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8:35 am I have printed the descriptions for the first 8 (of 11) categories for the NMRA Achievement Program.
I have had a skim of much of the material for the Achievement Program. The descriptions are very clear and carefully structured. They provide an excellent model for any educational enterprise.
There is no doubt that the Program has a very high standard (which is good) and that it will require me to pay much more attention to detail than I have so far. I view that as the primary appeal. Joining the Lethbridge branch will be an important step to meeting individuals who know much more about this hobby than I do. The weather forecast for the next few days is grim: very cold temperatures with some snow and blowing snow. I am not sure I will want to venture out Tuesday evening to meet the club. But I am still seriously considering it.
The first Achievement Program award is called the Golden Spike. "It is designed to demonstrate familiarity with different areas of the hobby, rather than expertise in a particular area." This is a fair description of my present situation. Let's see where I stand.
Golden Spike Award
1. Rolling Stock
Display 6 units of rolling stock (scratchbuilt, craftsman, or detailed commercial kits).
I have not yet tried to scratchbuild a car but that has a definite challenge appeal. I am not sure what a craftsman kit is but I have built the following detailed commercial kits:
- Intermountain cylindrical grain car CN 382682 (grey, red CN noodle)
- Intermountain cylindrical grain car ALNX 396422 (blue, Heritage Fund)
- Intermountain cylindrical grain car CNWX 395538 (Canadian Wheat Board, single wheat head)
- Intermountain cylindrical grain car CGLX 1367 (Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan)
- Gould #4021 40' 50 ton flat car CN 665489 (CN decals, weathered painting of platform)
- Gould #4020 36' tank car UTLX 8715 (UTLX decals)
I have met this requirement.
2. Model Railroad Setting
Construct a minimum of 8 square feet of layout.
My present layout is about 11' x 20'. I have built the underlying table structure as well as adding a basic ground cover sheets in different styles for the coal mine, farming, townsite and classification yard.
I have met this requirement.
Construct 5 structures (scratchbuilt, craftsman, or detailed commercial kits) (buildings, bridges, etc.).
I have built a number of structures, the following being the most detailed:
- Walthers Cornerstone #933-3017 New River Mining Company (weathered painting)
- Walthers Cornerstone #933-3012 Double Track Truss Bridge (2)
- Hillside Lumber & Millwork Company (weathered painting)
- Walthers Cornerstone #933-3219 North Island Refinery
- Walthers Loading Platform
- Walthers Wide Oil Tank (2)
- berms scratchbuilt
- piping kit added
- I still need to add groundcover to this module.
- Grain Elevator (plastic, scratchbuilt from plans for wooden Kanamodel Products kit 114A Prairie Skyscaper Grain Elevator, painted for Alberta Wheat Pool colors.)
I have met this requirement.
3. Engineering (Civil & Electrical)
Three types of trackage (turnout, crossing, etc.) All must be properly ballasted and installed on proper roadbed.
I have numerous turnouts (more than 20), plus one change in elevation (coal yard platform). All track in on a foam roadbed.
The track has not yet been ballasted.
All installed trackage must be properly wired so that two trains can operate simultaneously.
Track is currently wired for DC. One reversing loop is wired.
At the moment two trains cannot operate simultaneously. I need to wire two sidings so I can cut the power. This would allow me to run one train, park it on a siding while I run another, then park it and run the first again.
Provide one additional electrical feature such as powered turnouts, signaling, turnout indication, lighted buildings, etc.
I currently do not meet this requirement. The simplest approach would be to wire one turnout.
All of the missing requirements could be easily met with only a few hours effort.
This checklist is sobering as it really indicates that I have barely met a minimum criteria. I am not even close to the level required for any of these categories from a quality perspective.
8:30 am I completed assembling the fourth of the six 100 ton quad hopper cars before breakfast. It is now operational and on the layout. I am much more efficient now than I was when I began putting these cars together. I will return to the basement and complete the remaining two cars. I am looking forward to completing this activity and moving on to some new projects.
2:20 PM This has been an interesting morning. I finished putting together the remaining two 100 ton quad hopper cars before noon. There is a strong sense of satisfaction when a project is completed. I bought the kit of 6 cars in October of 1993 and finally finished assembling them in November of 2006. At this rate I had better live for a few hundred years if I hope to get everything done that I want to do.
Now for the interesting part, Part I: I began reading "One Man's Wilderness" yesterday evening. This is a reworking of the journals and photos of Richard Proenneke by a man called Sam Keith. The book was originally published in 1973 and my book is the updated 26th edition. The book describes Dick's efforts at building a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness in 1968. It is a beautiful book and a beautiful story. I was particularly struck by his inventiveness at fashioning some wooden hinges for the door to his cabin. Fortunately there is a superb photo of the door, which even withstood the weight of a grizzly bear trying to barge its way in. I have been to the Yukon and the North West Territories and have a strong hankering to return for another visit. But I do not (yet) have a desire to build a cabin from scratch.
