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1/87 Scale
Originally, the layout was illuminated with 75 watt incandescent bulbs. Over time, more energy-efficient bulbs were tried, but the lighting remained uneven and tough on the eyes. Finally, a solution was presented, using 3w LED bulbs housed in used cat food cans. The illumination is now consistent and yet does not strain eyesight when viewed for long periods.
1/8 Scale
I've always have liked Steam Engines and wanted to own on in 7.5 gauge. A new on was way out of my price range so I needed to build one. I located one that needed allot of work. I decided to take on the challenge to rebuild it. This is how it's going and where it has been.
In Howard yard I have a narrow area to put in some side tracks to run some cars into to make the area more interesting to work. So I designed a building that would take three cars on one side and two cars on the other. This turned into a Z building that when using plastic kits ended up being 2 inches wide. Each of the sides ended up 8 inches long.
One of the main curves of the layout had a switch at either end of the single track which no one could keep straight, resulting in head-on collisions and derailments. The fix was to hand-lay and install a Gauntlet at that spot. This is how it went.
I needed to go from one height to another in a small area. The way to do this is to run the track back and forth on the wall or fold it over its self. The track is at a 2.3 % grade with the height between the decks at 4 inches in height. It took some planning to get the front tracks to clear the rear tracks going down the grade. Each on of the sections had to be leveled and set to 2.3 % grade.
I needed to go from one height to another in a small area. The way to do this is to run the track back and forth on the wall or fold it over its self. The track is at a 2.3 % grade with the height between the decks at 4 inches in height. It took some planning to get the front tracks to clear the rear tracks going down the grade. Each on of the sections had to be leveled and set to 2.3 % grade.
Glad we were able to make a trip to Florida for the Florida Live Steamers Winter Fest.
First you have to look at what the switch should look like. I picked up some precast Frogs. Layed the ties and track on the three way switch.(cheating) Started on the ground and then moved it to greater heights. Need my garage back so I moved it to the trailer. Made it easy to […]
Ohio Ramble Information 2024 OHIO RAMBLE includes 6 Live Steam locations from September 6 thru 22. SIX RAILROADS IN 17 DAYS ! Northeastern Ohio Live Steamers (NEOLS), Erie Metro Live Steamers (EMLS), BlueBerry Railroad (BBR), Lake Shore Live Steamers (LSLS), Carillon Park Rail & Steam Society (CPRSS) and Mill Creek Central Railroad (MCC) have collaborated […]
Over time you start to wonder just how am I supposed to get them to the track? Running on the deck didn’t work. Installing rails seem to do the trick. Just a bit over crowded. Just get a bigger trailer they said. 6 x 12 Trailer Build some racks and fill them up. Let’s not […]
Winter of 2024 to Florida is coming quickly. The rooms are booked and the railroads are picked out for this years meet. First railroad is Big Boots & Western, Second will be Central Pasco, and the last one is Ridge. We all have to rest once in a while.
August 2023 Went to the Canton, St. Paul and Pacific Railway for the second annual family meet. Mike Robson and His Roo family. Some cleaning would have been nice, but the storm was coming quick to the area. Other trains that were there.
I like building the train cars so people have transportation on the track. New cars being built up.
Packed up for two weeks to run down in Florida. Everyone just riding around the track. Second stop was at the Grand Concourse Railroad. I forgot my camera. Third stop was at Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad. After a short ride on a electric steamer I was hooked. Time to head home. Thanks for watching.
Several years a go. I was shown a car with brakes on it. Then one that was controlled by air. I didn’t want to get into building a air system to have brakes. In Florida there was a car that had manual brakes. Wow That’s the way to go. So I tried to make […]
Yes I went and picked up a steam engine. I went and looked at it in July. It has no power. Pick it up and bring it to the loading area. Load it up and take it home in November. I took apart the tender and rebuilt it. Next take the Engine […]
Traveled to South Carolina to ride the Mead 200. The layout had an open house the weekend we were there. Sept 20, 2021 Had to pick a rout to go straight off of the turntable. I picked the woods. I like a good tunnel. It sure was dark inside. It was also very long. I […]
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