October 1990 Vol. XIII No. 5

DISPATCH

Pennsylvania Station, Pittsburgh, PA

Under the Porte' CocherePhoto by Bob Jackson

NASG BRASS CAR COMMITTEEPRESENTS

40' MILWAUKEE

ROAD

HORIZONTAL

RIBBED BOX

The Milwaukee Road Horizontal Ribbed box cars were built from 1939 to 1949. Theyare being made for us by River Raisin and Overland Models. The pre-painted brass40' boxcars will come with a 7 panel Superior door. The price is $152.95 ppd. We

expect delivery in the spring of 1991. Please reserve your car before Jan. 30, 1991.Send a $40 deposit, per car to:

NASG Clearing House, c/o Dave Bailey, 7571 Foxglove PL, Macungie, PA 18062

GAUGE

GREENBERG'SGUIDE

AMERICANGREEIVBERG'SAmerican FlyerS Gauge Operating & Hcpair Manual

Second Edi t ion

1945 - 1965

By Thorn*- It. Barke

GREENBERG'S AMERICAN FLYER FACTORY MANUALEdited by Richard Smith and I.D. Smith. Reproduction of Gilbert'sservice station repair manual covering 1946-1966; indexed for userconvenience. Over 710 pages, 6" x 9", #10-6655, $25.00.

POCKET PRICE GUIDE TO AMERICAN FLYER S GAUGEby Greenberg's. Handy and essential; shows values for both goodand excellent conditions to every major piece of S Gauge equipmentand catalogue. Chaptered #10-7325, Numerical #10-7365, 40 pages,4" x 8-1/2", $6.95.

Original consumer catalogues were reproduced into this 432 pagebook. Hardback, 12" x 9", #10-7420, $125.00.

Jblistorical overview of A.C. Gilbert revised listings and many newvariations. Includes uncatalogued sets, diesel sound devices andpilots, Gilbert's Five-Digit Numbering System, and more! Over 500items shown in full color, and another 200 pieces in black and white.192 pages, hardback, 8-1/2" x 11", #10-6695, $40.00.

Written by Tom Barker this manual helps you diagnose problemsand repair trains. This easy-to-follow, well-written guide includesdetailed parts listings, photographs, drawings, and schematics. 80pages, softback, #10-6434, $10.95.

Shipping/Handling: Add $2.50 for orders under $40.00.Orders of $40/more shipped postpaid.

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AMERICAN FLYER•• \ * \LOGUE 5:1946-1955

AMERICAN

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American Flyer memories in full color

CATALOGUE: $1.95 deductible on first order.

Sykesville, MD 21784 (301)795-7447

NASGDISPATCH

Official Publication of theNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

ofSGAUGERS

The NASG DISPATCH welcomes art,photographs, letters, articles and otherS -scale-related materials contributed bythe membership. Send all such materialsto the editor:

Robert W. Jackson2925 Glenmere CourtSpringfield, IL 62704

NASG membership runs from Julythrough June, including all DISPATCHissues for the membership year, irre-spective of enrollment date. All applica-tions, renewals and membershipquestions should be directed to:

NASG, Inc.c/o Don DeWitt37 Snow DriveMahwah, NJ 07430

Reproduction in whole or in part is pro-hibited without permission of theNASG, Inc.

The DISPATCH - ISSN 10457178 - is pub-lished bimonthly by Goellner Printing Com-pany, 301 South Main Street, St. Charles,MO 63301-3498.SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year $12.00,which is included in the $17.00 annual dues.All subscriptions payable in U.S. funds. Sec-ond class postage is paid at St. Charles, MO.Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.POSTMASTER: Send address changes toThe DISPATCH, c/o Don DeWitt, 37 SnowDrive, Mahwah, NJ 07430.

V J

ORDER BOARD Volume Xl l l , Numbers— OCTOBER 1990 —

President's Message

The Editor's Desk

Mike Ferraro 4. Rnh •Ja.p.ksnn. 4

Modifying Pacific Rail's 50' Box cars . . . Jon Firpach 5

Minutes of the Board of Trustees . . . . Jim Kindraka 8

Minutes of General Business Meeting.. .Jim Kindraka 9

Narrow Gauge Convention . . . . Pete Mihelic.h

Membership CommitteeChairman's Proposal

The S Starter Set ProjectDecal Corner

Trade News and Reviews . . . .

ERRATA

Helper Service

Don DeWitt 12

Kent Singer 13

Jon Firpach 17

. . . . Don Thompson 1818

DISPA TCH art staff 19

STAFFBob Jackson EditorJon Firpach Associate EditorCharles Taylor Assistant Editor

Advertising ManagerKent Singer Contributing EditorDon Thompson Contributing EditorBob Werre Photographer

Pete Mihelich PUBLISHER

THE DEADLINES for articles are the 15th of February, April, June, August, October andDecember for issues dated April, June, August, October, December, February, respectively.

COVERUnder the Porte' Cochere of Pennsylvania Station in Pittsburgh,Pa. Photographed at 1990 NASG Convention by Bob Jackson.

C. >

300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200

ADVERTISING RATES: Full page $200; half page $100; each halftone furnished by the DISPATCH from advertiser's B&W prints$25 additional; unscreened negatives $40 each. Inquire regarding color rates. For additional information, contact the NASGDISPATCH, c/o Goellner Printing, 301 South Main, St. Charles, MO 63301.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGEMy central message this issue is a serious requestfor nominations. The previous issue of The Dispatchcarried a notice of the elections and I want toreinforce the need for serious thought by themembership to provide a slate of quality candidates.This year's election involves the election forExecutive Vice President, Secretary and the regionalVice Presidents. I feel that it is important that thenominees who seek to be elected are willing notmerely to help administer the organization but alsoto strive to help promote 'S' Gauge and pursue thedevelopment of this organization to its fullestpotential. To steal a phrase from the Marines: theNASG is looking for a few good men. Please thinkabout it and join the team. Your tangible rewardsas an officer in this organization are small but thesatisfaction in seeing the NASG prosper and growin itself is gratifying. So please give it some seriousthought and seek election in this organization.

The second part of my message is to draw attentionto Don De Witt's suggestion regarding the member-ship committee. (See his article in this issue.) Donhas done an outstanding job as chairman but thejob has grown too large for one person. We eitherneed to reduce what we expect from this person ormake some changes similar to those that Donsuggests. Note that what he suggests includes twoimportant departures from current practice: 1)elimination of the membership card and 2)establishing a committee of two persons who wouldbe paid for their efforts. These are important changesthat I, and I am sure the rest of the Board, wouldlike to have lots of input from the membership.Please let us know what you think of these changes,preferably in writing.

Finally, I want to pass along some importantinformation I have recently received from a goodfriend of mine, Billy Wade. Billy has informed methat Peter Built Locomotives (PBL) is contemplatingimporting a factory painted locomotive ready to runon American Flyer track; a scale version would alsobe available. This project would be similar to whatWilliams is producing in '0' gauge. PBL is presentlylooking at producing a N&W 4-8-4 or a SP 4-8-4. Billyhas requested we contact Bill Peter of PBL and givehim our opinion on what locomotive to produce.Those who are interested can contact him at thefollowing address:

PBL, PO Box 769, Ukiah, CA 95482or call (707) 462-7680.

Let's not let this one get away from us. If we allwrite PBL and Bill Peter receives a positive signfrom us, we may have the opportunity to haveanother major model producer add to the growth ofthe 'S' gauge fraternity.

"S"incerely,

THE EDITOR'S DESKWe are working hard to bring you the six issues per yearthat is presently expected. That means that you will getthree issues close together. With luck you will have allof them before the end of the year. However, the impactof Christmas on the mail could cause delay for at leastsome of you until after the First of the Year. This effortwill still not catch us up to the usual schedule. That willtake some more doing. But you will have the expectedsix issues.

We want to reinforce the need for the membership to giveserious thought to the proposal being made by Don DeWittregarding the Membership Committee. Please read hisarticle on page 12 carefully and make your own positionknown to Mike Ferraro, preferably in writing.

We had a great opportunity recently to visit some membersof the Bay Area S Sealers. When we learned that we weregoing to be in San Francisco we determined to contactLee Johnson but as luck would have it he called us aboutan unrelated matter. We made arrangements to gettogether as our time would permit. Lee arranged visitsto Graham Henry and Barney Daehler. Lee also took thetime to ferry us around and we want to acknowledge righthere his great generosity and helpfulness. We also wantto publicly thank him. Our only regret was not havingtime to visit others but that of course provides us an excuseto visit again. We will be sharing these visits with youin the near future.

