THE MAIN-LINE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALL GAUGE TOY TRAIN ASSOCIATION VOL. 35, NO. 6 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA JUNE 2014

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1 THE MAIN-LINE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALL GAUGE TOY TRAIN ASSOCIATION VOL. 35, NO. 6 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA JUNE 2014 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE A message from the Club President of AGTTA to its membership and all those that help keep the hobby of model railroading alive. Tomorrow s Promise As our day unfolds and we experience it, things come up that we have great success in and others not so much. I imagine many in our community recently woke with great anticipation of Great wonders and amazing things, for their day. (My Father used this expression nearly daily throughout his life.) Mother Nature had other plans however. We can t ignore the recent wild fires and the comparison to the Cedar fire of 2003, but with this conflagration we were much better prepared and informed, we also took evacuation orders seriously. We followed with admiration the efforts of Emergency Service personnel; we felt a unity of HOW-TO CLINIC NO CLINIC IN JUNE Since this month we ll be having our 29 th Annual Open House & Toy Train Meet on Saturday, June 14 th and therefore not having a regular Thursday Meet there will be no How-To Clinic this month. We ll reconvene in July when Jim Weatherford promises another outstanding Clinic. Please keep in mind that Jim is always looking for subjects for future Clinics. If you have an idea please let him know. And better still if you would like to conduct a Clinic yourself that would be outstanding! Just get in touch with Jim and let him know what you have in mind. And as always, thanks! June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

2 THE MAIN-LINE is published around the first of each month. The Main-Line is the official publication of the All Gauge Toy Train Association of San Diego. NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS Please mail or all contributions for publication by the 1 st of the month to: Bill Hohnhorst, Main-Line Editor 8150 Pasadena Avenue La Mesa, CA (619) whohnhorst@cox.net MONTHLY MEETINGS Meets are normally held on the 2 nd Thursday of each month at the Torrey Pines Christian Church, 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North, La Jolla, CA, beginning at 4:30 PM. Big All-Day Saturday Meets are held in June & December. AGTTA CLUB WEBSITE AGTTA OFFICERS & DIRECTORS President Dave Campbell (619) tf121pr@gmail.com Vice President Ken Steele (619) lionel400e@aol.com Secretary Jim Weatherford (619) wxfd@cox.net Treasurer Jon Everett (858) ewtrains@hotmail.com Directors Andy Anderson d724anderson@gmail.com Jim Andrews (619) dangodfrey@aol.com Al Keil (619) awkeil@juno.com Steve Pierce (858) trainyahoo@aol.com Greg Smyth (619) gregsmyth@earthlink.net Immediate Past President Ed Samsen (760) edoptician@yahoo.com Website Coordinator Alan Hamel (858) alanchamel@aol.com community and purpose much like how we felt after the tragedy of 911. I often wonder why it is that this finds a way of diminishing until the next tragedy we face. Americans are very busy folks; we cram as much living or work into each day as we possibly can. This might be a good explanation, if it were not for the cost of our leisure time and the time for the things we enjoy most. Many of us have the mistaken impression there will always be time, perhaps when we finish doing the things that distract us from fully enjoying our lives. Some may think the goal of retirement will be the brass ring of our lives, finally affording the time and energy to do the things we most enjoy. For those that have reached this milestone this may hold true, but even those enjoying their retirement, having the time to do the things they most enjoy, still put off time for themselves. I have recently been learning that the time I have spent not fully enjoying all the things that life has to offer me has not just been a disservice to me but to others. My trains and my train friends play an important part of getting some much needed me time. The hobby of model railroading allows us to escape the fullness of our days and to enjoy spending time with our friends. If you find your day nearly lost without time with your trains, consider calling someone that you have enjoyed trains with in the past and let them know what a great time you had, and how you look forward to the next time you can get together. This call of appreciation and affirmation could be the fuel that tops off the tank of someone who might have had a very challenging day. Your call might be encouraging words, at a most needed time; it may just be what your friend needed to help them see clearly, tomorrow s promise of another opportunity to do, Great wonders and amazing things! Thank you for keeping our hobby alive. Dave F. Campbell - President AGTTA MEMBERSHIP NEWS New Members Jim reports that for another month he did not receive any new memberships. Bummer! But hopefully with our big Open House & Toy Train Meet coming up this month we ll put and end to this streak and we ll be signing up a gaggle of new members at the gathering. Renewals Jim was happy to report that a former member who has been living in Texas for the past few years has returned to SD and rejoined our Club. We welcome back George T. Lengyel who first joined back in He collects Lionel & AF. June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

