Assisting others: CNJ box car

In mid-February I received an email from a friend who was responding to a question from Alan Mende. Alan needed decal help to finish a box car project and I was added to the email response as a possible resource. Alan was lucky as I had a decal set on hand to send to him. Here’s Alan with more details.

I had scratchbuilt a Central Railroad of New Jersey box car from a plan published in the January 1972 issue of Model Railroader. The model reflects the pre-Safety Appliances appearance, which is why there is only one grab iron on the car side. I was planning to use a Clover House dry transfer set, but the HO versions were out of stock. What to do?

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2017 RPM-East Summary

John Johnson displayed many freight cars that featured custom resin cast details.

It’s been a busy week as I’ve traveled to the western Pennsylvania region to attend the RPM-East prototype modeler meet. I’ve been part of this event for over a decade and it’s great to see many modelers attend and enjoy. This year we had 206 people attending and 436 models on display. Most of the models were HO scale but there were some very nice O and N scale models to see. Friday and Saturday were filled with 37 presentations covering a wide variety of prototype and modeling topics. Seven home layouts hosted operating sessions on Thursday night.Those layouts and six more were open for a Sunday self-guided tour.

David Wilson displayed several steam locos modified from other models.

These events offer great inspiration for your next projects and often feature lots of new info to add to your knowledge base. In many ways, it’s information overload and I’m still recovering! Here’s a photo gallery to enjoy!

We will catch up with new stuff on the blog soon.

Bruce Elliott displayed a fleet of B&O cabeese.

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What’s in the Yard? – 2

The DL&W Freight House in Orange, NJ, December 1920

DL&W company photo, Steamtown NPS, Image #X1689.

Ray Breyer is back with another detailed look at the freight cars in a period image. This time, Ray has three images to use from the same facility and were taken on the same day. Click on any image here to view a larger size.

As an early rail modeler I’m constantly on the lookout for high-quality photos of period railroading, whether it’s my favorite prototype’s infrastructure, rolling stock or engines. I’m also looking for good images in context, showing why things may look the way they do, especially the area surrounding a given image’s viewpoint. Finally, just about any halfway decent period is fair game, since it can highlight rare freight equipment or ‘general atmosphere’ which may prove to be useful when working on my owl layout’s scenery.

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The End of 2016

Part of the model display room at the 2016 RPM Valley Forge meet.

Another year comes to a close and it’s always interesting to look back on the completed tasks and those that remain uncompleted. But there’s more to review than just a bunch of items on a to-do list. I was able to attend a pair of fine RPM events; Valley Forge and Chicago. The opportunity to renew acquaintances and meet new modelers is as important to me as the hundreds of displayed models and the many outstanding presentations. If you haven’t attended a railroad prototype modeler (RPM) meet, check out the event calendar and attend one near you.

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2017 RPM events

After adding updates to the RPM Event Calendar page, I realized the first half of 2017 is pretty busy! First up is the Prototype Rails event in Cocoa Beach, Florida. This early January meet comes at a great time for those with Polar Vortex experience to trek to warmer weather. The presentation schedule has been posted, so check out the details. It’s never too late to make plans to attend.

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