Re: Cocoa Beach 2010
Aley, Jeff A
Prototype Rails 2010 was a great place to enjoy frozen orange juice - straight from the tree!
Weather aside, I think PR'2010 went pretty well. There were a few hiccups, most notably that the Horizons room was bitterly cold. That's because the space heaters kept tripping the circuit breaker, so we had to unplug them. We also learned that we should reduce the size of the clinic schedule so that it can be printed on a 3x5" card. (Just kidding; next year they'll be printed with a larger font so that they are more legible).
I managed to attend a few clinics, and here are my comments, in chronological order:
Mike Brock: Scratchbuilding a Steel Water Tank with Archer Rivets. Mike showed how Archer rivets are now the "way to go" when it comes to adding rivet details. He also gave some good tips on working with them (e.g. don't apply them over a black surface - you won't be able to see them!).
Bill Darnaby: Easy Scenery Techniques. Bill makes everything look so easy. He also emphasized state-of-the-art techniques like photo backdrops, and the use of the Noch GrasMaster for grasses. I will definitely put these techniques to use - first on somebody else's layout! (Watch out, Denny!!)
Mark Amfahr: An Analysis of Steam Era Operations (UP WY 1941). This was a fascinating look at how the Union Pacific ACTUALLY moved trains in 1941. The way they dealt with motive power, the way they (didn't) block the trains, and the types of reefer icing service were all very interesting to me and will have a direct effect on how my friends and I operate our layouts.
Jared Harper: Modeling Small Midwestern Grain Elevators. Jared showed a lot of photos of elevators, highlighting just how unique they are. He then showed how he modeled two of the elevators on his AT&SF Alma Branch.
Jon Cagle: Working with Resin Kits and Parts. I didn't actually get to attend this one, but I wanted to point out that this was the first time we used a video camera to show a closeup of the modeling techniques and broadcast it onto the "big screen" so that folks in the back could see what was going on. I think the technology was a big success (and I heard that the clinic was a big success, too).
Doug Harding: Livestock Shipping Facilities in the Corn Belt. This was an updated version of Doug's clinic, and contains a lot of great info for those of us who are modeling the midwest.
Mark Vaughan: Agricultural Processing and RR Traffic. Mark showed how corn, wheat, and soybeans are processed, and the associated railroad traffic for each one. I learned that the Forbes Brothers Mill in Topeka must have been a corn "dry mill" and would have received an occasional tank car of sulfuric acid (about 3% of the inbound; the other 97% is corn), and shipped about 3% as corn oil (the rest being corn of various grinds.)
Tony Koester: TT&TO Operation and Realistic Waybills. Tony gave a good overview of TT&TO. Most interesting was his description of the jobs on his model RR. The last third of the presentation was on a more prototypical type of waybill that he and Ted Pamprin developed.
Tony Thompson: Improved Prototype Waybill Operation. Tony Thompson continued the waybill theme and described how he developed his condensed version of a prototype waybill. He also showed how he generates traffic (i.e. how he knows how many waybills he needs) for his layout.
Mark Amfahr: C&NW Dispatcher's Office in Iowa, 1980. Mark's presentation was mostly about the work environment and the job of dispatching. He showed a lot of photos of the DS's offices and showed the REAL work these men did every day. It's not the sanitized stuff I've seen on model railroads. He even had audio recordings of Dispatchers dictating orders - it was rapid-fire work!
Mike Rose: Grainzilla - the Planning, Building, and Completion of a Large Industry. Mike built an incredible grain elevator complex, and he showed us how he did it. It was a combination of kitbashing and scratchbuilding, and the results are awesome!
Discussion: Shake-n-Take Show-n-Tell. Several of us sat around and compared notes on how we built the 2009 Shake-n-take model (a UP S-40-10 stock car).
Regards,
-Jeff
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of Mike Brock
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:00 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Re: Cocoa Beach 2010
Tony Thompson writes:
Actually, I don't know why people are complaining...although I will admit that wearing 3 shirts and my "Wyoming Coat" in the unheated areas was a bit annoying....couldn't figure out which of the 12 pockets I had stuff in. Anyway, I told Jeff Aley that since he was having to work 6 simultaneous clinics this yr [ increase his salary? Why? ] and because...no, better term is...since...his wife Connie was with him I supplied them witrh an ocean view room. I further noted...preimarily to watch the Tsunami when it rushes in. I now see that a large earthquake [ 7.5 ] has struck Haiti and a Tsunami warning for the Carribean has been issued. Presumably the ice flow off our coast and associated ice burgs will reduce the effects up here but the timing is a bit unrerving.
