JANUARY 2017 The BRANCH LINE NEWSLETTER OF THE GREATER CINCINNATI GARDEN RAILWAY SOCIETY, INC. Larry Koehl, Editor 405 Werner Drive, Ft. Wright, KY 41011 E-mail gcgrs@fuse.net http://www.gcgrs.org/ CHRISTMAS PARTY NOTES by the Editor The Christmas Party was held Sunday, December 4 th from 2 to 6 PM at The Madison in Covington, KY. Although 41 had signed up, 38 attended (Steve Carr had the crud so he and Karen were no shows and we don t know what became of Ron Hill) - the lowest ever attendance for a GCGRS Christmas Party, however the enjoyment was no less. Each attending membership was presented wit a 2016 GCGRS Christmas Green & Red Hartland 4-wheel Tank Car. There are a limited number left over and are being sold for $15 each. They will be available at the January meeting. 2016 GCGRS Layout Tour participants were presented with plaques as has been the custom. Emmy Hartkemeier won a Bachnann hopper car. Grandson Christopher accepted the prize in her absence. See the pic on page 2. The NEXT MEETING... Date: SATURDAY, January 14, 2017 Place: Behringer-Crawford Museum Devou Park, Covington, KY www.bcmuseum.org Time: Come early and tour the Museum Museum Open 10 AM to 5 PM BCM Admission is free to GCGRS members (Contributions are welcome) Meeting 1 PM - 2 nd Floor Classroom See Ray Faragher s Layout, Christmas Trains Other Great Museum Exhibits Do: BRING SHOW-AND-TELL Program: Movie - Rocky Mountain Express and Building a Garden Railway the GCGRS Way Directions: See Page 6 The 2016 Brass Lantern Award was presented to Mike Wolf for his many years of involvement in GCGRS including annual layout tours, GCGRS sponsored National Garden Railway Conventions and his service as a Board member Congratulations Mike. Although the gift exchange was held again this year, it s return in 2017 is not likely as there were only three participants. It wasn t Part 1 - Creating a Garden Railway Concept Mike Wolf happy winner of the 2016 Brass Lantern Award. Heʼs holding his Brass Lantern, we know itʼs there, we can see the top of it. The BRANCH LINE 1 JANUARY 2017
CALENDAR of 2016 GCGRS MEETINGS & ACTIVITIES The 2016 GCGRS HLW Christmas Tank Car which each Christmas Party attending membership received. There are still a few remaining for $15 each - available at the January meeting. even necessary to separate it by gender because all three gifts (100%), we are pleased to report, were train related items - a goal that has been sought after since we began Christmas party gift exchanges. Then there was the Model Contest - FIVE categories again this year: Scratch-built-to-scale - only one entry, Kit-Bashed - only one entry, Out-of-the-Box - only one entry, Not Usually To Scale - NO entries, and Photography - two entries. The January 5 Thursday - Board Meeting 14 Saturdday - Meeting - Behringer-Crawford Museum Devou Park, Covington KY - Building Your Garden Railway February 2 Thursday - Board Meeting 19 Sunday - Meeting - Longworth Hall??? March 2 Thursday - Board Meeting 4-5 Saturday & Sunday - GCGRS Live Steam at the EJ SCALE MODEL EXPO 18 Saturday - Meeting & G-Scale Swap Meet - EJ April 6 Thursday - Board Meeting 15 Saturday - Meeting May 4 Thursday - Board Meeting 21 Sunday - Meeting 22 Sunday - Club Layout Run Day 12-5 June 1 Thursday - Board Meeting 10-11 Saturday & Sunday - GCGRS Layout Tour 1-6 Maybe 17 Saturday - Meeting 24-25 Saturday & Sunday Carillon Park - GCGRS Live Steam July 4-10 National GR Convention - Santa Clara - BAGRS 6 Thursday - Board Meeting 16 Sunday - Meeting 22-23 Saturday & Sunday - GCGRS Layout Tour 1-6 Maybe 29-30 Saturday & Sunday - GCGRS Layout Tour 1-6 Maybe August 3 Thursday - Board Meeting 20 Sunday - Meeting 28 Sunday - Club Layout Run Day 12-5 September 7 Thursday - Board Meeting 17 Sunday - Meeting & Annual Picnic @ Club Layout EJ 30 Sunday - Steam Up October 1 Saturday - Holiday Junction Set Up #1??? 5 Thursday - Board Meeting 8-9? Saturday-Sunday - NMRA Show - Lakota West 15 Sunday - Meeting 22 Saturday - Holiday Junction Set Up #2??? November 2 Thursday - Board Meeting 1 No Meeting December 3? Christmas Party Information may change due to circumstances beyond our control Christopher Hartkemeier accepts the survey drawing prize for his grandmother, Emmy who was not in attendance. entire contest was conducted in short order with those present needing to decide only first and second place in the photo category. Door Prizes - There were several. One ticket was given to each membership for the Grand Prize - A Bachmann PROSPECTOR Set (the industrial critter with three side dump cars, track and pack). The winner - Zach Stenger. Zach now has the start of his own garden railway. All he needs now is a yard to put it in attached to a house to live in. The BRANCH LINE 2 JANUARY 2017