Graham Henry is a retired electrician who worked forSouthern Pacific. He is building a really neat layout inthe attic of his home in Berkeley. He modified his atticto achieve the needed space. He is perhaps the only modelrailroader with a genuine wig-wag signal in his garden.It works too!

Barney requires that all visitors operate his railroad withhim. After the operating session Lee, Barney and youreditor had coffee in the kitchen. Our talk ranged over manythings but at one point Barney was reflecting about hislove of tinkering. We all agreed that the need to tinkerwas a strong component of our personalities and thatmodel railroading was surely the best hobby for theaddicted tinkerer.

We had a surprise call the other evening from RobertSherwood of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Robert is a relativenewcomer to NASG. He has about 21/2 years to retirementfrom the Air Force. Meanwhile he is planning his dreamlayout. His dreams are big, like ours and I expect yours.But, why not? He plans a layout that includes bothstandard and narrow gauge but if reality forces it, he willconcentrate on narrow gauge. Photography is amongRobert's skills and interests and that has something todo with his model railroad interests; scenery is a primeconcern. Robert is a source of photographs of westernroads. If you are looking for something he might haveit. He called to volunteer his services and was immediatelygiven an assignment. He will cover the narrow gaugeconvention in February so look for his report.

Robert's call was very interesting and enjoyable. Itprompts us to issue an open invitation to the rest of you.We would be interested to talk to you and learn of whatyou are doing. You would find an interested and willinglistener. Of course, you might get a reporting assignmentout of it but, what the heck, it's your magazine too.

MODIFYING PACIFIC RAIL'S 50' BOXCARSby Jon Firpach

In this article I am going to take upone of the most rapidly developingaspects of railroad modeling, namelyprototype freight car modeling. Whileit is more far ranging in other scales,'S' now has a particularly goodstarting point with the introduction ofthe Pacific Rail Shops 50' steel box carkits. The PacRail box is a 1955 vintageof the 1942 AAR design and with someminor and some not so minormodifications can be rendered intovery close representations of severaldifferent road cars. I would suggestthat anyone wanting to build differentversions should pick up a copy of theJune 1990 Railmodel Journal as thereis a very good article on these cars.This is the issue that I used forinformation about the cars that I willdescribe in this article. While we areat it I would make a plug for RailroadModeling and Mainline Modeler aswell. These three magazines havebecome the mainstays for those whoseprincipal interests are in accuratemodeling of the prototype. The highcirculation magazines have just aboutabandoned this type of concern.

I will start with the simplest job first.This is an Atlantic Coast Line 1957vintage box car. (See Photo 1) Thereare only two basic changes to be madeto the PacRail car. The lower sill needsto be narrowed and reinforcementsmust be added to the lower corners ofthe door openings. Start by removing1/32" from the bottom edge of the sillalong its entire length. (See Fig. la),Next scribe a line the entire length ofthe car side just above the two rivetsto delineate the new sill. Your donewith the sill.

ENDOF

CAR

Photo 1

1/32

FIG. 1a

NOT TOSCALE

LENGTH OF CAR

NOTE: These two changes will bemade to the sills of all the carsdescribed in this article.

Now turn your attention to the doorreinforcements. (See Fig Ib.) Using theactual size templates make thereinforcements out of .010 Evergreenstyrene and cement them in place. Iembossed the rivets with a #78 wiredrill shank end in a pin vice withapproximately .010 inch protruding.

The piece was placed face down on cardstock and the pin vice with wire drillpushed into the back of thereinforcement piece. For small parts Idon't bother with a large tool but withlarge work I would use a NWSL riveterto emboss the rivets.

FIG. 1b

ACL DOORREINFORCED

ACTUALSIZE

REVERSEFORLEFT

MORE

5

Construct the remainder of the car according to the instructions included withthe kit. I also added air hoses (Southwind SWF 2) and a retainer valve (Tomalco03005.)

Photo 2

The next car is an Illinois Central boxof 1956 vintage. (See Photo 2.) Thelower sill has to be modified at eachend. Reinforcements are added to thedoor opening. Superior doors have tobe fabricated as does the lower doortrack.

Begin by scribing a line just above therivets as above to delineate the sill.Then cut the ends as shown in Fig 2aremoving the cross-hatched portion.Now remove the cast-on lower doorguide. (NOTE: If you are careful youcan remove these guides while savingthe detail. It will be useful later on.)Make the reinforcements using theactual size templates shown in Fig 2band glue them in place. To make thenew door guide use a piece of Evergreen7103, 'S' 1x3, 3 1/16" ell. To this glue9 pieces of Evergreen 8404, 'HO' 4x4,cut to 4" lengths in HO scale. (In effect,these small pieces are 4" cubes in HOscale.) These cubes are glued under theell with 5 of them equally spaced underthe door opening area and theremaining four equally spaced underthe extended portion of the guide. Setthe guide aside until you make theSuperior doors.

ENDOF

CARFIG. 2a

NOT TOSCALE

•9/16"

21/32

FIG. 2b

I.C. DOORREINFORCED

ACTUALSIZE

REVERSEFOR

RIGHT

To make a Superior door cut a blankof Evergreen 9020, .020 styrene. Thisblank should be 1 17/32" by 1 7/8".(See Fig 5.) Cement a perimeter to theblank with Evergreen 132. Theperimeter pieces should be flush withthe blank on the top, bottom and leftsides. The right side is set in 1/32" fromthe edge. The cross braces should bemade from Evergreen 132 strip forearlier style doors and from Evergreen134 strip for later style doors. The crossbrace measurements are found in Fig5. To finish the door make a rivet strip1/32" wide and glue across the bottompanel flush with the top edge of thebottom cross brace. Glue the tackboards in place and you're done.

Attach the door to the car and add thelower guide rail. Finish the kitaccording to the instructions and addair hose and retainer valve.

FIG. 3

1/32

The third car is a Chicago and EasternIllinois box of 1953 vintage. Photo 3shows an earlier version which did nothave a full sill. (MKT, GM&O, LV andMEC were quite similar except for thedoors. MKT had Superior doorswhereas GM&O, LV and MEC hadYoungstown doors.) For the C&IE (andMKT) version the lower door guide willbe removed as above. It would remainas is for GM&O, LV and MEC versions.

As before, scribe a line above the tworivets on the sill to better delineate it.You will cut to this line as you modifythe sill. (See Fig 3.) Note in Fig 3 thatgussets cover the ends of the frame,the truck bolster and the cross-member. Place the frame on the bottomof the body and carefully noting thedimensions in Fig 3 mark off the areasto be removed. These are the cross-hatched areas in Fig 3. They shouldmatch and center on the bolster and1st and 2nd cross members. Removeframe and with an X-acto or similarknife remove the areas correspondingto the cross-hatched areas in Fig 3. Forthe C&IE (or MKT) car remove thelower door guide and replace as withthe 1C car above after installing aSuperior door.

Photo 3 MORE

FIG. 4

NOT TOSCALE

Complete the kit according to theinstructions included with it, add airhoses and retainer valve.

The fourth car shown in Photo 4 is aMississippi Central box of 1952vintage. (UP had similar cars.) It isunusual in that the double doors arecentered. The principal changes in thiscase are to lower sill, the upper andlower door guides and of course theaddition of a door. Once more start byscribing a line above the two rivets todelineate the sill. The changes madeto this sill are different than with thethird car and are illustrated in Fig 4.Place the frame on the bottom of thecar and with careful reference to Fig4 mark off the areas that are to beremoved. In Fig 4 these are denotedby cross-hatching. Remove these areaswith a sharp hobby knife.

Next remove with a sharp knife thelower door guide. Remove the upperdoor guide except for that portion justabove the door opening. To make newlower guides cut two pieces ofEvergreen 8204 6 1/8" long and gluethem together to make an angle. Nowmark the center of the body and gluethe doors centered on the body. (If youmade some of the Superior doorsdescribed earlier you have extra doors.

If you did not and don't intend to, extradoors are available from Pacific Rail.)I found that it helped to glue the doorstogether first using a piece of scrapstyrene on the reverse side to reinforcethe joint. Now attach the lower guideagainst the bottom of the door. Next,to make new upper guides cement apiece of Evergreen 8204 2 1/8" long onboth sides of the short piece that wasretained over the door opening. Takecare to see that they are well aligned.When the cement has fully set up, sandthe retained segment until it is levelwith the extensions that you added.Now add a piece of Evergreen 8103 61/8" long to form the upper angle. Thiscompletes the guide.

