TrainBoard.com - Blogs http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php TrainBoard.com: Discussion forums and message boards for everything railroading. Featuring forums for specific railroads, all scales of model railroading, and anything related to trains and railroads. en Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:20:30 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/images/misc/rss.jpg TrainBoard.com - Blogs http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php My Collection - O Scale http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2050 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:56:16 GMT Work Train has arrived!!!!!!! O Scale * Atlas (Industrial Rail) * MFG#0351-1009801 * Road#15423 * Gondola Image:... Work Train has arrived!!!!!!!

O Scale
  • Atlas (Industrial Rail)
    • MFG#0351-1009801
    • Road#15423
    • Gondola
    • Road#35039
    • Stake Car
    • Road#30022
    • Derek
]]> Stourbridge Lion http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2050 AMC controversy continues http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2049 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:11:09 GMT Locals in shock after SPI reveals intentions to destroy Amador County's entire railroad

Friday, March 12, 2010
By Scott Thomas Anderson



The Amador Foothills Railroad as it looks today. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

For more than a century, a line of two steel rails has glided through the hills of western Amador. It's a narrow, rustic tribute to the county's past - and a possible glimpse into its future.

Experts agree that the Amador Foothills Railroad is a cultural treasure and the only remaining surface link from Amador County to the other rail lines in the United States. In recent years, local historians have been locked in a bitter feud with corporate giant Sierra Pacific Industries regarding the fate of the railroad. As tempers rose, an independent group of railroad enthusiasts stepped in as a mediating force between the sides, restoring tracks, creating the Ione Vintage Rail Fair and getting assurances from SPI that most of the Amador Foothills Railroad would be saved for posterity.

Last week, that group said SPI changed its mind - revealing a sudden and unexpected move that appears to many to be the latest in a long line of broken promises.

On Friday, members of the Recreational Railroad Coalition, who have been guardians by lease of the railroad for the last five years, told the Ledger Dispatch that SPI's vice president, Mark Emerson, informed them that the RRC's lease would not be renewed, that they must cancel the upcoming Vintage Rail Fair, and that - despite nearly three years of assuring the public it wouldn't - SPI had decided to launch operations to destroy the entire railroad line.

RRC members and history-lovers throughout Amador County are now reeling from the shock.

However, last week's revelation wasn't the first time SPI had reversed a public stance about the railroad. In 2005, the company began the process of filing for abandonment of the rails with the federal Surface Transportation Board, which would nullify all federal regulations over the railroad and allow SPI to do what it wants with it as a private property owner.

In order to go forward with the abandonment, the National Environmental Protection Act forced SPI to hire archeologists to produce a cultural resource study of the railroad. Those archeologists, Shelly Davis King and assistant Deborah Cook, found that Amador Foothills Railroad was so historically important that it qualified to be on the National Register for Historic Preservation. SPI quickly went on the record opposing any such nomination, but claimed it was willing to preserve the vast majority of the rails on its own.

To prove sincerity, SPI leased 85 percent of the railroad - which stretches from a bread store in Martell to the city of Ione rail yard - to the RRC, which volunteered to continually repair and restore it.

Meanwhile, SPI tore up three different sections of the historic railway that weren't under the RRC's lease. When the Amador County Historical Society began publicly denouncing the corporation, SPI spokesman Mark Luster characterized the three incidents as anomalies. In February 2008, Luster told the Ledger Dispatch that the three sections had been dismantled due to access problems and concerns from the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Luster said that two of the sections would eventually be fixed.

Then, in fall 2009, without notifying the press or public, SPI began tearing up huge sections of track throughout Martell. On Sept. 22, 2009, a raging fire that threatened numerous businesses made the Ledger Dispatch aware of SPI's salvage operations. The fact that more than 1.5 miles of track had been ravaged became clear when contractors working for SPI admitted to a reporter that they'd accidentally started the fire while breaking the tracks apart.

