CGRS October 2000 Newsletter

	The Columbus Garden Railway Society December 2000 Online Newsletter Volume 9 Number 12 Table Of Contents TIME TO PAY DUES!
	The Plant Manager	~~Barbara~~ Richard Abler
	Cheney's Host A Great Meeting In November	Richard Abler
	Reserve Now For Annual Banquet	Richard Abler
	Tee Shirts And Sweat Shirts Order Is A Go!	Richard Abler
	Holiday Figures and Buildings	Richard Abler
	Nworb's Hobby Shop Sale	Richard Abler
	Pay With One Check	Richard Abler
	Huntington Bank Holiday Train Layout and Pictures	Richard Abler
	Tell Us About Your New Locomotive	Richard Abler
	Product of the Year	Richard Abler
	About CGRS and this Newsletter	Richard Abler
	Deadline for Next Issue	Richard Abler

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The Plant Manager

Barbara Abler

The Outdoor Christmas Railroad

Usually spouse Barbara writes this column, but she’s out Christmas shopping. And I want to give her lots of time to buy wonderful presents for me <smirk>, so I’m writing the column this month.

By the time you read this the holiday season will be in full swing. But what about your garden railroad? Is it ready for the season?

A few years ago CGRS held a tour of member railroads decorated for the Christmas season. We’re not doing a tour this year, but you can get your railroad dressed for Christmas anyway, and with not really too much work.

The job begins by getting rid of the fall leaves. That’s the hardest part at our house. Garden railroading under an oak tree that dribbles dead leaves all winter long. But with a good leaf blower it doesn’t really take too long to get the basic layout free from leaves - at least for a while, if you’re under an oak.

The next step is to check to ensure that the track and trains can run OK. That’s especially important if you haven’t run trains for a while. Get that requirement taken care of before you start laying cords and lights around the layout. You’ll see what I mean in a minute. Be sure all your extension cords are connected to outlets having a ground-fault interrupter (usually called a GFI in hardware stores). If you are squeamish about running 110-volt lighting on your garden railroad you can buy one of those inexpensive low-voltage lighting sets that are on the market, such as those from Malibu. You can modify those lights to fit inside your structures and use them as-is for lighting your layout.

OK, now that you’re sure the track is conducting electricity and the trains are running fine, its time to start lighting up the layout for Christmas. I start with the Christmas structures. Over the years I’ve collected a few ceramic buildings (some with a 110 volt light bulb, some without) and that inexpensive set of Christmas buildings by Piko. These get set out on the layout first. They’re easy to light. Just keep in mind that most of these ceramic buildings are not weather resistant. You may need to take them in to avoid freeze-thaw damage. Just use a string of mini lights tied up in a bunch and placed inside the building. Add an extension cord and you’ve lighted one structure for less than two bucks. Even less if you’ve saved this stuff from last year. [See separate story on where to buy this stuff.]

This year I will place an inexpensive battery-operated miniature tape recorder in the church and put on a tape of organ Christmas music. I’ll set the volume so it can be heard at about a five-foot distance.

Next I string out one or sets of mini lights along the track in the far loop of our railroad where the house spotlights don’t throw any light. That actually works out fairly well and certainly is easy to do. I still have some older sets of mini lights I use for this. They are not as bright as the current crop of "super-brites," so there’s a softer light and less contrast as the lighted trains pass along the track.

The next things I place are the "animated" LED lighted figures from Department 56. I have a Santa in sleigh, a reindeer, and a snowman. I place these at good places in the layout. Also at this time I place a small string of battery-operated miniature lights in the tiny trees by the station and in a couple of other miniature trees in the layout. Some of the battery-operated lights can be operated by a low-voltage adapter instead of batteries. I place the adapter inside a building on the layout. That keeps it out of the weather, as recommended by the manufacturer.

Next its time to set out some figures. I’ve collected several dozen ceramic figures over the years, mostly from after-Christmas sales at Odd Lots. They are often available at fifty cents a piece, or less, at that time.

