Springfield Show 2016 (vol. 1)

It's gotten pretty busy at work lately as we ramp up to the 2016 legislative fun & games session, so I haven't had much time to post lately. I have, however, been making some incremental progress on the layout (mostly having to do with the west end staging yard), and some great progress on my New Haven Railroad shanty stove restoration (mostly having to do with taking it out to a shop on Cape Cod - then having to (re?)do some of the work myself. Not to mention, um, a house full of smoke - but that's for a future post).

But no matter how busy I get, I always, Always, ALWAYS try and make time for Springfield (aka The Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show). This event is the largest of its kind in North America and is only about 90 minutes from where I live. Folks come from around the world to attend, and there's typically 25 thousand of us on a typical weekend - even despite New England winter weather. Last year's numbers were a little low due to a snow storm on Saturday - and I couldn't make it since I had the flu. But this year's great weather and 2 years' pent up anticipation guaranteed a great turnout.

Especially since people will literally drag themselves out of their deathbeds to get to this show.

Nothing - not the flu, not TB, not Ebola - will keep folks away from Springfield. I actually saw a guy in a body cast trying to navigate the crowded aisles, his knee resting on a little scooter that he shuffled along on...

I'm not kidding! Part of me wanted badly to get a picture as evidence of his dedication to the hobby, but I didn't want to appear rude. At least he wasn't contagious. The stories are legendary of the "Springfield Flu" that afflicts most attendees within a few days of the show, given all the sickees there.

But I wimped out last year, so I was pretty excited to be able to make it this year. I only had one day to get through all 4 buildings (multiple acres' worth), so it was especially nice I had a perfect health-conscious excuse to avoid shaking hands with people so I could just motor through.

It also helped that at this stage in my hobby, I'm not really looking for much - and what I am looking for is very specific. For example, while gathering research on my line's operations, I discovered - much to my shock and surprise - that I don't have a New Haven Railroad Book of Rules. I had the 1956 version at one point, but sold it on eBay during one of my ruthless era-specific cleansings. For my chosen era of 1947, the NHRR's 1943 edition is the one to get. But I've looked for one for a while and haven't been able to find one. I also needed to stop by Bob's Photo and pick up a book on Vermont railroads he'd set aside for me (my library covers anything New England railroad related). Finally, I always keep my eyes open for good deals on class K moguls and class J mikados, not to mention DL-109s. I've got what I need but I'd like to have a few more - especially if the price is right.

Rather than give you a play-by-play of the day, here's a quick sampling of a couple of the more interesting things I saw as I motored walked on by . . ..

Given the limited time, I tend to skip all the great layouts on display, and concentrate on the vendors. But I couldn't help taking a quick snap of this diorama. I plan to "embiggen" this pic so I can enjoy exploring all the details. This was at the Fine Scale Model Railroad Expo booth - another local show I hope to do someday - this year if I can swing the work schedule.

Prototype modeling at its best - an almost scale model of the famous Crawford Notch line of the Maine Central. Beautifully done.

There are also a number of cool educational displays - folks using fine scale modeling to tell the stories of some important history. In this case, we have a display of how the famous Hoosac Tunnel was drilled.

Even though I was generally skipping the layouts, I couldn't resist getting a few photos of this one of the O&W. While the backdrop isn't at all like the area of my Valley Line, the foreground setup is very much like what I plan to do for Essex up through East Haddam.

And speaking of the Valley Line, check out this cool collection of brass luggage tags - certainly nothing like the tags the airlines use today! Many of these are for stations along the Valley Line - very old and extremely rare.

I finally made it to the Rapido booth to see Bill on duty - and to check out the test model of their new RDC. In what will likely be another example of era creep, I may just have to get me one (just one!) of these. It's a whole train in one car length - perfect for a line that has no passing sidings!

Now, without any further ado, I'll answer the perennial question on the minds of folks who weren't able to attend Springfield as well as the lucky ones who did: "Whadja get??"

So here's my booty . . .

First thing in the day, the fine fellows at True Line Trains hooked me up with not one, not Two, but THREE 1937 AAR boxcars, painted for Canadian roads in schemes and/or numbers I don't already have. They'll be a great addition to the fleet!!

I also found (another) copy of the 1956 edition of the New Haven RR Book of Rules for just $3 from the guy who had the cool baggage tag collection. It was early in the day and I figured it best to get at least some sort of rulebook for my collection - and at only 3 bucks, I couldn't go wrong.

