Clinics By Category

Details: Last Updated: 24 July 2024

Prototype Railroad Operations

A Virtual Tour of Durango Silverton Car Shop

Bruce Evans

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Shanghai

This clinic will be in real time with Sean Jackson for a tour of the railroad's car shop.

Chief Evans will moderate from Long Beach as the participants get to follow around the team from the car shop. As a live transmission the participants will be able to ask questions and engage the staff at the DSNGRR.

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A Virtual Real Time Tour of Durango Silverton Engine House

Bruce Evans

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Shanghai

This clinic will be in real time and will take the through the Durango Silverton engine facility in Durango CO. Chief Evans will facilitate

a live tour of the engine house with Durango Silverton Staff walking the participants through the facility with the ability to ask questions in real time as they progress through the facility.

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Beltlines and Terminal Railroads

Paul Hobbs

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30am
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 3:30pm
Room: Naples

Beltlines and Terminal Railroads are a particular form of railway, usually urban, serving a location for the

mutual benefit of the owning railroads. Sometimes they are owned by a municipality. We will discuss examples, large and small, and suggest modeling possibilities.

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Border Crossings: How they work and how to model them

Bryson Sleppy

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Friday, 8/9/2024 9:30pm
Room: Melbourne

With the recent merger that formed CPKC, we’ll look at how freight and passenger railroads cross international borders in North America. With an educational background in

National Security, Bryson demonstrates how you can model this often-overlooked piece of global logistics. Attendees will learn about the logistics and equipment involved in the prototype operation and how to portray that on their

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British Railways - Prototype and Model

Mike Arnold

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00pm
Room: Vancouver

In September 2025, we will celebrate the bi-centenary of the first passenger-carrying railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway. What better time to plan a railfanning

visit to the UK. Whilst the plans for the actual celebrations have yet to be announced you can still think about where to go and what to see and of course how to get there - by train of course.

The clinic will cover the British Railways network, heritage railways, museums, steam tours and the model railway hobby in the UK. There will be some coverage of non-rail interests also. You should leave the session with a desire to go and explore out small island by train.

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Cajon at War—Helper Operations

Stuart A. Forsyth

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

Saturday, 8/10/2024 11:00am
Room: Tokyo

During the first week of May 1945, revenue freight and passenger trains comprised only 57% of the trainrest (43%) were light helper

engines returning to their bases after having helped those revenue trains climb the Hill. Helpers were critical to the railroads’ ability to get the overwhelming wartime traffic over Cajon Pass.

Grounded in the database he has created for analyzing dispatchers’ train sheets, Stuart will present an analysis of how the Santa Fe and Union Pacific conduced their helper operations during this period. While both railroads based their helpers out of San Bernardino and Victorville, their operations—surprisingly—were different!

You will see, for example, where and how helpers operated, how many there were, their types—even their specific road numbers, how they were assigned, how often they operated, where they were serviced, the trains they helped—and much more.

Stuart will help you understand the helpers of that vital era when Cajon was at war.

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Cajon at War—The San Bernardino Bomb Plant

Stuart A. Forsyth

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai
Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am
Room: Vancouver

This clinic tells the story of the top-secret incendiary bomb plant that was built for the U.S. Army's Chemical Warfare Service at Ono,

just outside of San Bernardino, at the beginning of WW II, how its products were shipped by rail (some to a custom-built top-secret ammunition storage depot at the North end of Santa Fe's Rialto Foothill Spur, but most to the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation for shipment to the Pacific war zones), and the vital role they played in not only the very first attack on Japan, but more importantly, in bringing World War II itself to an end. We have all been told it was the atomic bomb, but ...

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CTC Demystified 1 -

Introduction to CTC Machines

Doug Geiger MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 2:00pm
Room: Melbourne
Wednesday, 8/7/2024 3:30pm
Room: Melbourne

Ever wondered about how a ctc machine worked or have wanted to a ctc machine for your own layout?

From the 1930's through the 1980s, ctc machines commonly, relay-driven consoles used to move trains efficiently and safely. Using photos taken from a recently restored 1955 Union Switch & Signal ATSF-style ctc machine, this clinic will help you understand the basics of how those machines functioned. Definitions and photos of actual ctc hardware will illustrate how a typical dispatcher used a ctc machine. Model photos taken on the HO-scale Granite Mountain Railway are used to show how certain signals change when various ctc levers and buttons are operated.

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CTC Demystified 2 - Advanced Features and Concepts of Centralized Traffic Control Machines

Doug Geiger MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 3:30pm
Room: Melbourne
Wednesday, 8/7/2024 5:00pm
Room: Melbourne

As a follow-on to part 1, this clinic will explore many of the more advanced concepts of centralized traffic control, including:

preconditioning, fleet, and call-on to name just a few. Auxiliary ctc machine equipment, such as the line meter and blocking devices plus others will be discussed and shown. Like part 1, the clinic uses model photos to illustrate prototype concepts and operations of various ctc hardware running a model railroad layout. We will also spend some time learning how relay logic actually worked to control switches and signals on a prototype railroad by using only two wires via codes. If you are thinking to expand your own ctc machine in a prototypical manner or just want to learn more about centralized traffic control machines, then attend this clinic to discover these features.

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Cumbres Toltec RR

Bob Frankrone

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Naples

Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

is a living time machine that will transport you to a place and time when steam ruled the rails. Travel with Bob as he takes both an archival and present-day journey on the Cumbres and Toltec RR.

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Direct Traffic Control and Absolute Block Signals

Bruce Morden

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30am
Room: Naples

Friday, 8/9/2024 3:30pm
Room: Naples

This clinic will focus on Direct Traffic Control, including which railroads used it and how it functions. Southern Pacific used it with an ABS overlay so a discussion of how

ABS works will be included. The clinic will include both prototype examples and model railroad applications of those practices.

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Iron and Steel: The Industry

Doug Geiger, MMR

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am
Room: Naples

Saturday, 8/10/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

The steel industry has a rich history and formed the backbone of America’s growth. From moving raw ingredients to delivering finished products, steel has been an integral

part of railroading. This clinic will provide you with a basic understanding of steel making processes and vocabulary. It will give you a guide to the inner workings of rolling mills and some of the specialized railroad equipment found in and around a steel plant. Many references (both prototype and modeling) will be presented to enable you to accurately add this fascinating industry to your own layout. Although mostly a prototype clinic, modeling ideas will be injected as the presentation develops.

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Quarry Railroads of Granite Rock Company

Michael Laine

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Tokyo

Graniterock is a California-based construction materials and contracting company owned and operated by the same family since its

founding in 1900. From its flagship quarry in Aromas, California, Graniterock is San Francisco Bay Area's premier supplier of high-quality aggregate, sand, concrete, recycled aggregate, hot mix asphalt and other building materials.
The success of the company is driven by progressive quarry management and efficient use of industrial railroads. The fascinating 124-year history of the quarry is one of pioneer spirit, bear wrestling, and a geologic history as unique as California itself.
The story of Granite Rock is told with historic photographs that reveal the individual personalities and stories behind the founding and development of the A.R. Wilson quarry. Also revealed are details of quarry railroad history, narrow- and standard-gauge locomotives and rolling stock, and the evolution of quarry operations. The impact of Granite Rock companies on local construction and road projects is also illustrated.

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Rail Detector Cars

Dennis Drury

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00am
Room: Tokyo

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00am
Room: Tokyo

Rail Detector Cars: what they are, how they work, and how

they affect railroad operations both model and prototype

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Railway Work Equipment in Operations?

Paul Hobbs

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

Work Equipment is a railroad accounting definition for non-revenue rolling stock, including glamorous business cars, imposing wrecking cranes and snowplows, through

elderly passenger and freight cars providing accommodations and supplies for outfit crews. We will explore their operational possibilities and modeling opportunities.

