HOW TO- OPERATIONS CASE and part 2 SIMPLIFIED OPS SCHEME PLUS- History, Layout planning, Timetable, and more-

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1 THE HotBox THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION, NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION VOL. 50, NO. 4 WINTER 2009 $ FORT WAYNE CONVENTION WRAP-UP!! 2010 CONVENTION NEWS!! RAILFANNING- Jim Lenzion's O scale HOW TO- OPERATIONS CASE and part 2 SIMPLIFIED OPS SCHEME PLUS- History, Layout planning, Timetable, and more-

2 HotBox Editorial Barry Hensel, Editor HOTBOX CORRECTIONS Attended the NCR convention in Fort Wayne, hosted by Division 3. Were you there? It was a very good convention, lots to do and see and a good time. You'll find all the convention wrap-up, right here in your HotBox! Of course, with one convention over, another one looms on the horizon. The 2010 NCR convention now cranks-up it's publicity machine and hopes you will attend next year. My home Division 6 is the host and I (shamelessly admit) am the convention Chairman. I will try to keep that job and this one, separate, as it would be very easy for me to continue to use this column as a tool to promote the convention. BTW- the "North Central Express 2010" is on October 21-24, I am disappointed that after a full year of Editorship, I have not been able to convince someone in each Division, except Div 1, to become a Division Informer. I really wanted to make the HotBox THE source for news throughout the NCR, which of course includes each Division. While how-to articles and layout tours are always welcome and needed to make the HotBox a great publication, I firmly believe that the NCR and Division news is equally important. So here's one more pitch... how about becoming the Informer in your Division? me for details... We are now IN our "season"! Fall and Winter are the biggest times of the year for model railroading, as our outdoor activities come to a close. COOL! This month, November, is National Model Railroad Month. Are you going to promote our hobby? I'm sure you can! I hope you will! We now wrap-up the HOTBOX 50 th year with this issue. I continue to receive comments and concerns on this publication. I have listened, as you will see there are improvements with this issue. Newer font, columns in some articles, but sorry to say (for some) the color covers will continue. I really believe they help sell the new HOTBOX and I m hoping they bring some color into your model railroading lives, 4 times a year. Please keep those comments AND concerns coming! Thanks for reading Barry MODEL RAILROADING IS FUN! NCR HELP NEEDED!! NCR HELP!!! Rails on Wheels, a modular club based in the Ann Arbor area, recently had a new trailer stolen. Many of their layout modules were also in the trailer along with tools. If you hear of any trailers for sale cheap, please contact the club through Jeff Fryman (734) , railsonwheels@yahoo.com or their website- NCR "OOPS". Always striving to be correct, is something we will try to do with the HotBox. But, we are also human and mistakes happen. Please forgive us, these are usually NOT intentional! Corrections for the August 2009 edition of the HotBox are- * new address for Doug Harbin, Div 10 Superintendent * corrections in the Pike Ad for Gratiot Valley FRONT COVER PICTURES- Best in Show color print by Sue Parry from the Fort Wayne convention REAR COVER PICTURES- Div 8 layout tours, NCX convention logo, tool article 2 the HotBox Winter 2009

3 NCR - NORTH CENTRAL REGION BOARD MEMBERS & DIVISION LEADERS RAILROADING "WHAT THE???" NCR HUMOR Self explanatory "Ralph, you left the vent OPEN on that tanker, didn't you?" "Uhhhh... I THINK so..." Winter 2009 the HotBox 3

4 PRESIDENTS OBSERVATION by Jack Watson Freshly returned from another GREAT North Central Region Convention, Fort Wayne s Shops 2009 was TERRIFFIC!!!! More than enough was available for any model railroader, at this annual shindig! Loads of how to classes, by nationally known clinicians, and some local Regional folks too! There were unusual prototype tours available, twenty-two layouts open for viewing, model and photography contests open to participation by any member, operating sessions filled-up quickly, a superb Awards Breakfast celebration, and a Hotel that went above and beyond to accommodate! Yet only sixteen percent of the NCR membership took advantage, for a very reasonable outlay, you could have been extremely busy for three and a half days! Where were you? Am always disappointed when I hear members complain they don t get much for their money! The actual truth is that you often get back what you put in! There are always opportunities available, YOU have to get off your butt, and go take part in them! No one is going to call you and harass you into being an active member, you have to want to, and you have to just do it This advice goes for Conventions and Divisional activities, get involved.even though you are too busy with your life, it will surprise you how many things there are going on, and how many really good people you will meet! I would like to rephrase my statement, eighty-four percent of the Region membership, did not bother to take part in a GREAT Convention! The Region is doing fine, we are solvent and holding fairly even with membership numbers, as is the National. The Board of Directors has tried to be a bit more innovative with the funds available to the Region. We tried to offer Grant money to all of the Divisions, sadly only two, took real advantage of the program and one was turned into a Region wide program. The emphasis of the National has shifted to helping the Regions and Divisional levels of the membership. It is a start, and we are working hard to implement many phases of these new programs. We hope that you will see a difference, as the year progresses. Also we need to hold elections again, those terms sure seem to run out quickly! If you have any interest in running for an elected position within the Region, please inform any of the Board of Directors, they will be NCR THE JACK WATSON more than happy to see your name on the ballot! There is also one non-elected position that needs a new Chairman, Glenn Joppich would like to be replaced as the Model Contest Chair, he is more than happy to work with a successor for a year to get them on the road successfully! If anyone would like to apply, please contact me, or again, any Board Member of your wishes. Have also decided, that it is high time to recognize those hard-working modelers, who are sweating out their efforts in the NMRA Achievement Program. This magazine is the perfect place to give these folks some published notoriety, for their hard work and dedication to the pursuit of the Master Model Railroader designation! Walter Griffin of Division Three Golden Spike, and R. Brooks Stover of Division Eight - Master Builder Structures, Chief Dispatcher and Master Builder Prototype Models, a triple! Congratulations gentlemen, keep up the good work! Finally, a very hearty round of applause, for all those hard working members of Division Three, their tireless efforts, did produce one fine Convention! Know that you have raised the bar again! Remember comments are always welcome, feel free to contact me, anytime or jwatson1212@sbcglobal.net 4 the HotBox Winter 2009

