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My hope for visitors to this site is that they take away something of benefit whether it be an insight, inspiration, or modeling tip.   For my part, I was first exposed to model railroading by my parents around age eight.  As with most kids that age, I went through every conceivable hobby with none being able to hold my interest more than a few months before something newer and even more interesting came along.  I re-visited the hobby more seriously as a teenager only to drop it again as I focused on obtaining an engineering degree and getting established in the work force.  The hobby finally took hold for good in my mid-thirties.   As a pursuit model railroading has provided more enjoyment, creative expression, self-confidence and friendships than I'll ever be able to re-pay.   When I'm not building models I enjoy following basketball and football (where I'm an unabashed fair weather fan), watching my favorite crime show dramas on television or DVD's, reading crime novels, and haphazardly following a physical fitness regime to stem the body decay that inevitably begins after age 40.   I'm a full time custom layout builder by profession, details of which can be found on my business site www.shelflayouts.com.

Lance Mindheim 

January 11, 2012

Picking A Year

Buildings in Miami are constantly being repainted.  The left photo shows Family and Son as it appeared in 2007.  The right photo shows it in 2012.

When I started out  modeling the Miami industrial scene, I rather naively set the year  as "Today".  Reality has set in.  It's just not practical to do so.  Things change much faster than anybody can build models to reflect such changes.  To be accurate you would  be in a situation where you are constantly re-building structures and changing rolling stock.  Industrial tenants come and go.  Industries that saw rail service give it up.  In other locations new tenants move into vacant buildings and start up rail service.  Buildings in Miami are constantly repainted.  CSX has phased in it's new locomotive paint style.  I just can't say I'm modeling the present and keep up.  For that reason I'm setting the date I'm modeling as 2007.  In 2007 the Miami Produce Market still received cars in their courtyard.  In 2007 the Seaboard Warehouse was still going strong.  I will fudge a bit though.  A number of new industries have started taking rail shipments and I'm not above adding those into the layout.

January 4, 2012

Ships For the River

In an effort to start filling up the Miami River with water craft I've been surfing the web for suitable candidates.  The Revell Firefighter at 1/87 appeared to have lots of potential and could be kitbashed to have more of a work boat look to it so I ordered one.  Tonight UPS deposited a rather large box on my doorstep  which I assumed was more of my wife's ongoing home decoration purchases.  To my surprise it was from the vendor the I bought the model from.  Hmmm, really put some packing around this sucker I thought.  Wrong, the box actually was that big.  It's a good news slightly bad news deal.  The model is much better looking than I expected.  However.....it's huge!  A whopping 19" long and 4.5" wide.   At any rate the kit contents were a pleasant surprise and it looks like it'll be a fun project.

December 28, 2011

The Port of Palm Beach

One of the most modelgenic, present day, modeling subjects is the Port of Palm Beach Railroad in Riviera Beach, Florida (West Palm Beach area). Relatively small, it's nestled between the FEC main, where it connects via interchange, and the port.  Route 1 runs over the top of the yard.  The railroad is small enough to be modeled but handles enough commodities to be of interest. Incoming ships are much smaller than you'd see at a larger port.  In terms of rolling stock, not only do you have the expected containers (but of varied type for interest) but the railroad also sees cement hoppers, and tank cars (molasses for rum I'm told).   Motive power consists of a single SW painted in faded red, white, and blue livery.   Back in 2005 I decided to take my chances, held my breath and walked into the yard office to ask permission to photograph.  The crew could not have been nicer, and gave me the time of their run bys as well as the best photographic angles.   After capturing a number of great shots on slide film I was spotted by port security which, unlike the railroaders, had little patience for my presence and gave me the proverbial boot.   In my book, "8 Realistic Track Plans For Small Switching Layouts" I have some more photos from my trip as well as a track plan.

Here's a well done YouTube video showing the port switcher heading from north to south on the FEC interchange, pushing a cut towards the port.  Notice the interesting flat rack containers of lumber as well as the generator powered refrigerated trailers.  A-Line makes models of the flat racks. You have to love the deep throaty sound coming from the switcher's prime mover.

Here's a Bing birds eye view of the port facing west.

Left photo: View of the yard facing west from the Rt. 1 overpass.  They get some odd rolling stock.  Notice the caboose and absolutely massive depressed center flat.  Right photo: Facing east from Rt. 1.  Notice the cement silos which take hoppers.

December 5, 2011

Mission Mode Operating Sessions

Tick. Tick. Tick.  You're running out of time.  Better speed up.

How do you plan your operating sessions?  I’ll argue that most folks are mission driven.  They have a certain number of moves they want performed, industries they want switched, or trains to run and, by god, nothing short of completion will be accepted!    Running short of time?  Speed up darn it!  Can’t get everything done? We’ll run a longer session.  It’s all good training…… if you’re getting ready to be a UPS driver.  However, it's not very realistic….or enjoyable for that matter.

 Let’s  break it down.  We have:

Which are fixed and which are variable?  Sub-consciously most model operators view the number of sequences or trains to be run as the, set-in-concrete, fixed number that drives everything. No matter what, everything on "the list" MUST BE DONE!  That’s the wrong way of looking at it.  In the real world it’s the one true variable.  It’s the element that is last in the pecking order.  Conversely, model railroaders also sub-consciously, and erroneously, view the amount of time it takes to perform a move as a variable.  It's not. It's fixed.

