Ahhhh no progress still

I have posted my thoughts for the new design a few months ago but have not progressed much. I am finishing two ship models and then it will be clean up the clutter in the room and start the new layout. I have been doing a lot of research into track and switches for the new layout and the sticker shook of a switch is, well, shocking. This layout may end up being my first attempt at building switches from scratch. After discussions with other modelers I meet at op sessions I am still up in the air about.

More E&P

 Hood interlocking 

 Whitehall Yard

 Hood looking east

 Lacey Springs with the mail train coming through

 Hood looking west, with a long Thorny Point Extra heading west and the 1st Hood Turn preparing to work the HP Hood complex.

 Swift Run

looking through the tunnel into swift run

Train watching and Model RR Operating Session.

 Today was a full day of trains, left early for te Operating session at Keith Stillman's. So I headed to Ashland, VA. Just as I arrived anAMTRAK train was stopped at the station and a CSX coal train was waiting for it to depart. I could not get camera out for the AMTRAK train but did catch the coal drag.

 I then proceeded to Doswell, VA. just up the road from Ashland. The Buckingham Branch RR interchanges with CSX and this is their base of operations (I think)

 There are some very photogenic structures in the area of the wye and there is a couple of bulk loading businesses here.

 The CSX (ex RF&P) mainline is on the right, the covered hoppers are in some tail tracks in the wye.

 After a delightful lunch prepared by Keith's wife Marlene we started the op session. It went long today but we all had fun. This location is Furnace.

 Thorny Point, Yard master and two engineers starting the assembly of their trains.

Hood which is part of the railroad the operator controls with a work train and passenger train waiting clearance to proceed to the next station.. I was the operator for this session.

Gillman Layout Sketch development

The sketch, the around the walls bench work is existing, I will ad a central peninsula to hold the Gilman Mill. The Connecticut River crossing is on the top shelf on the sheet. Gilman Station n the bottom shelf. Whitefield NH may end up being modeled along the right side. 

  Sat down and started re-reading all of my notes, collected articles, info in books and after taking my daily walk I sat down and came up with this sketch. 

 This photo in the MEC in Color Vol 1 of the Connecticut River crossing has always been a seen I liked.

 While I was looking through and sketching, I determined I could add in Whitefield NH as a scene also. I have not totally convinced myself on this idea yet but I think it fits well in this portion of the room.

This is some of the info in my Maine Central note book on Gilman, it was from a Rail Model Journal Article. I think this magazine was a great model railroad resource. I only wish Model Railroader would have articles similar to what were in it. I might consider subscribing again. I have several e-mail exchanges from railroaders that worked on the Mountain Division which explains the various locals and how the little bit of on line industries were worked.

I think a road trip to Vermont is in my future, the wife wants to go since she has never been.

And Gilman, VT it is!

After much soul searching and a full year of considering this in the back of my mind, I have decided on the LDC (Layout Design Concept)  and the associated LDE's.

LDE - 1) On one of the long walls, The Paper Mill at Gilman, VT.
LDE - 2) On the other long wall the Connecticut River Bridge.
LDE - 3) On short wall the Gillman Agent Shanty

Gives me a nice bridge scene ( I like building bridges and the scenes)
Gives me a nice switching plan that is very well documented and has many good reference photos. (I have built a 2 x 16 Gillman switching shelf layout before and I really enjoyed the operation and super detailing the scene).
The Gilman Agent Station will make a nice photo shoot area and will have to be scratch built (like that).
It will be built so I can run long trains on a big loop for when none operators come (Family and Friends) who just like to see trains in motion.

Concept sketches to follow.....

Ashland, VA?

Starting to get more of the urge to get back to model railroading and trains in general. Went through Ashland VA on the way to my Dads this week end. I am going to get all the MEC track work diagrams and MEC books out while watching the Pats tonight and see if I can narrow down the next layout design. Remembering simpler is better.

Enola, PA

On the way back from a quick trip to Maine to celebrate my Mom's B-day we stayed in Enola, PA. Across the street from Norfolk Southern's Enola yard.  Why this AMTRAK retro engine was sitting here I do not know. I can only assume it broke down and they set it here.

This is the beginning of a cut of cars going over the hump. I did not realize this at first since it is not like the classic hump yards I have seen where there is a definitive "hump".

 A car has started down into the bowl.

 The row of tracks in the back ground are much higher than the bowl track and retarders, which cannot be seen but are just down below the paved road.

 A set of yard goats has just completed running autoracks down into the bowl and is returning to start humping another cut of cars. There were two sets of hump engines working in tandem. As one set finished a cut the other set would push the next cut while the first set went back to get another cut.

The NW two bay hopper is accelerating down the bowl lead, the retarders will be activated shortly which results in some load screeching.