Although my track is all ballasted and I am happy with the results,I do have a question. I have seen many pictures of rail yards both prototype and model and have noticed that in some cases the yard tracks are either in good shape or there is a lot of dirt between the rails covering the ties.Is this condition something that is up to the railroad? How many modelers do this with their yard tracks? The reason I am asking is this-my layout is a switching layout and I'm not sure how much of a plus it would be to the overall look.Also if I chose to do this effect to my two yard tracks and industrial spurs,is there something commercially available that I could use or should I use real dirt? Thanks for any help/suggestions.
Bob

Later this week, during the wee hours, the CNR Northern is scheduled to be transported from its current location at the CNE Grounds to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the John Street CP Roundhouse.

Here is an article on engineering the move and the planned route. I suspect other papers will run similar stories over the next few days?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/midnight-train-across-toronto/article1161443/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le1161443/</a><!-- m -->

At any rate, the Toronto Railway Heritage Center will be an awesome place once it's completed. It already looks great with the restored turntable, Don Station, Cabin D interlocking tower, other buildings and miniature steam railway.

Rob

Anyone using this program for photos.
I am have a few problems and can not find the anwser.
Looking for some help.
Thanks in advance.

   
By The Naugatuck Railroad....

   
And........Abraham Lincoln????

I live only a few hundred feet from the Torrington train station. Trains in town are very......Very...rare.
So, when I heard that diesel horn close by this morning, I grabbed my camera, and headed for the tracks.


The Naugy was there, and so were a bunch of Civil war era reenactors. Apparently, it was some sort of reenactment of President Lincoln's visit to Torrington(I have to read the paper more) whether it was true or not. He gave a speech from the vestibule, went and shook some hands, and climbed aboard a "handsome cab", then headed downtown in a "period" parade.

   


Samuel Clements(Mark Twain) was also in attendance.
   

   
A few "finely dressed fair maidens."

Though the Naugatuck Railroad was around, actually only a few years old, during the time of Lincoln, I don't think GE U-Boat came til a few years later.
   

OK, I had been working on this for quite some time. Just had it holding on the RIP track, until the what I thought was the start date. Then Trucklover pulled a fast one on all of us, and posted a finished project. So..... After checking with the judge, found out it was ok to post early.
With out further stammering I present you:

88Fans 2009 Summer Structure Scrtachbuild Challenge.

On the last scratchbuild challenge, I built a station (Ore Hill)that actually was used by the real Central New England in the mid 1800's to the early 1920's, until the Barnum-Richardson iron ore mine closed.

This challenge, I'm again going to scratch build another Central New England station.

   
History:
This is Stratton Brook, a flag stop station, which was on the Tarriffville Branch(Avon, CT to Tarriffville, CT) during the late 1800's. Stratton Brook was no more than a collection of small houses, and a farm, which shipped milk from the station. There was also a small leather company nearby, which would pick up its raw materials and ship finished products from here. They were brought here by horse and buckboard. When The New Haven gained control of the CNE, The Central New England tracks were removed in favor of the Canal Route's Right Of Way(Which are behind the photographer) and the station was closed because of the close proximity to Simsbury(Only two and a half miles up the road) and the station was ripped down at the same time.
There's a story that goes, on one cold wintry day, the mail bag was thrown of the train "on The Fly". This was standard when there was no one waiting at the station to be picked up. Well, a search for the bag ensued, with no luck. That next spring, the mail bag was found in the brook by a couple kids who found it while fishing.


Modeling Stratton Brook
As with Ore Hill, I'm going to have to use my modelers licence and guess the dimensions. But I thought, that since at the time I only hadthe first picture to go on, I was going to have to guess what was trackside. Since there's a shelter, I was assuming, as with all flag stops at the time on the CNE, that the trackside of the shelter was open. Then, while searching the net, I found this picture.
   

This picture was going to make modeling this depot easy. Also, on the same site, was the same picture as the first one with the date '82. Obvisously, 1882.
Then, I neat idea hit. I'm going to model two of the same stations, one that is a copy of the one in the pictures, and a modern, renovation of Stratton Brook, as it was preserved and is used as a commuter station today. I will design the base and scenery so I can change eras by just changing out the stations.

Hi All,


I have the two N scale locos from Kato below and am looking for a B unit for them to match from Kato in mint condtion if Kato made them would make up a set if there is one out there anyone has one or a LHS you know of has one in stock.

