Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads
A hobby adventure
Several freight cars recently went through the weathering factory and each of them had some masking tape applied to protect part of the original paint coat or lettering. Model railroaders typically use masking tape in the process of applying large stripes or fancy paint schemes to locomotives or rolling stock. For these recent freight cars, the tape was applied to hint at changes made to the car. The tape became another tool in the weathering arsenal.
As a railroad modeler, I answer many questions about this hobby. A regular question from other modelers has been, why model 1926? This sounds simple, doesn’t it? Just explain why I model a specific year. Oddly, I’ve been trying to write this for three weeks and it comes up a little different with each new version. I think I finally like how this has turned out so I better post it before I change my mind, again. Besides, I have models to build!
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.
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”
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.