August Meeting. July September Summer Picnic at the Westside Farms

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1 Visit RED at Website: July September 2006 August Meeting Summer Picnic at the Westside Farms Our summer picnic meeting will be held at Westside Farms as guests of PAM & RON KAISER on Sunday, August 13th. Activities will begin at approximately 12 noon. Westside Farms is located between Healdsburg and Guerneville on 60 acres, includes a lake, and used to be a commercial enterprise. It is a beautiful location to visit, especially with your children and/or grandchildren. Please bring your favorite picnic lunch and something for the pot luck; appetizers, salads, veggies or desserts. Hot coals will be provided, if you want to barbecue. Sodas, bottled water and ice will be supplied by RED. Heat permitting, there will be a hayride with horses (Percherons) or if it is too hot, it will be by tractor like last time. For the kids there will be a big swing, exotic birds, sheep, a large veggie garden and the horses, Percherons and Shires. In the air-conditioned train room, you will have a chance to see RON KAISER'S new layout featuring the Western Pacific in the Keddie Wye/ Portola/Quincy area. There is more information on page 3. Driving instructions to the Kaiser s Westside Farms at 7097 Westside Road are: from the south, exit Hwy. 101 north of Santa Rosa at River Road, go west 7 miles (toward Guerneville), turn right on Wolher road, cross the one-lane bridge over the Russian River, turn right on Westside Road and go 2.5 miles. There is a Westside Farms sign out front across the road from the Kaiser s home. From the north, exit Hwy. 101 at Westside Road in Healdsburg, turn right and follow Westside Road 7 miles to the Kaiser s on the right. A map is shown below.

2 STAFF ROSTER DIRECTOR Gus Campagna PO Box 6344, Santa Rosa, CA SUPERINTENDENT Nolan Alexander 5307 Spain Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA (707) CHIEF CLERK Steve Skold 5306 Yerba Buena Rd, Santa Rosa, CA (707) CONTESTS Steve Skold 5306 Yerba Buena Rd, Santa Rosa, CA (707) MEMBERSHIP Gus Campagna PO Box 6344, Santa Rosa, CA NOMINATIONS Ed Zakareckis 2408 Homestead Court Fairfield, CA (707) ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM Harold Mentzer 102 Berna Avenue, Napa, CA (707) ESTATE COUNSELOR Don Clauder 305 Garfield Park, Santa Rosa CA, (707) CALLBOARD EDITOR John Rolston 240 Chase St., Sonoma CA, (707) DIRECTOR S REPORT BY GUS CAMPAGNA The last meeting of the PCR Board of Directors was held in Sacramento at the start of the River City Express Convention. I attended as Ron Plies proxy and during new business was installed as the new RED Director. The PCR has finally filled the position of Manager of the Membership Department. It has been years since anyone has been in charge of this Department. Former RED Director Ron Plies stepped up to be Chairman of Membership Promotion. He has a big job to do and will probably be asking for helpers. This is another PCR activity that for too long has had no one in charge. As a PCR Department Manager myself (Publications), I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be trying to get anything done. With the implementing of the new NMRA/region/division single dues structure, came the realization that we will not be communicating with all members on the same level. There will be subscribers and those who do not wish to pay more (to get the PCR BRANCH LINE newsletter). It was determined by the Board that we should try to reach out to all the members regardless of their subscription status (formerly known as dues and membership in PCR) on a quarterly basis. The board recommended that the Divisions send their newsletters to all members regardless of their BRANCH LINE subscription status. This puts a financial strain on the Divisions. As Publications Department Manager I tried to come up with a helpful solution to both problems; PCR communication and expenses of the Divisions. The Board of Directors modified my proposal and you will be seeing an insert page in three of the four CALLBOARDs you receive during the year. This is an attempt to reach out to the non-subscribers of the BRANCH LINE and to provide timely information about the PCR to all Division newsletter readers. For providing this avenue of communication, the PCR will split the dues rebate that it receives from the NMRA with the Divisions This is the first time that PCR has financially supported the Divisions directly. It was a controversial move. We can discuss this, as well as Play with trains at Westside Farms, in early August. See you there!