I know its a little late for spring but i just got my computer back and like to share these 2 pics

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I bought some central valley HOn3 trucks at a train show a few years ago. At one time, there wasn't much else available for HOn3. Now there are better trucks on the market, so I think I picked up about 5 pair for a buck or two. The problem was, about half the axles were tight in gauge, and I was unsuccessful at gauging them by simply twisting on one wheel. So, I took a few pieces of scrap steel, welded them together, tapped a hole for an 0-80 screw, and made this puller. The brass block is two pieces of brass strip soldered together with a small hole drilled in one of them. It supports the end of the axle while pulling the wheel out.

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OK, here’s the deal. We’re going to have a structure building challenge that we hope will suite everyone at every level of skill or modeling preferences. This one is all about structures. When we talk about structures, we’re not just talking buildings. Houses and factories are fine, but also think other things; water or oil tanks, bridges, boat docks or grain elevators are just a few examples of what you can build. In order to keep things fair, we are limiting participation to two categories only. If you choose the kitbuild challenge, you can enter the kitbash one as well, but not the scratchbuild. If you enter the scratchbuild, you can also enter the kitbash, but not the kitbuild. The reasoning here is to keep the different skill levels apart and to let everyone complete at the level they feel is challenging to them, or at their preferred method of construction.

Kitbuild challenge will be as follows:

• Just build a kit using only the parts in the box for the structure only. You may paint and weather the structure and make cosmetic changes, but you cannot add anything that does not come with the kit. You can add other details such as scenery around the structure. This will allow you to do from a "let it look like the picture on the box", to "I built it like the instructions says, but I've enhanced it with weathering, different paint and scenery". The choice is yours.

• Take any structure kit and make it into something different, or even take two or more kits and combine them for something else. You can use parts from other kits, but mainly, you must use your imagination. We cannot define this any more than that, the rest is up to you to figure out.

1. Get a photograph of a structure, any structure, then scratchbuild a model of that structure. The idea is to come as close to the real thing as you can. The picture of the original structure does not have to be taken by you, but you must also post a picture of it, or a link to it if you found it somewhere on the Net. The surrounding scenery and details, such as people, vehicles and trees need not be the same.
   
2. Or, you can just build something from your own imagination from scratch. Again, any structure will do and it can be any scale, just not full-scale…

1. Pick the one or two challenges you’d like to enter, but you cannot enter both the kitbuild and scratchbuild together. This challenge is open to all registered members here.
   
2. Let us know here which challenges you are going to enter. We will keep things open so you can enter at any time before the end of the challenge, but it would be nice to know ahead of time who is going to be competing and where. This is the thread where we will keep track of these things, so I'll post a summary of who has entered which categories.
   
3. Start a new thread (or threads) as follows:
   • (your Screename’s) kitbuild ’09 summer challenge
     
   • (your Screenname’s) kitbash ’09 summer challenge
     
   • Or (your Screenname’s) scratchbuild ’09 summer challenge
4. Document your progress in pictures. Remember, we like lots of pictures. If you’re not skilled with a camera, either give it a try or get someone else to take the pictures. Just as long as you are the one that’s doing the work, we don't care who takes the pictures.
   
5. The contest will begin the first day of Summer, June 21, and end the first day of Fall, September 22. That gives us all about three weeks from now to prepare and three months to actually work on and complete the projects.
   
6. You may start working on your projects anytime, but the challenges don't officially start until the first day of Summer. The idea is that everyone has at least three months to complete their challenges. Some may use this additional time to their advantage, other, like myself, may take this time to chill out a bit, or as some people say, "to procrastinate".

• If you build a structure using Walther's modular parts and it follows one of their pre-defined plans, it is a "kit build"
  
• If you build a structure using Walther's modular parts and you dream up a unique structure, it is "kit bashing"
  
• "cosmetic changes" on kit builds can include signage changes or additions. More extensive changes such as adding roof details or lights takes it out of the realm of the intent of this challenge for kit builds, but not quite into the definition of kit bashing. I suggest these things be added after completing this challenge
  
• Scratchbuilding means that the basic or major parts of the structure is made from scratch and not kit parts. Small details such as lights, boxes, A/C units and fences to name a few can be from pre-made parts

If you've read the Coming Soon - Hamilton-Paice Industries thread, you know what is being planned.

Inspired by Josh (Trucklover) and a sale on Walthers Modulars components, I am building a structure based on the 3-story building plans found here -> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.walthers.com/exec/page/modulars/3story">http://www.walthers.com/exec/page/modulars/3story</a><!-- m --> .

It will feature:

• indoor loading/unloading for rail and trucks
  
• outdoor loading unloading for rail and trucks (no specific unloading dock for rail though)
  
• freight elevator from outside ground level
  
• outside winch from dock level
  
• chimneys
  
• roof vents
  
• skylights on some of the flat roof
  
• a water tower
  
• no other outbuildings planned (not yet anyway)