Long, Long Island Weekend Devoted to Model Railroad Operations

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OF NOTE ISLAND OPS TEACHING BETTER MODELING SKIILLS MODELING IDEAS SUITCASE OF Z SCALE Volume 44, Number 2 Summer 2014 Have a Great Summer! Official publication of the Sunrise Trail Division of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. Long, Long Island Weekend Devoted to Model Railroad Operations

“Island Ops” made its debut this year in late April with about 45 modelers running the trains on 10 home layouts and one club railroad.

“It went very well,” said Jim Schweitzer, who organized the event along with Vince Lee. Feedback from a survey of participants, he added, showed a very positive experience.

Of 27 people who participated throughout the whole weekend, 24 responded to the survey.

“Operations are where it all comes together,” Schweitzer said. ‘It’s when the layout come alive.”

The layouts ranged from the two-man operations on Vince Lee’s Erie switching- layout representing two Manhattan- blocks , to Phil Monat’s Providence &

Worcester layout that takes 14 people to Over the weekend of 26-27 April, about 45 people took part in the first “Island Ops,” which al- run. lowed people to take part in operating sessions on 10 layouts. Above, action on Howard Dwyer’s Island Central Railroad, with an elevated train adding interest as John Jaklitch brings

a freight over the Jamaica Bay bridge into East Utica. (Howard Dwyer photo.) Below, orienta- The West Island Model Railroad Club tion briefing at the West Island Club. Whiteboard in background matches assignments with hosted an operating session—the first operators. large-scale test of operations on its new layout, which put about 35 people to work.

About a third of the weekend’s participants, Schweitzer said, were very experi- enced operators. Another third had some experience while the final third had never taken part in model railroad operations before.

While the geography represented by the layouts spanned the country, from Cali- fornia to Utah, from Maryland to New England. Most of the modelers were local Long Islanders, but there were some who made the trip from Connecticut and New Jersey. Continued on page 3