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SONGS Reactor Vessel 1 move on Metrolink May 24, 2020

Tim Harris

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 11:00am
Room: Shanghai

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

This clinic will cover an interesting operation, the SONGS reactor vessel move in May of 2020. Tim will

present information about the move from San Onofre to Placentia, where the load was moved onto BNSF rails, including a couple of videos showing certain parts of the operation. This can be an idea and information for an interesting model project. The presenter works for the North County Transit District (NCTD), as a Senior Rail Engineer overseeing track construction and maintenance projects. He was previously at Metrolink as a Senior Track Engineer during the SONGS reactor move.

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Understanding North American Railroad Signals

John Parsons

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00pm
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 3:30pm
Room: Tokyo

A beginner's guide to trackside signaling of North American railroad signaling for Prototype railfans and modelers.

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Western Adventures

Bill Brown MMR

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Bill has made several trips to Colorado to experience the wild west. These trips have been an enormous influence on the modeling of his

two layouts, “The Leadville and Red Cliff” (LARC) and his “Colorado Narrow Gauge.” This will be a multimedia presentation of his travels, research, and modeling with several human-interest storie.

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Prototype Railroad History

A Look at the Santa Fe Railway [ATSF] thru its Financial Statements: 1946-1967

Dr. Kevin Feeney CPA [retired]

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 5:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai

This clinic contains information that can be useful to Santa Fe modelers and others interested in this

large Class I RR. As a public company, the ATSF issued annual reports to its shareholders. These reports that are readily available include extensive information on RR operations, changes in rolling stock, additions to facilities and the RR industry. This clinician has presented over 25 similar clinics on other CLASS I RRs at the national and regional conventions.

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Business Cars, Private Cars

Paul Hobbs

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 2:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Melbourne

Railroad business cars have been in service from near the beginning of steam railroading and were known to be on the roster of the Baltimore & Ohio

Railroad in 1855, before the Civil War. In 1863, the United States Military Railroads built a 4-truck car for their CEO – President Lincoln. He felt it was too ornate and did not use it, but his body was carried home in 1865 aboard the car. Business cars were at their most numerous in the 1920s, about 900 cars, representing less than 1.5% of the passenger car fleet. The role of business cars has evolved, several among the fleets of present-day railroads as exquisitely maintained sales tools and inspection vehicles. There were specialist cars for instruction, pay, display, religious evangelism, and circus transportation. Private cars were the corporate jets of earlier times. Often configured like business cars, they were the transports of the rich and famous. Today’s private cars are restored members of the heavyweight and streamlined fleets, many available for charter. Modeling these cars can be an interesting kitbash project, or a brass model purchase. We will explore all these elements and more.

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Colorado Model Railroad Museum

Michelle Kempema

Sunday, 8/4/2024 1:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Tokyo

How did the Colorado Model Railroad Museum start and what is the driving force behind their activities in the hobby?

Museum Executive Director, Michelle Kempema, will give an overview of the CMRM and discuss current projects in promoting the hobby.

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"Hollywood's Trains & Trolleys" Talk with co-author Marc Wanamaker

Jared Nigro & Marc Wanamaker

Sunday, 8/4/2024 2:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Saturay, 8/10/2024 9:30am
Room: Vancouver

This clinic features an interview by Los Angeles Railroad Heritage Foundation Chief Operations Officer, Jared Nigro,

of Marc Wanamaker, the Co-Author of the new book from the LARHF, ‘Hollywood's Trains & Trolleys’. This book takes you along the trolley routes that connected the Hollywood studios from Boyle Heights to the Pacific Palisades. For the first time a book zeroes in on the trains and trolley movies produced only within a 30-mile radius of Hollywood. The single exception is the location of Railtown 1987 State Historic Park near Sonora, California. Explore roughly 75 years of Hollywood movie making through the history of the trains and trolley movies, with many never seen before photographs showing every aspect of production and location from the Squaw Man (1913) to Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

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Modeling Maintenance of Way Operations on the Dodge City and Santa Fe

Robert D. Walz

Friday, 8/9/2024 5:00pm
Room: Naples

Saturday, 8/10/2024 11:00am
Room: Naples

Introduction: The Dodge City and Santa Fe is a proto freelanced, small-to-medium sized HO scale model railroad set in western

Kansas replacing the actual Dodge City to La Junta line. The era modeled changes periodically from the 1920s through the 1990s.The clinic first describes the history of MoW operations on the prototype Santa Fe Railway from the labor-intensive early years through consolidation and early mechanization to mechanized MoW operations. This section includes a typical organization for MoW, MoW facilities, and concludes with a discussion of typical MoW operations. These include maintenance of track structure, right of way improvements, construction of new track, cleaning up of wrecks, bridge and building work, and ends with various types of work extras.
The modeling section covers modeling in different eras starting with facilities such as bunkhouse, section houses and tool houses. This is followed by a section on modeling MoW equipment. There is then a section on creating mini scenes for tie replacement, ballast renewal, rail replacement and welding rail. A final section includes modeling several types of work extras such as inspection cars, ballast trains, plow trains, spreaders, wreck trains, and camp cars.

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Red Brick Buildings & Brown Boxcars

Greg Johnson

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Melbourne

America's industrial growth took place in brick factories and industrial facilities of all shapes and sizes across the country.

These plants were usually fed by the railroads and their thousands of brown box cars. This clinic will focus on industrial factory history, including construction, materials, and design elements. The method of loading railcars, including track configurations, loading doors and other transloading facilities will be covered. The evolution of rail-served buildings and how they evolved into today’s landscape of industrial districts and parks will be presented, bringing the design circle up to date.

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Responding to a Derailment on the Southern Pacific Coast Line

Paul Deis

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Vancouver

Saturday, 8/10/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

On March 19, 1991, a Southern Pacific freight train derailed on Vandenburg Air Forcse base on the Coast Line. The Coast Line was closed

for 6 days. We will look at the derailment through the eyes of the first responders and the clean-up crews.

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SP/UP operations LA division 79-present

Mike Osborne

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 11:00am
Room: Tokyo

As a prototype conductor working the Los Angeles division for 45 years, Mike will discuss how the operations

have changed and remain the same throughout the years. Clinic participants will have a broader knowledge of prototype operations

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The Eclectic nature of Australian Railways

Martyn Jenkins

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am

Room: Tokyo

Tuesday 8/6/2024 8:00pm

Room: Vancouver

A journey of discovery on how Australia ended up with 3 major rail gauges

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The Role of "Limited" Passenger Service of America's Trains, 1902-1967 America's trains from 1902-1967

Marita Richards

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Shanghai

This clinic will explore what made the “Limited” passenger service successful.

Speed, precision, and comfort were the key elements to the success of the New York Central "20th Century Limited" passenger service. It opened the golden age of railroad travel for America. From heavyweights to streamliners, the "Limited" kept the competition fierce for all large railway lines vying for passenger travel. What made the "Limited" unique was the limited stops and superior service. Also recognized for the success of the "Limited" was the locomotive power and the variety of passenger cars.

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The Southern Pacific Railroad, Mina Subdivision

Steven Bradley AIA

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am
Room: Melbourne

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 11:00am
Room: Naples

This clinic discusses the unique structures and train cars the Southern Pacific Railroad developed for the transfer of precious metals

and mineral ore from this remote area of the desert Southwest, with historic B/W photos and color model photographs from the author's award-winning layout and models.

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Traveling with the Chiefs and the Captain

Mark Williams

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30am
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 2:00pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic focuses on the history of Santa Fe's premier named passenger trains, closing out the Golden Age of

passenger train travel. Vintage advertising, photos, and videos trace the history of these trains from their inception right up to the Amtrak era. Santa Fe realized the mild California climate was a natural magnet for travelers, and they exploited the epic Southwest scenery their trains traveled through as an inducement for people in the East and Midwest to travel to sunny Southern California. Thousands heeded the call, the presenter included

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UP Box & Auto Car Painting & Lettering Schemes - 1939 to 1980

Dick Harley

Saturday, 8/10/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

In June 1939, UP introduced their UP Gothic lettering style for freight cars on the new class B-50-24 boxcars. Over the next four

decades, UP built or acquired over 50,000 box and auto cars in over 150 classes. Dick will describe how the UP painting & lettering schemes evolved and where resources are available to help you make your UP cars accurate for your modeling era.

