Happy Memorial Day! And maybe some modeling on my part?

Wanted to take time to thank all of our service men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could have this great county we live in.  I took time to visit a local civil war cemetery in Fredericksburg on Saturday night.  They do a illumination every Memorial Day where they set out 15,000 plus candles by each headstone.  It's a Union cemetery for the battle of Fredericksburg.  I took a good friend there for the first time and he was just blown away.   Let us not forget all the lost soldiers that shaped this great nation.

Model railroading has taken a backseat the last couple of months to life but it will hopefully start to ramp up soon.  I've got 3 weeks of school left, but a shorter summer since we start in early August this year.  I've picked up I few items over the last few weeks, including another locomotive: a 70 tonner.  I want to put sound in this and paint it into a simple paint scheme like below.  So if you don't mind, I'm going to get off the computer and head into my layout room and get a few things done.  Might even have to clean up for a bit before again gets accomplished.  Take care!

Picture from Warren Calloway

NMRA James River Meet in Schuyler Virginia yesterday

Yesterday, I traveled down to Schuyler Virginia for our local NMRA meet.  Not a long ride but through some of the better parts of Virginia. Most people do not recognize Schuyler, but it's where the old TV show "The Waltons" was set.  They even have a museum.  Schuyler is about 30 minutes south of Charlottesville.  The area is also famous for it Soapstone deposits and is still mined to this day.  The meet was located at a private quarry garden that is opened to the public by appointment.
Schuyler Quarry Gardens

The reason we were here is that an O scale model railroad is also being built at the gardens visitor center.  The track is laid and represents the area in the mid 1900's, to represent the Nelson and Albermarle RR that ran in the area.  It's probably a year from being totally complete but has a great start.  The layout is being built by a good friend and a great modeler, Mark Chase from Richmond.  Check out his great website below.
http://eastblueridge.com/

No I didn't stop.

If your a fan of the Walton's you will definitely recognize this house!

Soapstone info

Soapstone info

This O scale Saddlebag log represents one of ten the N&A had.

The building were made out of soapstone in real life so a foam core was used to simulate it.

More of the mill facility.  

Mark Chase giving his presentation on the Soapstone industry.  Yes that is a 44 tonner for the N&A!

View from the garden overlook

On the way home, I stopped and took some pics of a fertilizer unloader.  Very simple and definitely could be used on my layout.

The auger to the top of the structure

The actual storage building

Could not pass up this picture in Gordonsville!  That's a '37 Packard

New Edition of Crossties

Out this month is my local NMRA,  the James River division puts out a great publication every even month.  Lots of great articles and reviews of our previous meets and other info.  It's even got my smiling face in it every edition.  Definitely check it out!

Crossties April 2018 edition