Reached for comment, Luster now said that destroying the tracks was "consistent with (SPI's) plans to develop the property."
Did SPI have permission from federal authorities to destroy the tracks? According to the Surface Transportation Board, no. After learning of the incident, the board wrote a letter on Nov. 3 demanding SPI cease all salvage operations on the railroad until it had completed the abandonment process.

The RRC mourned the loss of the tracks, but took solace in the fact that the vast majority of the railroad was still unharmed and under their protection. Thursday's phone call to the RRC changed that.

According to Grant Vogel, the RRC's road master for the Amador Foothills Railroad, Emerson informed his group that SPI would pull the rails up forever and replace them with a walking path. Vogel opposes the destruction. He is also highly skeptical about SPI's newest offer. "Personally, I doubt that the walking trail will happen," Vogel said.

In a phone call Tuesday, Luster confirmed that the RRC's lease would not be renewed for "internal reasons." He did not directly confirm or deny the threat of salvage operations, but did attest that SPI was "in the process of exploring options for walk paths" along the rail line.

Gary Rienoehl, a former employee of the Office of Historic Preservation, said that stopping SPI from tearing the railroad apart may be difficult.

"My understanding is that once they complete all of the stipulations in the abandonment process, they'll be out of the hands of all federal jurisdiction," Rienoehl explained. "It would be up to the county to see that they needed do any discretionary actions under the California Environmental Quality Act. If they don't, SPI can go ahead and do it."

For Cook, one of the archeologists who studied the Amador Foothills Railroad, the scenario of destruction is horrifying. "That railroad was crucial to the economic development of Amador County. It provided a travel corridor and vital link in the building of our community," Cook said Monday. "This railroad is not only a valuable historic resource, but I believe it's necessary for the future of Amador. Eventually, we'll need mass transportation. It's a certainty." ]]> John Barnhill http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2049 GAMES - Ticket to Ride http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2048 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:26:23 GMT Another great addition to our family game nights Image: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/1447/tickettorideeuropa1912.jpg ... Another great addition to our family game nights

]]> Stourbridge Lion http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2048 Detailing is almost complete... http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2041 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:57:22 GMT I've really come a long way with my detailing. I took a few small spots every night, making trees in between. Things are starting to come together. After I make a background, I don't know if there is much else left to do... I'm not too concerned with the bells and whistles of little streetlights and signals (although they are pretty sweet) but I guess thats the nice thing about this hobby, if I decide to add them, hell, I'll just add them.

Anywho here's some pics of the progress...




Google Earth picture?
]]> Primavw http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2041 Hands Free Turnout Control/Signal and Simulated Train Protection http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2039 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:04:37 GMT Check This Out! As seen in Model Railroader News Feb/2010 and on Model Railroader.com ProtoSwitch Hands free turnout control and simulated... Check This Out!

As seen in Model Railroader News Feb/2010 and on Model Railroader.com

ProtoSwitch

Hands free turnout control and simulated train protection for your model railroad.

Never touch your switches again!
Control your switches “Hands Free” without DCC!
Operator will never be confused about what toggle controls what switch, we have taken all the guess work out!
The most prototypical slow motion turnout control on the market today.



OUTPUTS (with 10 pin optional ribbon connector and cable):

With 4 different flickering outputs to simulate flares, you can reproduce rear and front train protection for switching operations or what ever your layout might require. The ProtoSwitch also has 4 LED outputs. 2 in the thrown position and 2 in the closed position. It also has the ability to have 1 LED in each position blink by the placing or removing of a small shunt (jumper).These outputs can be used for fascia mounted LED’s or to do simple signal control.

