab, backhead
detail is present. Plenty of room is available to
add a crew inside the cab. The size of the
engine is most impressive. It will dwarf everything else on most layouts. Micro-Trains couplers come standard on the tender, and an
option exists to replace the scale pivoting
front pilot coupler with an operating magnetic
coupler.
The locomotive uses a stretched version of
the Challenger chassis. Mechanically it is like
a diesel; a skewed 5 pole motor with dual
flywheels drives each engine, or driver set,
Page 19
through a universal and worm. The universal
joint is also the pivot point for each engine.
The frame is one piece and is not electrically
live. All drivers pick up current that is transferred to the circuit board via flexible wires.
The worm drives a worm gear and then one
driver per engine. The geared driver has a
traction tire installed. The remaining drivers
on each engine are driven exclusively by the
siderods.
All of the primary electronics are housed in
the tender. Five wires connect the locomotive
to the tender; two transfer pickup power, two
power the motor, and one is for the headlight.
The drawbar that connects the loco to the
tender is a kinematic style that maintains the
minimum distance between the loco and the
tender on even the tightest of curves.
The centipede tender has pickup on 10 of the
12 wheels. The rear most axle is not live. The
Page 20
front truck of the tender uses needlepoint
pickup while the remaining axles use wipers
on the back of the wheels. Also housed in the
tender is the dual mode decoder and speaker.
The speaker has its own enclosure for better
bass response. I have experience with
Athearn’s HO counterpart to these locos, and
the Big Boy and Challenger share the same
tender features. This is true with the N Scale
offerings as well. This may worry some people
because of odd issues others have had with
Challengers. Reports of Challenger tender
meltdowns caused by a decoder short circuit
exist. The problem has only affected a few
people, but it seems to happen to them repeatedly. I have talked to a few of these modelers
that also now have Big Boys, and presently no
problems have been reported with their 4-8-84. Perhaps this problem is one the Big Boy will
not share with the earlier Challenger.
The locomotive proved it
could handle any task I handed
it on my test loop. My test
track is a folded dogbone of
Kato Unitrack that contains 11”
and 9-3/4” radius curves; two
195 degree radius reverse corners are back to back with 12”
straights between them.
My first run of the engine
was by itself on DC not using
the remote. The loco comes to
life at a little over 1/3 throttle.
Sounds come to life and the
directional lighting is illuminated. The loco will literally
crawl a tie at a time, so the
minimum speed is not measurable. Top speed on DC feels
about right, though I doubt
many modelers will run the engine wide open.
The valve gear becomes a blur, and the sounds
combine into a jumble of noise at that speed.
The real fascination of the loco is to watch it
run at 15-20 smph and listen to it “hitting on all
cylinders”. Speed can be controlled by the
throttle or the remote when running in DC
mode. Athearn suggests setting the voltage on
one’s throttle to 12 V and using the remote
control for best control over the sound effects.
When using the remote this way, the first
speed step is a pretty big jump. For slow speed
operation and switching, Athearn suggests
using the DC throttle instead of the remote to
get better control. I think using the throttle
gives better control in DC with some practice.
The hardest part to sense is the point where the
loco is stopped but enough voltage is still
available for the electronics. With practice of
this method, operators can control direction
using the throttle instead of relying on the remote.
Six of the sounds, including
the bell, whistle, “All Aboard!”
and a few others can be accessed by the DC remote. To
gain control of all 12 available
sounds, one would need either
the MRC Black Box or a DCC
system. Amazing to me is how
well the chuff is timed to the
drivers without any kind of cam
or triggering system. Athearn
did their homework on the settings. About the only sound
they missed doing well is the
stock whistle, which is too soft.
Two or three of the 18 different whistles sound
more appropriate to the engine. Aside from
some Pentrex tapes of Big Boys I have never
heard a Big Boy in person. One can select the
bell and whistle sound using the analog remote or by using the F9 (Whistle Select) in
DCC. Some people have complained about
the limited range with the DC remote, but I
have experienced a range of about 8 feet—
plenty for the average layout. Those owning
more than one engine complain that one remote controls any engine in range. This was
discovered when Challenger owners wanted
to run their new Big Boy at the same time and
both locos responded to the same commands.
After playing with the bells and whistles a
while, I thought it time to put the loco to the
test and see what it could pull. I kept adding
cars trying to stop the loco, but I ran out of cars
around the test track at 45. I could definitely
Dimensions
Measured Size Scale Size
414”
66.24”
Prototype
68” .