After roaming around for most of the day, and enjoying seeing and chatting with old friends (and meeting some new ones, which I'll get to in a future post), I finally saw what I'd been most hunting for: a 1943 edition of the NHRR rule book!! On the same table was a 1906 edition of Car Service Rules - certainly way before my era, but I expect it'll make for some pretty interesting reading. And all that route information should come in at least a little handy in learning how traffic moved on my favorite railroad (even if over 40 years before my era). I asked the gal how much for both, she said she'd have to check - she thought they were $10 each, but I could have them both for $10. I would have paid $10 for just the rule book, so I feel like I got the other book for free!

During the course of the day, I found a J-1 mikado and 3(!) K-1s, all at the same dealer. The prices were more than I wanted to pay, so I ended up passing on them.... for now. I expect they'll be available next time - it's just good to know there are still some of these around to be had.

Finally, as the show was winding down, my buddies and I headed across the street to Bob's Photo - they to check out the photos, me to pick up a book that had been set aside for me at the Marlborough show (aka the New England Model Train Expo). I'd seen that he had (what I thought were) "both" volumes of "Railroads of Vermont" and I knew I had one of them, but I didn't remember which one. So I'd texted the Missus asking her to check my shelf and send a pic back, but by the time she did, Pete and I were already on our way home. But at least I now knew I already owned Volume 2, so I had Bob set aside the other volume for me to pick up in Springfield. Well, I'd assumed it was Volume 1 (all the better to address my OCD), but it ended up he only had the "Pictorial" which was, essentially, Volume 3 (though not marked as such - but it's the 3rd book in the series). So, suffice it to say, my OCD on this is now even worse than it was before. But he was giving away a free book with purchase, so I got a copy of "Boston & Maine Diesel Switchers and Road Switchers, Vol. 1" which I supposed was to assuage me, but now I wonder if I should get Volume 2 of that series . . .#firstworldproblems

But all in all it was a very good day - and it wasn't over yet! I still had dinner at the Steaming Tender to look forward to, but that'll have to wait until next time...

Friday Fun: Valley Line Website & the New England/Northeast RPM

Just a quick post today to highlight a couple of fun things . . .

First of all, for those of you who don't know (and if you access this blog directly, you may not know), there's a Valley Local website, in addition to this blog. While I've been pretty good about keeping the blog up-to-date, I haven't been nearly as good with the website. It's just easier to update content on the blog - but I hope in the coming weeks/months that'll change.

And I've already started :^) If you go to http://www.thevalleylocal.net you'll see that I've updated my trackplan & construction details to reflect the expansion I've been working on - and to finally show the layout in its final form. It's certainly not pretty, but it's better than nothing for now...

Speaking of expansion, one of my first tasks will be to update the "Layout Tour" section to include all the changes/additions that have been made since Nov. 10, 2013(?! the last time it was updated).

My plan for the site's future is to really bump up the main reason I have a website in addition to a blog - that is, to have a repository of information on the Valley Line in all its aspects, all organized in one place for easy reference. The "Choosing an Era" section is a good example of what I mean. There'll be additional sections devoted to "Operations," "Motive Power," "Structures," etc. including how I've gone about modeling each of those aspects.

So be sure to check out the website - in fact, you should bookmark it and go there first from now on so you see the updates as they pop up, and you can access the blog directly from there as well (all the recent posts are at the center of the home page).

Why all this sudden interest in the 'site? Well, for starters, I've made a boatload of progress in the last 18 months both in construction and research. And while I've done a good job of posting about all that on the blog, access to all that content isn't very user friendly (you're limited to clicking on the Topics list on the right side of the page). So I want to get all that great information distilled, cleaned up, and easily accessible in one place.

Also, I'm working on a presentation for the New England/Northeast Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet (NERPM) which will be held in just a few weeks. As you may have guessed, the subject is (loosely) "Modeling the New Haven Railroad's Valley Line" and as I've been getting my info together it occurred to me that a lot of this information needs to get on the website at some point soon.

Speaking of the NERPM, it's moved from Collinsville to Enfield, CT and will be held Friday & Saturday, June 3-4. My presentation is currently scheduled for Friday afternoon at 2:30 and I hope also to have the layout open for tours on Sunday, June 5.

