Clinics & Contest at the Derby City Express

Derby City Express Clinic Information

Go to  http://web.mac.com/pauljdowns/2008_N_Scale_Convention/Clinics.html for additional information.

All Clinics will be held at KICC Dockside Rooms 109 and 112. This is directly below the main KICC Hall 2C/D.

Clinics last for 45 minutes.

SPECIAL TOPIC - Thursday, 1:00 PM 

Operations Open Roundtable - This will be an OPEN session for the discussion of different Operation’s methods, paperwork & ideas. Brain Storming is welcome! Feel free to bring your own paperwork to discuss or show off.  If you want to learn about OP’s this is the place to be. OP SIG members encouraged to attend.

Thursday Clinics

8:00 AM Daryl Kruse - UPRR Rochelle Subdivision, Development, Operation And The Future - See the development of the UPRR Rochelle Subdivision over a 17 year period to present day design and what the future will hold for it.

8:00 AM Walt Huston - Details, Details - This is a slide presentation where photos of real railroads are used to show that we can add some very interesting details to our model railroads that are not often seen. Most of these details can be accomplished for free or very little expense.

9:00 AM Walt Huston - How To Write An Article For Publication - Learn the techniques for putting ideas, drawings and photographs together to produce a "package" for submittal to your favorite magazine for publication. Take the mystery and intimidation out of the process.

9:00 AM Lou Dreher - Realistic Pine Trees For Model Railroads - Learn how to build realistic pine trees easily using inexpensive, common house hold items. Even the beginner will come away with the ability to model a pine tree on the first try.

10:00 AM Don Kriegbaum - Locomotive Repair - Diesel And Steam - Learn how to keep your locomotives running like new.

10:00 AM Miles Hale, MMR - Terrain And Landscaping The Woodland Scenics Way - This clinic starts from the terrain up to show you magically how easy and fun it is to model ground cover, bushes, grasses, weeds and trees for you layout.  Learn simple blending and layering techniques that provide ultimate realism as you add both color and texture to your layout.  This layout is designed to help you begin a new one or add finishing touches to an existing one.

12:00 PM Mike Armstrong - Tools, The Right Tools Make Modeling More Fun - The right tools make modeling more fun. This clinic is for both the beginning as well as the experienced modeler. Learn about various modeling tools and how to use them. Learn how to get your modeling tools free. Bring your own favorite tool to show.

12:00 PM John L. Widmar Jr. - Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line - Relax and take a tour on the Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line.  This is a combination slide show, video and music presentation with no clinician to distract you on your trip.  Take the weight off your feet for a few minutes and enjoy this clinic.

1:00 PM Bob Johnson - G Gauge, Not Just One Size - This clinic will explain why G Gauge has so many different "scale sizes”.  You'll enjoy this hands on clinic that allows you to actually compare the different sizes and see how different manufactures build their product in G Gauge.  Learn about building and planning a garden railroad, wiring for G Gauge, tips and much more.

1:00 PM You, Us - Operations Open Roundtable - This will be an OPEN session for the discussion of different Operation’s methods, paperwork & ideas. Brain Storming is welcome! Feel free to bring your own paperwork to discuss or show off.  If you want to learn about OP’s this is the place to be. OP SIG members encouraged to attend.

2:00 PM Bob Knight - Building Brass Kits - Learn how to bend fold & assemble brass kits without a drop of solder.  If you can build a plastic kit, you can build a brass kit!

3:00 PM Steve Engelhardt – Constructing Scenery And Layouts With Extruded Foam - Learn the techniques, failures and methods to build a successful layout and scenery by using extruded foam. This clinic is being presented by one of the pioneers of building extruded foam layouts.

3:00 PM Mark A. Cowles - Boats For Trains - A look at prototype settings where boats (barges, ferries and ships) and trains meet and exchange cargoes. Suggestions will be offered for some of the better prototype vessels to use on your layout.

4:00 PM Mark A. Cowles - A Brief History Of The Great Lakes Car Ferries - A look at how the railroad overcame the obstacle the Great Lakes and their connection straights and rivers presented. This clinic looks at the routes , technology and the vessels that were involved in providing this service.

4:00 PM Len VanderJagt - C.R.A.P.- Creating Realistic & Authentic Prototype Trains - An introduction to how prototype freight trains are assembled from the 1920 to 1976. Learn about freight car composition, prototype train makeup and how to recreate them for your layout or N-Trak operations.

5:00 PM Bob Vensel - Riding the New River Train, Chessie Steam Special - Come along and experience a train trip through the New River Gorge from Huntington to Hinton, West Virginia, and take a few side trips along the way.

5:00 PM Charlie Vlk - How Model Products Happen - Ever wondered how a prototype is picked and what goes into making it a production model? Based on experience gained while working at JMC/Concor and Kato and as an independent model railroad consultant with clients such as Atlas, Lifelike, Deluxe Innovations, Hornby-Rivarossi, Lionel, K-Line, Broadway Limited/ Precision Craft Molder. The clinic will outline the process involved in bringing a model to market from start of finish.

