Potomac Division Minicon

March 24, 2007 at St Matthew's United Methodist Church

8617 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003

It was cool and rainy but that meant we had no competition from other out door events. In other words, we had a good day for model railroading. At least the 72 members of the Potomac Division who came out thought so.

Click on thumbs below for larger pictures.

While registration was going on
 exhibits were being set up and the judges were getting ready.


 
We had our normal Achievement Program judging along with a popular vote contest.

John Griffith’s EBT Combine #14
John Griffith’s EBT Caboose #27
Matthew Reddell’s UP SD 60M
Carl Gardner’s Swimming Hole at Old Rock
 

Martin Brechbiel’s Clugstons Store


  

Looking into the first floor of Martin's Store

 Bill Day's warehouse
 
Favorite train and other displays

Greg Kujawa’s Texaco Gas Station

 
 

Charles Day’s T.W. Snow Coaling Tower


  
Martin Brechbiel brought MU cars made by John Armstrong. The binder that was on display contained the records and the extreme documentation that he made of every possible component and assembly of these cars starting ~1954 through 1964-5; all hand drawn mechanical drawings to scale. Martin bought the cars at the auction of John's estate and will be restoring and finishing all as time & budget permits. He has to replace the very heavy bronze trucks with modern drives and get them painted.


 


Doug Kirkpatrick’s N&W Passenger Car

Martin Brechbiel’s H&BT Coal Train
 
Both the Potomac Module Crew and Northern Virginia NVNTRAK turned out in force. Both set up extensive modular layouts. NVNTRAK’s TTRAK Division set up T-TRAK modules on folding tables to create a layout for the participants enjoyment. PMC set up a conventional layout of modules. During breaks both groups also conducted mini clinics and helped our new members run trains.
       
Clint Hyde ran an extensive white elephant table. Bill Day brought his display and discussed animation with the members. Using his coaling towers and industrial buildings he explained “how he did that.” He had a steady flow of folks at his table all afternoon.  
   
At noon we held the annual business meeting. Clint Hyde, MER President, presented Doug Kirkpatrick his Master Model Rroader #384 plaque and certificate. John Griffith presided at the business meeting in his last official act as Sr. Assistant Superintendent. John remains editor of the Potomac Flyer. After the usual reports we elected the new Board of Directors for the next year. The following were elected John Drye, Bill Day, Marshall Abrams, Mark Andersen, and Bill Demas.
 


 

Clinics ranged the gamut with something for everyone. Clinicians were local Potomac Division members.
 
Model Railroad Protography -  Paul Dolkos
Paul shared a clinic on the many railroads he has had the pleasure of photographing over the years.

In this clinic he presented a selection of photos of many of the layouts and talked about what the builders wanted to accomplish and other stories about the modeler. He also provided tips on photography to all who asked.
  Background Building Using Your Computer & the Internet - Marshall Abrams
Marshall covered commercial backdrops, backdrop painting ideas especially clouds, getting  and using pictures from the internet, manipulating pictures, sharpness, resolution & printing, how to touch-up pictures, and perspective. We saw how to mock up the scene, paste buildings to backdrop, and use standoff spacers for 3d appearance. Two worked examples were presented: ­a downtown urban scene and a light industry. Reference material included lots of pointers to web resources, a list of top free or shareware photo editors, and a book list. A briefing handout was provided.
Ceiling Tile Rocks -  Mark Andresen

Mark combined a Power Point presentation on geologic forms and trap rock, a moment of discovery with examples of strata he had constructed. Mark answered such questions as:  Why are ceiling tiles used? When should they be used? How are the tiles to be used? How do I get started? Thoughts, tips, and ideas along the way. . An hour presentation discussing creating rock formations using ceiling tiles and the medium for construction. A handout was available.

 Getting your MRR Authors Achievement - Martin Brechbiel
So, you're contemplating working towards getting your Author Certificate in the NMRA Achievement Program with the end result going straight to quaking in fear with memories of those endless termthat is also a creative experience that encompasses giving clinics, videotape, web pages, or the traditional article format at a variety of levels.Mark went through all of the requirements & rules, discuss the "nuts & bolts" of how to do it, as well as his experiences with personal hints and tips for being a successful Model Railroad Author.
Building in Wood: flatcar, small freight station,
or milk station (Hands-on) - Martin Brechbiel
 
 Building in Wood (Hands-on clinic) was a "builder's choice" of 3 kits: a flatcar, a small freight station, or a milk station @ a cost of just $15.  

Making Pine Trees of the Southeast - Michael Hart
Constructing Pine trees of the south eastern U.S., using stick, clay and caulk techniques together w/ tree root branches, build a model from scratch fallowing four easy steps to create a very realistic looking tree.  My attendees thought these were the most realistic model trees they had ever seen!

Creating Brass Stencils for Your Logo - Gil Fuchs

When decals just won't do the job, you can't find them, or you can't get your hands on an Alps printer  - create and paint your own logo on your preferred rolling stock using this technique, which is borrowed from the world of PCB production. The process is not very complicated, using your preferred graphic editing program (Corel Draw examples will be shown), and materials available at your local Radio Shack store and on-line. The result is a durable brass stencil that can be used over and over with your airbrush to paint logos on a large number of cars, engines and/or buildings. As an added bonus, the printed logo can be made to have the fuzzy look of sprayed-on lettering, as in the prototype.                             View Clinic

JAlbum 6.5