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S SayVolume XXV, No. 6June 2020Boise, Idaho

Keeping BusyA

LTHOUGH THISdeluge of a virusdoesn’t appear to beletting up soon, we will

continue to bide our time andpractice safety until ourfigurative dove returns with afigurative olive leaf in itsbeak. Patience, my friends.Everything cycles.

In the meantime, a coupleof Rocky Mountain Hi-Railers have answered myrequest for news and ideasabout some of their projects.Both involve technology thatwasn’t available when mostof us were boys, and eventhis old dog is learning newtricks.

In keeping with his role asour electronic genius, Dr.Gary Mercer wrote anotherarticle in his series of“Electronics for Railroads.”Our thanks again to Gary forhis submission.

Electronics forModel Railroaders 2

by Gary Mercer

The inspiration for thisinstallment came from a YouTubevideo I saw which showed anumber of animation projectsusing the Arduino controller (the

same one used to control theJunction on the club layout and thetraffic signal in my last article–May2020). If you're looking for ideas, a

very prolific contributor is “Ron’sTrains N Things.” He does a prettygood job of presenting the “whatand how” of the projects.

In this installment I will describea project to add selective lighting of

rooms of a building rather thanlighting them all at once. False-front (with a 1"-2" depth) or full,stand-alone buildings can be used

and one controller canhandle up to 18 windows.My prototype building wasa “false-front” buildinghaving 1.5" deep sides andnine windows (rooms),graciously provided by BillSeader. In my prototype, Iused a program thatrandomly turns windowson/off every 30 secondsand then every 20 minutesall windows will be lit andremain lit for severalminutes before returning tothe random routine. I wantto emphasize, however,that virtually ANY lightingaction can be implementedwith the right program.

The first step is to put alight-diffusing coveringover the inside of thewindows so that thewindow illumination isreasonably uniform. I usewaxed paper for this andattached it to the inside ofthe building using double-sided tape. Another option,

used by Bill, is to use the plasticfrom 1-gallon water jugs, which isa bit stiffer.

Next, partition off the interiorof the building so that windowscan be individually lit. I used

1995 ~ 2020

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cardboard walls painted white toaccomplish this. Beforeassembling the walls, be sure todrill small holes as needed to passthe necessary wires leading to thecontroller, which, in my buildingwas placed in the “attic.”

Once the partitions are inplace, the LEDs can be added,one to a room. While any LEDcan be used, I chose to cut

individual LEDs out of LED striplighting because of the built-inself-adhesive back which I coulduse to attach the LED to the“floor” of the room. The onlydrawback to this approach is thatthe wires must be individuallysoldered directly to the LED. Next, the LEDs can be wired tothe controller. All of the anodes(+) can potentially be wiredtogether with a single wireleading to the 5V output of theArduino controller. However, Iused very thin (30-gauge) wireand so grouped the LEDs intogroups of three so as not tooverload the wire and cause

illumination fluctuations as LEDsare turned on and off. The cathodesmust be individually wired to thepins of the controller through 150-ohm resistors. The unit can then bepowered by any 9-12 VDC powersupply.

Some hardware variations arepossible to achieve various lightingeffects. For example, warm white(2000-3000K) LEDs can be used for

residential lighting while coolwhite (4500-6500K) LEDscan be used for industriallighting. Another fun one is touse a flickering amber LEDremoved from a LED tea light(2 for a dollar at Dollar Tree)to get the effect of a fireplaceor candle in the room. Somesoftware variations have beenbuilt into the controllerprogram to be able to groupwindows together and toleave windows litcontinuously without the needfor rewiring.

While I realize that what Ipresent here is not enough toallow the uninitiated to justwire up one of these things, Isimply hope to provide anidea of what is possible. As Ihave mentioned before, I amquite willing to help anyoneinterested to build these fortheir club scene or personal

layout. Additionally, these projectsare not expensive, with the cost tolight a building being $5-$10 (notincluding the cost of the building).

[Wow, Gary, this looks like fun. Ilike all the potential options, and itappears that one could come upwith several variations in onebuilding. Don’t forget, fellows, thatback-lit silhouettes of people orcurtains can be possible, too. Weespecially appreciate your offer ofassistance, Gary, and we might evenlearn something! Thanks again.]

