Clinics are a key part of any convention. We have classrooms reserved within the campus. Our hope at the moment is to have between 9 and 15 clinics on a variety of topics. Plan is to have clinics run on Saturday, starting in the morning and run through the day.
This page will be updated with the actual clinics closer to the convention date.
Clinics will be scheduled on Friday night and Saturday morning. Friday night will be from from 6:00pm to 10:00pm and Saturday morning will be from 8:30am to 12:30am unless otherwise noted and will take place at the Mohawk Campus. There are plans for 4 clinics in 2 sessions for a total of 16 clinics.
If you are interested in presenting (and claiming points for an Achievement Award), contact Ron Johnson at 905-547-4135 or by emailing him at intldivnmra.info@gmail.com
Friday 6-7 PM
Unconventional/Alternate Tools for Model Railroading
Presented by Wayne Wessner
Tools are not always simply – Saws, Hammer, Screw Drivers or Pliers. This clinic will show you unconventional, often overlooked and alternate tools and items that you can use or help to assist you in your model building. The clinic will discuss where to find and how to construct some of these items. This will be a hands on clinic so to speak, as items will be passed around for viewing, to those attending.
Hamilton’s Transit, Then and Now
Presenter: Trevor Parkins-Sciberras
Slideshow of photos depicting the history of Hamilton’s public transit network completed by author and historian Trevor Parkins-Sciberras (aka Time-Travel Trevor). This includes streetcars, radial cars trolley coaches and more.
Trevor has three books on sale, published by Amazon at $25.00 each
Transit Time warp: Toronto Volume 1;
Grand River and Lake Erie Electric Railways: Volume 1
Transit Timewarp: Hamilton: Volume 1
Friday 7-8 PM
British Columbia Railway in the 1980’s
Presenter: Ron Tuff—MMR
Ron has been interested in the BCR since he travelled with his grandparents on the “Canadian” in the 1970’s. He has been a member of the HOMES club in Hamilton since he was a teenager and has served on the executive for the past 50 years. His first permanent job was switchman, conductor and then yardmaster at Stelco Hilton Works, the largest integrated steel mill in Canada during the last century. In addition to Railfanning, Ron’s double deck home layout captures some of those 1980’s interests. [presents on Friday evening]
The British Columbia Railway was Canada’s third largest railway system. Although it operated for many years before being absorbed in Canadian National, my interest is the 1980’s era. This included scheduled passenger seam operation, daily Rail Diesel Car operation 467 miles from North Vancouver to Prince George, 50 kV electrics on the Tumbler Sub division, a predominately Montreal Locomotive Works diesel fleet, a number of second hand additions and beautiful scenery on ten subdivisions.
Ron’s model railroad will be on display during Saturday’s layout tours.
Trees from Sedum
Presenter: Barry Kelly
Trees built from natural materials can be larger, more realistic and much, much cheaper than hobby shop examples—and can be a fun family activity.
Friday 8-9PM
Evolution of TH&B passenger cars from1950 to 1970
Presenter: David Paterson—MMR
We’ll take a look at the actual cars and the connections that made up these trains and how they changed as passenger preferences from 1950 to the end of passenger service on the TH&B as historical information has been added. During this period an amazingly complex web of passenger traffic passed through Hamilton for destinations north and south.
Inexpensive Ways to Model Realistic Bushes and Wildflowers.
Presenter: M. Vant
Commercial offerings for model railroad scenery have improved immensely in recent years. Learn how to replicate many of these results at a fraction of the cost.
Friday 9-10PM
Twelve inches to the foot: volunteering at the Halton County Radial Museum
Presenter: Chuck Lawrence
A presentation about how a model railroader became involved in full sized rail equipment operation and maintenance as a volunteer at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum in Milton.
DCC-EX
Presenter: D. Krout
Tittle: DCC-EX Command Station
– An overview of DCC-EX from its creation to the present day.
Presenter:
Saturday 8-9 AM
TBA
Saturday 9-10 AM
Early 20th Century Circus Trains
Presenter: Gary Reynolds
Covers the makeup of the trains that travelled from city to city to bring the circus to town. Also covered will be many of the terminology used by the circuses.
FN3 Backyard Layout
Presenter: Mike Lafond
Covers a FN3 Backyard layout with Narrow Gauge Theme
Saturday 10-11 AM
The Almonte Hydro-Electric Generating Station
Presenter: Tony Kerr
How to create a diorama capturing the essence of a small scale hydro-electric generating station, its environs and more importantly how to create a realistic representation of the associated river rapids. Based on a power plant in eastern Ontario which combines the falling water on a sharp turn surmounted the generator building.
Scratch-building a Howe Pony Truss Bridge
Presenter: Ron Gutman
Also, Do-It-Yourself Tools & Workbench Aids (as seen in The On30 Annual 2023)
A few of these ideas may appear in an upcoming Scale Rails
Scratch-building the Argent Gondola
Saturday 11-12 pM
The Railorad Post Office
Presenter: Gerald Arends
Almost every passenger train had a Railway Post Office (RPO) attached to it, and these RPOs provide a significate source of revenue for the hosting railroad. If you model the transition era including Bud RDCs, you should have RPOs on your layout.
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