3 All Gauge Toy Train Association Of San Diego Presents Its 29 th Annual Family Open House & Toy Train Meet SATURDAY, JUNE 14, :30 Table Set Up 8:00 Sellers Set Up 9:00 Open to the Public 11:00 Big Auction 1:00 Giant Raffle FREE ADMISSION & PARKING TORREY PINES CHRISTIAN CHURCH 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North La Jolla (San Diego), CA Delicious Food & Beverages Available At The Open House Visit agtta.com for additional club information ATTENTION SELLERS PRE-PAID 6-FOOT TABLES STILL ONLY $10 EACH! Tables must be reserved by 6 PM, June 8, 2014 Thereafter tables, if available, will be $15 each FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS CONTACT: Anthony Tarantino 6444 Corsica Way, San Diego, CA (858) BIG AUCTION! Buyers & Sellers MUST sign up prior to start of Auction at 10:30 Seller Club Donation of 10% for items sold up to Max of $10.00 per item NO credit card payment will be accepted - Payment should be CASH (Checks will be accepted from Train Club Members (AGTTA, TTOS, TCA, etc.) with current 2014 Membership card and ID only) Ken needs TWO VOLUNTEERS (11 AM-1 PM) to record auctioned items Contact Ken Steele ASAP (619) to volunteer or to get answers to any auction questions you might have. June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

4 MAY MEET RAFFLE RESULTS WINNER ITEM DESCRIPTION SOURCE Clyde Compton K-Line O C&NW S-2 Switcher Diesel Provided by AGTTA Bob Wall Lionel O Red & Grey Crossing Gate Provided by AGTTA Christine Poindexter AMF S NYC Covered Hopper Provided by AGTTA Clyde Compton Weaver O D&RGW 50 Outside Braced Boxcar Provided by AGTTA Caroline Poindexter Lionel O UP Boxcar Provided by AGTTA Steve Mitton Lionel O DSS&A Boxcar Provided by AGTTA Christine Poindexter Atlas O Christmas Kindl Boxcar Provided by AGTTA Christine Poindexter Lionel O #9483 Manufacturers RR Donated by Dennis Drake Caroline Poindexter Lionel O #9875 A & P Reefer Donated by Dennis Drake Scott Moller Atlas N #2362 Hercules Quad Hopper Donated by Ed Jablonsky Scott Moller Atlas N #7922 GTAX Single Dome Tankcar Donated by Ed Jablonsky Bob Wall Framed UP Freight Train Donated by Richard Thomson Christine Poindexter Box of Preiser 1:32 RR People Donated by Ed Jones Scott Moller K-Line Train Transformer & Wire Donated by Ed Jones Caroline Poindexter Yellow Car & Pickup Truck Scale Vehicles Donated by Ed Jones Scott Moller 2007 RR Modeler Magazines Donated by D & S Hobbies Scott Moller 2008 RR Modeler Magazines Donated by D & S Hobbies Christine Poindexter VHS Video: UP The Blue Mountains Donated by Syd Mason Caroline Poindexter 5-Piece Avon Train Set Donated by Jon Everett A Warm & Sincere Thank You! to all you great Members who donated to the May Meet Raffle 2014 Membership Total Jim Weatherford reports that as of June 1 st our 2014 paid up membership total new stands at 136. RADY TRAIN DISPLAY NEWS Here s the latest news from Alan Hamel on the Rady Children s Hospital Train Display. I departed the May AGTTA monthly meeting sooner than normal to correct the problems that you (Andy Anderson) had encountered with the Rady Train Display layout. 1. Thomas was off the track (probably due to children bumping the display) & 2. The Winnie the Pooh car went off the track and tripped the circuit breaker. This also happened last Friday (I received a call from Rady's). And determining that the derailed Winnie the Pooh car was too light in weight at the front of the consist, I moved it to the back, just in front of the caboose. Well... apparently, that didn't solve the problem... soooo... we'll have to add additional weight to that car. Also, the Lionel Whistling Station using an older non-electronic whistle was non-functioning... even though Jim Weatherford repaired it a week earlier. The whistle accessory is probably the most used of anything else on the layout... besides the trains. I removed the Whistling Station and hope to repair it at Pat Archer's tomorrow during our Pat's" session. Thanks so much for informing me of the Rady's problem. Although Richard and I are scheduled to do maintenance on the layout this Saturday, it was important to have it fully operational for Rady's on Friday. I hadn't even replaced the protective plastic window on the train display when a family walked up and started pushing the buttons to run the trains. Then, a father, with his son laying down in wagon-type vehicle (... a medical version of the Radio Flyer wagon), maneuvered him close enough to the activation buttons to run the trains, accessories and the electronic Whistle Station. More than once we ve had families and Rady staff members, who observed Richard Thomson and I "servicing" the layout, approach us and say how much the patients, visitors and staff enjoy the train display. And, on our last visit, a staff member came up and hugged us more than once for offering a fun diversion for those (both children and adults) sitting in a sterile lobby environment... sometimes for hours... with more serious matters on their minds. June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