Complete the kit according to theinstructions included with it and addair hoses and retainer valve.The cars are now ready for paint andlettering. But that is another article.Next time we'll whack one in two andmake a 40 footer!

FIG. 5

ft

LATE EARLYSUPERIOR NOT SUPERIORSPACING TO SPACING

SCALE

Photo 4

Help finance NASG special projects. 1 year of ads (your art or ours) for $10.NASG INC., Don DeWitt, 37 Snow Drive, Mahwah, N.J. 07430

ATLANTIC

WESTERN

SfRVFS THK NATION RIGHT

DAVID JASPER

BloomingtonMinnesota

S Gauge inCentral Ohio

Alan Evans614-471-7277 or 471-7701

MINUTES OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGNational Association of S Gaugers, Inc.

August 2,1990 - Pittsburgh, PA

The annual Board of Trustees meeting of the NationalAssociation of S Gaugers, Inc. was called to order byPresident Mike Ferraro at 8:25 p.m. on August 2, 1990.The meeting was held in Dave Davis's room at thePittsburgh Hilton Hotel. In attendance were: PresidentFerraro (MF); Executive VP Moe Berk (MB); TreasurerDave Davis (DD); Secretary Jim Kindraka (JK); andWestern Region VP Lee Johnson (LJ). Sitting in as invitedguests of the Board were Dispatch publisher PeteMihelich (PM) and Pittsburgh NASG ConventionChairman Jim Whipple (JW). Eastern Region VP DougPeck (DP) and Central Region VP Paul Stevens (PS) wereabsent, however PS did submit a written proxy to LJ incase votes were taken on any of the previously statedagenda items. It was subsequently learned that DPencountered serious car trouble enroute to Pittsburgh andwas absent due to being stranded in Hartford, CT,awaiting repairs to his vehicle. He provided AF car salesand enthusiasts committee reports in a letter to the Boarddated 08-16-90.

There was no committee report on AF car sales or theAF Enthusiasts Committee progress. An AF article isincluded in the latest issue of the Dispatch but the Boardwasn't aware if DP has reached a satisfactoryarrangement with the Dispatch editor on inclusion of AFarticles or if that still required some action by the Board.The Board reconfirmed its commitment to seeing qualityAF-oriented articles published in the Dispatch. TheElections and Standards committees had no activity inthe past year, MF is currently looking for a new Standardschairman.

JW and LJ presented a combined convention report. LJreported, as in his previous written report, that the KansasCity Convention in June 1989 had been a financial successand profits in the amount of $600.00 had been sent toNASG's Treasury. JW reported on the status of the currentjoint NMRA/NASG convention. NASG registration was120 at the conventions beginning, however that does notinclude any manufacturers who registered as exhibitorsrather than NASG members. Despite earlier organi-zational, political and communication problems, JW feltthe convention was going well. The Board agreed andcommended JW, LJ and Don DeWitt for all their hardwork. The presence of the Cuyahoga Valley S Gaugerslayout, the NASG Modular layout and the manufacturersdisplays provided a tremendously successful promotionaleffort for NASG and S gauge. LJ reported on better thananticipated convention car sales - requiring an increasein the original 200 car order from American Models, JWexpressed personal thanks to Jim Sacco, the HO modelerwho donated his time to prepare the correct artworkdrawings for this car.

LJ felt the convention would prove profitable for NASGand reported that overtures had already been made bythe NMRA for future joint conventions. The Board didexpress a concern that S gauge attendance would be below

8

expectations. Prior to making any future plans, it wasdecided to solicit feedback from the membership inattendance on their reaction to the convention, bothpositive and negative. Also to solicit feedback frommembers who did not attend and their reasons for stayingaway.

Next year's convention will be in Syracuse, NY, on July18-21. LJ reported that a hotel contract had been signedand plans for that convention were progressing smoothly.At the EOT meeting, DD submitted to the Board a requestby the Cuyahoga Valley S Gaugers (CVSG) to hold the1992 NASG convention in the Cleveland area. The Boardaccepted the request and referred it to Dave Held(Convention Committee) to develop a formal bid. Futurepotential convention sites were discussed. LJ expressedhis desire to have a Washington DC area convention inthe future and also to have a convention on the west coastat least once every 10 years - the last being Sacramentoin 1985. JK volunteered that the Detroit area mightconsider another convention in the mid-90's and DDexplained that NMRA would be changing convention siteselection policy after 1995. The new policy would bringconventions to the middle of the country every other year.Future NMRA sites include Valley Forge, PA, in 1993 andPortland, OR, in 1994.

The Board next discussed the original convention carproject through Wabash Valley Models. These kits couldnot be delivered in time for the convention so the AmericanModels car was substituted. The Board asked JW tocontact Wabash Valley to see if they still wished to makethe cars for NASG with an exclusive paint scheme and,if so, to obtain pricing. The Board would considerpurchasing 200 cars in one or two exclusive schemes forsale by the NASG Clearinghouse. Cars would be offeredwith scale or Hi-rail trucks. The Board also asked JWto request a sample of any Wabash Valley product madethe same way as these cars to examine quality.

The promotional advertising idea proposed by JK wasdiscussed. JK reported on advertising costs in MR andRMC. The Board wondered why Mainline Modeler (MM)was not considered. JK said his original idea was basedon reaching the widest market but there was no reasonMM could not be used. However on further thought JKfelt his idea premature because of the lack of goodpromotional literature to follow-up any advertisingcampaign. MF urged the Board to move on promotionsfunding since our Constitution stresses promotion and thetreasury has a large surplus currently not being used forpromotional efforts. The Board was concerned thatpromotional efforts be organized so expenditures are notwasted. This effort should be the major emphasis in thenext fiscal year. MF will discuss developing acomprehensive promotional plan with John Craft of thePromotions Committee.

MF reported on some potential key staffing problems forthe organization. Russ Collman may be burning out

(Continued on Page 10)

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL BUSINESS MEETINGNational Association of S Gaugers, Inc.

August 2,1990 - Pittsburgh, PAThe General Business Meeting of the National Associationof S Gaugers, Inc. was called to order by President MikeFerraro at 9:50 a.m. on August 5, 1990. The meeting washeld in Ballroom 3 and 4 of the Pittsburgh Hilton followingthe NASG Breakfast and Awards ceremony. There wereapproximately 90 people, members and guests, inattendance. Five Board of Trustees members were present:President Mike Ferraro, Executive VP Moe Berk,Treasurer Dave Davis, Secretary Jim Kindraka andWestern Region VP Lee Johnson.

The minutes of last year's General Business Meeting inKansas City were read and approved without correction.The Treasurer presented the financial statementindicating the organization to be in excellent financialcondition. The Elections Committee reported no activityin the previous year, but there would be an election inthe 90/91 fiscal year. The following board positions willbe up for election then:

Executive VPSecretary

Eastern Region VPCentral Region VPWestern Region VP

The Convention Committee reported that the books wereclosed on the 1989 Kansas City Convention. It was aprofitable convention for the organization. Jim Whippleand Don DeWitt were acknowledged for all their hard workon the 1990 Pittsburgh NMRA/NASG convention. Theorder for American Models 1990 convention cars had tobe increased to 275 units because of better thananticipated sales. Jim Whipple publicly thanked JimSacco, an HO modeler who donated his time and expertiseto do the artwork for the convention car. Thanks was alsoextended to the Cuyahoga Valley S Gaugers (CVSG), allthe people who built and worked the S-MOD layout, andthe S gauge exhibitors for making the convention a greatpromotional success.

The next convention of the NASG will be July 18-21,1991,at the downtown Holiday Inn in Syracuse, NY. It wasalso announced that a formal bid for the 1992 conventionwould be coming from the CVSG club in the Clevelandarea. No sites have been set beyond that and anyorganizations wishing to make a bid should contactNASG's Convention Committee chairman, Dave Held. Aquestion was raised about why a true convention carwasn't offered. Lee Johnson responded that when this wastried in the past, the cars did not sell well. Finally, themembership was asked to provide feedback to the Boardon their impressions - both positive and negativeregarding the Pittsburgh convention. It was reported thatsome future NMRA convention organizing groups hadalready contacted NASG about possible S gaugeparticipation but no decision on these requests would bemade until the Board had an idea of the membership'sresponse to this convention. It was also suggested thatnon-attending members be asked for specific reasons whythey did not attend. President Ferraro said a survey wouldbe run in the Dispatch.

