Bell Mountain in H.O. Scale

Transcription

1 April 2012 Issue - Page 1 Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club s Newsletter Bell Mountain in H.O. Scale Story and Pictures by Lynn McCurdy It was a dark and stormy sunny day after sunset when the TLRC H.O. group decided to build four new corner modules. After much talk and planning, at least one weekend, it came about that some of the TLRC's finest and not so began building the new corners. And Lo, they made it to the last show. But we looked upon them and said "they look nice, like plywood. They need something". SCENERY!!! Somewhere I heard a little voice say "Lynn, give it a shot". So began months of looking at a barren piece of plywood with two sets of track. Now, it was advised, if I wanted to make a mountain, it had to be able to fit thru a normal door way. But in my mind, I wanted a grand hill (mountain) like John Bell's place. So, the idea came up to have a lift off scenery component for the corner module. And so it happened. Piece by piece I got started. First the large storage building of John's was fabricated and then his house and then the observation platform. The house was the hardest to model, what I came up with was not really "like" his, but close enough. The observation platform was the most fun to construct. Built from items I purchased years ago (no kidding), bits and pieces and tooth picks. The hill at first didn't look like much, and the first try had a Star Trek accident, it went WARP speed, well it WARPED anyways. I found something better than regular plywood and I was pleased. One of the High Desert Modular Model Railroad Club (HDMMRC) members came by and inspired me to GET with it. Trees that I had already collected and using simple things like ALBAHACA ENTERA, you know, stuff everyone has laying around. Oh, common name "Basil Leaves" for leaves under the oak trees and other scenery items. It is shaping up quite well. Some minor touches and then to cover the corner modules top that is exposed between the lift off top and Vola', it will be ready for the show on the 21 st of April. Come on out to see if John attempts to move some of his G scale models into the storage building!!

2 April 2012 Issue - Page 2 Bell Mountain in H.O. Scale Part II Pictures by Lynn McCurdy and Story by Marlan Woodside Behind the Scenery Lynn wanted to maintain the slimness of the corner module design, so he decided to have the scenery NOT be integrated into the module itself, but instead be removable. What you see in the picture to the right is his creative approach to meet this requirement. The framework that outlines the mountain is able to lay just outside the roadbed of the curves that comprise the corner module. The Storage Building If you have talked with Lynn about his modeling experiences, you know that he keeps a constant eye out for models, bits and pieces of ANYTHING that he thinks fits his picture of what he is modeling. From the picture to the left, it appears that he has found or made a very close reproduction of John Bell s storage building. Almost begs that you remove the roof to see if Lynn has modeled the contents of the real building!! The House that John Built Taking a look at the picture on the right, you can see that Lynn has managed to find or build a reasonable copy of the real thing. We will have to see at the 21/22 April train show if Lynn was able to also construct the trestle that runs from the driveway to the front door of the real thing and what about that H.O. scale version of John s G scale railway surrounding the house...ok, that might be TOO much detail!!! The Observation Platform Talk about detail, now you won t find this model at Trains Etc. or anywhere else, cause Lynn scratch built this one. I am not sure which of the figurines represent John Bell, but Lynn certainly has captured the look and feel of the platform you will find on the hillside just below John s house. If you have been to the real thing, you know that it affords the foamer an excellent view of the real trains traversing the rails.

3 April 2012 Issue - Page 3 Andy Maffei the Airbrush Artist Picture and Story by Marlan Woodside A recent issue of Model Railroader encouraged the reader to give airbrushing a try. I don t know about you, but once I started looking into the components they appear to be intimidating. If you feel this way, wouldn t it be great to have someone to walk you through what it takes to overcome that intimidation? We are in luck, at the 21/22 April TLRC train show; we will have such an opportunity. Andy Maffei is an experienced (over thirty five years) and local (lives in Tehachapi) airbrush artist that has had his work and articles published in Fine Scale Modeler. Andy assures me that If you make a mistake you can fix it, just don t be afraid of it. Practice makes perfect, nobody gets it right the first time out. Andy says even after thirty five years of using the airbrush he never feels the end result is perfect, but once you see some of the results that he has achieved you will wonder why he feels that way, must be the artist in him. In agreeing to conduct a demonstration at the TLRC train show, Andy will address many aspects of what is involved with airbrushing. Any painting job requires preparation of the article to be painted, priming, painting, sanding, finishing, and of course cleaning your painting equipment. It sure sounds like a lot, but once you see Andy in action you will gain an appreciation for how effort less the process can become once you get the hang of it. While Andy will admit that he possesses an artist vein, even those that don t feel they possess an artistic DNA can still, with practice, practice, practice produce satisfactory results that will keep them motivated to do more and more with their airbrush. In his demonstration Andy will cover air brush techniques, surface preparation, common painting problems, cleaning and maintenance, masking mediums, paint/thinner types and uses, dull coat/clear coat applications, decal applications, glues and application, rusting and weathering tips, and has offered to address any questions you may have. So make sure you attend either the Saturday or Sunday 1pm session and overcome any fears you may have about airbrushing.