perspective / EDMUND NEALE president’s corner Years ago I subscribed to a new maga- return to Mt. Washington before this year zine—Railfan—then a quarterly, which is out. EDITOR & PUBLISHER proved itself after several issues and then Since those early rail fanning days we Dan Shepard went monthly. Railfan Magazine, now have toured Alaska, riding on both the 67-29 215th Street Bayside, NY 11364-2523 Railfan and Railroad, was the most expen- narrow gauge White Pass & Yukon RR and (718) 224-9278 sive magazine that I have ever subscribed the state owned Alaska RR. We have vis- [email protected] to. I subscribed because it really brought ited California and rode the state’s scenic CIRCULATION Steven Perry the “scenic” railroads, in the northeast railroads including one that took us into [email protected] and out in Colorado, home. Tecate, Mexico. Last summer’s long trip THE CANNON BALL It was after reading Railfan that I was to the American West took us again to is published quarterly by the Sunrise Trail Division of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. for the benefit of inspired to drive down to the Mt. Clair the Colorado Narrow Gage Circle and to the model railroading community. Roundhouse in Baltimore. While there I the Nevada Northern RR. A bonus with SUBSCRIPTIONS picked up my first scenic railroad bro- the NN was that it is where I made a pic- U.S. and possessions: $7.00 per year. Please make check chures and on the way home, we stopped ture exposure that gave me the photo or money order payable to Sunrise Trail Division. Send requests for new subscriptions, renewals or address by the Black River and Western RR and that won the Best-In-Show at the 2013 changes to: the New Hope & Ivyland RR. Our next trip NER convention. Walter Wohleking was to the Valley Railroad in Essex, Con- I am planning a report on three cog 5 Howard Drive, Huntington, NY 11743 631-757-0580 [email protected] necticut and the two Connecticut trolley railroads in a future president’s column CONTRIBUTIONS museums. and there are more trips planned. I do Articles, photographs and artwork are welcome in either This was the start of many, many trips hope that you can understand why I can hardcopy or as computer files. Copy is due by the 1st of to ride on the scenic railroads in the say that subscribing to Railfan Magazine is February, May, August, and November and should be sent to the Editor at the above address. Submitted material will Northeast, soon followed by a couple of the most expensive magazine that I have be returned upon request. trips to Shay Heaven: the Cass Scenic RR ever subscribed to. Thank you to the late in West Virginia. And while I had been on Railfan and Railroad editor Jim Boyd for ® the Mt. Washington Cog Railway several the many miles and rides that we have times before Railfan, recent issues on the made on the rails. OFFICERS Cog Railway are making me think about a Keep on trackin’! ED Edmund Neale President [email protected] Dennis DeAngelis Vice President [email protected] mixed consist Steve Perry commentary / DAN SHEPARD Treasurer [email protected] Our home layouts are our own worlds. pressures of a clock and rules and paper- Howard Dwyer Secretary We rule. We are the presidents of our work just goes too far in sapping any en- [email protected] own railroads. We can choose whatever joyment out of model railroading. era we want. We can run any train we DIRECTORS want, anytime. I, for one, have not been terribly im- John Jaklitsch (2015) [email protected] mersed in operations. I’ve started making Kevin Katta ( 2016) A model railroad is the ultimate expression car cards on several occasions, only to lose [email protected] of our own opinions—it is the world we interest somewhere along the line. For my Richard Mazzola (2015) [email protected] choose to depict. It can show wealth, it layout, solo operations are the norm. Michael Siegel (2015) can show the other side of the tracks. It [email protected] can show the present, or it can bring back But I took part in Island Ops in April, and I Mike Bowler (2016) scenes from years past. have to admit, it’s a lot of fun to operate [email protected] on other people’s layouts. Operating a Joe Bux (2016) [email protected] We can also choose to run our trains like layout is a lot different than just looking at STDiv REPRESENTATIVE on NER BoD the real railroads, or we can we can just a layout. You see how things work. You Kevin Katta let them roll through the scenery so we see how everything fits together. ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM can railfan. Michael Siegel CONTESTS And while there is some paperwork, it Howard Dwyer So it is with interest that I read—and seems like a lot of modelers eschew the MEMBERSHIP hear—about the debate over operations. more complicated operating schemes that Steve Perry On the one hand, there appears to be a require hours to master. Most seem to PUBLICITY George Loy movement by some toward highly realistic prefer a laid-back approach that gets the Michael Siegel operations based on the rulebooks and business of the railroad taken care of, but WEBSITE prototype practices. And on the other ensures a high-level of enjoyment. www.SunriseTrailDiv.com John Jaklitsch, Webmaster hand, there are those who feel that the 2 THE CANNON BALL

Island Ops 2014—Bringing Layouts to Life

Continued from p. 1

The idea of an intense weekend of model railroad operations is not new, Schweitzer said. It has existed in other areas, such as Colorado, where Rocky Ops brings operators together in the Den- ver and Colorado Springs areas. But Long Island, it is thought, has a much larger population base.

The idea for Island Ops started small with a few modelers getting together to operate on each other’s layouts. There was thought to go bigger, Schweitzer said. “So we asked and we’ve had layouts coming out of the woodwork.”

There were no costs involved to the participants of Island Ops, with all planning done through email and the Internet. “But there are a bazillion details to deal with in the background,” Schweitzer said. And many hosts often spring for the coffee and The West Island’s Allegheny & Western Railroad moves people and cake—proven aids that help model railroads operate at their freight between Jersey City and Allentown, PA. best. ating session was the first real trial run under operating condi-

tions. The downside to hosting too many sessions, for some layout

owners, was having to restage the layout. Unlike simply visiting layouts and looking at the scenery,

Schweitzer says the operation sessions let people use the layout The weekend featured operating sessions on Friday night and all and see whether , or how, the features of a railroad work really day on Saturday and Sunday. An online registration helped well. “This is where you can pick up some great ideas. There are match operators and layouts. always takeaways,” he said. “This is a big reason to have this.”

Sessions started with a short orientation of the layout by the Island Ops organizers have already been thinking about the 2015 host, and a familiarization of the general lay of the land. Then it version, and report that there are even more people volunteer- was down to business, choosing jobs, assigning throttles and ing to host sessions. power, and then the action started. The focus of most of the

sessions was moving the trains over the line. For the most part, It will, again, be held in April, Schweitzer said. “It’s the time of there wasn’t the pressure of the clock, although there is always year when people are dying to get out of their house, it’s not the need to clear the main for the next train.