460”
73.6”
N/A
Driver Wheelbase 1.417”
18’10”
18’3”
Total Wheelbase
Pilot to Trailer
74’8”
72’51/2”
133’4”
130’91/2”
Driver Diameter
@ Tread
Driver Diameter .
@ Flange
5.604”
Overall Length
10”
Pilot to rear of tender
Page 21
notice needing to add more throttle to get the
train rolling, but the Big Boy never slipped
and never derailed, even on the 9-3/4” radius
corners I was having trouble keeping the rolling stock on the track, but not the loco. I
removed about 20 cars so I could do some
reliable running and set the loco to work.
Putting the loco at a nice 15-20 smph pace the
loco chugged around for 10 minutes or more
without any excitement. Part of my test loop
has a short 2% grade and with the loco cruising around at slow speed, I could hear the load
compensation kicking in on the grade. The
chuff sound changed to match the load and the
speed without touching the controls.
I was hoping to resist this engine, but after
playing with this one, I’m not sure I will be
able to. I was looking to this engine for one
reason only, I am in process of building a B &
O EM-1 2-8-8-4 and was hoping that this
chassis would be a good modern option instead of the Rivarossi units that I have now for
the build. Unfortunately because of the drive
arrangement, I cannot use the mechanism for
the build, but that probably won’t keep me
from purchasing one. My wife’s grandfather
Page 22
was a UP engineer who commanded both
Challengers and Big Boys, so I have a soft spot
for these giant locos.
A Big Boy will eventually finds its way into
my roster.
All aboard!!
Backhoe style
This photo sequence
was sent by member John
Danti, along with other
correspondence. I thought
it worth sharing with our
readers.
At a road crossing, a
backhoe gets ready for its
next assignment. In the
first photo, the front scoop
is resting on the tops of the
sides of a hopper car
loaded with ballast. Note
that there are outrigger
supports on either side of
the front bucket.
Now the front of the tractor has been lifted higher
with the front bucket.
There are also outriggers
just behind the front
wheels.
The rear stabilizers have
now lifted the rear wheels
well off the pavement and
the rear bucket has been
shifted backwards.
The Backhoe story continues on page 26.
Page 23
New N Scale Modeling
by Lee
www.T-TRAK.org
e-mail: [email protected]
SUGGESTION FOR STANCHIONS
SAFE+++++STURDY+++++STORABLE
Show Location--Las Vegas, Nevada, the Sands Convention Center--2004
SET-UP COMPLETED--EVENING BEFORE THE SHOW
I was invited to bring my 50ft. of HO Carnival and Circus and Leeweenee Park-(Hot Dog
Carnival rides and Hot Wheel Hot Dog Cars). Of course, a T-TRAK layout went along, too.
Many times, at large conventions, stanchions are provided. For Local Shows or personal
displays, the choice and method of building is your selection. My stanchions have worked, very
well. Easy to build and assemble at shows and compact for storage.
The important feature is the extra rope strung through the cross tee
in the center of the pipe. See Photo.
This keeps the little ones from walking right through. Stanchions are usually 2ft. from the
modules for two people to pass each other-but depends on your space, too. The method of
building is your choice, also. Stanchion height about table height or a little higher.
Page 24
1" PVC pipe Schedule 40"
Standard T at top--for top rope.
PVC Standard Cross-about the center of the pipe.
Add bottom adapter. Fit a 1/2" plywood disc tight and glue into bottom of adapter and a 1/4"
T nut that will screw to your base. Slip pipe into --1" to 2" adapter, at bottom.
FLAT HEAD SCREWS WILL HOLD THE PIPE TO THE BASE. This is the assembly step
at shows. Pipes and bases can be stored separately.
Using 16" square Stanchion bases, 1/2" or 5/8" plywood with corners cut to make an 8 sided
base. (Removes sharp Corners .Strong--easily seen base-no problem with tripping folks).
Drill and countersink for flat head, 1/4"-20 machine screw.
Test fit parts before glueing with PVC cement.
Short ropes slipped through the fittings make them easy to carry, then store. The 8-sided bases
stack, easily.
Whichever style of stanchion you use, try to add the center rope- it did deter the toddler group.
Another successful show!