4 April 2012 Issue - Page 4 Folsom Valley Railway Story by Marlan Woodside The Folsom Valley Railway ( ) has been in continuous operation since It is the only 12 inch gauge railroad remaining in the United States, and only one of seven miniature scale replica steam-powered railroads in public operation. The Railway operates one of two scale authentic miniature steam engines on a 3/4 mile of track. The open car round trip ride lasts approximately 10 minutes. The Folsom Valley Railway is beautifully situated in Folsom City Park along with the Public Library and City Zoo. Visit the zoo or library, ride the train ($2.00 fee) and enjoy lunch in picnic areas. Approximately 25 miles east of Sacramento, the street address is 50 Natoma Street, Folsom, California. Operating hours February 1 through May 31: Tuesday through Friday 11:00AM to 2:00PM Saturday and Sunday 11:00AM Engine '3001' The 3001 is a black heavy Atlantic oil firer locomotive. The Engine weighs 4,000 pounds, is 16 feet long and has 16-inch drivers Engine 'Cricket' The Cricket is a 12 inch narrow gauge locomotive that was built in 1950 by Erich Thompson in Berkeley, California. It ran in Tilden Park for 20 years. In 1970 the engine and coaches were sold and brought to the Folsom City Park where it has been in continuous operation.

5 April 2012 Issue - Page 5 TLRC Business Meeting Stationmaster s Report 1. Superintendent Theresa Bruno called the meeting to order at 10:06am. 2. Members/Guests: Due to the inclement weather, attendance was low. There were no guests. 3. Stationmaster s Report: Mike Bruno made a motion to approve the February, 2012 minutes, Phil Cornyn seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 4. Paymaster s Report: Mike Bruno made a motion to pass the February 2012 paymaster s report, Ron Snyder seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 5. Committee Reports: March 17th, 2012 at Kelcy s Restaurant A) Publicity: Mike Schmidt will add the Air Brush demonstration to the flyer for the April 21 st &22 nd show. Andy Maffei will give a daily demonstration on air brushing techniques at 1:00pm in the room at the entrance to the West Park Activity Center. The AV N Scalers will not be joining TLRC for the April show, but will be joining the August show. B) Promotions: Louise Bailey reports that she is all set for the show. We will be raffling an HO train set and a 6-moth membership for recruitment. Theresa Bruno will contact Carol Westover from Friends of the Depot (FOTD) to finalize the details for the Bake Sale. Each member is asked to commit to manning the table for 1 hour. 5. Committee R e p o r t s : (Concluded) C) H o s p i t a l i t y : Ann Tuma was not present at the meeting. No activity was known. D) Membership : Per Theresa Bruno membership is holding at 39 members. E) Historian: Rex Welker was not present for the meeting, nothing to report. F) Loop Editor: Marlan Woodside encouraged everyone to submit articles and photos for the newsletter. Theresa has offered to help anyone wishing to submit an article by providing proofreading, editing and suggestions as needed. She has years of experience and will gladly assist. G) Show Coordinator: Rex Welker is coordinating the April show. All scales need to let him know their layout sizes so that he can plan accordingly. Debra suggested that we add a donation box to our wooden train area. If the trains are set up near the N scale module, she will attend the donation box. 6. Scale Chair Reports: A) N Chris Howard reports that he will only be bringing the clubs module to the April show. B) HO The High Desert Modular Model Railroad Club (HDMMRC) will be adding a few modules to the TLRC layout at the April show according to Mike Bruno. C) Toy Trains Doug Pickard was not present, Theresa Bruno will him to confirm that he is able to be at the April show. D) G John Bell says that he will be there as long as someone will haul the trailer. There were several volunteers. Stationmaster s Report Continued on Page 5

