To-Do List: Nooksack TOMA

Well, the basement issues mentioned in my last post are still unresolved and have turned into a huge gumption trap (see my post from last February) that has set me into a huge unproductive funk. One of the solutions to gumption traps mentioned in that post is Jack Burgess's suggestion to commit to actual work on the railroad for fifteen or thirty minutes everyday. With my wife's help today, we took down the Nooksack ten-foot section and set it up on sawhorses behind my workbench. I have power to the workbench, so I can rig up some lighting to actually work on the Nooksack section. Hopefully incremental progress on the railroad will lead to incremental improvement to my mental state!

Small Steps To-Do List:

• Module down and on sawhorses
• Reinstall Tortoise for longer passing track turnout
• Check for and add feeder drops as needed
• Connect all drops to DCC Bus
• Install UTP cab bus panels
• Bolt on the small bridge module
• All electrical connections finalized
• Finalize planning and start installation of . . .
• Backdrop
• Lighting
• Valance
• Modules returned and in place!
• Control panel and touch toggles installed
• DCC moved and set up

I also have some not so small steps to work out, but I want to try to get back into a more productive and satisfying mode by making progress with these tasks. Let's hope my next post highlights some more of these steps completed. 

One Task Done, Gumption Traps Revisited, and a To-Do List

Draft train bulletin for initial Nooksack TOMA operations

As mentioned in a previous post, my initial operations notion is to have Nooksack in yard limit rule with a train bulletin posted for the scheduled first class passenger train or trains. I spent a morning at the computer researching some original Great Northern train bulletins and then drafting one in Word. I found Copperplate Graphic Bold to be a reasonable font to duplicate the look of the few GN wooden train bulletins that I found photos of online. My paper version (seen above) is a cross between the one I saw at Tony Koester's railroad and the actual GN ones. 

Several issues have popped up in the train room (aka the basement) that have blocked my gumption to work on the initial Nooksack section of the 4th Subdivision. During a first fall cold spell our furnace stopped working. In going down to the basement that chilly morning, I also noted that the lights were not coming on. I, of course, thought (assumed) the two issues were related. Well, our HVAC folks reminded me that coincidence and causality are not the same! They also reminded me that our oil-fired steam radiator boiler needs yearly maintenance to work efficiently or even work at all. So, with the combustion chamber cleaned of carbon soot, oil filter changed, nozzle cleaned or replaced, and combustion analyzed we were good to go, but with the unrelated short in one of the original basement circuits still there (but where?), that breaker remained off. Our task is to sort out the rat's nest of that circuit to tackle the issue of no lights in the main part of the basement. The new circuit for the railroad and workbench are working just fine, but the basement in general is dark.

Also, during this time my wife and I have been working on our main bathroom with several sets of contractors here for a new tile floor, new shower, and new fixtures. We have tackled wallpaper removal, a little bit of drywall and mudding, and painting. Somewhere in the process, a leak in the water supply line in the basement developed right over one of the initial, temporary staging locations for Nooksack. The first attempt to fix said leak did not last and I am waiting for a phone call to schedule a return of the plumber as I write this. 

Nooksack up temporarily to check location and plan backdrop height

Next Steps, To-Do List:

• Basement Prep
• Fix or replace shorted circuit
• Solve dripping leak
• Paint more east wall
• Remove "bar" wall
• "Ceiling" over benchwork?
• Paint floor?
• Take Down "Nooksack" section
• Set it up on sawhorses
• Switch-motor replacement 
• Other wiring
• Purchase 1/8 inch hardboard and cut to 30" & 18" for backdrop and valance
• Rolling stock to standard
• Structure plans and builds
• Staging plans and builds

 

Inspiration Continued

It has been just over a week since I returned from attending the Mid-Atlantic RPM 2022 (MARPM) in the Baltimore area. As the summer worked its way into fall I had to finally decide whether to attend MARPM or the Mid Eastern Regional convention in North Carolina the following week. Besides the significantly closer location, I chose the MARPM largely because of the opportunity to visit some "bucket list" model railroads and to meet (or at least see) some of the authors of blogs that I regularly read. 

