Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, O Scale & Proto 48, People1 Comment

No. 128: Russell Tedder…and Progress on Proto48 Models

Golden1014

In 2008 I was bitten by the O scale bug. That summer I spent three weeks at Little Rock AFB with some Air Force ROTC cadets, and because they couldn’t drink, I didn’t either…so I spent a lot of evenings and weekends building models over in officer billeting.  It was on this trip that I met Russell Tedder, and my friendship with Russell and his crew made it a truly, truly memorable trip.  I’ll write a little more about Russell later. Anyway, one of Russell’s friends ran a great hobby shop just outside the air base, and in addition to … Continue reading No. 128: Russell Tedder…and Progress on Proto48 Models

Ackley, Iowa Layouts7 Comments

No. 127: Ackley Layout Ops Session (Seaboard Air Line)

Golden1014

Hi Friends!  I hope you’re all doing well and are enjoying a nice back-to-school weekend. In April or May I ran an ops session on my Ackley, Iowa layout using New York Central equipment.  I joked to one of my friends online that I should run a Seaboard session, and then thought “Hey, that’d be a cool idea!”  So a few weeks ago I pulled out all the Seaboard equipment I had left, and all my southeastern freight cars, and ran a “Montgomery Line” ops session.  It was a lot of fun. The SAL Montgomery Line—sometimes called The SAM (the … Continue reading No. 127: Ackley Layout Ops Session (Seaboard Air Line)

Freight and Passenger Car Modeling, Prototype Topics, Railfanning & MuseumsLeave a comment

No. 126: Railfanning at Lesce-Bled, Slovenia…and Finishing a Few Freight Cars

Golden1014

In June I took my family to Slovenia and Croatia for a little get-away after school ended.  We spent a week in Radovljica, Slovenia and then spent a couple of days at a seaside resort in Pula, Croatia. Radovljica (pronounced Rad-ol-ska) is one of the most beautiful, pleasant places on the Earth.  We love life there.  The people are wonderful, the cost of living is low, and the scenery there–near the magnificent, unspoiled Triglev National Park–is breathtaking.  If I could move there and retire, I think I would. One morning during our week I went to a nearby mainline railway … Continue reading No. 126: Railfanning at Lesce-Bled, Slovenia…and Finishing a Few Freight Cars

People3 Comments

No. 125: Al Buchan

Golden1014

On June 5th I received word that one of my longtime friends in the hobby, and in life, has passed on.  That friend was Al Buchan, who was one of my first model railroad mentors.  I first read the news on the IO Groups PRR Modeling site.  Al’s son Bob was kind enough to follow up with a personal message the following day: This is Al’s son, Bob Buchan.  Just writing to inform you of my dad’s passing.  He had been struggling with health issues the past couple years and now his suffering is over.  He is now with his … Continue reading No. 125: Al Buchan

Ackley, Iowa Layouts6 Comments

No. 124: Ackley Layout Ops Session (New York Central)

Golden1014

Last week I got the layout plugged in and running again, and after cleaning track and polishing up a few wheelsets, and testing operation of all the switch machines and points, I ran a little ops session.   While I was at it I took a few photos with my son’s iPhone 10.   I ran this session with New York Central equipment.  Power was provided by a single Kato RS-2 with Loksound and DCC installed by my friend Mike Christianson in Albert Lea.  And old Alco Models NYC caboose was on the back end carrying the markers.  The engine … Continue reading No. 124: Ackley Layout Ops Session (New York Central)

Prototype Topics, Railfanning & Museums2 Comments

No. 123: Modelbautag at the Feldbahn Museum, Frankfurt

Golden1014

Last weekend I drove to Frankfurt to visit the Frankfurt Feldbahn Museum for Modelbautag.  Feldbahn means “Field Railway”, and is a term used to describe German narrow-gauge industrial railroading.  The Feldbahn Museum just west of downtown Frankfurt is the largest operating museum of it’s kind in Europe; they maintain a large stable of equipment and a giant mainline loop in nearby Rebstockpark. Last Sunday was a great day to visit, as this day was also Modelbautag, or Modeler’s Day, at the museum.  I expected a train show with vendors and models but there were only a few modular layouts and a … Continue reading No. 123: Modelbautag at the Feldbahn Museum, Frankfurt

Prototype Topics, Railfanning & Museums1 Comment

No. 122: Cité du Train – The French National Railway Museum

Golden1014

Two weekends ago I made the long drive down to Mulhouse, France to visit Cité du Train, the French National Railway Museum.  This museum presents the history and technological achievements of the French railway network, particularly the SNCF–the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer–which, since 1938, is France’s national state-owned railway company. Don’t laugh.  I had read a lot about the museum and understood it was one of the very best in the world.  I expected it to be good, but I didn’t expect it to be that good. The museum occupies a huge area on the south side of … Continue reading No. 122: Cité du Train – The French National Railway Museum

Ackley, Iowa Layouts1 Comment

No. 121: John Barry Visit…and Rebuilding the Marshall Canning Co.

Golden1014

Last week my friend John Barry was visiting Europe and he spent a couple of nights at nearby Ramstein Air Base.  John is a well-known Santa Fe modeler and historian, and he maintains an interesting blog.  We met a few years ago at the Virginia RPM meet and have kept in touch ever since. John and I had dinner last Friday evening at one of my favorite local restaurants, Berndt’s Blockhouse–up on the hill in Weilerbach–where we enjoyed a couple hours of dinner, beers and conversation.  John is a former C-130 pilot and instead of talking about trains we spent … Continue reading No. 121: John Barry Visit…and Rebuilding the Marshall Canning Co.

Ackley, Iowa Layouts1 Comment

No. 120: The Ackley Layout – Coal Bins on Carstens Siding

Golden1014

It’s been over a month since my last post.  I’ve been very, very busy with work and family stuff, and whatever time I had left went to planning St. Louis RPM.  We also, during that time, took an eight day trip to the Canary Islands.  We visited Lanzerote and Fuertaventura and we had a wonderful time.  We went for the sun, seafood and beaches and it didn’t disappoint. Below. Here’s a pano of the area around one of our favorite towns, El Golfo, in the Timanfayo National Park.  Spectacular black sand beaches are a favorite spot on this side of … Continue reading No. 120: The Ackley Layout – Coal Bins on Carstens Siding

Prototype Topics, Railfanning & Museums6 Comments

No. 119: Railfan Day on the Rhine

Golden1014

Back in the early 1990s I was a young Air Force navigator flying C-141s out of Charleston AFB.  One of our usual runs was to Rhine-Main AB in Frankfurt, Germany.  I flew there often.  Sometimes we’d get a day off between missions so we’d go downtown and see the sights.  We would often rent a car and drive up the Rhine River valley between Rudesheim and Koblenz to visit the little towns, and shop, and see all the castles, and experience the very best of Germany.  We always stopped in Rudesheim as a joke, because Rudesheim was where we would have to hold if Frankfurt/Rhine-Main couldn’t get us … Continue reading No. 119: Railfan Day on the Rhine