Telltales. Newsletter of the Boulder Model Railroad Club

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This month s model contest, Anything Green, is a new topic, so put on your thinking

As a bonus, we ll also have last month s Prototype Photo contest, too, which was

) Our clinic will be on Prototype Rail Car Restoration, put on by the folks from the

1 Telltales June 2017 Newsletter of the Boulder Model Railroad Club How many different shades and/or uses of green can you see in this cover shot? This month s model contest, Anything Green, is a new topic, so put on your thinking cap and pick something to enter. As a bonus, we ll also have last month s Prototype Photo contest, too, which was cancelled in May due to bad weather. (See page 6.) Our clinic will be on Prototype Rail Car Restoration, put on by the folks from the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, so join us Thursday, June 21st, 7:00 PM at the Louisville (Tri-City) Elks Lodge, 525 Main Street in Louisville to help welcome in the summer season. (Photo by Ye Old Editor.) x

2 EDITORIAL For some model railroaders who are forced to start over on their layout construction, perhaps due to job relocation, change of domicile, natural disaster and the like, beginning anew can be frustrating, especially if significant progress was suddenly interrupted. Having undertaken layout construction in three different houses and been through one natural disaster, I can speak from some experience. Rather than succumbing to anger and frustration, however, I have found each change to be liberating. Thanks to my membership in the Boulder Model Railroad Club, which has allowed me to learn from others wiser and more experienced than I, and forcing myself to set aside anger and actually learn from my mistakes, each iteration of my layout has been better than my previous attempts. This has also created moments of intense satisfaction as I admire the results of small steps along the way that have befuddled me in the past. I may be retired but that doesn t mean I can devote eight-hour days to model railroading, for many additional interests and obligations compete for my time. Thus the phrase small steps has become my mantra. For the past 15 months I have been working toward completion of a 3½-foot by 6½-foot section. I tend to work with an overall vision of what I want the result to be but without specific details drawn to scale. As a result, sometimes I spend time just staring and thinking and other times I buckle down and work for a couple of hours. So imagine my surprise last week when, in the midst of one of my staring sessions, I realized that I was just two or three small steps away from finishing the section! Naturally, I began to get busy and by the end of the weekend I was done. With some welcome help from my neighbor, the section has now been lifted off of my temporary work bench (two slightly mismatched card tables) and set into permanent position within the layout. I am pleased as can be with the result. Now I can turn my attention to the rest of the layout and the problems and decisions it will bring. I am counting on careful application of my small steps routine to bring continued success in the coming months. Slow and steady can indeed win the race. X --Jack Rummel, editor (new <jtrummel39@gmail.com> ) T Telltales Official publication of the Boulder Model Railroad Club, P.O. Box 17691, Boulder, CO The BMRC meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Tri-City (Louisville) Elks Club, 525 Main St., Louisville, CO.. We are on the Internet at: < Officers President - Bill Casper Vice-President - Ray Hoppes Secretary - Phil Abaray Treasurer - John Clark Past President - Jerry Bengtson Submissions The TELLTALES welcomes articles, art, cartoons, puzzles, classifieds, workshop hints and other model railroading related materials. Mail or all contributions and/or changes of address to: Jack Rummel, TELLTALES Editor 3827 Doral Drive, Longmont, CO e jtrummel39@gmail.com 2

President s Message: On the Mainline One of the President's duties is to ensure that all of the group leader and chairman positions are filled each year.

