# Big Train Show 2012:Two Clinics



## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Do shows like ECLSTS and Heart of America have clinics? I know the National Conventions do -- the upcoming one in Illinois looks to have 40+ on its schedule. Some of the clinics are expressions of an individual craftsman's talent and expertise, but most are given by the companies that want to sell you something. No harm in that; it's called 'qualifying the buyer' -- getting together folks who might be interested in your particular solution to their particular problem and showing them why you have the best dang 3-hole blivet they can buy! 








The Big Train Show has traditionally had several of these 'Vendor Clinics' each year, dating back to the Queen Mary days.


This year, there were several that SWMTP & I were interested in, and the two that fit our schedule conflicted with each other! So we split up -- I went to a clinic called *"DCC 101" *presented by James Shourt, proprietor of "*Shourtline by Soft Works*." Carla, meanwhile, went to a clinic on custom decals presented by an innocent-faced kid named *Stan Cedarleaf*. Both had vendor tables in the hall. Here's Mr. Shourt's booth -












The one-hour presentation I attended was apparently a sort of 'shorthand, summer session' version of an all-day seminar that Shourt presents professionally. Besides the DCC 101 seminar, he also does two more advanced classes. (BTW, Mr. Shourt didn't push, and didn't even mention, these commercial seminars -- I discovered them by visiting his web site.) There were about a dozen attendees.












The clinic was definitely focused on the basic elements of DCC, but Shourt managed to squeeze in a lot of information and answer any questions that came up. I have to admit, f'rinstance, that I've been confused about what back-EMF actually is, and how DCC can use it to change the sound of a locomotive. Mr. Shourt gave me the first explanation that I was able to get my head around. (It was like one of those cartoon 'lightbulb' moments.)












I was also pleased by the professional look of the graphics. (I almost said slides -- & should probably say 'powerpoint presentation.') Shourt used them well, commenting on the text and illustrations, rather than simply reading aloud what we could already see on the screen.









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I was pleased with the clinic; it cleared up several points I was confused about. And I'm very curious about a method Shourt advocates for 'getting your feet wet' in DCC in a reasonably inexpensive manner. It turns out that you can use a 'SPROG' programmer as a low-powered command station. With a booster, you can get enough juice to run a train or two around a medium-sized layout. Shourt makes clear, however, that this is by no means a 'universal solution' for DCC. Besides the low power, the SPROG can only be controlled from a computer running JMRI or the equivalent; no handheld controller need apply! (But an IPhone might help.) I'd really be interested in hearing from Greg E and other DCC gurus about the pros and cons of this idea -- has it been discussed here before? If so, a pointer please?


Meanwhile, SWMTP was across the hall attending *Stan Cedarleaf's* presentation on *Custom Decals for Your Railroad*. Members of MLS have seen Stan's decal service grow from a hobby, to an occasional service for his friends, to an advertising supporter of MyLargeScale. Here he is at his table talking to a prospective customer. I imagine Stan might be explaining the diifficulties of printing white, and why an orphaned ALPS printer is still one of the best solutions!












And here's a 'slide' from Stan's presentation, showing the transformation of a 'vanilla' boxcar into a Burlington Northern car, complete with logo and reporting marks. First you take a boxcar and paint it black... (more about painting and un-painting later)












An important thing to note here is that in the proof page in the upper left you can see the "NP" and reporting data printed in black. But they need to be white on the car! "Of COURSE they're in black! If you printed them in white, you couldn't even see... oh... waitaminute... then how do you get the white?" And that's the "white on white" problem. What Stan can do is feed the data to the printer and say "when you see this section here of BLACK, print it as WHITE on the decal film." And then, for the Logo (and another pass, I'm guessing) say "Print BLACK as BLACK".


But Stan can do much more than that. Here's a more complicated job, and SWMTP has pasted a number of Stan's slides together so that I can show you the whole process in a nutshell. It started when a customer handed Stan a copy of an HO ad for an 'advertising reefer.' One picture, one perspective. And he asked Stan if he could re-create it in G.












That's the original picture in the upper left corner. What Stan had to do was 'de-construct' that stick of butter, figure out the angles, find and recreate the Fairmont Creamery logos, than figure out how to distort them so that they would fit on the butter package. And then of course, recreate the typography and reporting marks. The result, a Fairmont Creamery reefer in G, is at the bottom.


Here's another example, and the story starts right here on Stan's table. Look for that ugly, warped sheet that looks like a piece of parchment, smack in the middle of the table. It's actually a water-stained HO scale decal sheet that Stan reconstructed in Large Scale.












The first thing, I suppose, is to recreate the logo of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad. Note the various layers that had to be done, with black reversing to gold, and overlayed in blue, before piercing it all with a red arrow!












Then incorporate that logo into a master decal sheet, including route signs and trim decals.












Stan also discussed what you'll want to do before bringing those fancy new decals anywhere near that old rolling stock -- namely, strip the old signage off and repaint! Stan likes rattlecans, and much prefers Krylon to Rustoleum (which never really dries, says Stan.) Shake well, follow instructions, and keep the rattlecans in a warm pot of water while spraying! As for taking that old lettering off, one of Stan's slides said simply "There ain't no easy way." But the next slide gave a few suggestions...












and he liked this new tool, available at Harbor Freight -












It's called an air eraser. I know it looks like an airbrush, but this puppy is designed to shoot out a fine spray of abrasive baking soda! Here's another of Stan's slides, showing an engine in the middle of being 'de-logo'ed. Probably best done outside, and Stan recommends wearing a dust mask!












Stan showed a lot more examples and gave a lot more tips than I can include here. But I had to include just example from Stan's own 'Prescott Canyon' Line. And if you want to get ahold of Stan, I'm pretty sure he's somewhere nearby!











That's it for Big Train Show Vendors! What comes next?


Only the Shadow knows ... heh heh heh heh heh..


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, Guys...... That is a great report on both clinics show. Had no idea there would be that much covered....

Carla.... The slides are advancing much slower as a result of your gracious comments... 

Thank you so much for the input...


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary....fantastic explanation. I hadn't seen the blaster before...that's cool.


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

You're talking about that 'baking soda gun', right Mike? Yes, luckily (!?) there's a harbor freight close to me, and Stan's got me looking at some old Bachmann rolling stock with new eyes!

I'm surprised though, that nobody's picked up on the mention from Shourt's DCC clinic of using a SPROG DCC Programmer as a Command Station! Seems like it might be a fun way to get started!

Thanks for commenting,


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