If you've been to to the Springfield show, but have never attended a protomeet, you really owe it to yourself to give it a try. If Springfield is the Club Med vacation, the NERPM is a cozy weekend at a B&B - shorter in duration, a lot less stress, and all about quality over quantity. Which isn't to say there won't be a lot to see and do. There are over 50 clinics/presentations over the two days, which go from 9 in the morning to about 10 each night(!), as well as a model display room and a wide variety of vendors. But at least as important, the more-laid-back atmosphere gives you more time and opportunity to visit with other like-minded modelers.

So check out the links and make plans now to join us - hope to see you there!

Friday Fun - Jerry Britton's Springfield Show Recap

Jerry Britton (who attended the ops session last Thursday) attended the Big Show for the first time this year (can't believe he's been able to avoid it this long(!)) and made up a little video of his experience. Not only does he share his experience of the show itself, but he also included quite a bit of footage of the Valley Line ops session. Thanks Jerry - VERY cool!

Listeners of the A Modeler's Life podcast will recognize many of the folks here, but whether you're part of the AML nation or not, if you want a little taste of what the Springfield show is like, you'll definitely want to check it out!

Enjoy!

Show Serendipity

I'm fortunate that I live only a little more than an hour away from one of the biggest - if not THE biggest - train shows in North America: the Big E Train Show (aka "Springfield" aka Amherst RR Show, etc.)  About 25 thousand folks show up over the course of the weekend and anybody who's anybody in the hobby is usually there.

With four huge buildings filled to capacity with railroad stuff, it can be pretty overwhelming and I'm usually totally fried by late afternoon Saturday.  I haven't gone back for the Sunday in many years - just can't take the overload. %^)  I go with all sorts of things in my head - and sometimes on a list - to get, but then when it comes time to get them, I usually figure - "well, I don't really need that yet..."  Consequently, I don't usually buy all that much model railroad stuff at Springfield, though the deals are always pretty great.  I do, however, usually come back with at least a couple of books.

And this year, I came back with a priceless (to me) photo - though I didn't buy it.

It was toward the end of the day when I happened past a table manned by a guy I recognized from past NHRHTA Reunions.  WilliamM grew up in Wethersfield and had shared some photos with me in the past and, as we were chatting, he mentioned he'd just purchased a few photos I might be interested in.  Most of them were old, 1970s vintage snapshots of things I had better photos of - the Wethersfield station, etc.  But one photo hit me like a bolt of lightning ...

It may not look like much to you, but this is the office/scalehouse for the Valley Coal Company in the south end of Wethersfield.  I'm modeling Valley Coal on my layout and this is the only photo I've ever seen of this building.  I only have one other photo of Valley Coal, and it only shows a corner of the roof.  So this was quite a find indeed!  Can't wait to show it to John & Max (unless they just saw it now...)

William graciously allowed me to borrow the photo to scan, and I returned it to him immediately with my thanks and a question....  Could he check his photos for any pics of the Ballantine Beer Distributor? :^)  I figure even a photo from the late 1990s (from before it was torn down) will be more than we have now.  Hey - you never know....

In other news, I finally found a copy of the March 1961 issue of Trains magazine.  I admittedly haven't been searching super hard for it - just casually.  But I happened across it and got it for a buck.  Why was it important?  Well, there's a feature article in there about the White Train (aka the Ghost Train) that used to fly up the Air Line through Middletown back in the (18)90s.  Very cool.

I also picked up copy #53 of Philip R. Hastings' photo book on the B&M that I'd been keeping my eye out for for years (it's long out-of-print).  There are SO many evocative and model-genic photos in there that it almost (almost) makes me want to change my prototype.  But The Valley Line has some of the same features as those photogenic B&M branches, so I think I'll be able to scratch that itch just fine with what I have.

Finally, other than a few other various/sundry minor items, I picked up the final three issues of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS) Bulletins I'd been wanting to get for my collection - issues from way back in the 1940s - one featuring the Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington, one on the many railroads in the City of New Haven, and one on the Hardwick & Woodbury.  They're pretty rare and I was lucky to run across Alden Dreyer who had them - though not at the show (heh, they're so rare they didn't even get to the show...)

Just another little bit of serendipity.

The long, exhausting, wonderful day was capped off by our now-annual dinner in the Parlor Car of the Steaming Tender Restaurant, accompanied by the sights and sounds of long freight trains on the old B&A line and the New England Central switching cars on the other side.

