1951 USGS aerial view showing the endpoint of the B&O’s Georgetown Branch. (Washington, DC.) Photo courtesy of Ben Sullivan. Ben goes into much more detail on these aerials on his site HERE. Last weekend, I attended what was probably the most relaxing and enjoyable operating session I’ve ever experienced. It was graciously hosted by my […]
Category: Opinion
A Two Turnout Layout
LAJ Alco S-2 #1 basks in the sun awaiting its next assignment. 1964. ebay slide scan. Photographer unknown. It’s interesting how a little information, often innocuous on the surface, can totally change our perspective and make us realize that our layout offers opportunities we hadn’t considered before. Even better, this expanded view can be realized […]
The New Book
My industry planning book is now live and available from Amazon. Model railroading is an escape from our daily lives, an opportunity to be transported, for creative expression. If you’re in the game and building something, you’re doing things right. As fun as it is to share our work on social media and through the […]
Element Selection
A backside view of some structures on my LAJ layout. Although no longer rail-served, it’s clear they were at some point. The end game for most prototype and proto freelance modelers is to try to capture the essence of a place in miniature. A major part of that quest is the elements we ultimately select. […]
Pacing
Having a “quick launch” during the early stages of layout construction goes a long way towards maintaining enthusiasm and morale. I had the bench work for The Downtown Spur completed in a few weeks. The foam base took several days. For the track, I spent a few days lightly gluing down some temporary Atlas code […]