Reading over my account, I find it hard to believe that I haven't posted any work since 2010!!  But with an expanding family, a promotion, and an old house, I ramped back in 2011 on a number of modeling actions.  Layout building slowed considerably, and I turned my attention to more detail work.  Now that we have 1/4th of 2012 under our belts, I thought I start cranking out a few more then a few updates again.

Given the current discussions on the forum regarding article submissions, I thought it might be helpful to see the process from the perspective of someone who recently put together an article. This was my first attempt at writing an article for publication in anything, and I had very little experience at taking digital photographs.

Hi All

I just joined, MRHM has got some great tips, if you are interested in Australian Desert Model Railways, check out my Blog for one of my layouts, Barcoola.

Barcoola is my take on Tarcoola, the junction between the Central Australian Railway (to Alice Springs and Darwin) and Perth Western Australia.

I model Australian National in 1993, lots of long trains, double stacking, TOFC, Roadrailers etc.

http://barcoola.blogspot.com.au/

I have a small stockyard on my layout that I based on one near my home town.  It was owned by a neighbor with a distinctive name and had that name painted in LARGE block letters on its board wall.  When I got out my 40 year old dry transfer letter sheets to add the name, it was of course dried out and unusable.  At my local art supply store there was one employee old enough to remember dry transfers, but none to be had.  Of course I can print any font and size on paper, but I didn't want a sign posted on

About 10 days ago I posted photos of Millard Lumber on my IAIS Grimes Line layout. That structure is now in the garbage. Thanks to some feedback, suggestions and more research I was able to build a better version of the prototype.

To All; I painted, lettered,detailed, weathered and dullcoated this 40 foot boxcar in tribute to my friend's Great Lakes Northern RR located in Suttons Bay, Michigan. It is a regular visitor on the E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout.

Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout

I have recently completed a heritage CW44-9 painted in chessie paint.. I liked the end result so much i am considering hypothesizing that the system was not absorbed into csx but seaboard was absorbed into it. So the system Survives into the 1990s.  The unit is fitted with a TCS t1 decoder and runs fibre optic headlights and walkway lights. 1.5v microbulbs for ditch lights. Sorry for bad pics but they were taken off my smartphone as the electrons in my camera no  longer want to hold hands.

Enjoy

Dan

This is a video of the brodway limited 2-8-2 that I got for sixty dollars I ran it on the club layout today let. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTFkT8HLPc&context=C47d62ccADvjVQa1PpcFPK_hP5JsQ1MrPbq8ZC0ofoYE0VGqR41TY=

To All: Quote from the humorist Jonathan Winters--"I quit complaining because I found too many people who could top me." How true! I had a deceased friend who could always top any story or complaint I could come up with. The same quote can be used in model railroading. Sure some complaints are justified and get changes in the hobby but who likes to hear a chronic complainer. Suck it up and get the job done!

Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout

To All: One of the few industries not in the E. St. Louis area, but one I had to include is Jack Mall Potato Co. I measured this building in McBain, Michigan and scratch built it to scale. At one time Michigan was a major producer of potatoes and the Ann Arbor RR had a siding to this company. For a short time I sold it as a craftsman kit under my Layout Concepts  company name. Here are three views of Jack Mall Potato Co..

Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout