Branch Line - 1 USPS 870-060 ISSN O7449771 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 3 July-September 2003 President’s Message Gene Mayer I began composing this I met PNR Trustee Roger Presidents Message 1 message in mid-June prior to Ferris on a Sunday afternoon Made in the PCR 3 leaving for Dayton, Ohio to prototype tour and he advised BOT Report 4 attend my niece’s wedding and me that the meeting was over in Designing Comfortable Layout continuing on to Toronto, one day. Roger, Stan Ames of Spaces 5 Canada for the NMRA national NER and Ray DeBlieck said the Editor’s Notebook 6 convention. I was concerned Board of Trustees worked Impressions of Convention 8 about what the Board of together and reached several View from the Left Seat 9 Trustees (BOT) compromises. The PCR Leadership Conf 10 would do · PCR needs to develop BOT adopted the Model RR’ing Is Fun 11 concerning the an educational program new NMRA long- Operations SIG 12 proposed and specifically assign range plan and Coast Division Report 16 administrative mentors to advise and approved the GATS Staffing 17 reorganization assist new and existing proposed new Napa Wine Train 18 and single members and modelers. single Achievement Program 20 membership. Divisions should membership. I sat PCR ‘04 Clinics 21 Our PCR Yahoo emphasize advanced at the same table Tales of the SCN 22 Groups Internet planning and as NMRA Modeling Sawmills 24 messages have notification of meeting president Alan Golden State/East Bay 27 been full of dates. Pollock during the S Scale in Review 28 member Layout Design Non Rail Activities 30 comments · PCR should create SIG banquet and New PCR members 31 concerning the subdivisions in remote he is very PCR Convention Registration future of areas to provide more optimistic Form 32 NMRA and the local activities. concerning the Contest Report 33 Pacific Coast future of NMRA. Mouseland 34 Region (PCR) I understand that A Cab Ride 36 for some time. I was looking Ray, as our Trustee, will report Daylight Division Report 38 forward to attending the BOT on the BOT actions elsewhere in RED Report 39 meeting, but it was over before I this issue of the Branch Line. Club Info 40 arrived. I personally favor the The Toronto convention was Callboard 43 single membership concept and excellent in every respect despite Calendar 44 believe that we should all work the fact that more than 500 with NMRA to improve the members canceled their advance organization. (Continued on page 2) Branch Line - 2 (Continued from page 1) resulted in 18 new members—not bad considering that the application form did not contain a mailing President’s message address. The second phase is the in-service training program for officers and committee chairs scheduled registrations because of SARS warnings. There for October 25 in Fremont. were more than 200 fine clinics ranging from 1. PCR needs to develop an educational beginning level instructional courses to do-it- program and specifically assign mentors to yourself modeling with the masters projects and advise and assist new and existing members advanced DCC electronics. and modelers. Divisions should emphasize I had the opportunity to visit 3 large club layouts advanced planning and notification of and 24 home layouts. The overall craftsmanship, meeting dates. quality and detail were excellent. About two-thirds 2. PCR should create subdivisions in remote of the pikes were prototype-based. Most of the areas to provide more local activities. freelance design railroads contained at least one prototype scene. All but two or three were DCC I urge plain ordinary members to step up and powered. volunteer to serve on one of our committees. We need more help!!! The convention enabled me to renew many old friendships. It was too bad that the annual NMRA L. E. Gene Mayer National Train Show had to be canceled because of President. the SARS alert. The convention host committee sponsored a local train show that attracted many local vendors, hobby shops and manufacturers. I was able to find a printed “Red & White” grocery store sign that I have wanted for more than 20 years. It’s surprising that a Canadian Company would print signs for the stores that were prevalent throughout the Southeastern states and even in Niles, California (my hometown) in the 1930’s and ‘40’s. After the convention my wife and I drove to Montreal where we visited Exporail, the Canadian STATEMENT OF PUBLICATION National Railway Museum. It’s a magnificent The BRANCH LINE (USPS 870060, ISSN 07449771), is issued four museum and I only wish I could have spent more times a year in the months of January, April, July