So simple it may just work

Here is my very basic plan of Revere Street in Bend Oregon. It will feature a number of buildings I have built along with a set of working crossing flashers to protect the two mains. Simple plan, simple post. Keep tuned for progress.

A new module to get things moving

I have had two modules sitting in my garage since I left Kansas almost 5 years ago and although I have had great plans for them, I just have not really ever gotten them anywhere more then a few good drawings. I had also built a number of building models with plans to add the to a module at some date but never really had a plan for them either. With that in mind I dismantled the two modules and built a single double track module. This module will be loosely based on Revere St. in Bend Oregon.  For now I plan to get the track up an running in the coming week as I am going to share it with a local train club here in Lewiston Idaho.

WPM RPM 2016

I attended my First ever Western Prototype Modelers RPM meet on April 30th 2016 in Bellflower California. This was only the second such type of event I have attended, the other being the MCPM meet that I use to coordinate back in Kansas. I made a few observations about the event, and not that anyone asked, but here is my opinion. 

Location:
I for one liked the location, I know it was not a cool train station like it had been in the past, but it was well light, well equipped and there was plenty of room for vendors and displays.

Display and Vendors:
The tables had the leg extensions on them which brought them closer to the viewer, which was a nice touch. Also they were all covered in table clothes. There were cards for each person to fill out regarding who's model was where. I personally would have also placed a few more "Please Do Not Touch" signs on the tables as a gentle reminder.

Swap Meet:
I think having the Swap Meet was a Great idea, it probably could have been fit inside the building as there were a number of vacant tables. This may have been from the fact there was a major event going on in Fullerton that day and also with it being a new location it is hard to determine what attendance and space requirements will be.

Schedule:
Although a schedule had been posted it seemed to be a very fluid thing. The doors to the Swap Meet were not supposed to open to the public until 0830 and the event starting at 0900. When I walked in the door at 0830 there were people already in setting up their display and shopping. Also the events for the day was a moving target. The Clinics had to change times due to some issues, the raffle time changed along with the actual "end" of the event.

Clinics:
I attended both clinics, which were swapped around due to technical difficulties. Both were interesting but I think were thrown for a loop since they had to swap times on the fly. I would have liked to have seen more then two clinics for a the day, but that was all there was.

Raffle:
There was a huge amount of Raffle Prizes which I was very impressed with. I would have bought more tickets but by the time I got out of the second Clinic they were no longer selling tickets. I thought this a bit odd, but it seemed like they were trying to wrap thing up early. Instead of reading off the last four numbers they would draw the tickets and write them down on a whiteboard. Then there was a sense of controlled chaos as everyone compared their numbers to the board and went up to claim their prize. I actually won something as did most people who bought tickets. Due to some poor penmanship and individual ended up not getting their prize as someone else had a similar ticket. They did "make it up" to him by giving him the remaining unclaimed prizes.


Here are a few things I did with the MCPM that seemed to work well and really helped the event move along.

Name Tags:
I understand the 75% of the attendees are from the area and knew each other, but there were a number of people from out of town that I felt had varying levels of interaction with other modelers. We are a small community and I think if each person was provided a name tag they are going to have a better chance of putting a face to a name or online handle. I also say saw great models, but unless the person was hovering near their stuff it was hard to tell who's items were who's.

Announcements:
If you are going to make changes, or have something you would like to let the group know about, make an announcement. Even if only 50% of the people are listening, find the loud guy in the group, clear your throat and let everyone know that in 20 minutes the next clinic will start or "Last call for raffle tickets." If you could use the existing PA system or even bring one it would be even better.

Raffle:
I personally think the raffle looses some of its draw with just drawing the numbers and putting them on the board. I feel calling them out for the group and letting the individuals "Come on Down!" really adds to an event. Also if you have two people pulling numbers it can move along pretty quickly and if someone has not claimed the prize by the time the next item has been collected you can redraw for the first item. Also if done at the end it is a good way to wrap things up, thank your sponsors and those that participated giving the event a more "Formal" closing.

Advertising:
I know this event has been going along for a very long time, but the announcements regarding the time, date, and the NEW location were very much missing on the forums I check. I understand there are a lot of forums, but it should be posted on more then just one or two.

New power for the Madras Layout

I designed the Madras layout to be switched with an SW type locomotive, but did not have one that was ready to go with sound until now. I of course have a few small locomotives, but the are in varying stages of incompleteness and I was not looking to purchase another project. Recently BLI announced a SW1500 and they looked great, but were not really in the cards, so I had not grabbed one. I recently picked up a few projects and found myself with a little extra money, so I went ahead and purchased a Great Northern SW1500 painted in Big Sky Blue. I have tested it out on the layout and the unit runs well. I do need to fix a few spot on the layout as I am not getting great electrical contact in a few spots. This of course was was not a problem for the six axle power I was using before, but made switching hard as the unit was just to big. I am not going to do much to the unit other then maybe change out the hoses and use some Pan Pastels to add a little weathering. This will be for the layout and also a unit I would take to train shows. I do want to do a little programming with the sound and the speed curves, but all very minor items.

Finishing up Track Work

I have finally finished the ballast and weathering of track on my Madras Module. My next project will be to start adding some details, like joint bars, derails, clearance marks and switch stands. I also need to finish the buildings for these modules so I can complete the scenery around the structures. I am also thinking about adding a couple of backdrop sections to better complete the scene.

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!

Well not exactly.

The move from Oklahoma to Idaho was not especially kind to my Deschutes module. Also during the last setup I discovered that the ballast from Arizona Rock and Mineral was magnetic. My plan was to remove all the ballast and  track, then just fix the cork. I was also thinking of adding some signals to the section for added interest. As I was removing the track and ballast I was noticing how heavy this module was. I then remembered that the back of it was a solid piece of 3/4" plywood along with a solid stack of dense foam. I decided that since I was going to redo the track I would redo the hill also. I have decided to reduce the slope of the hill to make it lighter and easier to transport. Also since it will now be a stand alone module I wanted the hill to be more natural and less of a "camel hump." I am trying to save as much of the rock face as I can, but have already lost a large chunk. The plywood will be cut down with a jig saw then I will cut out the inside making a lighter module. I am also tempted to try the Bragdon Geodesic Foam Kit as it is strong, flexible and durable. I will finish clearing off the old scenery and start reworking the hillside and supports. It should not take me long to put it back together if I can find the time to work on it.

Decisions, descisions...

I am nearing a point on my Madras Modules that I am looking to the next project I want to tackle. I have all the buildings figured out for Madras and all the basic scenery completed. Once I get the basic structures roughed in I can then wrap up the main scenery and move to adding details at my leisure. Since this is for training purposes the structures are not going to be super detailed to start, over time if I decide to take them home I may add lighting and more details, but mostly they will just be good representations of what was there.

So with this project winding down my mind start to wander onto what I should do next. I have been debating doing more of Madras or maybe even Redmond but after winning a slide off of Ebay I have decided to return to Bend Oregon. I have always wanted to model the depot and I have already started the underpass at Greenwood Ave. The warehouse across the track from the depot is a neat structure along with the REA building. It would be a simple double track module that I could detail and use in photographing trains and equipment, it would be easy to build and would be a real signature scene.

I also have decided to take my 90 degree module and instead of modeling somewhere in the Deschutes canyon use it to model Canal Place, a street that paralleled the track leading to the Brooks Scanlon mill. I have built a number of houses of the year and not really had a place to put them, this will be a show case of some of my structures along the edge of the layout.