All in all, a wonderful day.

Friday Fun - Stove Story

I've posted pictures of this before, but just realized I haven't told the story about my pot belly stove.

It started a couple years ago when I started looking for a caboose stove to put in our den/railroad room. I was in no real hurry, so my search was pretty casual - and I didn't find anything.

Fortunately and serendipitiously (sic?), I happened to mention at dinner during the Springfield show last year what I was looking for, and somebody said - "I have a railroad stove - it's not a caboose stove, but you're welcome to it if you want it." Turned out that the stove came out of the New Haven Railroad's South Main Street crossing shanty in Millbury, MA and had been used for many years to heat the parlor car that's now at the Steaming Tender restaurant. Coincidentally, that's where we also happened to be eating dinner at the time.

Stove pictured "in-service" after retirement from the railroad.

Also coincidentally, the stove had been used to warm volunteers who worked on the Shoreliner magazine years ago. So moving it over to the NHRHTA Photo Library room to warm the present-day volunteers on Thursday nights seemed especially appropriate. While I'd started out looking for a caboose stove, those tend to be pretty boxy and utilitarian. I think this little pot belly looks a lot nicer in the railroad room, which has a lot more in common with a shanty or station than a caboose anyway.

Once I got the stove home, I did some further research on it. Turns out it was produced by the Stamford Foundry in Samford, CT (an on-line industry for the New Haven). The "Ledger Model B" was their pot belly model stove and the No. 9 was their smallest version. It heats up our large den/photo library room, so it must've been more than adequate for a little crossing shanty, even if it was uninsulated.

The Stamford Foundry. Click here for more details.

Fortunately, I already had a hearth and a tie-in to a separate flue, so all I really needed to do was give it a once-over and connect it. As part of my combo Christmas/birthday present, the Missus paid to have a stove restoration shop go over it, convert it from coal to wood, weld a couple cracks, sandblast it, reseal it, and give it a new coat of stove black. It came back looking like new, but after firing it up I noticed that a couple of the seals weren't completely "sealed" - I could still see some of the flame through the joints.

No worries - I expected there'd be a "settling-in" period. So friend BillC (who was visiting during this year's Springfield show) and I got some stove cement and took apart part of the stove.

The stove was built in sections, each cast separately and connected together with screws, bolts, and threaded rod. It was a little bit of a pain to get it apart and then have to scrape, chisel, and wirebrush the sealing surfaces. But once that was done, all I needed to do was add a "generous" bead of the cement. Once it was all put back together and "cured" it was time to fire'er up again.

Have you ever added too much batter to a waffle maker?

Well, I guess I should have known the cement would expand when heated. Fortunately, it's black - and I was able to scrape most of it away as it came out (no, I didn't use my finger) so it isn't noticeable. At least you don't see any flames anymore!

And after another minor snafu when I realized that even "high temperature" paint will chip off if not fully cured, things are finally settling in nicely. We've fired the stove up a bunch of times and it certainly makes for a wonderful, railroady atmosphere.

All I need now is a cracker barrel and a checkerboard!

The NHRHTA and a New Train Show

Lots going on lately on the Valley Line between manufacturer visits, new articles coming out, and even a little layout work in between. But here are a couple more things happening 'round here . . .

The NHRHTA has a new President

I've been a member of the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association (NHRHTA, Inc.) since the late 1980s and have been it's Photo Librarian for the past 20 years or so. During that time - in fact, for the last 43 years - the Association has been ably led by either Bill Dulmaine, Wayne Drummond, or Bill Dulmaine (for a second stint :^) So when Bill decided it was time to retire and asked whether I'd consider filling his position, I was reticent at first since he leaves such huge shoes to fill! But I decided to accept because I'm excited about the future of the NHRHTA and look forward to helping keep the memory of the New Haven Railroad alive for future generations.

With that goal in mind, one of my first efforts as the NHRHTA's new President is to promote our Association at as many train shows as we can.

There's a New Train Show in CT

And the first opportunity will be at a BRAND NEW train show that's coming up next Sunday, October 29, sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society (of Springfield show fame) and directed by my friend Dave Owens (of NERPM fame). Anyone familiar with Dave or Springfield can expect this new show to be pretty great right out of the gate. There are a number of vendors already booked (including Ron's Books, Tom's Trains, Steve Magnani/Hobby Gallery, a tool vendor, and several Lionel and American Flyer dealers), and your truly will be there as well, flying the NHRHTA flag with my friends Randy, Pieter, Dick, and Charlie.

