Topic: Model Railroad Design The ultimate model railroad design goal? Capturing the essential elements of a scene successfully enough that you have the sense of “being there”. It’s an elusive target because hitting it is hard to break down into a step by step, “how to” sequence. At the root of the problem is the harsh reality that […]
Category: Los Angeles Junction Railway
LAJ Update
It’s been a productive month on the LAJ layout. Progress being: made a visit to the actual site in Vernon, solved the lighting problem, finalized and tightened up the track plan, laid all the track (half of which is permanent), wired in the track and activated the control system. The LAJ is proto freelance. It […]
LAJ Lighting
“You can never be too rich, too thin,…….or have too many lumens” Wallis Simpson. Coming up with a method of lighting the LAJ proved to be more challenging than expected. Since this was in a finished room, with decorative track lighting already in place, the biggest obstacle was coming up with something that would bath […]
What You Don’t See
After my most recent hand laid track project using P:87 tie plates I was struck by the fineness of the plates themselves. Others have asked me about this as well. Rightly so. I had two choices, paint the rail a lighter color to highlight the tie detail or paint it the darker color it […]
Cheap Ass Bastards and DCC
The LAJ layout is powered by running a tap downward through the floor to the Downtown Spur in the basement below. I seem to recall an event in my son’s hormone laden teen years that resulted in him branding me a “cheap ass bastard”. It probably centered around a differing point of view as to […]