The PCR Contest Manager will provide you with tips on filling out the contest forms, including a primer for those interested in judging the model contest Saturday morning.

This clinic is an introduction to "Free-mo" modular railroading in N-scale. Hands-on explanation of the standard will also include an explanation of construction techniques for building lightweight modules. We'll have a few modules at the clinic and are looking for more folks to join in the fun of realistic N-scale railroading.

This is a program for Boy Scouts so they can earn their Railroading merit badge at the convention. This is for scouts of PCR members as well as local scouts from the Fremont area. If you have scouts that you want included please RSVP to Jim Long, Clinics Chairman.

Have you ever surfed the Internet looking at model railroad layout websites and wished you had one for your layout or club, but didn’t know how to get started? Then this is the clinic for you! In this clinic, Dave will share ideas and techniques on designing and building websites for layouts and clubs, from inception to the World Wide Web. He will cover basic layout and design principles, what tools are available, and publishing on the Internet. Don’t be intimidated – this clinic is for anyone new to creating websites. Click to view the Power Point clinic presentation. (Use "PageDown"/"PageUp" keys or click the vertical scroll bar to advance slides or to go back.)

Learn how to use Decoder Pro to program DCC decoders setting up addresses, acceleration rates, direction and other CVs.

Tips and tricks for layout signaling and control using some new products from NCE.

This clinic will look at the ability to control switch machines with DCC. It will include a look at the different types of switch machines and the types of DCC accessory decoders to control them.

This 1st clinic of a 4-part series talks about the advantages of DCC over DC in operating and wiring your layout. It also covers the basic components used in DCC systems, plus some basic notes on both decoder and layout wiring, including mixing DC and DCC. Finally, a discussion about what you should think about in selecting a DCC system, plus information showing pictures of various systems being offered. If you know nothing about DCC, this is the clinic to start with.

This 2nd clinic of a 4-part series talks about the DCC decoder hardware, which is a device that must be installed in every locomotive for the DCC system to work. Part of the installation involves the electrical connections for the track, motor, lights, and in some cases sound. Picking the right decoder can make a big difference in how easy this will be. With so many to choose from, this clinic will help you sort all this out and get you going.

This 3rd clinic of a 4-part series talks about the DCC decoder and using software to program it. A decoder is a device that must be installed in every locomotive for the DCC system to work. With the hardware installation done, now comes the most computer like part of the installation -- Programming the Decoder. Programming the decoder correctly is critical to its success, but it is easier than you think. However, since decoders come with so many options to set, this clinic will help you sort all this out and get you going.

This 4th clinic of a 4-part series talks about wiring and how the DCC system gets connected to your layout. It talks about the different type of wires used on the layout, helping you understand what to do to maximize the success and reliability of the system. Both small and large layouts are discussed, along with solving some unique wiring problems. No, you do not need to rewire your layout to enjoy DCC, but it helps to understand the big picture and know what to do when there is a problem.

Learn how to use Decoder Pro to program DCC decoders setting up addresses, acceleration rates, direction and other CVs.

Admit it, you’re a hobbyholic! You never met a hobby shop you couldn’t stop at. Your eBay bill is in 5 figures every month. Someday you won’t be there to play with all that stuff. What happens then? Spouses are welcome to attend.

There are lots of reasons why a small-scale modeler might want to consider adding a Garden Railroad or do some large-scale modeling. As it turns out, a great many garden railroaders started out as small-scale modelers for a lot of very good reasons. Transitioning to (or more likely adding) this rapidly growing aspect of the hobby is easy and will be explained. We will briefly cover “how to get started” in creating a garden railroad, how it differs from an indoor small scale layout and how your small scale skills will easily translate. If you have never given this any serious thought, you should come and see what it is all about.

Modeling in a really large scale of 1” = 1’ with a 4 ¾” gauge, along with its good points and its bad points.

Here's an industry that uses steel.

For those interested in developing a model logging railroad, the clinic will undertake aspects that need to be considered in regard to eras and geography, as well as what is available for the modeler. The clinic will include slides of logging railroad operations in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's as an examples of the type of railroad equipment that is needed, as well as the style of loading and unloading operations that should be considered. A handout will be provided.