5 FORT WAYNE MODEL CONTEST RESULTS NCR INFO This years Model Contest at the Fort Wayne Shops Convention was a wonderful success. We had a total of 18 entries in three categories. I would like to thank the judges, Jack Watson, Larry Wolohon, Howard Andrews, John Bussard, Joel Goldberg and myself. Many thanks to them for volunteering their time to help provide a quality contest. All the models were excellent and judging them was a rewarding experience as always. Congratulations to all the participants. Of the models entered we had nine qualify for Merit Awards and another five qualified as Gold Award models. Have fun, Glenn Joppich, Contest Chairman Best in Show Allen Crowley Burt Station Traction 1st Howard Andrews Pittsburg Railway Crane 2nd Terry Bossick Canadian LRV Structures 1st John Bussard 2nd John Bussard 3rd Joel Goldberg Display 1st Joel Goldberg Yard Tower Cave in Rock Hotel Cucumber Processing Plant Coal/Fuel Facility Here's the list of photo winners. Submitted by Al Crowley, filling in for Dan Lewis Best of Show Susan Perry Night Owl Prototype Color 1st William Gawthorp Running in the Street 2nd Ray Huber CSX rd Ray Huber Switch Stand in the Snow Prototype Black and White 1st Susan Perry Double Headed Burks 2nd Joseph Polefko Columbia Park Station 3rd Joseph Polefko Conrail Depot Model Photo Color 1st Howard Andrews End of the Day 2nd William Gawthorp Ten Wheeler on the Trestle Honorable Mention William Gawthorp B&O Jeep Honorable Mention Ray Huber See Ya Next Time Prototype Color Slide 1st Glenn Joppich The Office Honorable Mention Gleen Joppich Moving Out Winter 2009 the HotBox 5

6 RAILFANNING NYC IN MICHIGAN NCR GOES TRACKSIDE 6 the HotBox Winter 2009

7 RAILFANNING NYC IN MICHIGAN NCR GOES TRACKSIDE Winter 2009 the HotBox 7

8 OPERATIONS TRAVEL CASE by Norm Logan NCR HOW-TO ARTICLE The Fully Equipped OPS Case! OK tonight s the Big OPS SESSION with your group. So you need to round up all the stuff for operation. Then you remember that you wanted to show off that new engine you got for Christmas and that Car kit you finished. So where are the boxes that the engine and car came in? (And something to block it down so details don t get knocked off) and I need a bag or something to put all this stuff in. Sound familiar? What you need is a fully equipped OPS case to protect your equipment and bring the things you need for your OPS session. It is easy and VERY inexpensive to make your own FULLY EQUIPPED OPS CASE that you can take to the operating session and be confident that you have EVERYTHING as you arrive. You will need to purchase: 1) The cheapest briefcase you can find Kmart- US Luggage Attaché $19 2) A fine point magic marker $2 3) A piece of 3" foam block Joann Fabrics 13x36 piece $10 That's it... $32 bucks you can make a GREAT custom case for your equipment. STEP 2 Measure the inside dimensions of your Attaché case. Mark this with your magic marker on the foam. Take the carving knife and slowly cut (let the blade do the work) on your marked lines. STEP 1 Go to the kitchen and get your OLD electric carving knife. (It's OK to use it and this will not harm the blade.) STEP 3 Fit the foam into the case. Next check where the side closures hit the foam. Mark to knock out the area so the side closures will be free to move. Cut these knock out with the carving knife. Refit the foam back into the case. Check to see that the side closures move freely and not hit the foam. Cut off more foam if needed. 8 the HotBox Winter 2009

9 OPERATIONS TRAVEL CASE by Norm Logan NCR HOW-TO ARTICLE STEP 4 Now the FUN PART. Collect all your equipment: Radio, Card belt, Pencil case. Take the equipment and place it on the foam in the case. (At this point I like to think of a James Bond movie with an Attaché Case with all those wonderful weapons and extras). When you get the arrangement just right... mark around them with a magic marker. STEP 5 Take your carving knife and cut totally through the foam on your drawn lines. The cool thing is that unlike wood or plastic the foam will move and you can poke a hole with the moving blade and then simply cut out the areas. Before you start cutting - take your magic marker and mark an "X" on the top of the area. As you cut out an area take your Carving knife and cut the foam piece in half. STEP 6 Take half of the cut foam and replace it back in the holes. This will be the bottom that gives your equipment the pillow support when in transit. You may also wish to add a 1/4 foam lid to your case to protect the tops of equipment in your case. And your done! The neat thing is that one case could be used for many different types of cases: camera, Train, and other collectables. Have Fun!!!! Winter 2009 the HotBox 9