Paul Dolkos's Baltimore Harbor

MARPM 2022 provided excellent clinics, a chance to see some excellent modeling, and the opportunity to visit some outstanding model railroads. The clinics and tours proved helpful in being able to add visuals to my backdrop clinic and fine-tune some of my planning notions. Perhaps the most practical takeaway was taking photos (with permission) at several railroad tours that I will be able to utilize to illustrate techniques mentioned in my backdrop clinic. In addition to inspiring me to improve my somewhat dog-eared clinic, the addition of the visuals may inspire future viewers to try the techniques. 

Visible and sceniced staging on Mat Thompson's Oregon Coast

Among the clinics at this year's MARPM, one appeared to fill a niche in my long range planning for the 4th Subdivision.  In what appeared to be a last minute addition to the clinic list, Travers Stavac presented a version of the Layout Design SIG's clinic called Make Only New Mistakes. He gave an overview of a recommended approach to designing a model railroad. I gathered several ideas from that clinic. First of all, their approach is to flip the priorities from a "normal" approach starting with detailed track planning to one with conceptual planning getting the biggest slice of attention while details get the least initial attention with a structural segment holding down the middle.  One suggestion for the important conceptual segment is to develop a "plumb line" or short written concept/vision statement that captures the intended purpose, theme, and personality of the railroad. All design decisions should not stray far from this so-called plumb line. A couple of concepts from the structural segment include basing design on signature traffic and/or signature scenes as well as developing "savvy standards." Finally, from the details segment a concept that stuck with me is having "logical lineals." In short, this means that the lengths of trains, passing tracks, yard tracks, and spaces between active switching are all interrelated. 

Clinics and tours also provided reinforcement for a notion central to my planning the 4th Subdivision. Paul Dolkos presented a clinic on staging that suggested that staging should be accessible, if not visible at least not be a "dark hole." He showed an example (Chuck Hitchcock's Ottawa Junction) of a recent track and operations plan with the staging as a visible part of the railroad. In addition he presented a series of alternatives to traditional staging such as using sector plates, cassettes, or car floats. Several of the railroad tours incorporated examples of visible staging including Mat Thompson's seen in the photo above. 

Having been inspired, the next step is to apply myself to some actual work and develop some perspiration. My next post may not be more than a to-do list, but that will at least be a first step. 

Inspiration

Iain Rice book image from Amazon

Inspiration, for me, comes from several sources. One is from model railroad authors; I am by nature a reader. One such very influential author was Iain Rice, who I learned passed away on October 8. His book, Small, Smart, & Practical Track Plans, was the first book I purchased when I returned to the hobby as an adult. My interests and approaches to model railroading (fixations with backdrops and smaller/compact design) are probably most influenced by his writings. In my analysis of what I hope to achieve with version 2 of the 4th Subdivision, I find that I am echoing Iain Rice's comment from one of his Kalmbach books:

 "My own goals in layout design have always put realism and atmosphere alongside interesting operation at the top of the want list."

Iain Rice c.1948 -- October 8, 2022

Also on October 8, I attended the Garden State Division's Fall Meet. Even though they are a different NMRA region and division than the one to which I have been assigned, their meeting in Hope, New Jersey was quite close. One of the features of their meeting was having several model railroads open in the afternoon after the meeting. I had the privilege of visiting Ted Pamperin's C&O and Tony Koester's Nickel Plate railroads. Both were excellent and inspiring. As mentioned above, I am a reader, so I was well aware of Tony Koester's work, but Ted Pamperin's amazing New River Gorge depiction was new to me. Clearly, visiting other layouts is an important source of inspiration. 

