MINI-BUNCH NEWSLETTER

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1 MINI-BUNCH NEWSLETTER The Mini-Bunch newsletter is usually published 4 times a year on an irregular schedule. Membership can be maintained by registering at a Mini-Bunch meeting or by sending $8 to the editor. See Notes from the Editor for details. Website: John Hansen & Ted Wiese Editors Volume 41 Number 3 Aug jvhansen@earthlink.net or ted.wiese@gmail.com Contents Sam s Scribbles Fall Mini-Bunch Meet Ol Boxcar Red Says Cass Scenic Railroad Progress on Doc s DRGW Our Leader Sam s Scribbles Sam s Scribbles Owen Thirty and More When it comes to outstanding accomplishments in On30 modeling, many of us think about folks and layouts in Columbus. But which one? Well, both. Let s look at each. Columbus West. For the past five years, the Columbus model railroad club has hosted a day-long Hoosier On30 meet at their facility. Among a wide variety of layouts, members of the club have produced an On30 modular layout as well as a traditional stationary layout. Both feature handlaid track and rugged Appalachian scenery. Attendees to the meet bring their portable layouts for display in the main hall. Two notable displays at this year s gathering, which was April 28, were the Fordsville, Irvington, and West Point (FI&WP) layout and Roy Hord s Manchester and West Union layout. This meet was the debut for Roy s new layout, which sported a variety of features, including its clever scissors-type support stand, lightweight construction, and mid-layout backdrop that separated the yard scene from a rural setting. It features handlaid track and turnouts, and DCC operation. The FI&WP is a densely modeled layout with many terrain, structure, and rolling stock models to learn from. Its four modules, which form a rectangle, are supported by folding table legs. And this layout demonstrates the flexibility of DCC as well. Two wires run from the Bachmann DCC controller. That s it. Nothing more. And the operation from year-to-year has been very reliable with a variety of trains and operations. Columbus East. Familiar to many of us is the Bear Creek Tramway, much of which has been conveyed within the pages of our newsletter. In recent conventions and meets, we ve had the good fortune to see the layout and talk with its builders in person. And for those not able to see the layout, Bill Brubach wrote an entertaining 2012 On30 Annual article on the layout and group, which covers its conception, construction, completion, and camaraderie. Michael Yoakam s photography presents the finer features of the layout well, and we re looking forward to seeing more of the layout in the future (as the expansion faction of the BCT group won out). And let s not forget about Michael s rapidly developing On30 home layout, which is also featured in the annual. It s impressive how quickly the new home for the expanded Muskingum Valley RR layout has developed. The article outlines a sound approach on how finishing the room first and then planning to the level you need to, will allow efficient installation of bench work, backdrop, and valence. Smoking Allowed. In addition to his various duties during the Hoosier On30 meets, Ron Lane has been kind enough to lead caravans of his Cincinnati fans to visit his home layout. Of specific interest this year was the stone engine house and coke oven complex he modeled using flexible stone products (intentionally left vague so Ron will provide us an article for this product s use). The modeling was impressive, but so was the animation, as

several of the coke ovens smoked. What a treat to see the latest addition to Ron s Mann s Creek layout. Photo 1.

With handlaid track and turnouts, it demonstrates well what can be packed in a relatively small space. This is the town and yard side of the layout. Nancy Windes photo. Photo 4.

His stone enginehouse is near the center of the photo, about the height of Ron s shoulder. Sam Swanson photo. Photo 2.

Sam Swanson, King Snipe Nancy Windes photo. Photo 3. Don Phillips examines the remarkable level of detail on the FI&WP layout. It s been a repeat attendee to the Hoosier On30 meets.

2 several of the coke ovens smoked. What a treat to see the latest addition to Ron s Mann s Creek layout. Photo 1. Roy Hord describes his newly-constructed minilayout to On30 pioneer Al Askerburg (right) and Don Philips. With handlaid track and turnouts, it demonstrates well what can be packed in a relatively small space. This is the town and yard side of the layout. Nancy Windes photo. Photo 4. Ron Lane looks over the latest expansion of his Mann s Creek Layout. Look closely along the coke oven wall, and you ll see the thin wisps of smoke that accent this highly detailed scene. His stone enginehouse is near the center of the photo, about the height of Ron s shoulder. Sam Swanson photo. Photo 2. The country side of the Roy s M&WU layout, showing on the lower right how the trackwork penetrates the backdrop dividing the two sides of the layout. Nancy Windes photo. Sam Swanson, King Snipe Nancy Windes photo. Photo 3. Don Phillips examines the remarkable level of detail on the FI&WP layout. It s been a repeat attendee to the Hoosier On30 meets. The Fall Mini-Bunch Meet The Fall 2012 Mini-Bunch meet will be Saturday, October 6th at the New York Central Station in Chelsea, Michigan. Registration will be $ Dan Wolschon and I will have our layouts open on Friday October 5 th from 3PM to 8 PM. Dan is in Canton, MI and I live in Ann Arbor. See maps for detailed directions. There will be 5 clinics on Saturday. Pete Stroh has agreed to put on a clinic called "Historical Marblehead Peninsula Quarrying and Narrow Gauge Steam Railroad Operations". Phil Gliebe will present "Kit- Bashing MDC/Roundhouse Overton Passenger Cars". Bill Logan, Sam Swanson and Jim Foster have also agreed to present clinics. There will be tables available to sell that extra stuff. We will tour the Huckleberry facilities in Flint, MI on Sunday

October 7 th in the morning from 10 to 11, and then ride the train behind #464 at 1 PM. The station is on the northern end of the Chelsea business district.