2 0 1 6 G C G R S M O D E L & P H O T O C O N T E S T Left: Tom Cruse with his excellent 1:20.3 model of a Rico, Colorado, mine power house and head frame. It was the only entry in the scratchbuilt category giving Tom an automatic first place but it would have taken it anyway had there been many entries. Right: Dan Stengerʼs Bachmann kitbashed ET&WNC box car. Very nicely done. It also was the only entry in its category giving Dan an auto first Left and above: Blair Thompson had the only Out-Of-The-Box entry - his White Pass low sided gon which he gave a subdued used look. The White Pass tank car was present to show original finish. Right: Dan Stenger with his first place winning photo of a scene on his C&LR garden railway. Far right: Tom Carskadon with the second place winning photo of his Daffy Duck and Sylvester modified Fortuna Flier which is always a crowd pleaser where ever it appears. The BRANCH LINE 3 JANUARY 2017
DAN LIST In case you hadn t gotten the sad news... Dan passed away at his home in late November. Dan had surgery for pancreatic cancer in January and had not been seen since then. Dan was one of the mainstays of the GCGRS Live Steam group. He attended a great many of the club meetings always with something new and different to Show and Tell. He opened his garden railway for conventions and tours and he and Joyce hosted several meetings over the years. The Grand Prize winner Zach Stenger with his prize. Each membership was given four additional tickets to drop in cups for the prizes they most wanted to win. Among the prizes were an Aristo-Craft Covered Bridge, ART Covered Platform Kit, Bachmann DRG, PRR and UP Stock Cars all generously donated by Tom Carskadon, an AMS Box Car, some RR books and four bottles of Valley Vineyard wine donated by Curg Shields. See page 5 for the door prize winners. A great big Thanks to Curg Shields for great handling the details of the Christmas Party. He was into trains in many ways - both electric and live steam G-scale. Besides his garden railway he had a backyard ride-on 4¾ gauge (1 scale) track and critter locomotive. He was also a member of the local (large) live steam group - The Cinder Sniffers. He was also very much into plants and gardening and his pond and fish. Dan also goes way back with a couple of other GCGRS members having been a classmate of Larry Fobiano and Jack Griffin as well as best man at Larry and Carol Fobiano s wedding. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers to Joyce and family in this time of great loss made more difficult coming at this Christmas season. Daniel Doemling LIST, beloved son, husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on November 21, 2016 surrounded by family. Daniel is preceded in death by his parents John and Dorothy (nee Doemling) List as well as his Aunt Kay and Uncle Joe Stutter. Daniel is survived by his wife Joyce (nee Vordenberg), his children Christine List, Theresa Reis, John List, Mary Clermont, Amy Johnston, Dorothy Barrett, Edward List and Patrick List as well as 16 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. John Fisher Church 3227 Church St., Cincinnati, OH (Newtown), on Sat. Nov. 26. Burial followed in Saint Augustine Cemetery, Augusta, KY. memorials can be made to St Joseph Home, 10722 Wyscarver Rd, Cincinnati OH 45241 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ cincinnati/obituary.aspx?n=daniel-list&pid=182676595#sthash.ysfzxhmh. 0ywsTsEk.dpuf Memorials can be made to St Joseph Home, 10722 Wyscarver Rd, Cincinnati OH 45241 Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer on Nov. 23, 2016 The Madison folks were most accommodating and pleasant to work with and the food was very good, and we did not get charged according to the contract when we fell nine short of the number we had originally estimated. PAY YOUR DUES NOW DUES are now $25 if you get this newsletter via the internet only, and $35 if you get it via the United States Postal Service, and also $35 if you get it both ways. Send your check made out to GCGRS via USPS to: GCGRS P.O. Box 17568 Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017 The BRANCH LINE 4 JANUARY 2017
Or you can pay your dues directly to Mike Wolf at the January meeting. CHRISTMAS MIGHTY MACK A sign up sheet was provided at the Christmas Party for those wishing to purchase a Red HLW Mighty Mack to head their trains of GCGRS HLW Christmas cars as illustrated by the train provided by Curg Shields to run around the Christmas tree at the GCGRS Christmas Party. The following folks are on the list: Bob Ampulski, Michael Bulach, Bill Brown, Steve Carr, Tom Carskadon, Tom Christy, Bob Dransman Dan Stenger, David Hartkemeier, David Hawk, David Huddleson, Larry Koehl, Don Oeters, Scot Rogers and Mike Wolf. To add your name to this list you need to sign up at the January meeting or get a message to gcgrs@fuse.net ASAP or call 859-380-8708. The price will be $40.00 plus a few dollars for the decal or whatever is