Part II: After completing the hopper cars, I had a short review of my diesel locomotives. I have tentatively culled about 6 of them as not having the detail or operating characteristics that I now want. I then took the shell off one of the remaining ones in an attempt to lubricate it. Once I had it apart, I realized that I really didn't know what I was doing. I then went through my magazines and located two that gave details on what was involved. What was most obvious was how dated the material was. The issue was from 1989 and referred to many locomotives that were build in the early 1980's. Clearly a lot has changed since the book was published. I now realize that I had better have another look at the publications when I am in Calgary again.
Part III: I then decided to see what I could find on the Web and on the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) site. It was nt long before I discovered the Achievement Program: "Briefly, the AP is a system of requirements for demonstrating a superior level of skill in various aspects of our hobby." This is a very carefully laid out set of criteria for demonstrating competence in a variety of areas. One must meet the criteria in 7 out of 11 categories:
- Motive Power
- Cars
- Structures
- Scenery
- Prototype Models
- Engineer - Civil
- Engineer - Electrical
- Chief Dispatcher
- Association Official
- Association Volunteer
- Author.
I am not one to normally join organizations, nor am I one to collect certificates or merit badges. But the checklists and criteria do provide a form of guide to indicate how much I understand about the hobby (i.e. at the moment not very much).
Part IV: I am also trying to improve my understanding of the strategy game of GO, by following a set of suggestions from a web site on Learning GO for Beginners.
Part V: I am going to stay with this NMRA site for a bit and see how it goes. I do not yet belong to the NMRA and there does not appear to be a branch in Lethbridge. Looking at the web site, the Southern Alberta Model Railroad Club is not listed as one of the local NMRA branches. I also noted that Alberta is in the Pacific Northwest Division. ( http://pnr.nmra.org/6div/ ) and that the 2008 Meet is in Lethbridge ( http://pnr.nmra.org/6div/history.html ). Trying to become a Master Model Railroader may not be quite the same as building a cabin in Alaska, but they are both individual challenges. And with the modeling I am not likely to get frostbite.
I have just sent an email to see if I can get more information on joining the NMRA.
All 7 100 ton quad hoppers at Black Diamond
3:20 PM I completed the assembly of the third of the six 100 ton quad hopper cars. It is now operational and on the layout. This took about an hour. I then switched activities to take apart and lubricate one of my diesel locomotives: CN 7824, a SW1500 switching locomotive. This also took about an hour.
Here are three photos:
I am making a list of stuff I need that I hope to buy the next time we are in Calgary:
- yellow wheel stops for the end of spur lines
- Kadee #38 couplers (4 pkgs)
- Kadee #5 couplers (bulk pkg of 20)
- Kingston book (on order)
- Goo adhesive
- coal loads for 100 ton quad hoppers (7)
- foam road bed (2 pkgs)
- under the track magnets (15)
- manual right turnouts (3)
- manual left turnouts (3)
- Kadee pliers for bending air hoses
- operating ground throw high level switch stand (2).
This is pretty close to everything that I can think of to complete the layout and make it operational (with the obvious exception of DCC supplies).
10:20 PM I completely assembled the first of the six 100 ton quad hopper cars. It is now operational and on the layout. I also began nailing down the spur tracks for The Channon. I hope to complete this tomorrow. Each day that I work on something is one less task for the future.
Here are a two more photos:
2:10 PM More progress to report. I visited the local hobby shop this morning and bought a couple of packages of foam road bed that will allow me to continue working on nailing down the track.
I also bought 2 more turnouts which I have already placed on the layout. This allowed me to complete the track layout for The Channon, although it still needs to have the road bed installed and then to have everything nailed down.
I was able to buy 3 packages of Kadee couplers (each package contains 2 pair of couplers) which will allow me to proceed assembling all 6 of the 100 ton quad hopper cars for my Black Diamond operation.
I spotted a new boxcar on the shelf in the store (CN 11059) and bought it for my layout. I have often seen photos of short passenger trains with one baggage boxcar and a couple of passenger cars. I can now run trains that look like this.
Here are a few more photos:
6:30 PM This was a good day for the trains. Today was a continuation of two activities from yesterday.
- Painting. The 6 quad hoppers are now painted (the Union Pacific logo is obliterated) and drying.
- Track. the Inner Mainline track is now fully nailed down. All remaining work on the layout is of a minor nature (i.e. nailing down a few sidings, adding a new building or two, improving the scenery a little bit).