There is a Comfort Inn, and Holiday Inn Express for those staying overnight. If you want to bring a modular layout or have a question please contact me at: dkempf4010@comcast.

3 October 7 th in the morning from 10 to 11, and then ride the train behind #464 at 1 PM. The station is on the northern end of the Chelsea business district. We won t have an onsite dinner; however there are plenty of coffee shops, restaurants and pubs/bars within the 4 blocks of the downtown area. There is a Comfort Inn, and Holiday Inn Express for those staying overnight. If you want to bring a modular layout or have a question please contact me at: dkempf4010@comcast.net Dan Kempf Layout maps and the registration form are enclosed. Ol Boxcar Red Says: Ol Red notes that model railroading is being publicized as the World s Greatest Hobby. That implies that: 1) there is a rating system, and 2) there must be a World s Worst Hobby. Ol Red thinks that is raising ticks. What would you suggest? In between the Friday trip to Bald Knob and Saturday evening Barbeque run at Cass we rode the Saturday morning Durbin Rocket. Motive power for this trip is Climax #3, one of only 3 operating Climax locomotives in the world. The 1910 Climax was built for the Moore-Keppel Lumber Co. This is a 10 mile run over former Western Maryland trackage and follows the Greenbrier River from Durbin towards Elkins. On our way home Sunday morning, we caught the morning run of the Rocket leaving Durbin and followed it part way up the river. Cass Scenic Railroad and Doc s DRGW By Butch Sage Jim Ruisinger has been badgering me about going to Cass Scenic RR State Park for several years now. Recently Jim, John Kimball, 3 other friends and I took a long weekend to do just that. That weekend Cass was operating Western Maryland #6 on the 4 1/2 hour run to Bald Knob, altitude about 4700 ft. Number 6 weighs in at 162 tons one of the largest and the last Shay ever built. With an average grade of 4.6% and several stretches of 8+% grade number 6 was working hard pushing us up the mountain. Shay #5 was used on the 2 hour run to Whittaker Station during the day and the Saturday night Bluegrass and Barbeque run. Number 5 was built in 1905 and is the second oldest Shay in existence. The weather didn't cooperate for this run, so instead of eating barbeque at Whittaker Station while the bluegrass band played, we left after about 10 minutes and made a hasty retreat back down the mountain. Dinner and music was served up in the Company store at Cass.

was purchased by Dave Brobst, and the layout relocated to his house in Pickerington. Unfortunately, before the layout could be totally rebuilt, Dave passed away.

Doc s Layout being Rebuilt As most of you know, after my Dad passed away, his layout As you might imagine, the scenery took a pretty substantial hit during the moves, so much of it will have to be

4 was purchased by Dave Brobst, and the layout relocated to his house in Pickerington. Unfortunately, before the layout could be totally rebuilt, Dave passed away. By then I had be able to clear enough room at our new house, so I re-purchased the layout from Dave's family and we moved it a second time. Doc s Layout being Rebuilt As most of you know, after my Dad passed away, his layout As you might imagine, the scenery took a pretty substantial hit during the moves, so much of it will have to be replaced. Most of the wiring dated from the original building of the layout and had been modified for the Dynatrol command control system and again for the Digitrax DCC system. Rather than try to patch this wiring up, I decided pull it out and start over while still using the Digitrax system. The track plan and operating scheme will be 99 44/100% the same, but the orientation to the room will be reversed, you will enter the room beside the Antonito yard. I hope to have the layout back in operation before the end of the year, and then begin repairing/replacing the scenery. Notes from the Editors HELP NEEDED!!!! We plan to send out 4 newsletters per year. We are looking for articles on modelbuilding and prototype that will be of interest for the members. Subscriptions: Please send $8 for a three year subscription. Please make the check payable to Ted Wiese. (Mini-Bunch is not a legal company and the bank will refuse other checks.) OR register at one of the meetings held during the year and get an automatic subscription. Mini-Bunch Yahoo! Groups Mini-Bunch Parties Responsible for this Newsletter Our New Leader: Sam Swanson 960 Lenox Place Cincinnati, OH sam.swanson@burgessniple.com Clifton Blvd Lakewood, OH jvhansen@earthlink.net Ted Wiese 9099 Regency Woods Drive Kirtland, OH ted.wiese@gmail.com NATIONAL NARROW GAUGE CONVENTIONS Bellevue, WA September 12 15, 2012 Pasadena, CA August 28 31, 2013 Kansas City, MO September 3 6, 2014 Houston, TX September 2 5, 2015 Augusta, ME September 7 10, 2016 Mini-Bunch Meetings Greenford, OH March 21-23, 2013 Editors: John Hansen