3 President s Message: On the Mainline One of the President's duties is to ensure that all of the group leader and chairman positions are filled each year. At February's meeting, I announced that we needed someone to assume the duties of the HO-SIG Leader. Three months later, in mid-may, I notified all HO-SIG members that this leadership position remained unfilled. In the past three weeks I have had only 2 responses from HO-SIG members--one who felt we should probably disband the HO-SIG and the other who hoped that would not happen. In August, the Executive Board will meet to consider changes to the Operating Handbook and Operating Rules. If the HO-SIG Leader position remains unfilled at that time, I will have no choice other than to disband the HO-SIG. Most probably the new HO Modular Layout being built with club funds by HO-SIG members will be renamed the Club HO Layout as opposed to the Club N scale Layout (formerly " Club Layout"). Former members of the HO- SIG who wish to help Jerry Bengtson and me both build and display the modular layout may continue to do so. The former HO-SIG may be re-constituted at any time thereafter when a leader appears. Greg Pinkham still needs someone to assist him as the Expo Advertising Coordinator. This job is not a hard one, but requires significant activity two months out of the year. A list of responsibilities is reproduced on page 6. I will be assuming the responsibilities of the Door Prize Coordinator for the extended future. This year will be my last as President. Although the job is time consuming, it is also very rewarding. Any member, regardless of when he or she joined the BMRC, is eligible to be President. An official Nominating Committee will be formed in August; however, if you love to talk about model railroading with other model railroaders, let me know. Have I got a job for you! X Bill Casper x BMRC ELECTED AND VOLUNTEER POSITIONS Position Name Began ELECTED POSITIONS President Bill Casper 2016 Vice-President Ray Hoppes 2017 Secretary Phil Abaray 2017 Treasurer John Clark 2017 Past-President Jerry Bengtson 2016 VOLUNTEER POSITIONS TELLTALES Editor Jack Rummel 1997 Webmaster Joe Baldwin 2010 Membership Chair Spen Kellogg 2013 HO-SIG Leader (OPEN) N-SIG Leader John Layman 2017 Club Auditor 2015 Casper/Bengtson 2016 Contest Coordinator Doug Geiger 2017 Video Librarian Loren Blaney 2001 Book Librarian Mike Mead 2011 Club Historian Bob Uhr??? Layout Tour Coord. John Marlin 2017 Layout Manager Jon Bond 2009 Photographer Keith Bobo 2008 Video Cameraman Mike Gleydura 2013 Club Store Manager Jeff Morrison 2012 Lgmt. Library Layout Ray Hoppes 2014 Loren Blaney (tech support) 2007 WOW Museum Layout Loren Blaney 2015 Expo Manager Greg Pinkham 2016 Expo Layout Coord. Jon Bond 2013 Expo Games Manager Bill Casper 2016 Expo Advert. Coord. (OPEN) 2015 Expo Vendor Coord. Jeff Morrison 2013 Expo Setup/T-down Coord. Derek Walker 2013 Expo Door Prize Coord. Bill Casper 2017 Expo Display Cases Frank Smucker

4 Library News Visual Library Report Television's NOVA takes a look at "Why Trains Crash" (800) and how to prevent them. The worst rail disaster in recent U.S. history occurred in 2008 thirty miles west of L.A. at Chatsworth, California. A commuter train collided head-on with a freight resulting in 25 deaths and over a hundred injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the commuter missed a block signal because the engineer was busy texting. The incident inspired Congress to mandate an automatic fail-safe system called Positive Train Control (PTC). Unfortunately PTC wasn't implemented by 2015 when another commuter train crashed in Philadelphia, killing eight and injuring 200. A distracted engineer derailed the train at 106 mph on a 50 mph curve. Because of technical problems Congress extended the deadline for PCT to 2020, although several routes did have it installed. PTC does nothing to prevent crashes at road crossings. Some amazing clips show what happens when a two-ton auto tries to take the right-of-way from a ton train. The most frightening scenes were the result of a runaway train hauling crude oil. In 2013 it derailed in the center Lac-Megantic, a small Canadian town just across the border from Maine. Forty-seven died in a hellish inferno of exploding tanker cars. It took three days to put out the fires. The investigation revealed a confluence of unlikely errors. Japan provides examples of safe train travel. A quarter of their population ride trains every day, thus it's not too surprising that their bullet trains have a perfect safety record despite going 250 mph. The video takes you aboard their experimental maglev, which recently broke the speed record at 375 mph. (That's over six feet a second in HO scale!) Run time is 53 minutes in widescreen format with captions. Copyright Loren Blaney, Visual Librarian N-SIG News The next meeting of the N-SIG will be June 21. I ll be sending out a reminder to everyone well before the 21 st, and in that reminder I ll be detailing the location. Bill Casper reports that the Raffle Layout is complete! Great work, Bill! He will be bring the layout to at least one Club meeting so all can see it, and operate it. N Scale seems to work well for small layouts such as the raffle layout. Bill looked at the amount that the last few raffles brought in. The most successful was the raffle for another beautiful N Scale. We are hoping this layout will bring in good revenue for the Club. X John Layman, N-SIG leader. Misers aren t fun to live with but they make wonderful ancestors. David Brenner 4