Tired of ordinary boxcars and hoppers? Looking for something fresh and new? Here is an overview presentation of an entire industry with unique rolling stock, structures with character, typical trackwork, operational possibilities, prototype history and more. Profusely illustrated and humorously presented. For a preview, read Ed's article in the November 2008 issue of MODEL RAILROADER magazine.

First published in Model Railroad Planning 2007, the Idaho-Montana Railway & Navigation Company has now fully come to life. The space was completed in late 2004, and operations began in July 2005 as soon as the west staging and a portion of the West Spokane Yard were completed. The first deck was completed in 2006, and half of the second deck with permanent east staging in 2007. In November 2008, the remainder of the railroad - some 90-additional feet of mainline - was completed. Operations now cover over 200-feet from Spokane to Plummer Jct., Idaho. The author's clinic will cover the design, evolution, and adjustment to operations on the IMR&N with 30-feet of mainline, to 60- and 90- feet of main, then 120-feet, and now 200-feet of mainline.

This clinic will acquaint us with the concept of developing a layout concept based on a prototype railroad of a specific time period. Using the author's layout, still under construction, but already operational, as an example, we will discuss how to selectively compress and make difficult compromises in a variety of areas. These include the actual physical features, including structures and scenery, motive power and rolling stock, and even operations. The planning for all of these starts with the prototype, but may require adjustments and changes due to space constraints, practicality, and the preferences and personal quirks of the builder/owner.

No clinic description provided (but it'll be pretty darn interesting!)

This is the place to exchange ideas, make new friends or renew acquaintances, and ask question of other knowledgeable modelers. All convention attendees are welcome!

This is the place to exchange ideas, make new friends or renew acquaintances, and ask question of other knowledgeable modelers. All convention attendees are welcome!

This clinic covers the currently available commercial locomotives, rolling stock, trackwork and some techniques for working in Nn3.

Learn how to put together and present a great clinic on any subject.

Al and others went to Chihuahua Mexico and put their speeder on the rails and then spent 6 nights and 7 days on the rails through Copper Canyon. This canyon is 10 miles longer, a mile wider, and 1000 ft. deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon. The rail line was completed in 1962 and has 87 tunnels, 35 bridges, and a loop, which they call “The Lasso”. He took photographs and color slides and has approximately a 20-minute presentation of 60 slides.

Come and meet with the PCR President, Vice President, Branch Line editor and 2011 Convention Chairperson. Here you can discuss what is going on in PCR, how the Branch Line is put together and how you fit into all of this. We will also discuss the upcoming 2011 NMRA National Convention.

Look over John's shoulder as we go on a "you-are-there" fast-paced photo, movie, and multi-media tour of worldwide Americas, European, and Asian model and prototype railroad sites and people the world over. Enjoy the incredible diversity and interest. Gather ideas for future travels. Or just save the expense and watch here!

WW, European sites include: Miniature Wonderland, Hamburg 2007 - Narrow Gauge Live Steam, Saxony, Germany 2008 - The Deutsch Museum, Munich 2007 - Nuremburg Deutschbahn Museum - French TGV, Germany ICE - Gotthard Pass, Switzerland - Atlas Model RR HQ in NJ - Hawaii RR Museum, Oahu - Argentina has model railroading too! - Prototype industrial trackage you have to see to believe

Notable Hobby shops in countries around the world: - Visit to Japan Kato Showroom 2008 - Caboose Hobbies, Denver

Model RR Exhibitions and Conventions include: - Nottingham UK Model Railway Exhibition 2006 - US-themed Model RR Convention in Germany 2007 - Two largest N-Trak Layouts ever (2008 Louisville, 2004 Chantilly) - Amherst Model RR Show 2005 - Anaheim NMRA National Convention 2008

Famous Model RR clubs: - Glendale, Pasadena, Slim Gauge Guild, Belmont Shores - San Diego Model RR Museum - The Model RR Club, New Jersey - Washington State Museum's Puget Sound Model RR Engineers

World-class Layout Tours include: - John Armstrong - Jim Blattau - Paul Dolkos - Dick Patton

And more... See you there! Click here for PDF of clinic from John's Web Site.

