The Valley Local: 2026

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Wordless Wednesday #519 - Recent Acquisition at East Berlin

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Playing with AI to Create a Backdrop (first tries)

My back still isn't, um, "back" to 100% so I can't get to the layout. But I can play around with Google Gemini (an AI program) to try and create some more backdrop images to fill in behind the foreground buildings at the north end of Middletown . . .

I started by asking Gemini for "fronts of factory and mill buildings, viewed straight on" and got this image that included 4 images.

I then used the MS snipping tool to crop & save each of these images as a separate image. The one at the top left ("Riverfront Textiles") is fine to use as-is, but the others need to be rotated. So, I started with the image in the lower right ("Pinewood Paper"). Here are the screenshots of exactly what I did . . .

Not fantastic (when I rotated it, I lost a bit of the character of the varied roofline), but pretty darn good for less than 5 minutes' work.

I'll do the same thing with the other images and then see how they look. But HOLY COW! For someone like me that enjoys creating photo backdrops, Google Gemini is an amazing tool!

Just check out this before-and-after . . .

Here's the image I started with:

Point A

And here's what I ended up with:

Point B

Still a bit too "peak autumn" looking for my layout (which is set more in early Autumn), so I'll be doing some PhotoShop work to get it into final form, but from the B&W image to the image above took me no more than 7-10 minutes, if that.

Truly amazing!

I can't even imagine how long it would have taken me to get this result by regular PhotoShopping - even if I had all the skills needed. And this is certainly a long way from "just" colorizing a B&W photo (which I've been doing for over 5 years now - here's my original post on that, and the RMC article).

I actually screenshotted the nine separate instructions I used to get from Point A to Point B. So if anyone's interested in seeing those, let me know in the comments or contact me directly. It really is shockingly easy.

I'm not a huge fan of AI in most other contexts, but for making backdrops for your model railroad? I'm finding it pretty hard to beat. It's definitely a remarkable time to be in the hobby.

So give it a try - and if you do, I hope you'll let us know!

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Master Modeler Marty McGuirk - "Modeling Autumn Scenery"

Arriving just in time for the weekend - and at a perfect time for allowing my back to recover (and missing time on the layout) - is Marty McGuirk's much-anticipated master work on modeling my favorite season - Fall!

I may be a little biased, since I'm honored to be a (minor) contributor, but I think this book is destined to become a classic, right up there with Dave Frary's scenery bible. As you can see from the Table of Contents above, Marty covers everything you'll need to know to get that authentic looking autumn look on your layout.

But even if you model a different season, the book is just a joy to flip through. Self-publishing has come a LONG way in recent years and this book looks as professional - and in some cases even more so - than the best offerings from the more well-known publishing houses. Not only is the text clear and well written, striking that critical balance of conveying lots of information while being easy to read, but the photos printed beautifully as well. I especially appreciate the many tables and charts that echo the best of Frary's "recipe cards" - creating a handy reference source. I don't think I'll be the only one adding lots of Post-Its to flag these bits.

This book really deserves to be in every model railroader's library, if only for the wealth of inspiring photos from a wide variety of modelers and layouts. I'm looking forward to diving into "Modeling Autumn Scenery" and trying out all the cool techniques!

Huge Thanks to Marty for taking the time to distill his many years of experience and share all of his formidable skill with us in this book. Be sure to visit Marty's website at Artisan Rail Media to get your copy - and check out the other cool items he's posting for sale there while you're there!

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Throwback Thursday - Miller Street Grade Crossing

I posted the following as a Wordless Wednesday (WW494) exactly one year ago today . . .

(the story)

I'm ashamed to confess that - yes - I started on the Miller Street grade crossing scene over a year ago. Well, in my on-going effort to catch the Valley Local Blog up to the current state of affairs, here's the latest progress that's occurred over the past few weeks . . .

Foamcore street base added, along with foamcore structure bases, and scenery supports.

"KEY" houses & garage, scratchbuilt by Bill Schneider and mocked up in place.

Scenery base filled in (plaster cloth over cardboard lattice & foam).

"Lister Goop" added to cover add "ground"

Couldn't help but mock up the scene following the prototype photo.

With Bill's indispensable help with the structures, this scene is really coming together nicely! I'm not too happy with Miller Street itself though. I used my "easy tar & dirt road" technique, but it looks far too dark compared to the photo. I'm going to try and lighten it - but still noodling exactly how . . .

I don't mind taking my time (even if it is over a year!) to get it right. Such an iconic scene certainly deserves the attention to detail . . .

