RED MARKERS. NEXT MEETING... GORDON DAVIS Sunday June 23, 2013; 2:00 PM to 4 PM. At this Meeting and in this Issue... VOLUME 31, NUMBER 5 June, 2013

Transcription

1 RED MARKERS Newsletter of the Central New York Division of the Northeastern Region, National Model Railroad Association, Inc. SERVING MODEL RAILROADERS IN AND AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK STATE NEXT MEETING... GORDON DAVIS Sunday June 23, 2013; 2:00 PM to 4 PM The Near Maddening & Farfromit Light Railway has evolved from a simple loop of O gauge track and some Atlas rolling stock in the 1970 s into a G gauge Gartenbahn here in Liverpool. It s an extended loop of track with a passing siding using track power and an R/C system. Not particularly elaborate, however manageable and fun to run. We operate European prototype trains, mostly LBG with a bit of Artisto-Craft added to the mix. It has a whimsical theme for the amusement of the children who visit; cartoon characters, a pirate ship, a dinosaur or two. Not your regular true-to-prototype layout, however it s only a hobby and it s fun. At this Meeting and in this Issue... We have been invited to Gordon Davis home this month to see his Secret Garden. Unlike the movie, Gordon s garden is a fantasy world full of model trains our kind of garden. LAYOUTS: See the garden railroad Gordon has created in his backyard. Perhaps it is not the largest garden railroad in Central NY but it is every bit as enjoyable and has a charm all its own. Gordon is also one of the founding members of the CNY Chapter of the European Train Enthusiasts. If we are fortunate, Gordon will allow us a glimpse at his European trains and layout as well. CLINIC: Mariners in Hardhats video about the building of the viaduct across Great Salt Lake 70 years ago. PHOTO CONTEST: Bring your best model and prototype photos with you to show off your inner artist! RAFFLE: Please bring your donations to support our raffle. Remember, the success of our raffle has funded this Division with no dues since we began and the quality of the donations is what has made the raffle such a success. SPECIAL MEETING NOTE: Our host has requested we bring our own chairs to the meeting. Also, whenever possible please consider car pooling since parking is limited. PAGE 1

2 The Brass Hats Central New York Division - ELECTED - Superintendent Bernard Messenger 9388 Paris Hill Rd. Sauquoit, NY (315) bernardmessenger@gmail.com Asst. Superintendent Ken Cameron 8462 Poolsbrook Road Kirkville, NY (315) kcameron@twcny.rr.com Chief Clerk Ed O Rourke 36 Nursery Lane Syracuse, NY eorourke@twcny.rr.com Paymaster Charlie Albee 215 Falls Blvd Chittenango, NY calbee1@verizon.net - APPOINTED - NMRA Achievement Program Representative Dave Martini 6943 Shannon Way Liverpool, NY (315) kmartin1@twcny.rr.com NMRA Member Aid Chairman Jim Heidt, P.O. Box 25 Clockville, NY (315) jimheidt@hotmail.com Division Clinic Coordinator Bill Brown, 6002 Singletree Lane Jamesville, NY (315) larcproducts@yahoo.com Train Show Coordinator Lenn Amrhein, 6306 Meadow Drive Rome, NY (315) lamrhein@twcny.rr.com Division Storekeeper Ed Olszewski (315) eolszew1@twcny.rr.com Red Markers Co-Editors Ed Olszewski and Ed O Rourke 122 Blackstone Way Syracuse, NY (315) eolszew1@twcny.rr.com eorourke@twcny.rr.com Distributed through our web site at domestic US Mail Delivery available, 2013 CNY Division, NMRA, All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA. Loose Spikes (Notes from the Ashpit ) Don t Get Left at the Station... To stay onboard and keep receiving Red Markers e -mail notices, you need to come to this meeting (or at least every third meeting). If you absolutely can t attend and want to continue to receive a mailed issue, send $3.00 to Charlie Albee (see left), make the check payable to CNY Division, NER. Of course you are always welcome to pick up the latest issue on-line at But money is a poor substitute. Come to the meeting because your check book won t have half the fun you will!! We continue to grow and plan exciting things. So don t miss out!! Thanks PAYMASTERS REPORT BEGINNING BALANCE - 6 March, $ 2, RECEIPTS: GREENBERG SHOW CLINICS... $ MTG DONATIONS... $10.00 TOTAL RECEIPTS... $70.00 EXPENDITURES: CHECKING ACCOUNT CHARGE... $ CHECKING ACCOUNT CHARGE... $ CHECKING ACCOUNT CHARGE... $6.50 TOTAL EXPENDITURES... $19.50 ENDING BALANCE, 2 June $ 2, Respectfully Submitted: Charles Albee, Paymaster Division Name Badges are available from Jim Heidt for $7.00. Price includes postage to mail your badge to you by First Class Mail. No more of this holding onto them or giving them to buddies to pass on. The $7.00 covers all costs. REMEMBER - Contact our Chief Clerk if you ever have trouble receiving your Red Markers. Also, if you need to change your address or post office address drop the Clerk a line. The Division Chief Clerk s contact information is listed in The Brass Hats sidebar to the left. Please have your articles and any items for Loose Spikes to us by the date listed below. Remember, EARLIER IS ALWAYS BETTER! Thanks for your support, Ed & Ed. 6/30/2013 (Continued on page 4 - LOOSE SPIKES) PAGE 2