Let’s take a look at an actual railroad.   The amount of time it takes to perform a switching operation is pretty much an inflexible element by virtue of speed, distance, physics, and safety rules.  No matter how loud management screams, it isn’t going to get a four hour job completed in two hours.

Overtime is expensive.  Come the holiday season, the switch crews may be warm to going over their time limit to the tune of time and half or double pay.  The bean counters are less enthused.  In the real world, when a yard or industrial shift is over, in most cases you are walking to the crew lounge.

Model railroaders have a tendency to try to squeeze more action and more switching moves into a session than time will realistically allow.  The result is un-necessary pressure and an op. session that isn’t real world.

Food For Thought:

December 1, 2011

Historic Aerials

There was a very helpful lead to a great website on the Atlas Forum today.  Historic Aerial Photos: http://www.historicaerials.com/.  It didn't take long to uncover lots of cool old photos from Miami.  I was a little surprised to see that the SAL station on 7th Avenue was still standing in 1980.  The older photos along the river were interesting in that you could see how the spur ran into a warehouse serving Antillean Marine. 

November 18, 2011

Book Update

I've finished writing my latest book, "How to Operate A Modern Era Switching Layout" and the publisher is preparing a proof copy for me to review.  I should have the proof next week. I expect to have any revisions made and the book ready for sale in two to three weeks.  It came in at 104 pages and I expect a price of roughly $25.50.

October 31, 2011

20/20 Hindsight

When it comes to photoshop, sometimes I just can't restrain myself.  The above image of the East Rail layout seems basic enough as you see a kid operating the railroad while an older, and presumably wiser one, gives directions.  Of course the kids in the photo are the same person but at different ages.  The base image taken in 2006 shows my son in an orange shirt.  Last month I had him stand in about the same position, re-shot the photo, and then cropped him into the original shot taken in '06.  Wouldn't it be great if we could travel back in time and guide our younger counterparts through various decisions.  Don't do that.  Don't say that.  As they say, hindsight is 20/20.

“That’ll Teach Them” 

Athletic Eligibility Rules,   A Double Edged Sword

Every school system has minimum academic requirements that must be met in order to participate in athletics.  If you don’t meet that bar you’re out.  If you drop below the bar at the end of a marking period you’re out. On the surface, what rationale person could argue with such logic?  After all, the first priority of any school is to educate.  Enforcement of the policy sometimes takes on a rather self righteous tone though.  A perceived slacker becomes ineligible and we all thump our chests.   His grades dropped, he’s out,  “that’ll teach ‘em.”  Really?  What will it “teach him”?  To bring his grades up?  Hmmm. 

Before we get too strident about this we need to look at the flip side of the coin.   Any punishment should serve only two functions,  either to remove a dangerous individual from public interaction or to alter behavior.  If it doesn’t accomplish one of those objectives, it is pointless. 

There is a great misperception about athletics.  They are  viewed as ‘fun’, as a privilege, a party we earn for good behavior.  At the high school level this is inaccurate.  Sports can be about fun but that is a side benefit and small portion of the pie.  Sports are about learning self discipline, overcoming obstacles, learning to work as a group,  dealing with disappointment, and obtaining long term satisfaction.  Sports participation isn’t a party or a reward.  For many kids it is the only family they have. The coach may be the only father figure in their lives. Whether a school sports team should serve such a role is irrelevant, it does and we need to be pragmatic in acknowledging it.  Sports are an unexpected opportunity to save some kids that has dropped right into our laps. 

I see it all the time, the kid from a difficult home situation.  No father, mom always at work.  Nobody to explain homework, study and test strategy, or guidance in life.  The kid has nothing.  Along comes athletics, the one thing he is good at.  Now he is swept into the exact situation he needs, a structured community that provides role models, good examples,  and a life safety net.  It is what the kid needs to survive.  Perfect situation at the perfect time.  The team probably even offers mandatory study hall.  We are on the right track with this person.  We’re pulling the guy back.

Then it happens.   He doesn’t get the grades.   He’s out.  No discussion, no examination of circumstances.  Rules are rules, see ya.    The only thing of value and substance in his life is gone.  We showed him.  Showed him what? 

Here’s the myth.  People think the kid’s thought process goes like this, “Wow, should have studied harder.  Shame on me.  Learned my lesson.  I’ll study from here on out.”  They don’t think like that.  They sink further into the abyss.  I see them wandering the halls, head down, totally lost and isolated.  They have nobody and lost the one thing they had.

Society had such an opportunity to save the kid, they had everything in position,….and they fumbled the ball at the goal line.  The common perception is that these kids are laughing and yucking it up in the halls thumbing their nose and mocking education.  Some are.  What about this,  I know of kids that spent hours before and after practice bent over their text books killing themselves to make the grade so they could stay with the team.  Tears in their eyes, head down, they just couldn’t grasp the material.  Believe me, they weren’t laughing.

