Virtual Clinic Videos
● Railroad Infrastructure by Andrew Dodge, MMR
- Virtual Clinic 1, July 19, 2020
●
NMRA
Master Builder - Cars AP Certificate by Ernie Little, MMR
- Virtual Clinic 2, August 16, 2020
● Potomac Flyer/ NMRA Author AP by
Alex Belida -
Virtual Clinic 3 - September 20,
2020
●
Tips
For Researching and Building Prototype Structures by Marty
McGuirk - Virtual Clinic 4, October 18, 2020
● Constructing an Elevated
Railway by Brian Sheron- Virtual Clinic 5 - November
15,2020
● Using Styrofoam As A Base for
Scenery by Tim Barr - Virtual Clinic 6 - December 7,
2020
● 3D Printing, How to Use It and
Related Services by Zach Pabis - Virtual
Clinic 7 - December 13, 2020
● Painting Figures Using Citadel
Paints by Alex Polimeni - Virtual Clinic 8 - January 17,
2021
● Track Arrangement and
Operation by John King - Virtual
Clinic 9 - February 21, 2021
● The Art and
Technique of Lighting Buildings and Streets by John Sethian -
Virtual Clinic 10 - March 21,
2021
● Update on The Nickel Plate by Tony Koester -
Virtual Clinic 11 - April 18, 2021
● The
Oregon Coast Railroad and More by Mat Thompson - Virtual
Clinic 12 - May 16, 2021
● Staging is
More Than a Dark Space Under The Layout by Paul Dolkos -
Virtual Clinic 13 - June 20, 2021
● Introductory
Guide to Making Model Railroad Videos by Rod Vance -
Virtual Clinic 14 - July 18, 2021
● Update on the
USMRR Aquia Line by Bernie Kempinski - August 22, 2021
● Going
Beyond Prototype Freight Cars by Jack Burgess - September
19,
2021
^TOP
● Prototype Modeling AP by Alex
Belida, MMR, - December 19, 2021
● Northlandz by Patrick Bentz -
January 16, 2022
● Drake's Well Diorama construction by Alex
Belida, MMR - February 20, 2022
● Building an
Operational Railroad Crossing by Brian Sheron - March 20, 2022
● The Center of the
Chessie's Passenger World by Bryan Kidd - April 24, 2022
● Do It Yourself Keep
Alive and Stay Alive Devices by Gil Fuchs - May 15, 2022
● Prototypical Track
Planning by Bob Sprague - June 19-2022
● Building a
Programming Track and Programming Decoders by Ernie Little,
MMR - July 17, 2022 - No video available, see PDF file in clinic
section above
● Deconstructing a Prototypical Track
Plan - Bob Sprague - August 21, 2022
● Southern Pacific to Yuma
by Lee Stoermer - September 18, 2022
● If I Could Turn Back Time: Modeling
the Ma & Pa in 1924 - Bob Sprague - October 16, 2022
● Installing Headlights in HO Scale
Vehicles - George Gaige - December 4, 2022
● Making Coniferous Trees - Pat
Rivard and Paul Hurly - January 15, 2023
● 43 Years of Tips and Tricks -
Brian Sheron - MMR - February 19, 2023
Scenery — Bill
Carl
This
clinic shows how to do basic scenery on a module using
foamboard insulation. There are almost 200 pictures so this
clinic has been divided into 14 sub-topics: Assumptions,
Foam, Hot Wire Tool, Track, Fill in Cracks, Paint and Grass,
Fascia, Rocks, Touch up Grass, Trees, Backdrop, Bushes,
Ballast, and Small Details.View clinic
BackdropTutorial — J. Mark Chase
In this clinic Mark introduces the
steps he followed from photo processing and manipulation to
backdrop construction, tools, and methods used to go from a
blank wall to a finished backdrop.View
Clinic
Build a Warehouse roll-up door (Fine Scale Animation for
Operation) — Bill Day, MMR
The clinic introduces fine-scale
animation in support of operation. the clinic is about —Easy
Animation—; virtually all of the animation is accomplished with
Tortoise switches and turntable motors using black thread or
music wire. The basis is a Design Preservation Module (301-35)
with a roll-up door and a loading platform.View
Clinic
Constructing Pine Trees of the Southeast — Mike
Hart
Constructing pine trees of the
southeastern U.S., using stick, clay and caulk techniques
together with tree root branches, build a model from scratch
fallowing four easy steps to create a very realistic looking
tree. The photo shows the type of tree modeled. View Clinic
Creating 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, 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
Detailing and Weathering the MER—s CNJ PS-1 Boxcar — Mike McNamara
Changing the appearance of a model
to fit the era that you model. View Clinic
Enhancing Backdrops — Mike
McNamara
Add scenery between foreground trees
and blue sky backdrop.Foam Core board cut to represent hills
covered with ground foam provides a slight 3D aspect. Trees
added in front to blend transition. View Clinic
Electronics
— Bob Clegg
Bob Clegg of the New Jersey Division
has put together an animated PowerPoint clinic that will
introduce you to some basic model railroad specific electronics
without pain. The theme of the clinic is that "You Can Do
Electronics". Bob provides, as a part of the clinic, sources of
electronic components that are more economical than the usual
Radio Shack supplies. View Clinic
Installing Decoders in Steam Engines — Brian
Sheron, MMR
Many models of steam Locomotives are
not available with factory-installed DCC and sound,
particularly older brass or die cast models. Brian shows you
how you can install sound decoders in older steam locomotives
relatively easy. He explains why the motor must be
electrically isolated from the rails, and shows you ways
isolate it. He also shows you how to get good electrical
pickup from the rails for no-stall operation, and how to hook
up and install a sound decoder (with or without a Current
Keeper) and speaker in the tender.