Now its time to run trains. But hold on a minute! Its winter. Depending on the weather, you may need to plow the track with your new snow plow. Of you may need to get out a shovel and your pole-mounted 3M pad. At any rate, don’t expect flawless operation on winter nights in this part of the country. heavy evening dews will descend onto your rails and cause either wet, slippery track, or loss of conductivity with your locomotive when the dew freezes.

All of the major G-scale manufacturers offer Christmas-themed locomotives and rolling stock. We will be running some Christmas-themed passengers cars which have a built-in sound unit which plays carols. No doubt the snow plow will be out on the winter layout as well.

So there you have it. Lighted buildings, animated figures, still figures, mini lights throughout, various sound systems turning out seasonal carols, and trains running through the snow. All of this points to fun, and that’s what its all about.

Cheney's host a great meeting in November

Richard Abler

A cold, blustery day with snow flurries greeted the thirty or so CGRS members at the back yard railroad of Dave & Judy Cheney last month. Nonetheless, we all spent a good deal of time watching the trains run on this relatively new railroad.

The railroad is anchored to a flat spot on a strongly sloping back yard and took a bit of ingenuity to construct. An outer loop of the rectangular railroad runs through a curved limestone tunnel on end and through pachysandra at the other. The inside loop is a figure-8 for a trolley line. Both loops are connected through a series of track switches; both can access the scratch-built train shed at the pachysandra end of the railroad.

A large limestone rock serves as a miniature plateau; a gazebo on top provides a diversion for the railroad's "little people." Great attention is paid to detail, especially of the structures. That's not too surprising when you learn that Dave served as coordinator of structures and scenery for an HO model railroad club layout for many years.

After standing up to the blasts of wintry air the group retired to the indoor recreation room / bar / TV room for a discussion of business items:

1. The December meeting will be a holiday potluck party at Bob & Harriet Dana's in northwest Columbus. This will run from 3 to 6pm. Bring a dish to share and bring your own booze. (Details)

2. We're not having a meeting in January due to several reasons. The Greenberg Show will not be visiting Columbus next January; the railroad club at the fairgrounds - where we normally meet in January - has been evicted; and all January dates at DaVinci Restaurant - where we hold our annual banquet - were booked up.

3. Therefore, the annual banquet will be held at DaVinci Restaurant on Saturday night February 3rd. See separate story.

4. February will be a busy month for CGRS. We'll be running trains and staffing an information booth at the Great American Train Show (GATS) at the fairgrounds on February 24 and 25. At the same time, we'll be at opening weekend of the Home and Garden Show at the fairgrounds where we'll also be staffing a garden railroad. Fortunately, these venues are right across the street from each other.

5. We are now signing up meeting hosts for 2001 starting with April. Please contact Bill Logan if you would like to host a CGRS meeting next year.

6. Doug & Ginny Clark announced they'll be holding a rail raising next April - date to be arranged.

7. I invited those present to write up articles of interest to be shared via the newsletter.

8. We collected dues for next year from those present. Thanks to Cora Collins for helping out with this task.

Finally, we would all like to thank Dave & Judy for opening up their railroad and their home to this group of diehard garden railroaders. Thanks to them also for the snacks, drinks, nuts, and cookies - especially the home-made, hand-decorated, gingerbread locomotive cookies!

Tee shirts and sweat shirts order is a go!

Richard Abler

We will be placing an order for CGRS Logo tee shirts, sweat shirts, and golf shirts before the year is over. So if you have been thinking about getting a logo shirt NOW is your time to act. There’s a possibility of price increases to CGRS after the first of the year. There is a one-page form further back in this issue for your convenience. Alternatively, you can fill out this
same form on our web site at. (click here) There are small photos of the shirts on the order form on the web site.

If you have questions about ordering, paying, or shipping please get in touch with Jim Kimmel at jimbarbkimmel@compuserve.com or 614-890-8173.

Reserve now for annual banquet

Richard Abler

In February we’ll be celebrating another year of garden railroading as CGRS turns nine! Wow! Where does the time go?

The banquet will be held at DaVinci Restaurant on the northwest side of Greater Columbus on Saturday, February 3rd. The fun starts at 6pm with a social hour, then on to dinner at 7pm and a special program with guest speaker at 8pm.