5 This Rady Children's Train Display is truly a worthwhile collaboration of both the AGTTA and SD3R Model Train Clubs. Thanks for your support! Alan Here s another that Alan shared that demonstrates clearly why this layout is so special to so many people and kids. After volunteering to set up the April AGTTA modular layout exhibit/run at the Model Railroad Museum (Pacific Room) last Monday, Richard Thomson suggested that we stop by Rady's Hospital on the way home to make sure the layout was operational. The assembly of the AGTTA modules and accessories was completed by 3:30pm and we both proceeded to Rady's. As I drove up to the front entrance I could view a mother with her young son "playing" with the trains. By the time I had removed my tools from the trunk of the car and was entering the sliding glass entrance doors the mother had picked up her son to leave... with him bawling all the way. As I passed her I asked "Are the trains running alright?" She replied "Yes, but we HAVE to leave... but he DOESN'T want to go!!!!" I felt sorry for both the mother and child... but, internally, I had to smile with appreciation that the model train display was serving its purpose... providing fun, excitement and a brief diversion from "reality" for everyone, if only for a short while. Alan CLUB NEWS Our Sincere Condolences to Alan Hamel on the recent passing of his beloved father at the age 92. Rail & Trails Tentatively Scheduled To Perform at our All Day Meet Al Keil has made tentative arrangements for the group Rails & Trains to perform at our All Day Meet on the 14 th. They are scheduled to perform from about 10 to 11:30 on the stage at the Hall. This would still allow plenty of time to set up the stage for the Noon Auction. Al has seen them perform a couple of times and has one of their many CDs. Known nationwide in the Folk/Country/Bluegrass circles they have a very mellow sound and should provide a very nice background sound for the Meet. The tentative part of the agreement is to be expected. They normally perform for a fee. Obviously, we are not providing that, so if someone calls them for a performance, that will be their priority. Let s hope we get lucky and they can be with us. Dave Slater On The Small Screen A recent episode of KPBS s Ken Kramer's "About SD" had a very nice feature on the National City Depot Museum including their model train layout. Dave Slater, who is longtime AGTTA Club Member, was interviewed extensively and did a fantastic job of talking about the Museum. Great job Dave. Christmas Dinner Party Date & Location Set The Board is excited to announce that the location for this year s Christmas Dinner Party will be the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel in Mission Valley. Thanks to the efforts of Ken Steele and his lovely wife Patty we ll have one of the best Club Christmas Dinner gatherings ever. It s easy to see why that will be true when you consider the following: central and easy to get to location, plenty of free parking, the 2100 SF Paradise Room, where are delicious Buffet Dinner will be held, will easily handle 100 members and guests plus plenty of room for our Raffle Tables, we ll have the room for up to five hours, outstanding buffet menu, and all this for a super affordable price. The date will be Tuesday, December 2 nd. So mark that date on your calendars now and plan on being with us for what is going to be a fantastic holiday gathering. How-To Clinic Thank You We had another outstanding Clinic at the May Meet thanks to our guest-host Larry Pearson. Larry volunteered to make a presentation on the unique Lionel Whistles. Thank You so much Larry for doing so. Editor s Note I wanted to let you know that in a few days the wife and I will be taking an extended vacation to visit her parents in Spain. I will miss seeing everyone at the Father s Day All Day Meet on June 14 th which I hope all of you will come our and give your full support. And I will not be back in town in time to produce a July MainLine. Sorry about that. But I promise the August issue will be a great one. As always, if you have any questions or concerns or whatever, please don t hesitate to contact any of the Board Members you ll find listed on page 2. Take care, have fun and we ll see you at the August Meet. Bill June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

