Cowcatcher Division

Hi gang,

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be Saturday November 19th at 10AM. The meeting will be held in room 1 of the LMRA club house: 3400 Bryant-Irvin Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76109.

I will present a clinic on Beginning DCC. Even if you consider yourself a DCC expert, please come and add your voice to the discussion. We have several new members that can benefit from your experience.

Of course, this weekend if the Ft. Worth Holiday Train show at the Amon Carter Exhibit Hall of the Will Rogers Colosseum. After the tremendous success we had at the LMRA train show a month ago, the LSR will again have a booth representing the NMRA and our division. Please come by the show and help with the booth if you can. This is an amazing chance to meet other people in the area that are interested in model railroading. More information is at http://dfwtrainshows.com

Since our division meeting is the following weekend, we are going to try to promote the meeting and my clinic at the show. I had at least 6 people at the LMRA show stop by the booth and ask DCC questions.

We will again have a popular vote contest. The theme this time will be “Beginning.” Bring something to the meeting that best exemplifies what beginning model railroading means to you. It’s a great time to bring a show and tell item from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of.

We’ll also have a brief general meeting and discuss any LSR and division issues you all might have.

It’s time to start thinking about the 2013 convention in the DFW area. The convention chairman, Marc LeChey, is looking for a few key people to join the convention committee at this early planning stage. If you’d like to volunteer, lets get together at the meeting or the show this weekend and talk about your interests.

Chris

Hi all,

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held Saturday, September 24th from 10AM until noon at the Texas Western club house: 6807-A Anglin Dr., Ft. Worth, TX. 76140.

This time Mike Corley will present a clinic titled “Making Operations Fun!” Building on basic operations, Mike presents ways to add more fun to operating sessions with prototypical standards and practices, passenger operations, diverse train types, yard operations, schedules, operator roles, etc.

We will have a popular vote contest again, and keeping with the clinic theme, the topic will be “Fun.” Bring something from your collection that you think puts the Fun back in “Model Railroading is Fun.”

We’ll also have a brief general meeting and discuss any LSR and division issues you all might have.

It’s a great time to bring a show and tell item from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of.

If you’d like to receive a notice of monthly meetings, please drop me an email at chris@railroadmodelers.com or visit: http://eepurl.com/etc4g

Hope to see you all there,

Chris

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held at 10AM Saturday, July 23rd in room 1 at the LMRA club house: 3400 Bryant-Irvin Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76109.

We will have a presentation on collecting brass by Bill Seifert. Bill is from Arlington and is a highly regarded expert on brass. I saw his clinic last summer at the NP Historical Association convention in Spokane, WA.

We will have a popular vote contest again, and keeping with the clinic, the theme will be brass models. Bring your favorite brass model. As usual, a good story goes a long way in garnering votes.

I’ll also have a quick report on the Lubbock convention, which a surprising large number of you attended.

It’s also a great time to bring a show and tell from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of.

Hope to see you all there,

Chris

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held from 10AM-noon Saturday, May. 21st, 2011 at the Texas Western club house: 6807-A Anglin Dr., Ft. Worth, TX. 76140.

This time we will have a presentation by our own Matt Latham titled “Two Feet to Tide Water. Modeling a Maine Two Footer in O Scale.”

We’ll have a general business meeting and I’ll give a report of the NMRA LDSIG/OPSIG meeting I attended in Tulsa earlier this spring.

It’s also a great time to bring a show and tell from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of. We’ll have another popular vote model contest. This time it will be wide open, so bring a favorite model to enter in the contest. Past contests have shown that a good story is usually more important than the quality of the model.

I’m happy to report that Division 1 has nominated a youth member for 2011: Dustin Lambert. He and his dad Kevin are members of the Texas Western in Ft. Worth and Dustin also models Z-scale.

I hope you all are planning on attending the June LSR convention in Lubbock. I know that they will be giving away several tickets to ride steam trains – including at least one cab ride. Also, you’ll want to come come and congratulate Bob Mangrum as he becomes the latest Division 1 member to be awarded his MMR.

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held from 10AM-noon Saturday, Feb. 19th, 2011 at the Texas Western club house: 6807-A Anglin Dr., Ft. Worth, TX. 76140.

Joe Batson will present a clinic called “Building an On30 Westside Lumber log car using Cerrobend.” Cerrobend is a casting material that is good because of it’s dense weight and Joe will show his process for casting using RTV molds.

I’ll have a report on the train shows and we’ll have a general business meeting.

This time, the subject of our popular vote contest will be logging equipment in honor of Joe’s clinic. Bring your favorite model, and have a chance of winning a gift certificate.

We are still looking for a youth to sponsor this year. Please nominate a child, grandchild, neighbor, club member or any young person you might know that has a genuine interest in the hobby. Help bring a young person to our hobby as well as introduce them to the NMRA. They will receive a 1 year membership to the NMRA, including the magazine.

It’s also a great time to bring a show and tell from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of.

I hope to see you all a week from Saturday,

Chris

The next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held Saturday, December 18th in room 1 at the LMRA club house: 3400 Bryant-Irvin Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76109.

I am going to give a clinic on using the free Photoshop clone, The Gimp, to create photos for backdrop buildings and mockups.

