The RailLink Mississippi Valley Associated Railroaders – M.V.A.R.

Carleton Place, Ontario Canada Our 23rd Year 1987 - 2010 October 2010

Check out the M.V.A.R. web site for the latest club updates: www.mvar.almontecentral.ca and www.facebook.com mvar

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The Presidents Message for October 2010 David Biggs

The season started off to a great start with a dinner at the church. We had an excellent turnout that evening along with a very informative presentation on HO modeling by the HO-Trak group. Three of the HO-Trak members setup 4 of their modules so that all of us could get a hands-on feel to running some trains on a partial modular run. I was really inspired by these as I hope many of you were. I’m sure it will lend itself greatly in our endeavours to start a couple of MVAR modules.

Speaking of modules, a couple of friends of mine came as guests to the dinner to see some modules up close. This inspired them as the way to go for their particular layout in their modest sized train room. In the following week I assisted them in choosing materials (frugally where it was possible) and we put together 5, 2 X 4 modules. There are 3 more modules to build but seeing the 5 all done with temporarily laid track was a thrill to a new model railroader. They were excited to finally have something to start working on! The Carp Fair train layout was a great success as it has been over the years with so many visitors. What really caught my attention and is encouraging was overhearing teenagers and children remarking “Hey! That’s the same size as we have, eh Mom!!” Maybe these will be the future model railroaders in the days and years to come and future members of ours and any of the other clubs in our area. Its Thanksgiving weekend and as much as I’m looking forward to some turkey, my mind is looking ahead to next weekend and the Algonquin College train show. This year I will be bringing my youngest daughter, Kirsten, as she seems to have been bitten by the railroad modeling bug. I think I have a bunch of Bob’s from the T-Trak sub to blame for that!! It’s all good though, and fun to have her working away at times in the train room here at home. I have to say that many have been very helpful in encouraging Kirsten in the club and it really personifies what a great wealth of talent and help we have within MVAR. Happy Railroading! David

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Public Relations and Program Larry Skinner

Each Saturday morning members, friends, and guests come out to the Gourmet Restaurant for breakfast and railroad social time. This is a great place to get and share ideas for building your railroad. We start arriving about 07:00h and we eat at 08:00h. We socialize until 09:00h. On Wednesday mornings 6 to 8 members come out to Tim Horton’s in Almonte for café and our Railroad Social hour. We start arriving about

09:30h and we meet until about 10:30h.

On Wednesday mornings (9:00 to 12noon) from April to October are the times when a few R.G.S. Train Yard members come over to David McCurdy’s Rio Grande Southern Train Yard to continue to improve the garden railroad layout. Make these times at the layout a regular part of your railroad social life. Get a round tuit and try to get over there soon – there may be still time to clear the leaves of the tracks and run a few more trains before the snow flies in earnest. Call another club member this week and get together for a house visit and see what they are doing with their layout or maybe make some suggestions. ….. Our year has had a good start with all of the end of summer activity followed by a great dinner meeting with the Ottawa HOTRAK folks and their modules. Think logging and get yourself ready to take part in the group train room planning for David Reis this month. And then before you know it, it’ll be time for Santa – Santa and Toy Trains that is in November with Alan Boyd.

Speaking about Trains . . . Is that all you guys ever talk about ???

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Treasurer Ben Sanders

The closing balance as of October 15th is $978.69. This represents a current balance with most if not all members with dues now in good standing. bsanders@ucalgary.ca.

Webmaster Rod Goodwin

To all members who have web pages; You can have your link posted on our website. TO ALL MEMBERS CHECKOUT THE WEB SITE OVER THE SUMMER FOR ACTIVITIES THAT THE MEMBERS WILL BE HOSTING.

RailLink Editor

Larry Skinner Please remember that this is YOUR club and if YOU want to make it exciting and active it is up to YOU to do so. My part is simple – take over a fully developed newsletter model and put your inputs into it. This year promises to be a busy one with many new programs and events already in the works or in the planning stages. Please send your thoughts, pictures and articles to me for RailLink. This is an important way to really make MVAR you railroad club.

WANTED - Model Railroad Articles for the RailLink

MVAR Library David Biggs

We have a Growing Video and Book library that is Not being used as much as it could. The library is taken to every meeting and you can sign out what you want and return it next meeting or our Saturday morning breakfast.