Kent Singer began his Contest Committee report with aquick promo for the Syracuse convention. He said a tourof the Rome Locomotive Works had been arranged andthere may be a steam locomotive being rebuilt there duringthe convention. Kent reported that the Pittsburgh modelcontest drew an all-time low of 15 models entered. Mostof the entries came in the Amateur and Craftsman classes.On the positive side this year's contest had a fine arrayof prizes for category winners. The Contest Committeehas also made some rule revisions in the past year andthese were outlined. In response to a question about NASGmembership participation in the NMRA contest, RandySappo reported he had entered the NMRA contest andfinished with a 3rd place in structures.

There was no Standards Committee report, but it wasannounced that the NMRA had accepted NASG's S-MODSystem Module Standards. Because these standards arebased on NASG's Track and Wheel Standards, the neteffect will be complete acceptance by NMRA of NASG'sstandards. In response to questions, Jim Kindraka saidthere had not been any significant progress on theproduction of a 3-point track gauge. Another memberquestioned whether marketing a 2W track centeringgauge had been considered. Member Doug Millervolunteered that he had constructed such a gauge andit was suggested he prepare a short Dispatch articleabout it. The membership indicated that a 3-point gaugeshould be a priority and Josh Seltzer volunteered to chaira Track Gauge Subcommittee.

Mike Ferraro reported that the Promotions Committeewould be developing a plan for new advertising andpromotional efforts. This has been defined as a primarygoal of the Board. Mike Ferraro also thanked Mike Baileyfor taking over the NASG Clearinghouse and reportedthat Don DeWitt had resigned as Membership Secretarypending a replacement. He asked for volunteers for thisjob but also reported that the Board was investigatingpaying for the services of an administrative as this jobwas becoming very time consuming. Jim Kindrakaannounced that as part of River Raisin Models MilwaukeeRoad horizontal ribbed box car project, NASG had beenapproached about purchasing exclusive rights to one ofthe 3 versions. NASG's Board had agreed to this and wouldbe the exclusive dealer of the 40' version with the 6'Superior doors. NASG's models would all be offeredfactory painted.

Several different comments were received during an openvoice from the floor period. Member Roy Pinch commendedthe Dispatch for printing new member names. Hesuggested their home towns also be included so a personwould be able to contact a new member in the area. Somemembers commented that if NASG was going to havefuture conventions involving transport of modules, theorganization should consider paying mileage for transportand getting some hotel rooms to act as "crash pads" forthe module operators. This method was employed by theCVSG for their layout operation at the Pittsburgh Hilton.There was also a suggestion that at future joint

MORE >9

GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING(Continued from Page 9)conventions NASG rent a separate NASG-only reunionsuite where members could meet away from larger crowds.Ed Loizeaux encouraged financing promotional efforts bythe Board but cautioned that the money be spentintelligently to obtain the maximum for the dollars spent.

Although not present, Doug Peck's hard work and effortson both the AF Car Projects and the AF Enthusiastscommittee were recognized. Jim Whipple asked for a straw-pole of those members who liked the totally integratedjoint convention format in Pittsburgh versus those whopreferred a private convention within a convention formatas done by NTrak. The vote was unanimous in favor ofthe open joint convention format. Whipple said this would

be very useful if such events were ever planned in thefuture. Member Art Doty invited everyone to attend theannual Fall S Fest. This year it will be sponsored by theState Line S Gaugers and held November 16-18 in SouthBeloit, IL.

There being no other comments or business to conduct,a motion was made and the meeting adjourned at 11:00a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

James A. KindrakaSecretary, NASG, Inc.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING(Continued from Page 10)

as Dispatch editor and the Board was urged toinvestigate some possible replacements if that becomesa reality. Russ was not in attendance at Pittsburgh asspecified in the honorarium agreement and therefore doesnot qualify for the $1,000.00 honorarium payment. Also,Don DeWitt has resigned as Membership Secretarypending finding a replacement. The Board feels thisposition will be difficult to fill from the membershipbecause it is very time consuming and requires knowledgeof and access to a personal computer. NASG now has1,100+ members. The Board discussed hiring an outside"administrative secretary" to handle memberships. TheBoard will request that Don DeWitt prepare a positiondescription of all his current duties to aid in filling theposition.

The Board next took up the subject of River Raisin Modelsproposal for NASG to obtain and sell one of the two 40'Milwaukee Road box car versions exclusively. After adiscussion of brass car projects and their general historywith NASG, the Board discussed some conditions to theoriginal proposal. LJ moved and MB seconded a motionfor NASG, Inc. to purchase the brass 40' Milwaukee Roadhorizontal ribbed box car project as proposed in JK's letterto the Board dated June 29, 1990, with the followingconditions:

1) NASG will receive the 40' car with 6' Superiordoor, all cars to be factory painted.

2) River Raisin Models other 40' version (6' Youngstowndoor) will be offered only unpainted to further separatethe versions.

3) River Raisin Models will investigate the feasibilityof providing hirail wheels on some of the models.

MF said he has already contacted Dave Bailey at NASG'sClearinghouse and Dave is willing to take on theresponsibility of handling these cars. JK said he wouldwork on coordinating NASG's advertising for these cars.After the discussion the vote was taken. Five members(MF, MB, DD, LJ and PS - proxy vote) voted in favorof the motion, JK abstained from voting. The motion waspassed. NOTE: DP registered a 6th "YES" vote in his08-16-90 letter.

There was not time for MF and DD to prepare a formalbudget for this meeting, however MF said one would besubmitted soon. DD distributed the financial statementfor the year ending June 10, 1990. A copy is attached.JK asked that $1,000.00 be set aside in the fiscal year90/91 budget for the upcoming election. The last electionin fiscal year 88/89 cost $600.00 and our membership hasrisen almost 50% since then.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

James A. Kindraka, Secretary

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF S GAUGERSFINANCIAL STATEMENT

as of June 30,1990

Cash Balance as of July 1,1989 $24.752.96

IncomeDue $15,561.001990 AF Car Project 26,411.00Interest Income 1,011.07Clearing House 569.45Dispatch Ads 3,280.00Booster Ads 70.00Dispatch Back Issued 12.50Mailing Label Sales 420.3089 Convention Loan 600.0090 Convention Cars 2,783.24Total Income $50,718.56 $75,471.42

ExpensesDispatch 15,192.831989 AF Car Project 14,533.16Advertising/Promotions 476.23Office Supplies 885.371990 Convention 2,995.00Clearing House 569.80Bank Charges 241.77Membership Mailings 679.11General 658.70Total Expenses $36,101.96

Cash Balance as of June 30,1990 $39,369.56

10

TENTH ANNUAL NARROW GAUGE CONVENTIONSeptember 27 - 29, 1990 - St. Louis, Missouri

by Pete Mihelich

Since I have been an American Flyer enthusiastmost of my life, "S" gauge is what I am mostinterested in. I always wondered what Sn3 was likeand since the convention was to be held in my area,I definitely needed to attend.

The convention was held at the Holiday Inn in theWest part of St. Louis County barely a fifteen minuteride for me. I had a feeling that narrow gaugerailroading included the ability to lay track onmountain crevasses with many bridges, rivercrossings and canyons. In other words, squeezinga railroad into a very difficult location. Uponentering the display hall my worst fears wererealized. This room was too small to adequatelyshow off trains. I had difficulty deciding which wayto go in order to see everything. The aisles weretypically very narrow with backtracking required.

In order to be a narrow gauge modeler, there appearsto be only four railroads which you can emulate andtheir road names were in abundance. The mostpopular by far was the Denver & Rio Grande Westernfollowed by the Durango & Silverton. Pulling up therear were a few White pass & Yukon and East BroadTop pieces.

Most of the vendors had other than S scale buildingsand fixtures to choose from. Structures pre-dominated the tables and since Halloween was onlya month away, a country market with pumpkins

Figure 1

out front caught my eye. The Mill Creek Market wasparticularly well detailed with fruit baskets,watermellon and pumpkins on display. ArkansasValley Models produces this fine specimen. (See Fig.1.)

As far as powered engines were concerned, OverlandModels had a large display of brass pieces.

Two display layouts attracted the most attention.Bill Peters PEL (Peter-Built Locomotives) "Chama"layout (See Fig. 2) was a shelf like display withDenver Rio Grande Western #456 chugging throughthe pines past a mine tower. It represents theterminus of the D&RGW at Chama, New Mexico.

Figure 2

The second layout was a Manufacturer's Co-Oplayout brought to the convention by FinestkindModels. (See Fig. 3) D&RGW Engine #488 is shownpassing a wye in the corner section of the layout.The Overland Models K-36 was custom painted byDon Stewart Locomotive Works.

