December 16th, 2009
On November 6th, I journeyed to Syracuse, NY, to participate in a Free-Mo meet at the Great New York State Model Train Fair. About twenty participating model railroaders came from central New York and from as far away as Boston, MA, and Akron, OH. Most of the participants brought one or more Free-Mo modules to assemble into a linear model railroad. Click here for a PDF of the overall plan.
Modular display layouts have become common fixtures at large train shows. Many of these layouts are composed of modules that are built to published standards to ease assembly into the large display. The N-Trak standards were one of the earliest accepted design standards I can recall. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) modified these for use in other scales and variations of these standards continue to be followed. A typical presentation features a multi-track mainline running through individual scenes in a large circle. The Free-Mo standards enable a single track railroad display using Digital Command Control (DCC) to move trains along the route. At this time, I feel the Free-Mo standards set a level for a display layout that enables use of the most current model train control ideas and technology.
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Posted in free-mo, modeling, operating, designing | 4 Comments »
November 19th, 2009
The seasons have turned from summer to autumn, and winter is arriving soon. All around my region projects are being completed. Familiar orange and white highway barrels are disappearing and the last harvests are being gathered. Meanwhile, my home layout project has stalled. The layout room floor remains untouched and in need of sanding and finishing. Someday soon this task will be completed and I can begin erecting the layout benchwork. For the want of a nail…
Other projects are moving forward even as the layout has not progressed. I’ve turned to my large stash of freight car kits and started building a few. Several are now ready for the paint shop. So to make this a more interesting read, I offer a progress report from the car shop foreman.
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August 31st, 2009
A wide variety of locomotives and rolling stock are available in all scales through hobby shops, on-line vendors, and train shows. Choosing to model a specific prototype railroad can reduce the modeling choices for these items. Setting a specific modeling era or period can further refine the modeling efforts and keep purchasing focused.
Taking this step requires a dedication to understanding the prototype railroad world of the chosen period and to make an effort to stay with the plan. Choosing a specific year can mean sacrificing the use of popular locomotives or paint and lettering styles. As an example, if 1948 or 1949 is chosen as the modeling period, then ALCo RS-3 locomotives cannot be used as they entered into service in 1950. A similar situation arises for those who model the WM of 1951 or 1952. Home road rolling stock would only have the Fast Freight emblem and locos should only have the Fireball emblem. The notable Speedletter painting and lettering style, as seen above, would become the WM standard in 1954. Understanding data points like this can assist in making choices in following a specific modeling year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in modeling, designing | 4 Comments »
July 21st, 2009
An offshoot of model railroading that has given me much enjoyment is researching different aspects of the prototype. As you can see in the previous post, I get a little excited when some historical details combine to offer an interesting modeling opportunity. What I failed to note at that time are a few related resources that many people may have considered earlier in the game. I had actually consulted a few of these resources, but forgot to note them.
John B. Corns has published two books on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway. These volumes offer fine historical overviews of Ohio’s Iron Cross line. Motive power, depots and facilities, and rolling stock are featured. Combined, both books offer a significant understanding of the W&LE and ar recommended. Titles are simply The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway (copyright 1991 by TLC Publishing, Inc.), and The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Volume 2 (copyright 2002 by TLC Publishing, Inc.). Only two images of the East 93rd Street Yard area are featured, but the locomotive details and freight car images are very useful.
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Posted in prototype, designing | 2 Comments »
July 2nd, 2009
It didn’t take long to realize the region around Cleveland, Ohio was crazy with railroad lines. The above image is just a portion of the picture. Here’s a larger version of this 1934 railroad map. At one time, Cleveland was an amazing hub of transportation and manufacturing. Make sure you click on the map when it opens in a new page as many browsers will show the enlarged image. Scrolling left and right, and up and down reveals dozens of yards and interchange points across the city. The busy Cuyahoga River valley was a teeming maze of steel rails from the docks at Lake Erie south about a mile. Six class one railroads converged on this industrial epicenter: New York Central, Erie, Pennsylvania, Nickel Plate, Baltimore & Ohio, and the Wheeling & Lake Erie. Four smaller railroads were also entwined among the industrial avenues and canyons. How can anyone find something bite-sized to model here?
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Posted in prototype, designing | 7 Comments »
June 25th, 2009
As I’ve settled in at the new home, I’ve met some local model railroaders through a few email groups. A few weeks ago I received an email from Tim, a local model railroader. He invited me to operate on a local layout. After checking the family calendar, I sent a note that I was clear to attend.