5 Secretary s Report The May 18th BMRC meeting was cancelled by President Bill Casper due to inclement weather. Phil Abaray, Secretary From our V.P. JUNE MEETING In June we will have a clinic on prototype rail car restoration. John Engs of the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad volunteer organization will talk on the restoration of an 1889 Pullman tourist sleeper. The car ran on the D&RG for a number of years and went on to other service. This is a car l helped disassemble in Colorado Springs. You will learn much about the history and structure of this all wood car. The car is destined for service on the C&TS RR in the next few years. As I mentioned previously we have been invited to the Rhythm on the River music fest in Longmont by the Longmont Public Library. This is July 7 and 8 in the Rogers Grove park, just north of the Boulder County Fairgrounds where you will have to park. The time is 5 to 10 PM each night. Note that you will have a dirt or grass floor. Please let me know if you want to bring a layout and for which (or both) nights and the dimensions of your layout.. The event web site is: departments/departments-n-z/recreation-services/rhythm-on-the-river. So far Bill Casper has volunteered to bring his layout for both nights. I will not be at this event as I will be on my way to the National Garden Railway Convention in Tulsa. The Longmont Library contact is Elektra Greer: elektra.greer@longmontcolorado.gov; Ray Hoppes, Vice-President A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it. from the Cynical Philosopher... Judy and Bob Rothe plan to celebrate for their 60th wedding anniversary in June of 2017 via a gala party. Members and friends of BMRC are invited to participate. Please mark your calendars as follows: East Boulder Community Center Ballroom at the East Boulder Recreation Center 5660 Sioux Drive Boulder CO Sunday June, 11, 2017 from 2:00 PM to about 4:30 PM Cake cutting and special activities at 3:00 PM Bob Rothe is a Charter Member of the BMRC. The pleasure of your attendance will be amply gifting. RSVP to would facilitate planning but is not required. 5

6 MAY & JUNE CONTESTS Since there was no meeting in May due to bad weather, there will be two contest events at the June meeting. The first contest will be Prototype Photography and the second contest will be Anything Green. The contest tables will be crowded, but we should be able to accommodate all the entries. Concerning the Prototype Photography contest: One entry per person. You must have taken the photo yourself. It can be mounted, framed or not. No slides, no digital images via a laptop or tablet. Must be a print. Black & white or color images are acceptable. Concerning the Anything Green contest: Your entry can be a structure (if it is predominately painted green), a piece of rolling stock (like a green boxcar or a BN caboose), a locomotive (if it is green), or anything else as long as its color is mostly green. Please, no dioramas (although technically grass and trees are usually green). UPCOMING CONTESTS May - Prototype photography (moved to June) Jun - Anything green Jul - Passenger cars Aug - Freight cars Sep - Dioramas Oct - Cabooses Nov - Anything to do with winter Dec - Model of the Year X Doug Geiger, Contest Coordinator Advertising Coordinator Responsibilities Develop a list of advertising (use and expand the list from previous years) Get the budget for advertising and track where and how we will spend that money 1 - Newspapers (we have some good History) create Ad and have train show manager, Executive Board & Flatirons Mineral Club (FMC) approve. Submit Ad to paper and track delivery. When: Early fall 2 - Signs in Longmont work with FMC on sign strategy in Longmont, usually means approving and consulting with them via phone or otherwise. We have some on the Fairgrounds and we have one on Main Street. FMC leads this. When: early fall - 3 Internet sites develop a list of internet sites where we can advertise our event for free or fee. Determine which ones you want to participate with. When: Anytime, but content online by September 4 Modeler s press magazines where we would want to advertise our show develop a list of these Determine which ones you want to participate with. When: Anytime, but content online by September 5- Flyers ensure they are printed and know how they are to be distributed, by whom, where etc. Develop list of places where flyers should be placed like hobby shops, etc., and ensure these places have a good supply. Anytime, but content out by August track key places for refill. 6 harvest plans how do we harvest addresses for our mailing lists which is cheap free advertising. (check with Telltales editor for his list of outside club addresses) 7 Post card mailings coordinate with FMC on this, ensure our needs are met with them. (we have not been doing this) Record keeping required (but I have never see them) List of all advertising venues contracted or used with during the year. Include: Business Name, Contact Name, Phone number. , Website, Rate information, What we did with them. 6

SOUTHWEST ROCK FACE MADE SIMPLE By Bill Casper I have spent the past two months working on the raffle layout for this year's 40th annual Exposition.