3 From The Freight Shed This time of the year everyone seems to be outside and Model Railroading has taken a back burner. Fortunately we have a meeting coming up shortly. G-Scale will be featured at this meeting. Thank-you to Gordon Davis for hosting this meeting. The last meeting at Hanford Mills Museum was nice. We had good weather and a good turnout. The Mills has a nice two-hour tour with demonstrations of the machinery that they used years ago. They installed a steam boiler and a steam engine to run the sawmill. This new equipment will be put into service this fall for demonstration purposes so if you missed this meeting you may get there this Fall to see it in operation. Check their web page for information. The Mill has many possibilities for a model on one s layout. We saw railroad bridges, sidings, streams, weirs, ponds, a gristmill, out buildings, houses, and of course the sawmill. Also, a reminder, if you need to get in touch with any of us our address is listed in the Red Markers Newsletter. One way to get it on line is to just Google Red Markers Newsletter and it should come up. That's all I do. It is reassuring to know that the Division has a healthy treasury and treasurer. Not bad for having no dues. We are in a position to do PAGE 3 activities that were only wishful thinking not that long ago. Those clip boards will be available at this coming meeting. I hope to see more names on them all. I'll add another for the auction coming up later this year. The year is half over already and it seems like summer has hardly taken hold. Looking forward to the photo contest. What can be more fun than model railroading than taking pictures of model railroads or the real thing? Don't forget the raffle is back on, so bring those items you would like to use to help the Division do those things you would like it to do. That's it for my thoughts let's hear about your thoughts at the next meeting. Bernie M. From The Dispatchers Desk Summer weather has a way of verton. changing our railroading activities. I know that some of us have railroads at vacation homes or take pro- Sun and warm weather get us out into the yard and pool and possibly jects along to work on in the long, the golf course or away to camp. lazy days and evenings. One of my The allure of sitting at the workbench in the basement is diminished model railroader, has a cottage in the retired music teacher friends, also a somewhat. (Although today, with 1000 Islands. I keep telling him a the temperatures topping out at 90, garden railroad is just what he needs working in my air-conditioning to keep his hand in during the summer. My family took a ski trip to seems like a better idea than being outside.) Breckenridge, CO one Christmas. I Some of us change our priorities to don t ski, but I did while away several hours building car kits in front observing the 12 to the foot stuff. I picked up a Groupon for a discount of the fire while the rest of the trip on the Adirondack Scenic Railway. Others may head out to ride a his own. troops were on the slopes. Each to steam excursion or a tourist line. Then there are the garden railroaders, like Gordon Davis who s rail- Perhaps others still will make a stopoff at the Seashore Trolley Museum wait for the first hint of spring to get road we will visit this month. They in Maine or the Shoreline Trolley out into the back yard, many with a Museum on the Connecticut coast as zeal and energy reminiscent of David Moffat laying out the Denver, part of a visit to the beach. I try to incorporate some sort of railroad South Park and Pacific. If you want experience into my travels with the a taste of what the real railroaders go through, try your hand at a garden family. I m much more willing to railroad. Surveying, digging, ballasting, leveling track, re-ballasting, visit the stuff the girls like if I ve had a ride on the Durango and Sil- repairing washouts, fighting off encroaching wild-life and vegetation are all activities you will discover. We have visited some of the very elaborate lines in years past, at Bob Loran s and Dick Thomas s. I tried my hand at garden railroading in my former back yard, but on a much more limited scale, calling to mind the sage advice offered by Gordon, that you should never do anything in your back yard that might make you spill your gin and tonic. As you will see, Gordon s garden layout is a size that is manageable, but also elaborate enough to be entertaining. My current domicile is a condominium, so I don t have my own back yard, but gazing out the back window at the slope up to our fence, I wonder if there might not be room for a bit of outdoor railroading after all. It s a pretty steep hill maybe the Georgetown Loop? Hmmm. Perhaps I should pour another gin and tonic? Ed and Ed

