Timonium Great Scale Model Train Show

Went to the Timonium Great Scale Model Train Show today and took a lot of pictures:

Not N Scale but I want one!

This picture is of an HO model that had 3 operating fans in the tender (which I had never seen before). The gentleman with the model explained that this was a German ingenuity attempt that didn’t quite get into production before WWII ended. They piped the steam from before it escaped the stack in the front of the engine back to the tender condensers. This was to accomplish 2 things: 1) less smoke was pumped out the stack which would make it more difficult for allied aircraft to spot the engine: and 2) it recycled the water back into the tender for reuse minimizing the need to stop as often for water refills. Neat operating model!

This goes with the WM engine above.

These were interesting module table legs made to look like bents from a timber trestle.

Staging Yard Update - Part II

This week I added the 5 track south end staging yard (on cork roadbed). This is a double ended yard to allow run-arounds to match the prototype's out and back "Turn" pattern.

The 4 track north end staging held 4 trains.

• The Coal drag with 30+ loaded hoppers.
• The Sand Hog with empty gondolas and covered hoppers. (15-20 cars)
• The Tank Sweeper (20-25 tankers)
• The Philadelphia transfer run (10-20) which contains inbound loads and needed empty cars for the days industry requests.

The south end yard contains:

• Loaded gons for the Sand Hog
• Empty hoppers for the coal drag
• A new Salem local that will run between south end staging and Woodbury and back to staging.
• Storage for all cars delivered to the branches at Millville, Deepwater, and Salem.

It will always have 2 tracks open for an arriving freight and the run around track. When the departing "Turn" leaves it then again contains 2 open tracks.

A Yard Out of Time!

I am in the process of building 2 side by side staging yards for my revamped PRSL layout. I thought I was pretty smart when I acquired 2 boxes of old AMI roadbed to start the yards. That stuff was great! You could slap it down on plywood and it would stay in place without nails. Then you could slap the track down and it also would stay in place and hold alignment without nails.

I used it on the double ended yard on my old layout (see photo). The remnants of it (single sided) live on as the Camden Pavonia yard on my current PRSL layout.

Double-ended Island Yard on my old layout

The single-ended remnants of Island Yard serving as Camden's Pavonia Yard on the current PRSL layout

Alas time has taken its toll. AMI has been out of business for 15-20 years and the surviving product has dried out. It is still sticky on both sides but not enough to stay in place or hold the track in alignment. (At least it is sticky enough that I won’t have to use glue for the cinders and ground cover.).

I completed the 4 track north end staging yard (capacity: 114 40’ cars) which holds the coal, sand, and tank drags and the Philadelphia transfer with ease (30 to 50 car trains). Now I need to begin on the south end 5 terminus yard tracks. The capacity will actually be less since the yard needs to be double ended to permit the prototypical run-around out and back train movements.

Time to go back to cork! (I miss live AMI roadbed!)