Southwestern rock face (picture 1). First, build your mountain or mesa using 1" pink insulating foam.

Next, (picture 2) using a hobby knife, randomly cut notches in the vertical edges of the foam.

Once you have completed this, slash randomly at an angle to the horizontal slits. Little pieces of foam should break free during this step.

You can also randomly 3 2 4 5 remove the top part of some of the pillars created by the notches.

7 SOUTHWEST ROCK FACE MADE SIMPLE By Bill Casper I have spent the past two months working on the raffle layout for this year's 40th annual Exposition. While working on some dioramas for entry in modeling contests last year, I developed a simple and inexpensive technique for making a nice looking Southwestern rock face (picture 1). First, build your mountain or mesa using 1" pink insulating foam. Stagger it in steps as you recede to the edge or corner of your layout or diorama. Avoid straight lines. Next, (picture 2) using a hobby knife, randomly cut notches in the vertical edges of the foam. You can then (picture 3) slash the edge horizontally being sure to reach all the way back into the deepest notch cuts. Once you have completed this, slash randomly at an angle to the horizontal slits. Little pieces of foam should break free during this step. I also bevel the top edge to eliminate the 90o 1 angle at the lip. You can also randomly remove the top part of some of the pillars created by the notches. Color the rock face (picture 4) with AIM Dirty Yellow weathering powder using a medium sized, long bristle brush. Cover all of the rock face. You will lose more pieces of foam during this step. Highlight (picture 5) using AIM Dark Rust weathering powder or other reddish color using a small, short bristle brush to reach inside the notches. Try to eliminate as much pink as you can. I suppose that this simple process has occurred to others before me; however, I have never seen it on YouTube, so I wanted to share it with you. X 7

June Layout Tours On Saturday, June 17th, there will be two layouts open for visitors: Bill Casper's and Bob Johnson's. Bill will be providing details on his layout via a separate email.

8 June Layout Tours On Saturday, June 17th, there will be two layouts open for visitors: Bill Casper's and Bob Johnson's. Bill will be providing details on his layout via a separate . Both layouts will be open from Noon-4:00 PM. There will not be layout tour in July, since Doug Geiger is organizing a rail-fanning expedition that weekend instead. Details on Bob Johnson's Layout (Sorry, no photos.) Bob's layout is an HO scale, standard gauge layout set in a landscape that captures prairies and mountains of Eastern and Front Range Colorado. It is set in the time period, and includes equipment from the Rock Island, Rio Grande, and MoPac railroads. He lightheartedly refers to the layout as the SM&D, the Swap Meet and Dumpster, and has constructed it as a loop with branches that allows him to watch long trains running by. Among these is a 42-car refrigerator train that captures a prototype that he recalls seeing regularly in his younger days. The layout is around 800 square feet, and had been in progress for 15 years. He used traditional construction techniques for the benchwork, focused on solid roadbed and trackwork, and then gradually refines the scenery over time. He indicated that some areas still have a sparse, desert-like terrain, while other areas have become more richly developed. From a control perspective, he runs with three DC throttles, one for the yard area, and two others hooked using block switches throughout the layout. John Marlin, Layout Tour Coordinator Unfortunately, the BMRC premiere of the DVD featuring Doug Wright s nationally famous layout was snowed out last month. Here s a photo of it to keep your interest up while another date for viewing is being scheduled. Stay tuned for future details... V 8

John Nahodyl s Layout Tour The May Layout Tour at John Nahodyl's was a great success.

to view and admire John's beautiful layout.

chance to work their way through some switching maneuvers on the switching layout.