3 From the SUPERINTENDENT BY NOLAN ALEXANDER It is time for the Redwood Empire Division s annual summer picnic again and I hope you re planning to attend. We ll be gathering at PAM and RON KAISER S ranch near Healdsburg again this year. Ron s model railroad layout has seen incredible progress this year and the main line should be completed by the time of the picnic. If you have never been to one of our summer events, this is a good time to come on out and meet the other members of RED. Pam and Ron have promised us a wagon ride around the ranch so bring the kids (or grandkids) and something for the barbeque. It s a pot luck picnic, so bring something for the table too. RED will supply ice and beverages. If you have never attended one of RED meetings, this is the one to come to. It is a purely social event and we always have a nice time. The picnic is held in the shade of two huge old trees with plenty of premium spots to avoid the heat. Bring pictures of your favorite models, layout or prototype and be prepared to share them with people who share your passion for trains. Working on a layout? Bring along the plans or pictures! In November, we will be celebrating RED s birthday. I m asking everyone to look around for pictures, old Callboards or collector s items from RED hosted conventions and to bring these items to the meeting in November. Pins, patches, coffee mugs, or whatever; you know you ve got them so bring them out into the light of day and we ll all share the memories associated with them. Soon, my term as Superintendent will end and so will STEVE SKOLD S term as Chief Clerk. We ve reached our term limits and RED needs some new leadership. Please consider running for office. We ll be looking for candidates soon. CHIEF CLERK'S REPORT BY STEVE SKOLD The summer picnic meet is quickly approaching. Maybe this years heat wave is this week (July 17) and maybe August 13 will be a pleasant day with early morning fog to keep things cool. RON KAISER'S layout will have its entire mainline finished and will be operating in his nice air conditioned room. He runs locomotives on DCC (NCE), so if you have an engine with a decoder, bring it with you so you can run it. RED will provide BBQ coals, ice and soft drinks. Bring something to cook and bring something for the table (pot luck). It will be interesting to see who brings what; all potato salad or all three bean salad or what? It is time to start looking for replacements for the current officers. Nolan is term limited out and I am not going to run for Superintendent. We will need volunteers for Superintendent and Chief Clerk/ Paymaster. Gus is also hoping someone will volunteer to take his place as RED Director. Are there any Volunteers out there? No one has stepped up for the easy jobs; Contest Chairman and refreshment chairman. Contact ED ZAKAREKIS if you would like to volunteer to lead this organization; Ed s address, etc. is listed on page 2.

4 THINK SMALL #49 in Santa Rosa. Summer is here and hobby time must sneak between required summer activities. THINK SMALL to the rescue! Here are some SMALL projects to ease tensions and provide hobby fun. Have you planted "Mile Posts" to mark those insulated gaps between track sections? Did you remember Harold Mentzer s caution in the January-March Callboard about flex mounting in silicon sealer to avoid bloody fingers when cleaning track? Cooking up mileage numbers for culverts, bridges, tunnels and other locations will provide small effort fun. When the little white signs are actually on the layout, you will have another reason to smile. Rail- roads have another SMALL gift for us - the whistle post. Often an 8x8 or 4x8 chunk of wood, they mark spots where laws or company directives require blasts from the whistle. In HO scale a bit of 1/8" square or 1/8"x 1/16" wood painted white, or a length of Evergreen # or styrene, will provide material for your whistle post with the black letter "W". It s the cue for the engineer to pull the whistle cord or give the required toots with the air horn if the motive power is diesel. The sim- ple posts and white patches or boards on structures are other fun additions. However, the old crossbuck is my favorite of the signs along the tracks. Problem: this critter is a bit more complex to build and the crossboards are damage prone when our big clumsy paws get close. Flexible caulking in oversize post holes is NOT a solution to the difficulty. If your landscaping has thickness there is a simple fix. Drywall compound in a tub from the Hardware Store is my first choice for minor terrain changes. I stuffed a large post hole with the handy white goop, then lightly greased a square post before inserting it into the plaster. The next day I had a square hole with easy clearance for the post. If your terrain is thin, cut a squared hole that just fits your post in a small chunk of thick styrene. Set this socket into your ground cover and plant a few weeds. The goal is to provide a convenient way to unplug delicate signposts and lay them down nearby when we must scrub the crud from our rails or do other maintenance. Crossbucks are simple structures of just three pieces but it is nice to have a prototype with local flavor. Years ago a member of our round robin group measured an abandoned P&SR crossbuck guarding some unused rails With known dimensions we have a simple project. You can build it with white styrene for easy workability and no need for paint. If wood is your preferred material, scale lumber is available. For HO I suggest a 6x8 post (or even 1/8" sq.) and 2x10 crossboards. The extra thick wood is for durability. You O scale folks can be faithful followers of P&SR standards. Evergreen Styrene is very close for the 5-1/4 x 7-1/4 post and is only 0.006" overwide for the crossboards, if your tracks are HO scale. The tricky part of crossbuck modeling is the lettering. P&SR painters used 6" high letters and adjusted letter width and spacing to fit the five foot boards. Crossing was (Continued on page 5)