10 HotBox NEWS "BETWEEN THE RAILS" NCR INFORMATION Here is where your news items, rumors, and gossip of just about anything in the Model Railroading hobby can be reported. Whatever it is, send it to us and we'll let everyone else know! BTR#1- Paper Buses- There are several models from the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. All are 1/87, but since they are paper that you download and print, it shouldn't be too hard to re-scale them. Better yet, they are free! BTR#2- Greetings, Effective immediately, we here at Athearn, have made the difficult decision to discontinue the production of our Blue Box line of kits. There were several factors that contributed to this extremely challenging decision however, the primary issue revolved around affordability and ensuring that our Blue Box kit pricing remain aligned with what the market can bear. Unfortunately, due to increased manufacturing and labor costs it has been determined that we are no longer able to continue offering kits at competitive price points as compared to our already assembled products. For over 50 years the Athearn Blue Box kits have been sold worldwide, bringing happiness, joy and excitement to thousands of model railroad enthusiasts. Your passion for these products has allowed us to thrive and grow into the industry leader you still support today, and for that we are eternally grateful. Moving forward this will allow us to dedicate more resources to new and exciting projects in our Ready To Roll, Genesis and Roundhouse lines for another 50 years, or more. We will continue to support all service and warranty needs on Blue Box kits from our headquarters in Long Beach, California. You can find our contact information here. The Folks at Athearn DISCLAIMER!!- While we will try to verify most stories, the HotBox, HotBox Editor, NCR Board of Directors, its agents and representatives will not and can not be held responsible for mis-information presented in this column! 10 the HotBox Winter 2009

11 NCR TIMETABLE NCR DIVISION meetings NCR INFORMATION Division One (Toledo, Ohio area) Starting September 2008, we will be meeting at Collingwood Presbyterian Church located at 2108 Collingwood Blvd. at Floyd St. near downtown Toledo. In an effort to comply with the National Model Railroad Association rules governing Liability and Insurance coverage for Division One events, Division One has agreed to be a 100% NMRA membership organization. Division Three (Fort Wayne, Indiana and western Ohio area) We meet monthly, year round on the second Tuesday of the month. Our meetings are held at the UM Church of the Covenant N. Coldwater Rd, Fort Wayne, IN. (1/4 mile S. of DuPont Rd.) Division Four (Grand Rapids and west Michigan area) Div. 4 continues to meet quarterly with other special events thrown in. For more information contact: Skip Luyk, or heluyk@yahoo.com Division Five (Lansing and mid-lower Michigan area) Meets on the Second Saturday of each month in the basement of the main library of the Capital Area District Library, located at the corner of S. Capital and Kalamazoo Sts., Lansing, MI. Meetings start at 1pm. Division Six (Wayne County, Detroit area) Meets on the THIRD Friday of each month at the Livonia Senior Center, Farmington Rd, one mile north of the I-96 Jefferies Fwy. Meetings start at 7:30pm and last until 10pm. Division Seven (mid-upper Michigan area) Division Seven is currently inactive. Any Volunteers?? Division Eight (Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair Counties, north Detroit area) Division Eight meets at 7:00 pm, on the third Thursday of the month, at Troy Christian Chapel. The chapel is located at 400 East Long Lake Road in Troy, Michigan. It is between Rochester and Livernois roads. Division Nine (Ann Arbor area) We meet on the first Sunday of most months at 2:30pm at Keller/Williams Reality at 2144 South State Street. Use Exit 177 off I-94 (Briarwood Mall) and go north toward downtown Ann Arbor. Turn west into the parking lot with the entrance to the building on the upper level. (Look for the NMRA sign at reception desk.)no meetings scheduled for July or August (summer recess) Division Ten (Flint and Saginaw area) Meetings are held the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM at Woodside Church 1509 E Court St Flint, MI OTHER GROUPS meeting in the NCR AREA The HotBox has traditionally listed several other train groups and their meeting times and places. However, after doing a bit of research to verify some of the existing information, we have found that there are well over 60+ different model and proto-type groups within the NCR boundaries. We can never list that many. However, you can see that list, as it is a website (at least for Michigan based groups). Please access this sitewww.michiganrailroads.com Winter 2009 the HotBox 11

12 NORTH CENTRAL BoD NEWS NCR INFO At the recent NCR convention, the Fort Wayne Shops, there was the annual North Central Region Board of Directors meeting. The meeting was held Friday morning. Attending the meeting was Division Superintendent/Presidents Fred Lux (Div1), Chuck White (Div3), Skip Luyk (Div4), John Hartmann (Div5), Glenn Joppich (Div6), Marv Linke subbing for Jerry Shanek (Div8), Dave Simmons (Div9), NCR President Jack Watson, Vice-President Dave McMullen, Secretary Larry Wolohon, Treasurer Dean Pyers, Registrar Marty LaForte, Directors Marv Linke and Tim Fisher, HotBox Editor Barry Hensel, NMRA Director Dave Thornton and guest NMRA President Mike Brestel. The meeting started with the Treasurer s Report that being that the NCR is in good financial order! It was noted that HotBox subscriptions have been adjusted and are at 350 (approx) members. That number does not create enough revenue to sustain the publication for a full year. It is roughly half what is needed. The HotBox needs to pay for itself, as the $2 from the NMRA for NCR support should not be going toward this publication. A committee was formed to investigate Marty, Glenn, Jack, Marv and Dean volunteered. It was also noted by NMRA President Mike Brestel that it is up to NCR Board to determine WHAT format the HotBox is in hard cover published or electronic. Next was a report by the NCR Registrar, who stated that NCR membership increased 27 to 929, through September 2009, compared to September A good sign! A report on a change to the NCR by-laws was next. This was a carry-over item from The change is for Div Superintendents that cannot for some reason could not attend the BOD meetings. The new changes allow for a Substitute to attend the BOD Meeting and vote in place of the normal Board member without holding a paper proxy authorization, (which in Corporation Law, that proxy paperwork has to be filed more than thirty days prior to the BOD Meeting). The change will have to have membership approval, the NCR Board approved the revisions! NCR misc news- NEW member packages were made and given to each Division for new members that came to a upcoming meeting!! It was encouraged to have each Div add in- promo/info about their Div, etc It was also suggested to have each Div have a member meet-er who will take new people and help them become involved! Dave Thornton s NMRA Director term is up in 2011 and he cannot run again due to term limits. We have been fortunate to have someone from our Region to also be our Director. We will be highly encouraging someone else from the NCR to stepup for nomination! The NCR will need a new contest chairman Glenn Joppich has asked to stepped down, as soon as possible. Glenn is willing to stay on as an associate, to help the new chairman get acclimated. The NCR elections need to take place in a special mailing for ballots or ballots in HotBox may be possible. YOUR article could be appearing RIGHT HERE!! Please consider writing an article for a future issue of the HotBox!! Fame, Fortune (not really) and points toward your MMR await you when you write a HotBox article! REMEMBER!!! We need YOU as a "DIVISION INFORMER" so that everyone else knows what your Division is doing! We will need YOUR help for future issues of the HotBox! 12 the HotBox Winter 2009

