You can now view the video of the 1983 Railway Jamboree NMRA national convention on You Tube!

 

At our March 2022 meeting we screened a rarely seen video of the 1983 Railway Jamboree NMRA national convention held in Winnipeg. The response was so enthusiastic that we've decided to post it on You Tube for everyone else to see!

The late Roger Kiendl shot this video using a heavy, bulky video camera with a separate battery pack in a canvas bag slung over his shoulder. We estimate that he was lugging around about 40 pounds of equipment during that very hot week in July. This was state of the art equipment back then! 

The video contains great footage of first and second generation diesel power at the CP Weston Shops and the CN Transcona Yards. Roger also took his camera into the convention's public train show,  held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Check out the awesome N scale iron ore loading dock!

You can vie the video by clicking the link here: https://youtu.be/jvIJ39zLzGs
 

Journey back to the 1983 Winnipeg Railway Jamboree at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's March 2022 meeting

We have a very special nostalgic treat at our next meeting! A video of the 1983 Railway Jamboree NMRA national convention held in Winnipeg, which has been viewed only once, has been digitized and will be screened at our March meeting. 

The video was made by the late Roger Kiendl, who carried around a very bulky video camera and taped several highlights of the convention in this 35 minute video. We will also have a short presentation about the making of this landmark convention,  followed by a Q&A session with some of the participants and volunteers at this convention. 

Neil Carleton will also conduct a workshop on how to make small flicker free LED lighting for cabooses and passenger cars.

The fun starts on Friday, March 11, at the Tank Room in the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. Please note that the time of our meetings has been permanently changed from 7:30PM to 7:00PM. We will be holding our monthly model and photo display, and the canteen will be open. 

Please note that the provincial guidelines are still in effect at this date. The Legion requires proof of full vaccination for entry. Masks will be required at the meeting.

This will be a combination in-person and a Zoom meeting. All members will receive a Zoom link. If you are not a member and wish to attend, please email us at wmrc.trainclub@gmail.com and we will send you a link.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of long time member Roger Kiendl

Roger (far left) is seen with Ron Einarson, Paul Ullrich Dennis Rietze and Sid Greenstone in from of the Prairie Dog Central’s #3 locomotive during the 2010 TLR convention in Winnipeg. 

Long time WMRC member Roger Kiendl passed away in Regina earlier this year.

Roger was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He had a long career in electronics and worked for companies such as Bulova, Gulf and Western, Curtis Wright and the Westinghouse Corporation. He was the designer and Project Engineer for the nuclear reactor rod control system installed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise.

He met his wife Beverley, a nursing student from Manitoba, while she was working at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. They were married in 1963 and moved Winnipeg in 1971. He worked as the sales manager of video systems for Servo Electronic Systems, providing television systems for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario until he retired in 1999.

Roger was a member of the WMRC and the NMRA for close to 40 years. He attended the NMRA national convention in Winnipeg in 1983 and TLR conventions in 1996, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010. When the TLR’s local group, No. 1 Northern Division, was in danger of being delisted he was a driving force in helping the group’s reorganization.

Roger saved the lives of three of his fellow WMRC members Arnie Walker, Norm Leathers and Paul Ullrich in 2003 when they were travelling to the TLR convention in Thunder Bay. When it was his turn driving, a moose suddenly walked onto the Trans Canada Highway east of Dryden. He expertly swerved, braked, and honked, scaring the moose out of the way.

Roger was on the organizing committee for the 2010 TLR convention in Winnipeg. He came up with the name of the convention, “Steam on the Prairies”. He was a tireless and dedicated volunteer for this convention, assisting in securing the venue, the rental of the Prairie Dog Central Railway, choosing the restaurant for the banquet, renting the bus for the rail fan trip to Portage La Prairie and the rental of the banquet tables for the Friday night barbecue.

Roger was also a member of the Winnipeg Rotary Club, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, the Winnipeg Executives Association, the Manitoba Protective Officers Association, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and was a Board member for St. Amant. When the WMRC was seeking a charity to sponsor, it was Roger who recommended St. Amant.

He and former WMRC Treasurer Dennis Rietze designed the modules for the No. 1 Northern Division’s Free-Mo modular layout. Roger continued to be active in the TLR and the WMRC until Beverly’s passing in 2014. He moved to Regina in 2015 to be closer to his son, Anthony. He died peacefully in Regina at age 85.

Roger is seen taking a photo of a layout during the TLR convention in Duluth, Minnesota in 2008.

 

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club celebrates 60 years with a birthday bash

                         Suzanne Lemon, Morgan Turney, Frances South and James South all take turns posing with "Duffy" the WMRC's mascot from the 1983 NMRA Railway Jamboree Convention. Duffy has been residing in a fire engine at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, but he was able to make it out to the Charleswood Legion to help us celebrate our 60th anniversary.

 From left to right: Our three most senior members, Moe Smith, Norm leathers, and Roger Kendl have the honour of cutting the club's special 60th. anniversary cake while WMRC Vice President Dave Downie watches.

WMRC Junior member James South hams it up in front of the cake, while WMRC Treasurer Gary Stempnick enjoys one of the first slices. It was a Jeannie's cake, from Winnipeg's famous Jeannie's Bakery. It had that special Jeannie's cookie base, of course! 

Wasn't that a party! Everyone had a great time celebrating the WMRC's 60's Anniversary at our last meeting. Besides the wonderful cake and the special guest appearance of our old mascot Duffy, we also were treated to a trip down memory lane with a presentation featuring vintage images from the club's rich history. It was great to see so many old faces again (which weren't so old when the photos were taken) and have the chance to relive some of the club's greatest moments of the past six decades! Here's to 60 more years of great model railroading and fellowship!

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual Klinic Karnival: Part Three

There were clinics galore at December's Klinic Karnival! The even was well attended, despite it being held so close to the Christmas season, and during one of the coldest decembers on record! There was plenty of expert advice from some of Winnipeg's finest model railroaders on all sorts of subjects!

 Merlin Loewen and Gerry Stempnick watch Dennis Rietze holding a clinic on DCC decoders. 

 Godfrey South listens to Doug Kathler as he conducts a clinic on custom switch stands.

Roger Kiendl at Ian Plett's freight car maintenance clinic. 

The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's ballast crew hard at work

The most popular workshop at the No. 1 Northern Division's third annual train meet was the ballast workshop. Just about everyone tried their hand at ballasting a section of track mounted on a board. Michael Leader, the youngest member of the No. 1 Northern Division, got some expert advice on how to do it right. It was Michael's first effort at ballasting, and he did a great job!

 Ian Plett, Roger Kiendl, Morgan Turney and Suzanne Lemon begin to work on their track section.

 Morgan Turney shows Michael Leader how to properly adhere ballast to the track as No. 1 Northern Superintendent Dennis Rietze look on. Behind Michael is Ian Plett hard at work ballasting his track. 

Michael seems to be getting the hang of it! 

 Ian Plett tamps ballast with his finger while Michael Leader watches Morgan Turney work on his track section.