Well, I'm back at it again after a hefty six year hiatus in the planning phase of my proposed layout: a couple job changes and a couple of kids redirected my efforts somewhat!  Some time ago, when I was bright-eyed and naive, I posted a massive novella of a layout proposal to this site in hopes to get some criticism of my 40-some-odd pages of blabber.  I thought I had everything planned out - from train names to how I'd eventually lay my turnouts - but I, like many starting out, was overambitious and the feedback I received was "w

I'm going to keep this blog relatively current with newly acquired equipment.  I'll try not to bore with every piece, especially rolling stock, but the plan is to share the rare pieces and (when I get around to it) some weathering.

On top of new additions, I will try to post progressive photos of current projects that I am working on - one such project will be an early-production cabless B30-7A that I hope to begin once I find a (cheap) B30-7...  There will be two of these units on the roster when everything is said and done.

This is my first attempt at a track plan for my freelance Plainville, Pequabuck and New London Railroad.  I am looking for some serious feedback regarding the plan. This an ​HO scale​ double-decked layout connected by a helix (upper right).  The modeled area will represent the entire, fictional shortline with staging connections to represent "the rest of the world".  I apologize for the green on the first rendition, just happened to be the color layer I was on at the time.

As some of you may have read in the past, I am developing a fictional shortline that runs between Plainville, CT (central) and New London, CT (southeastern).  I have the route planned out (in my head) and most of the industries have been visualized and their locations along the line determined.  The next step for me is to figure out how trains will operate along the mainline.  I am modeling "current era" in HO scale.  I don't have a track plan, which I know would be helpful for all of you to vis

Some Background

So it's now mid April and my fiance and I have been living in our house a solid month now - time for an update.  For those of you who may have read my previous blog entry back in January, I was amidst the initial planning stages of a freelanced regional railroad I had named the BRE.  Well, now I'm switching things up a bit. . .

The following are excerpts from a 15 page layout proposal I have been developing since the offer my fiance and I placed was accepted on a new home a few weeks back.  Although I will not begin construction for at least a year or two, I am looking for some much-needed criticism on my initial thoughts and ideas.  Although not noted within the proposal, I will have an area approximately 24' x 12' at my disposal; however, these are not final dimensions.  The proposal covers the entire railroad as imagined to date.