South of Brookville stood the remains of an old feed blending mill built in the late 1920s and operated by a gentleman named Cliff Roberts. Opened in 1930, the Great Depression eliminated any chance of business success despite Mr Roberts’s valiant efforts to save his operation. I only have two or three very poor photos [...]
In Pieces of The Puzzle I wrote about the way the railroad was built on the towpath of the former Whitewater Canal after it went bankrupt from rampant flooding of the Whitewater River in the late 1840s and early 1850s. With the river never far away, spring flooding is always a concern when the region [...]
Why did I switch to quarter-inch scale from HO? Only one reason really: The track. I’ve always been fascinated by prototype trackwork, especially the downtrodden branchlines and lowly sidings that are past their prime. For as long as I’ve been in the hobby, I’ve tried to model such track with increasing attention to the details [...]
As I get more involved with studying modern freight cars, I begin to see the differences that distinguish them. As with the steam era, there are both major and minor differences in the basic designs and details of the major car builders. Thirty years ago we began to understand that the so called common forty-foot [...]
It’s usually a good thing, and a character trait I often don’t display enough of. I’ve been trying to get photos of the roof of a certain hopper car for three weeks now. No luck. Not yet at least. Today I thought it might be the day, IF, the pouring rain would let up. It [...]
South of Brookville stood the remains of an old feed blending mill built in the late 1920s and operated by a gentleman named Cliff Roberts. Opened in 1930, the Great Depression eliminated any chance of business success despite Mr Roberts’s valiant efforts to save his operation. I only have two or three very poor photos [...]
In Pieces of The Puzzle I wrote about the way the railroad was built on the towpath of the former Whitewater Canal after it went bankrupt from rampant flooding of the Whitewater River in the late 1840s and early 1850s. With the river never far away, spring flooding is always a concern when the region [...]
Why did I switch to quarter-inch scale from HO? Only one reason really: The track. I’ve always been fascinated by prototype trackwork, especially the downtrodden branchlines and lowly sidings that are past their prime. For as long as I’ve been in the hobby, I’ve tried to model such track with increasing attention to the details [...]
As I get more involved with studying modern freight cars, I begin to see the differences that distinguish them. As with the steam era, there are both major and minor differences in the basic designs and details of the major car builders. Thirty years ago we began to understand that the so called common forty-foot [...]
Chester Louis sent me a link to some neat videos. This one caught my eye because of the nice sequence of character laden trackage after the caboose tour. Notice the oil streaks and the soaked areas where the engine stops or sits frequently. Also take note of the condition of the ties and right-of-way in [...]
It’s usually a good thing, and a character trait I often don’t display enough of. I’ve been trying to get photos of the roof of a certain hopper car for three weeks now. No luck. Not yet at least. Today I thought it might be the day, IF, the pouring rain would let up. It [...]
It took us long enough but we now have a fan page on Facebook. It’s another way to find us and keep up with what’s going on. On the right hand sidebar you’ll find a link to the page under the Welcome box. The page is a bit sparse for now but check it out [...]
The I&W has been essentially finished for several years now. In fact it has lasted longer than almost any other layout I’ve ever built. It is the only layout I’ve ever built that has reached a state of completion (99.9%). Mind you, I’m not complaining. I enjoy the layout more than ever. What I’m trying [...]
What’s coming in 2012? When will we see something new? Huh, huh, Mike? Okay, here’s the skinny on what’s going on. First, I’m working on two e-books, e-pubs, e-whatever-you-want-to-call them. The closest to being ready is the first one in a new series called Modern Freight Cars, Volumes 1-? If you’re a modern era modeler [...]
Compromise joint bars, like this prototype example on the former GR&I in Richmond IN, are used to connect to different size and weights of rail. Until recently modelers had to make do with bits of plastic or nothing at all. The typical solution is to take an ordinary slip-on rail joiner and flatten one half [...]