Today's prototypical layouts, or simply needing a different number for DCC decoding, necessitates having the ability to renumber a given set of commercially available locomotives. Participants are welcome to bring a model to practice on or to renumber altogether (bring the appropriate decals to complete the job).

Painting a backdrop is one of the more significant contributions you can make to your layout. With just a few minutes of your time, you can start the process of adding realism by taking the scene beyond the end of your benchwork. You may choose to settle everything snugly into a short range or stretch the scene to infinity. This clinic will cover the fundamentals of painting that you will need to know.

How to take $1 models and turn them into something worthwhile.

This is a special hands-on clinic that will be held at Jack’s home in Newark.

Jack Burgess has authored numerous articles in Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, and other publications on his progress on his Yosemite Valley Railroad layout. The 100+ buildings on the layout are all scratchbuilt to replicate actual buildings along the prototype, with a majority of these buildings scratchbuilt from styrene, his favorite building material.

A hands-on clinic is always the best way to learn new techniques such as scratchbuilding. However, hands-on clinics don’t work that well with large numbers of modelers. So, Jack will present this clinic to a very limited number of modelers IN HIS HOME WORKSHOP. Advance signup for this clinic is required and only 7 modelers can be accommodated. Modelers will need to provide their own transportation to Jack’s house which is in Newark, 7 miles from the Convention hotel. Modelers should allow at least 2 hours to participate in this clinic. In the clinic, Jack will demonstrate his techniques for maximizing the advantages of styrene. Jack will show the tools needed to work with styrene, review simple methods for estimating prototype dimensions from photographs of a prototype, demonstrate techniques for building structures and rolling stock from styrene, and share simple jigs to speed construction.

Please sign up for this clinic here or at the Registration Desk before Thursday at 4PM. A drawing will held at that time to determine the seven who can attend the clinic on Friday. The list of winners will be posted on the Information Kiosk near the Registration Desk.

This clinic covers how to select, touchup, paint, and modify figures for your model railroad layout and how to avoid some of the nastier figure problems. Click to view the Power Point clinic presentation. (Use "PageDown"/"PageUp" keys or click the vertical scroll bar to advance slides or to go back.)

In this clinic, you will learn some low-tech methods to research create and apply custom signs for your layout structures, billboards and fences. No Photoshop or PageMaker skills needed, just a sharp knife and access to a FedEx/Kinko's. Also covered will be how to thin and apply paper signs to look as if painted on. As a bonus, the clinic will cover detailing products from sources you might not consider.

Learn how to make trees for your model railroad.

The clinic will cover weathering wood – various techniques – peeling paint – nail holes – both inside walls and the exterior.

No clinic description provided (but it'll be pretty darn interesting!)

Jim will discuss tips and techniques he has collected over the 50+ years that he has been a model railroader. Many of them you will be acquainted with and some you will not be. This will be a show-and-tell live clinic. The items he uses are all from things you use in your everyday life.

Curious about Espee locomotives and how to detail them properly? Not sure which snowplow to use? Which headlight? This clinic will provide an in-depth overview for both novice and expert on how to make your diesel models more realistic and accurate by delving in on common features and idiosyncrasies found in Southern Pacific's vast locomotive fleet during the period 1970-85.

Operation is a fast growing segment of our hobby. Between OP/SIG events, BayRails, and other venues, operating on layouts other than our own is a fun activity with lots of opportunities, especially here in the Bay Area.

Jack Burgess runs his Yosemite Valley Railroad layout using timetables and train orders, also called TT/TO. While such operations can seem intimidating to newcomers, the principles are fairly straightforward. In this clinic, Jack will explain, not how to set up your own TT/TO system, but what you need to understand about TT/TO in order to run on a layout under TT/TO. This is basically a formalization of the “talk” Jack gives to new operators on his layout.

The transportation of milk by rail will be explained. Car types and lettering will be illustrated. Suggestions on how to model milk services on your layout will be presented.

First published in Model Railroad Planning 2007, the Idaho-Montana Railway & Navigation Company has now come fully to life. The space was completed in late 2004, and operations began in July 2005 as soon as the west staging and a portion of the West Spokane Yard were completed. The first deck was completed in 2006, and half of the second deck with permanent east staging in 2007. In November 2008, the remainder of the railroad - some 90-additional feet of mainline - was completed. Operations now cover over 200-feet from Spokane to Plummer Jct., Idaho. The author's clinic will cover the design, evolution, and adjustment to operations on the IMR&N with 30-feet of mainline, to 60- and 90- feet of main, then 120-feet, and now 200-feet of mainline."