If cost were no object, and obviously it is, I would argue the benefits of the reverse policy.  Any student that does not meet academic guidelines should be required to be in a sport.  There are a few schools that actually have that policy, mostly those that follow the military model.  That’s right, some schools require every student to participate in athletics.  What do they know others don’t?

Before we get too strident about kicking kids to the curb for failing academically, we need to be aware  that there are negative consequences and ramifications that go hand in hand with eligibility requirements.  It's not so cut and dried.  If the behavior isn’t altered, what are we accomplishing by kicking kids out of the only chance  that’s ever walked in front of them?  Obviously the prevailing policy is born of good intentions but it is just a little too easy and tidy to sit well with me.   Maybe eligibility requirements are the only realistic way of handling the situation.  Maybe so, but we shouldn’t be so strident about it when the axe falls on a kid.  Maybe it should keep us up at night.

October 10, 2011

Virtuosity and Model Railroading

"Black Ice" Virtuoso model and photo by Bob Springs

Virtuosity: Masterly skill or technique in the arts.

Many years ago I attended a talk at a sales convention given by motivational speaker Peter Vidmar, the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history.  The subject of the talk centered on what it took to be the absolute best in gymnastics and how the same principles applied to many endeavors.  Gymnastics is a highly competitive sport.  At the Olympic level many of the athletes have the ability to perform the events with technical perfection.  So, if every competitor performs perfectly from a technical standpoint, how do you separate a gold medal performance from the others?

The answer is virtuosity, that difficult to define, impossible to quantify, artistic element that separates the best from the technically great.  Virtuosity is what separates a CAD drawing from Da Vinci, it separates Fantasia Barrino’s rendition of ‘Summer Time’ from a very entertaining cruise ship performer.

Virtuosity applies to model railroading as well.  Every month we see models that are technically correct in every way and fully deserving of adorning the magazine covers they appear upon.  Attaining that admirable achievement however, doesn’t mean the modeler has hit that upper one half of one percent that brings it to the level of a virtuoso performance.

The litmus test is this; does the model create an emotional impact?  Does it rise above being merely interesting?  Does it instill a mood?  You can’t reach that level in model building through technical competence alone, you have to have an emotional connection to the subject and have the artistic ability to interpret, re-create, and present it in miniature.

Virtuosity is attainable.  It’s not about expensive tools or large basements.  It’s not about triple stack viaducts with red locomotives on each level.  It starts with a mindset and an ability to recognize and appreciate the beauty and grace in the most ordinary of subjects.  It’s about scene composition, color, texture, and execution.    

I challenge many of the well known modelers out there that attained technical mastery decades ago and have reached a plateau.   Some have taken the hobby as far as they want to take it and that's fine.  To others I offer the observation that they haven’t peaked and whether they realize it or not, there is another rung of the ladder above them and reaching for it will re-energize their passion for the hobby.

The more modelers that go beyond technical competence and reach for artistic mastery, the better off the hobby will be.   The more virtuoso modeling performances there are, the more people will be drawn to the hobby and the more energy and buzz there will be for those already in it.

October 7, 2011

The Operations Mindset, Symphony to Be Savored or Bitter Pill to be Swallowed?

The exceptional YouTube video above eptitomises the symphony of sound and motion characteristic of railroad switching operations.  When you're done watching ask yourself, do you want your model operating sessions to capture this flavor or that of a slot car race?

Model Railroading is unique in that it allows us to build very delicate, highly detailed models AND interact with them.  Unlike building a static model of an aircraft, our models move.  Not only that, they can be made to move in a manner and environment very similar to the real thing. 

This allows to be infused into the miniature world we’ve tried so hard to create.  Not only are we transported to this world, we can be an active participant.  What could be a better break from the pressures of ordinary life?  For a period of time we can actually be the engineer or conductor, in total control and operating in an environment of our choosing?

It seems like an experience we would want to stretch out and savor, not something to be dispatched and dispensed with the same lack of  enthusiasm  we have on a trip to the dentist.  Model railroad operations shouldn’t be some bitter pill to be swallowed and washed down as quickly as possible.

And yet, that is exactly how most model railroads are operated.  It is a mission mindset.  Beat the clock. On your mark, get set, go.  Get to the finish line as soon as possible.  To watch a video of a typical model railroad switching move you’d think you were watching a FedEx driver.  You know the drill, the FedEx truck squeals around the corner, accelerates up the street,  and screeches to a halt at the door.  The driver hops out, trots up your drive, tosses the package on the porch and then blasts away.  That is EXACTLY the way most model railroad operating sessions look.  The locomotive approaches the spur at a scale 40mph, the throttle is ground to 0 in a 10 g stop move, simultaneously the turnout toggle is switched.  The locomotive slams into the car knocking it 10 feet back, accelerates like a top fuel dragster and goes onto the next move.

Why that mindset, why try to end the experience so quickly when a) it is utterly and absolutely unrealistic and b) does nothing but speed up the end to what is supposed to be a relaxing experience? There are two reasons.  First it’s just a bad habit.  Second is lack of knowledge as to how long the prototype takes and what steps they go through (study the video above for ideas).

How long should a move take?  Switching layouts start approaching the prototype when it comes to time and task.  Granted things are compressed but many tasks are not distance related.  Swapping a load for an empty on a model railroad approaches the same amount of time as on the prototype, about 15 minutes.  Switching layouts should not be dictated by a model railroad fast clock.  They should be done in 1:1 real time.

