For the past several years the organization 'N Club International' has held a European N scale convention in Stuttgart, Germany, in conjunction with the trade show 'Modell Bau Sud'. Clubs from as many as nine countries set up their modules in a huge interconnected layout. This clinic will provide an overview of the skill and variety displayed by the clubs from across Europe including: Austria, England, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
I was interested in the State Belt as a possible prototype to model long before I wrote the book, but the research influenced the layout. What did I learn and how I applied it to the layout is the subject of the clinic. I had two goals: recreating the San Francisco waterfront and realistic operations based on WWII. I made choices both about the design and about the operations to make this idiosyncratic fit into a 12' by 12' footprint.
This clinic will take you behind the scene of the world's largest model railroad, Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany. You will see how they develop the scenes, structures, and figures for the layout; how they control the layout; how they keep the water clear and prevent a flood; how they control the scale model ships; how they maintain and control the hundreds of vehicles; how they control the aircraft; where they go after takeoff; and what's coming next.
The clinic describes the design process for a basement-filling dream layout focused on the prototype Cascade Line of the Southern Pacific. Occupying 2400 sqft of basement, it features of the route from Eugene to Cascade Summit and Crescent Lake. The design process will be described, including trade-offs and challenges, followed by construction and initial operations
The Columbia Gorge Model RR Club, Inc. is 68 years old this year. It is somewhat unique in the fact that it owns its own building and layout. The Club is also your Host Group for this convention (and was the Host Group for the successful 1994 NMRA National Convention). This clinic will cover the history of the club and its movement from rented space to our first building and finally to our current building and layout.
Don's photo presentation will showcase his completed 16' x 20' DC/DCC N scale model railroad depicting Southern Pacific's operations in California from 1971 to 1996. Special features include an operating scale track, drive-in theater, signals, grade crossings, talking hot box detector and night lighting. His discussion will cover design concept, construction methods, special features and lessons learned throughout the process.
Bruce and his crew of 38 are modeling ten prototype railroads operating in the Pacific Northwest in 1955. Features include the SP from Portland to Dunsmuir using the Siskiyou line, SP's Coos Bay branch, SP&S from Portland to Eugene, independent logging and mining operations, and the NP, GN, SP&S and UP operations into Portland. The system includes 7 classification yards. Up to 120 trains operate during a 24-hour simulated day. Prototypical fidelity with the system designed for super realistic operation is achieved. This fast moving, all color presentation provides an exciting status update and operational overview of this monumental effort.
Under construction since 2002, the Housatonic has been no stranger to upheaval and renewal. Craig will talk about his reasons for modeling something very different from the pack, how it changed the way he models and what the pros and cons of it are. Begun with precious little information, the layout has experienced both subtle and dramatic changes made over a decade, thanks to more and better information than was available when it all got started. Craig also shares why sticking to a specific set of givens and druthers from the beginning made it possible to make changes, expand and even re-design parts of the layout on the fly when new things were learned.