6 TLRC Business Meeting April 2012 Issue - Page 6 Stationmaster s Report March 17th, 2012 at Kelcy s Restaurant 7. Old Business: A) Caboose Trailer: Steve Pruitt, with the help of AAA is changing the title to TLRC. Phil Cornyn will provide storage. B) Board Nomination Committee: Phil Cornyn will head the nomination committee. Marion Terrazas and Wilson James will be assisting. C) Boy Scout Outreach Update: Marlan Woodside attended the March 13 th meeting of the FOTD and found that they have an education committee that is already working with the Boy Scouts. This may explain the lack of response to Wilson s inquiries. FOTD have an aggressive program that includes a traveling and permanent library. Marlan suggested that Louise Bailey may want to donate some of Clark s magazine collection to the library. 8. New Business: A) Board Nominees: Marlan brought it to our attention that per the by-laws, we need to put together a nomination committee in March (4 months prior to the Annual meeting) The nominees would then be announced in May and voting would take place in June. 9. Roundtable Discussion: A) Open House in Rosamond: Pat Ray and Tami McCoy, friends of Theresa and Mike Bruno s are having an open house for the TLRC on 05/12/12. We are all invited to come and run trains and share in homemade beverages. Theresa will send out a flyer with their address. B) Exhibit at Twenty Mule Team Museum: Chris Howard did not have an update at this time. 9. R o u n d t a b l e D i s c u s s i o n (Concluded): C) Mountain Crossing Stuff : Wilson has stuff from the Mountain Crossing exhibit. He will bring it to the April show for members to peruse. D) Live Steam Opportunity: At the recent show in Bakersfield, Mike was informed that the group that provides the live steam ride is breaking up and selling their inventory. 10. Upcoming Events: A) April 21 st and 22 nd - TLRC train show. West Park Activity Center. Saturday 10:00am 5:00pm, Sunday 10:00am 4:00pm. B) April 28 th The first phase of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's new light-rail Expo Line will open to the public. The first phase will take commuters 8.6 miles between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City at speeds of up to 55 mph. When fully built, the Expo Line will transport riders from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica in 46 minutes with 19 stops. It will be the first light-rail line into the Westside since the days of the Red Car trolleys and is expected to become one of the most heavily used light-rail in the country. The second phase will extend the line from Culver City to Santa Monica. C) May 12 th TLRC monthly meeting Saturday 10:00am at Kelcy s Restaurant. D) June 9 th TLRC monthly meeting Saturday 10:00am at Kelcy s Restaurant. 11. Superintendent: Theresa Bruno adjourned the meeting at 10:45am. As recorded and submitted by Debra Howard, Stationmaster

7 From the desk of the Paymaster Mike Schmitt, the following reports are provided for your review April 2012 Issue - Page 7 TLRC FINANCIAL REPORTS You are reading a special edition of the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club newsletter. (You didn t want to read our financials anyway, did you?) We hope you enjoy reading about our activities and hope your interest in our club has been ignited such that you might consider joining in the fun with us! We are a non-profit organization that fosters the interests of our members in the hobby of railroading and modeling of railroads as well as seeking out railroad adventures to further our understanding and love of trains. We put on an occasional show or two as well over at West Park in Tehachapi and meet the second Saturday of each month at Kelcy s Diner (across the street from the Depot) in Tehachapi. Stop on by we d love to have you join us.

8 TLRC OFFICERS Superintendent Theresa Bruno n/a Dispatcher Linda Gordon Stationmaster Debra Howard Paymaster Mike Schmitt st. Inspector Wilson James nd. Inspector Marlan Woodside ADMINISTRATORS/CHAIRPERSONS Activities: Scale Chairs: Conductor Ann Tuma N Chris Howard Historian Rex Welker HO Mike Bruno Hospitality Ann Tuma Toy Trains Steve Pruitt Loop Editor Marlan Woodside O Vacant Membership Theresa Bruno G John Bell Web Designer Jack Fowler Promotions Louise Bailey Publicity Mike Schmitt Ways & Means Vacant Event Coordinator Vacant Website Address: TLRC Address: tlrc_club@hotmail.com April 2012 Issue - Page 8 Loop Editor s Corner As usual, my work schedule has once again gotten the best of me and I am running late in getting the latest news and reports of our club s March activities to you...apologies! I appreciate the scenery expertise, article and pictures provided by Lynn McCurdy of TLRC and HDMMRC regarding his HO scale model of Bell Mountain that will grace one of the HO corner modules. I can t wait till the April TLRC show to see John Bell s reaction. Speaking of the April show, I hope everyone is planning to attend and will catch either the Saturday or Sunday 1pm Airbrush demonstration to be conducted by Andy Maffei. I appreciate Andy volunteering his time to share his expertise and love of airbrushing. I hope that all of you members in good standing are thinking about serving your TLRC in some capacity as a board member. Phil Cornyn, Mario Terrazas and Wilson James are your Nomination Committee contacts, give them a call. Marlan Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Monthly Newsletter of the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Post Office Box 876 Tehachapi, CA Table of Contents Bell Mountain in H.O. Scale.Page 01 Bell Mountain Part II...Page 02 Andy Maffei Airbrush Artist Page 03 Folsom Valley Railway...Page 04 Stationmaster Report...Page 05 Stationmaster Report...Page 06 Paymaster Report...Page 07 Officers & Contacts...Page 08 Next Meeting Date (Note Date Change): NEXT MEETING till 14 April 10am Location: Kelcy s Restaurant 110 West Tehachapi Boulevard