The operation sessions also allow layout hosts to see whether everything works, For the West Island Club, hosting the oper-

Mike Ryan, Chris Horton and Dan Shepard are making Howard The Allentown Arrival/Departure Yard on the Allegheny & West- Dwyer's Island Central RR come to life operating their scheduled ern Railroad is a busy spot, right next to the Allentown Hump trains. (Howard Dwyer photo.) Yard where cars are reclassified.

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Passing On the Fun of the Hobby: Teaching the Thrill of Better Modeling

By Jamie and Matthew Soberman

started scale modeling in the time when my scale was “A man never stands so tall as when he shake-the-box kits for almost everything. If you wanted kneels to help a child.” something you either had to kitbash it or scratch build it. I There was very little that was ready to run. ies of books and magazines with me. There were trips to other railroads and meets round the Northeast and National N.A.S.G. I’m an “S” Scale modeler—you know—the “builders gauge. ’ I’m a Conventions. Everyone offered advice, suggestions to make my pretty good modeler now but it took me a while to get there. model building better. And I had help. My help came from master builders who men- tored me to work at a higher level. My first attempt at kit building Many of us as model builders have skills that we excel at. I can was an A&P reefer kit. I followed the directions, and it turned out build a creditable model of anything that sits on a pair of rails. pretty well. Working with electronics baffles me, although I did build a CTC 16 back in the day. I could be a signal maintainer if I use relays and Sometime in 1975, I was introduced to the Long Island S Modelers light bulbs. I have no skills in building scenery. The point is that I Association, a loose group of S scale builders that met at a mem- have to learn how to fill in the blanks in my knowledge. The ad- ber’s home in Valley Stream. I vividly remember the first time I vice of others with experience would be welcomed and would met the club and saw the railroad. My first comment was, “is this probably save me from making many mistakes. S?” I had never seen code 100 handlaid track or an “S” 2-6-0 lo- comotive and a 44 tonner. I brought my reefer to show and with- I taught dentistry for 28 years. Many of my new students had in an hour the trucks were switched out for scale wheel sets and little or limited hand skills. I was always asked how they could Kadee® #5 couplers were installed. Then my car was then dis- improve their work. Practice is always a way to do this. Hands-on patched into service. I was hooked. Before I left that evening, I coaching is sometimes necessary. I could see things that their was invited to join them the next day to attend an S and O eyes hadn’t been trained to notice. They got better by learning meeting in New Jersey. That meeting opened the door to scale how to look at the details. A professional athlete once told me model building and started long-term friendships. that you get better playing against better players than you. If you keep playing at the same level with the same opponents you will While I was looking around at this meet, Kent Singer (an S scale have no real reason to improve. master) pointed out a couple of things at a parts display. “Those angle cocks would look good on your model.” “Nut and bolt I have won a couple of first place awards in model competition, castings placed on your grabirons would make them look more mostly with the N.A.S.G.. I have never won a Best in Show. This realistic.” “I’ll show you how to bend some cut levers to go with became something for me to work for. Helping a fellow modeler those coupler pockets” He went on, but wasn’t overwhelming. improves their level and the quality of their model buildings. You will get satisfaction knowing that you were able to share your

“You will get satisfaction knowing that you were able to share your time-learned skill with others and help to perpetuate the hobby.”

Kent introduced me other Master Modelers. It was from them time-learned skill with others and help to perpetuate the hobby. that I learned the art of detailing. They took the time to teach me how to look at pictures, customize commercial parts and how The point of this essay is to encourage you to find a person that is scratch plausible sub-assemblies for undercarriages. Club mem- new to the hobby and offer to help them get started. Find an old ber’s taught me how to lay track, build turnouts, and how to ad- hand and help them raise their modeling level . It will make you just locomotives for smooth operation. They shared their librar- feel good and it’s good for the hobby’s growth as well as its future.

Jamie brought some of his scratchbuilt rolling stock to the Spring meet—just to share and inspire.

4 THE CANNON BALL

Scenes from the Spring Meet 2014—Following the Sunrise Trail in O, HO and Z

Modular layouts provide a constant level of activity at the Spring Meet. Above, passenger action on the HO Track layout. Above right, the Long Island Traction Society ran a steady parade of trolleys throughout the day. (Steve Perry photos). While modular layout are built ruggedly, they often feature thoughtful details, or vignettes, such as the brick roadways with patches of asphalt, heralding the ad- vance of the automobile.

