December
General News:
Rail Tales will be closed December 25th for Christmas. Note that we will also be closed on Christmas eve, as it is a Monday and we are normally closed Mondays…
Rail Tales will be closed for New Years (January 1st, 2019). Note that we will also be closed New Year’s eve, as it is a Monday and we are normally closed Mondays…
Rail Tales will be working on our new store Marklin layout all this month. Eventually, this layout will be turned over to a customer but until then, it will be in the store operating store trains once it is completed.
All Month:
Saturday, December 1st: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of model building from 2 pm until 4 pm. The subject is going to be figure building and painting.
Saturday, December 8th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use.
Saturday, December 15th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules. The planned subject is signal lights linked to turnouts.
There will be no demonstration on Saturday, December 22nd.
Saturday, December 29th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of decoder installations in HO scale trains.
Gaming Events
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the new Guilds of Ravnica format. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Saturday except the 8th: Rail Tales will be open for Keyforge matches. We are working on creating a league for this product.
Every Sunday: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, December 9th: Rail Tales will host a special Booster Draft for Ultimate Masters. The cost is $37.00. The prize for each pod will be the Box Topper for the box! The event starts at 6 pm and runs until 10 pm or until we finish. The store will only be open to event attendees after 6 pm.
Club News:
Saturday, December 8th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at 6 pm instead of the usual 4 pm time. We will be providing pizza and there will be two demonstrations of figure painting using two different techniques. Our new format was very successful and we will be continuing with it.
Sunday, December 30th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will a workshop at the store starting at 1 pm. For information, please contact the store.
November
General News:
Among other projects in the store this month are a rebuilding of the Carolina and Western N scale layout and (hopefully) finally beginning a new Marklin layout (which will be in the store as an operating layout for the time being but which is already sold).
Rail Tales will be closed November 22 so that our staff may celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. We will be opening Friday at our usual 11 am.
All Month:
Saturday, November 3rd: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of model building from 2 pm until 4 pm. The subject is probably going to be figure painting.
Saturday, November 10th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, November 17th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules. The planned subject is uncoupler systems and optical sensor devices.
Thursday, November 22: Rail Tales will be closed for Thanksgiving.
Saturday, November 24: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be SNOW and winter scenes!
Gaming Events
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the new Guilds of Ravnica format. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Saturday except the 10th: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm. Please let us know in advance if you will be coming so we can set up a table.
Every Sunday: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, November 11th: Rail Tales will host a special “Magic Weekend” booster draft for Guilds of Ravnica The cost is $14.00. The event starts at 6 pm and runs until 10 pm or until we finish. The store will only be open to event attendees after 6 pm.
Club News:
Saturday, November 10th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time. Our new format was very successful and we will be continuing with it.
Monday, November 26th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold an operating session off site. This is NOT open to the public. For information, please contact the store.
October
General News:
Among other projects in the store this month are a rebuilding of the Carolina and Western N scale layout, a large ship in HO scale for Charleston, and the building of a control board.
We will also be building a new store Marklin layout using the old O scale layout as a base.
Sunday, October 21st: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host a Magic the Gathering PPTQ. See Gaming News.
All Month:
Saturday, October 6th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of model building from 2 pm until 4 pm. The subject is probably going to be figure painting.
Saturday, October 13th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, October 20th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules and we will be installing Peco servo switch machines and wiring for operation.
Sunday, October 21st: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host a Magic the Gathering PPTQ. See Gaming News.
Saturday, October 27thd: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be one of the JRR modules unless otherwise requested.
Gaming Events
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the new Guilds of Ravnica format. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Saturday, October 6th, 20th, and 27th: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm. Please let us know in advance if you will be coming so we can set up a table.
Every Sunday except the 21st and 28th: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, October 21st: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering PPTQ. This is a Sealed Deck event using Guilds of Ravnica. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $35 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. Note that this is a Rules Enforcement Event with an independent judge. Rail Tales is not responsible for any inconvenience to the customer for judge rulings.
Sunday, October 7th: Rail Tales will host a special Sunday night Draft for Guilds of Ravnica The cost is $14.00. The event starts at 6 pm and runs until 10 pm or until we finish.
Club News:
Saturday, October 13th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time. We will be trying out our new (slightly more) organized format.
Sunday, October 28th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold its monthly(ish) work and planning session. This is a good chance to come in and talk to us if you are interested in joining our modular railroad club.
September
General News:
Bret will be on vacation from September 9th through September 14th at a least and may not be back until September 18th. The store will be fully staffed during this time but if you need help or consultation with Bret, you will have to wait until he gets back.
