Hello All!!!

It's time again to see who would like to join in on this years fantasy league.

Please reply here as soon as possible!!!

Daytona is only 2 short weeks away!

Just as a heads-up, we are making some changes to Big Blue, just a little at a time. Our first one is that we will now be on a secure server. We are going from, "http://", to "https://" starting today. We still have to make a redirect, but you can find us either way. As soon as we add the redirect, you will notice a green lock on our site address at the top of your browser.

Why are we doing this? Well, we've never been hacked, but, like the flu, it's going around and we need to take precautions so that we don't get it. It's too late about the flu for some of us, but not to secure our site from someone getting access, locking us all out and making off with passwords and email addresses. We are doing this at an extra cost to us, but highly recommended by our server host, Go Daddy.

Other changes are in the works, and we'll let you know well in advance, but just in case you are concerned, we are keeping our pledge not to get hooked up with ads or a sponsor. Those are why we started Big Blue in the first place, Mikey and I plus all our moderators at the time, were fed up with not having any control over the old site as it was passed down from one owner to the next and each one added their own flair for gaining advertising income. We will not go down that path, but we do have some exciting changes in store, so keep tuned....

I had a first meeting with the carpenter about the frame work of the new layout. The carpenter will take the lead over the electrician and painter and coordinate the schedules (they did a fantastic job coordinating all crafts for the apartment last year).

The new frame work will be mainly unchanged in the 4,20m * 2,75m (13,7' * 9) room.
The south side will be 4,20m * 0,60m (2') with scenery. The north side will be 4,20m * 0,27m (.9') with a four track staging yard without scenery. The west and east sides will be 0,15m (.5') connections without scenery with hatches for the balcony and room door. The top will be unchanged 0,81m (31.8") to permit train operation under the open window.

The north, west and east sides will reside on brackets mounted at the wall. The wider south side will be bolted to the wall and have 2 to 3 legs for safety reasons as today.

The south side will be a solid frame covered by four easy to exchange 12mm (.45") plywood boards (0,60m * 1,00m/1,20m).

I will use Atlas Code 83 tracks and switches. The staging yard will use six #4 switches and simple top mounted Atlas switch machines. The frogs will not be powered. Simple operation with four push buttons and a diode matrix to power the switch machines. The south side with scenery will be #6 switches and tortoise switch machines.

Next appointment is Monday with the electrician. I need a remote control for the window shutter and outlets for the layout lights mounted under the cabinets.

The forgotten box

Declan Grain Elevator had a string of Shore River hoppers on the siding.

Bruce

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While driving thru the Pinelands Industrial Park caught Shore River working.

Bruce

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Our AMREG friends group was member of a large exhition mostly with other railroad groups and dealers on last weekend.
First time we built an large oval with an switching appendix where all modules of our friends were arranged to a large layout with dimensions of 92ft length and a wide of over 30ft.
See some pictures.

The layout in a drawing!


Small baggage - for me as a member without own modules.




Where is to find the other end? - Around 90 away!


The complete layout near to finishing!


A view from the other end.


After five hours of installation the model trains have been set onto the tracks! Ready for model train running! The railroad museum on the left and our new station Shelbyville on the right.


Again the museum a piece more behind including our station Shelbyville.


The museum in oposite direction.


The museum again in a 3/4 view. Good to see the row of exhibited steam locomotives and an excursion train very close to the Sacramento Daylight with the SP #3000 Atlantic.


Trains are running, steam like diesel engines as motive power. The presentation of models was a good mixture over a time period from 1900 until to present time.


The new old time coal tower of Shelbyville railway museum, a need for the steam locomotives serving the historic excursion trains including locos for the switching jobs in the museum.
Sorry, not the best picture.


I think that I can show some more pictures in galleries and links to videos in next days. Enjoy!

I could not leave it! The price was resonably and so I must have this nice model of a UP SA-C class "Bull Moose".







The UP started a rebuilding project in 1937 where the 70 original MC class mallets were rebuilt to single articulateds. So I think that this model will be a well usable motive power for my 1930 (+) train. The original MC class mallet was imported as a brass model by Overland however my loco is a Sunset modell, built already in 1984 however with a good and stable detailing so that I can transport the model without a large danger of damages.
However before it must be digitazed yet and this will need a bit of time yet. Too many projects are laying on my worktable and should be finished as first.

As some of you that have been with us a long time, as far back as the original Gauge, you might remember Sumpter250 (Pete Juengst) as a moderator and a very active contributor from the get-go. Well, Pete has been having some health problems, both with his memory and physically, and will most likely not be able to visit Big Blue anything soon. We've discussed Pete's situation among the staff and his two daughters and decided to honor Pete by making him an honorary moderator as well as opening this sub-forum to feature Pete's work as a modeler. His modeling works are what I would consider, museum quality, both in model railroading and ship building.

We will gather what we can of what Pete has shown us on Big Blue, and his daughters, Tiffanie and Heather, will post what they can as well.

Please stick around, if you're not familiar with Pete's work you will be amazed at what he has done over the years.

We wish Pete the best with dealing with his illness, and that he gets the care that he needs.