4 LOOSE SPIKES (Continued from page 2 Still plenty of time to sign up for the Fall NER Convention: TRACKS TO LAKEPORT 2013 October 17-20, 2013, the Northeastern Region, NMRA, annual convention, hosted by Seacoast Division at The Margate on Winnipesaukee Lakefront Resort. Take advantage of special room rates being offered through September 17. Access the convention website to make convention and hotel reservations. Convention activities include: layout tours, operating sessions, clinics, model and photo contests and displays, banquet, prototype rides, and raffles. Prototype rides offered include a two-hour train ride along Lake Winnipesaukee, a four-hour fall foliage trip to Plymouth, and a private run on Conway Scenic Railroad s Budd Car Millie. There will be railroad speeder runs and a Lake Winnipesaukee scenic cruise on the 230-foot M/S Mt. Washington. A focus of the convention will be learning about, as well as building and operating on, modular layouts. On-site modules will include some from the Amherst Belt Lines, New England Free-mo, plus others. With the many excellent layouts in the area, many operating slots will be available nearby as well as on-site and en route to and from the convention. Clinics will be given by well-known and experienced presenters, plus areas for mini-clinics or spontaneous clinic experiences will be provided. Enjoy fall foliage of New England as well as numerous tourist activities, fine food, and good shopping. convention.nernmra.org. See the ad in this month s Red Markers. One of the publications in the NER I receive on-line is Garden State Division s WHISTLEPOST. An article on Modeling Water with Craft Varnish caught my eye, and we have reproduced it in this issue. The article is by Marc Pitanza, who models the Staten Island Railroad. By this time, I imagine many have heard of the impending demise of Floquil and Poly Scale paints: We've made the decision to exit the following businesses within the Testor Brand family - Pactra, Floquil, Polyscale, and ColorArtz. This will enable the Testor Corporation to return to our foundation of success -- providing premium, innovative product that inspires creativity. We will continue to accept orders and ship product for a limited time based on available quantities. Going forward, the following brands will be critical to our success and development -- Testor, Model Master(TM), and Aztek. These brands will be infused with marketing support, innovation and operational efficiencies. If they follow through on this it will have a huge impact on Model Railroading. They state they have no plans to migrate any of the Floquil colors to any of the other lines. There is an unconfirmed report that MRC which now owns the Woodland Scenics line may buy Floquil, but in the meantime, it might be good to replenish any colors you are running short of. From the Planning Ahead Department of the RED MARKERS office tower, some information about the July meeting/picnic: Date and Location: Saturday, July 27, Finger Lakes Live Steamers, Inc., 302 Clyde-Marengo Road, Clyde, NY Times: Doors open at 10:00AM Registration- 10:30 to 11:30AM Lunch - anytime between Noon and 2 PM as you want. This is a joint event with the Lakeshores Division and the CNY Chapter NRHS. Members and their families welcome We will have a Popular Choice Model Contest (voting between Noon and 2 PM). The Division will provide grilled items and each family will bring a dish to pass. There will be train rides offered during the day and lots of things to do and see. News from NMRA National: The Atlanta Convention Committee has been hard at work for the last several years preparing a great schedule of events for your enjoyment and education. There is truly something for everyone. Visit the website: for information. PAGE 4

