Monday Musings

I am finally starting to get back into modeling since my usual hiatus that I have in the spring.  I got into the layout room some on Saturday and really got moving in there today.  Got a little heat wave coming so I will be hunkering down inside with the AC!  I will be up at Timonium, MD this weekend selling most my On30 items and some HO stuff with Norm Wolf on Saturday.  If you never have been to one of the shows at Timonium, what are you waiting for?

Now some updates:
Did some reporting mark updating.  The Virginia Midland's reporting marks are VMID.  I've updated a few here:

Custom 2 bay hopper chopped from an Atlas cylindrical hopper.

A custom run from Intermountain I found at on Ebay.  I just had to have it.

My desk has seen better days.  Still adjusting to the smaller surface area.

VC #106 is getting closer to being finished.  Only needs the horn, antenna and weathering.

Summer is upon me!

Well, most people get excited about the summertime because of the warm weather and heading on vacations.  I get excited because I get a lot of time off (since I am a teacher) and I am not as busy as I have been with teaching/coaching.  Well that time is upon me.  We finish up school this week and I got a million projects slated as usual this summer.  I got several freight car/locomotive projects sitting on my smaller desk right now.   None of them are really calling my name right now.  I do have some cars to do for customer of mine so that project will move to the top.  After that, my main objective is to complete my track on the bottom level.  This mainly consists of the town of Orange.  I'm also going to redo right above Orange where my sand unloading operation is.  I have a better option for silos and removing track is needed.  I hope to make that trackage a little better.

This is a pic of under the layout.  The trackage is laid to the far corner.  This area will be a shadow box with a possible wye.

Here is an overview of were Orange will be.  I'll have to move my junk holder on the shelf.  I also want to redo the sand hopper unloading area above.  I may knockout 2 birds with one stone here.  Might even take out the river scene.  This is some of my first scenery and while most is fine some of it, like the ballast sucks.

I always like how this scene turned out. 

Last area to finish on the top level is near the team track.  Might just put some more trees in on a bluff.

My newest train show find.  Picked it up for $35.  This RS36 will be the new VC power replacing the GP35's for now.  Hope to finish it this week.

Op. session this past Saturday

Had an operational session this past Saturday afternoon and tried a new concept, 3 operators. Norm Wolf, and Dale Latham and myself tried the new concept.   I did not think it could be possible but with the extra person on the lower level and the other on the upper level, it worked out OK.  I did not do a whole lot but sort cars in Battlefield Yard.  One thing that could be better were the controllers.  I use NCE and do not have radio control.  So cords were strung out all over my office.  This seemed to be the biggest problem. 

Anyways, summer is getting closer and my busy times are getting ready to be a thing of the past after this week.  I hope to post more often and get more done on the layout.  I've have recently painted a new Alco yellow.  This will be my newest engine on the Virginia Central.  The green #3 is having some pickup problems.  I may switch the #3 and #5 (gray scheme) and combine them into one.  I really love the green #3 of the VC. 

Dale and Norm contemplate their next move on the layout.  Dale (left) is working the  F'burg Flats on the upper level and Norm is working the lower level Mine run Branch.

I get the easy job of maintaining Battlefield Yard.  Pretty empty right now. 

Norm uses the run-around track with V251- the Mine Run turn.  SD20-2 and C424 provide the power today.

I'm back with a new video for Memorial Day weekend

Well I'm back for Memorial Day and wanted to give a moment to thank all the Veterans, including my dad that have made this great country possible.  I fly my stars and stripes in front of my house everyday.  It's been a busy time with me but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I did find some time to shoot a video today.  I recently purchased a Minuteman Models I-Car and finally put the finishing touches on it yesterday.  It holds my I-phone and you can film as if the camera is mounted on the front of the locomotive.  The video is a mainline run around the whole layout, top section.  I will have a trip down the helix to the lower level very soon.  Only modification I would do is to get rid of the Kadee sprung trucks it comes with.  They like to pick switches.  See if you can find where I saved the video from a derail right after the first road crossing.

Op. session at Dale Latham's Piedmont Southern

Norm Wolf and myself traveled over to southern Maryland yesterday and operated on Dale Latham's Piedmont Southern Railroad.  Seeing pics of it in MR's Great Model Railroads, I knew I was in for a treat.  It had changed some since that issue of GMR in 2009 but it was one of the nicest layouts I have visited.  It is a proto-freelanced layout based in western Virginia in the early 1950's.   My pictures don't do it justice.  I thank Dale for letting me have the chance to operate on his sensational layout.

Bob Sprague gets ready to make a cut in the yard.

Yard ladder track.

The many industries of the Piedmont area.

One of the yard switchers

This is Piedmont, my switching job consisted of jobs in this switching puzzle.

Another view Piedmont, my switching job consisted of jobs in this switching puzzle.

Norm Wolf poises with his train by the only tiny unfinished area on the layout.

A run through freight flies by the yard.

Like the Midland Coal sign by the station

Piedmont Station on the bluff.

Smaller tipples always seem to me to really stand out.  This one is no different.

Dixie Grocery Distributors

A RF&P boxcar is spotted.  Dale is a RF&P historical member so you will see some RF&P cars scattered on the layout.

In the distance is the largest coal mine on the layout,

What a great home by the tracks!

Details are a big part of the layout.  Here are two structures on the PS.

A log loading spur.

A neat scene of a log truck crossing a river.

The latest scheme on the Piedmont Southern is shown on this geep.

Norm continuing on his long trek throughout the layout.  To the left is part of a cement facility.

Another part of the cement facility in the hills.

Most of my switching and run-arounding was done in this area.

A view of Buckingham Box and Crate

Post #100: some motive power updates

Well, this is my 100th post here on the blog.  I enjoy this as much as I like getting things done in the layout room.  Got some motive power updates.

Here is 4 of my RF&P GP40's.  the RF&P had 7 of them and I do have all 7 that I have renumbered.  The other three are packed up in their boxes.  A few still need to be detailed.

The view from the other end.  Notice the rear horns and the exhaust vents like the prototype.  I missed a decal on the #121!

Side view of the GP40's.

Here's the Fredericksburg & Northern Neck F3 #46 (Ex- B&A).  I just applied the F&NN logo.  This is an Intermountain loco and runs well.  I installed a Tsunami in it.  This F unit makes me consider turning back to the early 1980's instead of the early 1990's that I model.

Completion of my hidden staging

Had to the chance to get some layout work done this week, since it is my spring break.  This afternoon, I completed the RF&P hidden staging in the garage.  It's one of those things I did not have to do right of way and really did not want to do it in the cold weather, like I did with helix.  The weather was great today and opened the garage door and went to town.  The staging shelf is right beside the helix and uses the same hole in the wall.

With the 90* crossing in the wall, it makes the helix entrance and the hidden easy to co-exsist.

A piece of real rail makes a great weight.  The track to right goes to the helix.

The base of the staging is clamped, waiting for the wood glue to dry.

The track is positioned and the track base is clamped now.  MDF board is easy to work with.

Overview of the work.

Track is laid and ready for a test run.

Typical train in staging: one engine, 5 cars and a caboose.

RF&P GP40 #124 is ready for it's entrance.