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Ottawa Valley HOTRAK – HO Modules

Our 2010/2011 season got off to a great start with Bob Moore talking to us about Ottawa Valley HOTRAK. Bob brought along two other members of HOTRAK, Boris Polianski, OV HOTRAK’s President and Peter Gray, OV HOTRAK’s Operations & Layout Design.

Arriving at 5:30, the HOTRAK guys brought in four HOTRAK modules and set them up, so that after Bob finished speaking, we could run trains. What an eye opener! Bob, Peter and Boris had the modules up and ran a test train in a little over half an hour. The modules arrived packed in pairs with carrying plates. They were neatly and functionally wired each with trailer plug connectors for the power bus and 6 conductor telco jacks for the DCC signal bus. The operating system and power was supplied by a Digitrax DCC system.

Some of our MVAR members tried their hands at running trains and at least one or two of them got to try DCC for their very first time.

In his presentation, Bob pointed out that OV HOTRAK had learned from many mistakes along their 20 plus year timeline and had thus been able to develop their HOTRAK standard and club processes to what they are today. With our club’s interest piqued and our current HO module venture only just beginning, we stand to benefit enormously from OV HOTRAK’s experience.

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Bob made some interesting points in his presentation:

• Even the smallest HOTRAK modular layout can be completely operational.

• The OV HOTRAK operating system uses car and engine cards and simplifies the running of trains.

• Both freight and passenger operations are possible and interesting.

• Rolling stock owners are clearly identified on the cards.

• Rolling stock is promptly and easily returned to each owner at the conclusion of each operating session.

• Each operating session has its own layout design.

• OV HOTRAK meets as often as every 6 weeks and a layout design committee polls members for what modules will be available and designs the session layout uniquely each time.

• HOTRAK members are not required to build or own modules but are required to demonstrate set up and operating knowledge and skills as an apprenticeship.

With our program plan to build a pair of HO modules over the course of this club season, this wealth of information generously shared by OV HOTRAK is really getting us of to a flying start. Thanks very much – Bob Moore, Boris Polianski, Peter Gray and Ottawa Valley HOTRAK. September’s meeting was a blast – wish us luck . . .

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Attention to Detail: Bob Summers N Scale Layout by John Soehner Here is a layout you should visit this fall before Bob battens down the hatches for the winter! Bob houses the N Scale Layout in his shed which will close once the cold weather arrives. You have to appreciate the detail he has incorporated in his small but mighty Innisville Southern Railroad. The Innisville Southern Railroad When you look a little closer at this scene there are countless scenes within the scene. Take for instance Main Street.

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An amazing amount of detail on the face of the end building with the painters working on the end wall, and the electrician climbing the TV antenna. Check out the activity to the left on the street, the billboards and on the fence in the foreground. Now Bob is also a great kit-basher of vehicles. He has numerous flatbed International and White trucks that he has modified into specialized trucks such as the coal dumpers shown here, complete with operating hoists. More of the kit-bashed trucks. Check out green flatbed with the scrapper automobile on board in the background and the Landscaping vehicles for detail and signage.

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Bob has seemingly thousands of little Bubbsies in various forms of work, all over the layout. Here is a Tie Gang busily unloading ties for some expected maintenance work. Here is a photo taken from above the Roundhouse looking towards the downtown. Some of the detail, the signs on the buildings on the backside of Main Street.

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Moving in closer you can see the fine detail around the Texaco Service Station. Bob hand made his pendants and you can see him on the ladder stretching the wire holding the pendants in place!

Talk about the cast of thousands and a few swans! Here is one of the many scenes from Bob’s T-Trak modules taken at the Smiths Falls Railfest this past August 28th showing the detailing done to a few more of his patented kitbashed trucks!

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And look at the detail of this Majestic Hardware structure! You must get out to Innisville and have a look at this really great little layout before the winter cold weather forces Bob to shut her down ‘til spring. But give yourself several hours to take in all the Detail! John Soehner

Editor’s comment: John has done a yeoman’s job of photography here but nothing can quite duplicate the magic of seeing this N scale modeling in person. Do talk to Bob and arrange a visit to have a look at his Innisville Southern Railroad.

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St. Lawrence Valley Model Train, Toy and Collectible Expo,

Messina, NY.

This one almost got by us, except Bob Carswell sent in these pictures taken by a friend of his at the show. The show, their first since 2007, was put on by the Norwood Model Railroad Club and was held on Saturday and Sunday, 25 – 26 September. Nice modelling . . .

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RR from the Web . . .

