How-To: Terrific Trackwork!

A video I've been promising I'd have up "soon" for a year now! Now that my trackwork is 95% complete on my 4th(-ish) layout, I've finally figured out how to do it well!

 

Just Trains! - Episode 1

 People seem to really respond to any video that I put out showing trains running on the layout. (probably because it is proof that I am ACTUALLY making forward progress, slow though it may be.)

So I decided to put out a video of just trains.  This first one is a learning experience, but one of the more enjoyable videos I've produced so far, so be ready for many more in the future!

Reflections and Resolutions

 It's still January so it is still ok to post one of those "resolutions" videos right?

Lot's of plans this year.  Mainly I want to get my layout completely operational and to a "base layer" of "scenery" over the entire railroad.  This is mainly so I can begin to have REAL operating sessions on the layout and comfortably run trains without the risk of loosing expensive equipment due to an unexpected plummet into carpet canyon.

More resolutions and reflections in the video below. 2021, here I come!

Interview with Model Railroading Live!

I was fortunate enough to be invited by "Big Bill" to join him on his live show to talk about model railroading and my current efforts in the hobby. It was a lot of fun to talk trains with others as I haven't had much of an opportunity to do so in the past.  I appreciate Bill bringing me on and hopefully I get more opportunities to talk about trains in the future as this layout progresses.

Check out the video below or click here to watch it on YouTube.

Simple and Solid Benchwork

In this video, I talk about building simple and solid benchwork for your model railroad.

Model Railroad Resolutions

In this video, I discuss my resolutions for 2020 and share what I'd like to get done on my model railroad this year.

Layout Update #6 - Buried in Benchwork: Part 2

It's been a while since I've posted a solid update on the progress of the layout itself. Well, I've gotten quite a bit done in recent months and I share it with everyone in the latest update video.

Movie Mondays #13

DJ from DJ's Trains has a video up where he shows off some of the key features of short line railroading that make it an ideal subject for model railroaders. Check out this video along with the many more videos he has where he shares his experience as a conductor on a 1:1 scale railroad.

 

Rail Ramblin' - The Perfect Layout Size and More!

Three new Rail Ramblin's to share with the blog community. Of course you can subscribe to my Youtube Channel anytime to be sure you won't miss out.

Rail Ramblin' - Why Model Railroading?

I've started a new series on Youtube. These will be short, vlog-style videos where I tackle a single subject related to model railroading. In the first episode I ask and try to answer the question: "Why Model Railroading?"

Movie Mondays #12

TSG Multimedia has published a good number of videos about Jack Burgess and his stunning model railroad. In his latest video, Jack talks about the amazing structures on his layout and the amount of effort he put into make them as accurate as possible.

Layout Update #5 - Buried in Benchwork: Part 1

This month I begin the benchwork on my model railroad. Check out the video below!

(Side note: the camera on my phone is busted and is just not cutting it anymore. I've gotta look into getting something better for future updates I think.)

Layout Update #4 Waste Not (should have been called "Laser Beams and Razor Blades")

This month I discuss fascia color, layout height, and more!

Layout Update #3 - Construction and Destruction

This month I finish a wall, replace a door, and emphasize the importance of finishing the layout room before beginning the benchwork.

Layout Update Video #2 - New Toys, New Wall, New Year Resolutions

It's a new year and I've got a new video discussing some of the latest happenings on the MFR. Check it out!

The Track Plan

(Note: Some minor changes have been made to the track plan since creating the video. See the image attached to this post for the latest schematic.)

Whelp, I've done it. I've finally landed on a track plan for my new layout. This plan is the result of months of design and deliberation. It incorporates nearly all of the features I love in model railroading and should provide me many years of enjoyment. I go in-depth into the design of the track plan in the following video:

The plan is simple, but allows an operator or two plenty of operational enjoyment. If I'm not in the mood for operations, I can even sit back with a beer and enjoy running a couple of trains around in circles. I've included a yard, a nice industrial area, and a couple nice, unencumbered areas where I can enjoy my favorite kind of modeling: Scenery.