Among other projects in the store this month are a rebuilding of the Carolina and Western N scale layout, yet more structures for Charleston, and the building of a control board.
All Month:
Saturday, September 1st: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of model building from 2 pm until 4 pm. The subject is a scratch built bridge and/or installing details on a small locomotive.
Saturday, September 8th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Sunday, September 9th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host a Magic the Gathering PPTQ. See Gaming News.
Saturday, September 15th: (subject to cancellation if Bret is not back from vacation) Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules and we will be installing Peco servo switch machines and wiring for operation.
Saturday, September 22nd: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be one of the JRR modules unless otherwise requested.
Saturday, September 29th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of DCC installation in HO scale. Most likely we will do an installation in a Proto 2000 diesel.
Sunday, September 30th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host a Magic the Gathering Pre-Release for Guilds of Ravnica. See Gaming News.
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the M19 format for the rest of the month. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Saturday, September 15th and 22nd: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm.
Sunday, September 2nd, 16th, and 23rd: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, September 9th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering PPTQ. This is a Sealed Deck event using M19. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $35 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. Note that this is a Rules Enforcement Event with an independent judge. Rail Tales is not responsible for any inconvenience to the customer for judge rulings.
Sunday September 16th: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering: M19 Store Championship. This is a Sealed Deck event. The cost is $24.00. The event starts at 6 pm and runs until 10 pm or until we finish. Sorry, no pizza…
Sunday, September 23rd: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering: Guilds of Ravnica Open House from 6 pm until 10 pm. This is a Standard Event. There is no charge.
Sunday, September 30th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering Pre-Release for Guilds of Ravnica. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $25.99 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. First 18 people who pre-register receive free deck boxes.
Club News:
Saturday, September 8th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
There is no meeting of the Jefferson Railroad Club this month due to scheduling conflicts.
August
General News:
The Virginia Train Collectors are sponsoring the Toy Train Show Extravaganza on Saturday, August 4th, running from 9 am to 3 pm. This event is held every year in the Charlottesville area in various venues and Rail Tales is proud to be a part of it. We will have our demonstration layouts set up and running. This year’s venue is the East Rivanna Fire Hall (3501 Steamer Drive, Keswick) which is located at Glenmore off US 250 East. For more information call 434 981 5924 or visit vatraincolletors.com. Anyone who comes to our booth and picks up a flyer gets 10% off all regularly priced items at our retail location this day only.
We will be working on downtown Charleston South Carolina all month. This is quite the bit of urban layout with lots of buildings and a waterfront, so come by and watch us work.
All Month:
Saturday, August 4th: There will be no store demo due to the train show.
Saturday, August 11th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, August 18th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track laying using Peco flex track and switches in HO scale. Bret will (hopefully) be laying the track for his next to last module for the JRC. The same techniques apply to N scale…
Saturday, August 25th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be model railroad scenery on a JRR club module.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the M19 format for the rest of the month. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Saturday except the 14th: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm.
Every Sunday: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Club News:
Saturday, August 11th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, August 26th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a work session from 1 pm until 4 pm. Hopefully we will lay track for the second part of the club yard module.
July
General News:
We will be working on downtown Charleston South Carolina all month. This is quite the bit of urban layout with lots of buildings and a waterfront, so come by and watch us work.
We are open on July 4th.
All Month:
Saturday, July 7th: Rail Tales will host a model building demonstration and participation event for the Trail Life organization from 2 pm until 4 pm. The store will be open t0 regular traffic but the event itself will be limited to members of the organization who have pre-registered with the organization.
Saturday, July 14th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, July 21st: There is no demonstration on this Saturday because Bret will be on vacation.
Saturday, July 21st: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be model railroad scenery on a JRR club module.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will be Booster Draft in the Dominaria format on the 6th and will switch to M19 format for the rest of the month. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Saturday except the 7th and 14th: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm.
Every Sunday except the 8th: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, July 8th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event M19 Pre-Release. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $25.99 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. First 18 people who pre-register receive free deck boxes.
Sunday July 15th: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering: M19 Draft starting at 6 pm. The cost is $14 and as with our Friday Night events.
Sunday, July 22: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering event: Battlebond Draft starting at 6 pm. The cost is our usual $14 including prize support. The store will not be open to regular customers.
Club News:
Saturday, July 14th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, July 29th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a work session from 1 pm until 4 pm.
