Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads

Dead rail on the Minster Branch

Dave Campbell has switched to Dead Rail for locomotive control on his HO scale Nickel Plate Road Minster Branch project. He sent the following notes.

Awhile back I promised an explanation of why I adopted a dead rail system for the new layout and how that’s working out for me. Here’s my adventure!

The Minster Branch – Update 5

Dave Campbell is back with another update on his HO scale Nickel Plate Road Minster Branch project.

Last time I said the next update would include some photos of east Saint Marys after it was finished. Unfortunately, the meaning of finished was tough for me to nail down.

As the weather warms up, I’ve been busier than expected. A friend pointed me to the Miniature Tanks website recently. Much of their product line focuses on 3D printed military vehicles but there are several civilian versions. After setting the filters, I found a couple of vehicles for my 1926 layout.

Lumber loads

As I prepped the layout for a recent operating session, I realized there were only a couple of loads on hand for the gondolas. I wanted more variety and remembered I had a neat kit in the stash. I checked a few boxes and found it.

RPM Valley Forge summary

Wow, what a weekend! The 2026 RPM Valley Forge event in Malvern, Pennsylvania was great fun. It had been about six months since the last railroad prototype modeler (RPM) meet I attended. I needed to recharge my hobby inspiration.