Howdy!!! I'm Carmine (Car-MINE, to my western friends!!!) Like many, I got into trains, with the Lionel Set, when my dad got me when I was 5 (1969).... He was also wise enough to get get me extra track, turnouts, and accessories!!! Fueled my passion. By 1975, I was already reading Model Railroader, and frequenting Hobby Shops. As a kid who loved trains, and arts - I decided to build a "real" layout!!! I was then being confused with details: "You gotta be Prototypical!" "You can't run that loco with the Santa Fe!" (My first choice) "No! Don't get those trees, they're not right for the area!" Blah. Blah. Blah!!!! Too many rules to be fun! Then, someone suggested I freelance. "Freelance??" Yes!! You make up your own railroad, your area, your own rules and standards!! BAM!!! I was hooked!! What next? I didn't know. Then, it hit me, at the hobby shop... I saw a decal sheet, Espee & Cotton Belt. I looked at it, thought about combinations....... And, the Pacific Belt RR was born!! (for an 11 yr old kid, that was an epiphany!!) I came up with dark blue and caboose red for my colors, and I was off!! :thumbup: Over the years, it changed very little. It has been in HO scale, then O, then N, a brief time in G (1/29), back to N, then high-rail O, but settled back to HO, where it began! Some things never changed.... Set in the mid-late 70's, mostly EMD power - but some ALCo's! (Closet Alco-haulic!!) Set around Northern California, N. Nevada, and Southern Oregon & Idaho. It's a Class-2, that connects with the ATSF, BN, WP, and a few shortlines..... I'm barely underway on layout #10, and made a couple of changes just lately. Loco colors became near-Conrail Blue & C&EI Orange! **** For the first time in our 36+ year history - we FINALLY have a Herald!!! Here's a shot of my newest piece of rolling stock.... OK, this has become VERY long winded!!! I look forward to sharing experience and tips with ALL of you! ~ Oh, if all that in the middle lost anyone, my layout is in HO scale!!
Welcome to TrainBoard! Great looking logo. Maybe one of thee days, you could post a track plan or some progress photos?
Ummm...wow! Welcome to our gathering! That's definately a nice herald, paying homage to the inspiration while being unique. And, as you apparently have already discovered, never forget the first rule - have fun!
Thanks guys!! I appreciate the welcome. I may disappoint many people, but I never do track plans...... I plot areas, arrange structures & features, then see where the trackage will go. I can tell you this much - it's a 22' long, 5' wide, modified dogbone, built in 4' long detachable sections, that allows for easy expansion, and/or easy moving! It currently takes up 1/3 of my apartment's living/dining room. Construction just began this year, and I buried myself in my newest passion, superdetailing. ~ so I'm not as far as I'd like to be! Eagle - I'll NEVER forget those rules... Rule #1 & 2 - It's YOUR layout, YOUR rules!! And - Have fun! It's a Hobby!! I'll dig up pictures! Here's an early construction photo... Here's how they attach... And my crude method of mountain building..... This was fun, digging up early construction pics!!
...... scratchbuilt a trestle (23" radius, 1% grade)... My style of layout building is "evolutionary" . It's TRULY never really done!! Here's where that corner's at, as of last week.... Thanks for looking!!!