June
General News:
Soundtraxx is doing a special promotion for the month of June: If you buy a Tsunami 2 decoder from an authorized dealer store, you may send any other decoder to them and receive a second Tsunami 2 decoder for 5$ shipping. This is limited to 2 per customer. So come in and get 2 for 1 and remember, we still discount Soundtraxx decoders every day as well.
We will be working on downtown Charleston South Carolina all month. This is quite the bit of urban layout with lots of buildings and a waterfront, so come by and watch us work.
All Month:
Saturday, June 2nd: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of figure modelling and painting from 2 pm until 4 pm. We will be featuring figures from the Star Wars: Legion game but the techniques apply to all figures.
Saturday, June 9th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, June 16th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The probable subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules and we will be installing Peco servo switch machines.
Saturday, June 23rd: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration will be gaming scenery for Star Wars: Legion but the process applies to other scenery as well.
Saturday, June 30th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of DCC decoder installation. As usual, we will do at least one drop-in and at least one solder install. Also as usual, we are looking for volunteers to work along with us. We will provide tools. Space for this is limited.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be Booster Draft in the Dominaria format. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Saturday except the 2nd and 9th: Rail Tales will be open for Star Wars Legion gaming from 5 pm until 8 pm.
Every Sunday: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Sunday, June 3rd: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering: Battlebond ‘sealed’ tournament beginning at 1 pm. Note that the store will remain open for this event. This is a team event, so it would be helpful if you come with a teammate.
Sunday June 16th: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering: Battlebond Draft starting at 6 pm. The cost is our usual $14 including prize support. The store will not be open to regular customers.
Sunday, June 24th: Rail Tales will host a Magic the Gathering event: Store Championship. This is a Standard event starts at 6 pm. You must bring your own Standard Deck with a deck list. The store will not be open to regular customers.
Club News:
Saturday, June 9th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, June 24th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a work session from 1 pm until 4 pm.
Monday, June 25th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will host an operating session for members and invited guests only. If you would like to be included, please contact the store for information.
May
General News:
Otter Lake has been completed! Once we get back from the train show, we will have it on display and operational during store hours.
Speaking of the train show:
The Augusta County Railroad Club proudly presents the Annual Shenandoah Valley Model Train and Railroading Show to be held Sunday, May 6th at the Fishersville Expo center from 10 am to 4 pm. We will be at the show as always, so come by and say ‘hi’.
All Month:
Saturday, May 5th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of figure modelling and painting from 2 pm until 4 pm. We will be featuring figures from the Star Wars: Legion game but the techniques apply to all figures.
Sunday, May 6th: The store will be open as normal but you may also want to come visit us at the Shenandoah Valley Model Train and Railroading Show
Saturday, May 12th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, May 19th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The probable subject for this demonstration is one of the JRR club modules.
Sunday, May 20th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event PPTQ Atlanta. See Gaming News for more details.
Saturday, May 26th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is to be determined.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be Booster Draft in the Dominaria format. The drafts start at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Sunday, May 20th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event PPTQ Atlanta. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. This is Sealed for the main events and Draft for top 8. The cost is $35.00 plus tax which includes all necessary cards for the Sealed portion and Draft portion. As always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. This is REL (Rules Enforcement Level) event to be judged by an independent party. Rail Tales is not responsible for consequences to players of Judge rulings.
Every Sunday except the 22nd: The store will be available for open gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Note that there will be no Legion demonstrations this month: We normally offer this every Saturday that is not a Model Club meeting but the 5th we have to prepare for the train show, the 19th we have to set up for the PPTQ, and the 26th Nathan will be on vacation.
Club News:
Saturday, May 12th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, May 27th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a work session from 1 pm until 4 pm.
April
General News:
In January, we sold our store layout “Octoberfest”, so now we have to replace it. We began work in January and will continue this month as our other projects allow on our new HO layout “Otter Lake”. This is an American themed 2 rail DCC layout featuring easy-to-build design and off the shelf components. This is a layout within the skill set of most everyone and much of the work will be done by novices. Pictures and description of the construction will find its way to the website eventually. The layout needs to be finished by May 6th, which is the Augusta Railroad Club yearly train show (which we will be attending).
Although Otter Lake is a two rail design, we are not forgetting you Marklin fans: we are also rebuilding our old O scale layout to a Marklin layout with work to be undertaken as soon as Otter Lake is complete. This layout will be on display through October and then it will be delivered to its buyer. It will be replaced by yet another Marklin layout in the future.
We are also building structures for a local museum with more details to follow.
