It was a good convention all

It was a good convention all around, though I wasn't prepared for the dominance of On2 1/2.  Several interesting layouts on the tours and a lot of good clinics.

Maybe Joe will narrow-gauge the Siskiyou Lines and his crews can push double-headed K-27s over Rice Hill.

It's On30

Yep, Joe, On30 is becoming very popular! And by the way, those modeling this scale and gauge combination call it On30 - they look on On2 1/2 with disdain (just so you know).

MRH actually has a Narrow Gage columnist, Lewis Matt, who is a big fan of On30 and will be covering all things for NG and shortline-related in his column. Lew is a known name in the narrow gage community - and by the way, it's becoming gage, not gauge ... if you check out the NMRA pages, they're moving to gage instead of gauge. Webster's says either is correct, with a slight preference to gauge. But the more modern spelling is gage, and that's what we'll be using in MRH.

And speaking of my layout visit

We had over 150 modelers visit my layout last Saturday, September 13th in just over 4 hours time. If you do the math, that's someone every couple minutes coming into my basement. Most stayed in layout room for 10-30 minutes looking around at everything.

A couple of my regular operators, Jerry Sheffield and Ron Smith helped keep the trains moving while I entertained questions and played the friendly host. Here's a few photos ...

Here's four modelers enjoying the Coos Bay Hauler as it runs down the hill into Myrtle Point. The person in the foreground with the camera is actually Joe Brugger, another of my regular operators who posted previously on this thread about his surprise at all the On30 (On2 1/2) at the Narrow Gauge convention. It's true my layout is not narrow gage, but it is one of the larger layouts in the area that's into serious operation, and I'm also serious about good looking scenery and a realistic depiction of my 1980s SP prototype. By the way, just behind Joe Brugger's hands is Mike Baynes, another of my regular operators who's attending the convention. Joe and Mike came by since they were on the layout tour that included my layout - and it's been a while since I've operated so they wanted to see what was new!

Quick question/observation

I'm just looking at that last photo, Joe, and it looks like the valance covering the lighting is some kind of fabric or cardboard the way it looks in the photos, but maybe its just me.  What material is it?

The valance ...

The valance is 1/8" masonite hardboard painted with flat paint called "Charcoal" - it's a very dark gray, almost black.

There are a few places where the light shows through the joints, and I'm planning to make some simple moulding from styrene strips to put in the gaps - and paint them with the Charcoal color as well.

OK, that's what I thought

OK, that's what I thought from the videos, but it just looked thinner somehow from that angle but the 1/8" thickness would explain the waviness you can see from the back side.

Narrow Gauge Comments

 Joe has the following comment:

It's true my layout is not narrow gage, but it is one of the larger layouts in the area that's into serious operation, and I'm also serious about good looking scenery and a realistic depiction of my 1980s SP prototype. 

That is certainly true Joe. In addition to attending the conference, I took side trips to Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Klamath Falls and Mt Shasta CA where I did some more research on my early 1900's modeling of the Klamath Falls Branch  of the SP. All the way I was taking pictures of trees, trees and more trees to model for my layout. My wife is an artist and also was taking pictures of trees. When I showed her the pictures I took of Joe's layout she thought that his trees were the real thing. Too bad she went shopping and missed the layout that day.

Peter Smith, Memphis 

PS:  I also model in HOn30

Narrow Gauge Comments

Sure. When it comes to choosing between shopping and watching model trains, the wives invariably choose shopping. And then they get upset when we buy something for our model railroads.

Glad to hear you liked the trees!

Glad to hear you liked the trees! In the first chapter of my scenery series (my video volumes 4 & 5), I mention the keys to great looking scenery - and that's proper color and texture.

It really makes a big difference if you pay attention to these two things, since the result will be things like believable conifer trees that LOOK like conifers and not just a stick with some ground foam stuff on it.