So I hope you'll make plans to come out and support Dave and the show. Admission is only $8 and benefits the Rockville High School Music Department. And if you're able to make it, be sure to stop by the NHRHTA table to say "Hi!" - and consider becoming a member! :^)

Wordless Wednesday #156 - Springfield Show

If a picture is worth a thousand words. . . . well, you get the idea. So for this week's (not so) "Wordless Wednesday, here's "thousands of words" for this year's BigE Train Show (aka "Springfield):

Quick Update

It's getting into my busy time at work, so I've used what little free time I have working on the layout rather than blogging - and there's been precious little free time, unfortunately. I haven't even been able to host the (now-no-longer weekly) Photo Library Night for a while now. But that's ok - my work schedule is predictable (it's extra busy around the same time every year) and I have some good friends helping out when they can.

Speaking of friends - and by way of a very quick mention of the Springfield show - thank you to all of you that took a moment to mention that you read this here blog. I'm not gonna lie - my head did grow just the tiniest little bit, but only because I'm proud to be able to showcase some great work by great friends. And that you appreciate the effort is, in turn, MUCH appreciated. So Thank You!

And I was even able to add to the stable - yes, I got another New Haven K-1d, so now the Valley Line is totally covered motive-power-wise. I need only to get another J-1 class mikado to round out the Steam Era roster for my four locals. Some New England State Ltd magazines and scenery materials rounded out my purchases for a very successful day. The dinner with friends in the Parlor Car at the Steaming Tender Saturday night after the show was a perfect ending to a wonderful weekend with friends.

After Springfield, BillC and I spent that Sunday afternoon finishing up the leftover work from the Friday night ops session, and then took a deep dive into the Shoreline trains schedule. He took a long look at my staging script and I could almost hear his brain's gears meshing...

Here's what I started with:

which I thought was pretty good. But here's what he came up with after a few days:

All the trains are color coded by size and type, and each staging track is accounted for by occupancy and time. Suffice it to say there's a LOT of information packed into this 17"x33" chart, and I'll go into it in more detail in a future post (beware PeteL - this is your schedule too...). The good news - tentatively at least - is that it looks like I'll be able to run all 33 prototype trains during my ops session, just as the New Haven did according to the 1947 timetable. Pretty cool. Just have to do a "dress rehearsal session" to confirm...and maybe get more rolling stock...

Speaking of "Bill"s, BillS came over for a bit to help me destroy start reworking Wethersfield for what has to be the upteenth time. Long time readers will recall:

• Finishing the trackwork in Wethersfield, then removing a long passing siding and reworking it all since JohnW mentioned that the siding was removed long before my era;
• Lowering the backdrop since I needed to flatten the topography in the area to be more prototypical; and
• Extending the bulk track since it was far too short for prototypical operations.

Well, suffice it to say, we're starting on the area around Goff Brook at the south end of Wethersfield and working our way north. And, as it turns out, the topography in the area has to be reworked yet again:

Yup - all that cardboard lattice and plaster cloth came out - as well as the Valley Coal siding. That would be why Bill brought in the extra large garbage can. All that stuff had to go somewhere...

To console myself a bit after this "2 steps forward, 1 step back" approach to layout building, I decided to install a few more throttle plug in panels. I'll go into that saga process also in a future post. But suffice it to say for now that if you want to add power to your cab bus, do not assume that "all you have to do is" plug a power supply into the power jack at the back of the panel. Nope. It's much more complicated and involves cutting PCB traces and soldering in little resistors. Like I said - that drama will be for another post.

After all this, I figured I could handle a couple simple things on my punch list from the last session. I have a "Three Strikes" rule for freight cars - if a car gets written up 3 times, it goes to the bench for a full working over. C&O double-door boxcar #9994 had coupler complaints one too many times, so I got rid of the Accurail "scale" coupler boxes and split-head couplers and replaced them with KD #58 scale couplers in KD boxes. I also added KD washers to raise the carbody:

I also did some "car raising" (bolster washer installing ) on CP 221026 and New Haven NE-5 caboose #555 and put all three cars back into service.

Now that those are off my bench, I hope I can get back to my DERS-1b and finally finish the detailing. With all the trains I need to be running soon, I'm going to need all the motive power I can get.