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Layout Design & Construction

A Fresh Approach to Lift-Ups

Don Winn, MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30am
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

We build lift-outs, swing gates, drop leafs and other devices to gain access to all parts of our railroads. The hinged lift-up is a populasolution, but one must deal with

the unsightly hinges sticking up into our scenic areas. This clinic will present a new solution using the euro-style cabinet hinges that are popular in homes today and will walk you through step-by-step on how to build your own (as seen in the January 2023 Model Railroader magazine).

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Backdrops: Creating Cinematic Scenes

Roman Pastucha

Sunday, 8/4/2024 1:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 3:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Backdrops: Creating Cinematic Scenes: How backdrops can turn shelf layouts and dioramas into 'cinematic' scenes.

With the current trend of shelf and modular railroading, a unique opportunity has emerged. The principle of designing scenes as cinematic 'art'. It provides the modeler the opportunity to compose scenes akin to theater stages with actors, which being motive power and consists, and sets, the scenery. Natural Science Museums have been designed with this principle for quite some time, incorporating taxidermy mounts in enclosed settings. The Clinic is outlined into three parts. Design elements and Principles, materials and techniques, and final installation with an emphasis of photographic composition.

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Basic Scenery Part 1

Al Turnbull

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Part 1: Covers the basics of bench work for permanent, portable and modular construction. It will cover basic scenery building, hardshell, plaster, foam

and combinations. The differences, applications, types of plaster and methods to work it as well as types of foam and their use will be discussed as well as Painting, staining and basic ground cover.

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Basic Scenery Part 2

Al Turnbull

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 5:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Part 2: Will be a recap of Part 1 and provide more in-depth information on the techniques of working with plaster and foam.

Painting and staining techniques, what to watch out for and how to ‘modify’ if it is not what you wanted will be discussed. The different materials and methods will then be shown and explained. Trees, shrubs, and brushes will be discussed to achieve the desired effect. A brief introduction to adding structures and details to bring a scene to life.

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Building Benchwork with Extruded Aluminum

Magnus Christerson

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

Friday, 8/9/2024 8:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Model railroading is precision engineering. Other disciplines requiring precision, including airplanes, automobiles, and

trains, abandoned wood a long time ago. It is time we also started using precision engineering material in model railroading.

This clinic will describe using extruded aluminum for building benchwork. We will describe the full process from planning, acquiring, cutting, assembling, fastening, and installing benchwork built with extruded aluminum. Several examples of both fixed layouts and modular layouts will be presented.

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Carrie Blast Furnace

Bob Frankrone

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

20th century steel mills were massive industrial facilities, and there are

few in existence today. The Carrie Blast Furnace National Historic Site is a remnant of one such steel mill, which was once a part of the colossal U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works. Bob’s presentation will take you on a tour of the Carrie site and will examine some of its operation, especially those related to the railroad. There are plenty of ‘up-close’ photographs that make Bob’s presentation one you won’t want to miss.

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Hands on background fir tree making

Lloyd Lehrer

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Odessa
Fee: $6 paid to the clinician at
the time of the clinic.

Clinic covers how to make cedar tree trunks using a bandsaw and other ways with video.

Then show how to make branch material out of furnace filter material. Trunks and branch material are provided along with ground foam for flocking and spray adhesive. These are back row trees, but we discuss techniques for upgrading to front row trees. Each attendee makes one fir tree to take home. All tools supplied. Cash paid directly to presenter. The class size is limited to 20 people. Trees are N to O scale sizes. The presenter does NOT allow looky-loos in the room, active participation required, but we have fun.

Fee: $6 paid to the clinician.

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Layout Sound for Model Railroads

Jim Wells

Friday, 8/9/2024 9:30pm
Room: Vancouver

“Any sound is always more fun than silence!”
Like just about everything in model

railroading, layout sound isn’t what one might normally expect. While our human ears are full scale, sound can indeed be miniaturized…
We’ll briefly explore the nature of prototype sound and human hearing, and some of the sneaky tricks to scratch build more believable miniature sound scenery.

Then we’ll open up the majority of the clinic for your questions and answers. Hearing is believing!

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Layout wiring resistance reduction

Bryan Hunnel

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 11:00am
Room: Vancouver

An easy technique to test any layout (using AC, DC or DCC) in search of unwanted excess wiring resistance.

Clinic comes with a guide (handout) of 6 or 7 factors you learn to look for and what they mean as applied to layout. No math needed, No adding up voltage drops, No climbing under the layout, No coin used, No locomotive need. Testing can be done by the inch or foot or feet of rail sections or by preexisting blocks. It will find the spots needing attention. For instance bad or missing drop feeders, rail joiner, breaks in soldered joints. All the easy way (using this sag in voltage test method). Tools needed are the trusty volt meter that is happy with DCC square waves or AC or DC and a resistor load simulating a hard working train pulling many cars. You can make that “load” by using a light bulb or better is a set of fixed power resistors dedicated to this one job. All to give consistent results by using same load value and same meter. Want to know if your legacy DC layout will convert to DCC without major rewiring before buying a DCC system? Try this sag method and see. Also see my guide for tradeoffs required. This works for new DCC layout as well. This is very easy to use and do !

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LDSIG Boot Camp

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am
Room: Barcelona/Casablanca

This clinic, offered by the leadership of the Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG)

walks you through the process of designing your dream layout in three stages:

Conceptual: what story are you trying to tell?
Structural: resolving the big compromises with your space.
Detail: track planning

This approach focuses on your objectives for the layout, resulting in a layout you will be happy with for the long haul.

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LDSIG Panel: "What would you do differently" (WWYDD)

Seth Neumann

Thursday, 8/8/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

LDSIG Panel: "What would you do differently" (WWYDD)

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Learn about Free-mo

Gerry Bill

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Vancouver

What is Free-mo, how to become involved, what are the requirements, how to build a free-mo module.

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Making Inexpensive Pine Trees

Don Stewart

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Odessa

Many layouts have mountains on them, and they require pine trees, lots of pine trees. Purchasing already-built built pine trees is expensive and the trees may not look

realistic. This clinic presents a way to build pine trees that look good and are inexpensive.
Florist wire, sisal rope, paint and ground foam are used to build realistic looking pine trees. You will learn how to build the trees and go away with knowledge, an instruction handout, and a built-up tree you have made.

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On30 Modular Railroading: The Pudding River Lumber Co.

Kevin Spady

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 5:00pm
Room: Naples

Friday, 8/9/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

This clinic is an exploration of what it means to build in modular format and covers several “how to” tips for developing detailed

modular scenes in On30. Kevin Spady began developing modules when he became interested in the California South Coast On30 Modular Group in 2012. He has built several detailed modules that have been presented in the On30 Annual magazine.

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Polymetric Sand for Scenery and Ballast

Eric Peterson

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am
Room: Vancouver

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Using Sand with Premixed Dry Powdered Glue for Scenery and Ballast Polymeric Sand

including water activated glue is a simpler and easier way to cover scenery surfaces. There are a variety of similar products with different colors and grain sizes with potential use as ballast in N, HO and O scale track. Sand premixed with water activated powdered glue is marketed for gap filling between patio and walk paver bricks and stone. I spread it on the layout landforms and spray water to activate the glue. One soaking with water activates the glue and it usually dries in 24 hours.

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Super Elevation of Model Railroad Trackwork

Stephen Lowe

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 5:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Tokyo

Super elevation of model railroad trackwork is made quick and easy utilizing en mass sub-assembled roadbed sections and simplified

construction of transition sections. Installation of sound deadening sub-roadbed and a ballasting technique is demonstrated and discussed.

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The 7-year journey from design to layout completion

Richard Newmiller MMR

Thursday, 8/8/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 8:00pm
Room: Naples

A successful 2^nd layout with operations – 14’ x 20’.