I ran a time study of the basic switching move of swapping a load for an empty on my layout. Without going overboard waiting for my imaginary conductor to walk several hundred feet, but just taking my time and incorporating operational practices it came to 15 minutes.  That’s right, working at a leisurely pace and incorporating many but not all prototype practices it was 15 minutes.   It certainly wasn’t two or three.  Why so long?  There are a lot of tasks involved in moving railcars, many of which can be modeled without being too gimmicky.

Here are just a few examples that will give you some ideas.  Current rules dictate that employees are not to jump from moving equipment.  As you operate be at least partially mindful of where your imaginary conductor is.  The locomotive needs to come to a full stop for the conductor to get off.  You don’t need to take it to an extreme but at least be aware.  Switching moves should be done at about 5 to 10 scale miles per hour.  Industrial drives and street crossings are often protected by fusees which we can model with tokens or LEDs.  Industries have locked gates which we can model.  Switches are locked which we can model.  Rail crews frequently walk over and talk to the customer rep. to confirm car spots or the task at hand.  If pick ups are placed in the train, a set and release air brake test should be performed (typically 5 minutes for a short prototype train) before the train goes down the line.  Every modeler needs to decide for themselves where the line is between operations that you want to copy and operations that are tedious.  For example, in the real world a crew may take 20 minutes to walk and inspect a spur that hasn’t been used in awhile.  Maybe that is too much to copy….or maybe you should park the locomotive put a fresh cup of coffee on and come back in a few minutes. 

We’ve gone to a lot of effort to create this miniature world, why not milk it for all it’s worth and enjoy the ride.

Difficult Schoolwork

September 27, 2011

AP (advanced placement), IB (International Baccalaureate) and ‘honors’ courses, they’re the latest craze in high school academia.  The current thinking is that the more a student loads up on these more difficult courses, the more successful they’ll be later in life.  I’m not sure I buy what they are selling.   Actually I don’t buy it all.   It’s marketing for the parents and self serving on the school’s part.  

Does a course have to be hard to be valuable?    Is there a direct relationship between how difficult a course is and how much lifelong benefit the student ultimately receives?   In my opinion, no.   In extreme cases the opposite may be true.   There is the risk that the student will get so buried in minutiae that key concepts can’t be separated from background noise.  Remember the old adage of not being able to see the forest for the trees.  As an adult in a business setting we are taught to make our presentations simple, short, focused, and easy to understand.  Employees that can take complex situations and break them down into basic concepts that everybody can understand are highly valued. 

My son’s two best teachers (English and chemistry) assign very little homework and take more of an open book, collaborative approach to learning.   In other words, they teach the way we will teach ourselves in the real world.    On the surface their conceptual approach would appear to be simplistic.   When I attended their presentations at a recent open house, neither class appeared that hard.  They were riveting but not difficult.    That is the key though, they weren’t hard because both teachers were gifted communicators which could separate the several critical and core concepts from the piles of errata that anybody could look up in a reference book.  I told my son that if he sat in the front row and paid attention in these classes his life would be easier down the road.  Think about your current professional situation.  If you paid for a training course with your own hard earned funds with the sole goal of learning something you needed to know,  which of the following would you prefer:  Course A  is short, clear, very easy to understand, and leaves you understanding the main points.  Course B is long winded, stresses memorizing things you could easily look up, and leaves you somewhat lost as to the key concepts?  Why should high school be any different than how we train ourselves during our lifelong learning process?  It shouldn’t be.

Our educational system is highly focused on credentialization, testing, labels, and numerical measurement of academic performance.  All of this goes back to an earlier blog where I discussed society’s obsession with desperately trying to measure that which can not be measured.   Part of this is our cultural fixation on arbitrary status symbols.  The problem graduates run into is that employers understand the difference between credentials and being able to contribute.  This is why colleges turn out so many highly credentialized, utterly unemployable young people, working at Starbucks with a five figure student loan hanging over their head.   If a graduate is interviewing with the division GM of US Steel, which is going to be the better selling point;  insightful bullet point ideas on improving processes or gpa’s and credentials?

But, the parents say, those credentials will help my child get into a ‘good’ college, without that their future is doomed.  Hogwash.   First, let’s separate ‘good’ from the artificial label of ‘prestigious’.  A good college is one where the graduates find meaningful employment and perhaps get some time to mature. If you want your child to go to college, realize that acceptance is guaranteed – at least someplace.    Even if your child can’t gain admittance to the school of their choice, most community colleges have open enrollment.  Before you recoil at what many consider a step down, I suggest you take a course at one.  You are likely to find the caliber of instruction and maturity of the students to be equal to or higher than the four year institution you attended.     Many years after graduation, I took a course at the local community college.  It was an eye opening experience in terms of the high quality instruction.  My preconceptions were based on ignorance not reality.   

Being able to regurgitate data and terminology and pad a college application with activities and courses taken solely to provide such padding is a fool’s errand.   The most useful courses your child takes may not be that hard.  They often have the most pedestrian of titles.  I guess some view that as a ‘marketing’ problem. Pedestrian or not, if students learn to grasp the handful of core concepts in two of the three R’s (‘readin’ an’ riten’), learn to identify and separate critical concepts from the fog,  and learn to communicate effectively they will have a bright future indeed regardless of what the numbers and credentials say.