5 (THINK SMALL Continued from page 4) stretched to fill the whole 60 length of board. "Rail" was scrunched and "Road compressed a tad more to fit the word into the available space. If you like to play with your computer, or have a talented friend who enjoys a challenge, lettering crossbucks for your tracks is simple. Printing black letters on decal paper does the job. Copy the lettering above and adjust the size to fit your scale. Or you can be a scale sign painter as you stretch and scrunch 6 letters in your scale so the decals you make will fit on your crossbuck. For SMALL thinkers, there is a low tech alternate paper cross boards. Use an ordinary copier to print the lettering above to your scale. Make 4 or more copies on heavy white paper; then snip the boards to size. Glue the two plain sides together and press them flat as the glue dries. Glue these crossboards to your post a day later. Since this is a summer project, you are allowed to cheat. Often only one crossbuck will do the job where a rural road crosses the rails on your module or layout. When rails are near an edge, the crossbuck on the near side would be out in the aisle! Also, if you can not see the back side of a sign, there is no need apply letters! Be LAZY. It is summer. Are your "Yard Limits" marked with a sign? Do your rails run through snow country? Flanger warning signs vary by railroad and beg to be modeled. Why not protect the turnouts up on the pass where you are thinking about a snow scene? Each of the posts and signs beside your rails will provide a SMALL bit of hobby fun. The payoff comes after you play the SMALL GAME FOR A SEASON OR TWO. Your rail empire becomes more believable as you follow the examples provided by your favorite prototype. Bill Williams The Ancient One EDITOR S NOTES For those readers keeping track of the THINK SMALL articles, you ll note the one included in this issue is #49. Last time it was #44, based on your editor s count. The Ancient One checked his file; it should have been listed as #48. Many of the early articles were numbered but eventually numbers were eliminated. The first article appeared 10 YEARS ago in the 1996 October-December CALL- BOARD! Future CALLBOARD schedules are: October- December CALLBOARD Staff Meeting: 7 PM, October 17 Text Deadline: October 24 Mailing: October 31 Meeting: November 18 Submit all articles, calendar items, adds, comments and corrections to the Editor.

