The project started innocently enough, upgrading several Stewart F-units to I-M bodies. The Kato mechanisms are excellent but the Stewart shell cannot compare with current highly detailed offerings. I changed the original shells out to those offered by Inter-Mountain and with some weathering, you almost do not notice the I-M’s slightly incorrect nose profile.

The project began when I wanted to maximize the sound level and fidelity of sugar cube speakers to be installed in an early 2000 vintage Athearn RTR SD40-2.  I assembled a selection of the familiar rectangular shaped speakers from An Affair With Trains in Phoenix. I also became aware of a round version while watching a YouTube video by Laurie McLean, an MMR in Australia. He made reference to George at TVW Miniatures in WI, so I contacted him. The website is www.tvwminiatures.com/. I purchased three with housings as my trial.

I just did it! I wasn't sure if there would be any left, and there were, and I got it! w00t! I just got paid, and just ordered the "SPECIAL! Get All 10 Siskiyou Line & Bear Creek videos"... and now the worst part...

The waiting.

I mean, it's not as bad as when we were kids, and the "6 to 12 week" wait for that send away from the comics, or the cereal box tops... I expect I'll have them in about a week... but... what to do in the mean time?

Guys,

I'm looking for ideas on a MOW train for my modern layout. What I would like to do is make a working MOW train, a reason to use track cleaning equipment, CMX track cleaner, Centerline track cleaner, slider cars, maybe the Atlas track cleaner, etc. Does anybody have suggestions? Ive got a Athearn GP50 and GP38-2 im looking to use for motive power. Planning to use a caboose for the rear. Im thinking \about using some older box cars for crew quarters.

This is the last video in my mini-series on AK Interactive weathering sets.

To All: I lettered this milk tank car for my Facebook friend Joel Pendegraft's freelanced Peoria Southern Railway. I did not weather the car as milk companies tried to keep these cars clean. This car will be routed to the Twin Pines Dairy plant on my layout. Who remembers Twin Pines Dairy out of Detroit, Michigan? Photo by Elvin Howland. Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout.

It's a problem that I never had, at least nothing like it is today. When I first got into HO the nearest little hobby shop was full line, even though it was in a city with a population of only 25,000. Now I live in a city in excess of 200,000 souls but the only hobby shop has just a couple of aisles of model railroad items, mostly scenery, 1 or 2 locomotives and no power packs except those sold as part of the toy train sets for children.

https://youtu.be/9hxGAVtV760

Just uploaded my May Layout update. In this update you'll see run by action, a Laser Art build featuring a new structure of a Victorian Mansion complete with flower garden and some prototype operation info about moving in and out of shops and industries.

Hope you will check out my Layout and how I take what I see and do working on the Prototype and simulate it in 1/87 scale.

Tim Garland

I was thinking... if somebody did an "Iron Chef" type of show for model railroaders... I would totally watch that!

I mean... I would watch the crap out of that!

Okay, so... taking stock at the collection so far, and figuring out maybe some ideas for a module, that will someday become a part of an Old West layout, and I figured this might be a bit fun to get some ideas from you folks. I have never been to an ops session, so I don't know the first clue about ops, or how to work it into the Old West, but... here's what I have so far (the cars seem limited and few, but, I've been building them from kits, they look real nice, and operate amazingly)

2 Alco 2-6-0 (DCC/Sound)

1 Baldwin 4-6-0 (DCC/Sound)