13 Division Six of the NCR- North Central Region of the NMRA- National Model Railroad Association presents- NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 A MODEL RAILROAD WEEKEND CONVENTION! THURSDAY - FRIDAY - SATURDAY - SUNDAY OCTOBER , 2010 LIVONIA, MICHIGAN, USA WELCOME to the NCR Model Railroad Convention, NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010! The convention is being hosted by DIVISION SIX, located in the western Detroit metro area. We are planning a great weekend of model and prototype railroading, just for YOU! Please read through this flyer-application for all of the important information you need to help you to decide to attend this event. As you ll soon read, we re concentrating on having fun and learning all about model railroading! All you need to do is fill out the registration page, send it in with your registration fees and you ll be part of one of the greatest model railroad events in Michigan! OR visit us online and register there using your credit card and PayPal services! Come and join us for the MAXIMUM model railroad FUN, all in one weekend! Open to ALL model railroaders! You do not have to be a NCR or NMRA member to attend! EVENT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE- * Operation sessions available Thursday, Friday, Saturday * FREE bag of model railroad stuff first 200 registered * Extra Best in Show and Participants Choice Contest Awards * All-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast on Sunday morning * Keynote speaker, Art Fahie of Bar Mills Products on Sunday morning * Special event HO & N scale billboards on sale * 15+ Workshops on Friday and Saturday * 20+ model layouts to visit * Prototype tours available on Friday * Door Prizes awarded Friday and Saturday * NMRA Model and Photo contests * Silent Auction Fund-Raisers! * Limited special event shirts on sale * Special DAY PASS entry available! * Online Registration available, see website! * Event site- Livonia Marriott, Laurel Park Mall * EVERYONE welcome to attend! Joe Bliss's Allegany Central For more information or questions answered, contact - Dick Harden's C&NW Barry Hensel (5pm-10pm) - barry76lt@wowway.com, Glenn Joppich (5pm-10pm) - steambigot@yahoo.com and visit our web pages at- Winter 2009 the HotBox 13

14 ALL ABOARD! THE SCHEDULE Here is our proposed schedule for the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 model railroad convention- THURSDAY, October 21 Operating Sessions by pre-register only FRIDAY, October 22 Registration 8am-8pm Prototype Tours Clinics/Workshops starting at 7pm Layout tours starting at 6pm Operating Sessions by pre-register only SATURDAY, October 23 Registration 7:30am-12 noon Clinics/Workshops from 8am-12 noon Contest Room open 8am-1pm NCR annual Board Meeting 11am Layout Tours starting at 12 noon Operating Sessions by pre-register only SUNDAY, October 24 Awards Breakfast & Speakers 9:30am-11:30am Layout Tours starting at 12 noon As you can see, we ve packed as much model railroading as possible into one weekend, all for YOU! To participate in all of this, just fill out the registration form, send it in with your fees and you will have a great time! A preconvention info package with the final schedules, clinic schedule and topics and any other late information will be mailed to you starting early September. You can also get updates on our website!! THE SITE & HQ HOTEL For the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 we have secured an excellent convention site and hotel, the Marriott Detroit-Livonia, located at the Laurel Park Mall, I-275 and Six Mile Rd. The hotel has all the room we need, PLUS the Laurel Park Mall with their new Food Court and other eateries is attached to the hotel! Also, as our HQ location, we are centrally located for all of the weekends activities! Room rates are $95 per night for up to four people in a room. To make reservations, call the hotel direct and tell them you are coming to the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 and you want a room in the NMRA block! This will get you our special rate on one of our already reserved rooms. Marriott Detroit-Livonia N. Laurel Park Dr. Livonia, Michigan CLINICS/WORKSHOPS We are planning on a full weekend of clinics/workshops at the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010! Starting on Friday night and continuing Saturday morning, we expect to have 15+ different clinics/workshops. Some will be presented twice, allowing you to see as many as possible. We re working very hard to get you the best and most interesting clinics/workshops we can! And for the beginner, a series of clinics on Saturday morning, just for you - Model Railroad Layouts 101! See how to build your own model railroad layout! A final schedule of the clinics/workshops will be posted on our website and be included in your pre-convention info package, mailed to you in early September 2010, when you pre-register for NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010! OPERATING SESSIONS At the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 convention, we will be providing a schedule of layouts that will be available for OPS Sessions, in your pre-convention info package. Then you will have to pre-register for the session(s) you wish to attend. Send in right away as space is limited. OPS sessions will take place at the Layout Owners discretion and are being planned for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. SILENT AUCTION FUND-RAISERS At the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010, we will be having several Silent Auctions on model railroad items with the proceeds going to the Steam Railroading Institute (home of Pere Marquette 1225) for restoration and DCC upgrades to a donated HO scale layout that visitors can operate. Now you can help others by attending NCX 2010! 14 the HotBox Winter 2009 Jim Tilley's PRR-B&O

