The annual Pacific Southwest Region/NMRA Annual Convention will take place next September 5 thru 9 (Wednesday - Sunday) in Oxnard at the Courtyard By Marriott. You DO NOT need to be an NMRA member to attend and participate. The convention will feature modeling clinics (see below), manufacturers' displays, contests, exhibits, an auction, a swap meet, raffle, prototype tours and layout tours. The banquet Guest Speaker will be actor and model railroader Michael Gross. Website: http://www.psrconvention.org/ventura12/index.html Registration Form: http://www.psrconvention.org/ventura12/Registration Form.pdf Convention Chairman: Carl Heimberger cjheimberger@gmail.com Phone: 714-776-6394 Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA +++++ Clinics 1.Todd Scott: 3–D Backdrops. Todd is no stranger to the model railroad community and his clinics are always enjoyable. This one will also be quite interesting, Todd will demonstrate simple techniques on how to create a backdrop with a ”3–D” effect using simple materials, like photos of trees and building. 2. Orange County Module Railroaders, Inc: DCC Camp OCMR will bring its famous DCC Camp to the convention and present a three hour hands on clinic on programming your DCC equipped locomotive. Here is a chance for you to bring a DCC locomotive with or without sound that you have had difficulty programming and the OCMR experts will assist you in programming that locomotive with a system similar to like the one you have at home. This is a HAND ON Clinic so you will be doing the work and the OCMR members will assist and show you how to program various functions from speed setting and sound volume, to lighting. So bring your problem locomotive, there will be numerous members there to assist you 3. Ron Banco: Weathering Cars and Locomotives with Chalk & Paints Ron's clinic will cover basic way that anyone can produce a professional and realistic weathering on cars and locomotives, using simple weathering powders, chalk, and paint washes. Using his techniques' you can weather your entire fleet of rolling stock in no time. This technique can be used to just take the new plastic shine off a new car or weather it to the point it is ready for the scrap pile. 4. Jeff Smith: How To Get The Sound Out Of Your Locomotive Jeff will cover the different types of sound speakers available on the market and what steps you will need to take to install the correct baffling and placement of the speakers. He will also cover the different speaker output ranges and volume. 5. Richard Wehr: The Ghosts of Gasoline Alley Richard will present a history of the American Gasoline Station, the research resources available to the modeler, and examples of kit built and scratch-built model gas stations by some of the best modelers across the United States. He has given this clinic at several National Narrow Gauge and NMRA conventions with the purpose of aiding the modeler to build a station depicting the correct era and geographic region of their layout. This is a must attend clinic. 6. Al Hovey: Trackside Scenes to Model This clinic will show “Trackside Scenes to Model” Featuring the Santa Fe Raton Sub in New Mexico. 7. Mark Williams: Beginning Scenery Design and Construction Beginning scenery design and construction (emphasis on 'beginner' -- someone who knows nothing about scenery would be able to follow along, someone who has some experience will learn some techniques that would make their efforts more realistic; in other words, no previous experience would be needed, but people with some experience would still be able to profit from attending. Mark will show you how to start with a simple track plan on a plywood table and develop mountains, rivers, trees, shrubs, hedges, grasslands, country roads and highways. 8. Gary Robinson: Building a Home-Made Flocinator Gary will take you on the step by step process of taking simple materials like a sink down pipe, Zip lock plastic bowl, ion generator, screen, glue and miscellaneous other parts to build a professional quality static grass applicator. 9. Joe Villaryo: Installing Sound Decoders & Speakers Joe will present a series of clinics that will show you step by step how to install sound decoders and speakers in any locomotive, the first session will discuss the various types of locomotives that decoders can be install within and some of the pit falls. The second clinic shows how to prepare the locomotive to receive the various decoder components. The last clinic Joe will install the decoder and speaker and show how it is all wired together. 10. Jimmy Simmons: Subject TBD 11. Don Fowler: Subject TBD 12. Ben Sevier: Subject TBD 13. Bob Mitchell: Subject TBD 14. Carl Heimberger: Subject TBD (More Clinics Will Be Added)