Z Scale Suitcase Layout Shows German Rails

Don Hammond used to work for TWA, a job that brought him to Frankfurt, Germany, for an unexpected stay. It was during this time that Don discovered Marklin Z scale. He has since built nine Z scale layouts, six of which he can travel with. He also has a 8’x40” basement layout that can handle five trains running at a time.

Don brought one of these layouts to the Spring Meet, and this one, like all his layouts, features rolling stock based on German prototypes. Collecting cars for some time, he has amassed a collection of cars that highlight history, such as a gondola com- memorating the fall of the Berlin Wall, complete with a small piece of the Wall. Another car marks the introduction of the Euro as currency—the top of the car even shows the new ex- change rate. According to Don, if it weren’t for his unexpected sojourn in Frankfurt, he would be modeling in HO today.

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Notes from the Spring Meeting: These layout could have a mainline, with passenger trains Staying Prototypical, Come and Go Layouts, passing through, but as Walter Scratchbuilding Windows pointed out, most of the fun is switching freight. “Freelance is What’s wrong with this picture? better,” he says, adding that freelanced urban environments Have you ever looked at a picture in the model railroad press and make good subjects for come thought something was off? Pictures that show a derailed en- and go layouts, gine or even a fly on the wall have made it into print . Some- times, it’s a big thing that is out of kilter; sometimes it’s just a The layout, he says, could ben- detail. Some might think it nitpicking, but to others, these are efit from using space-efficient details that detract from what might be great modeling. industries, multi-door warehouses, food processing plants, team tracks, and an interchange. Finding “what’s wrong with this picture” was at the heart of the “Time Police” clinic presented by Mike Siegel at the Spring Meet, Layout design has changed over the years, moving more from one of the most participatory clinics of the day. what has been billed as “spaghetti bowls” to more linear de- signs that accommodate walk around controls. This has led to an Mike pointed out that on a model railroad layout, “it is possible increased use of hand-thrown turnouts and manual uncoupling. to justify anything, anywhere.” Staging, he said, was the biggest “bugaboo” of these kinds of But still, there are details that bother. Like a city skyline that layouts, as the trains need a place to go when they move off doesn’t match the era modeled. Like women wearing skirts way stage. Several innovations include the use of cassette staging above the knees in times when that would have been frowned tracks, such as in Model Railroader’s Beer Line layout, or the upon. Or a movie theatre showing a flick before the movie was use of “surround staging.” even made. Building LIRR Depots Sometimes, Mike said, it’s the vehicles and buildings that don’t match. Sometimes it’s the buildings, vehicles and fashion. The Long Island Rail Road wasn’t built to service the people of Long Island—it was originally designed to get people from New Then there are the egregious anachronisms that true railfans York to Boston. In fact, the railroad avoided many populated would pick out—a railroad shown running an engine type that is centers of the island. As a result, as Ray Muntz pointed out, wrong for the year; boxcars showing roofwalks—which were there are relatively few ornate stations on the LIRR, such as East outlawed in 1975, or a Railbox car before they started showing Williston, Stony Brook, Mill Neck, and Sea Cliff. Many others up in 1972. were board and batten “box stations, ” a group that includes Westbury, Mineola and Westhampton. Come and Go Layouts Ray has built several HO models of some stations, including The most common layouts are designed to take trains from Westbury and Seaford. For the color of the Westbury station, he someplace to another place. Along the route to the destination, sanded down an actual paint chip, learning that it was once blue. the trains may stop at various stations. But as Walter Wohleking “I lived in Westbury for years and never know that it was blue.” pointed out in a clinic, there might be other ideas to consider, especially for smaller sized layouts—layouts that we can actually finish.

The idea of a come and go layout—one where the en- tire layout focuses on a sin- gle place—is not new, as Walter points out. In fact many British modelers have been building these kinds of layouts for years, often ex- hibiting them only at train shows. Come and go layouts typically center on a station, a yard, a carfloat, or an engine terminal Some of Ray Muntz’ structures, including Westbury Station, right, and Crawford Notch, center.

