September 2018 Clinic

Modeling Brickwork with Decals - Tom Knapp

December 2013 Clinics

10 AM:  C/MRI meets Arduino - Seth Neumann and Chuck Catania

Back in September 2010, the Coast Division started presenting clinics on the use of
the worldwide popular Arduino Open Source Hardware Microcontroller for model railroad applications. 

In December 2013, our 10am clinic will explore how to use the Chubb Model Railroad Interface (C/MRI) with the Arduino controller.

Join us and hear what Seth Neumann and Chuck Cantania have to say, we're really looking forward to it!

Here's link to the clinic handout about the Arduino controller from Sept 2010:

Click here to download a copy of Sept 2010 handout (6MB)

The Arduino Open Source Hardware Microcontroller in model railroad applications

11 AM:  The Adventures of WP 688 - by Katy Dickinson

 
 WP 668 is a historic Western Pacific Railroad caboose being restored by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher, a private family in San Jose, California, USA.

Come hear and see in person this great story, as detailed in their blog about the restoration of this magnificent caboose.

Katy Dickinson is a Process Architect in Silicon Valley, California -  a creative solver of difficult organizational problems
with a long variety of many of the movers and shakers of the today's high technology world. 


Join us and hear what Katy has to say about the WP 688 caboose, you'll really love it!  We can't wait!


And as always, we will have:

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Howard McKinney

October 2013 Clinics

Two special clinics, open to all, were given in October 2013!

The Coast Division of the Pacific Coast Region of the National Model Railroad Association sponsored two clinics on October 19th, at 4:00 PM, open to the public. 

The location was the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road,  Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 948-7683. 

These were excellent for not only model railroaders, but for anyone building models such as displays, vehicles, plans, tanks and military.

The topics were:  

Brick and Stone, Classic and Computer created for structures   given by Jim Eckman        

Easy Weathering of Freight Cars, Locomotives, and Structures etc. by Frank Markovich, Master Model Railroader         
 

Each clinic was 1 hour, handouts provided.   While there wasn't hands-on available, as you can see from Frank's handout below, there was excellent examples and detail on both subjects.

Click here to download Frank Markovich's clinic handout on Easy Weathering - a great reference and provided free as a public service to the model railroading community

Download provided the NMRA Pacific Coast Region, Coast Division. 

Thank you to Jim Eckman and Frank Markovich for these two excellent. Enjoy the download handout!

September 2012 Clinics

10 AM:  The Sierra Railroad - Early History, Features, Modeling

  by Dave Connery

Dave will present his popular clinic on the Sierra Railroad, how it got started, key historical points, interesting features,
the Sierra today and some thoughts on modeling this unique Sierra foothills short line.




Dave Connery is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's accomplished modelers and is well known nationally. 
He models both the Sierra Railway and the Virginia and Truckee in various eras, and has done presentations on both railroads at the V&T symposium,
the Sierra Railway seminar, and the NMRA National Convention.

Dave's wonderful and his wonderful Sierra, Carson & Truckee layout is strongly influenced by the Sierra Railway, see his YouTube channel here.

In addition to his home layout, Dave has an Fn3 garden railway, he has served as the Nominations Chair for the Coast Division for some time,
and still finds time  to participate in the Yosemite Short Line modular layout.
Here are several shots of Dave's modeling on the YSL from Jim Eckman's web site: 

  




Join us and hear what Dave has to say about the Sierra Railway, we're really looking forward to it!

 

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Howard McKinney

June 2012 Clinics

10 AM:  "Weathering Wood" Techniques

by Frank Markovich

  Frank Markovich has simply stunned us all with his scratch-built, Merit Award winning structures and modeling for his On3
Twain Harte & Sonora Pass RR.   Come hear, see, and learn how Frank does these 'knock-your-socks-off' models! :

          

  Don't miss this chance to learn how to do this for yourself! :-)

11 AM:   Figure Painting

by Jim Eckman

Jim is another of our longtime local talented modelers, who will give us his methods for painting figures, as you can see here:

Get a figure painting preview here on his web site, of what Jim's going to share with us.  While you're at it, have a look
at all the talents that Jim has on his web site:  http://home.comcast.net/~ronin_engineer/yosemiteshortline.html or some of his recent Coast Division models:

Join us and hear what Jim has to share, we're really looking forward to it!

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Howard McKinney

March 2012 Clinics

10 AM:    Exploring Resin Casting

by Tom Vanden Bosch

Tom Vanden Bosch, the Nationals 2011 winner of 1st Place, Diesel:



 will show us his techniques, tips, and tricks for using Resin Casting as a modeling tool.
Tom is a long time member PCR / Coast Division member and prolific modeler.  His work has been
featured in our quarterly Coast Division meets consistently.   Tom is currently building
models for his son's basement-size 40' x 60' HO layout in Kansas City - great father/son combination.