All Month:
Saturday, April 14th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, April 21st: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The probable subject for this demonstration is control and lighting systems for our new store layout!
Sunday, April 22: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event Dominaria Pre-Release. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $25.99 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. First 18 people who pre-register receive free deck boxes.
Saturday, April 28th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is continued work on our new store layout.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be Rivals of Ixalan draft format until April 27th, which will start the Dominaria format. The draft starts at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00. As an alternate, Rail Tales will offer to allow players to draft Masters 25 for $6 a pack (18$ plus tax total), a 40% discount. We have had numerous requests for this format but the cost was previously too high. This optional format will be up the players to determines each Friday.
Sunday, April 8th: Rail Tales will host a Store Championship, Rivals of Ixalan event for Magic the Gathering starting at 6 pm. This is a free standard event with a prize support.
Sunday, April 15th: Rail tales will host an Open House for Magic the Gathering starting at 6 pm. This is a standard event with prize support. This is a great chance for new players to learn how to play.
Sunday, April 22: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event Dominaria Pre-Release. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $25.99 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. First 18 people who pre-register receive free deck boxes. Note that participants will have the option of purchasing full boxes of Dominaria (and receiving promo cards) a week prior to release.
Sunday, April 29th: Rail Tales will host a booster draft for MtG Dominaria starting at 6 pm. The cost is our usual $14.
Every Sunday except the 22nd: The store will be available for open board gaming from 12 noon until 6 pm.
Every Saturday except the 14th: Rail Tales will host demonstrations and open play for Star Wars Legion, the new ground combat miniature game from Fantasy Flight. The demonstrations begin at 5 pm but are subject to interruption as staff may need to help customers. Come by and learn how to play this awesome new game!
Club News:
Saturday, April 14th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, April 30th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold an off site operating session. For details contact Bret Jones at Rail Tales. This date is subject to change.
March
We apologize for the news being late this month but our website access was down for nearly a week.
General News:
In January, we sold our store layout “Octoberfest”, so now we have to replace it. We began work in January and will continue this month as our other projects allow on our new HO layout “Otter Lake”. This is an American themed 2 rail DCC layout featuring easy-to-build design and off the shelf components. This is a layout within the skill set of most everyone and much of the work will be done by novices. Pictures and description of the construction will find its way to the website eventually.
Although Otter Lake is a two rail design, we are not forgetting you Marklin fans: we are also rebuilding our old O scale layout to a Marklin layout with work to be undertaken as soon as Otter Lake is complete. This layout will be on display through October and then it will be delivered to its buyer. It will be replaced by yet another Marklin layout in the future.
We are also building structures for a local museum with more details to follow.
All Month:
Sunday, March 4th: Rail Tales will be closed to the general public in order to host the Magic the Gathering event PPTQ: Minneapolis. Registration begins at noon and the event itself begins at 1 pm. The cost is $35 and as always, we will provide free pizza if we have at least 18 attendees. Note that this is a Rules Enforcement Level event which will be managed by an outside judge hired by the store for this sort of event. Rail Tales is not responsible for inconveniences to the players caused by rulings of the judge.
Saturday, March 10th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, March 17th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The probable subject for this demonstration is control systems for our new store layout!
Saturday, March 24th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is continued work on our new store layout.
Gaming News:
Every Friday except the 16th and possibly the 23rd: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be Rivals of Ixalan draft format. The draft starts at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Friday March 16th and possibly March 23rd: The draft format will be “Masters 25”. The cost for this draft is $30 because the packs are $10 each. Rail Tales will provide prize support in the form of booster packs of any set in stock other than Masters 25 (the choice is up to the winner).
Sunday, March 18th: Rail Tales will host a Masters 25 draft starting at 6 pm. This is after our normal close time and only player in the draft will be allowed in the store.
Every Sunday except the 4th: The store will be available for open board gaming from 12 noon until 8 pm. Space may be limited on the 25th.
Every Saturday except the 10th: X Wing minis from 5 until 9 pm. However, all participants must begin their games by 6:30.
Club News:
Saturday, March 10th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, March 25th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a module building workshop at the store from 1 pm until 5 pm. We will be working on various issues including possibly starting work on our final yard module section. This is a good chance for persons interested in getting involved in the club to check us out.
February
General News:
In January, we sold our store layout “Octoberfest”, so now we have to replace it. We began work in January and will continue this month as our other projects allow on our new HO layout “Otter Lake”. This is an American themed 2 rail DCC layout featuring easy-to-build design and off the shelf components. This is a layout within the skill set of most everyone and much of the work will be done by novices. Pictures and description of the construction will find its way to the website eventually.
