Layout Design / Operations Special Interest Groups
SIG Activities Coordinator: Bob Osborn
Expanded SIG Program for Iron Horse Express!
The Layout Design and Operations SIGs have long been a part of PCR conventions, but this year we're expanding to reflect all of the great Design and Ops related content available! Instead of making Thursday "SIG Track Day," we're running the SIG Track both Thursday and Friday, and even then there's more great Design and Ops clinics.
We're also having another great Operations Program, organized by David Parks. If you've registered, you'll be hearing from Dave about operating opportunities including some layouts available for the first time!
So let's talk about the layouts featured in the SIG Track, by the way all of the SIG Track clinics are in the Waterville Room, so you don't even have to move.
SIG Clinic Track – Thursday
| 9:00 AM | Former Layout Design Journal Editor Dave Clemens - Freight Train Operations and Car Forwarding |
| 10:30 AM | Former Dispatchers' Office Editor Bill Kaufman - Operations for Dummies |
| 1:00 PM | Layout Design SIG President Seth Neumann and Chris Drome - RFID in Model Railroading |
| 2:30 PM | Steve Williams - Layout Design in Free-moN |
| 4:00 PM | Retired Locomotive Engineer Tommy Johnson - Operations on the Road |
| ****** | If you've been following the track or intend to attend the SIG Meet and Greets in the evening, you may want to meet us at the Waterville Room at the end of Tommy's clinic and we'll find a place to have dinner as a group and keep the good discussions going. |
| 7:00 PM | Jim Providenza will host the Layout Design SIG Meet and Greet, where members introduce themselves and their layouts and topics of interest are discussed. Feel free to bring your layout plans and mock ups! |
| 8:30 PM | Seth Neumann will host the Operations SIG Meet and Greet, where we'll talk about how to operate many of the same plans we discussed earlier (as Bill Kaufman says: "Seth will stop harassing Jim and will stand up, so Jim can harass Seth") This usually goes on until the hotel kicks us out and then continues in the bar with adult beverages. |
SIG Clinic Track – Friday
| 9:00 AM | Tommy Johnson - Operations in the Yard |
| 10:30 AM | Don Marenzi - Copper on Rails, an excellent study of mining and refining with a lot of rails. |
| 1:00 PM | PCR Vice President Ed Merrin - The Northwestern Pacific in HO: a Railroad and its Operations |
| 2:30 PM | Bill Kaufman - The State Belt Railroad of California and how to model it |
| 4:00 PM | Guy Cantwell - Simple Car Cards |
| 7:00 PM | Retired Train Dispatcher Steve Gust's authoritative - Basic Track Warrant Control (TWC) |
| 8:30 PM | Tommy Johnson - Random Thoughts on Prototype Operations |
And Even More!
There are many other clinics of Design and Ops interest we couldn't squeeze into the SIG track, such as:
| Wednesday | |
| 1:00 PM | Dave Connery - SP's San Ramon Branch |
| 2:30 PM | Dennis Drury - JMRI Operations (seen previously at the Bay Area PCR/LD/OP SIG Meet) |
| 4:00 PM | Thom Knapp - Modeling the Pacific Coast Railroad's San Luis Obispo facilities (seen previously at the Bay Area PCR/LD/OP SIG Meet) |
| Thursday | |
| 9:00 AM | Bob Pethoud - Building and Operating the Fall Creek Branch |
Meet and Greets – Thursday
Each SIG will hold a "Meet and Greet" Thursday evening. ALL convention attendees welcome!
| 7:00 PM | Jim Providenza | LDSIG Meet and Greet |
| 8:30 PM | Seth Neumann | OPSIG Meet and Greet |
Layout Tours & Operating Sessions
See the dedicated Layout Tours & Operation Sessions page for more information.
The SIGs
The Layout Design SIG's prime purpose is to help modelers design and build a model railroad to enhance future operations with minimum space and cost, while avoiding common design flaws, and include prototypical and model design features that maximize operating interest and visual interest.
The Operations SIG is devoted to furthering the simulation of prototypical operating practices by using the forms, procedures, communications, and train schedules on model railroads.
Members of other NMRA SIGs are welcome to participate in Iron Horse Express 2013 and encouraged to contact me.
SIG Activities Coordinator: Bob Osborn
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