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Editors: John Hansen & Ted Wiese
Information
for 2005 Narrow Gauge Convention * * *
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SNIPINGS by Jim Foster, King Snipe I
read somewhere that model railroading is probably the most diverse of
all the craft hobbies. The good part of this is that there are so many
different things to master and do. The bad part can be that there is
inherently a long-term commitment to building a layout, and interest in
our hobby can rise and fall during that time. Open Houses – One of the great motivators of all time is to volunteer to have
your layout open to visitors. An amazing amount of work will get done in
a short time if you care about the quality of your exhibit, and you care
how well the trains run. Work Groups - Having a regular group of modelers meeting at your home accomplishes something
every time they are there, even on days that you personally are tired or
don’t feel like modeling. I live in the Dayton area, and when I was an
adolescent there were numerous really fine layouts built here by a
regular work group. I believe the only real exception to this was the
Virginian & Ohio, as I understand Allen McClelland preferred to
build alone. Otherwise, there were skills shared, and tremendous
progress made on the series of “lichen-belt” layouts showcased
during the 1975 NMRA National Convention. Several Projects - Having several different things going on at once keeps you from
having to wait for paint or glue to dry, and allows you to exercise
whatever skill interests you on a given day. I might also suggest
working on buildings or rolling stock instead of track or benchwork. It
is difficult to both do the blacksmith stuff on a model railroad and
complete lots of details at the same time, so just do whichever appeals
to you on a given day. Something that works for me is to paint and
weather motor vehicles (cars and trucks) when I am sick of looking at
the layout. Join the NMRA and Participate in the Local Division
- This does not necessarily relate to narrow gauge, but just being
around other modelers on a monthly basis can help maintain your
interest, and the camaraderie is a major benefit to being a member.
Besides, the NMRA deserves to be supported for its past work in
establishing standards even if your division does not meet near you.
Attend a Meet – Go to a Mini-Bunch meet, an NMRA Regional Convention, an NMRA
National or the National Narrow Gauge Convention. Even better, build a
model or a little layout for the contests. Whether or not you feel your
work is competitive is not really the point; just having that deadline
is a motivator. Also, seeing what everyone else has done can renew your
enthusiasm for both the hobby and your home layout. Little Layouts – I intend to devote an entire column to this some time, but many
folks find a new interest in their home layouts by taking a break and
completing a tiny layout. And speaking of. . . Taking a Break – These are little trains. They are supposed to be fun. When they are
not fun, stop and do something else. What I like is cycling or old
Buicks or hiking. I am fortunate, I suppose, that I have a lot of
interests, but no one will come get you
if you take a month to paint your house. I realize this sounds
contradictory to the subject of the column, but it is a strategy that
can work. Modeling While Traveling – I have started doing this just in the last few
years. Although I travel for my job only a couple of times annually, I
do go out of town for kiddie soccer tournaments and kiddie basketball
tournaments. I take a model to work on in the hotel room; a tiny box
will carry all the tools and glue needed. I not only get a lot done, but
I find it unbelievably satisfying to do hobby activities in such an
environment One caveat: if you travel by plane, keep the Exacto knives
in your checked luggage. Your Vision – Do you have an idea in your mind what your layout will look like
when it’s complete? I know, generally, what I want to see everywhere
on the Gophir and this helps motivate me to complete that mental
picture. Complete Scenes for a Sense of Accomplishment
– I have visited model railroads where not one lick of scenery was
intended to be started until all benchwork was done and painted (on all
sides), all handlaid track was installed, and all electrical work was
completed perfectly. I will argue that to execute one part of your
layout at a time to a “completed” state will give both you and
visitors an idea of what the thing is supposed to look like, and provide
for you an opportunity to do all those different activities listed above
to keep you interested. What’s nice is to also get something running
through that scene, which brings me to my final point. . . Make It Run! – Get something running so you can actually enjoy having trains move.
Wire it up temporarily if necessary, and I am an advocate of some
provision for continuous running even if you don’t intend to use that
provision in your normal operating scheme. When you are flustered, just
watch a train go around in a circle. It works for children and it will
work for you. His
Royal Snipiness, Jim Boxcar Red says: “Teach this to your family and your work group. Hum it while in your layout room.” THE
MINI-BUNCH (sung
to the tune of “The Brady Bunch”) Now
here’s a story,‘bout a bunch of foamers,
Then a man
Named Karl Parshall, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Midwest NG Show in Greenford Show - April 15 -17 The 2004 Midwest NG Show, hosted by Gary Kohler of Maine Two-Foot Quarterly Publications, was again the Mini-Bunch spring event. For the full report click here!