The Atlas Modeler

This month’s model railroad feature from the Internet may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And, it appears to have been dormant since last year when only one issue was published. However, for what it’s worth, on the topics covered, there is a wealth of extra information and all at a terrific price – free! Hope you enjoy this one. Here’s the URL:

http://www.atlasrr.com/atlasmodeler.htm

The Atlas Modeler

Issue 001 May 2007 (611kb) 4650 Covered Hoppers

Issue 002 June 2007 (938kb) Evans 52’ Gondolas

Issue 003 August 2007 (1,102kb) C420 Alco Locomotives

Issue 004 Sept-Oct 2007 (2,398kb) Plastics and Grain Hoppers

Issue 005 Nov-Dec 2007 (1,524kb) N Scale GP30 Locomotive

Issue 006 Jan-Mar 2008 (4,974kb) Trainman ACF 50’6” Box Car

Issue 007 Apr-Jun 2008 (1,011kb) 21st Century Signal System In O, Ho And N Scales

Issue 008 2009-1 (4,314kb) Planning for a Layout To Be Built in a Future Home

- Larry Skinner

“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

(Harriet Tubman 1820-1913 – a famous conductor on the Underground Railway. She led more than 300 other slaves to the North and to Canada to their freedom.)

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Along the T-Trak Sub . . .

At our October meeting, David Biggs took us through the mountains – the N-scale mountains that is – as high as mole hills! And Larry was shamed into making progress on his corner module, in the process!

David showed us a board full of colour pictures that he had taken of local rock formations to illustrate that the variety of formations, features and colours seems unending.

He illustrated how foam could be really randomly stuck together and that the arrangements were almost endless. He then demonstrated how various tools and other objects could be used to tear, shape, texture, carve, pull and otherwise turn the surface of the foam into very convincing and realistic rock representations.

After the clinic and a short break, we put all the modules together and ran some trains. The modelling that’s beginning to show up on the modules is really quite impressive.

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Also impressive is the impact the T-Trak Sub has made on MVAR. The T-Trak group has really taken off and from the looks of the attendance at the October meeting, there may well be even more T-Trakers. Thirteen people came out this month and one more, Alan Boyd had intended to come but had to attend another meeting and couldn’t make it.

T-Trak now meets at 6:30 on the second Thursday of

each month at the Carleton Place Arena. Guests are always welcome, so if you were wondering what happens here, come on out to a T-Trak meeting and see for yourself. I think you’ll be in for a fun evening!

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Some of the M.V.A.R. members Railway Patches:

M.V.A.R. David McCurdy Dennis MacTavish Jim Davis

David Biggs Bob Summers John Soehner Eric Halpin

Andrew Shinn John Morin T_TRAK Group W.G.H.

You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here

You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here You’re Logo Here

Check out the M.V.A.R. web site for the latest club updates: www.mvar.almontecentral.ca and www.facebook.com mvar

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Coming Events

Oct 16 & 17 - Ottawa Railfair Saturday 11:00-17:00; Sunday 10:00-16:00 Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus, Nepean Oct 14 - T-Trak Sub meeting night - Making mountains/rock faces – David Biggs Oct 28 – MVAR meeting night: Group train room planning – Larry Skinner Nov 6 & 7 – The Great NY State Model Train Fair 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Adults $9, Seniors $7, Kids $6, under 5 Free Nov 11 – T-Trak Sub meeting night - Operating Session (in lieu of a workshop) – Mark Tilford Nov 25 – MVAR Meeting night: Santa and Toy Trains – Alan Boyd

2010 CPR Holiday Train - Saturday, November 27 - Smiths Falls – 8:15 p.m., Smith Falls Train Station, 63 Victoria St. Sunday, November 28 - Perth – 10:00 a.m., Wilson St. railway crossing, south side December 4 & 5 - Quinte Christmas Model Railroad Show Quinte Secondary School, 45 College St. W, Belleville, On, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 4pm

MVAR Executives for The 2009-2010 Year. President: David Biggs 613.863.7627 Secretary/Archivist Ron Legge 613.257.5110 Treasurer: Ben Sanders 613.253.6064 Membership: David McCurdy 613.253.5519 Program & PR Larry Skinner 613.264.0081 Library: David Biggs 613.863.7627 Newsletter: Larry Skinner 613.264.0081 Webmaster: Rod Goodwin 613.256.0551 Web Site: www.mvar.almontecentral.ca

Our 2010/2011 MVAR Season has officially opened! Let’s run those trains . . .