-John Marlin, Layout Tour Coordinator A lovely neighborhood street that looks much deeper than the 2-3 inches it

9 John Nahodyl s Layout Tour The May Layout Tour at John Nahodyl's was a great success. In addition to many BMRC club members, there were several couples from the Denver Garden Railway Society who came by to view and admire John's beautiful layout. Throughout the tour, multiple trains were kept moving across the main layout -- and on several occasions, guests got a chance to work their way through some switching maneuvers on the switching layout. There were a number of nice little mini-scenes on the layout, as shown below. -John Marlin, Layout Tour Coordinator A lovely neighborhood street that looks much deeper than the 2-3 inches it actually occupies. The several busy waitresses at the Corner Café. Trackside clutter in the service area. The meticulously constructed, curved stairway at Sunrise Coal. I find it ironic that the colors red, white and blue stand for freedom until they are flashing behind you. from the Cynical Philosopher... 9

20 years ago, more or less Contributed by Bob Uhr 2017 Timetable June 8-11 Animas Rails (NMRA Rocky Mountain Region Convention), Durango, CO, <http://www.rmrnmra.org>.

Presbyterian Church, 12900 W. Alameda Pkwy. at Mississippi, Lakewood - 9AM to Noon. July 20 BMRC Meeting, Tri-City Elks Lodge, 525 Main St., Louisville, 7:00 PM. July 30-Aug.

JUNE 1997 The June 1997 Telltales featured the photo of the ATSF boxcar that became the MOW storage car in Beeville, TX in 1979. Photo by Doug Geiger. Looked good, didn t it!

His title was: Heavy- Duty Operations-Granite Mountain Style. Anyone who had seen Doug s layout knows that train operations were a major factor in producing a believable real world in his basement.

10 20 years ago, more or less Contributed by Bob Uhr 2017 Timetable June 8-11 Animas Rails (NMRA Rocky Mountain Region Convention), Durango, CO, < June 15 BMRC Meeting, Tri-City Elks Lodge, 525 Main St., Louisville, 7:00 PM. June 17 BMRC Layout Tours, Noon to 4PM, Bill Casper (N) and Bob Johnson (HO). July 15 Swap Meet, at Green Mtn. Presbyterian Church, W. Alameda Pkwy. at Mississippi, Lakewood - 9AM to Noon. July 20 BMRC Meeting, Tri-City Elks Lodge, 525 Main St., Louisville, 7:00 PM. July 30-Aug. 6 NMRA Convention, Orlando, FL.< Aug. 30-Sept. 2 Nat l. Narrow Gauge Convention, Denver, < JUNE 1997 The June 1997 Telltales featured the photo of the ATSF boxcar that became the MOW storage car in Beeville, TX in Photo by Doug Geiger. Looked good, didn t it! Doug Geiger (MMR #226), the long-time member of BMRC, presented the June clinic on as-near-as-humanly-possible prototype operations on a model railroad. His title was: Heavy- Duty Operations-Granite Mountain Style. Anyone who had seen Doug s layout knows that train operations were a major factor in producing a believable real world in his basement. Members of the BMRC had a strong showing at the regional convention contests held in Greeley. John Nahodyl took first place (and merit award) in Displays On Line and second place (and merit award) in Structures On Line. Brian Maytum took first place in Displays Off Line. Jerry Bengtson took second place in Non- Revenue Cars and third place in Structures Off Line. Rich Virgin took first place in Steam Engines. Brian Maytum reported that the club had 77 names on the roster, with 39 members from 1996 not renewing. This was a net loss of about 25% of 1996 s 102 members. Steve Engelhardt directed his attention to the display table which was graced by a quartet of nicely painted and detailed cabeese by Max Piaseck. Printed materials included several new prototype books and a copy of the Operation SIG newsletter. Rich Coleman showed some photos of a rare SD45B that he had been stalking for several years. Jack Rummel said thanks to two or three Next TELLTALES Deadline Submissions for the July 2017 TELLTALES should be sent no later than July 6, y club members, as he then had enough photos for Telltales covers for the rest of the year. However, if you were a budding photographer and were tired of seeing the same old credit lines appear under the cover photos, you may have sent him some new photos. Jack needed a volunteer to edit the November 1997 issue of Telltales, as he will be out of the country for all of October. Tier I: 1st: Al Severson Stock Car Barn 2nd: Bob Rothe Office in a Swayback car Tier II: 1st: Doug Geiger Burned out passenger car And again, the Treasurer s Report for June and July were not listed in the 1997 Telltales. Crud! X 10

Division 3 Website:

Division 3 Website: Volume 56 Issue 9 May 2017 The next Crew Call is 2pm on Sunday, May 21, 2017 Greene County Historical Society 74 W Church St Xenia, Ohio Program Railway Mail Service and RPO Cars by Peter Weiglin Learn