Layout
of the Month Scale Meet in Indianapolis in November 2004 NMRA in Pittsburgh - May
2004 I
visited Kevin Kusman’s excellent HOn3 layout that depicted three scenes
from the RGS - Brown, Placerville, and Vance Junction. There were at least
a dozen scatchbuilt structures on this Digitrax controlled layout. And it
ran well too. Kevin has the right approach - not too large a layout with
all the scenes were fully detailed with rock, grass, trees and an
appropriate backdrop. More photos are on the cover. And look for them on
the Mini-Bunch website to see the color! Kevin
also won the Non-Revenue prize for Rotary 02 at the Midwest
show.
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Modeling Hints Nat
Howard has found a couple of common products that can really help you in
your endeavors. “Bounce”
your scenery!!! Do
your paper towels tear when you dip them into plaster and lay them on the
cardboard lattice? Do you want a cheap but strong cloth instead? If you
(or your spouse) uses “Bounce” fabric softener sheets in the dryer,
then save the used sheets. They are not too big, but they accumulate a lot
faster than you realize. When
you dip them in plaster, they do not tear. They impart a nice texture to
the scenery too. Alternatively,
use hot glue to tack them to the lattice. Then brush on a coat of plaster
- or slightly diluted white glue - to begin to make them solid. “Wax”
your river Future Floor Wax is a pourable liquid that dries to a shiny finish and hard as a rock. And it look like water when poured over properly colored plaster and rocks!
Bill Logan informs us about the Ohio Bicentennial Dedication Marker for the OR&W. Click here to read all about it. * * *
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Hamm River Model Products Hamm
River Model Products has announced the following new products in O scale..
These items are available direct by email at
hammriver@yahoo.com or on Ebay with “Buy It Now” options. User name
hammriver. You may also order by mail. They accept Check, Money Order and
Paypal. We are also accepting advance orders on the Rosewood Depot structure kit. It contains a one piece foundation casting, four wall castings, a dormer casting, wood dock with pre-cut lumber, Paper Creek wood shake shingles, Grandt line doors and windows and a lightning rod. Detail parts such as crates and barrels are included.
The
foot print is 3 3/4" x 6”. With the dock it is 5 1/4" x
6" and 6" high over the lightning rod. The retail price will be
$62.50 after June 30. Paid orders received before June 30 will be $52.50.
In both cases, add $6.00 for shipping in the US. Thank
you, * * SHIRTS AVAILABLE * * Mini-Bunch Shirts available: The shirts are a 60/40 cotton polyester blend, black
in color with yellow gold embroidery. They don't shrink and are quite
comfortable. Just ask any of the Mini Bunchers that already have them.
To order one (or more) send a check or money order, payable to Jim
Ruisinger and send order to: Mini
Bunch Shirts See Order
form for details Name Badges available Some members have never received a name badge since
they were not available for a number of years. Others have lost
theirs. Jim Eakin has a vendor who can make badges that are nearly the
same as the previous design. So send $10 to Ted, and we will send a new badge for you by the next meeting. (Tell us how to spell the name too - nickname - or whatever.) Mini-Bunch Newsl Thanks to David Keith, our webmaster, we have the
chance to see the photos in color. Generally, there will be additional
photos that are not in the newsletter. If you send your email address to Ted, it will be
added to the address book, and you will be notified when the
newsletter is available on the Internet. Notes from the Editors HELP NEEDED!!!! We plan to send out 4 newsletters per year. We are
looking for articles on modelbuilding and prototype that will be of
interest for the members. John and I have a special interest in
Western narrow gauge. Would anyone like to try their hand at preparing
a column on logging or Eastern narrow gauge? LAST COPY
????? If your label has “last copy” written on it, then
we would appreciate your sending
$8.00 to Ted for the next 2 years. If you register at a meeting, then you will receive the newsletter for the next 8 issues (2 years).
Parties
Responsible for this Newsletter To find more narrow gauge links, go to the Mini-Bunch Links page Chama
shop photos:
Narrow Gauge Timetable Midwest
Narrow Gauge Meet Southeastern NG
Meet Indianapolis S
Scale Show
Sn3 Symposium
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