Installing Sound in an Atlas RS-3 — Brian
Sheron, MMR
RS-3
diesels were a large part of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR)
diesel roster around 1964. These engines pose a bit of a
challenge for installing DCC sound because the shell snugly
fits around the motor and flywheels. However, loud, clear
diesel sound can be installed in these engines relatively
easily.
Intermediate Resin Casting — John Griffith
This clinic reviews how to make
molds and then how to make resin castings from those molds. We
will follow the process I used to model the East Broad Top's
combine #14. We will discuss the trials and tribulations to
produce adequate car sides and how to produce a celestatory
roof with see through windows. I demonstrate how simple
one-sided molds are used to produce car sides and a roof.
Layout Ideas From The Opera — John
Pursell
Incorporate
various tricks and techniques that go into stage scenery
into your modeling. (From MER Local.)
Making Dwarf
Signals — Marshall Abrams
Learn how to make a dwarf signal
with a LED (Light Emitting Diode) that's only .1 inch wide.
The LEDs we use are nice because the light from the individual
chips light up a whole circle. This means that in addition to
green and red, they make a quite nice yellow if both the red
and green are turned on. They also come in a green-yellow
version, which can be used on the main line approach track and
two red-green on the main and side tracks. View Clinic
Similar: Semaphore Signals by Jim Atkinson
Signals & Detection — Marshall Abrams
Flashing lights, crossing gates, and
trackside signals all provide visual interest to a model
railroad. They can also inform the operators about track
conditions to guide operations. This clinic describes
installing and use of occupancy detection using current
sensing and optical detectors used to control crossbuck
flashers, crossing gates, and trackside signals and repeaters
for Automatic Block Signaling (ABS). Products and installation
are discussed and available products are surveyed. View Clinic
Similar: Semaphore
Signals by Jim Atkinson
Making Trees from Sedum — Bob
Sprague
With easy to obtain and use
primary materials, Bob shows you how to make some very
realistic trees. The clinic also contains a handy list of
materials for getting started. View
Clinic
Passenger Operations — Doug
Matheson
Doug
discusses passenger operations on the prototype, with lots of
pictures. Much of the article deals with equipment available in
large scale (1:29). Pre-1948, Pullman owned and operated the
vast majority of sleepers (and some others cars too). Post-1948
till about the mid 1960s, sleeping cars were very much in
evidence but were owned by the operating railroad. After the mid
1960s sleeping car services declined to just the few long haul
routes Amtrak and ViaRail run today. Railroads also operated a
very extensive express service and postal services.
Collectively, railroads ran more head end cars than all other
passenger cars put together. Much of the passenger switching is
related to sleepers, express and mail services operating on
specified routes.View Clinic
Railroading Along The Waterfront With Walthers – Some
Prototype Ideas And Future Directions — John
Teichmoeller
This clinic is based on the Wm. K.
Walthers' —Railroading Along the Waterfront— project
rolled-out in 1998. The material included in this program is
designed with several objectives:
- To
discuss the prototypes, as best identified, for the
Walthers products
- To
discuss possible changes to models to enhance fidelity
- To
discuss other prototype variations amenable to kitbashing
with Walthers products
- To
give you additional informational resources View Clinic
Realistic
Finish on Brick and Stone Structures — Kathy
Renninger
Custom
model builder Kathy Renninger demonstrates some of the
techniques she used to obtain realistic finishes on models
which feature brick and stone surfaces. Her techniques were
featured in the August 2004 issue of Model Railroader.
View Clinic
Resin Casting Introduction — John Griffith
This is
an introduction to those who would like to do castings. It
will provide you the information needed to do your own simple
castings. It covers the safety, tools, and materials required.
We will talk about making masters, walk through how to prepare
a mold from a master, and demonstrate how to cast parts. Along
the way it offers tips on what John finds works and what
doesn't. View Clinic
Rocks Made Easy — Working with Rock
Molds & Coloring with Dyes — Bob
Johnson
Learn
techniques for casting rock molds using molding plaster and
assembling the castings into large, homogeneous formations.
Emphasis is placed on blending the individual castings
together and maintaining a realistic bedding plane throughout
the formation. A major focus is on a quick and easy technique
to color the assembled castings using a combination of
washes,dyes, chlorine bleach and dry color powders. View Clinic
Scenic
Express Supertrees — Bill Carl
Longer
and short methods to making Scenic Express Supertrees are
presented. View
Clinic
Similar: Constructing Pine Trees of the Southeast by Mike Hart
As
a modeler, Jim was only interested in a simple, single
blade, three positions, upper quadrant signal. (from MER
Local.) View Clinic
Scratchbuilding Wooden Freight Cars
— Convert Your Flatcar into a Gondola — Martin
Brechbiel, MMR
The
quickest and easiest extension from the basic flatcar. (From MER
Local)
Simple Scratchbuilding Tool — Fred Willis
A simple jig that is
very useful in aligning and measuring parts. It is cheap, easy
to make, and ensures parts are aligned properly. (From MER
Local)
Using a Drill Press as a Milling
Machine — Evert Beekmann
Using EXCEL to Create String
Charts — Bob Reid,MMR
There
is an easy way to display timetable in a visual way in Excel
where the points that represent each train are connected by
straight lines.
View Clinic
View Completed
String Chart
Using Styrene For Backdrops — Mike McNamara
Constructed
the backdrop for the layout using styrene. (From MER
Local.)