I doubt this clinic will go long, so if anyone else has a clinic they’d like to present, please step up and let me know. Remember, this can count towards the Author or Volunteer AP certificates if you are working on your MMR. Also, I need someone who would like to give a clinic at the Plano Train Show in January. Everyone who gives a clinic gets free admission.

We will have another popular vote model contest. The theme this time will be that it has to be something you did in 2010.

It’s also a great time to bring a show and tell from your layout. Maybe some photos or a model you are particularly proud of.

We are still looking for a youth to sponsor next year. Please nominate a child, grandchild, neighbor, club member or any young person you might know that has a genuine interest in the hobby.

More information can be found at the division website: http://cowcatcherdivision.com

I hope to see you all a week from Saturday,

Chris

Don’t forget that this Saturday is the next Cowcatcher Division meeting at the Texas Western club house: 6807 Anglin Drive, Ft. Worth. Darrell Cowles will present the second half of his excelent clinic on Ft. Worth railroad history.

The contest this time is for the best online structure. This can be any railroad owned structure like a depot, tool shed, outhouse, etc.

As and added bonus, Saturday is also National Train Day, and there will be a celebration at the Ft. Worth Intermodal Transportation Center on Jones Street. The organizers describe the event as:

Celebrate National Train Day at Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center with participation from Texas Rail Advocates, Operation Lifesaver, UPRR, Amtrak, DART Rail, BNSF, Trinity Railway Express and the Dallas Railroad Museum. There will also be train equipment displays, entertainment, balloon makers and face painters.

• Amtrak will have several of their passenger cars on display and a drawing for free tickets on their Texas Eagle service.

• BNSF Railway will display one of their locomotives and have railroad personnel on hand to answer your questions.

• Informative displays from Trinity Railway Express and the Fort Worth ‘T’; Operation Lifesaver and others.

• Musical entertainment.

• The North Texas Historic Transportation will have the NTT interurban at the Fort Worth Intermodal Station open for touring and information on the proposed City of Fort Worth Streetcar Circulator.

• Watch the action with the TRE and Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer and Texas Eagle trains and nearby freight trains.

• The Texas Rail Advocates table will feature National Train Day T-Shirts and Train Whistles.

• Union Pacific Railroad will show off its UP No. 2010 Boys Scouts of America Locomotive, honoring Scouting’s 100-year impact on the country.

I hope you can make it to the meeting before joining the festivities downtown.

Chris

The next meeting of Division 1 will be Saturday, Jan. 30 at 10AM. This meeting will be hosted by the Texas Western Model Railroad Club at 6807 Anglin Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76140. More information about the Texas Western can be found at http://texaswesternmrc.org

This meeting’s theme is cabooses. Bring your favorite caboose to share with the group. The winner will be chosen by popular vote. There will be a prize.

We’ll also discuss upcoming meetings. Please send me your meeting ideas.

I hope to see you all on the 30th.

Bring a friend,

Chris

Hi all,

At 10AM, Saturday, November 21st, the next meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held in room #4 at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association administration building: 3400 Bryant-Irvin Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76109.

The theme of this meeting is complete some unfinished kit that’s taking space under the layout. It can be a structure or anything else, but it should be something you already have. Like last time, there will be a prize for the most popular entry. Feel free to bring a friend along.

We’ll also discuss upcoming meetings. Please send me your meeting ideas.

Also, don’t forget next Saturday and Sunday, November 14th and 15th, is the Ft. Worth train show. The show is returning to the Amon Carter Exhibit Hall at 3401 W Lancaster Ave. in Ft. Worth. Like years before, we will have a table to promote the LSR and the Cowcatcher Division. You help manning the table will be greatly appreciated. If you can help out, please drop me a note at chris@railroadmodelers.com

I also need some folks to help out at the Plano Train Show in January. While Division 1 usually mans the table, we need to put on 4 clinics. If you’ve got a clinic up your sleeve, and can help out in January, please let me know.

I hope to see you all on the 21st.

Chris

At 10AM, Saturday, September 12th, the fall 2009 meeting of the Cowcatcher Division will be held in room #1 at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association administration building: 3400 Bryant-Irvin Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76109.

I’m slipping the meeting a few weeks to avoid interfering with the Division 3 meetings, the LMRA operating sessions and Labor day.

Rather than have one member present a clinic, Sept. 12th is going to be “Power Day.” Please bring your favorite, most unusual, one of a kind locomotive to the meeting to show the group and talk about. There will be a prize for the most interesting entry.

We’ll also discuss upcoming meetings, and have a recap the June convention.

With school starting, it’s the perfect time of year to nominate a young model railroader for the LSR membership scholarship. This boy or girl must be in our division and show an active interest in the hobby. If you have a child, grandchild or neighbor that you’d like to suggest, let me know, and I’ll put his or her name forward.

It’s also a great time of year to get your friends interested in the hobby and the NMRA. Please feel free to bring them along to the September meeting.

We have a few folks in the Division working on the AP program in order to become a Master Model Railroader. If you have done any AP judging in the past, please let me know so that I can put together a list of potential judges as these folks complete their certificate requirements.

I hope to see you all on the 12th.

Chris