Layout Visits

Mountain railroading on Paul Backenstose's HO scale layout.
Mountain railroading on Paul Backenstose’s HO scale layout.

I recently returned from a couple weeks of travel back in the Mid-Atlantic Region. As mentioned here a couple posts ago, I attended the RPM Valley Forge event. After things closed up, several home layouts were open for a self-guided tour. I stopped by to visit a couple of layouts on my way out of town.

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2016 RPM Valley Forge

A pair of Susquehanna Alco RS-1 rounds the curve into Pompton Lakes.
A pair of Susquehanna Alco RS-1 locomotives round the curve into Pompton Lakes.

I have completed a 2000 mile journey to arrive in Malvern, PA to attend the 2016 RPM Valley Forge meet! Earlier today, I operated on Steve Salotti’s HO scale New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad. I was there with a bunch of other RPM folks to put Steve’s layout through the paces. It was a great time running a couple of locals and switching diverse industries. Continue reading “2016 RPM Valley Forge”

Other cities

Photo from the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library.

The Wheeling Freight Terminal is set in Wheeling, WV, but there were similar facilities in other cities across the country. The above photo arrived via email this week from another modeler who is looking for layout inspiration. The photo is from the extensive John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library Flickr site, which is another amazing web resource.

A couple elements in this aerial image jump right out so let’s take a closer look.

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Simple Tools – 2

201509_emery_cigfact

Simple tools were popular here a couple of months ago. Fellow pre-Depression Era modeler Dave Emery shared several ideas so he steps in as a guest blogger with more details. Take it away, Dave!

The HO scale cigar factory seen above is more than just wood shapes, plastic castings, paint, decals, and other parts. It is the sum of work done with an assortment of common and uncommon tools. Let’s take a look at some of the uncommon tools from my workbench that helps me move projects forward.

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Virtual RPM – 2

201507_SAR_caboose3

I recently received photos and descriptions of the latest models Jim in West Virginia. I realized he had sent several other photos over the last year. It’s been a little while since we had a virtual RPM post, so let’s catch up with Jim’s work! A list of upcoming RPM events is reviewed at the end of this post. As with most images on the blog, click on any to review a larger size.

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