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Wordless Wednesday #518 - Southbound Entering Wethersfield

Friday, April 10, 2026

Friday Fun - Recent Content

Making it a fourth day of blog posts in a row . . . Here are a few random fun things for this edition of "Friday Fun"...

Some of you have asked for a trackplan of the layout to help orient you - especially after seeing some of the videos. This (and a lot of other great content, IMO) is also available on the Valley Local Website (ICYMI :^) The plan is included in MRP'26 (see below).

I don't mind mentioning (perhaps again) that the Valley Local got pride of place on the cover of Tony Koester's latest book! That's the 'local northbound at Rocky Hill, photo by Dan Munson. I just got my copy earlier this week, which prompted the pic :^)

Just as cool though is the fact that the layout also got a few pages' coverage right at the start of Chapter Three. SO neat to see it in print!

I also recently got my first-ever feature article on the layout published in this year's edition of Model Railroad Railroad Planning. In it, I provide a comprehensive overview of the project from conception to current status.

Lastly, the 'local - or, more specifically, my latest weathering job on a Rapido 44-tonner, was featured in a recent edition of Rapido News.

I can't tell you how cool - and how humbling - it is for The Valley Local to get all this exposure. The layout certainly has a LONG way to go before it's even at a "level of completeness" - but seeing it in print has really lit a fire in me to keep making progress! So glad you're willing to join me on this journey :^)

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Throwback Thursday - The Valley Local YouTube Channel(?!)

After posting yesterday's video from the Iron City N Scale group, I thought it'd be cool to let y'all know where there's some more Valley Local content . . .

Yes, believe it or not, The Valley Local has a YouTube channel! Heh - I'd forgotten too(!), but here it is at https://www.youtube.com/@TheValleyLocal. Technically, it's my personal YT, but as you'll see it's almost exclusively Valley Local (or at least Valley Local/model RR related) content. Don't mind the Mike Confalone/Allagash/Androscoggin layout visits . . .

And it's a legit topic of a "Throwback Thursday" post since the most recent video is from 5(?!) months ago.

Ugh.

But check it out and see if there's anything you find that fits your fancy. In the meantime, and by way of a little teaser, here's one of my favorites . . . Enjoy! (and - as they say - "be sure to 'Like' and 'Subscribe!")

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

(Not So Wordless) Wednesday - Layout Update Video

Here's a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that took the time to leave a comment on my last post. I honestly wasn't fishing for comments/compliments per se, but sincerely wanted to get a sense of how many folks might not be on Facebook and look to this blog as their only source of updates on The Valley Local.

Suffice it to say, you all really encouraged me - so thank you!

Although I'm going into (literally) the busiest 4 months of my work year (legislative session adjourns as of midnight May 6), I'm going to try and get this blog updated to bring y'all up to the current state of affairs. Of course, I won't do it all at once - neither you nor I have the time for that! - but over the coming days/weeks I'll post the highlights of the progress that's occurred over the past months. Suffice it to say, I'm frankly a little embarrassed at how little I posted in 2025. . . Yikes!

But for those of you that wanna jump right to the bottom line and see the layout as it is now (well, as of Feb. 12), thanks to the Iron City Roundhouse Report Podcast you can(!) since they recently hosted The Valley Local as an Iron City Showcase.

So if you can stand hearing me narrate a tour of the layout while barely taking a breath (and just mute me if you'd rather just see the pretty scenes), here's a video that's about as close to you coming to visit as I can muster.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Tuesday Tip - Decanting Paint

I'm sorry. This blog has been neglected for FAR too long and I hope to start remedying that with this post. I'll admit, the ease and instant feedback of Facebook has succeeded in grabbing all my attention for The Valley Local, and that's been to the detriment of those of you that don't follow the 'local on FB (click here if you're curious). But how many of you are still here? God bless you if you are, and I'd really like to know. . .

So - if you don't follow on FB, but would like to continue seeing content here, please take a moment and drop an encouraging line in the comments. It'd be really good to know there are folks still tuning in here.

That all said, I do plan to post more content here - if only because I own it and it's not subject to the vagaries of FB. So, here we go!

I'll start off with something easy, and save a more in-depth layout update for after I know there's anybody here :^)

Decanting Paint

Heh - not really starting off with a huge bang, but I recently discovered that this is very helpful. My ground goop is a mixture of equal parts of floor sanding dust, white glue, and "dirt" brown paint. It's easy enough to scoop dust and pour glue from the bottle, but scooping or pouring the paint out of a gallon can is always messy.

So I finally decided to save an old juice carton to store it. As you can (hopefully) see in the photo above, I've attached a "lip" to the edge of the can and used a homemade funnel (cut the top off of a water bottle) to pour it into to the carton. Before doing so - and just for good measure - I used a mixer in my drill to make sure the paint was well mixed before pouring.

