Op. Session on the Piedmont and East Blue Ridge railroad

I had the privilege to operate on Mark Chase's P&EBRR On30 layout yesterday.  He has a great website and I advise you to check it out:
http://www.eastblueridge.com/

If you don't know, I got hooked on On30 about 4 years ago at one of the Timonium shows.  It is a great scale and Bachmann makes some great locos and equipment.  I have done a few things in On30, like modules but settled on a smaller layout under my current HO layout.

Mark's P&EBRR is based in the 1930's in Central Virginia and it mainly hauls soapstone in various states.  There are also some other online industries.  I have never operated on someone else's layout so I was somewhat worried.  Plus, I have never used Digitrax DCC either.   Well after about 5 minutes of operating, I was perfectly comfortable.  Having a switching HO layout tends to help with all the movements.  I worked the mill job which mainly switched the western end of the layout.  I also got to do the transfer job which ran the entire layout all the way to the exchange to the C&O at Winwood and back.   Most of Mark's scenery is not done but it did not matter.  It is a well thought out layout and has long train runs and lots of switching.

What I really liked about the layout: (what I would like to incorporate in to my layout)
-Digitrax controller was pretty easy to operate
-Switches with DCC decoders controlled from the Digitrax controller 
-Tortoise switch machines
-The hand painted backdrops
-the entire Winwood shadow box scene in the workshop
Or to sum it up, Everything!

I cannot wait to get back there.  It was a real treat to operate. I did manage to take some pictures.  Thanks for being such a gracious host Mark!

The commuter train hauling workers west from the Meridan wye

The workers pass the Dust mill/ quarry job at Cove on the passing siding/run-around track.

My Mill job train clearing up for the Doodlebug at Shops Yard.

My locomotive for the Mill job is 0-6-2 #1, a custom loco with sound.  Definitely different.

This train is the Transfer Job, holding on the main for the quarry job to clear up.

The entrance to Winwood in the other room.  The hole leads to the wye and Meridan.  The spur is Winwood Oil and coal. 

The Transfer Job at Winwood with it's switching done and ready to head west.

A coal hopper and a lumber flat are today's freight.

Overview of Winwood left

Overview of Winwood right

The Transfer Job with outbound cars.  The 2 boxcars and the gon are cars that were inbound.