The trains starting rolling at 7:00!

Stop in and see us.

Be sure to take note the changes in parking at Denver Union Station.

]]> http://denveroscaleclub.org/archives/711/feed 0 http://denveroscaleclub.org/archives/657 http://denveroscaleclub.org/archives/657#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:18:16 +0000 DSMRadmin http://denveroscaleclub.org/?p=657 On October 22nd the membership of the DSMR was invited to a guest operation of the HO scale Rocky Mountain Line; also a feature layout in Great Model Railroads 2012.

The membership of the DSMR had a great time operating this fabulous world class model railroad owned by Don Meeker.

The crew of the DSMR and The Rocky Mountain Line prepare for the evening operations session. Normally up to 27 member crew can operate the railroad.

Hugh Blaney was put in charge of the Joint Line Terminal.

Leo Lamanuzi hostels cars in the yards building trains.

The Dispatch Center

High bridges, steep grades and deep mountain canyons are everywhere!

A scratch-built masterpiece of the Denver Union Station stands in Centennial City.

Every detail in operations is thoroughly carried out in exacting precision. Car cards line the slots in 9th Street Yard, ready for building trains.

Beautiful scenery graces the entire Rocky Mountain Line.

Beautiful detailing in every location on the railroad.

Full dispatch controlled functioning signals make the experience of operations on the Rocky Mountain Line as real as it gets.

Roger Clark operates in Buffalo Rock.

Don Meeker stands next to his beautiful Denver Union Station.

Thank you Don, we had a GREAT time and what a BEAUTIFUL Railroad!

To learn more about the Rocky Mountain Line pick up a copy of the current Great Model Railroads 2012.

We encourage everyone to come down and see our model railroad and enjoy the trains that run during our Friday open houses. Please be aware that only limited parking is now available in the vicinity of the station due to on-going construction around the station. We suggest carpooling or taking RTD light rail to downtown or to the Union Station RTD stop. In either case, you can take the free 16th street shuttle to the bus stop across from the Tattered Cover and walk to the pedestrian lanes leading to the station doors that are now open.

The Map below shows the access to the station. Once inside the usual access is the same. You can either use the elevator in the south wing of the station or the stairs. The security guards will also direct you to our location if asked.

Hugh Blaney President

In Memoriam

Board member and master modeler of our organization has passed.

John was 52, died Friday, January 6th at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center, following a brief illness.

He will be greatly missed.

John was an avid model railroader and master model builder. He was a board member of the Denver Society of Model Railroaders and treasurer of the Boulder Model Railroad Club. John was an expert model builder and won many awards both locally and nationally for his modeling of trains and railroad structures. His Best of Show awards are well known from the National Narrow Gauge Conventions. He was BMRC Modeler of the Year for 2011. A number of his models are part of the Colorado Midland layout.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thurs., January 19th, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 2312 14th Street, Boulder, CO. Father Terrence Ryan will officiate. A reception will follow at the church. A private family burial will be held.

Some of John’s exquisite modeling

Boulder Farm House

Completely scratch built using an old photograph found in a Boulder Historical Publication.

Winner: Best of Event, Boulder Model Railroad Club 2010

Narrow Gauge Work Train

29th Annual National Narrow Gauge Convention winning models

We will miss you John. May your signals be all green.

Saturday February 12th, Skip Waugh and I powered up the Grays/No Name DCC power district on the narrow gauge for its initial start up and programmed all the stationary switch machine decoders for Grays. Once we finished with the stationary decoder programming we started to test the track with RGS 455 with a short string of cars in tow. As usual we had a few missing track drop leads which is common when doing a conversion like we are doing and are fixing them as we find them.

What causes missing drops when converting from DC to DCC? Mostly it is you missed noticing a rail gap that was part of a DC block, our rail gaps are filled with styrene and once the rail is weathered sometimes you miss one or two.

So we will continue to test for the next few weeks looking for trouble spots such as proper switch throw, no engine stalls, and track infrastructure before we connect the command bus to the Junction DCC power district so we can run between the 2 districts.

Why independently test each DCC power district prior to connecting them? It’s a basic troubleshooting statement which is divide and conquer. We will know any issue we see is related to the DCC power district we are testing in and not being caused by something going on in another DCC power district. Also when you connect the command bus from on district to another if you have a issue you also know it is just related to the command bus cable connection.

I will cover our locomotive testing practices for a DCC power district in my next update.

Eric Bacchi  Narrow Gauge Operations Team

Location

where are you located?

In the basement of Denver Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop in Suite 10. Take the elevator down one floor and were down the hall, can't miss it!

I'm not familiar with downtown Denver. Is there parking available right there at Union Station for your "open house" evenings? Thank you.

Club members generally park in the lot on the south end of the station you enter from Wynkoop street. The Central Parking lot charges usually $5 after 4pm although on special events, Rockies games, or any other the fee can easily triple or more! You may also park on the street out in front called Wynkoop using the city parking meter with a two hour limit. In the back, or the west side of the station along Wewatta you will find free parking for two hours, you will need to walk under the station tracks and into the station. A variety of parking options are currently available near the station.

Where are you located?

We are located in the basement of the Denver Union Station in downtown Denver. The 16th Street free shuttle stops at 16th and Wynkoop and then the station is just across the street. If you are taking Light Rail, the C line will get you close to the station as well.

What are the requirements to join?

Having in interest in trains and be willing to help with projects on the layout.

How long is the trial/probationary period?

It usually lasts six months

What is the purpose of the trial/probationary period?

It allows you, and us, to determine if the relationship is good

What is the cost of the trial/probationary period?

$30

What are membership dues?

$150 per year payable either annually or semi-annually

Do I need to have 2-rail equipment?

Not at all, however, if you have some or want to buy some, that is great

Do I have to own my own equipment in order to run trains?

Not at all, once you are a qualified engineer, you can run any equipment on the railroad

What projects are currently being worked on?

The big project is converting the layout to DCC.  We have started with our narrow gauge and as soon as that is completed, we will start on the standard gauge.  We are also relaying track and adding or improving scenery and structures

Come down any Tuesday evening at 7 PM to visit and learn more.

Membership

You guys have a really interesting web site. Love the photos and videos. I am curious if you have ever thought about doing some member profiles on the site? I may be weird, but I always find it fascinating to learn about the members behind the scenes. What got them into trains and what is their primary area of interest and such. Just a suggestion.

I passed along the message to some of the membership and with some time this would be a great addition. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! With the launch of our new web site, member profiles are now optional for registered users. We'll be adding more to this feature as time goes on as well.

How does one become a member?

See the article under the "Membership" within the site categories menu for a brief overview or contact us via email.