Although Otter Lake is a two rail design, we are not forgetting you Marklin fans: we are also rebuilding our old O scale layout to a Marklin layout with work to be undertaken as soon as Otter Lake is complete. This layout will be on display through October and then it will be delivered to its buyer. It will be replaced by yet another Marklin layout in the future.
Much of our construction work this month will be done away from the store and Bret will be out of the store most Wednesdays and Thursdays this month, so if you need specific consultation, call ahead. We will also be working on a New York themed compact O scale layout and other projects in the store, so pardon our mess.
All Month: .
Saturday, February 3rd: Rail Tales will hose a demonstration of basic model building and painting techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The likely subject for this is scratch-building work on structures for a local museum and repainting a brass locomotive.
Saturday, February 10th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. We will be demonstrating structure and railroad model weathering as well as basic airbrush use. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Saturday, February 17th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic track-work and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The probable subject for this demonstration is control systems for our new store layout!
Saturday, February 24th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The subject for this demonstration is continued work on our new store layout.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be Rivals of Ixalan draft format. The draft starts at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00.
Every Sunday: The store will be available for open board gaming from 12 noon until 8 pm. Space may be limited on the 25th.
Every Saturday: X Wing minis from 5 until 9 pm. However, all participants must begin their games by 6:30.
Club News:
Saturday, February 10th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, February 25th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold a module building workshop at the store from 1 pm until 5 pm. We will be working on various issues including possibly starting work on our final yard module section. This is a good chance for persons interested in getting involved in the club to check us out.
January
General News:
All Month: We took in a LOT of repair work over the holidays! We will be working on a variety of repairs and restorations during store hours as well as a number of ongoing scenery projects. We will always have at least one person on staff immediately available to help customers but people working on repairs and projects may need a few minutes to stop what they are doing and clean their hands. We appreciate your patience.
Saturday, January 6th: Rail Tales will hose a demonstration of basic model building and painting techniques from 2 to 4 pm. The likely subject for this is continued work on the scratch built lift bridge begun months ago.
Saturday, January 13th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of weathering and basic airbrushing using Vallejo products from 2 to 4 pm. The Model Club meeting immediately follows.
Sunday, January 14th: Rail Tales will be closed to regular customer traffic in order to host the Rivals of Ixalan Pre-release event for Magic the Gathering. Customers picking up or dropping off products will be allowed to do so but as we have to rearrange the store for this event, we will not be able to accommodate browsers. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Saturday, January 20th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of basic trackwork and related items from 2 to 4 pm. The exact subject to be determined later upon request. If all goes according to plan, we will be beginning a brand new store layout!
Wednesday, January 24th: Rail Tales starts its fifth year in business at this location! Thanks to all our customers for their support in making this possible.
Saturday, January 27th: Rail Tales will host a demonstration of our basic scenery techniques from 2 to 4 pm. This will include painting rock faces (continued from January demo) and a small water feature.
Gaming News:
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic (FNM) will continue to be draft format. The draft starts at 6:30 pm and cost $14.00. The draft format will be Ixalan format on the 5th and 12th unless otherwise requested by the attendees. Beginning on the 19th, the format will be Rivals.
Every Sunday EXCEPT the 14th: The store will be available for open board gaming from 12 noon until 8 pm. Space may be limited on the 10th.
Every Saturday EXCEPT the 13th: X Wing minis from 5 until 9 pm.
Sunday, January 7th: Rail Tales will host the Rivals of Ixalan Open House for Magic the Gathering from 1 pm until closing. This is a free Standard event with special promos but is also a chance to come in and learn how to play MtG.
Sunday, January 14th: Rail Tales will host the Rivals of Ixalan Pre-release event for Magic the Gathering. Registration for this event starts noon. The event itself starts at 1 pm. This is a Sealed event with a fixed cost of $25.99. Pre-registration is available and the first 20 persons to pre-register will receive special deck boxes. As always, if we get at least 18 attendees, we will provide free pizza.
Sunday, January 21st: Rail Tales will host a draft format event for Rivals of Ixalan starting at 6 pm. The store will be open for attendees only for this event. The cost and prize structure is the same as for our regular Friday Night Magic.
Club News:
Saturday, January 13th: The Charlottesville Model Club will meet at the usual 4 pm time.
Sunday, January 28th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will have a planning workshop in preparation for the meeting the next day. This event is open to non-members.
Monday, January 29th: The Jefferson Railroad Club will hold and operating session for members only at the residence of Bret Jones