The Gandy Dancer

Treasurer's report. under the usual separate cover. See Paul for details.

Good Guys Car Show was to be the weekend of 14th and 15th. Paul Newhouse moved and Carl Klenk seconded that participation at the show would be up to each scale. HO was and O was undecided.

Paul reported that the DCC computer was back up and running. Thanks Paul.

The January 2010 business meeting will be moved to January 8, 2010.

John Kolberg will try to get his crew together and get the swamp coolers installed by next weekend.

The December pot-luck Christmas Party will be on December 4. Sign-up sheets are posted.

Several members are out of action due to medical issues.

Bob Johnson introduced Felix Lau as a potential new member on the HO side.

Election of club officers

The nominating committee reported the following slate of candidates:

Nominated:

• President          - Gary Lweis
• Vice President - Bill Wills
• Treasurer          - Paul Newhouse
• Secretary          - Dean Lewis

The slate of candidates was unanimously accepted by voice vote.

Motion to adjourn by Bob Johnson. Motion seconded by Lee Buckner. Motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

Meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM.

T. M. remarks:

Bob thanked all those who had been working on the layout since the September meeting.

Motion to approve minutes from May meeting: M/S Carl/Lee. Approved without amendments or changes

Old Business

• Project Reports:
  
  
• Port project: The depot base has warped-cause not known yet.
  
  
• River road project: Paul reported no progress since last meeting.
  
  
• Jamestown: R. Johnson reported that some project budget has yet to be spent. Some details remain to be added. The existing "Building-under-construction" has been donated by John Marshall.
  
  
• Layout maintenance will be scheduled at a later date.
  
  
• The three items posted for voting in September were approved.
  
  
• Carl reported that a 40 ft. Athearn underframe was needed to repair some rail cars. He also reported that the vacuum car that was approved for purchase has arrived at the Train Shop and will be picked up Saturday. It was pointed out by both Peter and R. Johnson that the use of this car will be limited to those approved to do so after being checked out on its operation.
  
  
• Layout Detailing Budget-R. Johnson reporting:
  Spent some $ in September on layout details; There is still detail budget funds remaining.
  See official minutes for details.
  
  
• R. Johnson demonstrated the correct procedure for using the battery charger-put the batteries in the charger before plugging the charger in to the electrical outlet.
  
  
• R. Johnson gave instructions on the use of the radio-control operation of the DCC cab units. Those instructions are posted on the DCC cab storage cabinet.
  
  
• DC cab 4 replacement: no progress.
  
  
• Dean reported on three new donated GP38 locomotives. They have been "patch" painted for Sierra Western. Dean requested that the three units be kept together as a set and the two trailing locos be facing rearward so the headlights would be off to preserve them.
  
  
• Paul led a discussion about the proposed modification of the Wills Point siding. Essentially, the proposed change amounts to extending the double track main through block 35 to the north end of Wills point
  
  
• The annual "railroading" of officers was held with Bob Johnson and John Kolberg re-upping as Trainmaster and Assistant Trainmaster respectively. No other potential victims were nominated.
  
  

New Business

• Dennis donated three wooden refers. Carl replaced trucks on one of them.
  
  
• Dean donated four Intermountain PFE refer kits. A call was made for someone or two to build them.
  
  

Announcements

• The annual club Holiday potluck will be Friday, December 4. Sign up sheet is posted on the refrigerator in the locker room.
  
  
• GTE sign up sheets are posted upstairs.
  November 28 & 29 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM both days
  
• 
  
  
• Next HO scale meeting will be Friday, January 8, 2010.
  
  

First off I would like to thank everyone who participated in staffing our display shows during the past year. I think that most of us had at least some fun.

As usual, we had those who were participated in almost every show and those who participated in some shows and then there are those who don't participate at all… It takes all types to make a membership… Again, I would like to thank all of those who chose to participate, for joining in and helping out.

For those who have had their participation limited due to medical issues, I wish you a speedy return to the active ranks and look forward to seeing you when you are able to come on down again.