3-D Printing byGlenn Hadden

Ever since 3-D printers sprangonto the model railroading scene,Glenn Hadden has been studying,experimenting, and producingpieces for his home layout as wellas for Lookout Junction, the mostnotable of which is our actualdouble-crossing itself–theJunction. Glenn designed andprinted the crossing, added spikedrails, and wired everything,spending about 500 hours inproducing the final piece (he wentthrough several iterations). Andthis was all donated to the club.

Glenn hasn’t been idle recently,

either, and sent in some photos ofthe latest creations for his layout.He writes that he will add detailsto make them more realistic, andhe welcomes suggestions.

He developed these pieces fromonline photos and diagrams. Thetime spent depends on the amountof information available, he tellsus, and took from 3 to 14 days.

Any color is possible, and, ofcourse, you can always paint theprinted product. Glenn engaged acommercial printer to make thefollowing pieces.

The double crossing 3-D“Junction” that Glenndonated to our layout.

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GLENN’S CREATIONS

Sheep Car

Poultry Car

Hog Car

Tree Houses

Gazebo

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Glenn calls attention to thechicken wire on his Poultry Car.He used English Veil, a.k.a.English Net. It has a six-sidedpattern like chicken wire (below,on the right). Compare that to thefour-sided diamond pattern Toulefabric (on the left) that I used onmy chain-link fence.

Depending on what kind offencing material you may wish touse on any of your cars ordioramas, take a peek at whatyou may find in your fabric store.

Thank you, Glenn! How aboutthe rest of you? Any words onprojects/purchases that you’d liketo share? Send ‘em in.

Farewell, M.T.H.“We Hardly Knew Ye.”

In May 2012, we were rocked bythe news that Don Thompson,owner of S-Helper Service, had soldhis company to Mike Wolf ofM.T.H. Although primarily known

for its O-scaleemphasis, Mikepromised toenter the S-scalemarket, usingSHS’sengineering andbeautiful line ofproducts.

M.T.H.issued its first Scatalog in thespring of 2013,and Hobbytownin Boise was ourlocal dealer. Iimmediatelyordered aKrey’s reefer to

encourage M.T.H.’s entry into ourscale.

As is usual with “S,” I was ableto practice my patience whileawaiting my new car. This time itonly took 15 months to arrive.

But now Mike is hanging it up,too. Here are excerpts of the letterhe sent out on June 10, 2020.

Dear Loyal M.T.H. Customers,First, on behalf of M.T.H.

Electric Trains, I want to thank youfor the support and encouragementyou have shown my company overour 40-year journey. From humblebeginnings and a lot of hard work,we were able to build one of theworld's largest model trainmanufacturers - one unquestionablybuoyed by your unwaveringsupport.

It is, therefore, with mixedemotions that I tell you I havedecided to retire in 2021 and closethe business.

All non-delivered items from our2019-2020 S Gauge catalog will

feature the last products producedby M.T.H. Electric Trains.

The new items featured in all[our] catalogs will be availablebeginning Summer 2020 throughApril 2021 and will carry ourlimited one-year warranty.

With thousands of tools andmolds and a wealth of intellectualproperty, a new model railroadingcompany may arise from myformer company as I entertainvarious options and buyers. Onescenario is a new companyorganized and owned by membersof my current staff.

Mike Wolf, PresidentM.T.H. Electric Trains

As M.T.H. was the inheritor ofDon Thompson’s lovingly craftedmolds and engineering, so wehope that another phoenix willarise from the ashes of his work,and that the original legacy ofSHS will live on.

Celebrating 25 Years

In The BeginningIn celebrating the 25thAnniversary of the RockyMountain Hi-Railers on June 7,2020, here is Part 3 in the seriesof historical information aboutthe origins of our club.

The second meeting of the“Boise S Gaugers” was held onJune 28, 1995, hosted by ShaneJibben at North By NorthwestProductions, back when it waslocated off Parkcenter Boulevard.

I have no minutes of themeeting, but I rememberdiscussing the focus of what wewanted the club to become. RichLedyard showed us slides of otherlayouts, but what stands out in mymind was being schooled by a 6-year-old. There was somediscussion of “York,” and when Iexpressed ignorance of what that

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meant, young Philip Lewer, sonof Greg Lewer, proceeded toenlighten me about the TCA’ssemi-annual train meet in York,PA, apparently the nation’sbiggest show for “toy trains.”This was obviously a result ofGreg’s continual exposure of histhree sons (all who becamemembers) to the joys of ourhobby.