If you have not had the opportunity to operate on a model railroad using rules and procedures of the prototype, I highly recommend you reach out for this experience. I attended an operating session in 1987 that was a defining moment in my hobby career. Operating a model railroad makes it come alive. The purpose of the tracks and design become more apparent with train movements and spotting freight cars at industries. From that moment on, my perspective on designing and building model railroads changed.
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Posted in operating | 3 Comments »
June 12th, 2009
It’s like an old joke.
Q: What does a model railroader do with a spare room?
A: Fills it with trains!
And that is the plan, kind of. This spare bedroom is my model building space, so it needs to be organized to maximize the possibilities. In review, this space will contain a workbench, tools, storage for kits and building supplies, storage for resource books, and an HO scale model railroad.
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June 3rd, 2009
I’ve received some feedback with an inquiry about the basement. I’ve mentioned it is not suitable for a model railroad space. Most of the new home dates to the mid-1800s. It was built as a farm house and has a stone foundation. Over the years, there have been additions and improvements. I suspect the basement floor was once dirt, but it is now an uneven concrete surface . Read the rest of this entry »
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May 28th, 2009
Before many items were moved into the new house, I claimed a room for model building. The above image offers an idea of the space and how much hobby stuff will need to become organized within that space. Here’s another angle.
Just in the last week, unpacking and arranging furniture and kitchen supplies wrapped up. I had reached the point where I can start working on the hobby room. All of those items in the above images were moved into adjacent rooms and into the closet. Carpet, tack strip and carpet foam were removed. Well, the carpet is rolled up and ready to move. As expected, my wife was enthusiastic on how the floor looks and has wondered if it should be refinished. Here’s the room after attacking the carpet.
While this is not a typical model railroad location (like a large basement), the room enables a place to build models and to build a small HO scale layout. Benchwork will clear 55 inches from the floor. Shelving for reference books, tools, supplies and kits will be below. A workbench will also be built in under the benchwork, similar to my previous layout. Only three walls can be used for the layout, as a door and closet is along the fourth wall as seen in the second image above. Looking at the two images above, available dimensions are 6′ 5″ for the wall next to the entry door. 11′ 2″ for the wall with the photos. 11′ for the wall with the windows. Possible ideas for the layout will be presented in some upcoming posts.
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May 27th, 2009
I have just moved to a new state and have the opportunity to start anew on my hobby ‘career’. The first few months of 2009 has been spent packing up a lifetime of accumulated material and efforts, and moving it to a new place in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area.
From a modeling standpoint, there have been many aspects to consider in preparation for the move. A primary interest is space for a hobby area. I quickly found my model railroad was more than just the layout. Workspace is an important function which can encompass a paint booth, kit and part storage, hardware storage, lighting, and tools. Taking inventory of spaces can and should be a part of the house hunting process. Compromises will need to be made in order to find the best fit.
As it were, my wife and I found a great a house within 20 miles of her new job, which was the primary reason for this move. The home is charismatic and historic, with five bedrooms and nearly three acres of land. As model railroaders, we look first for possible space such as a basement. The new place is lacking in traditional model railroad spaces. The basement functions as the furnace and water utility space, with very low floor joists at head level and an uneven concrete floor. The garage was a decent size, but the garage is for cars in this snow belt. A set of rambling, connected sheds sit behind the garage in poor shape. This shed needs to be leveled, but the footprint is an impressive 20 x 35 (approx.).
So, I made compromises. Long term, there are possibilities to erect a dedicated hobby and workshop on the shed space. To get efforts rolling, I’ve chosen one of the five bedrooms as a model building room. I have realized the compromises made in this move have enabled new opportunities. It seems I have a clean slate. A couple of layout ideas are gathering momentum and I look forward to sharing these here.
Recent motivation and inspiration has come via a Byron Henderson clinic handout from the recent Pacific Coast Region NMRA convention. I have enjoyed his layout design insight and perspectives for several years. You can find the handout at his layout design site here: http://www.layoutvision.com/. The link for the “Layout Design Step-by-Step Clinic Handout” PDF file is centered and just below the masthead. He sums up key points in hardly a page and a half. I have followed a similar process on past projects, but it is great to have it nearby for reference and inspiration. Believe it or not, work has already begun on the new model building room. I’ll have some update posts soon.
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