Tractor Pulls

September 26, 2011

Being the urban sophisticates most of my web visitors are, it is highly unlikely they’ve ever been to a tractor pull.  They probably haven’t even heard the term.

A tractor pull is a motor sport loosely related to drag racing where the opponent is weight and friction.   A tractor or truck is hitched to a sled and positioned at the end of a long dirt straight away.  At the appropriate signal, it takes off pulling the sled forward.  The kicker is that mounted on top of the sled is a massive weight.  As the tractor and sled go down the track, the weight moves forward making the sled harder and harder to pull.  Eventually, physics wins out and, no matter how powerful the tractor, it eventually stalls.  The participant that goes farthest down the track before stalling wins.  It’s a concept that simple hillbillies such as myself can quickly grasp.   The fact that the ‘tractors’ are powered by machines with ridiculous amounts of horsepower adds to the appeal, particularly after a few beers.  They don't sell wine coolers at tractor pulls.

What does this have to do with layout design?  It has to do with the size and complexity of the layout projects we chose to embark upon.   In our early enthusiasm we often minimize major construction, ergonomic, and maintenance obstacles.  For several years our enthusiasm pushes us onward perfectly willing to deal with our miscalculations.  Unfortunately, like the weight on the sled, the reality of having overstepped our energy and resource limits begins to drag on us until we grind to a halt and quit with an unfinished layout.   I’ve been getting a lot of emails and photos from folks with very well executed but modest sized, achievable layouts.  I have never….ever….had a single person complain because the layout was too small and they grew bored with it.   Just something I noticed.

(The link above was from an overseas event.  Click HERE for a snippet of the 'experience' in the US.  She hits the throttle at the 1:30  mark.  I wonder if there are any Kardashians in the crowd?  William and Kate?  Admit it though, if nobody was looking you wouldn't mind hitting the throttle on that thing just once!)

My Layout’s Done, Now What?

September 24, 2011

Through the course of a week I get  photos of modeler’s progress on their  layouts.  Many of them are switching layout based on the Palmetto Spur or plans in my books.  To a person, I’ve been very impressed with what I’m seeing.  Many are first efforts from those just entering or re-entering the hobby.   It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see folks coming off of the sidelines and joining the fold, Xacto blade in hand.  True model railroaders! 

Unlike larger layouts which generally are never 100 per cent “done”, a small project will often get to the point where it is substantially complete.  What next?  This is a nice problem to have and the answer is an easy one.  One choice would be to start over on another layout, no harm in that.  Let me suggest another option though. 

The first step is to take a moment to pat yourself on the back for an effort well done.  Just getting trains running is no small task and probably puts you in the minority.  Being able to even run equipment is no small thing.  The layouts I’m seeing are very neatly constructed and trimmed out.  Not lavish, just very clean looking and neatly executed.  This is something I’ve tried to emphasize as it builds morale and impacts how the owner feels about his layout.  I’m also getting some feedback about happy spouses, some which are even going so far as to help with videos.  The reasons the wives are happy are: a) the layout is complete so they can now see what the fuss was about.  Talk has been replaced by action.  b) you’ve done a neat trim job so it looks good in the house c) it’s not some massive, half finished, ratty dinosaur swallowing up the house.  O.K., everybody is happy, let’s get to the next step. 

Since you have something visually complete that runs, let’s keep it that way.  My suggestion is to make another slow pass at the layout gradually replacing key portions with new efforts based on your current skill level.  It makes sense that what you can build today will be better than what you could do a year ago.    Pat yourself on the back and acknowledge that what you built was your best effort based on your skill set at the time.   The reality is you are a better modeler now.  Next year you will be even better.  

Take a note pad and carefully examine the layout making notes of things that bug you or you think you can improve upon.  Pick small sections, say half a square foot or so, and re-build them pushing yourself to exceed your previous effort.   Get some high quality prototype photos of  the area you are modeling, print them out, carefully examine them, and compare the photo to what you see on your layout.  Take particular note of color, weathering, scenery patterns, and details.  See how closely you can match the feel of the photo with particular emphasis on subtle color patterns.   Compare the material cross sections (posts, poles, etc.) on your layout versus the photo.  Typically we model things too ‘thick’.  For example a prototype 4 x 4 post should be represented by something  .045” square.  Modelers commonly model that post as something much thicker which sort of stands out as being a bit "off".  A scale HO “inch” is .011”, a key number to remember (in other words a 2” diameter steel post should be modeled with . 022” rod or wire). 

  Some ideas for a second pass across the layout are: 

 These are just a few ideas.   You’ve already succeeded by virtue of getting this far so it’s nothing but upside from here.

Input For My Next Book

September 19, 2011

Largely at the request of followers of this site, the subject of my next book will be, "How to Operate a Modern Era Switching Layout".  I'm targeting a release date of early to mid December.  If there are any specific topics you'd like to see addressed, or questions answered, now is the time to give me your input.  One concern I have is that the book will have to be 'diagram heavy' in order to illustrate how specific switching moves will be performed.  Certainly there will be ample photos but, will a book with so many diagrams make your eyes glaze over?

