Ernie is the superintendent, webmaster, and ZOOM platform master of the Potomac Division and a 1974 graduate of Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Building Construction. Ernie earned his Master Model Railroader designation in October 2019 and has assisted with Achievement Program evaluations within his division. He has an HO scale Norfolk Southern Connector Railroad which is still a work in progress and as a part of this he became interested in the use of JMRI Decoder Pro and construction of the various electrical-, scenery-, and locomotive-related items you find on a model railroad. Ernie is a retired Battalion Chief from the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue where he had a career of 38 years, and lives in Manassas, Virginia with his wife, Joyce.
Archives: Tooltips
Rick Lull
As the builder of a large signaled layout, now on its second iteration, Rick has been interested in LCC since seeing a demo at the Grand Rapids National Convention in 2012. He has contributed to the community with documentation and some hardware. During the convention, he can normally be found in the SIG room at the LCC table.
Alan Silverblatt
Alan–Silverblatt is a Pittsburgh native, now retired from a long career in IT. He’s a member of the Philadelphia Division’s board of directors, and the programmer behind Train DB Plus software. He spends his retirement modeling in N scale, doing part time computer consulting, playing rock and blues on his radio show, and playing guitar in a local classic rock band.
Mike Shylanski
Maryland resident and MER Chesapeake Division member Mike–Shylanski loves the Baltimore and Ohio and Chessie System Railroads. He has been both an HO and N scale modeler. He is a member of an HO modular layout club and he enjoys running trains at public gatherings. He has written articles for several railroad historical societies and the NMRA, and he gives clinics, mostly on freight cars, at railroad prototype modeler meets, NMRA gatherings, and railroad-themed conventions.
How I Scratch Built a Schnabel Car
The Schnabel car is a specialized type of freight car. It is designed to carry heavy and high and wide loads in such a way that the load makes up part of load. The load is suspended between the two ends of the cars by lifting arms. When the car is empty, the lifting arms are connected to each other to form a freight car that can be moved in a regular freight trains.
Joe will discuss how he built the largest Schnabel car in HO scale using styrene and cast resin parts that he made for this project. The car is the WECX 801, built in 2012 by the car builder Kasgro Railcar for Westinghouse Corp. The car has 18 trucks, 36 axles, and 72 wheels–truly the most interesting freight car out there.
Modeling with the Masters: Making Utility Poles
NOTE: Free hands-on clinic to first 15-20 people who show up. This clinic shows how to quickly and easily make a variety of utility poles in HO scale using readily available materials. All supplies and tools will be provided. What you make, you take with you.
Artistic Principles to Tell Your Model Railroad’s Story
Profusely illustrated description of how to use artistic principles to tell your model railroad’s story. We will cover four steps in design, design basics, and seven principles of design. The seven design principles covered are balance, unity, contrast, emphasis, movement, repetition, and rhythm. Puzzled? Attend this clinic and you will be puzzled no more. My intended audience is anyone owning a layout in any scale or anyone contemplating building a layout.
3D Printing – Part 2: Prototype Modeling & Operation
3D printing has allowed me to start a layout I’ve always wanted to create. It would be a small piece of a prototype line that had some interesting operation and built exactly as it existed in the 1945 – 1950 era. I started with a section of the Wilmington, DE waterfront from the PRR station to the Davos shipyard. After over a year building a model of the PRR station I realized that with the modeling tools available 30 years ago this vision was simply unattainable. Using 3D printing highly detailed structures can be produced relatively quickly and for a very reasonable cost.
At 80 years old and following the C&O prototype, there was only one option, Thurmond, WV. The engine terminal, mainline,and staging tracks, all hand laid, are complete. Background scenery based on a high definition topographic map, is being installed before foreground buildings are positioned. The current project is the truss and deck girder bridge across the New River, which has to be completed before building the South Side yards where empty hoppers were stored.
3D Printing – Part 1: What You Can Do with It
This is not a how to clinic, but rather what can be done with 3D printing–figures (people) in poses you want, large structures not easily built with conventual methods, mechanical devices like switch machines, all with incredibly fine detail.
Earl Hackett
I’ve been a model railroader for over 70 years now. Until recently I was a free lance modeler with a collection of whatever locomotives I thought looked good. I began collecting brass while in Utah and Texas with the Air Force so most of my collection was western roads. My current layout started out as a free lance design, but will into construction I found myself being attracted to C&O motive power. I decided to follow the C&O prototype, which resulted in a pretty massive rebuild that continues today to model (with some artistic license) the western Allegheny grade from Ronceverte to Allegheny Summit.
I scratch build or heavily kitbash just about everything. I made many business trips to Manchester, UK and became friends with John Yates who at the time was the chief signal officer for the East Lancashire Railway. Operating the signal box (the British term for a signal tower) at Ramsbottom got me hooked on signaling. I’m installing operating interlocking cabins (the C&O term) on my layout. A portion of that project provides the examples for this clinic.