Ah! Speaking of motive power - thanks to the Missus, TomD, BartH, and BillS, I have an even dozen (and a few beautifully weathered and decoderized) DL-109s for my Shoreline trains. But - alas - more about those will also have to wait for a future post. Hope my work schedule calms down just a bit pretty soon so not only can I make some more progress, but I can get a chance to share it with you here.

NERPM 2024 Coming Soon!!

Howdy folks! Just starting to recover from the latest legislative session which adjourned this week and am trying to catch up on some life-things quickly so I can get to the hobby things!

But I didn't want another day to go by before I posted a reminder to be sure and make plans to attend the 

New England/Northeast

Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet

May 31 - June 2

I've often mentioned that this RPM (held in Springfield, MA) is, IMO, second only to the Big Railroad Hobby Show (also held in Springfield, MA) on the MUST DO list during the year.

It's really that good.

LOTS of fantastic clinics, inspirational modeling, and great time with friends is the least you'll enjoy if you attend.

So be sure to make plans now to join us - you can find the registration info and all the other details at the website - https://www.nerpm.org

And if you want a little taste of what it was like last year, check out my report here.

Hope to see you there!

This is getting a little ridiculous - and a Tuesday Tip

My last actual update was way back on January 18 - before the big Springfield/Amherst show. Since then, all I've posted have been photos - and even those haven't been posted so often. I've missed more than a few Wordless Wednesdays along the way.

Unfortunately for this blog, the Valley Local Facebook group is much easier to post to. And even that has suffered these past couple of months due to a variety of things including the before and aftermath of the Springfield show, coming down with COVID, the start of my legislative session, helping a friend dismantle his layout, and having the basement flood. But not all of you are on Facebook, so you haven't seen any of those updates.

As for the layout, I have managed to do some more scenery in Saybrook - including installation of some walkways, finally finished the Sunset Diner in Cromwell - including a sign, and I ripped out and redid the scenery at Camp Bethel.

The last post in pictures showed all that, as well as the mocking up I'm doing in Middletown, and some photos of Pete's layout demolition. That last post is from over a month ago. For the last two weekends since then, I've been dealing with the basement flood and cleanup. Fortunately, the layout wasn't damaged.

I guess all this is by way of some excuse explanation for why the blog has suffered. I just don't have the time right now to keep up with it as regularly as I'd like. And what time I do have, I'd rather spend working on the layout rather than writing about it. Hopefully this'll change for the better when my time frees up after May 8 . . .

In the meantime, I will try to post here when I can share something quick and especially helpful - like window glazing. . .

I discovered a building I'd received some time ago from Bill Maguire had some windows that needed "glass." They're really nicely done windows - with top and bottom sashes on different planes, like the prototype. So, instead of cutting two little pieces of clear styrene really precisely per window (otherwise there would have been a gap between the "glass" and the lower sash), I decided to use some Microscale Micro Kristal Klear for glazing. I applied it with a toothpick around the edges of each opening, and then "pulled" it across the opening to basically create a bubble that covered the opening.

Then I set them aside to dry, face up. . . 

That ended up being a HUGE fail since the glazing oozed down to the work surface, essentially gluing the windows to the bench. Fortunately, I realized my mistake in time to pull up the windows and redo the glazing.

This time, I had them dry face down . . .

I'm pretty pleased with how they came out - especially when compared to the time it would have taken to cut up 12 little squares of styrene. If the sashes were on the same plane, I could have just gotten by with one large piece of styrene - not precision cut to fit - per window. But this process is quick enough.

If you try this technique, here are some Pro Tips:

• Use the point of a toothpick to apply with some precision.
• Apply to the back so you don't get any (or only little) material on the front.
• Don't be bashful about the amount of material you use, just don't use so much you goop it all over the window. The material does shrink a bit when drying, so you need enough to be able to "pull" it over the entire opening.
• Let the windows dry face down and/or on wax paper so they don't stick to the surface you're drying them on.

As they say, your mileage may vary, but I like this technique enough that I plan to use it in the future - unless/until I find some pre-cut microscope glass that'll fit :^)

Let me know if you try out the Kristal Klear and what you think about it.

And thanks also for sticking around. Unlike Facebook, I have no idea how many folks actually read the blog anymore, so it's good to know that you're out there.

In the meantime, I hope to make some more progress on the layout - and hope to have more time to share it with you here!

