Clinic Presenter’s Info
Fred Headon MMR©
Fred will be joining us from Canada, via the wonder of the internet. His presentation will introduce us to “Grade Crossing he has known”. This fast-paced clinic will offer images of the variety of prototype items seen in and around grade crossings including railway-related and road-related items through history. There is a great variety in the multitude of railway specific and road-specific details in the vicinity of railway grade crossings quite beyond the crossing material itself and the commonly included crossbuck which by itself can be quite varied. All too often these details abound on our prototypes but are missing (overlooked?) on our model railways. Each is vital in creating their own mini-scenes to make our modelling efforts come alive. As many as possible should be part of our modelling efforts as we do our best to replicate our prototypes. Fred is a retired educator and an accomplished Clinician with experience presenting at local, Regional and National events. Fred also served as the Canadian District Director on the NMRA National Board.
Gary Nelson
Gary is a retired Great Northern Railway Trainman who worked 42 years (1967-2009) with the GN (BN BNSF). Gary describes his career with the railroad as one most people only dream of. Gary is a 4th generation Railroader, he served on Passenger, Freight and Local Trains, retiring from the Osseo Line job on the west side of Minneapolis in 2007. Gary will be sharing stories and insights of 6 generations in the Willmar area including 4 generations of railroaders. His experiences as a Passenger Conductor on the on the famed Empire Builder will be entertaining and informative for railfan and modeler alike. Gary’s presentation will proceed our self-guided tour of the Great Northern (now BNSF) facilities in Willmar.
Neil Maldeis MMR©
Neil Maldeis retired about a four years ago and is dedicated to sharing with and helping model railroaders of all ages and skill levels. Neil is currently in the process of building 2 layouts in a basement (approx. 1000 sq ft) he recently
renovated into a finished space suitable for model railroad layouts.
His first layout is HOn3 version of the RGS (Ridgeway-Dolores) that includes his freelance logging operation.
The second layout that he is planning is approximately 12’ x 52’, an around the
wall style based on the BN prototype running from Peoria to Galesburg. The layout is designed for operating sessions.
His presentation, “Starting Over – Building a New Train Room & Layout(s)”
Will be a light hearted look at taking on constructing new layout(s) after retirement. Neil will include the process he used to convert an unfinished basement into a suitable train room. The process used to plan and start construction of the layout(s), techniques and tips that worked well for him (Home improvement & Modeling). A summary of the many lessons learned along the way The clinic will wrap up with Neil fielding questions.
Greg Terhaar
Greg is a lifelong train junky, starting his model railroad journey in 1983 at the age of 11. There is no scale, and no railroad, once bitten and smitten, that Greg won’t dabble in, and attempt to recreate in miniature. Interests change, but one aspect of the hobby has never changed for Greg, the love and pursuit of the “Art” of Model Railroading.
In this morning’s presentation, “Designing for Aesthetics”, Greg will share some of his most recent efforts in attempting to employ different types of artistic expression into his layouts, with ideas and tools to consider when designing your model railroad.
Ken Zieska
Ken has been obsessed with trains since a very early age. After years of abusing his Fathers Marx train set, Ken received an American Flyer train when he was 8. While Ken dabbled in other scales and the American Flyer rests quietly on the shelf, Ken is building in S Scale. Ken’s presentation will show how he has adapted lessons learned from attending many operations sessions and his understanding of railroad and customer interactions during his modeling era. Ken will share the “paperwork” and other supporting tools he has developed to help his operators enjoy their visit. We are looking at operations on a beautiful fall day where the weather is beautiful, rail traffic is bustling, where the crews meet and know the customers. Come along on the visit and feel free to adapt or adopt any ideas to your operation