November 2024
We are almost at the end of 2024. I hope the year ends as well for all of you that read this blog as for me. I say that 2024 was a rough year on the heals of 2023. That’s for sure. I sold off a lot of stuff that year to keep myself afloat. I do not regret it…and to those of you that helped me during that time…I am forever grateful to you all. My friends’ Jerel Eames and Brian Banna are especially dear to me for their help during those two years of pure hell. And, I’ll give the guys at www.athearn.com big thank you as well for the plethora of MoPac stuff they are releasing; which has kept me engaged during this time. So again, to all of you; Brian, Jerel, Janek, and Jack; and my many extemporaneous customers…thank you!!
I have to finish up a Canary GP15-1 for Jerel and a few F-7B units for the MPHS…then I will get back to a couple of GP38-2 units…and resume the layout reconstruction. I haven’t really decided on what part to include here at the house while I am living here…but it will definitely be modular and allow me to take it with me. I am using the new Walthers Code 83 and 70 track; and really love their switches and branch line flex track…Really looks the part. I usually just pick up a couple of boxes of flex when I am at the hobby shop if it’s in stock. I have a couple of GP15-1’s for myself…including a new 4-stack version that will be completed from current Athearn tooling. Maybe we can get them to release them in their next GP15-1 series? Who knows?
I changed the overall height of the layout back to 54″ inches during this interim time of reformation; and regrouping. The engines are now all going to have full lighting and Soundtraxx Blunami installed. Scale Sound Systems Speakers will remain the norm for the sound presentation. LED’s will be installed on the units and I will again paint these myself…but all new units will be purchased with factory paint and detailing. I am in the process of working on the hopper fleet too…as I continue to add some subtle weathering and a few cars will get the Soundtraxx Sound Car added to them to simulate the release and charging of the air lines during the blocking and building of coal trains both at West Frankfort and the Buckhorn Industrial Spur.
The new Athearn 5 bay rapid discharge hoppers will be on the layout as WFAX cars; simulating that traffic to and from Marion IL and the CO&E. I might even do the 25 or so CO&E 4000 cu. ft. hoppers as well…even though I don’t think they ever made it to service but one time on the C&EI. As for the CO&E; William Brillinger made new decals for COE 1147 for my undecorated Walthers SW1200…and Stewart Graham has helped with 3D printing the stanchion mounts that MP welded to the sill units of those SW1200s…It’s a small detail…but it really looks the part. I also ordered a couple of the new Walthers/Proto NW2’s for Zeigler Coal engines…The undecorated NW2s in the Walthers/Proto line will have all three styles of hoods so you can choose what phase you want.
Stewart Graham has also designed the truss sections for both Saline Creek trestle and Grasshopper Creek trestle off of original C&EI drawings. So I am able to not only recreate the Neilson Jct and Vienna Jct Towers…but two of the most dramatic steel viaducts on the C&EI line through Southern Illinois. The rest of the bridges will be built with I beam and structure shapes from Evergreen and Plastruct. We are mulling the towers for the Bridge…but don’t know yet how we can do that. If nothing else, I can simply blow the drawings up to HO scale renderings…and make photo-copies…then build the trestle towers like the Central Valley Truss Bridge many years back. It wouldn’t be difficult.
Looking forward to Trainfest this year…and I plan to make my first ever trip to the Amherst Show in January. I have never been and I need to be there just once. So this is the year. Unless they forecast a huge snow storm again like the last time I planned to attend.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you all have a wonderful early Holiday and Shopping season…
