Finally got back to some scenery

On Sunday, I decided to get back to the layout for a little scenery.  I really like building/ weathering freight cars and locos, so when I work on them mainly, the layout gets neglected.  I have plenty of cars and locos for the layout, so it's a no-brainer that the scenery could be finished up in a month or two if I really applied myself. This past week I didn't get anything done. Call it laziness or whatever.  Just was not motivated.  Hopefully I can motivate myself in the coming week.  In the meantime, let me show you the progress.

Back at the area I working on this August, I finished the former woodchip loading spur.  I decided against the woodchip loader because of the small nature of the Virginia Central  railroad.  They have enough traffic with the aggregate industry.

This spur on the VC will be a storage and a possible team track.  VC locos will also be parked here.  I decided to bury the tracks for non-maintained look.  Still have to put bushes and weeds in there.

Over in Battlefield Yard, I started working on the yard crew building and parking area.  Added some weathering and a few details.

Finally finished the newest loco on the VM.  GP39-2 #274 has been weathered and I am very satified with the LOK sound decoder.

Another view of #274

First How to video: Installing a TCS Keep Alive capacitor in a Tsunami sound decoder

Installed a TCS Keep Alive capacitor and decided to do a how to video on it.  Several videos later it's done.  I also decided today to do some scenery on the layout.  Did the ground cover on the former wood chip loading spur on the VC.  That will be an extra storage track and occasional team track.  Pics of this later.

Virginia Midland Railroad layout Narrative: Part 2

Finally got a chance to do my second part of my narrative about the layout.  Part two focuses on the other railroads on the layout, the Virginia Central and the Fredericksburg and Northern Neck (F&NN).  I show the trackage of the VC and it's industries and where the F&NN runs on the layout even though it's not on the layout itself.  I'll probably do another on the RF&P's part on the VM.  That will be sometime this week.  As always, let me know what you think!

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!