Using Structural Steel to Create
Industries and Scenes — Tom
Brodrick
Shows
some of the use of steel after it leaves the mill and before
it becomes a finished building. The emphasis is on
distribution from the mill, basic explanations of shapes and
their designations, the use of these shapes in the building
frame; pictures,descriptions, and ideas about the equipment
used in steel erection.
^Top
Water Effects — Mark
Sisk
Make
water on your layout.
Airbrush for Model Railroading — My
experiences — Clint Hyde
Airbrushes,
Air sources, Paints, Target materials (wood, styrene,
brass/metal), Techniques View
Clinic
^Top
Replacing the External Antenna on
NCE Radio Cabs — Ed Rappe
I
subscribe to the Yahoo NCE DCC users group and several years
ago there was an article about replacing the external
antenna on NCE radio equipped cabs with an internal one
similar to those found on NCE's latest cabs. Over the years
on at least two occasions I've knocked an antenna free from
its soldered on connection to the internal radio circuit
board. Re-soldering the antenna back on to the board was
relatively easy — but I always thought it was a weak design.
Last month I turned and the cab bumped the fascia breaking
the antenna—s solder connection. Rather than repairing the
break, this time I decided to replace the external antenna
with an internal one. I found the old article and ordered
several Splatch antennas from DigiKey — they cost only $2.08
each!. The first cab took about 1.5 hours to upgrade, later
ones perhaps 45 minutes. The internal antennas are a
permanent fix for issues with broken external NCE antennas
and radio performance is great.
For
anyone interested in replacing the external antennas on
their NCE radio cabs I've attached the article. Side note —
among my 4 NCE radio cabs I found two slightly different
version radio printed circuit boards (J and K). The article
references the K board but the same approach applies to the
older J version as well. View Clinic
View Article Link for
ordering Splatch antennas from Digikey
Railroad Worthy Industries —
Mat Thompson, MMR
This
clinic considers workflow of manufacturing and processing
plants to help model industries with the size and bulk that
justifies rail traffic. The results can add realism to a
layout and improve a layout—s operations potential. Examples
include kit-bashed and scratch-build industries. There are
also examples of what parts of an industry are needed and not
needed to suggest its size, examples of industries which
handle many cars with little infrastructure, and how adding
special car handling requirements can increase an industries
traffic load and modeling interest. View
Clinic
B&O Marine Operations on the
Ohio River — John Teichmoeller
This
clinic Presents results of research to date regarding the
B&O's various marine operations between Parkersburg and
Pittsburgh. It Includes discussion of issues involving
modeling "Western Rivers" style steamboats of particular
relevance to modelers with West Virginia or Pennsylvania
coal theme layouts. View Clinic Read "The
B&O Marine Story"
Details can make the Difference —
Adding Details to Your Layout — Brian
Sheron, MMR
The
clinic will focus on the details that exist in real life, and
how modeling them can add realism and bring your layout to
life. View Clinic
Making
a More Prototypical Waybill — Mike
White
This
clinic covers the development, construction, types, and uses
of more prototypical model waybills on your layout.
Information on the few materials needed, and sources of
supply are provided. Extensive references are also made
available. View Clinic Read Waybill
Clinic Notes
Everything You Wanted to Know
About Model Railroad Decals — Bill
Mosteller
Who
makes them, where to find them, who does custom work.
View Clinic
History of the Orange and
Alexandria Railroad — Ronald Beavers
The
presentation covers the period 1847 to 1867 form the beginning
of the O&A RR until it is merged with the Manassas Gap RR
with the focus on how the O&A was used during the Civil
War. View Clinic
Filling in the Model Contest Forms
— Martin Brechbiel, MMR
A
major impediment to entering models into the contest rooms
at both Divisional and Regional levels occurs when the
modeler is confronted with "filling out the forms" or "the
paperwork". That phase or participating in the AP is
apparently attached to countless myths, hysteria, and horror
stories.This clinic presents an overview and discuss how to
fill out the forms for entering your models into the contest
room for optimal success. View Clinic
Electroluminescent
Signs For Your Layout — Brian
Sheron, MMR
This
clinic describes what electroluminescent (EL) signs are and
how they work. It then explains how to connect and install
commercially available signs, and finally shows how custom
signs can be created from EL kits that are commercially
available.View Clinic
Build A Waterfall — Marshall
Abrams
A waterfall adds interest to your
scenery. This clinic describes how to make a waterfall using
clear plastic packaging scrap, EnviroTex Lite epoxy resin,
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, and bristles from a nylon
paintbrush. We discuss how to built up rivulets or cascades to
give texture to the surface of the waterfall. View Clinic
Operating With Single Cycle Waybills — Mike
White
This clinic describes and explains
an operating scheme for use with single-cycle waybills.
Starting with the standard Setout, Hold, Pickup method in use
by many, it expands this system to encompass many different
types of waybill and freight movement conditions. View Clinic
Creating Backdrops Using Pictures — Marshall
Abrams
Use of pictures to produce backdrops
is one of the hottest trends in realistic modeling. This
clinic will cover how picture postcards, card stock models,
photographs and other media can be used to make backdrops.
