I have been working on a project for a while now and I now that I have something to show I would post where I am at with it, and where I a going (or need to go).

I started to design an On3 shay that I had planned to scratch build from brass.  The original intent was to have some parts printed by Shapeways in brass, while other parts I would use existing castings from PSC along with photo etched parts for the boiler, cab, and tender.  My main goal was to be able to use a can motor to power the shay, rather than the coreless motors typically used. 

T

This is for sale on ebay if interested.

Hello All,

This year I’ve decided to devote 10 minutes a day to working on model railroading. My first post was on FaceBook Live so not sure how to share that here but the next three are online there as well as on YouTube. 
 

If you've been following along, you will have noted that I cleaned up my work area this weekend (A different kind of progress).  While doing that, I found a jar of MIG Acrylic Water.  Greg Baker (aka Mountain Goat Greg), told me about this stuff and I wanted to try it out.  I have NEVER done any water features because water scares me:  it looks hard to do, easy to mess up, and all to often smells bad.  This stuff Greg assured me was stupid easy.  So yesterday,

Have you ever tried scratch building or kit bashing or a combination of both? If you read through my blog you will see I have done both. Kits are great and I have many on my layout built to the manufacture’s design. Kits don’t always fit the space. Kit bashing allows more freedom to fit a building to your space, time period or need. With scratch building you can design what ever you want or build a structure that you can’t find in kit form.

Hi All,

This months update is non stop railfan action on the SC as we follow SC train 484 as it sets off and picks up blocks of cars with recently added SD40T-2 SC 3012.

Also we follow the afternoon Griffin switcher as it works the new Argos facility. Grab a drink and set back and enjoy the action on the SC!

Thanks!

Tim G

https://youtu.be/EWQKfAr80A0

I should say up front that this is not the model railroad I am going to build.  I'll explain why below.  But it was a strong contender and I came close to building it.

The first order of business was to find out what grade the locomotives on hand could actually climb, and do so with a useful load (2 cars). I had wanted 2" of elevation gain with the switchback, but only had 36" total track length to work with, not including the tail track. That's a big ask, unless your name is Shay. Several commenters had noted that there was no way that would work, and I did not doubt them. But you have to try. 

Here is my newest video on easily adding a backdrop to your model railroad or diorama.  Thanks for watching.