Here's a few shots of Tom's recent modeling contributions to our Coast Division Meet.   Come here what Tom has to say about Resin Casting!

           
 

     

Tom is building models for his son's under-construction 40' x 60' HO Kansas City Southern layout.   What a great collaboration - the son having his father build great models for the KCS layout!

11 AM:  Capturing California Gold

by Dave Biondi
 
Very popular clinic by the ever popular Dave Biondi - he's will back to take us through the art of "Capturing California Gold" 
 a painting exhibition.    Dave is a member of the Layoutbuilders.com
custom layout team, and is well known in San Francisco Bay area as having done backdrops on
many major layouts both here and afar.  

Here's shots of Dave doing a backdrop clinic for us in December 2010:

   

Check out this painting that Dave did right in front of us at a recent 1 hour clinic:

Come see and be inspired!  You'll be glad you did.

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Howard McKinney

December 2011 Clinics

10 AM:    Operations, Plain and Simple

by Seth Neumann
 


An initiation into the wonderous world of operations, with a view to the simple.

Model railroad operations is one of the world's most magnificent board games, elevating your
model railroading to new levels.  Operation has all of the elements of any great game: a playing board (your layout) with multiple paths to
success (trains), tokens (your rolling stock),  a card deck to choose from (your waybills), and probability (will we make the meet on time?)

Come hear this entertaining clinic on operations  from one of the USA's movers and shakers in this model railroad field.
Seth Neumann is currently serving as one of the nationwide directors of  the Operations Special Interest Group (OPSIG),
is a incredible resource into the world of Ops.  Come hear what Seth has to say, meet Seth in person and make the contact!
See some YouTubes of operations happening on Seth's layout.

11 AM:    Building a Resin Car Kit

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield

September 2011 Clinics

10 AM:    The Art of the Backdrop

by Dave Biondi
 
Very popular clinic!!   Dave Biondi will back to take us through the art of doing our own backdrops. 
 and show us how to really make the most of it.    Dave is a member of the Layoutbuilders.com
custom layout team, and is well known in San Francisco Bay area as having done backdrops on
many major layouts both here and afar.  

Here's shots of Dave doing a backdrop clinic for us in December 2010:

   

Check out these two paintings that Dave did right in front of us at a recent 1 hour clinic:





Imagine if this is what *your* backdrops looked like  :-)
Dave will show you how you, too, can paint your own backdrop using his simplified techniques. 

Dave is in high demand painting backdrops for model railroads all over the local area,
has presented numerous painting clinics for the Pacific Coast Region. Come check it out.    A winner of a clinic!

11 AM:    Layout Tricks and Solutions

by Jim Betz

Jim Betz is presenting his highly acclaimed clinic from X2011 West NMRA Nationals, on the many ways you can make your layout *look* bigger thru the
use of subtle scenery, trackage, and structure techniques.   Highly visual in nature, this clinic will fill your brain with
examples from layouts all over the San Francisco Bay area - many of them well-known in the model railroad press.
Here's couple of examples - don't miss this clinic!

    

Come hear and see what Jim has to say about the hundreds of interesting ways to make *your* layout "look better".

Jim Betz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area but grew up and lived in other parts of the
US, before coming to California. He is in several local round-robins.  He is acknowledged local expert on DCC installations
for both layout installations and on-board decoders.   He's a long-time member of the Central California HO club in the historic Agnew Station in San Jose. 
We're honored to have him. :-) . 

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield

December 2010 Clinics

10 AM:    Backdrops and Beyond

by Dave Biondi
 
Dave will take us to the backdrop and show us how to really make the most of it. 
Check out these two paintings that Dave did right in front of us at a recent 1 hour clinic:





Imagine if this is what *your* backdrops looked like  :-)
Dave will show you how you, too, can paint your own backdrop using his simplified techniques. 

Dave is in high demand painting backdrops for model railroads all over the local area,
has presented numerous painting clinics for the Pacific Coast Region. Come check it out.    A winner of a clinic!

11 AM:    Roads Less Traveled

by Brad Lloyd

Brad's June 2010 clinic on "Details Make the Difference" was so popular, we're having him back for this
December 2010 clinic on "Roads Less Traveled".  Brad makes making roads fun and illustrates how to
enhance our layouts with multiple types of road surfaces. 
Brad will use anything from dirt to plastic to patching compound depending on what is needed.

Brad is a well known nationally and regionally for his scenic modeling, and he built two of the sections of the beautiful
Yosemite Short Line On30 traveling modular narrow gauge layout:



Come hear and see what Brad has to say about "Roads Less Traveled"!