Let us talk about completing your railroad.

Setting goals -increasing the chances of success through critical selection of must-have criteria. The track plan - choosing scale in combination with the available space. Level of automation. Type of control system. Timeline and manpower – just yourself, a monthly work crew, and purchased services. Budget – prioritized spending plan. Incorporating lessons learned and new technology. Your skill set analysis vs your dreams. Motivation and mixing up the tasks. Investing in tools, an off-layout workbench, lighting, quality materials, and some ready-to-run equipment. Setbacks are a given, but effort and planning can win. Celebrate the small successes – run trains as the track work progresses. What will my layout cost? I will share my comprehensive cost summary.

Disclosures:

I never finished my first layout due to high maintenance and limited access.
I never saw myself hosting operations.
I saved and used multiple items from my 1^st layout.

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What Industries for your Cars

John Lowrance, MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 8:00pm
Room: Shanghai

This clinic would interest modelers who are designing a layout, want to operate a layout more prototypically, along with freight car

builders or fans. This clinic will provide answers to some common questions: How do you pick the industries to put on your layout? How can you use the fleet of freight cars you already have before designing or completing your layout? Does your operating system end up with cars that have no place to go but staging to staging? Do you have open load cars or cars painted for specific products that need a place to go? This clinic looks at choosing industries that will give a large variety of those cars a place to go besides staging. It will demonstrate the procedure using one common industry and suggest some other similar homes for your orphaned cars.

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X-Factor Staging

Bruce Morden

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00am
Room: Naples

Friday, 8/9/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

X-Factor staging has been featured in a few articles in the model railroad press. I usually go back to a 2004 Byron Henderson article in

Model Railroad Planning.
I modified the design for my layout. I would talk about the need for storage for an operations oriented layout. Describe different types of staging. Discuss the pros and cons of the different types. The clinic would be illustrated with photos from layouts I have visited across the country. There will be some discussion regarding the electronic control of staging yards.

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Layout Operations

Beyond the Basement - Interchange Staging

Mark Juett MMR

Friday, 8/9/2024 5:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Saturday, 8/10/2024 9:30am
Room: Naples

Model railroads, like the prototype, need to connect to other railroads for more economic prosperity. Prototype railroads interchange

cars and loads with many other railroads. Cars and loads should go “beyond the basement.” If you model an earlier time the number of railroads with which you interchange may be many more. Look at some examples of live interchanges that don’t require a lot of space or labor to operate. Cars leave the railroad for extended periods of time. New cars have come in their place. The methods are easy, and only require basic carpentry skills. Car Cards, JMRI Operations or several other systems can be used to track and move cars.

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Developing a realistic rolling stock fleet for operations

Joel Morse

Thursday, 8/8/2024 3:30pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic will describe the process I used to create a prototype-based rolling stock fleet for operations on my n-scale operations

based proto-freelanced NYO&W layout. This process may be useful whether you are interested in creating a prototype based fleet or simply a fleet that makes sense for your free-lanced railroad. Using this process can help focus on obtaining the appropriate rolling stock for your layout and avoid buying anything just because its cool looking (which is pretty much all trains), regardless of how it fits into your overall railroad concept.

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Evolution of an Operating Scheme

Bob Weinheimer MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 5:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Tues, 8/6/2024 5:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic looks at how the Pennsylvania Southern and its operating scheme have evolved over the past 40 years. Any large

layout grows with time to its current form. This layout has moved twice, offering opportunities for development. Industrial growth led to a larger car fleet in turn requiring schedule adjustments. Paperwork and dispatching systems evolved; all of this will be discussed in this clinic.

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Getting Started in Operations

Bob Weinheimer MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This is an EduTRAIN clinic written by the presenter. In this clinic, we will take a high-level approach to the sorts of issues someone

starting out in operations might consider. Probably one of the most important is to determine how the operation is intended to interact with the rest of the world. Other issues include train authorization methods, how to determine where cars should go, ideas on car fleets, a consideration of era. Options to consider for each of those areas are presented, it will be up to the operator to choose what works best for him or her.

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How to Add a Scene to a Layout in 15 Easy Steps

Bob Frankrone

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 3:30pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Naples

This clinic will demonstrate how easy it is to create a nice-looking scene on your layout,

regardless of one’s skill level. Watch as Bob converts a three-square-foot area on his layout into a complete scene in just fifteen easy steps. A few simple tools and some readily available materials are all he used to create the scene. Whether you are a beginner or a master modeler, you will enjoy seeing a layout bare spot morph into a complete scene.

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Model Railroad Communications (Phones for Ops)

Seth Neumann

Monday, 8/5/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

Friday, 8/9/2024 3:30pm
Room: Melbourne

Seth Neumann will describe the history of Dispatcher and Train Communications on the prototype and how to model them in your

model railroad’s operating scheme. He will cover design considerations, matching your communications to the operations of your prototype, system design, equipment selection including use of period telephone and telegraph equipment or inexpensive modern equivalents. He will describe simple circuit boards that he and his collaborators have developed for model railroad use. Parts sources, connection diagrams and other tips are included.

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Modeling the Citrus Industry in 1952

Terry Fearn

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am
Room: Shanghai

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

For his current HO scale model railroad, Terry wanted to model the Southern Pacific line

east of Bakersfield to the unincorporated town of Edison in 1952. He was especially interested in modeling the packing houses that were in Edison at that time and how the agricultural crops were shipped in refrigerator cars. Terry shares the extensive research he did on the industries in the area, packing house construction, and SP railroad operations for his model railroad. The railroad features the SP mainline east of Bakersfield with the packing house district in Edison and surrounding orange groves with a combination of kit, kit-bashed and scratchbuilt, packing houses based on pictures of actual structures in Edison The clinic will provide an overview of the layout, construction of the railroad, and the industries served, including modeling the car fleet of the Pacific Fruit Express, ice facilities and packing houses.

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Operations on the Pennsylvania Southern

Bob Weinheimer MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

The Pennsylvania Southern is a freelance layout set in 1980 in western Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Southern uses train orders but no

timetable as all trains are run as extras. We use single use waybills for car routing. These and other topics for discussion include layout philosophy, train scheduling, car fleet description, train schedules, dispatching issues, and supporting paperwork.

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Prototypical Operations in T-TRAK

Bob Schaffer

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00am
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Melbourne

No, it is not an oxymoron! Think of the usual “Roundy-Round” of T-TRAK as the mainline. In order to have prototypical operations,

all we need to do is add groups of related modules such as: classification yards, local or industrial switching modules, interchanges, industrial sidings, passing sidings, passenger terminals, and staging. I will present T-TRAK examples, with track plans, for each of these.

After a brief T-TRAK review, we will look at T-TRAK modules that have an operations focus. Next, we will consider how to add these modules to an existing T-TRAK layout. Finally, we will build a complete operations session using those modules.

My hope is that clinic attendees will leave with a better understanding of how T-TRAK modules can be used in realistic operations sessions.

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Realistic Operations using SoundTraxx Products!

George Bogatiuk

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

In this clinic, George will cover the operations of the real railroad and how they work, then will show you how to simulate that operation in a realistic manner using SoundTraxx Products.

We all strive to have realistic model railroads, but then we forget to operate them in a prototypical way . Here we'll cover how SoundTraxx has made a locomotive Simulation program in the decoder and how easy it is to implement into your railroad operations. We'll cover whistle signals, proper use of the bell, the different locomotiv ebraking systems and how they're used, implement Dynamic Digital Exhaust, and more features of the decoder. We'll then put them into practice on a short demo using the decoders to show how much more fun we can have running our trains!

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Modeling Techniques & Ideas

Adding a Forest Fire to your Layout (without burning it down)

Steve Stallings

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 5:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Using inexpensive LEDs, fans and Ultrasonic water vapor generators to create harmless, cool flames and smoke that will cause no damage.

