Layout tour with narrative

Did my first narrative on the layout on You Tube.  Been wanting to do this for a while and finally got a quiet house to do this.  It's not easy to get a quiet house with 3 kids 7 and younger.  I also added another video of the V100E train heading to Fredericksburg Flats.  FF is the main switching area on the Virginia Midland.  Comments welcome!

Layout visit: Ralph Deblasi's Lehigh Valley Wyoming Division

On Saturday I had the pleasure to visit Ralph Deblasi's Lehigh Valley Wyoming Division layout.  I rode up to southern New Jersey with Norm Wolf and Bob Sprague early yesterday.  The layout was located in his basement and it was huge.  As I said, his layout is the LV in 1974.  It was very fun to operate and was the largest layout I have operated on.  A dispatcher was used and it really added to the experience.  We had 6 operators and the runs for the trains were quite long.  It was quite a day!  I thank Ralph for inviting me up there.
I operated the X235 east and ran it back.  It was pretty much a transfer run.  Now the pics:

My X235E. A SW12 with 2 tank cars waiting to leave Croxton

X325E comes off the single track to the double track at Solomon's Gap

A westbound train's caboose passes through the Penn Haven interlocking.

My X235E comes through the Penn Haven interlocking. 

Another view of the Penn Haven interlocking.  The hoppers are on a branch line.

My train enters the gorge, a very scenic and remote area on the railroad.  The CNJ tracks are all the way on the right. 

My X235E eases through the gorge.

A CNJ train waits as the X235 passes.

Tunnel portal for the CNJ.

Better view of the CNJ consisting of F units.

Packerton Yard is on the right and 235E finally comes in and transfers it's freight.  Norm Wolf and Scotty Mason  in the back decide their next move.  The 235 started above to the left.

235W has a little bigger train on the transfer back.

235W now heads back through the gorge.

Another view view.  Pardon my finger's guest appearance.  Tim switches in the background.  His train had to help my up the huge grade.

235W through Penn Haven interlocking. 

Another view of Penn Haven interlocking.

Ralph and Bob try to get a huge coal train out of NY division staging.  It's fighting a tough little grade to start.

An update... new loco and new paint scheme

Well, I have not done a lot on the layout this month but attending the Timonium, MD train show on Saturday did give me some much needed motivation.  I've been working on a GP39-2 for a while now and decided I wanted to do a different paint scheme.  The loco is what I call a dip job because it is all green.  I did add white hand railings and grabs.  I did not put the chevrons on the front/rear and instead used the VM logos. I also used FEC numbers on the cabs.  I was going to do a BN large number on the long hood but with the VM logo and that large number, it was too much going on.   I'm happy with the way it looks and the sound is incredible.  I did finally hookup a TCS "Keep Alive" decoder to the Lok sound decoder.  It keeps running even on my dirty track.  Did a quick video of it in Battlefield Yard:

That's all for now but I'm shooting to post every week now.  I have not posting since early in the month because really I have not done much modeling at all.  It's definitely time to get busy!

Fall modeling is a go (sort of)

Well my Fall modeling is in full effect but I'm not really getting much done at the moment.  The MLB playoffs are in full swing, and as long as my Tigers are playing, modeling will take a back seat.  I have been meaning to update the blog lately and today I finally have some time.  I got a few things going on.  First, I finally got a picture in a model railroading magazine: Model Railroad Hobbyist.  I have picture of a B&O sand hopper  in the September issue in the "Yes it is a Model" section.  I was pretty happy with that.  The only modeling I have done lately is a new loco for the VM.  It's a Atlas Trainman GP39-2 phase 1.  I've been working on it for about 2 weeks, very slowly.  It's a new paint job and more of a dip job in green.  I like to have a few different schemes on the railroad and this would be the newest.  Instead of a Tsunami install, I bought my first LOK sound decoder.  All I can say is WOW!  It sounds great and motor control is great.  It sounds like a tsunami but a little better.  The pics below show my work.  The loco will have white hand railings and grab irons to break up the green some.

Pretty much a standard Atlas shell with out the grabs.  GP39-2 phase 1

My junky work desk.  Why is it your always working on a tiny space on the edge of the desk?

The Lok sound decoder is in the front and the VM #289 U23B Tsunami chassis in the back.  I'm adding a KA capacitor to the U23B.

Need to detail the hand railings with white and add a beacon and the snowplow.

One thing I was not looking forward to on this shell was drilling the grab iron holes.  MicroMark had a mini drill bit holder for drills.  So I tried it out.  Instead of breaking several #79 bits with a hand drill press and taking 30 minutes, I used this and broke none.  I was finished in less than 5 minutes!

Two new videos and a possible expansion?

I recently made a nifty little I-phone holder to video trains on the layout.  I finally put it to work the other night.
All my videos and photos are from my I-phone.  It does an excellent job:

I also had a heck of an idea at all places, work.  For some reason expansion has gone into my mind.  I have not done much with the On30 layout under my HO layout.  It runs well but doesn't have scenery.  I even have lights directly above it.  So if I put a small helix in the garage, I could access that level.  It's only 9 inches and could be done in 2-3 rotations.  It would be a small helix and frustrating to build.  I do like challenges and if it does get built, the line would represent the line to Orange or another branch line.  Stay tuned!

1st annual Mid-Atlantic RPM meet in Stafford, VA

This past weekend I helped put on the first annual Mid-Atlantic RPM meet in Stafford, VA.  The meet has been planned for about 9 months and this past week, all our hard work paid off.  You could not ask for a better weekend and the location was at a marina with a view of the RF&P mainline crossing Aquia Creek.  We had top notch clinics from Bernie Kempinski, Butch Eyler & Ramon Rhodes to name a few.  The models were outstanding and the food was top notch.  The surveys of the meet were very positive and we hope to move to a bigger venue next year.  This was my first RPM meet attending and planning and I am looking forward to next year all ready.  Thanks to Norm Wolf, Daylene Wolf, Bob Sprague, Butch Eyler, Ida Wolf, & Mike Duggan for for their attention to detail & hard work putting this show on.

Many pics are posted here: http://www.pbase.com/vamidlandrr/midatlantic_rpm_meet_sept_1314_2013

The view from the venue

Who is this guy?

One of my favorite models from the meet.  Brian Banna's Copper State Railway SD40-2

Mike Hart's Florida module.  He owns Hart of the South Models where he specializes in palm trees and native trees in the south. 

Butch Eyler's weathering clinic was a big hit.

Virginia Midland freight cars

It was brought to my attention that I don't have but two VM boxcars on my layout.  Kevin Klettke from his excellent Washington Northern model railroad and I have exchanged some emails and freight car decals in the past few years.  Of course both of use have not had the chance to use them yet on anything.  Kevin wanted to see some VM boxcars and so I started looking.  I ended up only finding 2 of them.  One reason I don't have many is because I finally settled on a reporting mark for the railroad: VMID  I have used VM and VMD in the past so this was one reason I sold them at various shows.  Hard to change the reporting marks when they are already weathered. Plus on my small layout, there is not room for all of them, even though I have several boxcar industries.   I like such a large array of boxcars, it hard to get them all on the layout!  I do have some VM ballast cars, sand hoppers and a side dumper.  Believe I have more Virginia Central boxcars than VM ones, but the VC ones are prototypes.

A patched Double door VM boxcar

Here's one that has escaped the new reporting marks.  It's an Ex-BN plug door.  Looks like another small project!