Figure 3The convention did provide for 2 layouts in aseparate room of the hotel. Once again it was singlefile around the crowded room and if you stoppedto take a closer look, you held up the line of interestedconvention-goers. Built by the "Mudhens" from St.Louis, this was a modular style HON3 layout fillingmost of the room. A beautiful 4-6-0 painted greenwith gold trim pulled a consist through the narrowgorges and passes. (See Fig. 4)

(Continued on Page 13)11

THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIRMANPROPOSES SOME CHANGES!!

by Don DeWitt

Those of you who have renewed your membership, should have received your new membership card.IF YOU HAVE NOT, PLEASE CONTACT ME. If you found a yellow LAST ISSUE Warningin the envelope of the last issue, my records show that you HAVEN'T renewed your membership.We hope that you will continue to support the NASG with your membership. If you renewed yourmembership after October 1st, ignore this renewal notice.

I have toiled during the last several years tocompletely computerize the operation and toestablish a member database that would allowanalysis of several kinds. As this has beenaccomplished the membership has more thandoubled and The Dispatch has gone from a quarterlyto a bi-monthly publication. This has resulted in aworkload too great for one volunteer to provide. Letme describe what is involved.

WHAT DOES A MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN DO?

Keeping up-to-date...

The major effort of the chairman is keeping thedatabase up to- date. New members must be addedand non-renewals deleted. For every new memberall issues of that year must be included in a packagetogether with an NASG patch and a membershipcard. Once per year, beginning in the March/Aprilissue of The Dispatch, we add an insert calling forrenewals. Because many have renewed early orthrough the AF freight car purchase, we can'tinclude the renewal notice in everyone's Dispatch.So it necessary to sort the membership into twogroups and then generate two sets of labels. Thepublisher then also must split the mailing into twogroups. The only alternative is to mail a renewalletter out to every member. But that requires muchmore effort and expense. After this renewal noticegoes out, around 10 to 15 renewals are received everyday for about two months. Then it tapers off to twoor three a day. The enclosed checks must beaccounted for. Changes to the database must memade and changes of address recorded. All in allit is a fair amount of work.

A special effort is required to deal with the fairlylarge number who have not renewed when the year'send rolls around. We know that most of them wantto renew but have lost track of time. To provide alast chance we send out a split mailing of the Augustissue and include reminders for those whosemembership is lapsing. Most of those renewals willcome in over the next two months extending thework described above. We do not cut off membershipuntil the October issue. Many of those will renewin the course of the following year. Thus the12

maintainance of the data base is pretty much a yeararound effort though there are definite peaks andvalleys involved.

The membership database is a mixed blessing. Itincludes renewal information, addresses, member-ship numbers, and modeling preferences. The latterinformation about modeling preferences has beenuseful to a number of manufacturers who havewanted to contact memhers who are interested insteam era, or certain railroads, or scale modelers,etc. With all of the information that I have collectedover the last few years, I have been able to advisemanufacturers on a number of occasions about howmany of a new product they are likely to sell. Theaccumulation of information has generated a largedatabase that contains 42 columns of informationabout each member. That means that the databasehas over 42,000 cells!!! The maintenance of thedatabase requires an MS-DOS computer with extramemory, a fast processor and an operator who isknowledgable about databases.

Providing Dispatch mailing labels...

Every two months, the labels must be generated forthe mailing of The Dispatch. This requires an effortof around two hours with a laser printer, assumingthat the database is up to-date. When I used mydot matrix printer, I spent around 3-4 hoursgenerating the labels. In addition, the publisherneeds a breakdown of the addresses into ninemailing zones. This is required by the Post Officeto send out The Dispatch by second class mail. Howdo you sort 1200 addresses into nine zones? It isn'teasy because the entire zip code is broken down into26 areas which are not adjacent. I wrote a BASICcomputer program that reads a file that I generatedfrom the data base that analyzes the zip codes.Needless to say, the program took considerable effortto make sure it works.

Who's Who...

Yet another major effort is the construction of themembership book which is sent out every June. Thisbook has a listing of the membership in alphabeticalorder, and a listing by state with last name andzip code so that one can look for members in his

state and local area. This project takes around twoweeks of evenings to prepare. We also add severalpages of information about the NASG which takesadditional time to prepare.

Issuing membership cards...

Finally, one of the largest consumers of time andeffort is the membership card. The issuance of theserequires making labels for the cards, labels for theenvelopes and then labeling and stamping all of theenvelopes. I have had three volunteers helping mebut it still requires a large effort on my part.In sum the job of membership chairman is theamong the busiest in the NASG ranking only behindthat of the editor of the Dispatch and the publisherof the Dispatch.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS?

I have secured the approval of the NASG leadershipto put before the membership the following proposal.To decide what course to follow the leadership willneed your thoughts on this matter. After thinkingabout it please let Mike Ferraro or other membersof the Board know of your feelings, preferably inwriting.

The NASG Membership Committee should include:

1. Membership Secretary (MS)This person receives all correspondence from

the membership. This includes having his or hername on the New Member Envelope, the RenewalEnvelope, and on the return address of the envelopesused to mail the Dispatch. The MS sends all checksreceived from new members or via renewals to theNASG treasurer. The MS also handles the issuanceof new member welcome packages, and renewalmembership cards. The MS handles all changes ofaddress and acceptance of returned Dispatchmagazines when the address is incorrect. The MSwould provide to the Database Manager a biweeklyupdate during the busy periods and a monthlyupdate at other times. The MS would also work withthe Promotions Chairman to supply those who needMembership Envelopes for conventions and meets.All expenses are reimbursed. This person shouldhave access to a typewriter, minimally.

2. Database Manager (DM)This person receives a periodic report from the

Membership Secretary (MS) who forwards the mostrecent membership information. The DM preparesthe mailing labels for each Dispatch and preparesthe Membership booklet. He or she also continuesto maintain the membership modeling informationand answer questions from manufacturers andgenerates labels for the manufacturers whenrequested. In addition, as needed by the MS, theDM will supply mailing labels and mailing zoneanalyses. All expenses are reimbursed. Obviously,this person must be very knowledgable aboutcomputers, databases, mailing label generation, and

list processing.

Finally, each member of the committee is to be paida modest sum in addition to expenses after one yearof effort on a yearly basis. I would suggest atminimum of $500 per year.

If these positions were to be created we would needa volunteer for each. (I am willing to give somethought to continuing as the Database Manager ifthis proposal is accepted.)

SOME ALTERNATIVES:

To reduce the amount of work we could ceasemaintaining the membership modeling informationpart of the database. That would reduce the size ofthe database by about 60% and would reduce thecomputer requirements in terms of power andmemory. Then a Mailing List program could be usedto generate mailing labels. I'm not sure how wewould deal with the mailing zone analysis for thesecond class mailing permit. I still think that theeffort would require two people to keep it within thebounds acceptable to most volunteers.

We could reduce the work still further by eliminatingthe membership card. Many organizations managewithout one. The information about yourmembership is printed on each mailing label whichdiminishes the usefulness of the membership card.Failing acceptance of that idea I would propose thata membership letter be sent out once per year thuseliminating the repetitious and labor intensivenature of the present way of handling membershipcards.

NARROW GAUGE CONVENTION(Continued from Page 11)

Figure 4 (Les Walker's "Tweetsie")An SN3 "L" shaped layout was on display fromBelleville, IL through the courtesy of Pete Smith.All in all it was an interesting and educatingexperience for me. Narrow Gauge is definitely forthose who wish to model rural mountain terrain.Since model railroading in general interests me, Ienjoyed the convention.

13

THE S STARTER SET PROJECTby Kent L. Singer

[Editors note: One of the prime concerns of many SGangers is with bringing young people into S gauge. WhenAmerican Flyer was being manufactured it served thatpurpose. Today there is nothing to completely fill thatvoid. In recognition of the problem a small group fromBristol S Gaugers came up with the idea of selling trainsets made up of the less expensive AF used equipment.The idea spread and this article describes the experienceof the Central New York S Gaugers with such sets.]

In the Spring of 1988, Paul Riley, Dave Bredemeierand Doug Peck, of the Bristol S Gaugers, uponconsidering that there are no complete, Ready-To-Run, S gauge train sets currently available,developed the idea for producing these sets fromreconditioned, common American Flyer equipment.Their goal was to provide a competitive alternativeto the sets available in other scales, and thus tobuild a basis for a future generation of S gaugers.

