Clinics & Seminars
We’ll be featuring dozens of clinics and seminars scheduled throughout the convention. Schedule times will be determined as we get closer to the convention. There will be multiple opportunities to attend each of the clinics.
Workshop Clinic Participation
Three clinics in a hands-on workshop format will be conducted on successive afternoons, Thursday through Saturday, in the Westinghouse Room. Although all three workshops are fare-free, two of the three require advanced sign-up to reserve a space (backdrop painting) and receive software to load onto your laptop (3D printing).
Descriptions of each workshop follow, along with participation requirements. Consider joining one or more of the workshops as an alternative to prototype or layout stops in greater Pittsburgh, or if you get back to the hotel early after your excursion.
Backdrop Painting
This workshop will be held Thursday afternoon in two separate, hour-long sessions, with the first starting at 1:30pm and the second starting at 3:00pm. The hands-on clinic will show an easy method of painting a backdrop featuring tree covered rolling hills, typical of the eastern US and parts of the Midwest.
The workshop can accept up to 8 painting participants per session (but there is space in the room for folks that just want to sit in and watch the instructor and participants).
Those backdrop painting participants need to register in advance (Session 1 or Session 2) directly with Pete Leach. Please email Pete with the subject line “NNGC Backdrop Painting Clinic” and indicate in the text which session you’d prefer to attend.
Pete will be supplying the materials (acrylic paint, brushes, and 16”x20” boards), along with easels and plastic drop cloths. Participants only need to bring enthusiasm and wear paint-accommodating clothes.
Finishing Models Workshop
This workshop will be held Friday afternoon, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. Painting and weathering with craft and other acrylics, oil paint washes, and pan pastels will be discussed and demonstrated, per attendee interest.
Bring a model that you’d like to paint or weather, and four modelers with a variety of finishing skills will assist in completing your model. There’s no formal structure to the workshop, other than first-come, first-serve. There will be demonstration and practice models available to hone techniques.
Paints, brushes, and supporting materials will be supplied; attendees only need bring their ideas and models, and wear clothes suitable for painting and weathering.
CAD Techniques for 3D Printing Workshop
This workshop will be held Saturday afternoon, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, in two parts.
The workshop will open with an hour-long PowerPoint presentation (3D Printing for Model Railroading), which can be attended by all those interested (meaning no need to sign up for this portion of the workshop).
Following the presentation will be a hands-on functionality introduction to the Fusion 360 CAD package, which will allow participants to begin designing their own modeling parts. Attendance for the Fusion portion of the workshop is limited to 10 with preloaded CAD-package laptops.
Ray Persing will supply the Fusion CAD program to participants before the convention. Participants need to bring their laptops to the convention (preloaded with the CAD program). To register for this workshop, please email Ray with the subject line “NNGC CAD Techniques Clinic” and mention in the text your interest in attending and what type of laptop you have available for the clinic.
DOWNLOAD THE CLINIC SCHEDULE HERE
All Clinics and Seminars
| Topic | Clinician | Type |
| Fine Tuning Brass Locomotives | Fuzzy Anstine | PowerPoint |
| LED Lighting | Bill Sartore | PowerPoint |
| Tuscarora Valley RR Prototype and Modeling | George Pierson | PowerPoint |
| Chickawaukie Module and Maine Ice Harvesting | Tom Hoermann | PowerPoint |
| 35 Years of the WW&F Museum – The Early Years | Jeff Schumaker | PowerPoint |
| 35 Years of the WW&F Museum – 2005 to Today | Jeff Schumaker | PowerPoint |
| Modeling the Gilpin Tramway in a Small Space | Keith Pashina | PowerPoint |
| Narrow Gauge in the Land of the Mayas | Greg Maxwell | PowerPoint |
| SR&RL Mushroom Design | Dave Keith | PowerPoint |
| Upper Midwest and SW Scenery Techniques | Matt Woods | PowerPoint |
| HOn30 and On30 Locomotive Kitbashing | Phil Gliebe | PowerPoint |
| B&SGE: Modeling an Appalachian Coal & Iron Empire in HOn3 | Vagel Keller | PowerPoint |
| Two Prototypes, Two Models | Steve Zapytowski and Sam Swanson | PowerPoint |
| Casting and Printing On30 Rolling Stock | Kevin Jones | PowerPoint |
| OR&W Prototype and Models | Bill Logan | PowerPoint |
| Engineering the Right-of-Way | Neal Schorr | PowerPoint |
| Waterfront and Nautical Models in On30 | Pete Leach | Workshop |
| Scratchbuilding Fn3 Rolling Stock | Al Pomeroy | PowerPoint |
| Handlaying Better Track and Switches – Hints and Tips | Alan Loizeaux | PowerPoint |
| How to Monetize Your Collection | Dan Raap | PowerPoint |
| The 1920s Dolly Varden RR Enhanced in Colour | Walter Reid | PowerPoint |
| New Discoveries for the Anyox Railway | Gerald Harper | PowerPoint |
| The Benefits of Going Dead Rail | Lowell Didas, Randy Allio | PowerPoint |
| Scenery Techniques | Martin Welberg | Make-Take |
| Modelling the Rio Grande Southern | Craig Symington | PowerPoint |
| Along the Waynesburg & Washington Right-of-Way | Jim Weinschenker | PowerPoint |
| Modeling the Prototype: North Whitefield, Maine | Pete Magoun | PowerPoint |
| Modeling a Mine Site Prototypically | Edward Freeman | PowerPoint |
| Lumbering, Logging and Mills Along the SR&RL | Gary Kohler | PowerPoint |
| Kosher Weathering | George Riley | PowerPoint |
| J&L Railroad Overview and Engineer Instruction | Rick Rowlands | PowerPoint |
| Gatorfoam Applications | David Myers | PowerPoint |
| Painting and Weathering with Craft Acrylics | Steve Zapytowski and Sam Swanson | Workshop |
| CAD Techniques for 3D Printing | Ray Persing | Workshop |
| Narrow Gauge in the Nickel Plate’s Clover Leaf District | Tony Koester | PowerPoint |
| Blending Two Hobbies – Steam Trains and Robots | Bob Ross | PowerPoint |
| 3D Printing for Model Railroading | Robb Thomas | PowerPoint |
| Getting Started in Sn2 | Chris McChesney | PowerPoint |
| Building Snippets Cove in On30 | Michael Yoakam | PowerPoint |
| Backdrop Painting | Pete Leach | Workshop |
| Jerry Severson | How the 1920s Ringling Bros. and B&B Circus Moved | PowerPoint |
| Michael Hohn | Building 1880s Shortline Structures and Rolling Stock | PowerPoint |
| Martin Welberg | Martin’s Secret Techniques for Static Grass | PowerPoint |
| Martin Welberg | Martin’s Secret Techniques for Finishing Scenery | PowerPoint |
| Wes Pfarner | Dorman Photographic Collection of the Friends of Cumbres & Toltec RR | PowerPoint |
| Neal Schorr | Capturing the Commonwealth – Recreating Pennsy’s Middle Division | PowerPoint |