I've been holding on to a set of plans for a CPR Interlocking Tower that I picked up from the Canadian Pacific Historical Association found here... http://www.cpsig.ca/cpdocs/wanted.asp You have to register for the site to get access to the files, however its not like its a huge deal. To be honest, I thought for sure that I'd be building this little project out of styrene or even strip wood, but never card stock.

So, I rolled out of bed early this morning and had a bug in my ear from the go thinking about this. The previous evening I glued together some large pieces of card stock from a jumbo sized cereal box. Each sheet is about 2mm thick. I sandwiched three together to get some sturdy pieces for the main walls. Then I just started chopping up some scale sized "lumber".

Here is where I was at earlier this morning...I decided to get ambitious cut some wood siding for the exterior.


A couple hours later and I was at this point.


Steady progress.


Back Wall with the door to the upper level of the control room...I'm sure the stairs for this are going to be a real challenge! :|


This is where I'm leaving it for tonight...actually I might just finish the last wall after the kids go to bed.


Let me know what you guys think so far and any words of wisdom you can give me.

i am looking to buy a few of ho scale walthers coil car kits. i prefer undecorated. but would take csx, conrail,norfolk southern or ej&e. i have not had much luck finding these items in kit form if anyone knows where i can find them or has any i am definately interested. thanks very much.



todd

Hi guys, for anyone interested, i have listed a few more buildings for sale on e-bay

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/bnsfmodeler123

After Russ pointed me in the direction of modeling something closer to home (actually very close to home, about an hour at most from me), i have decided to go with a spot local to me, which is La Mirada, California. The BNSF serves quite a few industries in this little area. There are 2 what looks to be small yards just off the mainline that runs through the area. This is a definite plus since this will not be a continuous run, and instead a group of modules.

Rather then start a new thread, ill just edit this one.... lol

It all comes down to this area, the yellow markers border the industrial district that the BNSF serves:



This will give my M&ET some serious competition, And i may just go all out on this one and scratch the M&ET plans (well not scratch completely, just hold off for a long while and maybe something later on in life lol). 2 Reasons for this, 1. is this area is SO CLOSE TO HOME for me. I can make several trips out there when i need to, and the M&ET located in Modesto, CA is about 6 hours away from me, so getting pictures will be pretty dang hard lol. 2. i can use all my locos for this project, i will not have to get locos in other paint schemes like the M&ET since the BNSF does its own switching in this area..... More money to spend on building supplies and track laying lol

Here are some pictures of the overall area i snapped off real quick. I know the tracks are pretty hard to see :oops: close-up pictures will be posted when im working on certain areas to better see the tracks....



Shows one of the small yards id like to model. Right/Center














Thanks Russ for pointing this area out to me, this will definitely make the prototype modeling process alot easier on me

Next to come will be the start of the area in the planning program

Inaugural Photo Contest Voting is now open in the Contet Forum:

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Hello all, with regards to my HO layout code 83, I am fed up with my Atlas Snap Switchs, and am going to tear them up and replace with either Peco, or Micro Engineering. I understand that Peco are great, but I haven't any feedback on Micro Engineering, does anyone have any experience with Micro? Any advise would be appreciated here. As Always, Thank You All in advance,

Duane H :?:

Vote for Prototype Engine Photo contest Thread located here:

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then go to our other poll, here:

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And vote for the Model Railroad Engine Contest!

Vote for Model Railroad contest thread located here:

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then go here:

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And vote for the Prototype Engine Contest Poll!

I posted these at the request of a buddy at the "other" place, and thought I would share with you all as well...
These are a few of the oldies that were first purchased by my ol' man waayyy back in 1950-51 +/-, and were the first "consist" we had until the early 60's when we started a layout. All of these are Athearn metal kits, with the exception of the hopper, which is a Varney plastic kit, and the caboose, which is wood. Most of these have undergone some minor restoration, as time & travel have taken their toll, but all are operational on my LC&P. As can be seen, all have been converted to KD couplers.

First up, a WP 40' silver box car.




Next, a Northern Pacific "classic" orange reefer...



A CYTX tanker follows...(Note it still has the original trucks with oversized flanges, as does the caboose...)



A Seaboard 50' boxcar (I have recently acquired another one of these with a different #..!!)



The Varney NYC hopper...




And bringing up the rear, Ol' Faithful. I had at one time considered lettering it for the LC&P, but thought it should be left as my Ol' Man left it....



There's also a flat car in the collection, as well as a 0-4-0 and 4-6-2, all from the same time period. Unfortunately, they've fallen victim to Zamac "disease"...and are slowly desintegrating....

Well, that about wraps it up...!!

Nice sharing a bit of history with you all.....

on picking a spot to model somewhere in the US.

As you might know, i model primarily the BNSF and UP with a splash of CSX lol

I am a industrial type modeler so scenery comes second for me lol. Can anyone suggest some possible modeling locations of real life areas that the BNSF, UP, or CSX serve? Im looking for lots of switching here. A couple large industries maybe, but the majority of them small to medium in size. And again, BNSF, UP, or CSX locations are a must.

if you can help me choose a spot to model, i would love to hear or see where

I will be modeling on small modules, 16-18" wide and 4-6' in length....

Thanks to anyone who can help