15 LAYOUT TOURS The Detroit area is a hotbed of model railroad activity and we have some of the best layouts anywhere! If you ve been to conventions in this area before, you know what we are saying. We should be covering all the major scales and maybe even a few obscure ones! The layouts presented for the weekend range from completed to just under construction. This will allow you to view all phases of layout construction and to learn as you ask the owners questions about their layouts. It is always great to see layouts and their progress toward completion. Several of these layouts have been featured in the model railroad press! Our website will be listing some of the available layouts as we confirm Barry Hensel's Reading Lines them - A complete convention booklet with all the layout locations and open times will be given to you when you check in at our registration desk, when you arrive for the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS! PROTOTYPE TOURS We are very heavy into the planning of the prototype tours as this flyer is being printed. We expect to have several tours available on Friday. We have contacts at several local businesses that use railroads to bring in or carry out goods and services, which should prove interesting to see. Pre-registration, a limit on how many people can attend and an additional charge may be required for some tours. Information will be included in the pre-convention info package sent to all registrants in early September, when you pre-register for the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS! AWARDS BREAKFAST It has become a tradition when Division Six hosts the NCR convention, to forgo a Saturday night dinner banquet in favor of doing MORE model railroading all night long! Thus, we are again planning an Awards Breakfast, to be located at the HQ Hotel on Sunday morning from 9:30-11:30am. The Breakfast will cost extra from your convention registration, but is a very reasonable $12 per person for a great All-You-Can-Eat Pancake breakfast (includes pancakes, bacon, fruit, coffee, tea, juice, milk). The model and photo contest awards will be presented during the Breakfast and we ll hear from our keynote speaker Art Fahie of Bar Mills Model Products! We ll also hear from a few local speakers, including Jack Watson, NCR President. We will be limited to 175 people, and you must preregister for this activity. No tickets will be available after October 10, 2010, so sign-up early for the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010! NMRA MODEL & PHOTO CONTESTS There will be model and photo contests at the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS convention! The contest room will be open from 8am to 1pm on Saturday ONLY. Bring in your models, photos or slides to the room to get them registered. You must be an NMRA member to enter a model, photo or slide in the contest. Everyone will get to participate in the contest by voting on their favorite model and photo/slide. We ll give out special Participants Choice, Best in Show awards and the NMRA Certificates and ribbons, on Sunday. Structure Award Winner John Bussard NCX SATURDAY DAY PASS ENTRY For the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 convention, we have designed a special rate for those who have never attended a convention before. The NCX SATURDAY DAY PASS ENTRY allows any person to register for only $25. This will permit any person to attend any of the clinics on Saturday morning including - Model Railroad Layouts 101 a full series of clinics on Saturday morning, just for you, the beginner and six preselected layouts during the afternoon. The SATURDAY DAY PASS will not include a goodie bag, prototype tours, operation sessions, Friday or Sunday tours, or any door prizes. It's a great way to "get your rails wet"!! NCX PRE-CONVENTION INFO PACKAGE & WEBSITE For the NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESS 2010 convention, we will be mailing all pre-registered participants a PRE- CONVENTION INFO PACKAGE. This will have the schedules for the clinics, proto-type tours and operations sessions. A form will be included for you to fill out and send back in order to register for the proto-type tours and operation sessions. This Package will be mailed to you in early September Some of this information will also be posted on our website - Winter 2009 the HotBox 15

16 16 the HotBox Winter 2009

17 NCR DIVISION HAPPENINGS NCR INFORMATION Division Ten (Flint and Saginaw area) Div 10 has no new news! (submitted by Don Harbin, Superintendent) Division Nine (Ann Arbor area) Division 9 has resumed meetings after their summer break. At the September meeting, they saw a clinic on Iron Ore and Car Ferry Operations by Rich Mahaney of Division 6. In November, the division, along with some members of the Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club, participated in operating sessions on Larry Burk's Clinch Valley and John DePauw's EJ&E. Both layouts were a lot of fun and we look forward to our next operating session meeting. (submitted by: David Simmons, Superintendent) Division Eight (Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair Counties) Division 8 continues its meetings year around. The meeting format emphasizes member participation with a large show-and-tell section followed by an interesting program. A new feature of the meetings is a quarterly modeling contest. This contest involves giving the membership plans for a (relatively) simple prototype structure. Members are given three months to build the structure in any scale and with any materials. The resulting structures are then judged and the winner is given a certificate of accomplishment. Tom Weiss won the September contest for his version of the Union Pacific speeder shed. (submitted by Bill Gawthrop) Division Seven (mid-upper Michigan area) Division 7 is currently inactive. Any Volunteers?? Division Six (Wayne County, Detroit area) Div 6 is getting ready for their annual Fall Show & Workshop (see flyer) and they have a great Team that is planning the next, 2010 NCR convention - the North Central Express (NCX)! We continue to meet every month and have a great night of information and fun. We have history, clinics, show & tell and more! In September we had a Div 6 swap meet night and many great deals were made. (submitted by Barry Hensel, Newsletter Editor) Division Five (Lansing and mid-lower Michigan area) Div 5 did not turn in a report - nothing new! Division Four (Grand Rapids and west Michigan area) We in Division 4 have not yet completed our plans for an event for the final quarter of the year. We have had some recent criticism regarding the content of our programs so we are looking to find something that may hopefully be more interesting and bring out more members. The Grand Rails 2012 committee continues to plan and organize events for the national convention coming to Grand Rapids in a couple years. Some of the things we have had approved are: Most layout tours will be self-guided but we are working with people in Lansing, Kalamazoo, South Bend and the western Detroit area to put together some Super Tours By bus. We will also have available 7 hour limousine tours for up to six people. So, lots of things going on. (submitted by-skip Luyk, Superintendent) Division Three (Fort Wayne, Indiana and western Ohio area) Div 3 has just completed the NCR 2009 convention. See a convention report, later in this issue of the HotBox! Division One (Toledo, Ohio area) Div 1 has no new news. John Roth, Division One Informer Winter 2009 the HotBox 17

