redwood empire division october - december 2012 … · 2012. 10. 27. · redwood empire division...

REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2012

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In this EditionDirector’s Report

Page 2

Front OfficePage 3

Westside FarmsMeetingPage 5-6

Tips and TechniquesPage 7

NMRA NewsPage 8

CALLBOARD

November 17th .....Remember to reserve the 17th of November for the last RED meeting of 2012. It is to be hoped that all of you know where Monroe Hall is located - 1400 West College Avenue in Santa Rosa. Per tradition, Mary Moore Canpagna and her kitchen crew serve a tasty lunch starting at 12:00 PM. Good sandwiches, cookies and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Our meeting, as usual, will start at 1:00 PM. Raffles and prizes await those who show up and buy their supporting supply of tickets. Check out the various models that have been entered in the Model Contest under the rules posted in this newsletter and previous editions. Our Business meeting will be followed by a Clinic by Dave Croshere on how to make inexpensive switch machines for your layout. There may be some new ideas presented which will benefit and expand the power of the RED in coming years. See you all there!

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Empire Staff Roster

DIRECTORDave Croshere

1331 Enos AvenueSebastopol, CA(707) 829-‐9220

E-mail- [email protected]

SUPERINTENDENTStewart Benson

131 Casa Verde Ct.Sonoma CA 95476(707) 938-5941

No E- Mail

CHIEF CLERKVerne Alexander907 Grouse Lane

Petaluma, CA 94954(707) 763-9072

E-mail: [email protected]

CONTESTSGiuseppe Aymar

1330 Medical Center DriveRohnert Park, CA 94928


MEMBERSHIPGus Campagna

1915 William DrPenngrove CA 94957-9524

E-mail:[email protected]

ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAMGiuseppe Aymar

1330 Medical Center DriveRohnert Park, CA 94928


CALLBOARD EDITORDick Foster

219 Avenida Barbera,Sonoma CA 95476

707-935-6215E-mail: [email protected]

NOMINATIONSOpen

ESTATE COUNSELORDon Clauder

305 Garfield Park, Santa Rosa, CA 95409 (707)539-3510

Another outstanding summer RED meeting was held at Ron and Pam Kaiser’s farm. We had beautiful weather and good fellowship. As if running trains wasn’t enough we had beautiful aircraft flying over saluting an august gathering of modelers. They honored us with WWII aircraft and all kinds of military jets. We returned their salutes.

Plans for the 2013 PCR convention in Dublin are well underway. The dates are April 3-7th. Over seventy convention goers have already signed up and that number will more than triple by convention time. Over fifty clinics are already scheduled and that list will probably grow also. Looking at the schedule of clinics available there is a wide range of model railroad subjects to choose from. One clinic will be given by PCR’s Charlie Getz the new president of the NMRA. Charlie is a great speaker and usually very funny. Further details of the convention can be found at the PCR web site.

The next RED meeting is November 17 at Monroe Hall in Santa Rosa. The doors open at noon and the meeting starts at 1:00. Sandwiches, drinks (soft) and cookies are available at a nominal price and well worth it. Come early and grab a sandwich. I find this is a good time to look over the models on display and socialize.

This meeting will be the unveiling of Giuseppe’s creative model challenge. The idea is to make whatever railroad scene suites your fancy within an area dictated by the scale you chose to model. This should be very interesting. I love to see what people dream up.

Director’s ReportDave Croshere

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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REPORT OF THE CHIEF CLERKVerne Alexander

Our financial situation is stable. We have received from the NMRA that portion of our dues that belongs to our Division. We have had only incidental expenses since The Callboard was put on electronic delivery. The balance in our account is $2432.61. We had a staff meeting on the 16th of this month, and I want to share an observation with you. This is a group of outstanding people. They are bright, and dedicated and actively committed toward making our meetings a valuable and enjoyable experience for the members. Some very good ideas are being explored. This having been written, I will add that I am always haunted and intrigued by the possibility that not all the good ideas are in front of the staff. Maybe you have an idea that needs to be pursued, and if you do, please make that known to someone on the staff. Everyone is open to and eager to receive member ideas..

A Message from the Front OfficeAfter the model challenge I am going to give a talk / demonstration on how I make my

under layout switch controllers. These controllers are incredibly easy to make. They have a lower profile than something you might purchaser. In very congested operation areas they are the easiest to use. They can also electrify the switch frog. Did I say they cost about half the price of anything you can by? This is a talk I gave in Medford Oregon last spring to rave reviews. If you miss this talk, well you just don’t know what’s good for you.

After the meeting I am having an open house. My basement layout is based on a freelance railroad in 1936. It is almost entirely steam locos. The layout is designed for operations and is a point to point railroad. All the track work is hand laid and the switches are also handmade. They including a three way switch and a double slip switch. I have a scratch built turntable that alines with any desired track. The track work is 95% completed and the scenery has just been start with a few structure in place. My address is 1331 Enos Ave. Sebastopol. It is about fifteen minutes from Monroe Hall. Direction will be available at the RED meeting.