OTHER FEATURES:

ProtoSwitch is Plug N Play for Tortoise slow motion switch motors.
The ProtoSwitch has the ability to be a latched or momentary output by the placing or removing of a small shunt (jumper). There is also an adjustable trim pot to select the speed of the turnout throw; this allows you to get prototypical throw speed of your turnout.
ProtoSwitch can be used with push buttons or toggle switches if needed.
Thanks,
Kevin L
Single Track Hobbies
http://www.smd-products.com ]]> sngltrk2002 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2039 Digitrax/Lenz/NCE Radio Throttle Extension Cord http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2038 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:50:00 GMT Hello All,

The question has been brought up to me before so I thought I would post a solution.
You can get a LocoNet compatible 9' coil cord extension for your radio throttles from Single Track Hobbies. It plugs directly into the RJ connector on your throttle via the coupler and then into the the LocoNet buss. This product does not reverse the wires. This will allow you to have a tethered throttle when you want or need one and a radio throttle when you don't. The best of both worlds.

The Lenz and NCE cable do not have the coupler. They plug directly into the throttle.

Hope this helps.

Kevin
Thanks,
Kevin L
Single Track Hobbies
http://www.smd-products.com ]]> sngltrk2002 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2038 Locomotive break-in and some cheap mags http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2037 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:49:00 GMT Ran my "slower" locomotive for a few hours today on my temporary loop. It seems to have picked up some speed but it still doesn't want to start moving until the throttle dial is around 3. The other one starts moving at 1. I need to get a standards gauge and make sure the wheels are aligned and all that. Otherwise I don't think these guys are going to consist well together. May have to swap shells with another locomotive in the future. I haven't filled my wishlist roster yet afterall. I still need a NY Central GP40 and another 40 or a 35 that I can paint up in Allegheny Valley colors.
In other news to get some blood flowing we walked down to the local fleatique before the hockey game. I found probably 3 dozen back issues of MR for $.50 a piece. I of course couldn't tell which ones I have from the ones I don't so I'm going back hopefully tomorrow to get the ones I don't, probably atleast 2/3 of them. ]]> Jeepy84 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2037 Problem follow up, interior design. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2036 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:47:53 GMT No, I didn't paint my walls and get new curtains to match the new Ikea furniture. I solved my problem of not enough wiggle room for the layout by rearranging the furniture I already have. I gained 4 inches of spce between the layout and the glass-doored cabinet. In the process I turned my desk/nightstand into a perfect desk/workbench and my chest of drawers now doubles as my nightstand.
I have a small desk lamp on the desk right now but it doesn't throw very much light, being a 60w incandescent with an opaque brown shade. I'm going to start looking for a relatively inexpensive lighted magnifier to clamp to the desk. Perhaps I will find one that I can swap in a CFL.
I also went though my car modeling tools, paints, brushes, etc. and inventoried what I have and what I figure I will need.
So far my wish list is:

Files
Pin vise and drill bits
razor saw & miter box (or perhaps a Micromark Chop It)
cutting pad
a new sprue cutter/shear
scale rule
NMRA N scale clearance, wheelset, trackwidth gauge
magnetic gluing jig
those micro brush things
Weathering chalks, pastels, markers, whatever I happen to find cheap.
various "railroad" and other flat color acrylics