There will be some very nice door prizes for lucky individuals.

To help us with the planning for this event we’re asking you to make your reservations early. If your plans change you can get a full refund up to a week before the banquet. Please use the form further back in this issue to make your reservation. New this year - you can make your reservation on our web site if you so desire: click here.

The dinner will include three entrees - chicken, beef, or vegetarian as well as potato, vegetable, roll & butter and your choice of dessert. The cost of the event will be $24 per person - still no price increase after three years.

Nworb's Hobby Shop Sale

Richard Abler

CGRS member Jeff Roberts informed us of a going-out-of-business sale at Nworb’s Hobby House - due to a death in the family. Everything is now 50% off until Christmas.

Typical items available are:
G-scale trains by LGB, Bachmann, USA Trains, and Kalamazoo (several pieces of each).
O-scale trains by K-Line and Lionel.
Plastic model cars and airplanes.
Heritage Village, Snow Village, and Dickens Village ceramic buildings (including Department 56 and 62).
Lemax battery-powered lighting kits.
Various hobby and crafts supplies.

Nworb’s Hobby House is located in north-eastern Columbus at 4374 Karl Road, which is about 1/4 mile south of Hwy 161 (just behind Wendy’s). Store hours are Monday through Saturday 12:30 to 7pm and Sunday 12:30 to 5pm.

For further information one may phone Nworb’s at 614-263-9994.

Pay with one check

Richard Abler

As a service to the membership, those members wanting to pay dues and make banquet reservations, and/or buy tees and sweats may write just ONE check for for their total transactions. Please include ALL forms, however, and send the entire order to me. I will see to it that the order forms and payments are properly credited.

Mail this stuff to: Richard J. Abler / 990 Blind Brook Drive / W Worthington OH 43235-1281. Alternatively, you may choose to do your banquet reservations and tees and sweats ordering on the CGRS web site http://cgrs.org. In that case you may still write just one check and mail it to me at the above address.

Holiday figures and buildings

Richard Abler

This is a good time of the year to look for figures for your holiday railroad. Check out the Christmas village displays at the large chain stores. Some of the holiday figures are actually appropriate for year round use.

Mostly the figures are near 1:32 or 1:29, but many are usable for typical, garden-variety 1:24 scale modeling as well. I have not found any Christmas figures useful for those modeling in 1:20.3 scale though.

There are more and more inexpensive ceramic Christmas buildings coming on the market each year. You can get a very nice, lighted structure for $10 to $15, even less after Christmas. Compare that to the prices of the Department 56 structures and you’ll see they are a real bar-gain! While they are very nice I think most of them are just a bit undersized for G-scale. But with temporary Christmas layouts, anything goes. Its all for fun anyway. Another drawback is that these structures likely are not weatherproof and could be damaged by freeze-thaw cycles if you leave them outside for any length of time. They are best used as what I call "set-outs." That is, set them out for a show or open house and then take them back in.

Good places where I have found this kind of stuff are: Michael’s, JoAnn Fabrics, Frank’s, Odd Lots (best prices I’ve seen!), Lowe’s, Seasonal Concepts (in Graceland shopping center, for Department 56 stuff), and K-Mart. But those of you who have been in this hobby for any length of time have come to understand that G-scale stuff can pop up just about anywhere.

Once you start seeing the world through "G-scale eyes" you can find usable stuff all over the place. So shop early and shop often. New stuff appears each season. Chain stores only get one shipment of this stuff for the season. And when its gone - its gone! So if you see something you really like, buy it then!

Huntington Bank Holiday Train Layout and Pictures

Richard Abler

In last month’s newsletter I mentioned the Huntington Bank Holiday Railroad would be open to the public again this season. To follow up on that article I now want to point you to some new photos of that railroad on our web site. (click here)

The photos were taken by our webmaster, Peter Wine, who assisted Paul Busse and the crew of Applied Imagination in setting up the display railroad on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

If you haven’t visited our web site lately this would be a good time to do so and check out the photos. While the photos are good, the railroad really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated.