I am delighted to have the mainline track all nailed down. In an important sense my layout is now operational, although I still have work to do at four of the destinations: Coaldale, Queenston, The Channon and Pine Ridge. I have all of my rolling stock now on the layout but I still need to review my locomotives and determine which ones I will keep (i.e. are capable of being used with DCC)
The emphasis will now begin to shift to maintenance of the locomotives, setting up DCC, wiring my turnouts, and learning how to run prototypical operations. I still have a few structures to build (I have the kits from years ago):
- UGG grain elevator
- grain storage bin
- coaling tower
- water tower
- fuel loading platform
- oil pump (recently purchased)
I also have a few kits remaining of rolling stock that need to be assembled:
- 6 100 ton quad hoppers (currently being painted)
- 4 cylindrical grain cars
- CN 5930 an SD40-2 diesel (waiting for couplers)
- CN 9004 an F3A diesel
- CN 55069 gondola car
- Pte St Charles caboose
Overall, this is not a long list. On the other hand, each item will take a fair amount of time. But none of these items is necessary for me to begin running trains on the layout. I would like to complete nailing down the track, particularly in Coaldale. I will need to buy a few more under the track uncoupling magnets while I do this.
8:00 PM This was a good day for the trains. I worked on three different types of activities.
- Painting. I put the first coat of black on the other side of the six 100 ton quad hoppers. This partially covers up the Union Pacific lettering. The second coat will finish the job. I will do that tomorrow morning. Four of the straw bales are now painted and are on the layout. The remaining four received their first coat and they will be finished tomorrow as well.
- Wiring. I completed wiring the Inner Mainline track. I ran a test train on the track and it worked fine. The next step is to place the foam underbed on the layout and nail down the track. Hopefully this will also take place tomorrow.
- Locomotive Maintenance. I removed the shell from CN 76, a small diesel locomotive that showed no signs of life when placed on the track. I noticed a loose wire and soldered it back on. I then lubricated the gears, oiled the motor, and cleaned the wheels. Success. The little engine now works. This is a relatively cheap locomotive and does not perform well at slow speeds which is unfortunate as it should be used as a yard switcher. However it is greased lightening at high speeds. This is the first locomotive that I have taken apart and lubricated. I will have to do this with all of my locomotives. I am not sure what I will end up doing with some of these units. They are older units and may not lend themselves to DCC as their motors may not be capable of smooth operation at the slower speeds appropriate for switching.
As I have noted on a few occasions, one of the attractive features of this hobby is the variety of different activities. In addition to the above, there are also activities associated with:
- scenery construction
- prototypical train operation
- DCC operation
- historical reading
- rolling stock construction
- building constuction
- locomotive maintenance and wiring for DCC.
6:30 am I am not that pleased with my effort to paint over the "Union Pacific" lettering on the 100 ton quad hoppers. The black is not a good match with the existing black on the cars. The new paint is a bit brighter and at the same time fails to adequately cover the white lettering. I think I have a small jar of some other black from previous days. I may try that for the second coat and see if it makes a difference. There is so much to learn.
Here are the remaining dusted off cars:
10:20 PM I tried painting the second coat of black paint using some old Floquil "Engine Black". This looks much better. I have now painted one side of each of the six cars. I also spray painted the ground cover and coal mine building with some flat black paint. That helped a lot. The mine building now looks like it is in operation with a light dusting of black on the walls and roof. Every little bit helps.
I spent over an hour earlier this morning looking at, and installing, the barrier strips and wiring for the Inner Mainline track. I still have some work to do with this but it has been a good start.
6:30 am I now have some paint for the hay bales and 100 ton hoppers. I bought 2 more turnouts which will help the layout. There will be two main tasks today: painting the hoppers and hay bales and adding the dusted off cars to the layout. The latter also involves updating the data base for the cars.
7:50 am I have taken photos of all the cars that I dusted off yesterday. The cars are now all on the layout. I still have to update my database. I now realize that I also need to clean the wheels on all of the cars - that will take a while. The locomotives need a regular maintenance and lubrication. I will have to do some reading before I tackle this. There is a lot of background work to be done before the trains are fully operational.
1:40 PM A very good morning. I now have a total of 57 cars dusted off and on my layout; plus 2 diesel locomotives. Equally important my data base is up to date with photos of all these cars. Here are the images of the new additions:
Here are two images of the results so far:
I still have a few cylindrical hopper cars to dust off, but I am almost finished unpacking my rolling stock and getting it operational. I also spent some time reviewing many of my buildings and glueing on a few loose pieces. Then I will have to have a close look at the few locomotives that I have (both diesel and steam). I am still finding it difficult to believe that it has been 10 years since I last looked at this.
8:15 am I am delighted with my recent progress. I now have a working layout. I am going to try to get the remainder of my cars dusted off today and put on the tracks. I have about a dozen cylindrical hopper cars, aka "grain cars". Now that the White Plains siding is operational I have a place for these cars. I am still unpacking and uncovering stuff from 10 years ago, but I will soon be up to date. I will make a quick trip over to the hobby store this morning and see about some paint (I need a flat black to cover up the road name on the coal hopper cars I am assembling and a pale yellow for the round hay bales I recently bought.). While there, I will see about buying a couple of more turnouts and ask if they have any under the track uncoupling magnets.
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