official The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008/Conference Edition of the APMM Inside this issue: Portland: Conference Confluence APMM 2008 — Conference What is that buzz? Is it the table saw, the vacuum pump de-gassing silicone or is it the Confluence increasing din of conference talk? If you answered that it is buzz about the APMM’s The Aerotrain 2008 Conference, you are correct. Portland is about to be the confluence for our APMM pg. 2-5 brethren to meet, kibbutz, learn, expand knowledge and enhance professional and Book Review: personal friendships. Babes, Beasts and Brawn The APMM Conference headquarters is vibrating with anticipation of a fantastic pg. 6 gathering. After the overwhelming success of the 2006 conference, the incomparable Advertisement— Conference co-chair team of B and B (Bob Schneider and Bruce Willey) are hard at Architectural Model work completing their gargantuan task. They have put together some fantastic tours: a Construction Book pg. 7 Segway tour of the riverfront; the Nike Model Shop and the Museum of Contemporary Craft; the adidas prototyping facility and the Ship and Insure Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; and pg. 8-9 the Evergreen Aviation Museum for us to Book Review: visit while we are in town. Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild If you actually are coming to Portland on pg. 10-12 work-related travel and you think it will be 2008 Conference boring to sit through the conference, you are Information pg. 13-16 in for a great surprise. This conference will have a little bit of everything for everyone. Member Seal and Advertising Managing the hazardous materials in your pg. 17 shop, gaining insight into special effects, choosing the correct software for your RP Membership equipment, greening up your facility and learning chroming tips are just a few of the pg. 18 workshops being offered. Employment pg. 19-25 So, pack your bags but leave your X-Acto blades, WD-40, lacquer thinner and other volatile non-FAA-approved goodies in your toolbox at work, lock the box and turn out The Last Word pg. 26 the lights. Micro-breweries, here we come... fanny packs and all! Chris Lewis Communications VP and E-Newsletter Editor The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter Winter 2008 2008 Page Page 1 1 The Aerotrain: What Once Was, Is Again The Electro-Motive Diesel Rides Again by Hal Chaffee Editor’s Note: The Winter 2008 Historic Rail catalog cover and inside cover page feature the GM EMD (Electro-Motive Diesel) Aerotrain from 1955 and a new HO Gauge EMD Aerotrain Set. APMM member Hal Chaffee saw the catalog and recalls a half size Aerotrain locomotive built on a Chevrolet truck chassis that his father's firm fabricated. He also remembers riding around as a passenger in the modified truck chassis before the body was added. In 1955 GM EMD built one of the most unique passenger trains to ever run on American rails - the futuristic Aerotrain - a lightweight aerodynamically-styled train that was to revolutionize rail travel. The Aerotrain was half as heavy as conventional equipment and designed to reduce train investment by almost 60% and reduce train maintenance and operating expense by nearly 60%. The Aerotrain consisted of a new single-unit diesel locomotive and 10 lightweight aluminum bodied coaches - each on 4 wheels instead of the normal 8. Two of the cars weighed 65 tons compared with 80 tons for a conventional 80 passenger coach. Top speed was 102 mph. The suspension system on the coaches used the "air-ride" principle embodied in GM's bus construction where compressed air in rubber bellows replaced conventional steel springing. As part of GM EMD's promotion of the Aerotrain they wanted to include the Aerotrain in the GM Powerama (an out- door product show) from August 31 to September 25, 1955 at Soldier's Field in Chicago. The answer was to hire Model Builders, Inc. on June 30, 1955 to fabricate a half size Aerotrain on top of a Chevrolet truck chassis so that the Aerotrain could be driven around in the Powerama shows which played to large audiences. My father, William H. Chaffee (Bill), was in charge of the model shop at GM EMD in La Grange, Illinois from 1948 to 1950 when he started Model Builders, Inc. The shop foreman for this project was Morris Hauser who many years later took time off from Disney where he then worked in order to supervise the construction in Costa Mesa, California of a full scale working duplicate of the steam-driven original Union Pacific No.119 locomotive that was in the 1869 Golden Spike ceremony in Utah. The following pages show memorabilia and photos from this project. (cont’d next page) The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008 