Marshall will focus on urban scenes. Extensive web links are
included.View Clinic
Detailing Athearn Blue
Box Freight Cars — Nigel
Phillips
Athearn Blue Box freight cars — we
probably all have a few. Have a look underneath though — the
brake gear is back to front! The story goes that the
blueprint was upside down during the tooling for the
under-body. With the trend to higher heights in baseboards,
brake detail (or the lack of) is becoming more obvious and a
modeling "must have" item. This clinic describes how to
correct the position of the brake cylinder, air reservoir
and triple valve, and add air lines, brake levers and wires
using styrene strip and rod and copper or steel wire. The
results meet my "3-foot" standard (if it looks good from
3-feet) and budget (the scrap box supplies nearly
everything). Commercial brake kits with finer detailing (AB
and K) give a much more prototypical look for those who like
to get close-up. They are also a good source of various bits
for a bash-build. Adding coupler trip-pin levers and air
lines at the ends of the cars. View Clinic
Expanding the Long Island Railroad — Brian
Sheron, MMR
In 2015, Brian expanded his Long
Island Railroad. Like most modelers, he was faced with
questions such as "what to model." and "how to design the
expansion." Brian explains how he made these decisions,
which resulted in modeling Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn,
and the Long Island Rail Road's car float yard in Long
Island City. In his clinic, he explains car float
operations, benchwork construction, including simple
construction of curved backdrops, and installing a Faller
Car System. His presentation walks you through the process
with many photos and diagrams. View Clinic
Backdrops — Brian Sheron, MMR
Model train layouts are mainly
constrained by two factors, limited available space, and
accessibility. Both of these factors will inhibit the
viewer's perception of depth when viewing a model
railroading scene, unless we can add backdrops to our
layouts that will impart the feeling of depth. Brian will
describe various techniques that a modeler can use to
achieve the perception of depth on their layout. His clinic
presentation includes many photos that show these
techniques. View Clinic
Keep Alive — Gil Fuchs
Locomotives that stall on a
gap or dirty track can be a source of frustration and a
nuisance during operations. Keep alive devices are
add-ons to the locomotive DCC decoder that can alleviate
this problem. This clinic will cover installation and
usage, as well as construction of a simple DIY Keep
Alive device. View Clinic
Modular Model Railroading — Clarence
Guenther
Modular
model railroading is a practical form of model railroading
for space challenged model railroaders. This clinic explains
what modular model railroading is and discuss its advantages
and disadvantages. We will discuss the differences between
modular and sectional model railroads and present different
modular formats. View Clinic
Weathering — John Paganoni,
MMR
The
purpose of this clinic is to demonstrate the use of
weathering/aging techniques for engines, railroad cars, and
structures. Focus is on subtle weathering using mostly
chalks and chalk-type products such as —Doc O—Brien—s—,
Bragdon Enterprises powders, and colored artist chalks from
craft stores. A PowerPoint presentation, with pictures, will
be used that was produced by Mat Thompson, MMR to highlight
weathering and aging on HO scale models from the late 1940—s
to early 1950—s. Emphasis is on subtle weathering versus
heavy weathering because the prototype railroad (Central
Vermont) I model maintained their equipment in excellent
condition. Models will also be on display for members to
review subsequent to the presentation. A major objective of
this effort is to encourage members to participate in the
NMRA Achievement Program and share their experiences in
building and weathering their models. View Clinic
Similar: Detailing
and Weathering the MER—s CNJ PS-1 Boxcar by Mike McNamara
—
Making a Realistic Logging Car from a
Plastic Flatcar by Raymond A. Long
Working Diaphragms — An Origami
Approach — Nigel Phillips
You
will learn to make working diaphragms from paper (and
optionally from thin styrene sheet and wire) that are
useful for older locos and passenger cars. While the
result will not be "fine-scale" modeling, they will pass
the 3 foot standard (it looks OK from 3 feet) and the cost
of materials is minimal. Participants will design, cut,
and assemble working diaphrams for diesel loco consists
and passenger cars. The example used in the clinic is an
early Pullman passenger car in HO scale, but the technique
is easily adapted to other diaphragm designs and scales.
Skills required: If you can accurately cut, fold, and
assemble (glue) paper, you can make diaphragms.
View Clinic
^Top
Switch List Software — Marshall
Abrams
This
clinic presents a computer program model railroaders can use
to generate freight traffic on their own railroads. Computer
generated switchlists use tables of the cars on the layout,
their type, and potential delivery locations. The system
generates moves of appropriate cars to appropriate
destinations, attempting to avoid repetitious activity. The
clinic describes how to use the RailOp program and also
addresses JMRI Operations. View Clinic
Introduction to Model Railroad Operations — Marshall
Abrams
Model railroad operations simulates
the movement of trains on a railroad. Like any simulation,
some details are emphasized and other details are suppressed
according to the objective of the simulation. There are many
choices to be made in establishing the rules and procedures
for a model railroad operations simulation. This clinic
provides a systematic survey described by Car Forwarding and
Traffic Control Systems. Car Forwarding can be defined as is
the purposeful movement of rail cars from one location to
another. Prototype car forwarding is determined by customer
needs. Model railroads simulate this part of the activity to
varying levels. Two methods are popular for arranging model
railroad freight: Car Card & Waybill, and Switch List.
Prototype Traffic Control is the purposeful movement of trains
from one location to another, as determined by customer needs,
physical constraints, and the desire for profitability. In the
model railroad simulation we typically schedule or sequence
trains. In rough order of increasing complexity, model traffic
control includes: Random — run anything, anytime; Sequential —
trains running in a specific order; and Timetable & Train
Order (TT&TO) — trains run by time (usually using a fast
clock) according to rules patterned after the prototype.
View Clinic
Oahu Sugar Company — Hawaiian Railroads — Nick
Kalis
Modeling in Fn3 the narrow gauge
Oahu Sugar Company as it appeared and operated in 1944 under
wartime conditions. This layout demonstrates how the
techniques of European exhibition layouts can be applied to an
American semi- permanent layout. Two themes will be evident -
sugar cane operations and WWII as it effects the home front.