We met later in the summer atRich Ledyard’s home, then inSeptember at Kent Moehlmann’shouse. There was still acontingent of fellows whoadvocated for affiliation with theTCA, and several wanted the clubto include both S and O scales inour endeavor.

In October I put out apostcard invitation to everyoneon the mailing list:

After five meetings, our stock isfinally rolling! Next meeting onTuesday, November 7, 1995, 7p.m. at Greg Lewer’s home.We’re organizing: bring $20 tocontribute towards the operatingfund. We’ll select a layout toconstruct for the two-day NMRAshow June 8-9, 1996, so bringyour favorite plan; approximatesize 12' x 18' oval (3' shelfaround a 6' x 12' pit?). We willbuild a modular American Flyerand O gauge combination layoutwith dual lines, so thinkcreatively. This will be the first ofregularly scheduled meetings/construction sessions at theLewer’s. Tell your friends.

It should be noted that, for thefirst four years or so of ourexistence, we had no dues. Whenwe needed to raise money topurchase building material, track,wire, paint, etc., we just passedthe hat, calling it a “selfassessment.” (Glad those days aregone!) We had no officers,although I volunteered to“coordinate” the club’s activitiesand to serve as the club

communicator with members, othertrain groups, vendors, the localmedia, and national publications. (Istill perform those duties, but I’venever been elected. Anyoneinterested?)

We met at Shane’s studio onRiver Park Lane that fall to begincutting lumber for the layout,envisioned to be a dual-gauge oval.The legs were to make it 42 inchesin total height.

By February 1996 we wereworking on the layout in theLewer’s basement. From the veryfirst “S Say” of the “Boise SGaugers” comes these excerpts:

John expressed his desire toformally name the group so that itcan be advertised, not only in theJune show, but in nationalpublications and for recruiting atthe local hobby shops. He came upwith a possibility: Rocky MountainHi-Railers, which could embraceboth S and O if some of themembers still want to pursue TCAaffiliation. He asked members tothink about naming the group,possibly by the next meeting.

Greg showed us the finishingtouches (bracing and connection)he and Shane made on ourbenchwork. It was decided to reducethe height of the benchwork by sixinches to enable our youngermembers and the younger public tohave better sight lines.

Greg, Shane, and Mark Laymanmet on February 9 and came upwith the design for a possiblefigure-8 modular layout, using adouble loop and double crossings,instead of the oval we’ve puttogether. It would require a couplemore sections than we haveconstructed, but was unanimouslyadopted by the group.

We had to drop the idea of adual-gauge layout for this year’sshow, as our Lionel friends haven’tshown that much interest. Ourlayout will be strictly AmericanFlyer S.

We were usually meetingweekly at Greg’s house in ourscramble to complete the layout intime for the June 1996 NMRAshow (sound familiar?).

Our rough schedule will be:completion of construction, end ofMarch; completion of trackworkand wiring, end of April;completion of accessories andscenicking, end of May. We’ll bemoving the modular to the Centreon the Grove for the show onFriday, June 7.

Regarding the club’sname–since no one came up withother ideas, the members agreedto adopt my suggestion of theRocky Mountain Hi-Railers (or, asthe registrar at Seattle’s 2004National Train Show dubbed uswhile searching for ourregistration, the “Rocky MountainHi-Rollers.”)

I wrote this for the second issueof the S Say, March 14, 1996:

The Generic (No-Name) SGaugers finally decided on aname for our club: RockyMountain Hi-Railers. JohnDenver hasn’t yet promised not tosue; however, we feel he’d behonored to have his famous songassociated with such a worthyorganization. Accordingly, he isgranted honorary membership,and can run his American Flyeron our layout whenever he’s intown.

Next month: the Big Show!

S Say is the official newsletter ofthe Rocky Mountain Hi-Railers.

Unless otherwise noted, all articlesare written by the

editor/coordinator, and do notnecessarily reflect the official

position of the club. Articles andletters are encouraged. Address

comments and correspondence to:John Eichmann, Coordinator

john@rockymountainhirailers.comwww.rockymountainhirailers.com

© 2020 John H. Eichmann

mailto:john@rockymountainhirailers.comhttp://www.rockymountainhirailers.com