2009 Convention Clinic Program

Kirk Reddie and Don Tousley, Clinic Chairs

We are proud to have been able to offer a truly outstanding range of top class clinic sessions this year.
This year we have two days of Clinics
Friday 6/19/2009 (during the Swaparama)
Saturday 6/20/2009 (during the Public Show)
Two dedicated rooms: ~20 in classroom style, ~50 in theater style.

Clinic Schedule

Preliminary, but good!

Clinic Topics

• LAYOUT DESIGN   by Keith Schaber
  Keith Schaber is a visionary who has designed or assisted in the design of several layouts in the Portland Metro area. He will show you how to plan a layout so that it functions and operates well and looks prototypical. Keith uses unconventional thinking to create model railroads with greater depth and dimension and will give viewers different perspectives when visiting these layouts – some of which will be on the layout tours during the week.
• N DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE   by Brian Morgan.
  The Selkirk Division has had monthly operating sessions for 30 years. Brian has a systematic maintenance program to keep all the rolling stock, but especially the locomotives, running at optimal performance levels. Brian shares his experiences learned over the years with various fleets from ConCor PAs through brass to today’s high quality plastic locomotives. If time permits, the experiences with various locomotive designs can be discussed.
• BUILDING & WEATHERING LASER-CUT WOOD STRUCTURES   by Rick Ernest
  Rick is one of the foremost authorities in the northwest on structure-building (from simple kits to complex scratch-building). Rick scratchbuilt the Gillman mine on Rob Carey’s layout featured in NSR magazine. Rick will give us techniques that will help us simplify the construction of laser-cut wood structures to make them realistic and good-looking.
• SIMPLIFIED OPERATIONS ON THE OREGON VALLEY RAILROAD   by Jerry Green
  This clinic will present a simplified system for operating trains on the Oregon Valley Railroad, a point-to-point regional railroad modeled after the Portland and Western Railroad. This system utilizes a train schedule that is built upon a recurring two-day cycle and supplemental detailed instructional sheets for each individual train rather than car cards and way bills.
• RAILFANNING THE COLUMBIA RIVER N SCALE DIVISION   by Jerry Green
  This clinic will take you on a tour of the Columbia River N Scale N-Trak layout. This layout is patterned after prototypical locations within the Columbia River Gorge that can be found on both the Oregon and Washington shores of the Columbia River. First you’ll get to tour the layout first-hand from a railfan’s perspective. Then you’ll get to see how the layout scenes compare against their prototypical locations.
  
• GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE DPM KITS   by Dan Lewis
  Almost every modeler builds Design Preservation Models (DPM) kits. Many modelers, however, would like to make their structures unique, and this clinic addresses both improving the basic models as well a kit-bashing them. It also addresses finishing and detailing with special attention to window treatments, roofs, and add-ons."
• GREAT TREES - FAST & EASY   by Joe Warner
  Learn step-by-step how to mass-produce high quality conifers and deciduous trees. Tree modeling skills, tools and materials will be demonstrated. Both “furnace-filter” and “bottle-brush” methods will be presented. Techniques for enhancing these manufactured trees, for placement near the foreground will also be shown.
• WEATHER & DETAILING ROLLING STOCK AND LOCOMOTIVES   by Don Tousley
  Weathering (whether it be cars, locos, structures, or whatever) is the single most important addition that can be made to your models so that they look less “toylike”. Good weathering makes the difference – to truly achieve realistic results. Don will show you a few different methods to lightly or moderately weather your cars and locos, and give you tips to make those well-aged cars look realistic. This is a “hands-on” clinic for those who want to bring equipment to destroy (oops! – I mean to weather) and perhaps a couple of small brushes.
• SOLDERING SURFACE MOUNT COMPONENTS   by Jim Hinds
  This is a make-and-take clinic where active participants can walk away with a lighting module for a building, passenger car or caboose. Jim will provide basic materials and tools. Related supplies like metal wheels and axle wipers can be supplied at a nominal fee if specified in advance.
  Active participants must register at least a month in advance, communicating directly with Jim at sales@richmondcontrols.com or (281)342-4895. Passive participants who will only be observing can just come without registering if there is space in the room.
  Active participants will be soldering surface mount resistors and LEDs to a lighting circuit board. Ideally, they will leave with a working module, knowledge of the process, and confidence to do the same work at home. The simplest choices will be lighting for any building, a Kato passenger car or caboose, or a Walthers passenger car. Active participants should select a specific model and discuss their end objective with Jim in advance.
• ADDING DETAILS TO YOUR LAYOUT   by Mike Rademacher
  Tips & tricks to make your layout come to life. Mike will demonstrate unique ideas to add details such as stringing telephone wire, clever positioning of figures (whatever that means), placement of billboards and signs, and other such scenes to add dimension to your model railroad.
• N SCALE COLLECTORS   Q&A with the NSC Board
  Join us for a Question and Answer session with the NSC board. Here’s your chance to ask questions about special runs, membership programs, collectors auctions and all the nifty stuff we work on during the year. This is a great opportunity to express your ideas and suggestions on future projects and conventions. It’s been a while since we had the time during our conventions, so this is our chance to get together.
• THE INTERMOUNTAIN STORY   by Frank Angstead
  Frank has been in the industry before InterMountain entered N Scale and will discuss the Company’s formation, their H0 and N scale products, and InterMountain’s relationships with other model railroad manufacturers. Also covered will be product development in general and some specific new projects planned for the future, as well as recent changes at InterMountain and the industry in general. Frank has been known to welcome questions, too.
• GETTING A GOOD START WITH DCC   by Bill Chown
  DCC is easy, look at how YOU can do it. This clinic will explain how you can get started with DCC, add some DCC locos (and rolling stock) to your stable, and take your first steps into running all or part of your layout with the advantages of DCC. DCC is more than just a different way to run trains. We will also look at how DCC can bring some exciting new capabilities to your operations. DDC enables COOL stuff, see some examples.
• BUILD A 53' SPINE CAR KIT   by Peter Harris
  Clinic participants will be given the parts for an A or B end of the five car unit, and we will construct it together. Limit of 15 participants. The single car can be taken away for free, and if you want to complete the set in your own time the parts for the remaining 4 cars will be available at cost price to make the 5 unit spine car set.
  Tips for making, painting and decaling these frequently seen intermodal cars will be given. The kits are in lead-free pewter with stainless steel etches. Tools, glue and parts will be supplied to the participants.
• DCC TIPS’N’TRICKS   by the Digitrax Staff
  This clinic will discuss Digitrax DCC. The Digitrax folks will cover current products, their use, and what to do when things don't go as planned. There will also be an open forum for questions and answers from the audience.

If you have any questions about the Clinics, please contact the team.