Railfanning can be a lot like storm chasing. Lot’s of whiffs, dry holes, and hours of getting nothing. Then, a window of opportunity opens up, often for just a few seconds, making the entire outing worth it. Canton SW1500 number 1501 blasts a column of exhaust skyward as it blocks recently pulled cars in Penn […]
A view of the LAJ layout room. The new extension module is on the far right. I didn’t realize until after the fact how much of a role ergonomics plays in my enjoyment of the railroad. Having an open, cleanly finished presentation on the main floor of the house is very inviting and contributes to […]
When I upgrade a freight car, I split the work into two groups and prioritize accordingly. The first (and most important) group consists of upgrades that contribute the most to visual impact. I start with these. They are the things you notice when you first walk into the room and view the cars from five […]
Overall view of the 54-inch-long extension with mockups in place. Sometimes you need to thrash around for a while to find a path forward that motivates you. For me, answers come from “doing” and testing in 3D. Spending months (or years) drawing sketches isn’t particularly productive. Two-dimensional drawings tell you very little. Testing in 3D […]
A recent scene on my Los Angeles Junction layout. My current focus is on putting a lot more thought and attention into the background sky/horizon photos that I crop in. The laws of physics being what they are, it’s impossible to look at our models and have the same sensory experience as actually being at […]