Clinics

Saluda Grade is the steepest railroad grade on a class 1 railroad in the US. David will talk about the history of the grade and how the Southern Railway operated both climbing and descending the grade. The Saluda depot and museum in Saluda, NC has a model of the line from Saluda to Melrose.

The South Carolina Railroad Museum is in Winnsboro, SC and offers a short excursion ride as well as several static displays. Roger will discuss the history of the Rockton and Rion Railroad that once used the right-of-way that the museum operates on. He will also provide information on what the museum has to offer the railroad enthusiast.

Operation Lifesaver is an organization dedicated to railroad safety. Operation Lifesaver is a non-profit organization that provides public education programs in states across the U.S. to prevent collisions, injuries, and fatalities on and around railroad tracks and highway-rail grade crossings. Learn how they provide educational resources and necessary solutions to help resolve this problem.
Note: this is now a video loop instead of a live presentation.

Starting from nothing, show how to set up simple railroad operations on your layout using JMRI, including use of mobile devices to replace printed switchlists and car cards. As a bonus, Steve's layout will be in the Layout room, so you can stop by for a live Ops demo!
Here's the online clinic Steve gave for SERx:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krhyvrhrxv4

You can create inexpensive structures on your ink jet printer. Dave will show you some that he has created by downloading files from the internet; some of them are even free! The process is not for every structure on your layout, but there are places where it might make sense. The materials needed and the process of creating printed structures will be discussed. He will have an HO module on display that has three printed cardboard structures on it. A listing of several web sites where the files can be obtained will be distributed. He will also have handouts of a simple structure that you can try at home.

This clinic will cover the events that will be occurring at the 2023 NMRA Convention (The Texas Express). The dates of the convention are August 21-26 2023 at the Gaylord Texan, a mammoth Marriot Resort Hotel and Convention Center located in the center of the DFW Metroplex. The room rate is $179 double occupancy with all the extra fees normally added included in this rate. The professional video presentation includes the numerous proto and non proto tours available and the numerous historical sites and activities in the DFW area.
A 20 minute video highlighting the convention activities will be running in this clinic room.
Stop by to see what the 2023 convention will have to offer.

Mike has researched the purchase made by Southern Railway of a set of hoppers designed to carry coal and other aggregates. Using the Southern Railway Historical Society’s archives and other sources he followed the purchase from inception to delivery. You may have seen his article in Ties Magazine recently. He is also modelling the hoppers in HO Scale and will discuss the challenges in replicating the hoppers.

Computerized die cutters marketed to the scrapbooking hobby can make scratch-building faster, more precise, and easier than you thought!  From buildings to rolling stock, Rob will demonstrate how easy it is to build prototypical models and other useful items.

Using new technology such as smart phones, RaspberryPis and Arduinos can significantly drop the initial cost of entry into DCC Model Railroading without giving up high functionality. Specifically, we'll demonstrate and discuss EngineDriver, DCC-EX, servos, Digitrax LnWi, MRCWiFi, WifiTrax, RaspberryPi, PiSPROG, bluetooth remotes, and who knows what else......

George will present an overall history of all the railroads, starting with the Greenville and Columbia, followed by the Atlanta and Richmond (Southern), Charleston and Western Carolina, Greenville and Northern (Swamp Rabbit), Piedmont and Northern (CSX) and finally what remains today. The presentation contains classic photos of these trains collected from a variety of sources, maps of the facilities and the impact on the City of Greenville.

T-TRAK is a modular model railroad system that is growing in popularity. Although most T-TRAK modules are in N Scale, HO and Z Scale layouts are becoming more common. Dave will discuss the current standards and module construction. Advantages and disadvantages of the modular construction will be highlighted. Current manufacturers of T-TRAK module kits will be discussed. HO and N Scale modules will be displayed, including module kits and scratch-built modules.

Scott will cover what to expect when it comes time to sell your train collection. What are your options; how the process typically works; and what is valuable on the resale market, and what is not.

This presentation is a history built around seven stories that even railroad fans do not know. The clinic includes activities during the 2019 150th anniversary at Promontory Point.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the most traveled President using rail transportation. We will look at some of his travels and show how a Pullman business car was transformed into US 1 for his use while President. FDR died in Warm Springs, GA in 1945 and his funeral train travelled along the Southern Railway to Washington DC, and eventually to Hyde Park, NY, where he was buried. Consists and locomotives used on the funeral train will be presented, as well as photos of its passing through towns along the Southern Railway main line.

The Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG) seeks to collect and share information about the design process for model railroads, to help plan, develop, coordinate and exchange knowledge of model railroading, and to generally promote the hobby. As a longtime member of the LDSIG, and an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University, Cameron Turner brings a knowledge of the practice of design to the hobby of model railroading. In this clinic, we will discuss techniques to design not only a satisfying model railroad track plan, but a model railroad layout.

Les has mastered the art of making rocks with Hydrocal and rubber molds. He will share his knowledge with you and show us how he incorporates the rocks into his home layout.

Downtown Greenville has a lot to offer a visitor. From the numerous high-quality restaurants and shops to a baseball game a Flour Field. The CVB speaker will provide an overview of downtown Greenville and the surrounding area. The award-winning Liberty Bridge at Falls Park will be featured. Bring your questions about Greenville to this clinic and get answers from the professionals.

Model Trains Station is in the Taylors Mill in Taylors, SC, just east of Greenville. The location houses 11 different layouts of 6 different scales. Two additional layouts are currently in the works. In addition to showing us the layouts at MTS, Bob will discuss the challenges of setting up the train museum in a 100-year-old facility that was a textile mill bleachery. Check the layout tour schedule to see when MTS can be visited.

Tom will discuss a different approach to railroad operations. He will explain the role of the “Station Agent” and how to use “station Agents to enhance model operating sessions. Tom will also touch on Waybills and associated paperwork and how to put this system into place on your railroad.

Steve will describe the need to add more printed material to our layouts, and describe methods, tools, and tips for making your signs, roads, parking lots, etc. and printing them on a color printer.

The emergence of quality 3-D printing options for model railroading brings with it a brand-new set of opportunities for model railroading, and introduces a whole new skill set into model railroading. In this clinic, we will introduce several 3-D printing technologies, discuss the skills and tool chain necessary to use this technology, the pros and cons of your own printer, and examine some examples of what 3-D printing can do for your railroad. Cameron Turner not only uses 3-D printing in his hobby, but it is part of his research in engineering design as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University.

Part 2 - This advanced level clinic will describe the design and construction of a classification yard for the existing HO scale Pennington Junction Railroad.  Topics will cover ladder yard design, automated coupling and uncoupling, construction of a turning wye and a helix to move between levels.

Scott has become an expert on the Greenville and Northern Railroad, which was nicknamed the Swamp Rabbit. He will give you some history of the railroad and then will show you how he has modeled the line in S scale. Scott has spent many hours researching and accurately modelling the G&N.

Bruce, a retired professional photographer, will give us hints and techniques to create award willing photos of the prototype as well as models. Using digital photography and a photo editing software will be discussed. Examples of both good and poor photos will be critiqued as part of his presentation. Bruce recently had photos published in Model Railroader and in the 2020 NMRA calendar.

Stephen is the owner of Rail-Scale-Models, your source for model railroad craftsman kits, laser-cut detail components, custom scale structures, and laser-cutting services. Stephen will review technology and materials to create laser-cut structure kits and detail components, as well as a few in-depth reviews of the creation of a few laser-cut kits. He worked with the Hub City Railroad Museum to create an HO kit of the Spartanburg, South Carolina depot.

Chuck will show you his approach to modeling trees and incorporating them into your layout.

Duane will give you his do's and don'ts on how to take a real location and make it fit the space you have available for a layout.  "Selective Compression" is the phrase many use to make the model layout represent the real thing.  Duane will use examples from the Beer Line in Milwaukee that he is modelling.

Motorcars or “speeders” were used by most railroads prior to High Rail trucks and cars that replaced them. The North American Rail Car Owners Association (NARCOA) is a group of owners of motorcars of the past. Jim will show some of the NARCOA excursions he has participated in and what it takes to own and operate a motorcar. If you ever wanted to drive a train, this is the closest it gets without breaking the bank. Jim will also be providing motorcar rides on Thursday at the G&W Railway event.

Part 1 - This introductory level clinic will describe the basics of planning, design and construction of the freelance Pennington Junction Railroad in HO.  Topics will cover benchwork construction, track laying, wiring, scenery techniques and computerized operation.

We hope you have registered for the walking tour of River Junction in Greenville, but first Marv Havens will provide some background on the railroad junction in this clinic. River Junction was the location where a number of rail lines converged in Greenville. Interchange among the rail lines occurred in River Junction. Although many of the lines have been abandoned, Marv will take you back in time to when this area was the focal point of railroading in Greenville, SC.