One of my blog followers, a prototype “railroader”, sent me the following note: “I’ve noticed that when I see models of locals they tend to always have a 4-axle diesel or two as power. On my district it’s common to see 2 or 3 six-axle units on locals and even as yard switchers. The ever-popular […]
Category: Operations
Real Time Operations
Click thumbnail to view video Thanks to blog follower Justin for forwarding the link to this great YouTube video of CSX local D700 switching Standale Lumber in Grandville, MI. What struck me is that this entire sequence could be modeled in real time. The clip is roughly twenty minutes long. You could inch through the […]
Tank Car Unloading
When you think about it, those YouTube viewing preference “suggestions” are a little scary. For example, you might want to take a hard look at your life path if you get a YouTube note that reads, “based on your past viewing experience you might like the suggested videos on (take your pick), joining ISIS, aborigine […]
Capturing A Sense of “Mass” (Feb.12)
Following my last blog on this subject Trevor Marshall was kind enough to point out Mike Confalone’s work with super weighting cars. In a post on the Model Railroad Hobbyist forums Mike wrote: “Bottom line, if you want really reliable operation, and more importantly, prototypical operation, you should consider adding a LOT more weight to […]
Capturing A Sense of “Mass”
Creative fulfillment aside, one the main reasons I model railroads is that I’m mesmerized by the full size version. In particular, the sense of overwhelming mass and the stunning horsepower numbers it takes to move just a few cars. (A GP38-2 tips the scales at 125 tons.) As I watch YouTube videos such as THIS […]