and October. Deadline for all materials is the fifteenth of the month preceding publication. No than a half day there. To my surprise we met Fred material will be returned unless requested and sufficient postage is pro- Hill (owner of the Pasadena Whistle Stop) and his vided. Membership in the PCR at $6.00 includes a subscription to the BRANCH LINE. Separate subscriptions are available at $4.00 per year. wife at the museum. I also visited a very large, but The BRANCH LINE is published by the Pacific Coast Region, 530 unscenicked, O scale layout in Kingston. What was Fig Tree Lane, Martinez, CA 94553 Second Class Postage paid at Martinez, Marysville, CA and addi- impressive about the layout is that it includes tional mailing offices. overhead wire, two rail, outside third rail and a POSTMASTER: Send address changes to - BRANCH LINE, 530 Fig Tree Lane, Martinez, CA 94553 portion with Marklin studs. All comments about materials contained in the BRANCH LINE should be mailed directly to the Editor, 623 Las Colindas Rd., San Rafael, As I stated in the previous issue of the Branch CA 94903. Inquiries regarding membership application, renewal or change of address should be directed to the Member Services Chairman, 530 Fig Line the primary objective of this administration is Tree Lane, Martinez, CA 94553 to implement the PCR Long Range Plan. The first The BRANCH LINE is printed by the Morris Family Printers, 727 phase was to mail copies of the Branch line to more Rideout Way, Marysville, CA 95901 (530) 742-6930 than 700 non-PCR NMRA members residing within the region’s geographic boundaries. That effort Branch Line - 3 MADE IN THE PCR by Dave Connery Foothill Model Works – O Scale Bridge sections curving – a trestle you just can’t fail to Tenders Shack identify. At each of the bridges the West Side I have been wanting to build one of Foothill built a Bridge Tenders Shack, where an employee Model Works kits for a number of years, but would stay all season long (no operations in the almost all of their inventory winter when the area was blanketed in was in On3 models, a scale I heavy snow). Their purpose was to was not working in -- although These FMW kits ensure the bridge did not catch fire they were primarily modeling and also served as a pair of eyes to one of my favorite railroads, the are really nice. check trains for safety as they rolled West Side Lumber Company. The casting work by. The prototype for this model is My recent foray into On30 now the rebuilt shack that served River gives me an “excuse” (like I needs to be seen Bridge and appears in several photos really need one) to build some of the bridge. of their models. Coincidentally to be believed they began to produce a line of Included with this kit is a small, “free- On30 cars, so their white boxes lanced” outhouse. The instructions for with the box car end logo will be a common the shack are 4 pages that include a inhabitant of my pile of “to be built” kits. In this photo of the finished models, information on the article I will review their Bridge Tenders Shack. prototype, a list of tools and supplies suggested, a list of all parts, complete step-by-step instructions The West Side Lumber Company had four and a full page of drawings showing all sides and large, curved bridges (trestles to all the rest of us). some details. The primary material used in the kit Each of these was long (between 300’ and 318’), is exquisite “High Tech Tooling Resin” castings. and high (between 54’ and 76’). The best known I’ve built a number of resin kits, both rolling of these was River Bridge, primarily because it stock (Westerfield, Sunshine and Funaro & was photographed so often (being only 7 miles Camerlengo) and structures (Railroad Avenue from the Mill at Tuolumne). River Bridge was Model Works) and done some of my own casting also the most unique, having a straight “A” frame but this material is different than any I have center section over the creek with both end previously encountered. It holds detail wonderfully and can be cast in very thin cross sections. All the castings in my kit appeared flawless, with an absolute minimum of flash. What flash there was I removed by scraping with a #11 knife. On several of the pieces in other FMW kits I merely rubbed the castings over a sheet of sand paper taped to a board to remove the thin flash and liberate small parts included in the casting. I washed all pieces before any assembly in dish detergent to remove any remaining mold release that might prevent a (Continued on page 4) Branch Line - 4 (Continued from page 3) Long Range Plan Headed to the Ballot solid glue joint.