6 A Reformatted Magazine is Coming The NMRA Membership Services and Promotion Department hosted an informal newsletter editor "gettogether" at the Philadelphia Convention this month. Gerry Leone, MMR, who is Deputy Chair of that department, and editor of the Thousand Lakes Region's newsletter, put the meeting together and hosted it. A number of subjects were covered but the discussion quickly turned to the NMRA Scale Rails magazine. The new editor, Stephen Priest, was present, and while he didn't bring along samples of the reformatted magazine, everyone who's seen preproduction copies of it has said it'll be very impressive. He was asked how he sees the magazine being different from the newsstand publications. He answered that he wants to change the image of Scale Rails from being a "5-minute magazine." Because the NMRA is an organization of people, not objects, he plans to focus on model railroading and peoples' relationships to it - why people do what they do in our hobby. He plans to include more Recommended Practices in the magazine, too, and will report on how well new products meet existing NMRA RPs. This will help give "teeth" to the RP program once again. In addition, Priest said that he will definitely spin Scale Rails away from being "Model Railroader-like." Everything the magazine does should be relevant to NMRA membership, he said. And since the MR and RMC magazines do little to publicize our NMRA convention, the contests and models, and activities, more of that will appear in Scale Rails. Publisher Larry De Young emphasized, during the discussion, that the magazine will run negative product reviews, if the product warrants it, even at the risk of losing an advertiser. The first issue of the new reformatted Scale Rails magazine will be dated September. Article condensed from a meeting summary by Gerry Leone. Redwood Empire Garden Railway Society (REGRS), No. 1 gauge, various scales. If you are interested call Ken Brody at (707) or westie@sonic.net Napa Valley Model Railroad Historcial Society, HO layout. Meets Fridays 7:30 PM at Napa Fairgrounds, 575 Third St., Napa. For information call: Clubhouse (707) or Ron Rogers (707) or John Rodgers (707) Lake County Model Railroad Club, HO layout. Meets Wednesday at 7:00PM in the old National Guard Building at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Martin Street, Lakeport. Call Mike Ernst at(707) Coastal Valley Lines, HO modular. Meets 1st Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM at Sam s For Play Café, 2630 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa. Call Brad Squires (707) or Don Hanesworth CLUB SCHEDULES Sonoma County Model Railroad Society (SCMRS) is looking for members to help create a large permanent HO scale model railroad display to be located in Sonoma County. Modeling items are currenty stored at the historic Healdsburg Railway Depot building. Contact Dave Gibbons at (707) or rrgibbons@sonic.net NPC Operators. An On3 operating group meets one Sunday each month. Contact Steve Skold (707) or SandCSkold@aol.com Redwood Empire Live Steamers. A new group is forming with the goal to build a 7 1/2 inch track facility in a local park. For information, call Don or Ann Bruner Welch at (707) or write to PO Box 4594, Santa Rosa, CA Bay Area S Scalers. Contact Lee Johnson at (925) Mendocino Coast Model Railroad & Historical Society, a Fort Bragg area group that promotes the hobby of model railroading. This group meets the 3rd Saturday of each month. At present, HO modules are being constructed. Contact Phil Miller at (707) for more information. North Coast Live Steamers, a group, from the Fort Bragg-Willits area, that promotes the hobby of large-scale railroading and other steam related history. Contact Bill Shepard at (707) Eel River Valley Model Railroaders, HO Scale layout. Meets each Friday evening at 7:30 P.M. at the Humboldt Co. Fair Grounds, Ferndale, CA. Write to P O Box 950 Fortuna CA or contact Ron Plies at (707) or rlplies@cox.net for more information. Humboldt Bay & Eureka, HO layout, Eureka, CA. Contact David Berriman, PO Box 915 Arcata, CA (707)

7 This form can be used for both new memberships and renewals. A NMRA membership now also includes membership in the Pacific Coast Region (PCR) and Redwood Empire Division (RED). Subscriptions to the monthly NMRA Scale Rails magazine and quarterly PCR Branch Line newsletter are optional. The quarterly RED Callboard newsletter is included at no additional charge. If desired, a NMRA member can subscribe to additional regional newsletters. 10/05

8 COMING DOWN THE LINE July 30: Redwood Empire Garden Railroad Society meeting at the Guy's home in Novato. # August 5-6: Coastal Valley Lines train show at Oakmont, Santa Rosa. # August 13: Redwood Empire Division meet in the Healdsburg Guerneville area. See page 1. August 10-20: Eel River Valley MRC Open House. 11 AM to 9 PM. in the Commercial building Humboldt County Fair, Ferndale CA.. The price of admission to the fair is required. August 19: Napa Valley Model Railroad HS swap meet at the Napa fairgrounds. # August 21-26: National Narrow Gauge Convention, Durango, CO. August 26: Daylight Division meet San Luis Obispo August 27: Redwood Empire Garden Railroad Society meeting at the Perry's home in Sebastopol. # September 24: Redwood Empire Garden Railroad Society meeting at the Topolos's home in Petaluma. # October 29: Redwood Empire Garden Railroad Society meeting at the Corbett's home in Novato. # Saturday November 18: Redwood Empire Division meet in Santa Rosa. # Contact information is listed on page 6. Visit RED at Website: Many of the art items used in this newsletter are courtesy of Ken Houghton Rail Images or came from the web site: CALLBOARD John Rolston, Editor 240 Chase Street Sonoma, CA FIRST CLASS