18 HOBBY SHOP & BUSINESS CORNER YOUR BUSINESS ad could be here!! Low cost lots of exposure!! 18 the HotBox Winter 2009

19 DIVISION 6 of the NORTH CENTRAL REGION of the NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION PRESENTS- 31st ANNUAL! MODEL RAILROAD SHOW & WORKSHOP Sunday, December 6th, am-4pm LEARN HOW TO DO & ENJOY MODEL RAILROADING! This is NOT a sale or swap meet! SEE DEMONSTRATIONS on power systems, scenery, kit building, structure building, backdrops, wiring, track laying tips, & basic building techniques. ALSO SEE historical displays, video tape shows and operating model railroad layouts! Refreshments will be available. PARTICIPATE IN a raffle for many prizes of model railroad items and an open model railroad model contest Boy Scout merit badge activities will be at the show - EARN your Model Railroad badge here!! GREAT FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! STOP BY FOR A VISIT, ASK QUESTIONS, GET ANSWERS! The MODEL RAILROAD SHOW & WORKSHOP is located at the LIVONIA SENIORS BUILDING Farmington and Five Mile Rds. ENTRY FARE: 17 and older $4 each, under 17 is FREE, Boy Scouts in uniform are FREE with a paid adult Winter 2009 the HotBox 19

20 A SIMPLIFIED OPERATION SCHEME by Chuck Williams NCR HOW TO PART 2 - A further refinement of the system was a later development. My Freeville staging has five tracks, two of which are relatively short and will not hold a five car train. I developed a schedule of trains which involved, in addition to daily freights, several passenger trains. This is stretching reality quite a bit since actual passenger service on the branch ended in the mid 30 s and my era started out being late 40 s. (I told you I played fast and loose with history). I then moved that slightly to in order to accommodate some engines, freight cars and automobiles I had purchased. I subsequently became interested in the early 30 s and that helped to justify passenger service. I have a gas electric which runs twice a day. There is a daily passenger trains headed by an F3 in the scheme. These two take up the short tracks in staging. In between and around are the freight trains. Again, I have modified my early thinking and now run two turns daily, one to each town. Since there are more than twice as many spots as cars in the train, that seems to work well. This scheme provides operating action for a single operator (me) but it could handle up to three with one each taking the turns and the third restaging the staging yard at Freeville. In this scenario, a third freight train intended to pass through to Camden (off layout to the north) could make its way around the main line (there are two passing tracks on the main). I also run an early morning milk train which stops at the three milk stations on the main line. It comes out of Camden, stops at the Creamery in Cortland, unloads, and then returns to Camden (staging). This train s group of milk cars (carrying milk cans) never changes. The use of playing cards (simply writing the reporting marks of the cars on the top of the card and destination on the bottom) worked very well. No great expense is required to get started and shuffling the cards to make up new trains is easy. The photo of the cards shows a normal car card on the top right (Robert s reefer tan). On the bottom of the card is its destination (Supreme Meats, Cortland). The red line in the center designates Cortland (Canastota uses a blue line, McLean a green line and the NYO&W interchange a brown line).the top left card is a boxcar destination card (white) and below it is the boxcar card (yellow) telling which boxcar is to be selected. The fourth card is a Pick up one car from the interchange. This is an example of a wild car which can be used to insert some variation and uncertainty into the scheme. 20 the HotBox Winter 2009

21 The cards illustrated actually show an alternate set of playing cards that I developed after several running sessions. I had experimented with using color coded car cards made from heavy cardstock. Each type of car was assigned a different color. The basic idea remained the same. The car name and the destination were printed on the face of the card. However, these cards proved to be less than desirable because they could not be shuffled easily and they tended to stick together. I then experimented with taking standard playing cards and spray painting them different colors so that each type of car had a distinct color. Black permanent markers were used to write car name and destination of the face. These proved much more effective and easy to handle. I have also standardized on the concept of two separate turns, one for Cortland and one for Canastota. This allows the deck to be separated into two distinct decks which are much easier to handle. A further wrinkle has been the development of a third turn for McLean and DeRuyter. McLean is the location of a co-op farm supply with a small stock pen adjacent (common in upstate New York). The interchange track for the NYO&W is accessible from this location (call it DeRuyter). HotBox PROTOTYPE PAGE The third turn serves these two locations and at Freeville, can use one of the shorter tracks since I am limiting this train to four cars. All of this provides some action for a fourth operator who handles this turn, the morning milk run and the passenger trains. The only real issues (since I haven t tried an operating session with several operators) are space for the human bodies and handsets for four operators. So, that s it. It s a simple system that introduces some variety to operations instead of just watching trains go by. It s easy to set up and easy to modify. And best of all, it works. NCR INFORMATION NS Dispatch Center in Fort Wayne - you can see the engine house heritage in the bricked-up engine bay doors. What could be named "splitting the up-rights" a NS local freight passing the signals near the Fort Wayne Dispatch Center. All three pictures, were taken during the Fort Wayne Shops, the 2009 NCR convention. BONUS- a quick stop in Coldwater, MI on the way home netted some views of the Little River Railroad #110 loco preparing for an afternoon run! Winter 2009 the HotBox 21

