7:30pm at Highland Baptist Activity Center, 34th and Quaker. Patrick Pritchett will present "The Allure of the Train".
at http://home.earthlink.net/~jackseay . My email is jackseay@sbcglobal.net mailto:jackseay@usa.net, . If you want to write a newsletter article, give it to me at the meeting, email it to me, or call me.
Some suggested topics you might write about, volunteer a clinic on, or give a program for a meeting: grades (water-level track, helper engines, splitting trains, friction, power needs, planning, and helixes); trees (types, materials, and making); rockwork, rubble, and embankments; ballast (size, color, gluing); locomotives; freight and passenger cars; jargon; hand-laid track and turnouts; trestles and bridges; wiring a loop; and building structures.
The downtown library has a couple of computers now for Internet use. Check out www.railserve.com for hundreds of things to see and read about trains. They also have some good books, as does our clubs' library.
$12 individual, $18 family, for a whole year.
January 3, 4. Thanks to everyone who helped.
Henry Crawford has let me know that the date given at the last meeting was incorrect. The actual date of the RR Club event at the TTU Museum is Feb. 21, a Saturday. Note also that we may set up Friday afternoon and take down Sunday afternoon. Also members should plan on having demos, clinics, etc., just as any open house. Questions may be directed to Henry at mxhbc@ttacs1.ttu.edu .
Jan. 15, Thur. 7:00pm at Patrick Pritchett's house, 4702 - 16th St. Slides of Switchers will be shown.
Friday, January 23rd. Contact Bob Batson for details and to help.
Jan 20, 7:30 at Patrick Pritchett's house, 4702 - 16th St.
Super Trains - Kaos Entertainment. The best video I have ever seen about trains. This is the one to show to your friends who think trains are boring. I did and they don't think so anymore. The first half shows the monster steam locomotives and the high-tech modern super-diesel freight locos. The last half is about the French and German super-speed passenger trains that are replacing airplane travel throughout much of Europe.
The Perfect Machine, by Ronald Florence. 1994. This is about the design and construction of the giant 200" Hale telescope at the Palomar Observatory. If you thought people scratch-building Z-scale locomotives were meticulous, wait till you read about the eleven year grinding and polishing process of this mirror. Every point on the face was polished to within two millionths of an inch accuracy. The last stage of polishing involved removing the huge mirror, taking a few swipes at several spots with a thumb and a little jewelers rouge, remounting the mirror, and waiting until night to test it. The next day, the whole process was repeated. This went on for months. The rails on which the huge dome rotated were polished until there was zero measurable error, and inspected with microscopes.
I put this book in the same class as Soul of a New Machine, by Tracy Kidder. The Hale Telescope has to be classed among the top man-made wonders of the world.
Milton Friedman made an interesting contrast between democracy and the marketplace. In a democracy, 51% rules. If you are in the minority voting bloc, you don't get your way. You have to follow the rules made by the majority. In contrast, in the marketplace, everyone chooses for themselves.
If you want to model in a scale or historical period different from what most people are modeling, you can do it. You aren't required to conform to the majorities' vote. There are no perfect scales to always use. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. None is right for everyone, or for every occasion. That's why there is no best scale. One size doesn't fit all. Same goes for cars, computers, houses, pets, clothes, etc.
Here are some characteristics of various scales:
HO (1:87). Pluses -- cheap rolling stock, sturdy enough for some kids to play with, easy to see what you are doing, easy coupling and uncoupling, huge variety of everything, digital control and onboard sound available. Minuses -- takes more space than similar type layout using a smaller scale.
N (1:160). Pluses -- great for a complex operational layout in a typical garage size space, big variety of everything, small enough for almost any apartment, digital control available. Minuses -- too small for some people's taste and for many children, locos and cars usually more expensive than HO.
Z (1:220). Pluses -- it's cute (76% the size of N, but looks half the size since it's smaller in all three dimensions), very small layouts possible or big layouts with expansive scenery, popular with collectors, good if you enjoy a challenge. Minuses -- No good quality ready made turnouts available (you will have to scratch-build them, Marklin's are expensive and worthless), limited variety, locos more expensive than in other scales (other freight cars about the same price as Micro-trains N-scale), too small for digital (so far).
G (1:24-1:28), O (1:48), S (1:64). Pluses -- sturdy enough for smaller children, good sizes for garden layout (especially G). Minus -- takes more space, although this could be an advantage if you want a big layout.
Narrow Gauge. HOn3, HOn2 1/2, Nn3, Sn3. The "n" stands for "narrow", and the number is the width of track in feet. This is for experienced modelers who want a challenge, like to scratch-build, and love mountain scenery. Although Narrow Gauge is currently a small segment of the modeling community, don't let that stop you if it appeals to you.
Almost all scales. Minus -- the need to change couplers.
Don't think you have to lock yourself into one scale. Any scale can offer challenges, especially if you scratch-build. Here are some of my experiences in various scales:
I put together an Athearn HO reefer car. It was astonishingly cheap, quite detailed and well painted. I've had one operating session in a one-car garage layout (Bob Anconetani's). The cars were very easy to work with. I understand now why this is the most popular scale.
I built a 2 1/2 feet square N scale layout. Since I love scenery, especially hills, mountains, lakes, and lots of trees, the smaller scales appeal to me. I've had two operating sessions on Bob Batson's N scale empire. Handling the cars is more of a challenge than HO, but not intolerable, especially if you have the attitude that it is not easy to uncouple the big trains either.
I'm currently working with Z, and since space is a consideration, its size is an advantage. I actually enjoy fine detail work, and plan on attempting some hand-laid track and scratch-built turnouts in Z. This is something you have to be crazy to contemplate, so I qualify. Z scale track-work must be precise and kept clean to operate properly. I've ordered a dial caliper accurate to .001", crude by Palomar standards.
Ever since seeing Dave Lambert's narrow-gauge layout, I've been infected with that bug, so I expect to slowly get into Nn3, which operates on Z scale track, with N scale structures. I love mountains, wood trestles, and the sometimes bizarre looking, but always cute, narrow gauge locos. If making a Z scale turnout proves to be too hard, I'll probably move up to N scale and/or HOn3, 2 1/2.
Jan.
3, 4 - Science Spectrum take-down
5 - Meeting 7:30pm
15 - Slide SIG 7:00
20 - Executive Committee 7:30
23 - Carillon setup
Feb.
21 - Railroad Day - TTU Museum
Mar.
16-20 - Godeke library setup