Typical Car Movement Diagram.  Will too many of these be a yawner?

Radio Communications

September 16, 2011

Click thumbnail for video

You can learn a lot about switching operations and procedures by studying YouTube videos.  A search under 'railroad switching' is a good start.  The Pulaski Street video above is a good example with respect to radio communication procedures and rules.  Many of these communication procedures are FRA mandated.  As you study the clip, make note of a few things.   Communications frequently refer to the locomotive number for safety reasons.  You don't want a situation where another train is working the area and gives a call for a back up move that is misinterpreted by another crew as their instruction.  Note the term "three step".  This is a safety procedure employed when the conductor goes between cars.  Three step entails: 1. brakes set  2.reverser centered  3. generator field off.  This will prevent movement of the train.  Note the use of the term 'out' signaling the end of communication, another FRA mandate.  Notice the way the conductor does the distance callout during the back up move.  Operationally, notice how the conductor always does a visual on the switch points after making the switch throw.  Notice when they make the grade crossing that they stopped before going across the road even though they had the flashers.  All of these communication and operational procedures can be incorporated in a model railroad operating session.

Under Table Sound

September 10, 2011

Standing rail side listening to  a switcher work his job is a visceral experience.  I've always loved the sound of large internal combustion engines whether it be throttling up and down or just idling.  Even more, I love the feel of that deep bass thumping on my chest.  I get the same thrill from the show now as I did thirty years ago.   As the audio on YouTube videos gets better and better, my frustration has been mounting when I go to the basement and listen to that tinny model railroad sound coming from my locomotives.  It's 'sound' yes, but it's not anywhere close to the real thing. The problem is not the decoders.  A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link and the weak link is speaker size.  No matter how great the decoder, there are distinct limits as to the degree of deep throaty bass you can get from a speaker the size of a nickel.  The exceedingly patient sound guru's I've talked explain to me that when it comes to bass, size matters.  To get the sound that I want  I need a larger speaker.  An HO locomotive is only so big so you are forced to settle.  Yesterday, after  watching yet another video on YouTube with great audio  it reached the point where I just couldn't stand it any more.  Time for action.  There has been a lot of discussion about under table sound lately, particularly with the release of the highly promising Soundtraxx Surroundtraxx system. 

Theory, informed  guesses on chat forums, and advice from tech reps will only tell you so much.  To find out what I needed to know about under table sound I needed to build a 'sound mockup'.  I didn't want to spend a boatload on something that may not have worked so I did some rummaging around.  I dug out an old Soundtraxx DSX decoder and equally ancient 3 inch desktop speaker.  I added leads to the decoder and fashioned a makeshift 'locomotive' on a board.  One set of leads was hardwired to the track power bus, the other to the speaker.  Using a jumper wire,  I programmed a loco. address into the decoder.  All set, I hit the power switch and there was a brief moment of silence.  For just a second, there was the downside I was prepared for, that it wouldn't work.  Then, a moment later and there it was, the basement literally rocked to the sound of an EMD prime mover starting up.  It was mind blowing! I didn't just hear it, I felt it.  On a low volume setting the rich and deep bass sound was just incredible.  Even with an old 8 bit decoder, and old 3" speaker, the richness of the sound was impressive.   Like an idiot I must have sat there for ten minutes just throttling up and down and taking it all in.  The answer could not have been any more definitive, speaker size does matter and in a huge way.  It also seemed that by virtue of the decoder being hard wired directly into the bus (not relying on wheel to rail contact) that the throttle response was faster.

Based on the success of the first step of the experiment I've decided to pursue things further. The next step was to order a 16 bit Tsunami sound decoder.  People in the know tell me that the data in 16 bit sound is not just twice as much as an 8 bit decoder, but exponentially more.  I'll have to take their word for it.  After upgrading the decoder, I'll look into speakers.  Keep in mind I was using a cheap  old 3" speaker.  Soundtraxx technical bulletin number 11 states that, even without modifications, the Tsunami TSU-1000 can handle up to a six inch speaker!  Add an amplifier and you can go larger.  As I continue to test the under table sound concept the idea isn't so much to produce more volume but rather more fidelity.  After upgrading to the Tsunami the next step in the test will be to add one, or several, high quality five or six inch speakers.

The key question we all would have is the subject of sound direction.  How will it sound if the loco is on one end of the layout and the speaker on the other?  The experts I've talked to state that bass is less of a 'directional' sound than the higher pitches.  By that they mean the human ear has a harder time pinpointing the location of a bass sound.  This seems to be true.   Also, switching layouts have two characteristics that make them more suited for under table sound than a traditional layout.  First, they are smaller.  Second, you only have one locomotive on the layout at a time.  The whole under table  idea breaks down if you have a larger layout and multiple locos (enter the Surroundtraxx system but that's a separate subject).  The only way to find out about the directional issue was to run a test.  I put a loco. on the layout, hit f8 for mute, and then put it in a consist with the under table decoder.  Yes,  to an extent the difference in location between the loco. and speaker is noticeable, not as much as you'd think though.   It seemed to matter where, as an operator, I was standing.  Also, the sound quality was so much higher I was really torn.  Fantastic fidelity with a little locational discrepancy or crappy sound coming from the right spot?  I still need to run the experiment out further to see how far I can take things.  Still to be tested is the subject of speaker location and direction, multiple speakers, and possibly even wireless headphones where the sound is piped right to your ear.   I don't have a definitive conclusion as to whether under table will be the way to go for a small, one loco. switching layout but all signs are pointing in that direction.  Stay tuned!