22 FORT WAYNE SHOPS CONVENTION WRAP-UP NCR SPECIAL REPORT The FORT WAYNE SHOPS convention is in the history books. With 148 registrants and 175 people, it was very well attended and all the comments are VERY positive! Lots of clinics, very good layouts and good friends and times! There were 21 clinics, some offered multiple times. Five clinics were make and take, where you took home a sample of the technique. They were VERY popular. There were three prototype tours giving views of RR operations not available to the public. Triple Crown specially staged a demo of their operation for us, as normally all their work is done late at night. THANKS to everyone who helped in some way, big or small, and to everyone that attended the convention! NOTE- clinic photos by Jim Six. There were 19 layouts open for tours between Friday night, Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday afternoon. There were also many OPS sessions planned with over 60 people asking for information on these sessions, prior to the convention. Ops seems to also be very popular! There were enough door prizes donated to give every registrant a prize! A BIG THANKS to all those companies that donated to the event! The food was good - and popular as 88 people signed up for the award brunch. More door prizes were given out and Jim Wrinn, Editor of TRAINS magazine was a great guest speaker. 22 the HotBox Winter 2009

23 FORT WAYNE SHOPS CONVENTION WRAP-UP NCR SPECIAL REPORT Winter 2009 the HotBox 23

24 MY NEW LAYOUT DESIGN by Glenn Joppich NCR LAYOUT DESIGN PART 4- Howdy friends, by the time you read this the Fort Wayne Shops convention will be complete and I have 12 months left to prepare for the North Central Express 2010 Convention. Things are progressing and I am happy with the progress to date. As you can see from the first picture, demolition on the South wall of the closets and storage unit is complete. Walls are primed and bench work is moving along. At this point I plan to have bench work complete by Christmas. The fast track system has made construction of the turnouts pretty quick. Each one takes about an hour. I did have to build a wye and using one of the templates from fast-track's website it went quite well taking about two hours to build. When I considered building my own turnouts it was a pretty daunting thing for me. I had never done anything like that before. But with practice and the tools it really has not been that difficult and the cost savings far outweigh the time savings. At this point I would not have a problem trying to build more difficult switches or crossings. In fact, the next section of the track work I will be laying has a crossing and I will build that myself as well. Unfortunately since the last time I wrote my job has become a victim of the economy. This is a double edged sword. On the good side, I have more time for working on the railroad. While to some extent that is true my time is also spent looking for a new job and doing side work to try to help make ends meet. So far so good. The bad part is that money is tight and I do not have much in the way of discretionary cash for buying material. It has been trying but I am still making progress. Right now, in addition to building bench work, I have begun laying track in the south yard and terminal. This is the southern terminus of the fictional branch line I am building. My line runs north and south between the tip of the Leelanau peninsula and Kingsley south of Traverse City. I did decide to use wood ties due to economics and am hand laying the track. In this yard area it is going directly onto the homasote. The switches are all built and getting installed. I have to say, hand laying track is very time consuming, and frankly, tedious. But... It looks amazing! I can't wait to get it ballasted and scenic. I'm very happy with the decision to hand lay track. 24 the HotBox Winter 2009 I should tell you that it will be some time before adding scenery. One thing I have learned form earlier layouts is to be sure of good operation in both the track work and the electrical systems before adding ballast and scenery. As I see it now the schedule for these articles and construction will go something like this... for the Spring issue- installing turnout control both electrical and manual and wiring the layout for the DCC system. And that means... drum roll please... I can run trains... YAY!!! In summer I hope to write about adding structures to the layout. Fall will be about scenery and ballasting. I suspect that I will only get part of the layout that far before NCX 2010 but we'll see how it goes. October will bring my first open house with the new layout and also your opportunity to see what you have been reading about over the past year. And finally for the winter edition of the HotBox, a wrap up of the articles including what I am sure will be mad preparations for the convention. It's going to be a wild year! Have fun till next time.

25 NCR TIMETABLE EVENTS! NCR INFORMATION NOTE- Events listed have been compiled from listings on website for Model Railroader magazine. If you have an event you want listed, it s FREE, but information must be submitted to the Editor at least 4 months in advance! Sunday, November 1- Gratiot Valley Train Show & Sale Gibraltar Trade Center 237 N River Rd Mount Clemens, MI am-4pm Adults $5.50 Children 12 & under FREE 50-cent Coupon on website $2 parking rebated with Vendor Voucher OUR 35th ANNIVERSARY Contact Info call Website Saturday, November 7-10th Michigan Railroad History Conference Cascade Manor House 1970 Kibby Rd. Jackson, MI (southwest of downtown) 8 am to 5:30 pm then tour and afterglow $50.00 per person Ten papers on Michigan railroad history: Following the presentations, a tour of the former Michigan Central shops (now Miller Trunking) and an afterglow at the former Lake Shore and Michigan Southern freight house (now Wendy's) are scheduled. For more information on the internet, check or the events calendar of Greg Degowski at gjdegowski@yahoo.com or write to the Michigan Railroad History Conference at P.O. Box 852, Royal Oak, MI Saturday, Nov 7 - Swap Meet Fulton Co. 4-H Fairgrounds 1009 West Third Street Rochester, IN AM to 3PM $3 per person. $5 per family, children under 12 free swap meet, all scales Richard Earp rcearp@embarqmail.com, Marvin Good trains451@yahoo.com Sunday, Nov 15 - Swap Meet, Toy Train / Collectible Show, Train Show and Sale Toy and Train show 316 W. Mason Rd. Milan (Avery), OH AM-3PM 12 and over $3.00 Model trains all scales, toys, test track, operating layout, free parking, lunch available, free coffee and doughnuts for vendors before 10:00AM. Tony Catalano PO Box 938 Norwalk, Ohio Sunday, November 22- Annual Model Train Show and Sale Michigan State University 4301 Farm Lane Road East Lansing, MI am-4pm Adults $6 under 12 years FREE! Scouts, in uniform FREE! FREE parking! Contact Info Ron St.Laurent Michael Frezell nd5s@arrl.net Website Saturday, Nov 28 - Toy Train / Collectible Show, Train Show and Sale Ken Frecker, Auction Arena 620 W. Lincoln Hwy. New Haven, IN am to 4 pm $3.00 each Under 12 Free! Sally Valiton 7112 Baer Road Fort Wayne, In Sunday, Nov 29- Model Railroad, Operating Exhibit, Swap Meet, Train Show and Sale Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Road Ann Arbor (Saline), MI am - 4pm $3.00 per person, children under 12 admitted free with paying adult. Our eleventh annual train show and sale featuring four operating layouts, over 100 sales tables, and trains kids can run. Food is available on-site and parking is free. Jeff Fryman c/o Rails on Wheels, 525 E. Michigan Ave. Suite 151, Saline, MI 48176, (734) , railsonwheels@yahoo.com website- Winter 2009 the HotBox 25