We are stepping up to our seasonal (winter) down time. This means that we have a break from shows and the like. We have a good stock of detail parts and items on hand; it would be good if we can install some of these items on the layout prior to the start of the new show season in 2010. It would be a good idea to see if we can install some of the replacement heating tubes now that the colder weather has arrived. We have a set of ladder levelers that need to be installed on the extension ladder that will make this work easier and safer. The levelers need to be installed on the ladder, before the heater work can commence.

I would like to wish everyone and their family a happy holiday season.

After the club business meeting on November 4th, the O-scale members met for discussions of business matters related to the O-scale layout.

Linda Bissum was re-elected as Trainmaster, and Dick Start was re-elected as Assistant Trainmaster.

At the end of the meeting Linda gave a demonstration of how a CTC dispatcher panel works using the JMRI Panel-Pro software. She also explained the difference between CTC (Centralized Train Control) and ABS (Automatic Block Signaling). Anyone who were not present, and would like that demo, please let Linda know.

Operation Session:

Dick Stark is planning an operation evening for January 15. Anybody who would like to participate, please let Dick know, so he can plan accordingly.

O-Scale Rewiring Project.

The active members of the O-scale side of the club has for some time been discussing the need to replacing the wiring under the layout.

The current wiring is old, faulty in many places, undocumented, and very difficult to maintain. Therefore, we have started a project to replacing all wires under the layout with new documented wiring. Our goal is have this project completed by 2011. Linda has written a document that outlines our high level goals. This document was e-mailed to all O-scale members a while back. A hard copy of this document will be present in the O-scale dispatch area soon.

Some of the goals in this project are:

• To have all wiring documented.
• To replace all switch machines with newer and more reliable units. What currently is proposed is similar to the tortoise switch machines, but with the power and reach required for this larger scale.
• implement block occupancy detection, using the C/MRI systems (this is already used by the HO group).
• To switch to DCC as the primary way to control train movements, while still retaining the ability to run trains using Analog.

Anybody who has an interest in becoming an active participant in this project, please contact Linda Bissum.

Most of the club engines are down for the count since the Fair.

Yoshi is working on Thomas, building a new frame and gearbox. He estimates Thomas will be ready to roll again in early spring. He also has the F45 and the Pennsy diesel in his shop. Both of these engines need a major overhaul too, and there is currently no estimate for when we will see them back in service.

The two Alligators continue to have pickup problems. Bob Bunch will experiment with stronger springs for the needlepoint pickups. If this does not work out, it will be necessary to replace the needlepoint pickups with something else.

Unfortunately, the LokSounds decoders we got for all of the engines are highly sensitive to power interruptions from dirty tracks and/or wheels. Linda is looking into if there are any kind of modification we can make to the decoders to make them less sensitive to the power interruptions.

After the new swamp coolers got installed last summer, the issues with dirty tracks has increased many fold. Linda is working on our SD40 diesel to outfit it with a USP supported DCC decoder. If this works out, the rechargeable batteries installed in this engine will enable it to coast across dirty tracks, pulling a string of cleaning cars. While it does not solve the problem created by the new swamp coolers, it will simplify our job of keeping the rails clean.

The only club engines that currently in operation are:

• WP F unit (DCC)
• UP SD60M (Analog)
• MILW U25B (DCC)

The U25B U-boat has issues with it's wipers, so it may not be running reliable. However, all active O-scale club members have their hands full for the time being, and there is therefore no near time plans to retrofit this engine. It works well some days, and not so good at other times.

Just In

The CTC Machine operation DVD I ordered a while ago from CTC Parts has arrived. It describes how a CTC panel works, and also includes some background history. It is available to club members on a first-come first-serve basis, but please anyone who checks it out, please return it the following Friday.

The second DVD "Signal Aspects and Indications" is due out middle of next year.

From the description from the back of the DVD box:

  Volume One of the Rule 281 Video Series is your introduction to CTC machine operations.

  Learn how to engineer and design an accurate and functional CTC machine for your model railroad regardless of it's size. You will be given a guided tour of typical controls and indications. Plus, vintage film of actual machines in operation will give you an insight into how the machines reacted in various situations. A look at specific solutions from the prototype is also included.

  Regardless of your knowledge and skill level, the Rule 281 signaling series is sure to entertain, enlighten, and educate.