Their idea was shared with other clubs a numberof which followed through. Doug Peck acted as thefocal point, and along with Dave Bredemeier, helpedthe other clubs get started. They produced box labels,advertising literature and insert coversheets towhich the local club's logo and data could be added.They established guidelines for a uniform packageand S Starter Set content. The vast majority of setssold thus far have pretty much followed theseguidelines.

In 1988, S Starter Sets were produced by the BristolS Gaugers, the Central New York S Gauge Assn.,the Kansas City S Gaugers as well as others.Approximately 35 sets were sold that year. In 1989,these clubs sold over 40 sets. For 1990, productionis gearing up to have sets ready for the traditionallyheavy sales of Christmas season. The sets are soldby club members at train shows, and in severalareas, through hobby shops.

The Central New York S Gauge Association believesthat this approach is an important means of creatingthe next generation of S gaugers. The experiencegained by the CNYSGA is provided in this articlefor those clubs who may wish to get into S StarterSet production themselves.

SPLITTING UP THE CHORESDivision of labor is important. There must be acoordinator who directs the activities of the others,and receives all the equipment, purchases suppliesand parcels the materials out to the people who workon it. One person should be responsible for cleaningand checking all engines. A second takes care ofall the rolling stock.

A third cleans the track, lock-ons and uncouplers.A fourth puts together the package with theinstruction book, NASG membership mailer andother handouts, and prepares the box with the insertand label. A fifth checks out the transformers. Afterreconditioning, all the materials are returned to thecoordinator who groups them together in completesets and turns them over to the person who tests14

them as complete sets and packages them.The coordinator is also responsible to see that asnearly as possible the material is bought in the rightproportions. This person has to keep in constanttouch with those authorized to buy equipment toinsure that the group doesn't end up with suchmismatches as five engines and twenty fivecabooses. Part of the balancing act includes theobtaining of the right mix of types of engines,transformers, uncouplers, and so-forth. Knowing atthe outset what the organization has set as its salesgoals will help in determining the proper mix ofequipment purchases.

Needless to say, a number of these tasks end upfalling upon the same few people, but the overallplan and workflow is there.BUYING THE AMERICAN FLYER EQUIPMENTProduction of sets begins with the obtaining ofmaterials. To reduce costs and labor, equipment isbest purchased in running condition. In general, lesslabor is required and is better spent reconditioningand packaging running equipment than in repairinginoperable equipment prior to the other steps ofproduction. The coordinator should consult with thepeople who do the reconditioning to define what isacceptable.

Purchasing should start as early in the calendaryear as possible. Buy as much as your organization'sbudget will allow, and buy it far enough in advanceto create a steady flow of work though the handsof those who are reconditioning the materials andpackaging the sets.

Like gold, AF is where you find it. Train shows areusually good sources though not always at goodprices. Equipment can often be purchased cheaperin larger lots than individually. Buying in lots alsotends to provide a mix of smoking and non-smokingengines, lighted and plain cabooses, plain and(slightly) better grade cars, larger and smallertransformers, and manual and remote uncouplers.It may help to explain to the dealers why you wantthe stuff. The dealer may recognize that the salesof S Starter Sets will increase the potential marketand be agreeable to making the common equipmentavailable at reasonable prices.

READYING THE EQUIPMENT.As soon as the coordinator receives the material heor she should decide what is to be worked on andin what order. In effect, the coordinator decides atthe outset what the nature of the sets are to be andassembles the equipment before passing it on to thereconditioners. Here, as elsewhere, it should be bornein mind that the goal is not restoration and thusa starter set need not replicate those that wereproduced by A.C. Gilbert. Nevertheless, the way inwhich A.F. sets were put together sets convenientguidelines in deciding what starter sets shouldinclude. Rolling stock should be worked on in theratio of three cars to one caboose and within that

ratio, the right mix of cars for the sets that areplanned. Track has to be cleaned up in the ratioof 4 straight sections to 12 curved sections. Anappropriate transformer has to be selected for eachset. If accessories are to be included they must beidentified at the outset. Of course, each set must havea suitable locomotive and at least one manualuncoupler. As the equipment is identified andassembled it should be passed on to those who aredoing the reconditioning.

RECONDITIONINGAll engines should be stripped down, cleaned andlubricated, including the reversing units. Careshould be taken to insure that the engines workreliably. On both cars and engine, the bodies shouldbe removed and washed in warm soapy water, usinga medium brush to get the dirt out of the corners.Link couplers should be replaced with knucklecouplers. Rust must be removed from sheet metalfloors, truck sideframes and axles. (A rotary wirebrush in a drill press is handy for this chore.) Theaccumulated dirt should be cleaned off of the wheelstreads. Used equipment doesn't imply dirtyequipment and it must be clean when placed in aset.

Transformer reconditioning is a must. Be especiallycareful about checking the line cord to insure thatthere are no breaks or cracks in the insulation,especially around the plug. Knurled nuts (#8-32 and#10-32) cost about thirty cents apiece at the hardwareshop, and should be put on the terminals if theoriginal nuts are missing. Three foot lengths of#18AWG stranded red and black wire, with strippedand tinned ends, connected to the Base and 7-16VPosts are provided by CNYSGA with eachtransformer.

Engines do not have to have the correct "as built"tenders; they need only to run well and look likea proper combination. Cars with broken steps or roofwalk ends are usable when the remaining steps orroof walk ends are cut off. Paint touchup, even ifnot exactly matching, is OK. Repainting anddecaling, although it adds a little to the turnaroundtime, adds little cost and effort, especially if old orout of scale decals from the scrapbox are used. Track,lock-ons and uncouplers don't have to be nearperfect, just cleaned up with a wire brush. On theother hand, it is important to avoid the appearanceof schlocky, carelessly done equipment. Con-sequently it is important that those chosen torecondition the equipment know what they are doingand that they enjoy doing it. Furthermore, theyshould be recognized within the organization for thevaluable contribution that they are making.CHECK-OUTOnce all the equipment is cleaned up and groupedtogether into sets, each set, as a whole, should bechecked out. The standard CNYSGA procedure isto put the track together (on a rather rough basementfloor) and connect the transformer and uncoupler.The engine is placed on the track with the metalwheels of the first tender truck on the outside railof the oval. The cars are then placed behind theengine, heaviest behind the engine, lightest just

before the caboose. The train is then run, at fullspeed, for three complete laps forward and threecomplete laps backwards. During this test, theheadlight and all other lights are observed. If alighted car flickers excessively, it is replaced orworked on until the light action is satisfactory. Ifthe engine is equipped with a smoke unit, it too isobserved to determine if it is satisfactory. Any otherproblems such as uncoupling or derailing are notedand corrected immediately, or the unit is replacedwith one that does work (in which case themalfunctioning unit is returned to the personresponsible for the reconditioning).

Next, the train is backed up so that the couplingbetween the first car and the engine is over theuncoupler. The train is uncoupled and re-coupled bymoving the engine first forward and then backward.This is repeated for all couplings. If required,corrective action is performed and the test repeateduntil everything is in working order, especially theability of the engine to cycle between forward andreverse without problems.STARTER SET EQUIPMENT GUIDELINES:All equipment must meet these guidelines prior tobeing packaged as a set.

General: All equipment must be clean, rust free, re-painted or touched up. It must have onlyknuckle couplers or have been converted toknuckle couplers.

Engines: Smoking or non-smoking, Atlantic type orlarger. Casey Jones engines are not acceptable.Full set of metal tender wheels. No brokenwheels. All except the best smoking enginesshould have the smoking elements replaced.

Cars: Complete in the sense that there are no missingdoors, railings, tank ends or tops, etc. Somereasonable fabricated or purchasedreplacement piece may be used. Must not benoticeably warped. If a step is broken, all othersteps are removed. Or, if a roofwalk end isbroken, it is squared off and the other endremoved. Missing journal boxes are replaced.Lighted or action cars must be working andmust include all action parts,i.e., full set ofmetal wheels, special track or clip, controlbutton, wire, coal if dump car, auto if autounloader, and so forth). No broken wheels.

Cabooses: Must have all steps and end railings. Mustnot be noticeably warped. If lighted, must beworking with full set of metal wheels.

Transformers: Must be American Flyer. Power cordand plug must be in good condition or bereplaced. All terminals must have thumbscrewtype nuts.

Uncoupler: Manual or remote, if remote, pushbuttonis included, wire is provided (3' yellow, 2' black& 1' black) and in good condition.

Lock-on: Spring clip only, split tab not acceptable.Supplied with two wires (approximately2'long).