Possibly an airbrush too hopefully. I'm liking the prices in the Badger Garage Sale.
I wish I had done this sooner, I feel sure I passed up some deals at the Greenberg show not knowing what I have/need. ]]> Jeepy84 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2036 Engineering and design, both benchwork and space. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2034 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:28:34 GMT I've run into a bit of a problem that is stalling my motivation to continue on while I think about it. It has to deal with benchwork and the entire concept of my design, so continuing on may be for naught til I figure this out.
My problem is two-fold. One, the benchwork is too tall for me to comfortably reach the back near the wall. But the height is dictated by the TV underneath the layout. I can't put it anywhere else in the room. So I put everything on wheels, TV stand included, hoping to be able to move the whole layout if I need to get to the backside. Here the problem is everything is rather cumbersome and with tight clearances to the walls, which are not straight to begin with. I am starting to think that rearranging the rest of the furniture in the room is my best bet, but what configuration is another stumbling block. It's not like I can just up and move bookcases and drawers and the bed around and around til I find something that works. I'm not down and out yet, I just think I need someone else's input or more time to think this through. ]]> Jeepy84 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2034 <![CDATA[SLI&S Concept track plan]]> http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2032 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:11:03 GMT Here is my tentative track plan. It shows most of the planned trackage. The trackage I have right now is basically what I plan to have. But some,... Here is my tentative track plan. It shows most of the planned trackage. The trackage I have right now is basically what I plan to have. But some, like the trackage between the materials yard and the conversion dept will be gone. How ever a siding in that area will remain to connect to the other side of the "teeming" Dept for the torpedo cars to discharge molten iron into a "service ladle" to be taken to the iron mixer and then to the Bessemers and open hearths. Forgive the crude drawings as I am not a draftsman.
Attached Files
File Type: doc SLI&S Concept track plan.doc (57.0 KB, 7 views)
]]> trumpetplayer http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2032 Pink mountains majesty, above the equally pink plains. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2030 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:29:26 GMT Image: http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss192/Jeepy84/Trains/100_2769.jpg ...

We are up and running trains friends!



I wanted to see a long train go by at least once. So I hooked it up to the stronger running of my GPs and let her go. I'm going to start breaking in the slower one when I get home on Sunday.



Figured out how to keep these sections together. Free old removable-pin door hinges ftw! ]]> Jeepy84 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2030 My first railroad. Based loosely on the BPRR in N-scale. http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2029 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:48:50 GMT Well I somehow totally missed this section of the site, and made a build thread over in the N scale forums. I don't know if anything I'm going to do with the layout warrants posting in two different places so from now on I will just update my blog with progress. If I come across any interesting techniques or problems others might run into, I'll post those in the forum.
So far I have benchwork cut from scrap plywood that is painted and put in place in my bedroom. Today I managed to get a good amount of extruded foam from Lowes and Home Depot for $10 by asking about defective pieces. So here we are as of this afternoon.
]]> Jeepy84 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2029 AFL - New Life http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2028 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:50:38 GMT New arena league targeting 4 large markets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Arena Football League, reborn under new leadership after folding last year, is already looking to add teams in Philadelphia, Southern California, Denver and Pittsburgh.

Commissioner Jerry Kurz said on a conference call Wednesday that the league has had serious negotiations to place teams in those markets beginning with the 2011 season. The Philadelphia Soul won the last AFL title in 2008.

"We are so excited to be talking to the Philadelphia market and we would love nothing more than for Jon Bon Jovi, Craig Spencer and Ron Jaworski to join our league," Kurz said. "Our ownership has already extended an offer to them to join us.

"No one has done more for the brand of arena football than that collective group."
Kurz says a new group of owners spent $6.1 million for the assets of the defunct Arena Football League, including the name, history and records. It will re-launch in April with 15 teams - about half of them from the former AFL and the remainder from what used to be known as arenafootball2, or AF2.

He set out no concrete plans for how many teams the AFL eventually hopes to include. There were 17 AFL teams when the league went bankrupt last year, and another 25 participated in AF2.

"I think that horizon is open. Our ownership is dedicated to expansion and covering the country," Kurz said. "However, they're also dedicated to bringing in expansion markets and teams as it is appropriate - when we can make sure that there's great ownership in a city, great community support and it's appropriate - not just to have teams here and there."

Kurz said the new AFL will follow the model of Major League Soccer in having all players and coaches employed by the league instead of by individual teams in a bid to "correct an economic model that failed." That arrangement will allow the league to collectively seek out such needs as equipment deals and workers' compensation coverage.

"It's power buying, not unlike large chains that do that as well, to capitalize on size and quantity," Kurz said.

All players will be paid a uniform amount, Kurz said, although he kept that figure confidential.

"Control is not a bad word. Control is a very good word in these challenging economic times," Kurz said.