Benjamin F. Dillingham founded the Oahu Sugar Company (OSC) on
20 acres of land leased from James Campbell in the vicinity of
Waipahu. In 1897 its first locomotive arrives and in 1899 the
first harvest of sugar cane is accomplished. Additional
locomotives follow. The plantation grows to over 12,000 acres
of leased land. By 1939 the railroad reached sixty miles of
three-foot gauge track plus an unspecified amount of portable
track on which 939 plantation cars (860 four- ton cane cars,
fifty flat cars, and 29 other cars) operated. The presentation
includes extensive use of photographs. View Clinic
Modifying RTR Turnouts and Making Your Own From Scratch — Nigel Phillips
The aims of this clinic are 2-fold:
Modifying RTR turnouts to make them DCC friendly and looking
more like the prototype; and constructing turnouts from
scratch to fit your layout (and not the other way around) when
what you want is not available as an RTR item in the code rail
that you use. Many RTR turnouts come as power routed designs,
and depend for electrical continuity through the frog on a
physical contact between the point blade and the stock rail.
Simple wiring modifications and frog isolation will make them
DCC ready. Some of the examples covered will be converting old
power-routed Shinohara turnouts to 100% DCC compatibility,
changing those pressed point blades in Peco turnouts to solid
rails, and making a left- or right- hand crossover from two
regular left- or right-hand turnouts. Constructing your own
turnouts is not complicated, and is very cost effective with
some simple homemade jigs for the frogs and point blades or
with (expensive) CNC-tooled jigs if you have large numbers of
turnouts to make. The clinic describes how to make inexpensive
turnouts using your own jigs and simple tools, how to solder
the frogs and rails to copper-clad ties, and how to wire the
turnout for DCC. Some of the examples covered will be a #6 wye
and a double 45—diamond crossing. View Clinic
3D Printing Without A Printer — Gil
Fuchs
3D printing has made a major impact
on Model Railroading, as it has solved a long-time problem in
the hobby of the viability of small run productions. 3D
printing allows the modeler to obtain exactly the model he/she
desires at the desired time, team up and share projects with
others working on similar designs or road names, and/or print
their products at home. Getting a one-off unique item is not
an issue, and if one spends the effort to acquire some CAD
skills, models can be designed using a computer with free
software, the only major cost being one's time. Several
approaches to 3D design and printing, currently available for
modelers, are presented and compared. Areas where 3D printing
can be successfully applied are reviewed with examples with
references to relevant resources to help get you
started. View Clinic
Prototype—Based Track Planning — Robert
W. Sprague
Railroad Prototype Modeling (RPM) is
trying to replicate the appearance and operations of real
railroads as faithfully as possible in miniature.
Applying this philosophy to track planning presents particular
challenges, because few modelers have enough space to
reproduce prototype track layouts and distances in scale and
still maintain operating interest. View Clinic
Visit Bob's Web
Site
Ships and Boats for the HO Waterfront —
Mat Thompson, MMR
The HO scale Oregon Coast Railroad
has a major seaport and several smaller dock and pier
scenes. This clinic focus on ships, boats and harbor
buildings available and the reasons why they may or may not
be suitable for a specific location and era. View Clinic
Obtaining the Authorship Certificate — Martin
Briechiel, MMR
This clinic addresses part of
working towards your Author Certificate in the NMRA
Achievement Program without any quaking in fear with
memories of those endless term papers or reports at the
office that tormented you in another time and place. This
category is really far less intimidating than you think and
is readily achievable while being a creative experience that
encompasses giving clinics, videotape, web pages, or the
traditional article publication format at a variety of
levels. The clinic goes through all of the requirements
& rules, discuss the "nuts & bolts" of "how to do
it". Secondly, this clinic includes Martin's experiences
with personal hints and tips for being a successful Model
Railroad Author from an NMRA clinician through to being an
Associate Editor and columnist. View Clinic
Similar:
Demystifying
the AP Dispatcher Paperwork by Kurt Thompson, MMR
—
Filling in the Model Contest
Forms by Martin Brechbiel, MMR. There
is also a Special Interest report Earning Merit Awards that
discusses how to best score points in the NMRA achievement
program for modeling cars and structures.
View Report
Demystifying the AP Dispatcher Paperwork — Kurt
Thompson, MMR
Chesapeake Division's AP Director
and MER President (2018-) goes over the requirements and
paperwork needed for a member to earn this AP certificate.
In a setting more of a seminar than a clinic, Kurt presents
the paperwork he submitted 25 years ago when he earned his
first AP certificate. If you are interested in seeing
through the "fog of the requirements" or just have some
questions about your own paperwork, this clinic is for you.
Remember that this certificate was easy enough that Kurt
earned his. View Clinic
Downsizing to a Shelf Layout — Fred
Miller, MMR
Many model railroaders hesitate in
building a layout because of limited space. When Fred Miller
moved to a high-rise condo he was faced with either
—arm-chair— model railroading, or continuing his life-long
hobby of building a model railroad. This story is about how
he designed and constructed a —shelf layout— to meet that
desire for building an operating railroad. View Clinic
Estate Planning for Model Railroaders — Marshall
Abrams
This clinic is addressed to model
railroaders who are uninterested or unable to continue and
want to dispose of their model railroad assets. It also
applies to the estate executor who doesn—t know much about
our hobby and who has many other things on his or her mind
at the time. Topics include: priorities, inventory &
value, high value items, written instructions, planning for
layout disposition, selling, scenarios, fees, scenarios,
references, professional services, and using eBay. View Clinic
There is also a Special Interest Report.