Visiting Tony Koester's railroad with train bulletins posted at each town provided an aha moment (an important form of inspiration). Not only did his railroad provide examples of backdrop and interchange techniques, but his quality fascia and valance presentation also provided a solution to one of my operations planning conundrums: How will train movement/authority work in my initial one-town TOMA section of Nooksack? The answer: the initial Nooksack section will follow yard limit rules and a posted train bulletin will give the timing of any first class trains. With a broad conceptual plan, but no real track plan for the rest of the 4th Subdivision, I can create a train bulletin for Nooksack without having the data to create a full timetable for the balance of the railroad, before I have a detailed plan for the rest of the railroad. 

I fully expected to learn more about, view in person, and gather photographic evidence of the junction/interchange and backdrop techniques I had read about in Mr. Koester's books and articles, but the truly inspiring part of my visit was the unexpected solution to a planning conundrum based on a small atmospheric detail posted on his valances. 

Before I switch to perspiration, the other half of the unstated formula, I expect to post about another example of inspiration. Last week I traveled to the Mid Atlantic RPM meet where I experienced more in-person inspiration from the clinics and railroad visits of the first RPM that I have attended. 
 

Nooksack Research Links: Canneries etc.

Old Stihl logo for supply company

 I am cleaning up my browser tabs and have some site, photo, and video links for researching PNW industries that I want to keep here :

• Alaska Fish Cannery Photo
• Samuel Elmore Cannery
• Logging Supply Company
• Skookum Catalog
• 1960 GN Yard Photos
• Canned Food Changing America Video
• California Cannery History
• Google Image Search for Canneries
• San Francisco Cannery History
• Robinson Mill Everett
• Everett Waterfront  
• GN Sand Car

Model Railroad Goals Reinforced at the AWMM

In my last post, I referenced some personal goals reinforced by attending the Alleghany Western Mini-Meet last weekend; in this post I want to explore how the event, sponsored by Division 12, MCR, NMRA, helped me revisit the goals for the 4th Subdivision. 

Fields outside Wheelerville on Mike Hauk's S&NY

The Model Railroad as a Three-Dimensional Painting

In planning my new layout, my focus on benchwork, electrical planning, and operations are the issues I have been posting and thinking about. Prepping for and giving my clinic on backdrops; seeing Neil Schorr's clinic, Capturing the Commonwealth; and visiting Mike Hauk's Susquehanna & New York all led me to reevaluate an unstated primary goal for my model railroad. Working towards creating the 4th Subdivision as a three-dimensional artwork is a (if not the) major interest, priority, and goal for me as I start construction. To reiterate a "learning point" from last fall's simple shelf: the visual appearance, presentation, and the role of backdrops on my railroad are all important to me and my "vision" of what I am trying to achieve. In my mind, Mike's S&NY is a model railroad to emulate in terms of a model railroad as three-dimensional artwork. 

 

Operational Goals

While striving for the 4th Subdivision to be aesthetically pleasing and hopefully achieving a realistic appearance, my model railroad is not designed as a static display. Operations somewhere along the continuum between game play and recreating prototypical railroad jobs is important to me. But, what kind of operations should I strive for when I fall towards the novice end on the operator's spectrum? Some of my experiences at the AWMM helped with getting closer to an answer to that question. 

The experience of touring several (but not all) of the model railroads helped me to prioritize a bit. Both Brad White and Ray Brown are planning/building large, multi-deck railroads designed to prototypically represent the trains of a PRR line and a portion of the BLE respectively. I am not that much of a die-hard operator. Ed Cronin's single deck BLE railroad combines scenery with operations in an enjoyable manner, but again, the operational focus is on movement of trains in a prototypical manner. All three of their railroads' operational focus is on the movement of trains and bringing the entire railroad to life with multiple operators required for that experience. While I can appreciate their goals, modeling skills, and smooth running trains, a large, train-focused model railroad is not my goal. A smaller branch line with an emphasis on switching and commodity/industry relationships continues to be what I am attracted to, although I will continue to maintain the caveat of future flexibility.