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Advanced Tools and Tips

Doug Geiger, MMR

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 11:00am
Room: Naples

Saturday, 8/10/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

Tools can easily be the most important part of enhancing your modeling skills. Join us as we explore various modeling tools and

supplies, ranging from advanced (for example, calipers and material organization), moving to exotic (for example, punch and die sets and scribers), and concluding with some power tools (slow speed drills and mini-Sawzall, for instance). Many of these tools are not often seen in the model railroading world but are used extensively in the IPMS world (International Plastic Modeling Society in the construction of model airplanes, armor cars, and ships). Modeling tips using these tools will also be discussed during the clinic. Some of the tools will be passed around for you to handle. Some of the more exotic supplies will also be discussed. .

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Building an Auto Loading Facility

Jeff Lee - MMR

Thursday, 8/8/2024 5:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Saturday, 8/10/2024 11:00am
Room: Shanghai

Jeff will take you through the steps he took to build this facility. From selecting the site to

how he used 3D printing for parts, and will share sources of relatively inexpensive vehicles, people, and lights for the scene.

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Building Structures Two Ways – Acrylic and 3D Framing

Phil Edholm

Monday, 8/5/2024 3:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Most are familiar with the AP, but not all participate. New National AP Chair

Phil will discuss building ruggedized contest quality O scale structures for a module usin
The clinic will cover the design process of building structures to match porotypes on the California Coast, building materials, coloring and finishing for the structures.
The clinic will cover the design process of building structures to match porotypes on the California Coast, building materials, coloring and finishing for the structures.

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Creating Interesting Model Railroad Landscapes

Kevin Spady

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 5:00pm
Room: Naples

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai

Are you finding it challenging to get beyond laying track? Are you stuck trying to figure out how to make your layout as

realistic as possible? This clinic is an O scale exploration of tips and tricks to develop realistic looking landscapes on your model railroad. Land formations, soil conditions, water, trees, and plants and ground covers are all covered in this clinic.

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Creating Operations on the Louisville Southern Lines

Bob Frankrone

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Naples

Bob’s clinic features a variety of open load models that can be built from commercially available kits or easily scratch built from basic materials. So you think you can’t operate your

model railroad?…well, think again. Bob demonstrates how he transformed his Louisville Southern Lines (LSL) railroad into an operating layout long after it was designed and built. He presents a short history of the layout and gives a brief tour of the railroad. Bob explains his requirements for model railroad operation, the constraints his layout poses, and the mechanics of an operating session on the LSL. The LSL was featured in the September 2021 issue of the NMRA Magazine.

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Creating Your Own Inkjet Decals

Paul Stoner

Monday, 8/5/2024 11:00am
Room: Tokyo

Quality decals, customized for specific needs, can be created at home with relative ease. Images obtained from various sources can

be modified using photographic enhancement applications to fit particular situations. The resulting images can then be printed on decal paper using a photograph quality inkjet printer. Examples include adding signs or details to structures or vehicles, or correcting inaccuracies on rolling stock or locomotives. Although these techniques were developed for use with N scale projects, they are applicable to any scale.

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Des Moines Fire Station 1 A Prototype Model

Bruce Evans

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Friday, 8/9/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic will detail the history of the building to help the modelers kitbash Walthers’ recently released three building

kit of the Des Moines Fire Station 1. This building includes art modern and art deco features which makes this a great center piece fire station for any railroad.

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Eyesight, Aging and the Modeler

Dr. Richard Meetz

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 11:00am
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 5:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Eyesight, the essential tool, and the ability to do prolonged detail work at near distances changes with age. Mature modelers

must also change how they model, either by changing scales or by the use of the often-confusing array of vision-aids, tools & lighting. This clinic will explain what difficulties these age-related changes present to the modeler. Discussed in detail will be methods of compensating for these changes, the tools, and aids so that modeling activities need not be curtailed or abandoned as the modeler ages. With these methods, the modeler can pursue detailed modeling, even in the smaller scales, for hours at a time without eyestrain or discomfort.

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Hands-on Make-and Take Weathering with Pan Pastel Powders and other Artist Mediums

James Keena

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Odessa

In this Hands-on Make-and Take Weathering clinic each participant will be provided an HO scale car shell to practice weathering

with Artist Pan Pastel Powders, Brandon Powers, Artist Pencils and Water Base Paints. If you have been afraid to weather your cars or building, this is the clinic for you to try your hand at weathering rolling stock yourself. Application techniques such as dry brushing and simple paint washes will also be demonstrated. Simple application tools like foam sponges, cotton swabs and brushes will be provided and available to use by the participants. The car shells and sample application tools are provided for the participants to take and keep. Subtle weathering is usually the most effective in portraying well maintained but used equipment. The amount of weathering applied helps defined the time period and age of the equipment. During the equipment’s existence, it may have been washed or repainted several times and appear almost new again. Only when equipment is nearing the end of its service life or due to deferred maintenance do they appear heavily weathered.

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Love Those Loads

Bob Frankrone

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am
Room: Melbourne

Friday, 8/9/2024 8:00pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic features a variety of open load models that can be built from commercially available kits or easily scratch built from

basic materials. Beginners and master modelers alike will enjoy learning how to create interesting and realistic open load models. With plenty of photos from both the prototype and HO scale models, This clinic is a real crowd pleaser. Bob is the author of the popular “Love Those Loads” series featured in the NMRA Magazine.

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Making California Oak Trees

Patrick Rogan

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Tokyo

This clinic will give a very brief background on the California Oak Trees and why adding some to your layout will be a highlight.

Pat will demonstrate how to make a California Oak Tree for your layout.

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Modeling Emergency Scenes

Bruce Evans

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Friday, 8/9/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic focuses on using a fire or EMS scene on your railroad because they always draw attention. Getting it right is

key, and this clinic will take the National Fire Protection association's standard for deploying to a fire and apply it to scenery on your railroad. The goal is making an emergency scene realistic and reflecting era specific deployment.

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Modeling Innovations Using LARC Graphics

Bill Brown MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 5:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic will take participants through many modeling techniques using The LARC Graphics Set. From creating photo

backdrops, signage, structure and rolling stock enhancements and many more projects.

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Modeling a Sawmill Log Pond

Ron Varnell

Monday, 8/5/2024 3:30pm
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic will demonstrate how Ron constructed the log pond on his HO model railroad. Tricks on prepping logs, pouring

water, creating the right pond surface texture. He’ll cover what he did right, as well as what he would do differently in the future.

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Modeling PTC Rooftop Details

Tim Harris

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 5:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 5:00pm
Room: Tokyo

This presentation will briefly describe Positive Train Control (PTC) details and how they can be modeled. The presentation

will give an overview of how to research what is needed to represent the PTC configuration on locomotives and what materials are available to be able to model them. The clinic will primarily focus on HO scale modeling.

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Modeling the Stenner Creek Trestle

Paul Deis

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Vancouver

Saturday, 8/10/2024 2:00pm
Room: Shanghai

In this clinic we will take a look at how I built my representation of a landmark trestle on the Southern Pacific Coast Line. This steel

trestle was the final link in the SP Coast Line connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco. We will review researching the prototype. Determining how we design our bridge with selective compression. I looked at parts from several kits and how to kit-bash those parts to build the trestle. I will explain how I aged the metal components. We will also look at how to build up your scenery behind and under the trestle towers.

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Rebuilding a Diesel Model Locomotive

Tim Foote

Monday, 8/5/2024 2:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00am
Room: Shanghai

It can be very satisfying to watch your restored engine run successfully, and this clinic will improve your skills in repairing

engines and converting DC engines to DCC. Topics include initial diagnosis of your engine. Learn how to test Amp draw of a motor on a DC test track to gauge suitability for DCC. also, isolated testing of a motor. How to service and repair the drive mechanism. Diagnosis of common problems with the drive mechanism. Cleaning and lubricating truck gears, worm gears and drive mechanism. Additional topics will be Isolating the motor for DCC decoder installation, understanding continuity (Ohms), and using a multimeter to test for continuity. You will learn how to replace a motor and install it into your locomotive, installation of a DCC decoder and understanding the standard connections for the decoder. Choosing the right decoder for your engine. Determining if you should you use a capacitor such as a “Keep Alive” and locating room to install a decoder, capacitor, and speakers. The use of existing DC lightboards, replacing incandescent lights with LED lighting and understanding LED lighting.

