First Coat Plus Some Paint

PIOMIP (Progress is our most important product! (GE))

A little before and after action fully realizing we have a long way to go.

Before

After

 

Added a little rockface to the vertical wall to at least give the staging yards a feel of being semi-sceniced.

Track Cleaning

I know it's a tired old argument with everybody having their favorite method but the (free) Model Railroad Hobbyist on-line magazine contained an article (under "Publisher's Musings") that dealt with the topic and gave a scientific explanation for the dirty track we all fight with.

They also rated 34 products on their effectiveness in controlling the cause of dirty track. Here are the results.

I am sure the "my favorite product" arguments will never fully go away but I hope this at least minimizes their frequency.

I have used Wahl's Clipper Oil for about 20 years, over multiple layouts, and can vouch that I can go without cleaning track (during non-construction periods) for more than 5 years at a time. (The exception being my 63 sets of switch points).

Soaring Possibilities

There are two "periods" when I am thrilled feeling the artistic "soaring possibilities" in model railroading construction:

1) When you first lay track on a wooden benchwork (I get delirious at the smell of freshly cut and recently drilled wood). You can envision the beautiful possibilities laying just down the road and around the construction bend.

2) After you have covered the cardboard webbing of the first scenery mock-ups.

Final scenery, although satisfying, never quite measures up to the unlimited possibilities immediately after the above steps.

Anyway after coming down from my Pepsi high, I should get to see this week if my Sculptamold stash is still usable and get in the first pass ground covering. Wish me luck!

I still have to decide whether to permanently cover 2/3 of the access hatch.

Glassboro Junction

Woodbury to Glassboro

The last 3' of track to complete the mainline.
Bridge will go in after the Sculptamold.

Atlantic County 4H Train Meet

I got to visit the Atlantic County 4H Train Meet on Saturday April 29th. We went to the back door by mistake and immediately ran into 3 folks I was acquainted with from the Railwire forum, It was great to see the faces of people I had only known via the internet.

Cody, Chris, and Ed

They were there selling off David K Smith's vast stock of old N gauge equipment and buildings at fantastic prices. If I hadn't been chatting with them I would have gotten a Minitrix K4 for $15 but a few people ahead of me bought them in multiple quantities and wiped out the stock before I had a chance.

I had hoped to get to meet DKS so I could personally thank him for doing a track plan illustration for an N Scale Magazine article I published years ago but alas he was not in attendance. I did get to see some of his handiwork. Cody now has possession of his Trenton Transportation Company masterpiece:

DKS' Trenton Transportation Company layout

This is a sight you do not usually get to see: a freight train volcanic disaster:

A few additional photos:

Slow Crawl

As usual my modeling work during the tax prep season (38 days to go!) comes to a very slow crawl.

I have managed to complete and wire the staging yards, add a shelf over the staging yard with under-shelf LED lighting, complete the Glassboro junction trackwork and loop, and start the Brooklawn bridges. The bridges are in the last section necessary to restore the layout to running order.

Lionel TT gauge (1:120) display models

Glassboro Loop

Glassboro Junction

Brooklawn Bridges

I have begun returning buildings to the layout and testing arrangements.

A scenic divider was adding to separate Westville and Woodbury (they are at different elevations). I am still trying to decide if I like it.

The "new" Woodbury

North Woodbury

South Westville

Westville

Friends and Progress

A couple of my operations group friends have stopped by to help in the rebuild.

A couple of gag photos for Gene since he is known as the Reach Police on one of the forums for always counseling layout builders to minimize the layout width to be able to easily collect the derailed trains. We built an access hatch in the loop especially for him.

Later Bob came by to tune up some of the complicated trackwork before it gets partially buryed by a higher-level track.

Meanwhile I have added some LED lighting under the shelving to make it easier to ID cars in the staging yards. The shelf itself contains my collection of Lionel TT gauge (1:120) static trains. 

A recent Railwire forum thread was started on the equipment in the early days of n scale. Here is my early “spreadsheet” of purchases beginning in 1968.

And some of the early equipment? (Ah the memories!)

1968 Atlas hopper cars (224x series)

First car is an Aurora (Postage Stamp Trains) box car, the rest are 1968 Atlas box cars

The last picture shows the Atlas 1968 cars that are still used on my layout today. (I used PC cars as transition, Rapido to KD coupler, cars. (Penn Central was way beyond my modeling era.)

The PC and Vermont cars were built from Atlas box car kits. You could save 21 cents that way! ($1.29 vs. $1.50 for a RTR car)

Merry Christmas!

Take time to enjoy this very special season (and the reason for it).

Merry Christmas from the PRSL!

Can You Identify the Railroad or the Location of This Photo?

Can You Identify the Railroad or the Location of This Photo?

When I looked at this picture I was struck by the composure and the beauty of the scene. It was striking! It was one of the prettiest railroad pictures I had ever scene.

My mind quickly went to work trying to identify the engines and the railroad. I eagerly began reading the text to fill in the background.

BUT WAIT!

Imagine my shock when I saw the second picture (below) and was stunned to realize this was a model photo on the author's small layout. This is the work of Caleb Austin and his submission can be found on the Railwire forum at: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45935.msg596881#msg596881

His work is some of the best I have ever run across. I am still stunned.

Staging Yard Update - Part III

The Twisted Journey of the PRSL staging.

The one thing I am getting better at as I age is increasing my stupidity coefficient in layout design. I originally laid out the north and south staging yards side by side (see the two October 23rd blog entries) to support the layout's major (70%) rebuild.

While lying in bed one night it suddenly dawned on me that the existing north staging yard would enter the on-line Camden Pavonia yard from the wrong end. That meant that I would have to raise the north yard’s 4 tracks 2 inches get to the yard from the other, hi-line end. 

Out came the jig-saw. I lost some extension on the coal drag track (now reduced to 90” ~ 30 units)

I then finished laying the south end staging (on cork this time). The north yard holds 102 40’ cars and the south yard 122 cars. A lot of tuning remains to get these tracks to run to something faintly resembling flawlessly.

The layout now has 63 Peco turnouts, most of which are around 40 years old. I still need to finish two complex track areas to once again resume operations. This is another case of “If I knew what I was getting into, I never would have started this project.”

The north yard holds the Deepwater (electric plant) coal drag (29 loaded cars), the Penns Grove Tank Sweeper (27 cars), the Philadelphia yard transfer (mixed freight; up to 24 cars), and the Millville Sand Hog (14 empty gons and covered hoppers).

The 5 track south staging holds a loaded Sand Hog, an empty coal drag, and a Salem local. Per the prototype, the trains are all “turns” from Camden reaching the south staging (3 seperate branches: Deepwater/Millville/Salem), doing, run-arounds, and returning to the Camden yard or north staging. Hence 2 of the 5 south staging tracks are always empty for engine run arounds.

North yard's 4 staging tracks raised 2 inches

 Both staging yards with staged trains:

The on-line Camden's Pavonia Yard is still responsible for receiving the Philly transfer and assembling the Millville, Deepwater and Camden locals. The transfer will return to the north yard staging with empties and loads designated for Philadelphia and beyond.

The Millville and Deepwater locals will leave empties/loads at a siding off the south staging yard for a waybill cycle.

Per the prototype, the Salem local will leave staging and swap cars at the small Woodbury (with icing facilities) yard before returning to the Salem staging track. Since it serves mostly farmland, it will primarily consist of reefers.