Brad Lloyd lives in the San Francisco Bay Area but grew up and lived in other parts of the
US, before coming to California. He is in several local round-robins.  HO is his primary scale, but he also
models in On30, and is a narrow gauge and short line modeler.
Brad's primary interest is the Denver & Rio Grande Colorado narrow gauge. 

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield

Clinics at September 2010 Coast Division Quarterly Meet

10 AM -  RoHS for Model Railroaders

by: John Marshall

Are you familiar with RoHS ( Restriction of Hazardous Substances )?
 Often referred to as the "lead-free directive", RoHS also applies to many items that
we model railroaders use, including paints and pigments, solders, lamps, bulbs and batteries.

John Marshall will present a fun, education clinic on RoHS, explain what it is,
discuss the changes in the electronics components and assemblies coming our way in the hobby field
and what the impact of RoHS legislation has been and will be on our hobby,
how it will impact our abilities to modify electronics assemblies, and will summarize the effects, impacts, and benefits
of RoHS for all of us model railroaders.

Come and enjoy this interesting look at RoHS.  You'll find it entertaining and educational!

 

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - by Jerry Littlefield

We also have our ever-popular Model Railroad Roundtable!

Check it out, you'll be amazed at the good ideas, lively conversation, you'll learn a lot and have fun doing it.

Don't miss it!  :-)

130PM to 230PM - Model Railroad Electronics!

by:  Dave Falkenburg and John Plocher

Click here to download a copy of the handout (6MB)

Two of the local preeminent electronics wizards of our local Coast Division model railroading community
will be giving a superb clinic on the use of the Arduino Open Source Hardware Microcontroller
in model railroad applications.



Haven't heard of the Arduino Open Source Hardware Microcontroller? If you haven't, you should! 

This entertaining, introductory level clinic will explain the Arduino open-source electronics
prototyping platform, and its readily available, flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software.

Wired Magazine wrote a great article about Arduino's open-source approach to providing
 open source hardware with free software, available for anyone to use, modify, or sell.  Think of
of it as similiar idea to open source Linux software.   Arduino is a open-source, very low cost
hardware controller for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating
interactive objects or environments, such as controlling various 12v DC model railroad outputs
or an inexpensive build-your-own DCC throttle or an unlimited set of other creative applications.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input  from a variety of sensors, and can
 affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators, all with easily programable
solid state microprocessor control.  Arduino is something that you should strategically know about!
 
Dave Falkenburg, immediate past president of the Silicon Valley Lines club in San Jose, will be giving an overview at the introductory level.
There will be demonstrations of lighting effects,  control system and animation applications.  John Plocher (senior
software engineer and also a member of Silicon Valley Lines) will be demonstrating a you-can-do-it home-built
hardware example ( a modern-day dispatcher's panel  with occupancy and signaling). 
If attendees have detailed  questions, the speakers are able to dive into details.

Come and find out how you could be building your own model railroad signaling, animation,
and effects controllers using very affordable state-of-the-art open source electronic hardware and software.

More importantly, come and find out about the Arduino open-source hardware and software
that could impact our future daily lives in the same way that Linux has.

Clinics at June 2010 Coast Division Quarterly Meet

10 AM -  Developing a Web Site for your Railroad

Click here to download Acrobat Reader copy of this presentation !

by: John Sing

By popular demand, John Sing is back to deliver a clinic on developing your own Model Railroad Web Site.
  Anyone will benefit, this clinic is designed for everyone - you don't have to be a Internet expert!
In fact, doing a web site.... it's a lot like designing a model railroad.  :-)

It's not as hard as you think!   *You* can do it! 


http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing

We'll take an entertaining, easy-to-understand look at the following :

1.  What's possible with Model RR web sites?  Who's doing what locally?       
2.  What should my "Givens & Druthers" be for my web site?                            
3.  What are my web site options?  (from Easy to Advanced). Lots of options.
4.  What is my easy step-by-step list of things to do?  Easy steps.                    
                                5.   Examples / resources of what you can do today!                                                                           
                            
You'll see many examples, including how the Coast Division quarterly web site gets built.       
                                                                                        
Everyone can do this!

  You can literally be up and running your own web page after getting home from the the Meet.  
No kidding!  We'll show you how.  :-)

(As a supplement, you're welcome to review John's previous clinic on Photographing Railroad Models): 
http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona/John_Sings_Photographing_Railroad_Models_John_Sing_v23.pdf

 

 

11 AM - Details Make The Difference and MORE!

by:  Brad Lloyd

Brad  Lloyd has presented numerous clinics on model railroading and detailing at the
National NMRA level as well as Pacific Coast Region Conventions.