6:00 PM Don Hoffman - Lighting Buildings - You will learn the benefits of lighting your buildings on either layouts and modules. Discussions will included the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the various methods of lighting buildings. Circuiting & voltages will also be covered.

6:00 PM Bob Frankrone - Open Loads - This clinic features a verity of open loads that can be built using commercially available kits or easily scratch built from basic materials. Beginners and master modelers alike will learn how to build realistic open loads.

7:00 PM Jim Hinds - Understanding And Using LED's In Model Railroading - An in-depth look at what an LED is, how an LED works, how to use an LED, why to use an LED and the colors and voltages available.

7:00 PM Paul Bender - CTC & Signaling With PanelPro - An introduction to using JMRI's PanelPro to build electronic CTC panels as well as controlling signals and turnouts.   

8:00 PM Carter Fritschel - eNhancing N Scale Vehicles - Learn the procedures for making simple enhancements to bring out the details of ready to use vehicle models and the progress to cover more complex detailing procedures to bring older N Scale vehicle models up to current standards.

8:00 PM Marty Vaughn, MMR - Populating Your Layout - See how you can create your own N Scale figures quickly and cheaply to bring life to your layout.

Friday Clinics

8:00 AM Mark A. Cowles - Simplified Operations For The Smaller Layout - This clinic presents a fairly easy method that can be used to get you started with an operating system for small, medium sized and modular layouts.

8:00 AM Mike Armstrong - Tools, The Right Tools Make Modeling More Fun - The right tools make modeling more fun. This clinic is for both the beginning as well as the experienced modeler. Learn about various modeling tools and how to use them.  Learn how to get your modeling tools free.  Bring your own favorite tool to show.

9:00 AM Daryl Kruse - UPRR Rochelle Subdivision, Development, Operation And The Future - See the development of the UPRR Rochelle Subdivision over a 17 year period to present day design and what the future will hold for it.

9:00 AM Steve Engelhardt – Constructing Scenery And Layouts With Extruded Foam - Learn the techniques, failures and methods to build a successful layout and scenery by using extruded foam. This clinic is being presented by one of the pioneers of building extruded foam layouts.

10:00 AM Scott Teague - Modeling The Modern Era NS Railroad - Learn the techniques that are incorporated in this 18' X 42' layout based on the NS railroad. See hot the locomotive and rolling stock were weathered to bring it all to life.

10:00 AM Marty Vaughn, MMR - Acrylic's: Everything But Paint - Learn ways to use acrylic products available in most craft stores. This clinic will cover everything from water, ice, snow, scenery, cracked and peeling paint and much more.

12:00 PM John L. Widmar Jr. - Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line - Relax and take a tour on the Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line.  This is a combination slide show, video and music presentation with no clinician to distract you on your trip.  Take the weight off your feet for a few minutes and enjoy this clinic. 

12:00 PM James E. Beal Jr. - You Don't Need A Mole Hill To Make A Mountain - Learn how to use Styrofoam sheets, white glue and brown paint to build  realistic mountains.

1:00 PM Don Kriegbaum - Locomotive Repair - Diesel And Steam - Learn how to keep your locomotives running like new.

1:00 PM William Sterner - Car Cards And Waybills For Operations - This clinic will cover using an MS-Access database to generate car cards and waybills for use when doing programmed operations

2:00 PM Kirk Reddie - Producing Photography And Articles For Publication - This clinic will cover various issues and ideas, with an in-depth look at over coming the required photography.

2:00 PM Jarrette Ireland - Big Sound From All Around - This clinic will discuss how to get the most out of your Surround Traxx DCC layout sound system. Get an introduction to Surround Traxx and tips for planning it into your layout with a demo included.

3:00 PM Lou Dreher - Realistic Pine Trees For Model Railroads - Learn how to build realistic pine trees easily using inexpensive, common house hold items. Even the beginner will come away with the ability to model a pine tree on the first try.

3:00 PM Charlie Vlk - The Early History Of N Scale - A look back at the "good old days" of N Scale. See early attempts to introduce near 1:160 scale trains. Trace the origins of N gauge and the early pioneer importers and manufacturers. See some of the early equipment and talk about the early days of the N Scale model railroad industry. 

4:00 PM Bob Frankrone - Operations On The Louisville Southern Lines - Lean how the LSL was transformed into an operating layout long after it  was designed and built. A short history of the layout, the cities, towns and industries as a will as the LSL route maps will be described and explained.

4:00 PM Jim Hinds - Wiring Sizes For Model Railroads - Lean how to analyze your track rails for optimum and safe wiring. Discover the correct wire sizes for everything electrical on your railroad. Find out the solid vs. stranded wire question from an expert.

Saturday Clinics

8:00 AM Mike Moore - Building Custom Billboards, Make It & Take It - Learn about the billboards are all around us.  They can be found almost anywhere along major highways as well as around cities,towns, and even along the rural roads we travel.  In model railroading, why miss the great opportunity to include billboards as a significant bit of detail and realism on our layout?  This is a "Make It & Take It" clinic...don't miss it!

