Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of long time member Louis Lenz

Louis Lenz, one of the WMRC’s longest serving members, passed away at the age of 91 on August 13.

Lou was one of five other club members who, along with Charlie Scott, Bill Morrison, Tommy Kucera and current WMRC President John Bate, were professors at the University of Manitoba. Lou spent his 31 year career at the U of M in the Department of Plant Science, working in the area of Landscape Horticulture before retiring in 1995.

Lou was presented with an Honorary Life Membership in the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science in 2000. In retirement he continued to be active in horticulture and model railroading.

Lou was a quiet, gentle soul best known around the club as Felix Lesiuk’s rail fanning companion during his many excursions in western Manitoba. He continued rail fanning with Felix long after he moved to an assisted living residence. 

As per Lou’s wishes, a cremation has take place with is ashes to be scattered, and no formal service will be held.

 

Model display entries at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's September meeting

WMRC Past President Larry Leavens brought in a model of a Bentonite plant that he had been working on. Bentonite is a clay product that swells when wet and is used in construction to reduce seepage in the soil. It is shipped either as a powder or in pellets, either in bulk or bagged.

The structure is a Faller Concrete Plant kit. The base of the building where a cement truck would receive the premixed concrete, was filled with corrugated sheet styrene. The majority of the structure was painted with ‘rattle can spray paint’ prior to the assembly of the major components.
The structure will be incorporated into a larger industry, Pembina Mountain Clays, at Scott’s Siding. The siding is named in memory of long-time WMRC member Charlie Scott.

Neil Carleton brought in a Canadian Pacific truss rod boxcar built from a kit. The kit was repainted and decorated with period correct decals from Black Cat Decals. Weathering followed using Pan pastels and then sprayed with Testors Dullcoat.