He is a well known local and regional modeller, and he built two of the sections of the beautiful
Yosemite Short Line On30 traveling modular narrow gauge layout:

 

Come hear and see what Brad has to say about Detailing Makes the Difference!

Brad Lloyd lives in the San Francisco Bay Area but grew up and lived in other parts of the
US, before coming to California. He is in several local round-robins.  HO is his primary scale, but he also
models in On30, and is a narrow gauge and short line modeler.
Brad's primary interest is the Denver & Rio Grande Colorado narrow gauge. 

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - by Jerry Littlefield

Clinics at March 2010 Coast Division Quarterly Meet

10 AM -  DCC Decoder Hardware - Selection and Installation

Click here to see Mark Gurrie's DCC downloadable presentations

by: Mark Gurries

11 AM - Decoder Software - Programming and Selection

by:  Mark Gurries

In the second of his two DCC lectures today, Mark will cover decoder software - Programming and Selection.

Want to know about Programming your decoder?  Consisting?  Function mapping?
Speed tables?  Back EMF?  and a whole lot more? 

Another entertaining lecture with Mark!  As with everything in DCC keeps improving,
(just like the rest of our fast-paced electronic world), come and find out what is new and different.

It's not as hard as it looks (this is the NCE PowerHouse Pro DCC command station at Silicon Valley Lines):



Come hear Mark speak, and you'll see how easy it really can be, when you have the right person explain it to you.

Mark is a Power Supply and Batter Applications Engineer at Linear Technology,
and his Model Railroad Club and NMRA DCC presentations can be seen at

https://sites.google.com/site/markgurries/home/nmra-dcc-clinic-pdf-files

 Mark is also a Audio Enthusiast (loves SAE equipment), and you
can learn more about this hobby of his (as well as more about Mark), at:

http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/gurriesm/

See you there!

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - by Jerry Littlefield

Clinics at December 2009 Coast Division Quarterly Meet

10 AM -  Photographing Railroad Models

Click here to download Acrobat Reader copy of this presentation

by: John Sing

John is one of the Coast Division's prolific photographers of local model railroad layouts and models.
Examples of his work can be seen on the Coast Division Model Contest web site
and at his own personal model railroad web site.


.
In this clinic, John will discuss the his easy to follow methods for making digital
model railroad photos, using today's very affordable digital cameras.   Specific recommendations for
equipment will be included, as well as ideas and recommendations for simple composition, lighting, backdrop, and exposure.

Post-processing of the digital image is then covered (this is just as important as the original image itself) by
using free simple but powerful photo editing software (I use IrfanView) that can be downloaded off the Internet.

The focus of this clinic is on easy to follow methods for digital model railroad photography.  Assumes limited photography experience
However, insights, tips and hints for experienced phototographers are included, as we all learn by sharing our experiences.

This clinic is aimed for the "everyone" in all of us -  we're not going to go into the professional level details.
So, if you just want to make better model railroad photos - come on out and
hear what John has to say about "Everyone can do digital model railroad photos!!!"

 

11 AM - In the Roundhouse at RailTown

by:  Dave Tadlock

Dave Tadlock has worked at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California,
 for many years, almost exclusively in the roundhouse, and is intimately familar with their steam locomotives.


 Steam locomotive at Railtown 1897 in Jamestown

Dave's clinic will show what it's like inside the locomotive repair area, and to work around the
 historic locomotives and cars at Jamestown.  Come hear the stories and experience Railtown through the
eyes and ears of one of their dedicated longtime volunteers!

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - by Jerry Littlefield

Clinics at Sept 2009 Coast Division Quarterly Meet

10 AM -  Layout Signaling, An Update for Today's Modeler

by:  Kermit Paul, MMR

11 AM - The UP in Niles Canyon - a Progress Report on his HO layout

by:  Seth Neumann, VP, NMRA Operations Special Interest Group (OPSIG)

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield

June 2009 Clinics

We will have another Special Edition Show and Tell event

We are going to do a repeat of the popular Special Edition Show and Tell that we did in June 2007.

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield

December 7, 2008 Clinics

10 AM:   "Free-Mo-N, N-Scale Modular System"  - by Dave Falkenburg

A demonstration of the Free-Mo-N module construction methods and its' use in building and operating a portable N Scale Layout.
Free-mo-N is an exciting, popular growing US-based fine scale modular N scale railroad standard, similar in concept to HO Free-Mo.   Come learn all about it!   Here are some photos from the clinic:

11 AM:  "AARP Driver Safety Program Overview" -  by Bill Blum

11 AM - "Model Railroad Roundtable"  - Jerry Littlefield

June 2008 Clinics

10 AM:    Modeling Public Utilities, by Tom Crawford

11 AM:    Basics of DCC, by Mark Gurries

11 AM - Model Railroad Roundtable - Jerry Littlefield