View Report
History of Model Railroad Control Systems — John
Glaab & Gil Fuchs
The clinic is a review of
technologies, systems and methods developed as part of the
evolution of model railroading, to support the fundamental
need to run trains sharing the same layout and track
— from the late 1800s to recent years. The first part of
the clinic covers early attempts to provide multiple train
control, analog systems and the shift from central panels
to walkaround train control. The second part covers
digital systems and standards, ending with a call to
action for members — to promote standardization for the
benefit of the hobby. View Clinic
Insurance for Your Model Railroad — Marshall
Abrams
Most model railroaders never think
about insurance. This clinic will help you to determine
whether your homeowners— insurance sufficiently covers your
model railroad. A decision will require some data gathering
and decisions on your part: These questions will be
addressed:
- What coverage does your
homeowners' policy provide?
- What are all the components
(e.g., motive power, rolling stock, structures, scenery,
benchwork, scenery, structures, wiring, track, power and
control electronics), of the railroad worth?
- What is your subjective
assessment of the risk?
- Are you going to include
repair labor in the insurance? Custom builders are
expensive and unlikely to be willing to do repair work
on site. View Clinic
There is also a Special
Interest Report. View Report
Introduction to C/MRI — Jay
Beckham
This clinic is an introduction to
Computer/Model Railroad Interface. Some of the content is
provided by Dr. Bruce Chubb. It will cover some fundamental
electronic and electrical information as it relates to
C/MRI. Also, it will cover the basic parts that are used to
provide signaling and the operation of a CTC system. It will
also cover some alternative circuits that relate to C/MRI.
It will not cover JMRI or LCC. View Clinic
Introduction to Micro-Controllers — Terry
Terrance
Ever
wonder what a microcontroller is? Ever wonder what it can do
for your model railroading endeavors? This clinic will
describe what a microcontroller is, how it works and what it
can do for you. After a survey of some available
microcontrollers, we'll transition to focus on the Arduino,
the grandad of experimenter's microcontrollers. The
Arduino's hardware and software will be described. View Clinic
Layout Background Sound — Fred
Miller, MMR
Adding background sounds is a way
to enhance the "multi-dimensional" effect on your layout.
Industry, city, or country sounds broaden the viewing and
operating experience. There are a number of commercial
"sound boards" offering pre-recorded or recordable
capabilities with prices ranging from $10 to $100 and
varying quality of the recorded sound and playing time. This
clinic explores available options including easy
construction alternatives. View Clinic
Modeling Urban Scenes — Brian
W. Sheron, MMR
Brian's HO scale Long Island Rail
Road primarily models many urban and suburban scenes found
on Long Island, including Brooklyn, Queens, and Penn Station
in Manhattan, and the town of Huntington further out in
Suffolk County. His clinic focuses on how to plan an urban
scene for your layout, identifying the key elements that
make up urban scenes, and then explaining what the key
modeling components are for each element, and how they all
can be combined to produce realistic scale model urban
scenes. Brian discusses how to create realistic backdrops
for urban scenes. He also discusses using techniques such as
—cutaways— to model underground stations, and also modeling
overhead subways, or —Els—. His clinic presentation contains
many photos that illustrate the techniques described.
View Clinic
Molding and Casting in Hydrocal and Resin — Jay
Beckham
This
clinic covers the basics of producing one-part rubber (RTV)
molds from scratch built or other masters. It also covers
making castings from the molds using two- part resin and
plaster. The master is a HO Scale item useful to most model
railroaders. View Clinic
Multi-Function Animation DCC Decoder — Fred
Miller, MMR
This clinic is about a custom
designed inexpensive decoder developed to operate lights,
sounds, and motion for animating buildings on a layout. This
decoder operates from DCC track power and accepts DCC
commands to initiate the animations. The construction and
details of the decoder are presented along with several
animated demonstration buildings operated from both a
LocoNet time-of-day Scheduler and a standard throttle.
View Clinic
Vinegar, Pickles and Railroads ... Oh My! — Rod
Vance, MMR
This clinic talks about modeling
the pickle and vinegar industries during the time period
from the late 1800s to the early 1970s. We'll talk about how
pickles and vinegar were made and processed, including
looking at the typical structures and facilities used in
their production. We'll also talk about the special railroad
cars used to transport pickles and vinegar. We'll finish by
surveying some of the structures and freight car models
commercially available in our hobby that can be used to
represent the pickle and vinegar industries. View Clinic
Visual Aids and Wiring Techniques — Pete
LaGuardia
Pete demonstrates wiring techniques
used to control turnouts, double-slip turnouts with LED, and
controlling tortoises from multiple locations. Along with
visual aids used to assist operators both doing visits or
operating sessions. These techniques and wiring aids have been
featured in model railroad over the years. View Clinic
Working With A Professional Layout Designer — Fred
Scheer
Fred walks you through a bit of
history, then choosing to use, and picking, a layout design
pro. He explains how things go, from pre-planning to a
completed design. Fred addresses time, cost, and the re-
design issue; and mentions a couple of surprises along the
way. You'll get a quick look at Fred's railroad and hear about
the inevitable "What-I'd-Do-Differently" list. And, there's a
short list of some resources now available to the
design-challenged that weren't around 10 years ago.
View Clinic
Focus Stacking — Norm Reid
& Jeff Fleisher
Every
model railroad photographer faces the same problem: how to get
the locomotive and caboose both in sharp focus. While
traditional film techniques can help, one of the best methods
now possible with digital technology is focus stacking.
Focus stacking involves making a sequence of photos at varying
focal points, then "stacking" them to create combined images
that are sharp throughout. The clinic will present two methods
for creating stacks and demonstrate the hardware and software
needed to produce stacked images. Examples are presented.
View Clinic
Fantasy Meets Reality — Alex
Belida
In
this clinic Alex explains how he enhanced the experience of
building his fictional Eureka and South Pass RR by writing
his own history for the railroad and by creating articles
portraying events in its turn-of-the-century Nevada locale.