Mike Brock
Weather aside, I think PR'2010 went pretty well. There were a few hiccups, most notably that the Horizons room was bitterly cold. That's because the space heaters kept tripping the circuit breaker, so we had to unplug them. We also learned that we should reduce the size of the clinic schedule so that it can be printed on a 3x5" card. (Just kidding; next year they'll be printed with a larger font so that they are more legible).
I managed to attend a few clinics, and here are my comments, in chronological order:
Mike Brock: Scratchbuilding a Steel Water Tank with Archer Rivets. Mike showed how Archer rivets are now the "way to go" when it comes to adding rivet details. He also gave some good tips on working with them (e.g. don't apply them over a black surface - you won't be able to see them!).
Bill Darnaby: Easy Scenery Techniques. Bill makes everything look so easy. He also emphasized state-of-the-art techniques like photo backdrops, and the use of the Noch GrasMaster for grasses. I will definitely put these techniques to use - first on somebody else's layout! (Watch out, Denny!!)
Mark Amfahr: An Analysis of Steam Era Operations (UP WY 1941). This was a fascinating look at how the Union Pacific ACTUALLY moved trains in 1941. The way they dealt with motive power, the way they (didn't) block the trains, and the types of reefer icing service were all very interesting to me and will have a direct effect on how my friends and I operate our layouts.
Jared Harper: Modeling Small Midwestern Grain Elevators. Jared showed a lot of photos of elevators, highlighting just how unique they are. He then showed how he modeled two of the elevators on his AT&SF Alma Branch.
Jon Cagle: Working with Resin Kits and Parts. I didn't actually get to attend this one, but I wanted to point out that this was the first time we used a video camera to show a closeup of the modeling techniques and broadcast it onto the "big screen" so that folks in the back could see what was going on. I think the technology was a big success (and I heard that the clinic was a big success, too).
Doug Harding: Livestock Shipping Facilities in the Corn Belt. This was an updated version of Doug's clinic, and contains a lot of great info for those of us who are modeling the midwest.
Mark Vaughan: Agricultural Processing and RR Traffic. Mark showed how corn, wheat, and soybeans are processed, and the associated railroad traffic for each one. I learned that the Forbes Brothers Mill in Topeka must have been a corn "dry mill" and would have received an occasional tank car of sulfuric acid (about 3% of the inbound; the other 97% is corn), and shipped about 3% as corn oil (the rest being corn of various grinds.)
Tony Koester: TT&TO Operation and Realistic Waybills. Tony gave a good overview of TT&TO. Most interesting was his description of the jobs on his model RR. The last third of the presentation was on a more prototypical type of waybill that he and Ted Pamprin developed.
Tony Thompson: Improved Prototype Waybill Operation. Tony Thompson continued the waybill theme and described how he developed his condensed version of a prototype waybill. He also showed how he generates traffic (i.e. how he knows how many waybills he needs) for his layout.
Mark Amfahr: C&NW Dispatcher's Office in Iowa, 1980. Mark's presentation was mostly about the work environment and the job of dispatching. He showed a lot of photos of the DS's offices and showed the REAL work these men did every day. It's not the sanitized stuff I've seen on model railroads. He even had audio recordings of Dispatchers dictating orders - it was rapid-fire work!
Mike Rose: Grainzilla - the Planning, Building, and Completion of a Large Industry. Mike built an incredible grain elevator complex, and he showed us how he did it. It was a combination of kitbashing and scratchbuilding, and the results are awesome!
Discussion: Shake-n-Take Show-n-Tell. Several of us sat around and compared notes on how we built the 2009 Shake-n-take model (a UP S-40-10 stock car).
Regards,
-Jeff
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of Mike Brock
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:00 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Re: Cocoa Beach 2010
Tony Thompson writes:
I note from the Weather Service that it'll be 75 degrees thisI have reviewed my contract with the Weather Bureau and find that they asked for my place of birth. It turns out that they use that place to direct the weather to. And, as it turns out, I am...prepare for this...an Okie from Muskogee [ Oklahoma]...so we got their normal weather for this time of yr. I have no idea where ours went...perhaps to Sydney, Aus.
weekend in Cocoa. Did you book the weather for the wrong weekend, Mike?
Actually, I don't know why people are complaining...although I will admit that wearing 3 shirts and my "Wyoming Coat" in the unheated areas was a bit annoying....couldn't figure out which of the 12 pockets I had stuff in. Anyway, I told Jeff Aley that since he was having to work 6 simultaneous clinics this yr [ increase his salary? Why? ] and because...no, better term is...since...his wife Connie was with him I supplied them witrh an ocean view room. I further noted...preimarily to watch the Tsunami when it rushes in. I now see that a large earthquake [ 7.5 ] has struck Haiti and a Tsunami warning for the Carribean has been issued. Presumably the ice flow off our coast and associated ice burgs will reduce the effects up here but the timing is a bit unrerving.
Mike Brock