Rewards for great modeler

It's always good when an outstanding modeler is recognized. Such recognition is coming fast and furious to Dave Abeles, a good friend who models the Onondaga Cutoff, a mid-1990's HO-scale mythical Conrail-based railroad that circles Syracuse, New York.

Dave's latest honor comes in the form of the cover and a feature article in the September 2020, issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Both the writing and photography are his. This adds to his earlier recognition in Model Railroader.

He is employed by the New Jersey Transit railroad, and is a graduate in engineering from Syracuse University. An outstanding modeler and photographer, Dave has a book in production with Kalmbach books, Signals and Interlockings for your Model Railroad, due out in the spring.

Heavy into operations and an innovator, Dave conducts virtual operating sessions on a monthly basis that include remote operators and dispatching from as far away as Scotland and Australia.

You can check out his modeling and railroad at https://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com.

Populating with rolling stock

With the electrical work underneath the bench work done, at least until and if I decide to light building interiors, it's time to determine staging yard capacity. Today, I started adding the cars I have, one at a time, and using the engines to back them into place. This process served to check the needed rolling stock and track maintenance as well as capacity.

I found out at least three things. One, I have more rolling stock than will comfortably fit the layout. That's not a bad thing ... I can narrow down to the better running cars, and I can keep the others to change out periodically. Two, the rolling stock needs some serious maintenance including proper weights, coupler height adjustment, and metal wheels on some of the cars. Three, the track needs a little maintenance, but all in all, it's in pretty good shape.

It does seem, at first glance, the mix of cars (gondolas, box cars, hoppers, and tank cars) is about right for the planned industries they will serve.

Next on the agenda is to create the work bench area so I can have modeling space. Next item on the railroad - along with the items listed above - is the creation of the scrap yard.

More kudos

Even though the NMRA 2020 national convention has been scrubbed, some more of our local modelers (see the post of March 20, in this blog) are seeing their work published in the model press. Latest to be recognized are Hank Kraichely and John Peluso.

Hank Kraichely built a large homage to the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy (CB&Q) between St. Louis and Hannibal in his 35' x 35' basement.  That effort ... his second at what he calls a "real" model railroad ... led to the cover of the June 2020 issue of the NMRA Magazine and the feature story inside.

This second iteration was started in 2004, and featured scenes include a long bridge over the Missouri River, and the Portland Cement Plant. A portion of the railroad is double-decked, without a helix, but rather with the long, gradual grade.

Conceived and built for realistic operations, Hank's thoughts, planning, methods, products, and results are carefully documented in the story. An operating session utilizes 10-12 operators, using wireless throttles on the Digitrax-powered layout.

Hank has held a number of NMRA related offices, the most recent as President of the Mid-Continent (MCoR) Region.

In an article written and photographed by Patrick Hiatte in the June 2020 issue of Model Railroader, the St. Louis-San Francisco Ry. (Frisco) layout of John Peluso is highlighted. The 16' x 30' double decked railroad is controlled by the CVP EasyDCC system, is set in the late '50s to the late '60s, and includes many prototypical scenes between St. Louis and Springfield. John is also into operations, and his four operating sessions each year use seven operators.

New Acquisitions

Three new acquisitions showed up on the Paducah Switching railroad today. All three came from the Kansas City Northwestern layout of the late Dick Wegner.

Dick was an outstanding modeler and this boxcar will fit well on the P&LE.

This 45-tonner came complete with a decoder. I envision it switching the scrap yard and coal dock.

We all miss Dick, but I am pleased he will always be a part of the Paducah Switching layout.

Dick was a devout fan of the Santa Fe and a member of that famed railroad's historical society. He was a regular attendee of the society's annual meetings, regardless of location.

Making a minor change

While in the process of soldering the last few electrical drops on the layout, I decided to make a minor change in a couple of structure locations.

New locations for scrap yard (lower left) and engine
house (upper right)

I'm moving the engine house from its previous location near the wall to the outside of the layout near the harbor. The scrap yard that was in that spot replaces the engine house near the wall. Reasoning behind this move is that the engine house will have a detailed interior, more easily seen near the aisle, while the scrap yard will still be quite visible in its new placement.