Then he discusses how he discovered there is a real life
prototype for his operation and how that is shaping his
future plans. View Clinic
Having Fun with Operations — Mat
Thompson, MMR
Operations
is a fun way to increase your enjoyment of model railroading
but in the beginning it can seem intimidating. This clinic
focuses on helping you understand what happens during an
operating session to help you get over the new-guy
confusion. Mat starts with easy things you can do beforehand
and then discusses the operating jobs you can expect and how
to do them.He'll cover the few rules you actually need to
know and suggest a few things you might want to bring. He'll
even talk about the no-no's — things not to do if you ever
want to be invited back! View Clinic
Railfanning — Dave Arday
This
clinic has two parts. The didactic first part covers
- The relationship between
model railroading and railfanning,
- Safety issues,
- Types of railfanning, and
- Railfanning information
sources.
The remainder and majority of the
clinic consists of slide shows from several railfanning
trips, including the Cumbres & Toltec, Western Maryland
Scenic, the Tehachapi Loop, White Pass & Yukon Route,
and the Canton RR, with a little bit of background
information on each. View Clinic
Building a Turntable — Nigel
Phillips
Lazy
Susan, M12 and the Gear-head. No, not a pulp fiction novel,
but how to build a small turntable using readily available
components at a fraction of the cost of a proprietary kit or
a RTR one. The first build Nigel describes is an On30
"gallows" DCC turntable, 7.5" in diameter, built using a 2"
square Lazy Susan bearing, an M12 (12mm diameter) bolt, and
a gear-head 12v DC motor that is rated at 2 rpm at 12v, and
even slower if desired. Electrical wiring is probably the
most challenging part, as 2 separate circuits are usually
required, one for the motor (DC), and one for the track
(DCC). Some extra items such as a pulse-width speed
controller, and a track polarity reverser, are covered (the
bells and whistles). The second build Nigel will describe is
a wood platform turn-table using a 6" diameter Lazy Susan
bearing, again in On30. He uses the same approach but
different in detail. Some of the issues in polarity
reversal, track power wiring and indexing are reviewed. The
basic components come to about $25, adding the bells and
whistles is about an-other $50. View Clinic
Design Enhancements — Nick
Kalis
This clinic applies artistic
concepts to improving the story our layouts tell. Topics
covered are: 1) Four steps in design (pick the story, design
your scenes, select your scale, design as you build); 2)
Design Basics; 3) Seven Principles of Design.
View Clinic
Building the Building for
Building the Layout — Jerry
Stanley
Jerry
knows that building an actual building just for the layout
takes a level of expertise beyond most modeler’s ability. He
addresses the process to select a building site, what type
of building to build on different terrains, the basic
requirements to provide a set of plans for a building
permit, and “things to consider” when designing your hobby
room building to get these things done correctly. View Clinic
There is also an article.
View Article
Static grass seem daunting, but
it's not that hard to get good results with the right
materials and a little practice. In this clinic held at the
Hobby Barn on January 30, 2021, Todd Hermann shared some of
his techniques that he uses to achieve the look he wants to
achieve on his layout. View Clinic
Modeling in 2 Rail O (1/48)
Scale — John Sethian
Much
this presentation pertains to how accessible O scale is,
dispelling myths about O scale being too expensive,
requiring too much room, and that the layouts are “plywood
central” without scenery. The larger size gives the feel
of heavy moving machinery, and fine details can be added
and seen without heroics. Most equipment is readily
available. The clinic includes sources, suppliers, and
techniques. You may come away with a changed outlook on O
scale! View Clinic
Modeling the B&O West
End — Terry Terrance
Terry
Terrance's M∓K Junction Model Railroad (O Scale) is part
of the “double humped” B&O crossing of the Allegheny
mountains. The grade on Briery Mountain (Cranberry
Grade), the crossing of the Cheat River at Rowlesburg,
WV and the grade up Laurel Mountain (Cheat River Grade),
is depicted in condensed form on this layout. Rowlesburg
was a helper station as trains needed to be pushed up
the grades in both directions out of Rowlesburg. The
track is designed to create the feel of the prototype
with heavy grades and very little tangent (straight)
track and to be scenically sincere, that is, trains pass
through a scene only once. There is quite a lot of
information in the clinic and related layout tour. View Clinic
View Layout Tour
Modeling the Railroad of
the Civil War & more — Bernard
Kempinski
Bernie
is a freelance writer who has written dozens of magazine
articles and several books on model railroading. Bernie
uses some of the latest technology and techniques to build
his 19th Century Civil War O scale railroad, including
laser cutting, photo etching, 3D printing, spin casting,
battery powered locomotives, and a microprocessor
controlled telegraph system. His blog is a journal
following the history, design, construction and operation
of his 1/48th - (O) Scale model railroad depicting the U.
S. Military Railroad (USMRR) Aquia-Fredericksburg line in
1863, and other model railroad projects. He is also the
proprietor of Alkem Scale Models, a cottage industry
specializing in fine scale kits and detail parts. View
Blog*
View Video — How to Operate the Aquia Line
View
Video — The Port of Los Angeles HO Scale Layout Project
View
Video — WWI Battle of Cambrai View
Video — (more) Battle of Cambrai Visit
Alkem Scale Models* View
Book Review — Model Railroads Go To War
View
Book Review — Waterfront Terminals and Operations
* If Chrome or Firefox raise a warning,
use a different browser or check your settings.
^Top
Ken Wilson's clinic covers
several considerations in painting a backdrop for a
model railroad. His clinic includes alternatives to
backdrops, what to paint backdrops on, tools to use
when painting a backdrop, picking subject matter of
the backdrop, painting different types of clouds, and
taking photos for backdrops.