Till later...

East Berlin Service

(I'm majorly bummed I couldn't attend the huge Springfield show this year - turns out I got the "Springfield Flu" a bit early - and just in time to knock me out of commission for the weekend. If you made it, I hope you had enough fun for both of us!)

My recent progress on the Berlin Branch prompted some discussion the last time the guys were over. I'd mentioned that adding the branch could provide some interesting work for the Air Line Local - crews would be able to operate from one corner of the basement (Air Line Staging) all the way to the opposite corner of the basement (E. Berlin) and in two different rooms. To refresh your memory of the track layout, click here.

Problem is, the Air Line Local didn't serve East Berlin - at least not during the year I model (1947). As JohnW pointed out, the Air Line Local's typical steam power - J-1 class Mikados and R-1 class Mountains - were timetable restricted from the Berlin Branch, and, in fact, could only operate on the old Berlin Main track in Middletown yard in order to drop off cars. Furthermore, the branch was Shoreline territory, not Midland territory like the Air Line.

John's recollection made perfect sense. From what little I know about the branch in the late 1940s, it was in very poor shape - speed restricted to 10mph in addition to being motive power restricted. Heh - no way could I even imagine a 2-8-2 going up that line, much less a 4-8-2!

But I knew I'd read somewhere that the Air Line Local served the Berlin Branch at some point. Then it hit me - I'd actually come across this information while doing a post last June, and mentioned it - albeit in passing - toward the end of that post.

So what's the story? The answer depends on what year you're talking about.

According to the Freight Symbol Book for April, 1949 (as well as the Package Car Schedules book), Hartford Division Local Service Train #12 (the Air Line Local) serviced E. Berlin on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays.  Keep in mind that by April 1949, both the Air Line Local and Valley Local were dieselized. According to the NHRR Engine Assignment Book I have for April 24, 1949, the Valley Local had a DEY-3 (Alco S-1, probably #0947) and the Air Line Local had a DEY-5 (Alco S-2, probably #0606). (see this post for further information on the lines' motive power)

I don't have any information regarding what restrictions, if any, there were on the Berlin branch relative to diesel locomotives. But my guess is that an S-2 was a LOT less heavy and hard on track than either a J-1 or an R-1.

I still have some gaps in my Freight Symbol Book collection, so I can't figure out whether the Valley Local ever served E. Berlin again after 1949.  But for what it's worth, it looks like by 1952 E. Berlin isn't served at all by either local, at least not according to the Symbol Book I have for that year.

So the bottom line is that I can plausibly - and most likely prototypically - have the Air Line Local serve East Berlin as I'd hoped. I'll just have to be sure my ops session is set in "1949" rather than 1947 and I'll need to change from steam locos to diesel.

Now if somebody would just come out with the proper New Haven-style Alco cab . . .

(special thanks to John Wallace for prompting this post)

A Quick Update . . .

As you can see from yesterday's post, I haven't given up on the blog - though it may look like it. Suffice it to say that the past four weeks have been unusual.  The Missus and I were supposed to leave the morning of December 23rd to head down south to visit my family for the holidays. In fact, we were all packed - presents and everything - & ready to go that Friday night, but I came down with some sort of bug (not COVID, fortunately) that laid me out for over a week. Long story short - we didn't get to visit my family and between being sick, the holidays, and ramping up for the 2024 legislative session, things haven't been quite normal.

But layout progress - though often thwarted - has continued, at least a little bit. I have folks literally from around the world visit during the Big Railroad Hobby Show (aka "Springfield" aka "The Big E show" aka "The Amherst Show")) later this month, so I want to get some more stuff done.

As of the last layout update, I'd finished the Bethel cottages and was getting ready to start on the scenery. I did some ground goop and placed the foundations, but progress there has pretty much stopped while I try to figure out how to proceed. I have to figure out the photo backdrop - and 2 of the 3 foundations have "settled" & are no longer dead level, making me consider ripping them out and doing them over again...

So I turned my attention to the Saybrook Scene, which is the first thing visitors see when they come down the basement. Once BillS did the structures and scenery there (I don't even want to hazard a guess as to how long ago THAT was!), I turned my attention to the rest of the layout. But it's become High Time to ballast the track there, and finish up the scenic details and other scenery - not to mention the Route 1 overpass, photo backdrop, etc.

