Hey everybody I'm going to be posting my video updates and my blogs here at MRH!  I will be making posts about the Mascoutin Valley layout progress, locomotives and rolling stock updates, and other modeling topics! 

My first post will be about my latest video of my layout update.

My wife is pretty sure I've gone off the deep end.

about 5 years ago, we built a new house. My railroad is in that new house.

A few days ago I was mulling what I would do differently if I was doing it over.

There are a few mechanical things I would change, but mostly we love the floorplan. Office-space-wise, there are a bunch of things I'd do differently. I concluded I would also look to reduce the footprint of the house somewhat and it would have to be in a bush.

Commuter Freight

Also the new F40PH-3

I've been testing my new photo backdrops. I'm pretty happy with how they're turning out.

More recent stuff is on my website, Conrail1285.com.

Hope you all enjoy them.

This week I'm comparing three well known brands of static grass.

Kathy

Finally got around to finishing my On30 Bachmann 4-4-0 American. #100 represents one of the 2 oldest engines on the MSR&N and is actually the smallest. Once again, as with the 12 spot, she has the short smoke box and Pancake stack, as well as a wooden cab and box style headlight. I added an air resevoir to the rear tender deck and the appropriate plumbing and a cord wood load indicating that "Old Hundred" is a wood burner. The name on the cab side is "MONTEZUMA" for the main terminal of the railroad but the crews all call her "Old Hundred" affectionately. 

This little lokie is relegated to use on the Local Mail run or switching duties around the 9th Street Yard in Montezuma, although still a good steamer, "Old Hundred" is small and light so not much more can she handle. 

She was the first locomotive on the original railroad, the Montezuma & Snake River Railway Co. as their #100 and retained that number when Northstar Mining bought controlling interest in the Railway, renaming it the Montezuma, Snake River & Northstar Railroad. All other locomotives were renumbered into class numbering and acquired motive power filled out those classifications as time and cash allowed, i.e.; #12 is a Mogul 2-6-0 and is in its class as a 10-19 number. Only #100 is in a class by itself. 

Well....that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

GW

I am looking to put some machinery in my locomotive machine shop. It would also be neat to get some part racks with parts. It needs to be 30-50's electric machinery. Can some of you point me in the right direction? I guess I need to mention HO scale.

Thanks.

Due to a job change and house move I have started to tear down my british N scale and american H0 scale layouts. My new layoutroom is smaller than the actual one so I can't use parts of the Sorethroat branch layout. But I try to reuse as much track as possible. For my new H0 G&D Sorethroat branch layout I was inspired by two track plans from Ian Rice, one is small town on the prairie and the other is White Horse Logger, where I used the Lumber Mill trackplan.

I recently scratch built four freight cars to complete my NMRA Achievement Program Certificate for Cars.

Here is the story of the build. I hope you enjoy and please ask any questions and post any comments.

I have tried to include photos of most of the steps. The photos  are bit smaller than I like because I originally made this for print media to hand the judges.

A quick update for the second week of construction.  Track work has come to a grinding halt while I install the Faller Car System in what will be Downtown Los Angeles.

The system uses a small wire embeded in the road for equipped cars to follow using magnets.