5 Modeling Water with Craft Varnish By Marc Pitanza I recently brought my Staten Island Railroad Travis Branch diorama to the Garden State Division winter meet which took place on Feb. 16th on Staten Island. The N scale scene is a fairly accurate representation of the marshlands around Prall's creek on Staten Island's West Shore. The main scenic element of the scene is "water." Many meet attendees wanted to know how I modeled the realistic water. When I started scenery work on my home layout I needed an inexpensive and effective way to model a glossy, wet marsh. I've used two-part resins, such as Enviro-tex and Chemco casting resin, in the past. Most mixtures were smelly and messy and had a very long drying time. Chemco was notorious for melting my foam scenery base, making a base coat of plaster a necessity for waterway scenes. I did not want to use these products on my most recent projects. I needed to find an alternative. I always like browsing the craft-paint section of my local Michaels or A.C. Moore store for scenery colors. One day when I was looking for earth-tones for my N scale Staten Island themed bookcase layout at home I stumbled across Outdoor Gloss Sealer distributed by Plaid Paints in their Folk Art line. I was intrigued by this 8 oz. bottle of polyurethane varnish. I took it home and tried it on a 2 inch by 3 foot section of NY harbor on my layout. I painted the foam base with Delta Ceramacoat Black Green craft paint. I created a dam with styrene and masking tape. I let the first coat dry for a day and added light green dabs of paint by the pier wall to represent algae growth. When the paint dried I poured another 8 oz bottle of the varnish. After letting the surface coat dry for 48 hours, I had realistic algae growth in between the two coats. I was very happy with the high gloss, reflective surface. I was so pleased with the acrylic varnish that I decided to use the same product on my newest diorama project. Over 60% of my Travis Branch diorama uses "water" scenery. On this diorama I painted the marsh areas with Black Green craft paint. I then added Vallejo Panzer Aces 337 Highlight German Black and 302 Dark Rust to the edges of the landforms to represent the muddy banks. Before pouring the varnish, I installed details like branches, low lying grasses and even rusty shopping carts. I wiped the base with a damp paper towel to lift up any dust or dirt that was left from the initial scenery work. The Travis Branch diorama took three 8oz bottles of the Folk Art varnish to fill. The coats were especially thick, so I waited 3 days between each coat. The wet varnish has a cloudy, milky tint to it but it dries completely clear. The only realistic element missing from my scene was the signature swamp smell! Learning Points: Þ Use Plaid Folk Art Outdoor Gloss Sealer #861 to model water scenes on your diorama or layout Þ It is virtually odorless and water based Þ Paint foam or wood base a dark shade of green or blue. Black would work well to represent very deep bodies of water Þ Let primary coat dry for 48 hours before adding another coat (thinner, brushed on coats dry within 2 hours) Þ While wet, the top coat can be teased with a toothpick, flat knife or screwdriver to create movement or "waves." You can use a brush to create texture on the surface. After dry, sit back and enjoy your realistic body of water. [Ed. We want to thank the folks of the Garden State Division and Mark Pitanza for giving us permission to reprint this article from their Spring 2013 issue of the Whistle Post news letter.] PAGE 5

6 A trash train crossing Prall's Creek on Mark s N scale Staten Island Railroad Travis Branch diorama. Another view of the trash train crossing Prall's Creek on Mark s N scale Staten Island Railroad Travis Branch diorama. In this view you can see the positive effect of using the Dark Rust paint along the banks of the Creek. In this view you can see how the high gloss varnish does a great job of reflecting the train in the water. You can also see how teasing the waves into the varnish as it dries adds the waves and the resulting image distortion. PAGE 6

7 Summary of the Hanford Mills trip By Charlie Albee On May 18 th, the division was represented by 17 people who made the long drive to Hanford Mills at East Meredith. The weather was comfortable and we were rewarded by a great tour of the museum. A quote from the one of the museum staff sums up the trip We realized we had people coming who were really interested in how the mill works so we wanted to have things working. Most of the time was spent in the mill building which is a sawmill, wood working shop, and grist mill. In the basement of the mill, we saw the waterwheel at work and the progress on the turbine installation. The gristmill is not operational because it will be using the turbine for power. We saw a log cut into boards as well as a block of wood cut into shingles. A gasoline-powered generator was demonstrated as well as a machine that would cut hand holes into the sides of a wooden box. Our guided tour was excellent with several very As our group watches, two of the volunteers at Hanford Mills Museum run a 16 log through the saw mill. This blade just cut that log like butter. All this powered by a water wheel under this area. You could look beneath where they were working and see the water turning the wheel in action. Bernard Messenger Photo knowledgeable tour guides. We had plenty of time to visit other parts of the museum. Everyone enjoyed their time and felt the long drive was well-rewarded. Laconia, NH, October 17-20, 2013 Here are some of the reasons to attend Four days on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee during our fall foliage season! Four hour trip on the Winnipesaukee Railroad including lunch, historical information, and givaways On-site Modular Layout Operations and Clinics! Contest/Celebration Room (Photography and Modeling) Clinics (including a Make-and-Take option) Layout Tours and Operating Sessions, Raffle Banquet and Guest Speaker, George Melvin Self-guided tours, Non-rail activities, Meet fellow modelers Learn something new PAGE 7