What is TWC?… a system to authorize trains to move across a specified territory with relation to other train movements if necessary, and to authorize men and equipment to work on or near the main track.

Chuck’s Power Point presentation will show how he eased the work of preparing switch lists for his San Joaquin Central using Microsoft Excel. With a simple layout example he will show how to set up the routings for four trains. He will go over how to enter the roster and routings and how to create the switch lists for each train.

Attendees will be able to receive a sample file for starting their own switch list program. Bring a thumb drive or leave an e-mail address at the clinic.

Learn how Bill developed operations on his new layout modeled after the operations of San Francisco's waterfront railroad.

Is operating your layout in a prototypical manner your cup of tea? Well, this gathering is just for you. Are you interested in learning more about operations? Again, this is for you. These roundtables are always a lot of fun and very informative. All convention attendees are welcome!

The first portion of this clinic will describe various types of head-end equipment used during the 1920s to early 1940s in steam-powered passenger consists or special trains, and provide references to various manufacturers that offer some of these cars in HO scale. The second half of the clinic will touch on examples of how to replicate operation of head-end cars in passenger service or as a special train. Reference handouts will be available to attendees at the end of the clinic.

This clinic will explore the equipment, facilities and operations of commuter railroads and adapting them for modeling.

Learn how to take good prototype pictures. And what are the judges looking for in a contest.

This clinic will discuss techniques for photographing models and other items on your layout. A brief review of some photography basics will be included. Lighting, depth of field, macro photography and focusing will be covered in detail. If you are a beginning photographer and want to learn how to use your digital camera to take photos of models and layouts this clinic is for you. Click here for PDF of clinic from Mark's Web Site.

We will cover from the 30's thru the 70's or so ... perhaps a bit earlier, perhaps a bit later. And would focus on the dress of men, women, and children.

96 years of West Coast car design. We will look at the narrow gauge railroad cars built and used in California, Nevada and the West, looking for identifying details and characteristics, tracing the development of the designs, as well as the evolution of the cars over their service lives. Along the way we will look at and talk about the Kimball Car and Carriage Co., The Carter Brothers of Newark California, as well as John Hammond’s California Car Works, William Holman’s car works and the Southern Pacific’s Sacramento shops. The talk is not only about the history of the designs, but also about how to build a model which has that “California” look.

Randy Hees is the Director of the Patterson House Museum at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. He has served as the Volunteer Curator for the Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, operated by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources (www.spcrr.org).

This clinic will give an overview of a specialized portion of the railroad hobby — collecting and preserving those items that were used in the dining and lounge cars of America's railroads. While the primary focus will be on the chinaware used in dining cars, we will also touch on the ancillary items used in railroad food service. Pat has been involved in this aspect of the hobby for over ten years. This clinic will be of interest to both rail-fans and non-rails alike.

View some 1950's color slides of the WP, shots of the rejuvenated California Zephyr running between Oakland and Sparks and visit the Portola Railroad Museum for two Photographer's Days - 2007 and 2008.

With the PCR Convention scheduled for Sparks in 2010, see color slides of steam on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, including the new extension (Summer 2008). Also see color slides of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City (2006 -2008).

Take a color slide trip on the White Pass and Yukon RR Four Day Photographer’s Special in June 2007. Trains ran between Skagway and Carcross with steam engine #73 on two of the days.

This clinic shows operations and facilities in and around the helper point of San Luis Obispo on SP's Coast Line, emphasizing the 1950s, but includes the period 1920 to 1960. As a division point and an active steam locomotive servicing facility, SLO provided helpers for the climb up the Cuesta Grade just north of town; it was an interesting place with lots of action.

The clinic covers SP flat cars from the Huntington era (1890s) until the late 1960s. Particular emphasis is placed on steam and steam-early diesel era cars. All types of flat cars are included, with extensive coverage also of loads, particularly lumber. Many in-service views are presented.