I remember how influential your pioneering clutter dioramas were, giving rise to an entire genre of dilapidation and high-count clutter detail. (George Sellios’ Ezra Cooper’s Garage looked a lot like your O scale garage).

So, congratulations for a beautiful model of an unconventionally beautiful subject, and thank you for your originality, and I’m sure D. F. George would be proud as well.

Sincerely,
Peter Tuttle, via email

Dear Bob,
My layout is in the garage and is subject to extreme temperatures throughout the year. I have tried every track cleaner imaginable and every one of them had to be redone in a week or two if I didn’t run trains frequently.

Several months ago, I carefully cleaned all my tracks and applied a thin coat of NO-OX-ID to all the tracks. I have not done any cleaning since and everything is still running well, in spite of inactivity and extreme temperatures! I have never found anything that even comes close to what this product does. I’m sure that it being electrically conductive is a big part of why it works so well. Since it goes on so sparingly, I have a lifetime supply from that one little jar.

Thanks. Keep up the good work on the Gazette!

Sincerely,
Bert Donlon, via email

Dear Bob,

Interesting review on NO-OX-ID on page 22 in the July/August issue. Car nuts like me are familiar with a similar product called di-electric grease. It’s a white colored cream or paste which has an effect very similar to the Sanchem product. Available in multiple different sizes at any full line auto parts chain like AutoZone.

Sincerely,
Jim McLaughlin, via email

Dear Bob,

The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Nevada, put on the Great Western Steam Up July 1–July 4. Keith Brown and I attended this show for three days and had a wonderful time. Narrow gauge was well represented by two small Porter 0-4-0s, the debut of Nevada County Narrow Gauge 2-6-0 #5, the Museum’s 2-6-0 Glenbrook, Dan Markoff’s Eureka & Palisade 4-4-0 #4, and SP 2-8-0 #18. Standard gauge steam was in the form of a number of V&T locomotives from the Museum’s collection, the Bluestone Mining & Smelting Co. Heisler #1, and a Porter 0-4-0T that once operated at the Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company. This was a great setting for renewing old friendships and making new ones. The museum staff, their army of volunteers, the visiting engine crews, historical society folks and the food truck operators and all the people that turned out for this event made the days pass quickly.

One locomotive turned out to be very interesting to me because of a request from Sharon Olsen (the wonderful art director/page layout magician for the Gazette). She asked that I take photos of the Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company 0-4-0T for her. It is a neat engine, and certainly appropriate for the GAZETTE. Here are some photos of the engine that at some time captured Sharon’s fancy.

Sincerely,
Dave Adams, via email