Moving on from East Rail

September 1, 2011

Like most people, I have a hard time moving on from a layout even when it's clear it has outlived it's purpose.  This is even more so in cases like my East Rail railroad where it has provided so many good times and memories.  As The Downtown Spur layout has gained momentum though, I've been using East Rail less and less.  I probably should have sold it a year ago but just couldn't pull the trigger because of it's sentimental value.  As I look at it, I see a lot of items such as palms and structures that could really be used on the Spur layout.  So....it's time.  I need to find somebody that will enjoy it as much as I did or strip off the goodies and transplant them on The Spur.  The ebay listing link is in the News and Help Section.

August 29, 2011

Buying and Building Ahead of Your Eventual Layout

Even if you can't have a layout now, there is a lot of advance work you can do to prepare for that day.  The custom details in the photo above take time (very enjoyable time) to build so why not get started now.

There is a large contingent of modelers that, due to life circumstances, aren’t in a position to own a layout presently or in the near future.  Many, however, do have a clear sense of what they want to ultimately model once the space eventually becomes available.  As you wait for that day, possibly years in the future, there is an undeniable itch to do something now to prepare ahead.  In my experience the two most common advance prep. activities are structure and rolling stock accumulation, often in great excess.  The rolling stock purchases make sense to an extent if you are fairly clear on what you will need AND you take the time to weather and detail each piece BEFORE buying the next.  Undisciplined, random accumulation of stock untied to any theme is just spending.  Large structures are a different matter and I’ve written before that their purchase should be postponed until you have a completed design.  Design first and then fit structures to the design.  Not vice versa.  Large structures, even in their boxes take up a lot of space, something to consider if you are moving a lot. With that out of the way there is a lot of productive work and yes, wanton spending, that can be done in advance that will really help once you do get that layout started.  Many of these items offer hours of play value and yet take up very little storage space.

Even if your job or deployment has you at the end of the earth and moving often,  the projects above will keep you busy and give you a head start when you start on your eventual layout.   They also take up very little storage space.

August 6, 2011

The Structure Quandary

Over the past decade I’ve had a hard time ignoring the similarity between model railroader’s penchant for impulse buying/indiscriminate accumulation as compared to the same issue in any other retail setting.  I’m not sure there is a difference between purchasing more shoes than there are days in the week as opposed to buying dozens of structures none of which seem to be earmarked for any particular future purpose and none of which are ever assembled.    In both cases it comes down to the brief high from ‘getting the fix’ and buying something.  After that, the purchased item rarely sees the light of day.  The enjoyment is short lasting indeed. The only solution if you want to prolong the feeling is to buy something again. 

I’d like to focus on structure kits for now although rolling stock runs a close second.  For many, many modelers structures are their favorite part of the hobby, at least buying them is.   In many cases the purchase is rationalized when in reality it is just satisfying a craving.  The accumulated kits are unrelated to any central theme or era and go un-built.  In many cases the purchaser doesn’t have a layout either by choice or circumstance.   I’ve written before that, although there are many ways to participate in the hobby, accumulation of merchandise without any intended purpose is not one of them.  After the initial high of making a purchase, the modeler gets none of the long term satisfaction that they should seek from a hobby. 

I do believe this can be turned around though if we change our thinking towards structures in general.  We have several flaws in our thinking. The first is that there is no value in assembling a structure if it won’t eventually be on a model railroad.   That’s not true.   The second flaw is assuming that the value of assembling a kit is in the finished product.  The third flaw is that we need to keep assembled models after they are done.  We don’t.   In all three cases we overlook the fact that the value is in the process, the satisfaction of assembly if you will.  This can be no small thing.  The great news is that you don’t need to ever have a layout in order to achieve this satisfaction.

 A valuable lesson could be learned by taking a cue from our cousins in the military or automotive modeling side of the hobby.  They don’t have model railroad layouts or other settings to place the completed model and yet on they march in total bliss assembling an F-15 one month, a warthog the next. Unlike military modelers however, we railroaders face a problem. While an 1/48 model of an aircraft may only be a foot long and a few inches tall, many completed structure models are quite large, often taking up four or five square feet.  That raises the significant issue of what do we do with the darn things when they are done?

 If we change our perspective on model railroad structures and align it more towards that of the military modelers we are now in a position to get true satisfaction from the hobby even if we don’t have a layout.

