Here we are at RPM-East in Greensburg, PA. I’m posting this as a demo during my Introduction to Blogging presentation. There is a lively bunch of people here and the model room is filling up with some outstanding displays. Click on any image here to review a larger size.
Last night I operated on Ken Hanawalt’s Turtle Creek railroad until my legs had decided to call it a night. Several others RPM-East folks were operating on other area model railroads.
Friday is coming to a close but there is much more on tap for Saturday. I hope to post additional images soon.
As winter thaws, it becomes RPM season. Railroad Prototype Modeler meets are a great way to recharge the batteries after a tough winter. A solid presentation schedule and an extensive model display room are the two main components of these events. You will also meet some great people who share similar interests. I’ve enjoyed great conversations at RPM meets over the years that have pushed my model projects along. Many of these conversations have turned into wonderful friendships.
I’ll be attending RPM-East, which is coming up in just a couple of weeks. My presentation is about halfway ready.
Here’s a short list of upcoming RPM meets. Support the event that is close to your neighborhood.
The first B&O Wheeling Freight Terminal operating session of 2015 was held on January 30th. Mike came in from Las Cruces to participate. I think this was the fifth session since operations began in late June 2014. While the layout is not large, we did move 71 freight cars in a three hour session. Some of the operating methods have altered since the first session and I wanted to share these ideas. This will probably end up as two or three parts so I don’t bore anyone with too much detail in one sitting.
On December 1, 2014, a few modelers from across the country began to build HO scale models of the Southern SU, 36-foot, double-sheathed box cars. Models by Funaro & Camerlengo and Westerfield were used in this group build.
Ray Breyer sent along his build updates though December and approved sharing them here on the blog. I hope to share a couple more of these builds very soon. Here are Ray’s thoughts and processes for his Southern SU box car build. Click on any image here to review a larger size.
New Year’s Eve is a time when many people assess the last twelve months and look ahead to the next year. Goals are set and promises are often made. Let’s take a look around the blog and the hobby room to see what has happened in 2014.
I like a year end reviewing as the number of projects and activities often surprises me. While I did not make as many blog posts as in 2013, I kept pretty busy with my layout and Mike’s layout in Las Cruces. I attended at least one operating session a month and I finally hosted a few sessions on the B&O Wheeling Freight Terminal. These become more satisfying each time and are a major reason why other projects keep moving along.
I’ve also been attending the monthly meetings of our local NMRA division, the Roadrunner Division. It’s been fun to interact with the other members and share tips and techniques. I’ve brought back at least one new idea from each of the meetings. I also traveled back to Pennsylvania last spring for the Valley Forge Railroad Prototype Modelers meet. It was great to see a bunch of old friends, take in presentation details, and operate on a couple of the layouts open for the event.
I won’t offer up my plans for 2015, but I do have three major projects and goals that I hope to achieve. Details will be shared here, of course. I also look forward to attending the RPM East event near Pittsburgh in late March, as well as the June NMRA Rocky Mountain Region convention in suburban Denver, CO. I’m most certain there will be more operating session details shared here, as well as freight car kit builds, and weathering factory output.
I hope you have set a few goals for the New Year. Railroad modeling becomes more enjoyable as we meet new challenges.
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