6 The SDMRRM AGTTA Spring Run Photos by Tom Feldscher & Bob Wall Here are two reports on the Club s recent Spring Run at the SDMRRM. Bob Wall sent along the following: Once again we had a spectacular layout run at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum from May 19 th thru May 30 th. Although not many of our members took advantage of the occasion to run their trains the few of us that did had an outstanding time meeting people from all over the country and world. While the crowds were light it gave us a chance to invite over fifty kids a day to operated the various accessories while their parents took pictures and movies. Just think how these families will enjoy and remember the kid s excitement and our club when they show their movies to others at home and years from now. Once again this event provided a great opportunity to advertise the club s June Open House Meet and solicit new members as the layout was surrounded with amazed onlookers at the CARS Radiator Springs display, operating accessories and the many variations of trains running. This successful event was primarily accomplished by and thanks to the following members who showed up for the setup, operated trains, dismantled the layout and returned it for storage and repairs till our next run at Balboa Park in October. Thank you one and all. Al Keil, Steve Pierce, Mike Quigg, Bart Grey, Marshal Carpenter, Cheryl Lyman, Alan Hamel, Jon Everett, Bob Wall, Jim Weatherford, Greg Smyth, Warrie Leeke, Gary Butzke, Lee Davis, Richard Thomson, Tom Feldscher, Greg Drusch, Lance Hom, Tom Joworski, Ed Samsen, Caroline and Christine Poindexter. Jim Weatherford sent along these observations on the run. The layout performed famously due to the stellar efforts of the super setup crew. Steve Pierce's Mater 45-car Train was a big hit with the little kids and big kids alike. The crossing gates were starting to fail due to extensive use of the center rail O gauge track. But a generous donation from Bill Hungerford of two gates put us back in business. Thanks, Bill!! The tracks were always busy due to the scheduling diligence of Bob Wall. Thanks Bob. And as always we extend a Thank You to Bart Grey for his dedication to the electrical side of the operation. Without Bart, the layout wouldn't run as smoothly. Bob Wall helps a Young Engineer have some fun with action cars while three rails of trains pass by. June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

7 It takes a lot of work by a lot of guys to get the layout down to the Museum June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

8 Here s the operating crew on the Friday before Memorial Day. (From R-L) Gary Butzke - AF S & Standard Gauge, Greg Smyth - Lionel "O" Gauge, Tom Feldscher - AF S Gauge, and co-layout Ring Masters Bob Wall and Lee Davis, who both do an outstanding job of showing the kids the layout! June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