True to proto-freelance modeling, the towns and industries located on the layout exist in real life. (though I've taken plenty of liberties with the locations and track arrangement to best serve my needs) The town of Usk stands-in for several towns found in the Pend Oreille Valley and just like on the prototype, the yard at Sandpoint is the valley's connection with the rest of the world. I've also included a few key scenic features found on the prototype including the old Great Northern Depot at Sandpoint, the bridges over the Pend Oreille River, Blueslide tunnel near the crossing of Highway 20, and the iconic Box Canyon Bridge.

(click to view larger)

Let's take a moment to look at the industries represented on the layout and learn about their mostly freelanced (i.e. pretend) histories:

• Lehigh Cement: With operations beginning in 1911, Lehigh Cement is the oldest rail-served industry in the valley, This historic factory once towered over the town of Metaline Falls however, the factory's advanced age along with rail service concerns required the owners to shutter operations at it's original location and build a new, modern plant south at Usk Washington. The factory ships 5-6 2-bay covered hoppers an operating session. 
• Ponderay Newsprint Company: Ponderay has been the one of the valley's largest rail customers since it began operations in 1989. The plant ships around 2-3 boxcars loaded with newsprint an operating session and receives boxcars loaded with recycled paper materials as well as tank cars loaded with kaolin and other chemicals on an as-needed basis.
• Vaagen Bro's Lumber Company: Part of the Idaho Forrest Group, this mill has been supplying America with high quality wood products for decades. Due to a recent lull in the new construction market, the mill only ships 2-3 loads of lumber on center partition cars each operating session. 
• Tri-Pro Poll Mill: The mill Generally ships around 1-2 custom built bulkhead flat cars loaded with poles an operating session.
• Pacific Steel and Recycling: A small employee-owned recycling facility which receives loads of scrap steel and other recyclable products via boxcar and gondola only on occasion.

This plan is sure to change a bit once flextrack meets plywood, but I'm pretty happy with where it stands right now. It was a lot of fun to put together and I can't wait to get started building benchwork!

Layout Update Video #1 - Surveying the Space

Here is the first of many new videos for the new layout progress series I've started on the new MFR. I wanted to take a moment to share the space and my plans for preparing the room for the layout.

Upon reviewing my video, I'm not a fan of the shaky footage. For future videos I'll be getting an iPhone mount so I can lock my camera down for a nicer viewing experience.

End of an Era

I stepped away from model railroading for a couple years to take care of a few life events and was was sad to learn upon my return to the hobby that an imaginary development I had created for my tiny freelance railroad had come to pass in real life. The POVA was forced to abandon the trackage north of Usk to Metaline Falls including the fabulous Box Canyon Bridge.

I had created this very scenario for my railroad back in 2013 as a convenient explanation for why I didn't model the railroad as far north as Metaline Falls. Having just a small shelf-style switching layout, there was no way to include both the bridge and the cement plant all the way at Metaline Falls.  Using the justification of "It was just too expensive to maintain the line north of town" seemed plausible at the time and unfortunately it's become a reality.

I'm really sad to learn of this development as I had hoped to one day take that railfanning excursion along the old Metaline Falls Branch. Now that it is gone, I almost want to find a way to work the town of Metaline Falls back into my model railroad as a metaphorical middle finger to the gods of eventuality. I don't think I can make that happen and still meet my goals for this layout however, so for the time being I'll continue including the abandoned trackage north of Box Canyon (while being able save the bridge itself) as part of my freelanced scenario.

I do feel a bit better however knowing that I will still be able to watch trains lumber over that majestic old bridge in miniature on my own little piece of the pacific northwest.

Layout Progress Video February 2018

I've posted a new video on youtube discussing moving the model railroad to it's permanent location as well as expanding it a bit.

Touching Up a Painted Backdrop

I made a 20 minute-long video showing a technique for touching up a painted backdrop.This technique is a bit unique in that I use matte medium to blend progressively darker layers of color together on the backdrop itself. It can be a bit messy, but mistakes become your friend with this technique. I'm pretty pleased with the results!