8:00 AM Doug Hickman - A Brief History Of Collecting Kadee/Micro Trains Rolling Stock - This clinic will cover the history of Kadee / Micro Trains rolling stock, changes over the years in the auction market place, features that make one N Scale car more valuable than another and where to look for these features.

9:00 AM Paul Bender - Managing Your Decoders With DecoderPro - An introduction to using JMRI's DecoderPro to manage your decoder fleet

9:00 AM Paul Mussleman - T-Trak, Train Layouts For People Without Space For Layouts - A brief history on T-Trak module standards, construction, techniques, materials and wiring. A small working layout will be available for demonstration.

10:00 AM Jarrette Ireland - Big Sound From All Around - This clinic will discuss how to get the most out of your Surround Traxx DCC layout sound system. Get an introduction to Surround Traxx and tips for planning it into your layout with a demo included.

10:00 AM Steve Holzheimer - Big Fun With A Small Layout - Building a layout based on a specific location can be a challenge in the best of circumstances. Fitting one into a small room requires careful prototype selection and creativity. Learn how it's done using the ACY/NKP interchange in Spencer, Ohio as an example.

11:00 AM John L. Widmar Jr. - Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line - Relax and take a tour on the Royal Gorge Western Railroad Scenic Line.  This is a combination slide show, video and music presentation with no clinician to distract you on your trip.  Take the weight off your feet for a few minutes and enjoy this clinic. 

11:00 AM Bob Frankrone - Two Scenic Railroads…And A Canal - If you're a fan of tourist railroads you won't want to miss this clinic on the Big South Fork Railroad located in southeastern KY and the Western Maryland scenic rail way in Cumberland, MD. As a bonus, enjoy a 10 mile bike ride along the C & O canal.

12:00 PM Paul Mussleman - T-Trak, Train Layouts For People Without Space For Layouts - A brief history on T-Trak module standards, construction, techniques, materials and wiring. A small working layout will be available for demonstration. 

12:00 PM Fred Hoxie - The Process Of Producing N Scale Special Run Cars - NTRAK club members will benefit from this clinic by learning the process to produce special run cars to help fund club activities. Individual modelers will also benefit as many times a special run car is the only way to get a specific car for their railroad.

1:00 PM John Wallis - Digital Command Control, The Design & Operations Consideration for The Derby City Express NTRAK Layout - This clinic will describe the factors influencing the DCC design of the Derby City Express NTRAK layout, describe the hierarchy and architecture of the DCC system, and review the operational aspects of the keeping the layout running smoothly.

2:00 PM Paul Downs - Quick and Easy Passenger Car Sides - Build your own passenger car sides to match that prototype that will never be commercially produced. Learn how to do research, make patterns, and cut the sides using simple tools from plain styrene sheets. Then glue these new sides to a kitbashed passenger car chassis to create unique cars for your railroad. 

2:00 PM Larry Southwick - Hulletts in the Desert - Learn about  the Calumet and Arizona Copper Company, a venture organized by iron range investors from Michigan, who wanted an open pit copper mine like that being developed at Bingham in Utah at the time.  The investors found a suitable ore deposit at Ajo, Arizona, 75 miles west of Tucson, and hired an iron range engineer, John Greenway, to build it for them.  Want to know more check this clinic out!

3:00 PM Larry Southwick - A Baker's Dozen of Compressed Air Locomotives at the Washoe Copper Smelter - Around 1905, the Anaconda Copper Company wanted to upgrade and expand their copper smelter which processed ore from their Butte operations.  This slide show will cover the resulting erection and operation of the new Washoe smelter they built in Anaconda, Montana.  Almost a hundred miles of standard gauge track were built and 13 Compressed Air Locomotives were purchased from The Porter Company to move ore, concentrates, roasted concentrates, slag, molten copper and finished products around the plant.  Operation of the air charging stations and product weighing scales will be described and illustrated.  Never heard of Compressed Air Locomotives? You will after this clinic.

4:00 PM Steve Engelhardt – Constructing Scenery And Layouts With Extruded Foam - Learn the techniques, failures and methods to build a successful layout and scenery by using extruded foam. This clinic is being presented by one of the pioneers of building extruded foam layouts.

4:00 PM Carter Fritschel - eNhancing N Scale Vehicles - Learn the procedures for making simple enhancements to bring out the details of ready to use vehicle models and the progress to cover more complex detailing procedures to bring older N Scale vehicle models up to current standards.

5:00 PM Don Hoffman - Lighting Buildings - You will learn the benefits of lighting your buildings on either layouts and modules. Discussions will included the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the various methods of lighting buildings. Circuiting & voltages will also be covered.

5:00 PM Mark A. Cowles - My Love Affair With Trains - This fast paced slide show covers 124 railroads, traction systems and museums in 21 states, 10 countries and 4 continents.