On the Valley Line Today - Saybrook Special July 7, 2018

While I'm in the middle of house projects, I was able to scoot down to the grade crossing to catch the northbound Saybrook Special, operated the first weekend of the month each summer. It's a nice break from the typical weekend "life chores" and such - and also provides a nice charge of motivation to get back down to the basement later today (though, admittedly, it may be tough to be in the basement on such a beautiful day!)

Enjoy this little slide of steam railroading - shot just this morning...

(and with apologies for its getting cut off - I really gotta clean off my phone to free up more space!)

Wordless Wednesday #222 - Happy July 4th! (1947 style)

First Article Published!

Happy July Everyone! And even happier for me since this month's issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine includes an article I wrote about building the Goff Brook farmhouse - my first ever published article(!). I think you can go to it directly by clicking here, otherwise you'll find it on page 140.

I hope you find it helpful and/or entertaining. And if you do, leave a comment below - or at the MRH site. And if you do go to the site, I hope you can leave a good rating on the article. I'm certainly not immune to positive encouragement!

In other news, it's been a busy week on the Valley Line as I prepared for - then hosted - an ops session, just getting it in under the wire in June. I plan to have a post up how that went within the next day or so - so stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday #221 - Transportation Evolution

Then

Now

Ops Session Setup

I held pretty-regular monthly operating sessions most of last year and right up through January of this year. And I just realized that with everything going on these past 5 months, I never did a post/debrief on the January ops session which is too bad since it included two women plus my next door neighbor (and former Saybrook tower operator - you'll want to click here for that story if you don't know it already). I even got to join in on the fun, operating the west end of the Shoreline. I'd planned on a post, but other things diverted my attention. Life and Work happened and - bing bang boom - here it is toward the end of June.

But work has settled down, my dad is doing really well, and the Missus' dad is holding steady. So, with the half-year mark highballing up the track, I thought it high time I host another ops session.

It's been a long time since the layout's operated - although some trains did run during the NERPM open house - so this next session will be a "shakedown" session. Nothing formal (e.g. no crew email), it'll be limited to core/regular operators only (those that know the layout best), and we'll likely stop the clock frequently to identify and fix problems as they pop up (or maybe not have the clock on at all). This session will be all about just putting the layout through its paces and creating a punch list of items to be sure and fix before "formal" sessions start next month.

But the first step, as with any operating session, begins with a "pre-ops ops session." So that's what I started tonight:

• Located all the cars at all the industries
• Ran the car movement spreadsheet
• Created switchlists for each town
• Started wheel reports for each train
• Filled-in supplies & noted what more is needed

There's still a lot to do:

• Pick the right cars needed for each of the four locals and complete the wheel reports
• Stage the locals, as well as all of the Shoreline trains
• Complete the remainder of the paperwork/packets
• Check throttles (they were buggy during the open house)
• Decide which locos to run, and assign them to the locals

If there's any interest, I don't mind actually posting the "Ops Session Checklist" document I created to keep track of it all. I've found that list super helpful in not only remembering what all needs to be done, but since I don't have to waste time wondering, I can motor down the list fairly quickly.

Heh - but it still takes about 3 hours or so to set up. About as long as the session itself. Sometimes longer. But it's all worthwhile not only to see the layout come alive, but to have another excuse to get together and spend some time with some great folks who share a similar passion and appreciate the fun escape as much as I do.

So here's to the first ops session of the 2018-2019 season - and here's hoping the resulting punch list isn't too long!

Wordless Wednesday #220

(name that location - click to enlarge)

Tuesday Tip: Model Displays

One of the best parts of a ProtoMeet is the model display room. There is where you'll find modeling in all sorts of stages - from fully completed, super-detailed, and weathered (sometimes even full dioramas), to true works in progress, just a step above loose parts in a box. And it's that variety of modeling effort that's truly educational for all of us. If we only see the completed/superdetailed stuff, as wonderful as that is, we may find ourselves getting discouraged. That is, until we see a model that's just getting started.

Including both ends of the spectrum - and everything in between - without fear of being judged (literally or figuratively) is critical. Sure, the completed show-stoppers are what most inspire us, but the works-in-progress give us a peek behind the curtain and under the hood to learn a bit how such great modeling is done.

Ideally, the modeler him or herself is there in person to answer any questions you might have about their models and modeling techniques. But all too often they're away enjoying all the other opportunities ProtoMeets have to offer (attending clinics, meeting with vendors, and - of course - shopping for more cool stuff). Unfortunately, all that's typically left with the models is a piece of paper giving you the modeler's name and asking you not to touch.

If you've gone to all the trouble of getting your models to whatever level they're at and getting them to the show, this post is a very light-touch request that you try and provide a little info about the models, especially if you're not going to be at the table very much. It may answer a lot of the questions folks would otherwise have, and it'll definitely help them appreciate what it took to create your scale representation of the prototype.

Here's a close-up of something I included with my display at this year's NERPM:

Since I had two engines I wanted to share, I included photos showing the prototypes for my models (especially helpful and fun at a ProtoMeet), and little bit of info about the prototype itself. I then described what model I used as a basis for my project, along with a brief description of some of the challenges I faced. I rounded it out with a list of parts I added to give folks an idea of the scope of the projects. The photos and the parts list encourage comparison between the prototype and the model - exactly the sort of thing I want my fellow modelers to see and appreciate.

This certainly isn't a full-blown how-to article - just some notes to help folks see better what you've done. And maybe they'll get a few tips from viewing your efforts. That's a big part of what I go to ProtoMeets for, so I want to be sure and reciprocate.

Now, my notes are admittedly a little busy and may contain a little too much information. If that's not your cup of tea, then might I suggest a more subtle, elegant approach:

This is Jim Dufour's display of some of his structures. Not a lot of text, but what's there has a lot of impact: a short description of the prototype, a scale drawing, and a nice family look among the sheets of paper - including logos from his chosen railroad. In this case, the quality of the modeling speaks for itself.

Don't be surprised if at the next ProtoMeet you see that I've outright stolen this idea for myself :^)

I hope you'll give some thought to how you share your modeling efforts. Providing at least a little info will help your models tell your story when you're not able to be there in person.