decided in the way of graphics. Right: Curg Shields provided a red Mighty Mack and the three GCGRS HLW Christmas cars to have a train running around the Christmas tree at the GCGRS Christmas Party. Sunday of whatever weekend wins and it appears that the front runner is July 22 & 23 since one prominent past participant cannot do the first one, eliminating that one, with another likely eliminating the third choice leaving July 22 & 23. If you are willing to participate and did not complete the survey please contact Scot Rogers ASAP. srogers@fuse.net or 513-527-4516. Above: 36 0f the 38 Christmas party attendees 2017 GCGRS LAYOUT TOUR Those of you who have viable garden railways, please consider being open for the 2017 GCGRS Layout Tour. The following three weekends were selected as candidates for this year s GCGRS Layout Tour: June 10 & 11, July 22 & 23 or July 29 & 30 and were put on the survey form for those who are willing to participate to indicate the weekends that would work for them. This year the South will be on Saturday and the North on THE DOOR PRIZE WINNERS top l to r: Bill Brown - ART Watch Tower Kit, Dave Huddleson -Trolley Car book, Dave again - BLW book, Don Oeters - ART Covered Bridge, Bob Dransman - Billboard, Tom Cruse - AMS Boxcar, Tom Christy - Bachmann Stock Car, Kathie Grifin - ART 4 wheel boxcar, two winos from the streets of Covington, and Bob Ampulski - Locomotive Picture book. The BRANCH LINE 5 JANUARY 2017
2 0 1 7 M E E T I N G P R O G R A M S It is frequently a difficult process to come up with a program for the monthly meeting often times without determination until the last minute. In 2017 we are going to take a different approach. Since we are all about the creation and maintenance of garden railways it has been decided to present the process of building a garden railway from start to finish in a logical sequence of monthly programs addressing a different aspect at each meeting. All who care to provide input on the subject will be welcome to do so under the direction of a main presenter/moderator. GCGRS Building a Garden Railway the Greater Cincinnati Way! Tentative Outline and Schedule 1. Layout Conception January 1.1 Model RR or Whimsy 1.2 Purpose/Operating Scheme 1.3 Era 1.4 Theme 1.5 Control/Power 1.6 Etc. 2. Site Determination February 2.1 Selection 2.2 Considerations 2.3 Environment 2.4 Surveying 3. Planning & Drawing - March 3.1 Determining the Track Plan 3.2 Creating Working Drawings 4. Site Preparation Part 1 - April 5. Site Preparation Part 2 - May 5.1 Grading 5.2 Drainage 5.3 Electrical 5.4 Train Storage 5.5 major Features 5.5.1 Retaining Walls 5.5.2 Mountains & Tunnels 5.5.3 Water Feature 5.5.4 Bridges & Trestles 6. Roadbed - June 7. Tracklaying - July 8. Track Structures - August 8.1 Bridges 8.2 Trestles 9. Landscaping - October Directions to the Behringer-Crawford Museum - January Meeting From Ft. Wright/ Park Hills/ Kyles Lane - After exiting I-75, turn onto KYLES LANE (left if coming from the south and right if coming from the north). Proceed to DIXIE HIGHWAY and turn RIGHT. At the next light, turn LEFT onto SLEEPY HOLLOW ROAD. At the bottom of the hill, turn RIGHT (this is a four way stop) onto AMSTERDAM ROAD. Follow Amsterdam to the third stop sign to PARK DRIVE. Turn LEFT on PARK DRIVE and follow it into DEVOU PARK. Go through the three-way stop and turn left at the four way-stop and then RIGHT at the first drive. From Covington/ 12th St/ Pike St Exit and NORTH I-75 - After exiting the expressway, you need to be on Pike Street. Go STRAIGHT at the stop sign, crossing 12th Street. At the next light, turn LEFT onto PIKE STREET. Stay in the right lane and after passing under the expressway overpass, dip down the hill on the right onto LEWIS STREET. * Stay on Lewis to MONTAGUE ROAD. Just after the third stop sign, bear Right onto MONTAGUE ROAD and climb the hill into DEVOU PARK. (There is a Devou Park sign at the base of Montague Road.) Turn RIGHT at the three way stop and turn left at the four way stop and then RIGHT at the first drive. From Covington/ 12th Street/ Pike Street Exit and SOUTH I-75 - After exiting the expressway, turn RIGHT onto PIKE STREET. Immediately dip down the hill on the RIGHT onto LEWIS STREET. Continue from the * in the paragraph above. From Covington/ 5th Street Exit and SOUTH I-75- After exiting the expressway, turn RIGHT onto Route 8 (also known as Crescent or Highway avenue. Proceed through stop sign. Turn LEFT onto Western Avenue (1st street on left). Climb hill, make a sharp RIGHT turn at the first road on the right to enter Devou Park (stone entry sign here). Follow W. Park Drive to stop sign (band shell on left). Turn LEFT and proceed to next stop sign. Turn RIGHT onto N. Park Drive. Go through the three-way stop and turn left at the four way-stop and then RIGHT at the first drive. The BRANCH LINE 6 JANUARY 2017