I'm baaack........

Hello,
      I'm back from vacation and have discovered some new projects. One of which is a Jordan Mack 15 Ton Switcher Kit that I most likely will motorize once I find a mechanism. Also as I mentioned in my previous post I visited the Colorado Railroad Museum and was inspired to construct a diorama of small, narrow gauge railroad locomotive maintenance facility and will have a post on that soon. I also saw the RTD system in Denver (their light and commuter rail as well as bus system) and thought that I might be able to model a new extension to the system that they are working on. You may be wondering how I know about this extension, my uncle is project director of it. That would go on the other side of the Civil War Layout but who knows my mind is ever changing. Anyway that's all for this post See ya Later.

Vacation

Hello,
      I am writing this post because I will be gone on a trip to Colorado until the 23rd so I probably will not be posting. I will be going to the Georgetown Loop Railroad and the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado so you can expect lots of pictures and a review of both of these places. So until the the 23rd, Happy Railroad!

The "Tin Turtle"

Hello,

      I've recently stumbled across something that is potentially my next project. I am seriously considering scratch-building a 009 gauge Simplex 40 Horsepower protected version trench light railway locomotive nicknamed the "Tin Turtle". It was used to haul supplies to supply depots just behind the front lines of WWI, it was greatly preferred over steam locomotives whose smoke made them easy targets for artillery, and was powered by a "petrol-electric" engine. The version I am considering making is a protected type which (as the name states) protected the engine assembly as well as the radiator and the fuel tank and the driver. The plans are from www.wdlr.org.uk and the drawings/plans were drawn by David H Smith. The prototype ran on 60 cm gauge track. (A tip for 009 modelers scale the drawing when you print it to 27% and you will have a 1/76 scale set of plans. At 100% they are about 1/20 scale). Well that's all for now,
      Happy Modeling

The New Track Plan

Hello again

O&A R.R.  Alexandria to Manassas Junction

      as I mentioned before (or maybe I didn't) I was rethinking the track plan. Well, here it is ten by two feet of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad March to July 1862. The very basic operation and run of the railroad is USMRR trains depart Alexandria (right) and head to what might become Union Mills to the supply depot at Manassas Junction then turn around and head back to Alexandria with the empties. The middle section as I said might become Union Mills or any of the other stations in between Alexandria and Manassas Junction. The brown box in Alexandria is the railroad's headquarters and offices which I will scratch build. Just wanted to give you all a look at one of my ever changing track plans which has the potential to become my main layout. Until next time happy modeling! 



(Oh yeah I said this was two by ten feet when in my original plan I had four by ten feet. The other side is going to be something modern era maybe the Louisville and Indiana Railroad Company hmmmmm.........)

The Track Mobile

Hello,
      In this post I will be reviewing a Track Mobile I bought at the National Train Show in Indianapolis, Indiana last week and giving my opinion on the show in general.

The Track Mobile

I'll start with the Track Mobile. I purchased it from Broadway Limited Imports for 60 dollars (the dcc equipped version) I was impressed with the detail and weight of it but was slightly disappointed when I discovered that it only had one operating coupler, nevertheless it was a nice scale knuckle coupler. Its operation is good but sometimes will need a little prodding to get it started and once it has started it can manage 2 modern freight cars but when the front end of the first car its pulling is placed on top of the dummy coupler apparatus on the front of the Track Mobile it can pull 5 freight cars and a bay window caboose. Over.all I am happy with BLI's Track Mobile.



The show was a very memorable experience for me and was a lot of fun to attend. Some other i items I purchased at the show were a Woodland Scenics Scenery Kit, Workshop Tips and Projects for Model Railroaders by Cody Grivno (I also got it signed by him), and I signed up to be a NMRA member. I have begun to rethink my civil war layout and its track plan so there will be a separate post on that coming up as well as a series on how to build an inexpensive diorama. Well that's all for now and until next time happy modeling!

Re-thinking the Micro

Hi again,
I've decided to rethink the Civil War micro layout described in the last post. Instead of the waterfront scene I talked about last time, I have decided on a coal mining scene centered around a small steam switcher, two Tichy Train Group 22' hoppers and possibly one flatcar. The micro layout -because of the different elevations- will have to have a remove-able cassette for staging and moving the trains from the mine at the very back and highest elevation, to the 
center level (in placement and in height) and mill, and to the lowest level where various supplies and machinery are brought in and taken out for use at the mill and the mine. The year is 1906 in eastern Kentucky. Also in addition to the projects before mentioned I will have at least two brand new kits that I will show the construction of. This past weekend I assembled the Fokker D VII and all it needs now are decals, there will be a separate post about that this upcoming week. Thanks for reading!

Bold lines are track, Lighter lines show elevation

The Tale of Two Micros

Hello,

Sorry that I have not posted in about a month. I have been very busy lately so I have not had time for my blog. But anyway lets get down to buisiness, I have an upcoming series on how to build a civil war era carfloat, another series on how to build a simple diorama, two micro layouts, and a future shelf layout.

      In this post I will discuss the two micro layouts. The first micro layout is another civil war era layout depicting a waterfront industrial area. It has an inglenook type track plan and will have a separate staging cassette. The white and red areas show where the water will be. There will be a large industrial building next to the waterfront, a coal 

Civil War Micro Layout

Coal Derrick

Dock

scow, an artillery battery, a coal yard, and a dock. The coal yard has a derrick for extracting the coal from the scow. There also is a dock.

     The other micro layout is smaller and I am unsure as to what it should be about. That is why I am going to let the viewers of this blog decide, please put in the comments box what theme/ railroad to model. The layouts dimensions are 8 1/4 " by 23". Thank you for reading!