Track: Must have 4 ties per section. Bent ties are15

straightened, extra or larger holes OK, butsharp edges of holes rolled or removed. Fiberinsulation at all clamping points of ties to rails.All ties are tightened to rail. One pin per endin the correct rail and not loose. No kinks orbends.

Accessory Package: This contains 12 telephone poles,an AF billboard and a dummy crossing flasher.Purchased from Doug Peck.

Information Packet: This contains a copy of the 1956AF instruction book, a Warranty sheet with listof local hobby shops dealing in AF,Registration card, NASG mailer, Dispatchcopy, CNYSGA membership form and otherflyers (typically magazine subscription forms).

Smoke Equipment: A bottle of Supersmoke and afunnel are provided for all sets with smokingengines.

PACKAGINGAll CNYSGA sets are packaged as follows:

A folded insert with a cover sheet is provided fordisplay and package strength. All equipment ismounted to the folded insert by wire "twist-ties"except:

1. Curved track is "twist-tied" into 3 groups of 4sections per group. One group of 4 straight sectionsis "twist-tied". The track is placed under the insert.

2. The transformer protrudes through the insert.The power cord and track wire is tucked under theinsert.

3. The information packet, in a manila envelopeis placed under the transformer.

4. The packages containing the accessory set andsmoke fluid & funnel (if the set is supplied with asmoking engine) are stapled to the insert with thestaple ends bent back into the insert.

The set, complete on/within the insert, isoverwrapped in heavy clear plastic. The pricesticker, describing the features of the set, is placedon the top of the overwrap, in the lower left corner.

All sets are packaged in an "Under-The-Bed" box.The box is glued at all assembly points. The completeinsert/set is lowered into the box bottom. The boxtop has a 17" x 11" label.

If you are interested in photos of the packaging usedby CNYSGA, contact the author of this article.

CNYSGA S STARTER SET CLASSIFICATIONAND CONTENTS Starter Set: This basic low end set contains a non-

smoking Atlantic, three plain freight cars, anunlighted caboose, a manual uncoupler and a40/50W transformer. Price: $75

S Smoke Set: This better set, produced in limitedquantities and only when floodlight cars orlighted cabooses are unavailable, contains asmoking Atlantic engine, smoke equipment,

16

three plain or slightly better freight cars, anunlighted caboose, a remote uncoupler and a50/75W transformer. Price: $85

S Super Set: This best value set contains a smokingAtlantic engine, smoke equipment, three betterfreight cars, a lighted caboose (or a floodlightcar substituted for one of the freight cars, inwhich case an unlighted or work caboose issupplied), a remote uncoupler and a 75/100Wtransformer. Price: $90

S Special Set: This set, not in regular productionbut available only if the the engine is obtainedwithin or near the budget price, contains asmoking Pacific engine, smoke equipment,three of the best/heaviest freight cars availableat or near the budget price (and may includean action car), a lighted caboose (or a floodlightcar substituted for one of the freight cars, inwhich case an unlighted or work caboose issupplied), a remote uncoupler and a 100Wtransformer. Price: $110 and up.

THE OCCASIONAL SPECIALOccasionally, a Pacific type, smoking, engine willcome in, either as part of a lot, or individually ata good price. Typically, this engine should begrouped with heavier, better cars such as a reel car,a better boxcar, one of the nicer hoppers with a coalload, and a lighted caboose. Or, a diecast floodlightcar may be substituted for one of the others anda plain caboose used. This set ought to have thelargest transformer (100W) and a remote uncoupler.If some of this equipment becomes available at thesame low price as the rest, its worth the expenseof a few extra dollars to purchase the rest of thebetter stuff since this set can be sold at a premium.

SELLINGFinally, once the sets are produced, they must besold. This can be done at the same shows wherethe equipment is purchased. Most clubs seem to havemembers who are active in dealing in AF andtypically have tables at shows. These people areinvaluable because they are the ones who usuallyobtain the materials to begin with and will be sellingthe bulk of the sets at the other end of the process.Although there is some self interest involved in thatthey benefit directly from sales of additionalequipment, most of the motivation stems from asincere desire to make the project successful and helpS gauge in general.

Other successful methods of marketing the setsincludes club members telling their friends, relativesand neighbors, and by posting notices on bulletinboards. Approximately 20% of the CNYSGA sets aresold this way.

It may be that you can find a hobby shop in yourarea that will accept the sets without expecting adealer discount and is therefore willing to foregothe usual profit. That may be the one dealing themost in used trains. However, many shop ownerswill realize that the volume is not significant fora successful shop and will be willing to help yourclub out. He or she may also believe the sale of SStarter Sets can only help the business.

DECAL CORNER

by Jon Firpach

There is a changing of the guard with this article,my first since taking over from Don DeWitt. I believethat we should all extend our thanks to Don for thetime he took from his schedule to shed light on whatwas available in 'S' decaldom. Thanks, Don!

I will try to do my best to learn and to inform youof what's available in decals and dry transfers. Ithought also that you might appreciate my sharingwith you some of my own "tips" in decaling andfinishing from time to time. Likewise, if some of youhave tips about decaling or dry transfers that youwould like to share with others please send themto me in care of this column.

NEW AND FUTURE RELEASES:

MICROSCALE As of 10/30/90 per a telephoneconversation the following have been added to theiroffering:

64-84 D&H Blue and Gray Road Units, $6.0070-80 era. 2 sheet set.

64-86 N&W Blue or Black Road Units. $6.002 sheet set.

64-87 CB&Q E-5 Cab Units, 40-50 era. $6.002 sheet set.

64-88 CGW F Units Lettering and Heralds, $3.5040's on. 1 sheet set.

64-89 CGW Stripes to be used with 64-88. $6.002 sheet set.

64-90 PRR PA Single Stripe, Early. $3.501 sheet set.

64-91 ATSF PA Warbonnet. $6.002 sheet set.

The following are scheduled for November release:

64-92 NYC PAA-PB Lightning Stripe, Early. $6.002 sheet set.

64-93 PRR PA-PB Five Stripe, Early. $3.501 sheet set.

64-94 SP PA-PB Daylight Lettering and $6^00Stripe, Orig. 2 sheet set.

64-95 D&H PA Warbonnet (ex-ATSF units), $3.50late. 1 sheet set.

Microscale is considering releasing C&EI F unitsets. If you are interested now is the time to let themknow. You could help them make up their minds.

'S' DE'S'IGN'S' reports the following new releases:

READING Grain Hopper. Gray/Black Lettering.LV '40 and '50 Box Car and Cabooses. Red w/flags.GTW Grain Hoppers. Blue.DEEP ROCK Tank Car. Blk/yel. (Due out inDecember.)

..

K I M : 7MH71 K I M ;

i 'YO: II1 P

8

READINGREADINGRDG RDG RDG RDG %™ 1ST79971 79923 79999 79948 -""1=?-"012345678901234567890 -;=,.'-'RDG RDG RDG RDG - ~1':~=~79971 79923 79999 79948 :'=:==•O123456789O123456789O :::: S',

A NOTE TO REMEMBER

When applying a decal don't be afraid to use a lotof water. A big puddle where the decal is to besituated will help to minimize the entrapment of airbubbles under the film. When the decal is moist slidethe film off the backing and directly onto this puddle.Contrary to a commonly held belief, blotting excesswater from a moistened decal with towel or othercloth is not the best way. You are too likely to pickup lint which can get under the decal film and willincrease the likelihood of entrapping air bubbles.This method can also make them too dry to readilyslip off the backing and may require the use ofadditional water to properly position them. Addingwater at this point also risks causing bubbles underthe film.

After placing the decal film on the puddle of waterdip a soft brush into your favorite setting solution.(I prefer Solva-Set.) Flow it along the top edge ofthe film but take care not to touch the film itself.You should come only close enough to contact thewater. Then tilt the work-piece so that the excesswill flow to the bottom. Blot away the excess waterwith a tissue or bibulous paper. With this techniquethe setting solution will become diluted enough notto soften the decal so much that it cannot berepositioned if need be. Moreover, it will help to flowany bubbles out from under the film.

If the decal needs to be repositioned at this pointI use the same brush that I applied the settingsolution with. I like the Pactra B-307 red sable brushfor this purpose. The bristles are soft enough notto tear the film but firm enough to use as a probeto position it as well.

I hope that you will find this of some help. If anyof you have other methods for decaling or applyingdry-transfers that you would like to share pleasesend them along to me in care of this column."Sharing is Nice."