Drops are nearing completion, with the final few connections to follow. I'm getting anxious to get that complete, so I can start on scenery and structures. For those who are interested in such things, the drops are 22 ga wire connected to 16 ga buss wires underneath the layout. Connections are made by 3M Scotchlock
"suitcase connectors". Track for the layout is all Atlas Code 100 Flextrack on Woodland Scenics N-scale foam roadbed. Turnouts are medium by Peco, and are operated by Caboose Hobbies ground throws. It's open grid, and all on 3/4" plywood, built just 30" off the floor so I can operate it from rolling around on an office chair. Virtually everything - bench work, track, turnouts, most rolling stock, two of the four engines, a few structures, and even some wiring were repurposed from my previous layout. Power for the layout is NCE Power Cab, and that is completely new and a change from Digitrax.

Shout Out ... and kudos

I want to take this time and space to recognize some of the many outstanding modelers in the St. Louis area. The following have been featured in major model railroad publications -- five of them with cover photos in just the past few months. Admittedly, the 2020 NMRA Convention is coming to town, but that in no way lessens the work of these incredible modelers and their respective recognition by the modeling press.    

Eric Booman hit the twofer when his Utah Belt was featured on the cover of the December 2018 Model Railroader  and the December 2019 issue of the NMRA Magazine. The 22' 8" x 39' 6" layout is 40 years old, but evolving motive power, industries, operation, and scenery keep the railroad, set in northern New Mexico, in the present day. Eric has long been known for retiring motive power and bringing on new, concurrent with the prototype. One of the very few departures that Eric makes from the prototype is the absence of graffiti -- he abhors it and there is none to be found on the Utah Belt. Power for the layout is DC cab control.

The Utah Belt first appeared in the model press in 1978 with a feature in Railroad Model Craftsman, and Model Railroader recognized it first in 1986 and several times since then.

Although they didn't make the cover, a number of other accomplished St. Louis modelers were recognized in the

December 2019 issue of the NMRA Magazine. They include Brad Joseph and his HO layout; Dan McReynolds' HO scale ATSF Railway; Randy Meyer's Sn3 Canyon & Rocky Mountain; John Schindler (see below); John Peluso's HO railroad; Pete Smith's exquisite Sn3 1930's Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co. layout featuring a number of geared locomotives; Doug McCormick's HO Union Pacific; and Ken Kroschwitz's monster HO layout at his hobby store.

All of the model railroads in this post will be on the Layout Tour at the convention, and several of the modelers will be among the dozens highlighted in the clinic offerings.

John Russel models the Rock Island railroad in O scale with his Rock Island Lines, and is the featured cover subject in the  March 2020 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Set in the 1948-1952 era, the railroad fills a 65' x 35' basement. Motive power is largely custom-painted brass imports, and to understand the level of prototype accuracy, one only has to know John worked as a trainman on "The Rock" for more than 40 years. John is well known nationally in O-scale circles, and his railroad has also been featured in Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette  on several occasions.

John's railroad is DC powered.

Gary Hoover is, along with Eric Brooman, one of the most recognizable names in model railroading. His latest effort is the cover subject for the April 2020 issue of Model Railroader. The 24' x 49' Norfolk and Western of the 1950s is set in Appalachian coal country and is unique in that it includes scenes in HO scratch built models of pictures by famed railroad photographer O. Winston Link. It replaces the ATSF Railway by Gary that was featured in a 2005 issue of Model Railroader. Prior to that railroad, he built the Missouri, Kansas, and Quincy. In addition to the covers, Gary has written many articles, and provided the photographs, for numerous national modeling publications.

This latest effort is DCC powered by Digitrax.

Gary Gross is the guru of the Franklin Pacific Railroad, a three-level HO layout set in 1958. It is the cover photo and featured article in the January 2020 NMRA Magazine. All compacted into a 12' x 20' footprint, the railroad is heavy on operations. The single set of staging tracks represents both ends of the layout: St. Louis on the east and Springfield/Kansas City on the west. As I said, Gary is devoted to operations: he uses a 4:1 fast clock, and the optimum crew is seven. Two to run Franklin Yard, a dispatcher who sits away from the railroad, and four running the trains.

Control for the Franklin Pacific is DCC.

Dave Roeder by any criteria, is a prolific award-winning modeler. His Webster Groves & Fenton Railroad is a prototype/freelance HO scale model railroad set in the mid-1980s with first and second generation diesels providing a bulk of the power. The layout is built as an operating railroad and has entertained monthly operating sessions continuously since 1996. Dave's FG&W is the cover photo and feature in the March 2020 NMRA Magazine. The layout occupies a 30' x 70' room.

Dave has won hundreds ... even thousands of awards ... in modeling, and not just in railroading. He is also a award-winning modeler of automobiles in different scales

The Webster Groves & Fenton is powered by analog DC.