Modules-Packed-Homeward-Bound
Page 25
In this photo the stabilizers have been retracted and
the rear bucket has been
used to lift the tractor up
even higher.
With the tractor almost
level, the rear bucket is used
to shift the front wheels
onto the hopper car.
With the rear wheels on
the hopper, the tractor
moves forward and the rear
stabilizers rest on the top
edge of the hopper. The
stabilizaers keep the unit
from shifting while unloading the next car.
Page 26
The hopper and backhoe
have now been coupled to
another loaded hopper car
and the backhoe is scooping out ballast for the tractor on the ground to spread
where needed.
A great animation project
for a NTRAK Module!
Nn3 continued from page 6.
2. Narrowing the N scale
Goose to Nn3 by Roy Stevens.
3. How to design a Laser Cut
Kit by Marshall Thomson.
4. Creating highly detailed
master mold patterns by Greg
Scott.
5. Building the Nn3 Auto indexing Turntable by Bruce Hunt.
6. Scenery in Nn3.
7. Tour of Design Patterns in
Portland by Ryan Thomson.
8. Progress on the Unit 50 and
51 Models by Marshall Thomson.
9. What should we do about
Chassis for Nn3 Locomotives,
an Nn3 Discussion.
10. Building reliable track in
Nn3 by TBA.
11. Snap Modules -- tight tolerance fast assembly modules for
Nn3 by Andreas Parks.
12. Railroad Photography by
Tim Mulina.
13. Etching Metal Sheets
(Brass, Nickel Silver) by TBD.
14. Installing DCC controllers
in Nn3 Locomotives.
15. Upcoming RLW products
by Marshall Thomson et. al.
16. How to use the Nn3 Wiki
on the RLW web site by Bruce
Hunt.
17. Is it time to update The Nn3 Handbook?
18. The state of The Nn3 Alliance by Tom
Knapp.
Page 27
Three more photos of scenes on Marshall Thomson’s
Nn3 layout, which will be open and operating at The Nn3
Symposium. Photos by Bruce Hunt.
Page 28
Greenberg Shows
June 7-8 • 2008
July 12-13 • 2008
August 2-3 • 2008
August 9-10 • 2008
August 23-24 • 2008
Somerset, NJ
Monroeville, PA
Timonium, MD
Edison, NJ
Chantilly, VA
Garden State Exhibit Center
Pittsburgh Expo Mart
Maryland State Fairgrounds
New Jersey Expo Center
Dulles Expo Center
Greenberg Shows, PO Box 34, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Phone 630-279-4087, Fax 240-597-4482
E-Mail [email protected]
Information on future NTRAK layouts,
meets or conventions is being gathered by
NTRAK Director, Dave Porter:
<[email protected]>
PO Box 3618, Parker, Co 80134
303-841-7365
Please submit your information to Dave.
If you would like to join in with a module in a
layout, please contact the layout coordinator
listed for that event well ahead of time. There
most likely will not be room, if you just show
up the morning of a show, unannounced.
Apr 24-27, 2008 Winslow, AZ
Winslow Railroad Days, NTRAK Layout, Contact:
John Scott, [email protected] http://home.comcast.net/
~tucsonntrak/
[email protected]
www.2008-national-N-ScaleConvention.com
502-895-6578
146,000 sq. feet of convention space, very large NTRAK
layout. See page 9 fr details
May 23-24, Lake Junaluska, NC
NMRA SER Convention, Terrace Hotel, Train & dealer
show at Fairgrounds via shuttle busses. 17 clinics, contest.
Contact Fred Coleman, (828) 699-0983.
[email protected]
Jul 13 -19, 2008, Anaheim, CA
NMRA National Train Show, Anaheim Convention
Center. Large NTRAK Layout. For Info.see page 11 or
www.socaln.com
Jun 25 - 29, 2008, Louisville,KY
]2008 National N Scale Convention, Kentucky International
Convention
Center,
Paul
Downs,
Note: We try to include any information about NTRAK or N
scale layouts that will be at the events listed. If you send in a
notice, please include that information. If space is tight,
notices that don't mention N scale will not be published. Jim.
2009
2009
2010
2010
2011
2012
Hartford, CT NMRA National Train Show
Edison, NJ
National NTRAK Show ?
Milwaukee, WI NMRA National Train Show
Richmond. VA National NTRAK Show
Sacramento, CA NMRA National Train Show
Grand Rapids, MI, NMRA National Train
Show
Page 29