John–Sokash has been a lifelong model railroader and train watcher, having grown up in anthracite coal country next to the Wilkes Barre Connecting Railroad which was co-owned by the Delaware & Hudson and the Pennsylvania. Having a scientific, mechanical, and educational background, plus being an amateur railroad historian, he has presented numerous clinics for MER regional conventions and his own CPD13 group. He was held CPD offices of superintendent and assistant superintendent. He is also been a 25-year member of the National Railway Historical Society.
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Paul Cappelloni
Paul–Cappelloni has been active in model railroading and railroad preservation for over 30 years. He is the former president of both the Erie Lackawanna Railroad Historical Society and the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society, now TOYX. He has presented clinics at the Valley Forge RPM meetings, ELRRHS, and DLWRH&TS events. Prior to moving back to Pennsylvania in 1998, he was an active member of the North Shore Model Railroad Club in Wakefield, MA. In 2006 his Bangor & Portland Branch layout was featured in Model Railroading magazine as part of the build up to the NMRA national convention held in Philadelphia that year.
Belt Lines and Terminal Railroads
Belt–lines and terminal railroads are a particular form of railway–usually urban–serving a location for the mutual benefit of the owning railroads. Sometimes they are owned by a municipality. We will discuss examples, large and small, and suggest modeling possibilities.
Building DL&W Diamond Branch
This clinic will discuss why I choose to build a small, but detailed model railroad. The small approach fits in well in a multi-use space which I found myself in after downsizing from a 2,200 sq. ft. home to a 1,000 sq. ft. home in 2021. If you are a one-man operation or do not have frequent work sessions, a large completed basement layout can be overwhelming and possibly hinder modeling.
Building a small layout allows the modeler to spend more time on the aspects of the hobby they like best, and is not focused so much on completing large sections of bench work. This clinic will cover the era and theme of the layout, construction of the bench work and valances, back drops, lighting, trackwork, control system, and scenery all in a 10 ft. x 12 ft. space.
An Introduction to Layout Command Control
This clinic will introduce LCC, present common use cases, and demonstrate some basic functionality that attendees can then replicate on their layouts.
LCC – What Products Can I Buy?
A review of what is currently available in the LCC ecosystem.
ABS Signaling with Layout Command Control
This clinic will describe how to implement Automatic Block Signalling on your layout utilizing Layout Command Control. The clinic will cover design, use case discovery, LCC infrastructure, documentation, implementation strategies and process, and testing. This clinic is for all knowledge levels, but attendees with some baseline knowledge of LCC will get the most from it. The described methodology would be useful for other layout control buses, such as CMRI; however this clinic is focused on accomplishing it with LCC.
Automating Collection Management with Train DB Plus Software
This clinic will introduce Train DB Plus, a free Windows software package that lets you track your collection of rolling stock and automate other model railroad-related tasks. The software is simple and easy to use “right out of the box,” but still allows a great deal of customization to fit your particular needs. With it you can track your rolling stock (and any other items you want), organize your books and magazine articles (and search them by title or key word), record and retrieve other potentially useful information, generate reports, and import or export data to and from CSV or PSV files (which can be read and written by Microsoft Excel and many other applications). The clinic will cover how to download and install the software, as well as an overview of all of its features.
Fix Up Those Old HO Freight Cars!
We all have them, those older–and sometimes not so old–HO freight car models that could use an upgrade. Blue box freight cars look so much better when they get thinner running boards and better brake wheels. Coupler boxes and flimsy or poor looking couplers can and should be replaced. Adding weight to your models to reach NMRA standards will make a big difference. Underframes often cry out for a replacement. Retouching paint and adding decals can improve a model, as well. This clinic will show you how to make your HO freight cars look and run better.
The Helix
When I decided to add a second level to my home layout I realized that I would have to construct a helix to connect the two levels as I didn’t have the room to have sufficient length to gain the needed height. I researched and built a single track helix that worked in the available space and now have both levels accessible by locomotives.
The clinic I have developed walks you through the necessary steps to design and construct a helix and also has information on what not to do when building one. From my time as a model railroader I know there are folks that don’t understand how a helix is designed and constructed thus the purpose of my clinic. Many lessons learned in building mine that I can pass along.