View
Clinic
- ^Top
Build
a Flat Car - Martin
Brechbiel, MMR (2/27/2021)
In
this clinic, Martin provides instructions on how to
scratch build a flat car using wood. The clinic was
presented at the Hobby Barn and he provided the needed
wooden parts cut to the sizes and shapes needed to the
participants.
- ^Top
Scratch
Building a Flat Car using polystyrene plastic
- Ernie Little,
MMR (5/8/2021)
The first step in scratch
building most cars is building a Flat car as the
base. Building cars with polystyrene plastic uses
the same steps but the material is not subject to
splintering and absorbing glue and paint. In this
clinic Ernie provides information on the
scratch building process and constructs a Flat car.
Building
an Operational Crossing - Brian
Sheron, MMR (3/20/2022)
Railways often cross
roadways at grade causing a need for warning
devices to alert motorists and pedestrians of
approaching trains. In this clinic Brian provided
information on how to install automatic operating
crossbucks and crossing gates on a model railroad
layout.
Building
a Programming Track and Programming decoders -
Ernie Little,
MMR (7/17/2022)
Having
a programming track is an important item for
your layout. Whether the programming track is
separate from the main layout or connected to
the main layout though isolation does the
programming track is important to your layout to
allow you to program your locomotive decoders
and other decoder controlled equipment. In this
clinic Ernie presents information on the
construction of a programming track and also
basic DCC programming.
Do
It Yourself Stay Alive and Keep Alive Devices - Gil
Fuchs
Keeping
your locomotives and other electrical devices going
despite an electrical gap in the tracks or some other
electrical related issue is important to your railroad
operations. In the Clinic Gil provides information on
building your own Stay Alive and Keep alive devices.
The YVRR - Not Just Prototype
Freight Cars - Jack Burgess
The Yosemite Valley Railroad
caused Jack Burgess to have to design and build model
railroad cars due to the lack of commercial availability.
In the clinic he provides some details of why and how he
did it.
^Top
Introduction
to Making Model Railroad Videos - Rod
Vance (7/18/2021)
Rod
Vance shares his knowledge and expertise in the making of making model
railroad videos. Making videos of your model railroad layout or other
associated activities is a great way to share your hobby with others.
In this clinic Rod presents on the choosing of video editing programs,
the stages of creating a video, and other information on the making of
videos.
Modeling
Drake's Well - Alex Belida,
MMR (2/20/2022)
While
working on a Master Model Railroader project, constructing a Densmore
Tank Car, Alex found another interesting project dealing with Drake's
Well, which was an oil well drilled in the vicinity of Titusville,
Pennsylvania. The crude oil from shipped via the Oil Creek Railroad to
Meadville, Pennsylvania where it was then forwarded via rail to New
York.This clinic was done virtually and a pdf file was created from
his power point.
Modeling
an Elevated Railway -
Brian Sheron, MMR
Elevated railways are used in
congested cities separate railroad tracks from other forms of public
transportation and are usually less expensive to construct than
underground railways. In this clinic Brian focuses on elevated
railways in New York City. In this presentation he covers the four
main elements of an elevated railway, track support, the track,
third rail, and cover boards, details, and the subway portion.
Painting
Figures with Citadel Paints - Alex
Polimeni
There is no right or wrong way to
hobby only the way you want to do it. Painting of figures and
railroad related items can be challenging to the modeler and Alex
offers his advise on how to do it.
Prototype
Modeling AP - Alex Belida, MMR (12/19/2021)
Alex created a diorama of the
Woodsboro, MD train station. In this clinic he explains how he did
it and provides pictures and maps he found during his research.
Rolling
Brake Systems - Ken Wilson
(11/25/2022)
Knowledge of the various braking
systems found on railroad cars is important when it comes to
modeling a car. In this clinic Ken provides information on the
various braking systems, where they are found, and history of
railroad braking.
The Art and Technique of
Lighting Buildings and Streets -
John Sethian (3/21/2021)
In this clinic John Sethian provides
information on the ways to light buildings and streets. He provides
information on light sources and how to power them, installing
lights in side buildings and structures, installing outside lights,
and special effects of lighting.
Working
Diaphragms - An Origami Approach - Nigel
C. Phillips
Working diaphragms in plastic for
passenger cars and cab diesels locomotives can be expensive and
difficult to assemble. NIgel provides information on a method to
provide them that is quick, inexpensive, and only uses paper, card
stock, and some glue.
Clinic
Libraries
Electric Railway Modeling School
This schoolhouse is a repository
for articles on electric railway modeling (street cars) and
for recording electric railway prototype facts that can be
used for modeling purposes.
- Room 1: Catenary and Trolley Wire — Construction and
Operation
- Room 2: Track Construction & Operation
- Room 3: Electric Railway Vehicle Painting &
Lettering
- Room 4: Electric Railway Vehicle Couplers
- Room 5: Repowering and Rewiring
- Room 6: Modeling Tips
- Room 7: Traction Models
Australasian
Region Clinics
Australasian Region of the
National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) covers Australia,
New Zealand and some Pacific Islands. The purposes of the
Region are to promote, stimulate, foster, and encourage by
all manner and means the art and craft of model railroading
and the preservation of the hobby's history, science, and
technology.
Pacific Coast Region Clinics
Here are links to clinic
handouts and presentations given at PCR and Division
events. Not all clinics from the event will be listed.
Only the presentations and handouts provided by the
clinician will appear here.
Here are links to clinics,
articles, photos, and reference materials on model
railroad related topics.
Last modified: February 20 2023 14:28:17.