Please join us.

Dave Croshere

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my many hours of work have resulted in a very presentable ice house that needs only painting and roofing to be finished, and a major realignment of the current trackage on the CRAP! It seems that somewhere in the process of redimensioning the diagram to a building that would fit my available space I made a crucial error. I overlooked that the dock portion of the ice house was not included in the footprint. My ice house, in the place on the layout for which it was specifically designed, sticks out over the main line as it emerges from the helix! IT DOESN’T FIT! I think I can fix the situation by tearing out the current ice dock tracks and laying new track at a more severe angle. This will take away the site I had reserved for Kowalski’s Poles, but it should give me the half inch or so that I need to clear the main. This ice house will now and forever more be known as “Verne’s Folly!” Your contest entry will probably meet a better fate. You still have plenty of time―please give it a go.

Please note that the date of our spring meeting at the Napa Club has been changed to February 23. As usual, we are invited to bring our own equipment to run as long as it meets NMRA standards for coupler height, wheel gauge, etc. Club equipment will also be available for our use. The layout will be in DCC mode, unless we request otherwise. Our desire last year favored DCC, but this may have changed, and may be discussed at our November 17th meeting at Monroe Hall.

One of the features of the November meeting will be the contest. Giuseppi Aymar has challenged us to scratch build a model for judging. He, and Dave Croshere, feels there is great value to us as modelers to go through this experience. The rules are in the last Callboard. I don’t much like model contests, but in the spirit of supporting this effort and of possibly learning something from it, I am building a model.

Therein lies a tale. I am in need of an ice house for my layout, and to fit the space available it should be built just about to the contest specs. So away I go, and somehow the combination of a 1910 diagram for a building bigger than I can handle, a pile of styrene siding and strips, a little bottle of MEK and

Continued from page 3


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Westside FarmsAugust 18 Picnic

A great day, beautiful property and good friends. All these elements combined to make the 2012 Annual a very successful. Over twenty five of the RED members and spouses attended the Westside Farms picnic. We even had some spies from the Coast Divison in the form of Tom Crawford and his wife. The barbecues were fired up and the smells of hot dogs, ham-burgers and such filled the air.

Also there was the gentle “pop” of soft drinks and more being poured for the thirsty railroaders. Ron had his layout in great shape and it was enjoyed all the members. Sitting around enjoying the lake view was also a big favorite.

REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

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Two budding young modelers, guests of Gus and Mary, found the layout to be awesome (their word) and spent most of the time running and switching Ron’s WP creation.

All of us wished for a great building like Ron has built for his beautiful and great running layout.

The scene to the right is still there minus the gas station - Where is it?

Ahhhhhh ....... The perfect end to a perfect day in the country.

Thanks Pam and Ron for yourhospitality!

REDWOOD EMPIRE DIVISION OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

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This is a short series of tips and techniques that have come from our

fellow members as well as from some of the best craftworkers in our hobby.

Big Red’sWorkbench Tips and Techniques

If you have a trick or technique that you would like to share, please send your idea to the CallBoard Editor.

Save those old worn out Exacto blades and make this clever siding distresser. Take five blades and fit them into a 1/8”- 1/4” brass tube and fix in place with CA glue. Makes a quick and inexpensive tool for that next old time craftsmen kit.

Type to enter text

Save all those scrap switch parts, left over small gears and other strange shapes to make “junk boxes”. Build several wooden boxes and fill them with your junk after painting or weathering the parts. It’s the details that make the scene!


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N M R A N E W S


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Support Your Local Hobby Shop

10% RED Member Discount

NOW WHERE IS THAT MEETING?The Winter Redwood Division Meeting will be at the Napa Model Railroad Club

on February 23rd. See you there!


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Coming Down the LineRED meeting and Model Challenge Display November 17th at Monroe Hall Lunch 12:00 Meeting 1:00 PM

November 10-11, 2012 - International Railfair at Placer County Fair Grounds, Roseville. 10-5PM Saturday and 10-4PM on Sunday.

Open House Carquinez Model Railroad Society - November 10 & 11 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. December 1 & 2 same time.

Coastal Valley Lines December 1-16 Napa Valley Museum Railroad Exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville, CA

Great Train Expo - February 16 & 17, 2013 - Sonoma County Fair Grounds

RED Meeting - Napa Model Railroad - February 23rd 12:00 PM Lunch and 1:00 PM Meeting. Bring good DCC trains to run on their great layout. Napa County Fair grounds. 3rd Street entrance.

redwood empire division october - december 2012 … · 2012. 10. 27. · redwood empire division...

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