8 Area Model Railroad Groups: The Central New York Model Railroad Club: The CNY Model Railroad Club & Historical Society, Inc. Fri., 7:30pm. Operations 1st and 2nd Fri./month. New members and visitors always welcome. Info and directions at The Syracuse Model Railroad Club: Wed. 7p at the layout in the Eastwood American Legion, James St., Syracuse. One business meeting monthly, others are work sessions. Info: Jim Beach at Salt City N-Trak, Ltd.: Meeting schedule / location t/b/a as the club is no longer located at the Eastwood American Legion. Operating 14' x 42' N-Trak modular layout which often tours. Info: Rich Petitto at FUNTRAK: The Frankfort United N-Trak Model Railroad Club, Inc. meets at members homes, meetings are scheduled and posted in FUNTRAK's newsletter each month about two months ahead of the actual meeting date. Info: Brian King at or Clayt Farrall at Cayuga Valley Model Railroaders: Thur. 7:00p and on most Saturdays at 9:00a at the club at 3 East Genesee Street, Auburn, over Speno Music Store. Info: Call Bernard Watkins Oswego Valley Railroad Association: The group operates the Oswego Railroad Museum dedicated to the historic preservation of railroad history in the Oswego County area. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day on Sat, Sun and holidays Noon - 5pm. The museum is located in the city of Oswego at 56 West First St. The Oswego Railroad Museum Offers a 1950 s era 24' x 36' operating layout of the southern Oswego County area and an extensive railroad library. Contact Bill Nickolas at Central New York Modelers: The CNYMOD group has moved to new quarters in the Museum of Science & Technology (The MOST) in Downtown Syracuse. Info: at or by contacting President Andy Rezsnyak at or cny187@gmail.com. Central New York Large-Scale Railway Society: Meets at Driver s Village (the former Penn Can Mall), with a major layout under construction, Info: Bob Loran at rloran@windstream.net. The Bullthistle Model Railroad Society: Third Wed. of the month, 7:00 p.m. at their headquarters at 33 Rexford Street, Norwich, NY, and open Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and on special events... all in creating visual and operable multi-scale displays of historic railroading in Chenango County. Info: Elton and Anethma Ireland at (607) or club President, Philip Fairchild at (607) , lpfair@frontiernet.net CNYNRHS Model Railroad Group This group maintains O gauge and HO Scale modular layouts. Currently meeting 7 to 9 PM Thursday evenings at Shoppingtown Mall, located next to Sears entrance in the Sears wing. Also open to the public during winter season Sat and Sun Info at or to modelrr@cnynrhs.org European Train Enthusiasts, CNY Chapter Round robin meetings. 'N' scale modular layout, Info: Gordon H. Davis at or , gdavis4@twcny.rr.com PAGE CNY Division Schedule (UPDATED) JANUARY 19 th, SATUR- DAY (8:30 AM to 4 PM) Joint meeting with Lakeshores Division of the NFR, Auburn Knights Of Columbus Hall Sunday, Feb 24th 2-4 pm Syracuse Model Railroad Club Sunday, April 28th 12-4 pm Colabufo/Romanick, Liverpool, NY Saturday, May 18th Trip to Hanford Mills for a guided tour of the grounds. Sunday, June 23rd 2-4 pm Gordon Davis, Liverpool Saturday, July 27th, Finger Lakes Live Steamers, Marango, NY. Joint picnic with Lakeshores Division. Aug (Date is TBD) Train Watching at Tractor Supply in East Syracuse Sunday, Sept 29th 2-4 pm TDB Sunday, Oct pm Beiswenger/ Messenger, New Hartford/Saquoit Saturday, Dec 7 Auction

9 DIRECTIONS GORDON DAVIS 315 Viking Place Liverpool, NY From Thruway Exit 37 turn left at the bottom of the ramp proceed to the second light (Sunflower Drive) and turn right at the first stop sign turn right. 315 Viking Place is the last house on the left. From 7th North Street, go to the end, the front of the Holiday Inn and turn left onto Electronics Parkway, right at the next light, right at the first stop sign, last house on the left. From Old Liverpool Road, right onto Electronics Parkway, left at the first light, right at the first stop sign, last house on the left. Enter the back yard through the gate at the right. PARK HERE * As always, don t take our word for it. Verify these directions for yourself. PLEASE BRING A CHAIR WITH YOU. PAGE 9

10 How many of you drive around town with a small camera in your pocket or have a camera at the ready while traveling for business or on vacation? I grabbed this photo of a UP freight heading east out of Yuma, AZ one evening while driving back to the hotel. We rounded a curve and I saw the train coming. Total time between seeing the train and snapping the photo, 10 seconds. Since we were doing a lot of driving at 55 mph I had the camera set for a fast shutter speed. I was a passenger in the car so I could take the photo without sending the other folks traveling with me into a state of fear, SAFETY FIRST FOLKS! Having a camera at the ready is a great way to capture an unexpected subject. CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPARED! 2013 events calendar Wed. June 19-- Memories of Growing up on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, 7:30 PM: The program will include rarely seen slide views of the Lehigh presented by Danny Armitage of Dryden! The 2013 NMRA National Convention, Atlanta, GA; July 14 - July 20, for more information. Central New York Division, NMRA Red Markers News Letter 122 Blackstone Way Syracuse, NY «AddressBlock» PAGE 10