Page 2 The Aerotrain: What Once Was, Is Again The Electro-Motive Diesel Rides Again Photos of first and second page of Historic Rail catalog 2008 (cont’d next page) The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008 Page 3 The Aerotrain: What Once Was, Is Again The Electro-Motive Diesel Rides Again All aboard! Hal Chaffee’s father Bill, hard at work, showing the durability of his model by kicking it. Editor’s Note: Note all of the OSHA-approved safety equipment being used. Aerotrain at Powerama… about to sink into a big ink blot. (cont’d next page) The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008 Page 4 The Aerotrain: What Once Was, Is Again The Electro-Motive Diesel Rides Again Unknown GM employee in front of the half-size Aerotrain at Powerama… Editor’s Note: This thing is COOLER THAN COOL. Wouldn’t you love to tool around in something like this as it beats the heck out of a Dodge Caravan? Are you a “practical man”? Recently on EBAY, I purchased for the unprecedented sum of $3.95, a set of plans for what I thought would be a super cool project. The plans sent to me in PDF format were of a publication probably dated about 1940 for the construction of a World War I tank. Upon receipt, the plans were - for a lack of better words - lackluster. However, they were cool and the concept of building a remotely controlled 120V WWI- era tank intrigued me. Although the plans were so-so, I did get two additional booklets in PDF format from the vendor. One was for various workbenches and the other was titled the “MODELERS ART OF PATTERN MAKING”. How cool is that! Although I may be committing plagiarism by doing so, I thought I would paraphrase a small portion of the introduction for you to enjoy. “Pattern making is an extensive trade, and a man could well spend a lifetime learning its various sides; the beginner, therefore, should not attempt the building of large or complicated pieces without the help and advice of a practical man, but by keeping constantly in mind the elementary operations in the moulding and drawing of ordinary patterns he should be able to turn out satisfactory work, and not suffer the humiliation of hearing it pronounced faulty by the foundrymen.” The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008 Page 5 Book Review: Babes, Beasts and Brawn: Sculpture of the Fantastic Book by Stephen Kiwus by Dennis Heinzeroth Superheroes, hobbits, pin-up girls and monsters — Oh my! If you think that sounds like a fun day at the local cinema, can you imagine what it would be like if your job was to make those two-dimensional characters come to life in three-dimensional form? Babes, Beasts and Brawn author Steve Kiwus presents us with an autobiographical look at his career as a toy and action figure sculptor. From his boyhood dreams of becoming an architect to his accidental introduction to the world of plastic playthings, Mr. Kiwus describes the ups and downs of life in the toy-sculpting industry. Presented in a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek manner, the book is lighter on text and heavier on full color photographs with several full-page spreads. Featuring painted and unpainted prototypes, it is a visual treat for those who appreciate the art and science of action figure creation. The real bonus to this book however, is the “How To” section entitled “A Peek Into the Workshop” which showcases the process of creating an action figure from fabricating an articulated armature, creating a rough clay sculpt, making a waste mold and pouring the wax master copy onto which the final details are sculpted and carved. If you or someone you know is interested in sculpting action figures, I would suggest reading this one-of-a-kind book. It gives a good insight into how hard work, perseverance or even sometimes just plain old “dumb luck” have a way of working out in the end. Title: Babes, Beasts and Brawn: Sculpture of the Fantastic Author: Steve Kiwus Publisher: Dark Horse Books ISBN-10: 1-59307-013-6 ISBN-13: 978-1-59307-013-7 Pub. Date: September 06, 2006 Format: Soft cover, 160 pages, Full color, 8 1/2" x 11" Age range: 18+ For Mature Readers (a few nude female figures) The Leading Edge e-Newsletter Winter 2008 Page 6 Advertisements Editor’s Note: When contacting our advertisers, please tell them that you saw their advertisement in the APMM e-Newsletter. They will appreciate both your business and the knowledge their advertising dollars are worthwhile. This postcard, circa 1890, features Portland with Mount Hood in the background. Mount Hood is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of the city of Portland. Mount Hood's snow-covered peak rises 11,249 ft (3,429 m) and is home to twelve glaciers.