OK - this one is for all you math wizards with calipers and some knowledge of both N and HON3:

Given - that narrow gauge rolling stock is considerably smaller than their standard gauge counterparts:

Given - that HON3 runs on N scale rails:

What is the size comparison between an N scale standard gauge 40' box car and an HON3 scale 40' boxcar? :?

We had a very successful coffee mug auction a while back and we didn’t think we could top that, but we’re hoping that we have done just that. We have another anniversary mug to auction off, but this one is different, it not only has our fifth anniversary logo on it, but it has been signed by the two owner/admins of Big Blue, ngauger and ezdays. Yeah, I know, no biggie, what’s the fuss, who really cares? Still, it is unique and we’re hoping that by signing this mug, we haven’t diminished its value. :o

So, as it goes, we have a “Fifth Anniversary” coffee mug to auction off with two signatures on the sides, as shown in the photos below. The signatures have been clear-coated, but it is not recommended that the mug be used as anything but a display piece since repeated use may cause the signatures to rub off. On the other hand, the winning bidder may just want it that way. Yes, you can remove the signatures with rubbing alcohol if you prefer; that's your choice, we won’t be offended if you do.

Here are the rules:

1. There is no minimum bid and no reserve, the highest bidder at the time the auction closes will get the mug.
   
2. Please keep your bid raises in increments of fifty cents or more.
   
3. You can bid by posting it in this thread. Send a PM to either ezdays or ngauger if you have any questions.
   
4. If you want to enter an anonymous bid (just like the rich and famous do), you can PM either ezdays or ngauger and we will bid on your behalf.
   
5. The auction will run for three weeks and end on May 11th, at which time we will announce the winner.
   
6. We will add a flat rate of $5.00 for shipping to any US or Canadian address, and calculate postage to other countries.
   
7. Payment can be by PayPal, check, or MO. We will give the winner instructions on how and where to pay.

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Thought I'd post a photo of the fleet for my Norfolk and Western secondary line:


All looking brand new!

What they need is weathering, but I've never had much success with weathering black, so I could use some tips. Please bare in mind I have no airbrush as I have no available location for spraying indoors.

I also added some updated layout photos to my thread here: http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic...=46&t=7186

Cheers,

Kev

* The Lehigh Valley railroad, a north east coal carrying railroad. A railroad that started because of a need to get a product to market. As long as wood was plentiful, and easy to get not many people were interested in coal. At the end of the 1820's things were changing. Wood was costing more. Coal was cheep. People now started to look to get coal and move it to places where it was needed. Wagons and canals were to only 2 choices aviable. Here in the north-east we have a thing called winter. That means it is not summer, spring, or fall. The 1830's were not a time of global warming. There was no highway system with lots of people operating snow plows keeping the roads open to cart and wagon traffic. The population was growing. Some new form of transportation was needed. Over in England, they were using steam powered engines to pull carts on rails of iron. Over there people were trying to make better more reliable engines to pull these carts from mines and farms to cities where food and coal could be distributed to warn homes and cook food. In industry steam engines were powering machines for producing all the necessities of the day. Here, we were just starting to wake up to the new industrial world . The railroads were made to get and keep this country moving.
* The Lehigh Valley railroad and all the other railroads did this well.

Hi,

I've been thinking of getting a Kato 2-8-2 Mikado or a Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 in N scale. It will be for a layout in the 1950's (1950-1955). The layout is a fictional New England location. The steam locomotives will be handling freight. So which engine should I get? Also, what would be good road names for the locale?

Athearn's current RTR SD40-2 has the usual bulbs and the black cables running from the bulbs in the shell in artful loops to the PCB. I had a look at the overall design of the model when I replaced the bulbs with LED and installed my standard DCC decoder. The PCB with the voltage regulators for the bulbs was of little help and got replaced with a little scratch board.
Next topic was the installation of the LED. I was surprised to find out that Athearn has all necessary support already build into the base casting of the model. Front and rear LEDs could be easily installed into locations of the casting that look like supposed to be support LED.
It is amazing how the model is intentionally spoiled with bulbs and lots of rattling cables while a clean solution is already built in.



ps. only external required add-on are front ditch lights. A nice looking and running model.

I came up with the idea for this thread yesterday when I drove past a small derailment. So post all your train wreck / derailment pics here (full scale or smaller).. Just make sure that you post pics that you have taken, anyone can repost from an internet search.

So to start things off here are a few shots of a derailment near the Delaware river in Slateford PA.

First the view from the Jersey side of the river.
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Here's some examples of locomotives purchased from other railroads that I've spotted in the Hamilton area


C40-8W 2099 originally ATSF 866 built 5/1992


C40-8 2124,ex UP/CNW 8577


SD60 ex Oakway Leasing 9087 built 12/1986


C40-8 2039,ex CREX,UP,CNW built 8/1990

Hi all, I felt that it has become a lot of changes to my model world . So much so that it required a new layout thread .
It all started with my Middletown, Kensington & Eastern RR that I built for the British RMWEB forum 2010 challenge.

A layout that would depict a fictional New England in 1943. Thanks to a move to larger premises etc. I started to build on it, and add on to it a little, but felt that it did not really work ... : (

My good friend and museum owner Peter Haventon offered then to aquire the layout to have at his transportation museum!

What also changed my focus is that I happened to buy a pair of D&RGW narrow gauge " Mudhens " in HOn3 . That " blunder " made me go back to my roots of inspiration; John Allen and Malcolm Furlow!
My first real layout was a Colorado mining railroad built after Furlows style and mindset. It was trafficked with what was available at the time, a Rivarossi Heisler and a number of low side gondolas.
My book about John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid RR ( Gory and defeated ) that I got when I turned 12 was totally worn out when I was 18, so I bought another one!
Now I had an idea! Could I not move my fictional railroad halfway across the continent to Colorado?
I have way too many locomotives and cars with custom company painting to decal and reapint to the new name .....
So if the MK & E could become the Minturn, Kings divide & eastern RR instead?
Minturn is located within the D & RGW's narrow gauge network.
So if my fictitious railroad connects to the narrow gauge in Minturn and then broke new ground to the north east via Kings Peak and then on to Idaho springs and Denver?
Oh, yes!
Then I can have narrow gauge, standard gauge and dual gauge.
I will still use a bit more poetic license and do a port! But it will become a river port!
So now I have the dilemma of taking down the framework I 've worked with.....
But they are easy to modify to my new idea.
The new track plan is basically a copy of the G & D! However with some modifications to suit the space given.
What was given as well was that there will be mountains from floor to ceiling!

What makes this a fun plan is that you have to run around all the loops to run one lap! And it will be easy to have overview from the middle of the room.

I posted a video showing a pair of F7s leaving the locomotive facilities to couple onto a transfer run for the car float. Action includes having to wait to take the main while another train goes by. It also features another look at my mock-up control stand and how I use it. I took Charlie's advice and added some narration this time.

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