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Scratchbuilding a timber frame lumber yard and concrete block coal silos

Richard Newmiller MMR

Friday, 8/9/2024 2:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Saturday, 8/10/2024 9:30am
Room: Shanghai

The prototype of the Glenside Lumber & Coal Co. was in Glenside, PA., a northern suburb of Philadelphia. During its 94

years, the business was rail served by multiple railroads, most notably the Pennsylvania RR and the Reading RR. The clinic is a series of construction progress photographs detailing the board-by-board construction and the application of hand-cut cedar shake roofing shingles for the three wooden timber frame structures (Office & Main Building, Lumber Shed, and Building Supplies) in HO scale using multiple sizes of grained & stained strip wood. The interior of the main building is filled with racks of dimensioned lumber and a selection of scale 4’ x 8’ plywood sheets. Other details include the customer order counter, lumber carts, tar paper, flue tiles and bags of sand and lime. Fiber optic lighting illuminates the interior. The four coal storage silos are made from plastic drainpipe covered with embossed sheets of concrete block. An elevator transports the arriving coal from the track level pit to the transfer house on top of the silos. The roof of the transfer house is covered with hand cut 3-tab asphalt roofing shingles. The modeling methods of the above are highly detailed so that the attendee can ask questions and duplicate the techniques if desired.

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Scratch building Techniques in Styrene

Dan Kamikubo

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00am
Room: Naples

In this day and age of digital technology and especially with the advent of 3-D printing, why scratch build a model? I plan

to answer this query with a short history of model making, the evolution of kits and kitbashing, and touch on the other methods and materials used to build models.

My main purpose is to inspire, if not introduce scratch building with what I believe is a most versatile, available, and affordable product, namely styrene plastic.

I will provide an outline of my clinic and a materials list, along with representative samples of my work in styrene.

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Tips & Tricks for Scratchbuilding & Kitbashing

Leslie Eaton MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 5:00pm
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Improve your scratchbuilding and kit building skills with new and surprising tools and techniques. A review of the top

tools that are a must for your toolbox, including creative uses for each tool and easy techniques to help improve your scratchbuilding and kitbashing skills. Where to find the tools, including the Greater Houston Train Show and other sources. The clinic is appropriate for modelers of all scales and levels from beginners through MMRs

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Using PowerPoint to Make Modeling Images and Designs

Phil Edholm

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

PowerPoint is a tool that many model railroaders both have available and know how to use.

Phil will discuss building ruggedized contest quality O scale structures for a module usin
While PowerPoint is slod as a slide tool, it is in fact a powerful drawing tool and can be used for many applications in modeling.
This clinic will cover methods and ideas to use PowerPoint as a drawing tool to create a number of modeling projects. The clinic will discuss how to use PowerPoint tools, how to set up large slides for high-resolution images and how to manage objects in large slides spaces. I will also cover how to use PowerPoint for general design and archiving materials (images, historical, concepts, etc.). It will demonstrate how to output image files using different printing options, generally not to a home printer.
The clinic will cover how to use PowerPoint to generate high-quality laser printed decals, photo quality images for modeling signs, posters, etc. It will also cover how to use PowerPoint and internet content to generate building flats and other useful applications around the railroad. Finally, how to generate banners for train shows and other applications at large size and high resolution will be shown. For example, a 3’ x6’ banner can be created for less than $75, ideal for advertising NMRA membership or convention at train shows and events. The clinic will show how to generate images that can be printed at 600, 1200 or even at 2400 dpi. The clinic will include information presented in slide form and a live demonstration of how to use PowerPoint to generate custom railroad logos and images.

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Vintage Metal Cars - Our Gift from the Past

John Lowrance MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 5:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 9:30pm
Room: Shanghai

This clinic will be of interest to HO modelers, freight car builders/collectors, and modelers who want improved Car

operation. Tired of the "Blue Box" railroad? Vintage metal cars are cheap, unique, authentic, and properly weighted for better operation. This clinic looks at HO Metal Car kits that exceeded "blue box" detailing and cost less than today's expensive ready to run and brass cars. Clinic will cover what and how to buy, metal & brass electrical issues, low center of gravity a weight for better operation and some recommended favorite cars to look for.

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DCC, LCC, Wiring & Electronics

A cheap and easy to install ABS signal system

Dennis Drury

Monday, 8/5/2024 11:00am
Room: Naples

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 5:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic will show just how easy it is to get a prototypically correct Automatic Block Signal system installed on your railroad.

There is no computer or programming knowledge required and all you need to know is how to hook up some wires.

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A Gentle Introduction to Arduino Programming

John Bate

Friday, 8/9/2024 5:00pm
Room: Vancouver

Saturday, 8/10/2024 9:30am
Room: Tokyo

Arduinos have many uses on a model railroad and are becoming common. But when people talk about them, they usually say "I won't talk

about programming. That's too hard." Too bad. Arduinos are much more useful, and fun, if you learn a few basic programming concepts. I'll show you just enough programming to get started, using model railroad examples. I'm a retired professor of Computer Science, who has taught beginners since 1969.

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Basic wiring for DC/DCC

Al Turnbull

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30am
Room: Melbourne

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00pm
Room: Shanghai

This clinic is for the person starting out with building a home or portable layout. The clinic will cover methods of installation, wire

types, sizes, and their applications. Al will cover basic troubleshooting and how to avoid most common problems.

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Clocks, Lights and LCC

Dr. Dana W Zimmerli

Monday, 8/5/2024 5:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 2:00pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic will cover how to use Layout Command Control (LCC). with a Fast Clock to animate Lights on a layout. The Fast Clock

LCC events will be described and setting up a LCC Fast Clock will be shown. How to set up and configure the lighting effects using boards like the LogicRail EFX-16 will be discussed.

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Creating Low Cost Circuits and PCBs using Fritzing

Pat Fleming

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am to 12:30
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 3:30pm
Room: Tokyo

This clinic is an introduction to using open-source software tool Fritzing to find designs, create, and order your own low

cost PCB (circuit boards) for your layout. Attendees will be creating a simple flasher circuit with considerations for connections, soldering, and to ordering the PCB.

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DCC Decoder installation in Legacy Locos

Gary Butts, MMR

Friday, 8/9/2024 2:00pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic will present and discuss the various components, tools, skills, and techniques required to convert older legacy model

locomotives from their original DC motors and wiring to modern DCC compatible standards. Clinic topics presented will include space requirements, motor conversion and selection, DCC decoder selection and wiring, current keepers and sound and speaker considerations.

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Introduction to JMRI

Dan Moran

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 11:00am
Room: Melbourne

Friday, 8/9/2024 9:30pm
Room: Tokyo

This presentation is meant for model railroaders who have heard of the Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) but don’t understand what it is.

We won’t cover any of JMRI’s features in depth, but we’ll touch upon all of its most popular features: DecoderPro, PanelPro, and OperationsPro.

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JMRI with Decoder Pro

Mark Juett MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

Thursday, 8/8/2024 5:00pm
Room: Naples

JMRI DecoderPro is a great tool to set up and configure your decoders. Learn how to best use DecoderPro to your advantage.

It has a great graphical user interface (GUI) which makes it easy to use. Compare this to counting bits to configure CV29 and other geeky CVs. Learn about special lighting effects, speed tables and speed matching, momentum, braking and more. Learn how to copy and duplicate files for similar locomotives. Learn about programming on the main and using a dedicated programming track. There is a lot to DecoderPro but see how easy it is to get started and to use.