Check out the photos from yesterday to see how things stand there as of now . . .

Since I got water in my basement last weekend (another setback we don't need to get into :^), I lost a few more good layout work days, so I doubt I'll be able to get this scene finished in time for the Springfield show, but at least I'm making progress despite all the challenges. #DoOneThing  has really helped make sure progress, even if it's slow...

Speaking of #DoOneThing, if you don't mind Facebook, remember there's a Valley Local group over there. You don't have to love FB to parachute into the cool groups over there and follow the progress. And, I hate to admit it, it's a *lot* easier to post quick progress pics there as I'm working. So be sure to check it out.

That said though, I do plan to do more regular posting here - and was, until I got derailed a bit this past month. So thanks for your patience and hopefully you'll stay tuned!

In the meantime - Happy New Year!

(which reminds me - I haven't done an "Accomplishments/Goals" post in forever...)

A few MORE words about Wordless Wednesday #105

Heh - talk about going from "Wordless" to wordy. . . But John has some additional information to share about this week's WW that's too good not to share.

So, take it away John!

There was usually no need to wait at E. Haddam unless the first train to arrive was to receive a "hot" car from the second. The Shore Line local received the lion's share of this exchange and often was the reason for the Valley local running down to E. Haddam on other than Tues., Thurs., & Saturday. 

In my experience we would run to E. Haddam as well as Berlin on Mondays which created a long day for the crew. Cars from the B&M and NYC exchanged in Springfield were usually preblocked for Hartford and Ceder Hill. Hartford, being a smaller operation, could handle these cars faster than Cedar Hill and usually make the morning run of the Valley Local faster than they could if they were sent to New Haven. 

However, as traffic declined in the late '40s the Hartford yard activity began shifting to Cedar Hill. An example of this was the discontinuation of the through trains between Maybrook and Hartford. The cessation of the Hartford/Boston freights after the 1955 flood ended significant classsification activities at Hartford. I know the hump operation at Hartford was closed at some point during these years but I don't know exactly when. 

I think your records show that the Valley Local was cut back to 3 days per week in 1949 which was probably why Bill Beaupre bid a Springfield passenger job. He loved the Valley job and I doubt very much that he would have left it unless it became a financial necessity. 

Certainly on my list of things to do, especially now that layout construction is winding down, is to get a much better understanding of how the locals interacted with each other, how the cars were handled, etc. Fortunately, I have a few RR-produced booklets that give (at least part of) the official plan of operations, but there are plans and then there's reality. And nothing beats the memory of one who was actually there to tell you how things actually worked.

So thank you John - this information goes a long way toward filling in some of the knowledge gaps the RR paperwork leaves behind.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Springfield part deux)

I'm not exactly sure what year it started, but "a few years ago" Randy and I were sitting at the Steaming Tender restaurant after spending a particularly successful day at the Springfield show when we got a bright idea (egged on, in no small measure, by Bill - IIRC). The Steaming Tender has a beautiful dining room, set in the old waiting room of the Palmer, MA railroad station. Designed by renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building itself is a wonder and the owners have done an amazing job restoring it. The food is pretty amazing too.

But, as you would imagine, a railroad-themed restaurant, in a magnificent railroad station, situated next to not one, but TWO major railroad lines, would be quite a draw for folks attending the show. And it is - so much in fact that I think the wait to get in was originally somewhere between one and two hours.

So, sitting there, enjoying our after-dinner beverages it occurred to us: The Steaming Tender has an ex-New Haven Railroad parlor car next to the restaurant that is used for "special parties." Well, we figured we'd qualify as a "special" party at least, so we plopped down a deposit that night, reserving the car for the next year. And we've had it firmly in hand ever since.

As wonderful as it is to be able to sit in a much quieter environment, surrounded by such lavish beauty, it's especially nice to know we have reserved seating - and there's no wait. Best of all though, we get to invite anywhere from 25-30 of our best friends to join us. YOU try getting a table that large! "Party of 30 - table 4." Not. You can freely move around and visit with all your buddies. The car is fully staffed and drinks and food are brought right to the car. I don't mind admitting it's a pretty sweet setup,

But like I said, the best part of all is being able to really spend some quality time with folks you probably only get to see once a year - and you don't have to worry about catching them during the show itself. Here are some quick pics of the "special parties" that showed up to the party this year...

(You'll only get this if you listen to the "A Modeler's Life" podcast)