9 NOVEMBER 2007 TECH TIP CARS THAT DERAIL By Jim Weatherford How many times have you retired a favorite boxcar or gondola to the shelf because the *&$% thing won't stay on the track and you can't figure out why? I'm not promising you that this article will address all your problems, but I will assure you that the following common maintenance actions might solve some of them. CLEAN THE WHEELS!! I have scraped dirt, hair, grease, Christmas tree tinsel, and thread off wheels that was built up so heavily that rolling around any curve caused the truck to ride up over the rail. CHECK THAT ALL WHEELS TOUCH THE TRACK - Trucks can become twisted slightly causing one of the wheels not to touch the track. This can be part of your problem. You'll have to twist the truck until it's back in alignment. LOOSE SIDE FRAMES - I've found that loose staking on the truck side frames may cause the car to derail especially when negotiating an O-22 switch. The sloppy side frames allow the wheel to move from side to side creating trucks that are out of gauge. Use a pair of pliers to tighten the stakes and also to bend the side frames so they are perpendicular to the axles. CHECK THE GAUGE - It seems that front trucks on locomotives do become misaligned and it's not always obvious. These wheels are pressed on the axle and are not supposed to move. However, a previous owner may have accidentally changed the gauging. We all know that you would never do that, don't we? Gently tap the axle with a small hammer until the distance between the wheels is correct. Use a truck you know is good or your locomotive as a guide for the spacing. WEAK SPRINGS - The front and rear trucks on toy locomotives are there to make the unit anatomically correct. They don't help guide the front of the locomotive around curves or help distribute the load as on the real behemoths. They will bounce around and come off the track just to cause you misery. Check the springs that help keep the wheels pressed to the track. If they're weak or you're not sure, replace them. LIGHT CARS - If you like to run long consists, and most of us do, then you may experience problems with cars derailing on the curves. There are two ways to ameliorate the problem: move the car toward the rear of the train, or add weight inside the car. As an example, the tender with the 1615 switcher would be difficult to relocate so you'll need to install a 6 ounce lead weight to the middle of the frame. Moving the lightweight cars toward the rear of the train will often solve your derailing problem. Many of the newer cars have plastic trucks and frames and consequently don't stay on the curves well if there are heavy cars behind it. MAINTAIN THE TRUCKS - Make sure the wheels roll freely. You've heard the term 'rolling stock', haven't you? Well we don't want you to have dragging stock, so clean and oil those trucks. You may have to remove and disassemble the trucks to adequately rid them of old grease and corrosion on the axles. Once everything is clean, lubricate the axles at each wheel with lightweight oil. Don't use grease, it will attract dirt and cause you future anxiety. If you still have problems with derailments after trying the solutions suggested above, then look to your track as the possible culprit. O-27 track is especially vulnerable to bends and twists that cause misalignment. The dead give away is if the derailment always occurs at the same area on the track. Who knows? Derailments happen. June PDF Extended Version AGTTA Main-Line

10 Real Railroading Up North Lee Davis s son lives and works in Alaska. He recently sent Lee some pictures of the White Pass RR whose track run right behind his house and the roundhouse is at the end of his street. Lee says you got to love it a train buffs dream surrounded by the White Pass railroad. 10

11 PAT ARCHER S SUPER LAYOUTS Photos taken by Bob Wall & Bill Hohnhorst Again this issue we ll focus on another of the special features of Pat s Downstairs Layout. Here are some pictures of the 15 foot long, 8 track passenger station with platforms. Here one finds an elevated moving walkway across and above eight tracks to a downward moving escalator. This "people mover" was built by Kirk Rummel and is painted the same colors as the Lionel 115 station that it abuts. It is lighted so that one can see the people constantly moving. Over the years Pat has accumulated an extensive collection of passenger cars 11

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19 AGTTA CLUB MEMBER S TRAIN STORES & BUSINESSES Al s Choo Choo Loco Repairs, Layouts & Collections Call: (714) Electric Trains Keep Roland Roland Frandsen Jr. Mon - Fri 9-2 & Sat 9-1 (619) (Please call before coming) Escadera Drive Santee, CA ROCK HOUSE STATION Call Greg Anastopoulos for Hours Cell: (760) rockhousestation@hotmail.com 2505 Main Street, Suite 5 Ramona, CA Yours, Your Fathers or Your Grandfathers Trains stored in a box in a garage for years, Call BOB: Lionel Trains-Restored for new families to enjoy. Also L.G.B. and American Flyer. SUPPORTING BUSINESS Elystoys Lionel, Am Flyer, Marx, Ives, Hot Wheels, Dinky, Aurora Slots Tonka, Tootsietoy, Smith Miller Jean & Dave Ely (515) Steve Bovee, Owner reeds@abac.com 19

20 AGTTA JUNE NEWSLETTER CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 8 Sunday TTOS-SW Open House Meet June 14 Saturday AGTTA All-Day June Meet Dave Campbell (619) June 22 Sunday TTOS-SP Open House Meet J. Keeley (714) July 10 Thursday AGTTA July Meet Dave Campbell (619) July 13 Sunday TTOS-SW Meet July 27 Sunday TTOS-SP Open House Meet J. Keeley (714) Aug 14 Thursday AGTTA August Meet Dave Campbell (619) ALL GAUGE TOY TRAIN ASSOCIATION 6621 Cartwright Street San Diego, CA NEXT MEET: Saturday, June 14 th 8:00 3:00 Torrey Pines Christian Church 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North NEXT MEET: Thursday, July 10 th 20