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Joys of Running Blunami

Martyn Jenkins

Monday, 8/5/2024 5:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30pm
Room: Vancouver

In this clinic, you will get to see SoundTraxx latest product, the Blunami in action. This tri-mode DCC, BT and DC decoder will give you

all the fun and none of the hassle with the free Blunami app downloaded to your smart device. Come see what all the fuss is about! Blunami is a full DCC decoder that operates with NMRA DCC, or can be controlled wirelessly from the free app, using the track only for power. The track can be DCC, DC or even on-board Battery! With the intuitive decoder setup menu embedded in the free app that eliminates the need-to-know CVs, this is truly a significant change!

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LCC - What is it and who is it for Parts 1 and 2

Dick Bronson

Monday 8/5/2024 2:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30am
Room: Vancouver

Part 1 is a non-technical discussion of what LCC is, and how it can be used by the typical modeler. The clinic will present examples of

possible future capabilities.
Part 2 is a deeper dive into the technology. The clinic will review specific examples of LCC controlled layouts, an overview of currently known manufacturers and their hardware offerings. (both announced and shipping).

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LCC / OpenLCB User Group

Rick Lull

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Vancouver

The Layout Command Control / Open Layout Control Bus User Group is a forum where interested parties can present, ask and discuss about their use of LCC,

challenges and solutions. From the beginner that is considering what to do with their new layout, to the intermediate user that is grappling with a challenging use case, to an advanced user with a full layout sharing his or her experiences, this user group gathering is a collaborative, open forum about the NMRA's layout accessory control standard. Multiple short presentations followed by a Q&A forum is the usual format. The Layout Command Control / Open Layout Control Bus User Group is a forum where interested parties can present, ask and discuss their use of LCC, challenges and solutions. From the beginner that is considering what to do with their new layout, to the intermediate user that is grappling with a challenging use case, to an advanced user with a full layout sharing his or her experiences, this user group gathering is a collaborative, open forum about the NMRA's layout accessory control standard. Multiple short presentations followed by a Q&A forum is the usual format.

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Model Railroad Electronics for Dummies

Dr. Dana W Zimmerli

Monday, 8/5/2024 11:00am
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 3:30pm
Room: Vancouver

This clinic is intended to provide a practical approach to using electronics devices in model railroading. The clinic will cover the main devices (Resisters, capacitors,

transistors, sensors, and microcomputers) used in model railroading. The emphasis is on learning what the devices are and then their application to model railroads.

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Model Train Detection, what is it and what's it good for?

John Parsons

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Naples

A survey of train detection methods with pros & cons. Example applications for adding animation and automation to a model

railroad layout.

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NanoAnimation for Under $10

Leslie Eaton, MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 5:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Review lighting, motion, and sound animation you can easily add to your layout or modules and still stay within your

budget. See simple and affordable circuits that are easily constructed including a strobe with a slow decay, crossing flasher with synchronized bell, flicker-n-flame circuit, and slow ramp-up streetlights.

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Planning and Wiring for DCC

Mark Juett MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00pm
Room: Naples

Thursday, 8/8/2024 3:30pm
Room: Naples

Wiring for DCC is different than wiring for DC. We can get rid of all those blocks and toggle switch wiring but with several locos

running at once we have a lot more current draw. We need beefier wiring to prevent voltage drops at the far end. We still may need multiple blocks and power districts, circuit breakers and more equipment. If we plan to have a signal system, we will need many blocks and detectors. Learn how to calculate current draw and voltage drop, how to adequately size wiring, solder feeders to the rails that are undetectable even before weathering. Build your own snubber circuits, learn about twisted buses for reducing interference. Learn about some of the current circuit breakers, block detectors, boosters, auto reversers and other products on the market today. Learn how to wire your staging yards so that only one set of locomotives are running at a time (saving on the noise). Learn how to plan and wire blocks for signaling. A portion of this information went into NMRA TN-9 of which I was the main author, this clinic provides even more information.

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Realistic Operations using SoundTraxx Products

George Bogatiuk

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Shanghai

In this clinic, George will cover the operations of the real railroad and how they work, then will show you how to simulate that operation

in a realistic manner using SoundTraxx Products. We all strive to have realistic model railroads, but then we forget to operate them in a prototypical way. Here we will cover how SoundTraxx has made a locomotive Simulation program in the decoder and how easy it is to implement into your railroad operations. We will cover whistle signals, proper use of the bell, the different locomotive braking systems and how they are used, implement Dynamic Digital Exhaust, and more features of the decoder. We'll then put them into practice in a short demo using the decoders to show how much more fun we can have running our trains!

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The Azatrax Trackside Signaling System

John Parsons

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30am
Room: Naples

This clinic will cover how to design and install a model block signal system using the

Azatrax signaling system.

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Tips and Tricks Using the ESU LokProgrammer

Carl Marchand

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30pm
Room: Melbourne

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 2:00pm
Room: Melbourne

Learn how to enhance your use of ESU Loksound decoders using a LokProgrammer. We will cover the latest features and

software enhancements that add more realism to your locomotive's operation. Learn how to upgrade sounds, create lighting effect logic and more.

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3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Other Computer Modeling

DIY WiFi Steam ProtoThrottle

Neil Erickson

Saturday, 8/10/2024 2:00pm
Room: Naples

This clinic will discuss the design, construction, software, and control using a steam throttle that nearly anyone can 3d

print (or buy) and assemble. This is completely open source, and many have already added considerable improvements that make this even better than originally imagined. A steam engine is not simple to operate and requires an understanding of the interplay between the throttle, Johnson Bar, and train braking. Indeed, much more is needed to run a real steam loco, such as fuel, water, boiler pressure, train brake pressure, independent brakes, etc. that could require years of training to understand. The DIY WiFi Steam Throttle provides a platform to learn these relationships with simplicity, or as difficult, as desired. A realistic steam throttle is incredibly fun and challenging to operate on our, always too small, model railways. In addition, a preview of the next iteration will be presented that added even greater improvements and a greater user experience.

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Introduction to 3D Printing

Ray Persing

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30am
Room: Melbourne

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00am
Room: Melbourne

This clinic is specifically designed for people who do not know anything about 3D printing

but are interested in the technology and learning about this extremely useful modeling tool. This clinic covers basic questions of Why 3D printing; What types of printers are available and what they can do; Where you can purchase a printers and files; When is 3D printing appropriate; and how do I go about doing this? This is designed as an introduction to 3D printing, with specific application to structures, rolling stock, and details.

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Laser Engraving Structures

Greg Johnson

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 9:30am
Room: Tokyo

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Melbourne

This clinic will focus on using a laser engraver to create structures out of MDF, acrylic, styrene, and other materials, based

on the clinicians construction of nearly a hundred buildings for his N scale industrial-themed layout. My structures range in size from 2-3" to nearly 20" in length. Techniques such as printing all the windows on one sheet of paper to designing structures for ease of assembly will be discussed. Greg will be demonstrating the laser engraving process from design in a vector program to the printing process. There will also be a short demonstration of the CAD process (if the internet is working). There will be numerous buildings constructed in this way for attendees view. The clinic will also be open for interaction between other laser engraver users.

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Using Smartphones and Focus Stacking for Model RR Photographye

Ed Merrin

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30am
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 2:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Photos of model railroad subjects are often challenging because of depth of field problems and difficulty obtaining a realistic

perspective. The clinician has developed techniques using smartphones and specialized computer software to create images of model subjects that come close to the look we obtain when photographing real trains when standing on the ground near them. Besides the usual techniques of lighting and composition, this approach requires taking multiple shots of the subject, each one focused on a different point in the scene. After transferring these images to a computer, the images are aligned and blended together so that only the in-focus areas of each are included. The clinic will demonstrate the principles of this method and the tools needed, both in the smartphone itself and the specialized photo editing software needed to complete the process. There will also be an extended discussion on how to deal with commonly occurring artifacts as well as dealing with background and sky problems. There are various equipment and software options, and the clinician will provide reviews of their pros and cons. The clinic will feature several examples and a walk through of producing a sample image.