The assistant yardmaster in the hat, and Jason, the yardmaster on the right
Photo by Lee Farnsworth

Another feature of the AWMM was an operations session at Dale Desser's railroad on Saturday night after the activities at the Ambassador Center. Even though I was somewhat anxious about fitting in with more experienced operators, serving as assistant yardmaster was not only fun but also one of the events of the AWMM that most helped me reinforce some of my notions for planning the 4th Subdivision. Jason, the yardmaster, was great to work with, and although I didn't have much prior experience, I really enjoyed the yard work! Again, the notion of having the option of both switching and classifying cars right from the start mentioned in Byron Henderson's, Fun Ops on a Small Layout post is another priority reinforced by the opportunity to operate on Dale's railroad at the AWMM. I had several other takeaways from that ops session. One was that although I see some definite plusses in using JMRI Operations Pro, the printouts (manifest/switchlists) are not correct for my railroad's time period, and I want to be able to utilize going down the rabbit hole of researching the industries and their suppliers on my railroad. Another takeaway is that I do not want duck unders, crawl unders, or pop-up access, nor do I want trains disappearing for extended times on their way to staging. While I am planning to have staging hidden from the main layout space, I want to have easy access by walking around a corner or into another alcove of the basement. 

Coming away from last weekend's trip to the AWMM, I think that I am clearer about my goals for myself and for my railroad, the 4th Subdivision. 

Personal Goals Reinforced at the AWMM

 

Last weekend I traveled to Erie, Pennsylvania, across the state, to attend the 2022 Alleghany Western Mini-Meet (AWMM). The event, sponsored by Division 12, MCR, NMRA, is probably the last event with my former division with which I will contribute any kind of leadership or institutional knowledge. The AWMM was a one-day mini-convention with model railroad tours, operating sessions, clinics, merit award judging and model displays, and raffle sales. I participated in at least a smattering of all the offerings provided.  In looking back at the event, I realize that it was a valuable experience for me, both in reinforcing or refocusing personal goals for myself as a NMRA member/model railroader and reinforcing several primary goals for my new version of my model railroad: the 4th Subdivision of the Cascade Division of the Great Northern Railway.

Personal Goals:

1. I do want to take more seriously working towards some NMRA AP certificates. For example, I can use the clinic I gave towards the "Author" category. In writing up the accompanying label for the scratchbuilt bridge that I displayed, I got started with the first of the six non-judged structures for the "Structure" category.
2. I participated with the judging committee, where we evaluated four entries for merit awards. Without going into details on that, I want more training as a merit award evaluator. I went through training at the 2019 Mid Central Regional Convention at Boardman, Ohio, and I have worked as a part of a judging committee a couple of times since then. In addition to being out of practice, I feel that I would benefit from additional training. As a former teacher, I am aware of the critical importance of reaching congruence in scoring of standardized assessments, which to my mind is what merit judging should be thought of. 
3. Continuing with the theme of evaluation of merit judging, I want to continue with the development of standards based rubrics for the "Scenery" Achievement Program category. Not only do I suspect that that evaluation has little in the way of documented criteria for determining a numerical score, but Mike Hauk, Division 12's AP manager, recommended that I continue working on that project. 
4. In the next day's model railroad tours, I had the opportunity to chat with Mike about a number of things. Beyond just comradery, I believe that a large part of my growth as a model railroader has been from interacting with, bouncing ideas off of, and being on both ends of mentoring relationships with other members of Division 12 and the NMRA in general. This leads to another important personal goal. I need to work towards making more connections here in northeastern Pennsylvania and with my new division: The Susquehanna Division, Division 11, MER, NMRA.  

In my next post, I will explore the goals for the 4th Subdivision reinforced by participating in the AWMM. Some of the clinics, ops-sessions, and model railroad tours really helped me to substantiate my priorities in building my new railroad, here in our new home.