5 I-94 to Zeeb Rd. (Exit 169), Go north on Zeeb Rd. Continue on Zeeb past the first STOP sign (Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd.) to the second STOP sign (Huron River Dr), Zeeb crosses the Huron River and will turn right and then immediately veer left, go up the incline and cross the tracks. Turn right onto Huron River Dr., go past 2 driveways and turn right onto Greenook Blvd (not marked from Huron River Dr.). Go to the second STOP sign, turn left, go past the second STOP sign to the fork in the road, turn left, go to the top of the hill and turn right. We are the light blue ranch on the inside of the corner. Please park in front of the garage, if there is room, if not, then across the street in the court. The address is: 4010 Loch Alpine Dr. W. Ann Arbor, Mich Layout will be open 3:00pm to 8:00pm Friday October 5th, 2012 Entrance to "The Preserve" Subdivision Loch Alpine Dr. W. Loch Alpine Dr. W Loch Alpine Dr. W. Bridgeway Blvd Midway Blvd Driveway Huron River Dr. Greenook Blvd Sweepster Plant N Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. Huron River Dr. Exit 169 M-14 Zeeb Rd. I - 94

Dan Wolschon 39665 Koppernick Rd. Canton, MI 48187 Layout will be open 3:00pm to 8:00pm Friday October 5th, 2012 Directions:! I275 and Ann Arbor Rd (exit 28).

6 Dan Wolschon Koppernick Rd. Canton, MI Layout will be open 3:00pm to 8:00pm Friday October 5th, 2012 Directions:! I275 and Ann Arbor Rd (exit 28).! West to Haggerty Rd (1st light), turn left (South)! 2 lights (railroad tracks between them) is Koppernick Rd, turn left (East)! Go under I275, cross tracks one more time. Pavement will end. House is on the right side with BIG pole barn.

7 F A L L 2012 M INI-BUN C H M E E T October 6 th & 7 th, 2012 Chelsea, Michigan Show Schedule: SA T URD A Y: SE T-UP: 8:00AM R E G IST R A T I O N: Open at 9:00 am.! Narrow gauge displays, maps, books, models, etc.! Attendees are encouraged to bring models, photos, memorabilia, layouts, modules, items to sell, etc.! Free tables for your use. M O RNIN G C L INI CS: 10:00 am to 11:30 am. L UN C H: 11:30 to 1:00 pm. Lunch on your own A F T E RN O O N C L INI CS: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm DINN E R: 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Dinner on your own E V E NIN G PR ESE N T A T I O N: 7:00pm to 9:00pm SUND A Y: T O UR O F T H E H U C K L E B E RR Y SH OPS: 10:00 am to 11:00am RID E T H E T R A IN: 1:00 pm Places to Stay: Comfort Inn 1645 Commerce Park Dr. Chelsea, MI Phone: (734) Website: Holiday Inn Express Chelsea Address: 1540 Commerce Park Dr, Chelsea, MI Phone: Fax: Website: Both motels are a short distance from the I-94 (exit 159)/M-52 interchange and about 2 miles to the station/downtown Chelsea Registration: Saturday Registration: $15.00 (Spouse free) Sunday: Shop Tour, Entrance to Village and T rain Ride: $13.00 per person Registration: Pre-Register Detach and mail registration with check payable to: (Dan Kempf - Fall 2012) Addressed to: Dan Kempf, 4010 Loch Alpine Dr. W., Ann Arbor, Mich : questions to: dkempf4010@comcast.net Name (1) Address: Phone # Name (2) City: State: Zip

NATIONAL NARROW GAUGE CONVENTIONS Bellevue, WA September 12 15, 2012 Pasadena, CA

2015 Augusta, ME September 7 10, 2016 Mini-Bunch Meeting Fall 2012 Chelsea, MI Date

8 NATIONAL NARROW GAUGE CONVENTIONS Bellevue, WA September 12 15, 2012 Pasadena, CA August 28 31, 2013 Kansas City, MO September 3 6, 2014 Houston, TX September 2 5, 2015 Augusta, ME September 7 10, 2016 Mini-Bunch Meeting Fall 2012 Chelsea, MI Date October 5-7, 2012 Doc Sage s layout under construction at Butch s home Goose 4 at Colorado Railroad Museum Mini-Bunch Newsletter Ted Wiese Co-Editor 9099 Regency Woods Drive Kirtland, Ohio First Class Postage Shay No 5 at Cass Scenic Railroad

MINI-BUNCH NEWSLETTER

MINI-BUNCH NEWSLETTER The Mini-Bunch newsletter is usually published 4 times a year on an irregular schedule. Membership and a subscription to the Newsletter are $8.00 for 3 years or with Registration