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Achievement Programs & Standards Settings

Achievement Program Q&A

Ray Persing

Monday, 8/5/2024 9:30am
Room: Tokyo

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 11:00am
Room: Melbourne

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Vancouver

Most are familiar with the AP, but not all participate. New National AP Chair

Ray Persing will lay out his goals for the program and answer your questions, but mostly listen to what you think are the strengths of the program and your suggestions for improvements.

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If You See Something, Say Something

Don Winn, MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 2:00pm
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00am
Room: Shanghai

Well over 90% of the articles published in our hobby magazines are written by volunteers; regular modelers just like yourself.

The NMRA is a volunteer organization and can use everyone’s help. In this clinic we’ll demystify the points system for the Author AP certificate and provide dozens of tips and examples to help you share your experiences. By the end of the clinic, you should be inspired and energized to write an article or present a clinic to help our hobby grow.

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Judging Contest Models

Bill Brown MMR and Jim Zinser MMR

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 12:00pm
Room: Barcelona

Bill and Jim will take participants through a detailed discussion of the NMRA Contest and Achievement Program evaluation

procedures. Anyone who evaluates models at any level, National, Regional, Division, or just for Merit Scoring can benefit from this workshop.

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NMRA standards, Recommended Practices, and Gauges

Brian Barnt

Sunday, 8/4/2024 2:30pm
Room: Vancouver

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 3:30pm
Room: Naples

Review of the NMRA Standards S-3, S-4, and RP-25, and how/why the Track/Wheel Relationship works.

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Scratching my way to a Cars AP Certificate

Don Winn, MMR

Monday, 8/5/2024 11:00am
Room: Shanghai

Thursday, 8/8/2024 3:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Has the very thought of scratchbuilding cars derailed you from moving forward towards becoming a Master Model

Railroader? There are some in our hobby who are superb model builders, and then there are the rest of us. Come along as Don shares his experiences on what worked (and didn’t work) for me. He’ll provide you with a specific roadmap that will allow you to gradually build up both your skill and confidence. You can do this!

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Other Areas of Interest

Effective Promotions and Communications for Your Organization

Michael Frezell

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 9:30pm
Room: Vancouver

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Naples

Communicating your model railroad club, society, group, or event to the public can be a challenge in today's fast-paced world.

You will learn about various public relations tools and techniques to help boost event attendance and potentially grow your organization's membership. We will examine branding, writing news releases, the power of social media, creating effective flyers, improving public interactions, handling media interviews, complying with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and much more.
Skills learned: Public relations, communications, marketing, and writing.

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NMRA Vision 2030! Looking Together Down the Tracks Ahead

John Doehring

Sunday, 8/4/2024 2:30pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:30pm
Room: Odessa

As we prepare to celebrate the NMRA’s 90th anniversary 2025, NMRA leaders are also looking farther ahead,

and (along with the membership) are creating an exciting new vision for the NMRA of tomorrow. With input from many - national, regional, division, and individual – we are together assessing what we have now, defining what we aspire most to be, and charting a course and plan forward to get there. And while parts of this vision are increasingly coming into focus, our ultimate destination remains a work in progress. – Now, we want to hear from you! Please join this engaging and energizing session focused on Vision2030! project – and add your ideas, insights, and inspiration into the work of designing the future of the NMRA!

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Revolutionizing Model Railroading with AI: Discover How ChatGPT Can Transform Your Hobby

Pat Fleming

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 8:00am
Room: Shanghai

Friday, 8/9/2024 8:00pm
Room: Tokyo

This presentation showcases, through a series of examples, the transformative potential ChatGPT holds for model railroading enthusiasts. We will explore

the ways in which ChatGPT can become an essential companion for hobbyists by providing tailored advice, innovative suggestions for design, and a deeper understanding of railroading's history and technical details. By tapping into ChatGPT's capabilities, hobbyists can not only enhance their planning and design workflows but also deepen their knowledge and appreciation for this intricate hobby. Join us as we learn how artificial intelligence can enrich the art and science of model railroading, making it more approachable, enlightening, and enjoyable for all who partake

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The 2024 NMRA Members Survey – Feedback from the Front Lines

John Doehring

Sunday, 8/4/2024 1:00pm
Room: Tokyo

Thursday, 8/8/2024 8:00pm
Room: Odessa

As a part of our larger assessment of the Association today - and as a baseline for designing our future tomorrow - the

NMRA launched this Spring a 2024 Members Survey, asking for feedback and input from members around the globe. More than 3300 NMRA members have responded to date, and we are excited to share what we have heard from participants. In this lively and engaging session, we will review these survey results, and our interpretations so far – and ask for live audience reactions and additional feedback in real time! Please join us, and make sure your voice is heard in our assessment of membership today!

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Women in Model Railroading

Michelle Kempema

Thursday, 8/8/2024 11:00am
Room: Vancouver

Learn about the Women in Model Railroading NMRA Special Interest Group. Our focus is to provide a space for women

to share their modeling work, ideas, modeling adventures, and to create friendships. We promote women in the hobby.

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Plus One Club Clinics & Activities ( Non-Rail)

Plus One Club Welcome Breakfast

Monday, 8/5/2024 8:00am - 11:00am
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: None

Come join us for a yummy continental breakfast and hear from Michelle Kempema, head of the Women in Model Railroading Special Interest Group (SIG), as well as a presentation from Project Linus Chairman, Kathy Stoner.

BINGO! (For Ladies Only)

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 8:00am - 11:00am
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: First card is $10.00, (additional cards are $5.00)

Come join us for a fun morning of the traditional number matching game. Win prizes that range from that the absurd to the classy in a surprise second game!

Create a 20s Cabbage Rose

Tuesday, 8/6/2024 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: $5.00 per kit.

Join us as we create a cabbage rose from satin using a pattern printed in 1925. We will fold and use simple hand sewing to create this luscious flower. Flower is suitable to trim a hat, make into a corsage or garnish a dress.

No-Sew Ornaments

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: $5.00 per kit. (Kits available for purchase for sale)

There are few things that symbolize coziness and warmth of quilted items. Learn how to make quick, easy quilt-look ornaments.

Diamond Art

Thursday, 8/8/2024 9:00am - 11:00am
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: None

This clinic will teach you how to do Diamond Art, it is easy to do and all items needed to complete the canvas are included.

You will have a variety of pictures to choose from from cats, dogs, flowers and more. The finished item will be approximately 6 inches square.
Diamond painting is a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers. You use an applicator to apply hundreds of sparkling resin rhinestones, one-by-one, on an adhesive color-coded canvas painting, The end result is a vivid, shimmering picture.

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Paper Beads

Thursday, 8/8/2024 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Room: Palos Verde
Cost: $5.00

Learn to create a variety of beads from simple paper. We will use a variety of papers to create a necklace or bracelet to create your design

Lego Craft

Friday, 8/9/2024 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Room: Palos Verde

When you hear the word Lego, do you think nubby little blocks that form nubby little buildings? Well, not in this clinic! You will get to build your own little piece of Lego magic and see some of the amazing and enchanted pieces of art that can be made with nubby little blocks.

Centerpiece Workshop

specifics TBD
Room: Marina

Please join us at this luncheon to close our week of fun and fellowship. Say good bye to old olde and new friends we’ve made this week

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Project Linus

Monday thru Friday
Room: Marina

Founded in 1995, Project Linus has over 300 chapters nationally with more than 9,500,000

blankets donated to children.

The mission of Project Linus is “to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteers’.”

SurfLiner2024 National Convention Project Linus participants will work on quilt(s) to be donated to the Orange County Chapter of Project Linus.

Please join us in the Marina Room all week to contribute to this worthy project!

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Plus One Luncheon

Friday, 8/9/2024 11:am - 1:00pm
Room: Navy Proof Private Dining Room
Cost: $25

Please join us at this luncheon to close our week of fun and fellowship. Say good bye to old and new friends we’ve made this week. The luncheon will be held in the private room of the Navy Proof restaurant in the hotel. Register for the luncheon using your Registration account and choose your meal selection.