'til the next time, jon

17

Trade News C£ ViewsBY DON THOMPSON

DALLEE ELECTRONICS (PO Box 1261, Reading, PA1960) has a new product out. The "Flasher-DT" is a solidstate variable flasher, variable detector and crossing gatecontrol circuitry. This is the perfect way to detect trainsas they move through a block for grade crossings. Theprice is $34.95 and they are available for dealer sales.

THE GANG OF 100 (c/o Larry Hilley, 11 Ft. Evans Rd.,Leesburg, VA 22075) has contacted all of their customersto let them know of the progress of the PRR 1-1 Decapodproject. At this time, they expect a pilot model for Feb1991 and the production models in May. The next plannedmodels are the NYC L3 and L4 Mohawks, due Jan 1992followed by the C&O Tl and PRR Jl 2-10-4s. These areplanned for Jan 1993. Membership in the "Gang of 100ends November 15th and requires a $100 dollar deposit.Memberships can be shared.

PACIFIC RAIL SHOPS (3205 Helms Rd., Grants Pass,OR 97527) John has returned from his South Americanvacation and is starting to ship again. They are stillwaiting for the double door 50' boxcars to be made. Maybelater this winter we will see them.

RIVER RAISIN (6160 Upper Straits Blvd., WestBloomfield, MI 48033) The pilot models have been receivedand reviewed. They expect the E-8s in early 1991. A stockof Pfaudler milk cars is still available. Remember thesecome prepainted and with decals.

S DESIGNS (37 Snow Drive, Mahwah, NJ 07430) hasreceived the series 3 boxcars. They have extra which canstill be purchased. Orders are now being taken on series4 boxcars. A pre-painted 50' ICG boxcar is planned inthe future. This will come with decals. The Reading decalsfor the three bay centerflow hopper have arrived. Theyhave ordered decals for the LV 50' or 40' boxcar and LVcaboose, and the EL maroon and gray caboose. A LSAEwill bring the latest listing of products.

5 HELPER SERVICE (2 Roberts Road, New Brunswick,NJ 08901) The RS-3 test shots have been seen by RonBashista of American Models. The changes have beensent to the tool and die maker. The Great Northern unitswill now be in the original orange and green scheme withyellow lines and trim instead of the simplified scheme.At this moment, the GM&O units are the #1 best sellerwith the Cotton Belt, GN and Reading close behind. Thelimited run FA's are starting to sell out. The LV B-unitis gone and less than 6 A-units remain. The numbers aresimilar for CNW and WM. Because of their popularity,a few extra B&O and MP units were run. Again, the pricefor these is $144.95 for scale, $149.95 for hi-rail, $179.95for AF and $99.95 for dummies. The RS-3 reservationson are $50 each. They are expected in 1991.

SOUTHWIND MODELS (PO Box 9293, Plant City, 33566)should have the flat cars shortly. They were shipped fromKorea in early October. The Pullmans are due in early1991 as is the USRA 0-6-0.

ERRATAI have a couple of "corrections" to the Aug/Sept '90Dispatch. First, regardless of what Pete Mihelich claimedin his second paragraph on page 7, the Cuyhauga Valleymodular layout was not the only S activity at the Hilton.The NASG Contest was held on the second floor as wasthe NASG Swap Meet (that Pete mentioned attending onpage 8). Also, a number of S gaugers gave clinics at theHilton.

Second, I regret to say that the person shown receivingthe CNYSGA Charlie Stackpoole award on page 16 is (therecreant) Gordon Michael. Mark Waelder is an entirelydifferent person.

Finally, a section of the contest winners was omitted frompage 17. The right column should have read,

CRAFTSMAN

Scratchbuilt

Structures1st Not Awarded2nd J. Irving Hall - Branch Line Coaling Dock

18

Freight & MoW

1st William Mark, III - 2 RDG Covered Hoppers2nd J. Irving Hall - Yore Mine II Caboose3rd Bill Oertly - N&W 3 Bay Hopper

Kit & Converted... .etc

Apparently, there was some confusion in that J. IrvingHall won two 2nd place awards, one in ScratchbuiltStructures in and one in Scratchbuilt Freight & MoW cars.

I realize that these things happen and I'm not at all upsetand I think you've done a fine job. I would just appreciateit if you would include a correction in the next issue onthe Charlie Stackpoole Award and on the contest winners.Being both CNYSGA President and NASG ContestCommittee Chairman, I'd like to see the record set straightabout these.

Best Regards,

Kent Singer

HELPERSERVICE

Keep Those SGauge Trains

Rolling!!Stan HoughtonDanville, VA

Scale RailroadingW«F TUB FINEST OF Sn3 < i S1MIMID O

1446 Fremont AvenueLos Altos, CA 94024

HelpingS ScaleGrow!!

T. D. KERNS, Supt. WAVNESBURG, PA.

GREAT NORTHERNEDMONTON

QUINAULT &DUCKABUSH RY.

ROUTE OF THE "BIG W" FLYER

More American Flyer than should be on 4x8

ART HAMILTON9435 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 98444

(206) 537-2169

NYC - NH Railroad*Manhattan

District Manager

David O. Held

Operating Manager "S" & "8113

Utica, Michigan (313) 739-2932

GREAT BASIN RAILWAYSUNION PACIFIC

< — ' UTAH CENTRAL RY

1 — ' UTAH & NORTHFRN

#***?'

*sn3

JOHN PRATT ̂2017A CASTLE PL SE i — '

ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87118 \ — \

(505) 268-9095

ERNIE HORR SPOKANE.,

PEMNEPACK BALLOTWESTERJf RMLBflfff

df railDENIS FORTIER

MEMBRE NASG MEMBER971 Boulevard du Cap

Cap-a-l'Algle, Qc. / Canada GOT 1BO

NNE5 * PRAlRlfSS SCALE Woa*.iHor

ROGER JENSENZ76(, N. 3RD SrMMUMN, OHIO

ELECTRIC R.R.PASSENGER LCLCA.fl LOAD LOTS

G£T IN THE

PAUL RILCY

7// LOVEL L ST. PC A B0£ V,

JEFFERSON CENTRAL RR.

WILLIAM J FHAltf ,Jd.150WCAHAcA»Awe.

HtfcSHEY.PA

•' NEW YORK'S

CENTRAL*-. SYSTEM •>•

I N F O R M A T I O N N E T W O R K

513 - 2 2 3 - 0 3 2 i

PLATEAURAILWAY

•S Scale'ROGER NULTON

845 2Dth StreetSan Diego, CA 92102

(619)235-6398

RED PASS & GORGE -n TrtRAIL ROAD JS_T*

R.B. "Bob" HADLOW

President and Only Bill PayerS/Sn3

HEdgeridgeWayN.W, NMRA/PNKUFECalgary, Alta. T3A4G8 239-5817

5 SCALE

LOCOMOTIVE

6 SUPPLY Joe Scales 111 Rte.l Box 323a

Ridgerray. VA 24:148

SANDY HOOK LINES

WILTON, CONN.

THS. LlBERTy BE.LL Rourt -

GREAT

LAKES&

ATLANTIC

RAILROAD

The BLUE STREAK

HOBOKEN-PITTSBIIRC-DETROITWESTBOUND; EASTBOUND:Lv. Hohoken MXPM Lv. Detroit i.«ip*Ar. Pittsburg n.«PM AT Pittsburg mnp.i,AT Detroit <, J4 A M AT. Hobokrn « I ; A M

President: Don DeWillVice. Presiilem: Evon DeWiu

MODULAR

THK :

or GKEATEA.

NXC \ D.C.

X.E3T6R. CtwTRAl, HR.BILL KIAUSE, VMS.

I 10 UHCRICK ROM)FAIUFIBLB, CONM SM

MINIATURE LOCOMOTIVE& CAR SHOP

Builders ofSmall Scale Steam Locomotives

Rt. 1, Box 284Copperas Cove, Texas 76522

one home

U •

)pened. You began a love affair with Lionel Trains thatuld last a lifetime. Hours spent laying track. Creatingdscapes. Imagining far-away places,\nd although you're grown up now, there's still nothin,: a new Lionel train to bring back all those wonderfullings of Christmas mornings past. ^T\JH IP^WS \W^fM*telivetheglorydaysofmodel Qyiy| JNt L

I railroad ing with theScale Hudson, the flashy Standard Gauge"

Comet, or the popular "S" Gauge American FlyerPony Express Union Pacific set. And don't forget Santa'sown gift-bearing Large Scale North Pole Railroad.

Bring a Lionel home for the holidays and make it a •Christmas you'll never forget. Visit a dealer near you for a s

complete-selection of Lionel trains, trackand accessories.