The AFL has already reached a one-year deal with the NFL Network to broadcast a Friday night game of the week, beginning with Chicago at Iowa on April 2. Kurz said 14 of the 15 teams will be featured during the regular season.

The eight-team playoffs and Arena Bowl, which will be played at the home of the higher seed, will also be televised.

Team owners and executives include former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.

Former AFL teams that will resume operations include Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Arizona, Utah, Orlando and Tampa Bay. Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Alabama, Bossier-Shreveport, Iowa, Spokane, Jacksonville and Milwaukee will move from af2 into the new league.

"It is essential for all of our teams to be successful in their own markets, of course. However, all of our teams must be working for the common goal and that is all teams being sustainable in this challenging economic time," Kurz said.

The AFL had been playing its high-scoring brand of indoor football for 22 years before it folded last year. John Elway, Jerry Jones and Bon Jovi provided star power in management roles, and the league gained a bounce in credibility when Kurt Warner went on to lead the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title. Games were eventually shown on NBC and ESPN.

But revenue couldn't keep up with costs, and the 2009 season was canceled before the league announced it was shutting down in August. Plans for the new league surfaced about a month later.

"The thing right now that everybody needs to realize is that there are a lot of sacrifices being made by a lot of people who are counting on this league succeeding and that the future is bright," White said.

"I think 2009, when the history books have been written, may go down as maybe the single most important year in the history of arena football because it was a chance for us to take a little bit of a break, step back. I kind of liken it to the pause that you take when you're shifting gears. ... I think with this model, with an opportunity for the owners to actually make a profit, the sky is the limit for the Arena Football League." ]]> Stourbridge Lion http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2028 Wolfcreek Terminal HO Scale MOW Boxcar Project http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2027 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:59:22 GMT So I talked about this in HO Scale section. But here's what's going to be done to it:

BN/CB&Q Boxcar Decals//Woodland Scenics Dry Transfer Decals
Etched Metal Roof Walkway
One Boxcar Door Glued Shut
One Glued Partially Open
Generator Mounted Inside Partially
Laser Cut Wood Deck (Center Platform)
Brake Platforms
Coupler Cut Bars
Metal Brass Grabwires for Smoke Stack
New Windows//Metal Frame Style
Window Frame Bar Guards (As Per Nationale de Mexican Railways)
Custom Decals//Equipment & Salvage Car
Custom Decals//Do Not Hump
Passenger Car Trucks (Don't start on me. I'm freelancing this _my_ way.)
Kadee #5's (DONE)
Custom Burlington Northern Green Paint (DONE)
Brake Hoses (Hi-Tech Details Most Likely)
Weathering Job
Metal Wheels
Orange Stobe (Burlington Northern Prototype. I have pictures of this. LED Strobe Wired Into an onboard battery pack & Switch)
Window Glazing Plastic sheets.

I'll add more as I begin to think of it. Til next update.

EDIT: As someone asked me in a PM, I'm going to use REA Express Reefer Trucks, the same kind Great Northern used on their express boxcars. That at least keeps this close to merger prototypes while still letting me freelance sans the fact that it's a Pennsy Boxcar Model heh. ]]> DragonFyreGT http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2027 First step toward proto http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2025 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:51:17 GMT I recieved a Atlas Conrail GP40 and Atlas Norfolk GP40-2 today after the tax refund (woot!). The NS unit has no road numbers so I referenced an old... I recieved a Atlas Conrail GP40 and Atlas Norfolk GP40-2 today after the tax refund (woot!). The NS unit has no road numbers so I referenced an old pic I took last summer.

So I broke out my Norfolk Southern Decal kit and gave the Geep some road numbers.
Before:

After:


I haven't really touched the detailing stuff lately. I did, however, pick up another WS Forest Canopy Kit to keep rolling with my trees whenever I get around to it.

Until next time...:thumbs_up: ]]> Primavw http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=2025