John Schindler and his large St. Louis Junction railroad features action on both sides of the Mississippi River. The 30' x 60' layout was featured prominently in the March 2020 Model Railroader. It's a current era, multi-deck walk-in railroad with a mainline run of 275 feet. Crews use 40 locomotives to move some 500 cars in a typical operating session. A crew consists of eight to twelve operators, and the dispatcher uses a computer and CATS signal logic. The railroad is a Digitrax DCC layout. John is co-chair of the 2020 NMRA National Convention in St. Louis.

Featured on more than one occasion over the last several months in the NMRA Magazine  is David Lowell and his scratch-built structures and rolling stock memorializing the Chicago and Illinois Midland. His modeling is such that you will be hearing more about him in the coming months.

There's a lot of great modeling going on in the St. Louis area. This is just a tip of the iceberg.

Trains running well ... yippee!

It's a good day. Trains are running well on the Paducah Switching layout, thanks to Ron Schlueter who came over this afternoon and worked his magic on fixing a problematic curve (too tight and with a kink) and generally tuned the track. I was most pleased Ron was able to fix the curve without widening it to the point where I might have to change the track plan in that area.

As modelers who read this blog will attest, the railroad HAS to run well, or nothing else matters. There is still some track cleaning to finish, but I can now start moving on with the building of the railroad. Coming soon is the painting of the benchwork, the installation of the fascia, and the addition of the second NCE throttle. That, of course, will be followed by structures and scenery that bring model railroads to life.

Trains are running ... kinda ...

Trains are running on the Paducah Switching ... kinda. The roadbed is down, and the track is weathered and down. Under the bench buss wires are in (courtesy Kent Tallyn), and most of the drops are in (with help from Kent, Ron Schlueter, and Bill Levin).

Ron Schlueter solders the drops

The drops that are in are attached to the buss wires (again, Kent and Bill Levin). Bill Buhr and Dale DeWitt laid down the last of the track and "tuned" some of my efforts. Hank Kraichely weathered the ties.

Today, I started cleaning the weathering residue from the track with a very fine grit sandpaper. The manufacturer of the weathering solution says the track will conduct electricity after it has dried; ain't so! I, and others, have found the track needs to be cleaned of the residue. Anyway, after my initial cleaning effort, two of the engines I plan to use -- the 2-8-0 Consolidation and one of the RS-3's, both ran pretty well. I determined several areas that still need drops, and some places that will require additional cleaning. There are also a couple of spots where the track work needs to be addressed. Right now, progress is maddeningly slow, but if the track work isn't good, and the trains don't run well, nothing else much matters. We'll stay after it.

Slow, but sure

Fellow Gandy Dancers (our Thursday night round robin group) are providing extra hands and much needed expertise in getting the P&LE running. As in many things, it's taking longer than hoped, but it is being done extremely well.

Bill Levin (l) and Kent Tallyn (r) taking a break from adding drops from the track to the buss wires.

Thursday night, much of the gang was here. Kent Tallyn did the under-the-bench wiring, running the buss wires and hooking up the drops from the tracks via 3M Scotchlock "suitcase" connectors. Bill Levin and Tom Gaffuri were soldering the drops to the tracks; Bill Buhr worked on a turnout connection that was causing a kink; and Hank Kraichely spent the evening weathering the ties.

Sunday, Bill Buhr returned and worked on two additional turnouts. He also brought his test car to run through its paces to see that the track was running smoothly.

Bill Buhr with his track test car that he constructed. It works well.

Next to be completed are two short pieces of track to be put down, the remainder of the drops to be soldered to the track and then attached to the buss wires, and the NCE control system installed. The plan is that assuming I can get some of it down between now and Thursday, the group can get the rest done Thursday night. The beat goes on.

Track is weathered, ready to put down

As promised in the previous post, I'm reporting on weathering the track with the Micro Engineering Company's Rail Weathering Solution. In a sentence, it went better than I feared it might, not quite as well as I hoped. It is what it is. My biggest issue is that all the track did not weather evenly, and may require some touch up after it's in place.

This is the rail before weathering

After weathering; I wish it all looked like this

The process was fairly simple. Directions on the solution bottle recommend a 2:1 (water to solution) mixture, and I followed directions. People who have used it suggest anywhere from the 3-5 minutes and even more; they caution to watch it closely. I did. I left the track "cooking" for 7-8 minutes to get where I thought I wanted it.

