Greetings and salutations!

For those that may be interested we have a new operation forum.

The new op forum can be found in the branch line section.

So,come one come all! Step right up and ask questions or start a topic!

Greetings!

Yes,we have open shop for operations and planing operations discussion.

Feel free to ask any question pertaining to operation-prototype or model.

Feel free to suggest topics.

I have several topics plan for the winter and of course all are welcome to start a operation discussion.

When did the use of chain link fence become widespread? A google search revealed that it began to be manufactured in the USA a few years prior to 1900. Did it become popular then, or did it take a few years?

The reason I ask is I have been rebuilding some window screens from my house, and have some scrap screen pieces that may look okay as chain link fence. If it was common during the WWI era, I may make a few fences for my layout.

There are three voting polls now open in the Contest forum. Click on the following to go to:

Kitbuild challenge
Kitbash challenge
Scratchbuild challenge

You can vote for just one or vote for everyone in each category, just please vote.

Just to insure accuracy, if you spot any errors in these lists, please contact me and I will correct them. If you think your entry should be on the list, or it is and shouldn't be, or if I misspelled your name or the links are screwed up, I will take care of it immediately since these errors are not intentional... uh, that being if there are any, which I'm hoping there aren't.

Everyone that did some work on their entry will get a certificate of participation. Those that finished will get a certificate of completion and those that win the top three spots will get certificates that show what place they finished in.

Good luck and a big thanks to all that entered, everyone deserves to take top honors so I'm sure it'll be a difficult choice at best.

There were eight people sign up for the challenge and one later entry for a total of nine who entered this challenge. Of that, six completed their project and one was close enough to call done for a total of eight entries to vote for. You may vote for one or as many that you like, just vote. Click on the names to see their build progress threads.

There were seven people sign up for the challenge and one later entry for a total of eight who entered this challenge. Of that, one didn't get off the ground, four completed their project and one was close enough to call done for a total of five entries to vote for. You may vote for one or as many that you like, just vote. Click on the names to see their build progress threads.

There were six people who registered and two more who competed for a total of eight entries. Three didn't get off the ground and three more started but didn't finish leaving just two entries to vote for. You may vote for one or both. Click on their names to view their build progress.

Stumbled across this piece from KDRV-TV in Medford, Oregon(courtesy of Google RSS)...apparently one part of a series of historic vignettes. The print echos the video script - the film and photos are old, but I sure enjoyed this glimpse of the rail loggers of the past. Whether you're a logging fan or not, it's a few minutes of enjoyment...http://kdrv.com/news/local/142607...hope the video doesn't paralyze your connection speed. Bob C.

I don't think I've ever posted these here before. I spent a few weekends in 2006 and 2007 chasing the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District's "South Shore" commuter trains. Here's what I saw in South Bend:



The South Bend terminal has been in the South Bend Regional Airport since the early 1990s. It replaced another terminal on Bendix Avenue shared with Amtrak that itself replaced the original downtown terminal.




Westbound trains actually depart South Bend eastbound as this train demonstrates in September 2007.




At the east end of the airport the South Shore trains make a swing to the south and run along Bendix Avenue for a few blocks.




Here's a timetable westbound running south along Bendix Avenue in June of 2006 crossing the old alignment of U.S. 20.




Rolling along Bendix Avenue a South Shore train passes through the commercial development on South Bend's west side.




An eastbound train makes a turn north onto Bendix Avenue by the remnants of the old Bendix factory. This scene is indicative of South Bend's fortunes in the last thirty years.




The same train swings across Bendix Avenue to run up its eastern curb.

This ends my short tour of the the South Shore in South Bend. Further installments will cover the line as it travels west to Chicago.