Now, all I have to do is pour the paint from the carton - easy peasy! Just be sure to save the can - or at least the label that shows your custom mix. Once you find a color you like, you'll want to be sure you can get it again!

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Wordless Wednesday #517 - Name That Location (and date?)

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

John Wallace 1930-2026

John with NHRR coal scoop in hand, just like when he was a teen-ager firing the Valley Local

I've been dreading posting this ever since I heard the news. My friend John Wallace passed away on February 4th at the ripe old age of 95, but still much too soon for me. Regular readers of The Valley Local know John Wallace as the person almost single-handedly responsible for this entire Valley Line project.

John grew up with his grandparents just a few houses away from the New Haven Railroad's Valley Branch in Wethersfield, CT and as a young man he would often ride in the engine with the crew. Later, as a teenager, he'd often fire the local - and he even brought along his camera.

He shared his memories of railroading along the Valley Line, as well as his many photos, in a two-part series in the NHRHTA's Shoreliner magazine - and it's there where I first "met" him. His descriptions of local operations in the lower Connecticut River valley were vivid and so well illustrated that they became a compelling subject for a model railroad - which I started to build, based on his articles.

I'm not even sure how I first got to meet him in person. It was likely through a mutual friend - Max Miller - who had been attending our Thursday night volunteer group cataloging photos for the NHRHTA. But that meeting started a collaboration that lasted until his recent passing.

Over the next couple of years, our correspondence filled many pages - then many file folders - as I collected more and more research on the line we both loved. Sometimes one of my questions would spark a memory that he hadn't thought of in over seven decades, and sometimes his memory prompted some frustrating changes to the layout I was building. But I was always impressed with how sharp he was and how detailed his recollections were.

Case in point - and some of you know this story since it's a favorite of mine that I've repeated often...

Based on John's articles and our emailing back and forth, I was well along in building an HO scale version of the Valley Line, starting in John's home town of Wethersfield. I was so excited to show him my progress, so one volunteer night I had him come down to the basement to check on my progress. He had a lot of nice things to say about how Wethersfield was progressing, but one thing puzzled him. "What era are you modeling again?" he asked. "Circa 1948, around the time you graduated high school. That's when you took the most photos, after all" I replied.

"Well then, why do you have that long passing siding by the station?"

"Because that's what the Sanborn track map shows, and I figured I'd just replicate the map."

"Ah, but that passing siding was taken out in the late 1930s after passenger service ended."

Suffice it to say, the passing siding was removed in time for his next visit :^)

Although not a modeler himself, he "got" what I was doing and admired my attention to detail - and my wanting to get things "right." He often mentioned visiting my layout was like having a time machine back to his high school days. I can't imagine receiving a higher compliment.

John operating during one of my first operating sessions

And I have to say, one of my proudest moments during this entire project was when I was able to hand John a throttle and he was able to operate the Valley Local, move for move, just as he had described the typical "Day in the Life" in his article - albeit in HO scale and <ahem> just a while after his teenage years.

Another huge highlight of our collaboration was when I was able to have him "visit" the house he grew up in, located (close to) where it was actually located in real life. Which actually leads to another cool story . . .

As I mentioned, John grew up in Wethersfield and graduated from Wethersfield High School in 1948. Although he didn't know him, Dave Messer was just a few years behind him in age. Dave moved to Pennsylvania and later became a pretty prolific model railroader and author. I met him through mutual model railroad friends when he discovered that I was modeling his home town...

Long story short, I had a photo of John's childhood home that he'd taken in the summer of '48 and sent it to Dave to see if he could build a model of it, which he did (and you can see the result in the photo above). But the COOL thing was that John and Dave met in the HO scale version of Wethersfield and discovered - decades after being so close but never having their paths cross - that they had lots of friends in common. John often mentioned how much fun it was reminiscing with Dave until he passed in 2020.

I have hundreds more memories I could share - from our shared love of cycling, to the fact that he was into flight simulators well into his 90s (he had been a pilot at one time), to his ending up in the hospital for trying to bunny hop a curb with his bike - when he was in his 80s(!). Our friendship ended up going well beyond the Valley Line project, but it was our shared love of the line that got us started - and I ended up with the great privilege of knowing and being friends with a truly remarkable man.

Rest well, my friend, knowing you will be sorely missed by all who had the honor of knowing you.

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I touched on only a few of the amazing things John did - the ones I knew most about. But his obit includes a lot more and gives you an even fuller picture of his amazing life.