Track ready to be placed in the solution

Following the time in the solution, the track has to be rinsed in plain water to stop the chemical process. Then it has to dry before being laid. All told, the time for the process from start to finish (getting the containers ready, getting plain water, mixing the solution, etc.) for about 25 pieces of 3-foot flex track (divided into three separate "soakings") and 22 turnouts (split into two soakings), was a couple of hours. Still shooting to have track down and wired by the end of our group meeting Thursday night. Stay tuned.

Road bed is down, ready for track

The road bed is down, ready for track. Although I model, as you know, in HO scale, I am using N-scale road bed, which is a lower profile at 3 mm than HO at 5 mm.

Next comes the track, but first it has to be weathered. I am using the Micro-Engineering weathering solution. The process is mixing the solution with water and then immersing the track for a specified period. I'm going to start with a 2:1 water-to-solution mixture and a 3-4 minute immersion. I will continue to check the track until I get the level of weathering I want.

I have been avoiding this piece of the project, but its time to bite the bullet. Good friend and great modeler Dave Abeles (Onondaga Cutoff at https://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com) recently wrote in his blog about the intimidation of tasks untried hindering progress, and the need to just move forward and do it. It hit home with me. Interesting that both projects - his creating a pond, and me weathering in a liquid solution - involved water.

My next post will be a report of how (successfully, I hope) the weathering worked out complete with photos.

Ready for roadbed

In the previous post, I drew one-foot squares on the benchwork to coincide with the "Tar Branch" plan as it appeared in Model Railroader (Jan-Apr. 2018). I since have added the (really rough) track plan in red and placed cardboard footprint cutouts using the grid to assure a fit.

Next, I continued to draw the track plan and used footprint cutouts down the vertical piece; note I deviated completely from the MR plan on this section.

From top to bottom (darkened square) are Ken Heyl's kit bash of the Station Inn, an oil dealer facility,  and nearest the wall, a grain elevator and a scrap yard. A street will run between the two. Nearest the aisle are a Railway Express Agency, and an engine facility. The last six feet will include a harbor with barge loading coal, and a yard. There will be other structures and scenery elements, but these are the one's that impact the placement of the track.

It all looks pretty rough now, but should start looking like a model railroad within the next two weeks. Our Thursday night gang will be here at the end of the month to do the under-the-bench wiring, so I have to get the roadbed and track down before then.

Ready for track work

Spent some time in the train room today. I removed the track, turnouts, and roadbed from the 2x 8 section that will be primarily the staging yard. It's smoother than it looks, and is ready for roadbed and track. I still have to develop the track plan for this section.

Next, I drew the the 1-foot square grid work, which coincides with the track plan I am following. As a reminder, I am following the "Tar Branch", the 2018 project railroad in Model Railroader .

Two members of our Thursday night round robin group have given up their nights so that the gang can come and help do the wiring under the benchwork. This means I have to have the roadbed and track down before the last Thursday of the month. But before that, I need to select the twenty best pieces of three-foot flex track from my stash of new and used track; I also need to inventory the available turnouts. All that needs to be weathered with Micro-Engineering track weathering solution. Plenty to do over the next three weeks; it's doable, but I'll have stay at it. Hopefully, trains running within a month.

Bench work progress

There's nothing like peer pressure,  even if only imagined, to act as a motivator. Our Thursday night round robin group, the Gandy Dancers, was coming last night, so I've spent some time in the train room preparing. First, the sky, which was painted as part of the original P&LE had to be repainted. Next was just a general clean up and organization after the departure of the former layout to Ohio. Observation: the former two level, room-size layout is gone; I've sold literally thousands of dollars worth of engines, electronics, rolling stock, and structures and there's still a room full of stuff!! The "stuff" appears like mushrooms. Anyway, the room is in better shape than it was. The new iteration of the Paducah and Lake Erie is the Paducah Switching railroad, and is based on the Winston-Salem Southbound's "Tar Branch" as it appeared in Model Railroader", January-April, 2018. That project layout was roughly 2'9" wide by about 9' long. My version makes it an "L" shaped railroad 10' x 16' x 2'.

This is the "new" railroad, repurposed from the room size edition.

To recreate the "Tar Branch", I need to widen the top arm of the "L" from 2'0" to 2'9". My answer was to make a grid, attach it and cover it.

With the added grid work.

The under-the-bench work was completed by Gandy Dancer Kent Tallyn (younger back) with the help of group members Dale DeWitt and Bill Levin.

I covered it with a 1x10 I had laying around for several years.

Today, I heard from two of the group, offering to give up their Thursday nights respectively, at the end of February and first of March., so that the under-the-bench wiring could be completed when the track is laid. Sounds like I have a busy February ahead of me.