6 THE CANNON BALL

Looking for the right paint? around the division and elsewhere I was looking around for replacement paint and found this on the Microscale web site. www.Microscale.com/Floquil%20Color%20Chart.pdf There is a link to Testors at the end of the list.I gave this to my Hobby Shop owner this morning and he said this would be very useful in re-establishing his stock. I will also forward the name and address of the hobby shop on Lexington Ave that claims to have a large stock of paint. I have to be up in that area of Friday.

My personal suggestion is to use this chart by printing it out on a very white paper and laminating it. I do this with many reference sheets and I keep them in my shop data notebook. By doing this I have all my shop notes available when I need them.

——Jamie Soberman

Contest results of the 2014 Showing off newly built windows from Mike Bowler’s clinic. Sunrise Trail Division Spring Convention Of interest—NMRA Magazine article (p. 48) honoring Sun- rise Trail Division’s John MacGown, on becoming a Master Model There were17 photo's submitted by Ed Neale and Michael Railroader. John has been a leader of the Division since he Siegel to be judged. joined in 1972. He has served as President, Vice President, Di-  Best in show went to Ed Neale for his Prototype Color Photo rector, Achievement "West Side Lumber Shay # 9" with 89.5 pts. Chairman and Contest  First place went to Mike Siegel for his Prototype Color Pho- Judge. In the article, to "Conway Scenic RWY GP7" with 69.5 pts. John credits a number  Second and Third place went to Ed Neale for Prototype of Division members Photo's "Train DSX1 with 65.5 pts and "Leadville Power for their help and as- Truck” with 64.5 pts. sistance over the Ed Neale came in First {64.5}pts Second {60} pts and Third {57} pts in the Proto B&W Photo Category. years. Ed Neale in the Color Photo Model Category placed First {68pts} Se- cond {58pts} Mike Siegel with {57.5pts} placed Third. Ideas for a Cannon Ball Story?

-Layout progress -Pictures to share -New Products -Operating news -Club news

Please send to: Ed Neale in the B&W Model Category placed First {59pts} and Mike Siegel placed Second with {51.5pts} For the second straight Sunrise Trail Division Convention there [email protected] were no structures, rolling stock and motor power to judge.

The deadline for the Fall 2014 issue of The Cannon Ball is September 1st SUMMER 2014 7

PLACE STAMP FIRST CLASS MAIL HERE 6 BROOKHAVEN DRIVE

ROCKY POINT NY 11778

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IN THIS ISSUE THIS IN ISLAND OPS ISLAND MODELING BETTER TEACHING SKILLS SUITCASEOF SCALE Z MODELING IDEAS

Aug 23-24 Railroad Festival, Riverhead, NY, Railroad Museum of Long Island Nov 29, 30, TMB Train Club O gauge layout open house 12:00PM-4:00PM – 1110A Rte 109 (behind Intercity Baking), Lindenhurst – Admission

free. tmbmodeltrainclub.com NATIONAL July 13-19 NMRA National Convention, Cleveland, OH REGIONAL Sept 11-14, 2014 (Thurs-Sun): 2014 NER Convention "New England Diamonds," Palmer, MA. RECURRING National Railway Historical Society Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter meets 3rd Friday of each month at 8:00PM, Christ Church, Carll Ave & Prospect St, Babylon, www.nrhs-list.org Rockville Centre Model Railroaders Club layout open house every Saturday from 1:00PM–6:00PM, 200 Sunrise Hwy (basement), Rockville Centre, 516-520-2996, rcvmr.org DOWN THE TRACK THE DOWN Have a great summer—model railroading!

SUBSCRIBE TO Sign–up with Sunrise □ 1 year $7.00 AND JOIN THE NMRA FOR FREE! Just phone or email us and we'll do the rest □ 2 years $14.00 Here's what we'll need to know:

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Email: ______Email: ______Give Steve Perry the information by phone: (631) 744-6462 or email: Send a completed copy of this form and a check made payable to the Sunrise Trail Division to: [email protected]; or surface mail to: 6 Brookhaven Dr., Rocky Point, NY 11778- Walter Wohleking, 5 Howard Drive, Huntington NY 11743-3032 9015.

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