26 NCR TIMETABLE EVENTS! NCR INFORMATION Saturday, Dec 5 - Toy Train / Collectible Show, Train Show and Sale Coliseum in the Marion County Fairgrounds East Fairgrounds St. Marion, OH am-4pm $4.00 Under 8 years old: Free with an adult Sponsored by the Mario Union Station Assoociation. Displays and Sales tables. Jack Roberts 1847 Nesbitt Rd. Caledonia, OH Sunday, Dec 6- Div 6 Fall Model Railroad Show & Workshop NEW DATE!!!!! Livonia Senior Center Five Mile and Farmington Rds Livonia, MI 11am-4pm $4 under 12 free! For more information see NOT a sale or swap meet!! Come and get your model railroading questions answered. See demonstrations on all facets of model railroading. Hourly raffles for prizes and model contests. Snacks-refreshments available. Sunday, Dec 6- model train Swap Meet Grandville 2327 Wilson Ave sw Grand Rapids, MI am-3pm Adults 4.00 Under 12 are still Free 30th annual Railroad show With venders tables, Door Prizes, and Operating Layouts Rob Brown 3815 Burlingame SW Wyonimg MI (616) wmmrrc@sbcglobal.net Website- Saturday & Sunday, Dec Model Railroad Show and Sale Rock Financial Showplace 105th Street Edmonton Novi, MI am to 4 pm both days $7.00 Children under 12 are FREE (may be a fee for parking too!) The Great Train Expo is a national, traveling show that caters to the model railroad enthusiast. The show features tables of train dealers, who offer everything from... HO Scale, N Scale, Lionel (O Gauge), G Gauge, Z Scale, American Flyer (S Gauge), hobby tools, die-cast vehicles, train whistles, scenery items, Railroadiania Slides, t-shirts, videos, railroad gift items, books, photos and much, MUCH MORE! Phone: Fax: staff@greattrainexpo.com Great Train Expo P.O. Box 725 Oswego, IL Website Saturday, Dec 26 - Operating Exhibit, Memorabilia, Swap Meet, Toy Train/Collectible Show, Train Show/Sale Allen County Fairgrounds - Merchants Building S.R. 309 East Lima, Northwest Ohio, OH am to 3 pm Adults $4.00 Children 12 & under free All Gauges 100+ tables Railfan Items Operating Layouts Free Parking Food Service Warren Pratt Phone: Cell: wwpratt60@yahoo.com Sunday, Dec 27 - Operating Exhibit, Memorabilia, Swap Meet, Train Show and Sale, Workshops and Clinics Lucas Countly Rec. Center 2901 Key St. Maumee, Midwest, OH am - 4 pm Adults $5 Children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. TOLEDO TRAIN SHOW for the whole family. Operating Model Railroad displays, model trains and memorabilia for sale. Clinics on DCC, is it for me?; Scenery-Make your trains look great; Track - which track to use and how to use it; benchwork, tips for getting started correctly. Special feature for kids: "Thomas" play area featuring riding Thomas. TOLEOD MODEL TRAIN SHOW Attn: Al Mitchell PO box 1259 Adrian, MI Al@modelrailstuff.com Phone: website Sunday, Jan 17 - Operating Exhibit, Toy Train / Collectible Show, Train Show and Sale Athens High School 4333 John R Troy, Midwest, MI am - 3pm Adults $3, 12 & under FREE Enjoy a fun filled family afternoon by attending Michigan's largest one day show! The show will feature over 350 vendors selling railroad themed merchandise, exhibitors proudly displaying live operating layouts, door prizes, a youth activity corner and more! Frank Lams flams2@troy.k12.mi.us 26 the HotBox Winter 2009

27 NCR HotBox PIKE ADS WANT A PIKE AD? The friendly Staff at the HotBox offices are willing to help you design YOUR Pike ad... and for FREE!! Pike Ads are cool!! And they are only $15 for 3 years! Winter 2009 the HotBox 27

28 Permit Holder: The North Central Region, National Model Railroad Association c/o Uwe Thormaehlen Pheasant St. New Baltimore, MI NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LANSING, MI Permit No. 979 Send address corrections to the Registrar- Marty LaForte N. Umberland Cir Canton, MI in the next issue of HotBox MORE LAYOUT PHOTOS MORE HOW-TO-DO ARTICLES MORE INFORMATION... stay tuned!