The display is free of charge and is open during normal banking hours weekdays from 7:30am to 4pm and on weekends from 1 to 5pm through the end of the year.

Sign up for a drawing for an LGB starter set while you are there.

Thanks to Peter Wine for adding the pictures to our web site.

Tell us about your new locomotive

Richard Abler

I thought I’d try a new tack to get some input to the newsletter from some more of you out there. I’ve come up with a sort of "fill-in-the-blanks" form for reporting on a new locomotive that you are going to get from Santa. Or maybe for writing about a new locomotive you bought this past year.

The form is further back in this issue. This is an experiment. If it works out I’ll yell Whoopee! If it bombs, I’ll always think it shouldn’t have.

Oh well, take a look at it - and fill in the blanks or check one of the choices where appropriate. I’ll gather the responses and pick some for a future newsletter.

Product of the Year

Richard Abler

Each year at this time I go out on a limb and designate my product-of-the-year award. I have no preset criteria for choosing this award, it just goes to something that has come on the market during the past year and caught my eye and strikes my fancy as being interesting or innovative.

And for 2000 - the envelope please - the winner is the Mack Diesel and "shorty" cars manufactured by Hartland Locomotive Works of LaPorte, Indiana. Here’s a combination of high quality and low price that’s going to service a sector of the market not currently being serviced by quality products - the far low end. One could put together a "starter set" of Mack Diesel, a couple of cars, a circle of track, and a power pack for around $100 at street prices. A set like this has to be good for the hobby in general. It really lowers the entry barrier and can get lots of new folks into G-scale.

I know there are battery-operated, holiday train sets from other manufacturers that are in the $35 - $50 range out in the discount stores. However, in my opinion, many of these sets are low quality and won’t last through the holidays after the kids get their hands on them. But this Hartland stuff should stand up well to rough handling and still keep on running. That’s what I like about it. And that’s why I selected it as this year’s winner. There’s nothing else that can match the Mack Diesel at about $40 (in any of six colors) and the shorty cars at $8-10 each (flat car, gondola, tank car, ore tipple car) at this price point in the G-scale market.

Each person has his or her own idea about awards. And I’ll be the first to admit that each of you reading these award articles each year have your own opinion of what should have been selected as the winner. That’s fine. Write up your selection for product-of-the-year and send it to me. I’ll collect them for the next newsletter.

Just for the record, my past years’ selections were as follows:
1999 - the Aristo-Craft Eggliners - what a hoot!
1998 - the LGB 30th Anniversary Starter Set - top quality at a low price.
1997 - the Bachmann Shay Locomotive - a stunner! and a surprise from this manufacturer.

About CGRS and this Newsletter

Richard Abler

This newsletter is intended as a medium in which to air the news and views of CGRS Members in good standing. CGRS is an informal group which meets monthly or thereabouts to share a common interest in garden railroading and to socialize. Membership is open to all interested persons. Most CGRS Member Families are from the Greater Columbus area.

Newsletter-related business, such as articles and classified ads, as well as changes to the membership list, should be directed to the editor:

Richard J. Abler / Puddlefort Press
990 Blind Brook Drive
Worthington OH 43235-1281
Phone 614-885-0351
Fax: Same, call first.
E-mail: abler@infinet.com

Membership dues and financial matters:
Glenn Babka
E-mail: babkag@aol.com

Meetings, programs, and CGRS
principal business contact:
Bill Logan
E-mail: WRLogan@msn.com

Library/Archives/Books/Videos
Cecil Easterday

Webmaster: Peter Wine
1512 Walters Street
Dayton OH 45404-1803
937-228-1491

Contributors to this Issue:
Hey, c'mon! Help us out!

Deadline for Next Issue

Richard Abler

The deadline for the next issue of the newsletter is December 9th. Then, on or about December 11th, we will meet at the Abler's to get the newsletter ready for mailing: folding, stapling, labeling, and stamping. The meeting starts at 8pm. All persons are invited (and encouraged) to attend these work sessions.

In addition to newsletter preparations, CGRS business issues are discussed and decisions are made. Call ahead (614-885-0351) so we know how much snackies to have on hand.