1. Get in the habit of assembling your structure kits for one simple reason, the joy and satisfaction of assembly.  Whether you have a layout or not is irrelevant.  If a particular kit appeals to you, BUILD IT.
2. With a finished kit in hand we hit the stumbling block that trips most people up and keeps them from building the kit in the first place.  What do you do with it now?  As mentioned before it may be fairly large.  There are three things you can do.  If your structure models are fairly small, treat yourself to a nice display case and put them in there.  The second option is to give them away or sell them, although this may not be so easy and be more trouble than it’s worth.   The third option will be difficult for many to accept and that is to simply pitch them.  What?  That’s right, throw the kits away.   Keep them awhile, photograph them and then eventually pitch them.   If a particular model has given you forty or fifty hours of relaxation and satisfaction that’s saying quite a bit.  It’s served its purpose.  If you don’t have a place for it, no use for it, throw it away and start on the next one.  Look at this way, attending a sporting event with parking may cost well over a hundred dollars and provide four or five hours of enjoyment.  After the event is over we have no more expectations for our entertainment dollars.  We spent our money, we were entertained, and that’s the end of it.  Why should modeling be different?  The same hundred dollars spent on a structure kit will certainly provide more than a few hours of entertainment.  Model building provides more entertainment hours per dollar spent than most other pastimes.  It’s a great value.

So far we’ve been talking about structure accumulation for those with no layouts.  Those with layouts or those about to get layouts face another problem.  They have an inventory of kits accumulated over decades that, while interesting on an individual basis, have absolutely ZERO relationship to each other or any central theme.  Because the modeler spent money getting them, they feel compelled to use them on the layout. They shouldn’t and trying to do so creates unforeseen problems.    Often designs are forced around awkward structure footprints as opposed to letting the theme drive the design.  After the layout is built and the random structures placed willy nilly on its surface, it lacks visual cohesiveness.  In essence the layout has been forced to be a display case, something that just doesn’t work visually.   An analogy would be buying clothes for a vacation before you know where you are going.   Rather than looking like a model of a railroad the layout looks like a retail store front.   The only way to get a cohesive look with a model railroad  is to design it first, and THEN purchase the structures.   This isn’t to say that buying those structures was wasted money.  The layout and your structure building can be split out as two separate pastimes.  There is no reason you can’t build a structure for the sheer joy of doing so and simply not use it on your layout.  

The point of all this is to change our view on structures and the role they play with how we derive satisfaction from them.   There can be a tremendous amount of enjoyment obtained simply from building them!  So, build them.  Spending time doing a relaxing and satisfying task is the sole reason for having a hobby.   Let’s get away from over thinking structures and requiring that each and every one of them have a future role after they are completed.

August 1, 2011

Planning vs. Design 

A successful model railroad plan (notice I didn’t say design) is one that ultimately puts the hobbyist in a position where they are consistently spending hobby hours engaged in a manner they find satisfying.  Researching, building, operating, photographing all qualify. (Sorry, random long term kit accumulation and excessive chat forum participation doesn’t). 

The person who spends many satisfying hours building a replica of the freight house near their childhood home is just as successfully immersed as the person who spends an equal number of hours joyfully building a model of a star wars set behind an old west ghost town.  The person who spends hours at the archives playing sleuth is just as engaged as the structure builder.  The problem is that far too few people engage in any of these activities with enough consistency that it could be called a hobby.  That’s the sad part.  Often the individual, desperately in need of an outside activity, tries to jump in the pool and flounders about only to leave in frustration not having found the diversion they craved.

The culprit?  Lack of a viable plan.  Notice I used the word plan and not design. The terms planning and design are generally used interchangeably and synonymously when, in fact, they are two quite different things.  Design is more tactical in nature concerned with track and bench work arrangements.  Planning is more strategic, more important, and needs to happen before a design can be started.  Poorly planned layouts and approaches to the hobby are a larger reason people struggle than poor layout designs.    If you don’t have the right overall strategy the tactics become irrelevant.   

Why don’t we plan?  There are several reasons. We are ignorant of the need to do so.  If we are aware of the need we don’t understand the importance.  If we do understand the importance we don’t know how to do it because we don’t know what the central issues are.   Finally, we don’t like to plan because it requires self examination which typically is harder than drawing a track plan. 

 So, what are some of the key aspects of planning?  In general it’s coming up with an approach that tips the odds of success overwhelmingly in your favor.  (Remember our definition of success above).   A good plan energizes you enough that you want to spend a few hours a week engaged in the hobby over a period of years.

Key questions are:

A successful plan will leave you with accurate answers as to:

If you can’t realistically answer questions as to your core interests, resources, and how you plan to interact with the layout you aren’t ready to pick up a pencil and start drawing track plans.

July 29, 2011

Private Crossing Signs

Private crossings signs have been cropping up more and more lately and make for a simple evening project.  To make it even easier yet I'll help you out with the artwork. Start by clicking the thumbnail below and saving it to your computer:

Set your printer to maximum dpi and print the image out .92" tall (for HO) on GLOSSY photo paper.  Let it dry for an hour or so. 

July 22, 2011

Y120 in Action

Y120 is the CSX yard job out of Hialeah that works both the Downtown Spur and East Rail.  It continues to be pretty busy.  Following the posts on the South FL Yahoo group (mentioned yesterday) it appears a typical working shift consists of leaving Hialeah Yard around 2 am in the wee hours of the morning and returning around 10am.  You learn something new everyday.  I didn't realize CSX put a hyphenated date as an addendum to the train numbers.  For example Y120-22 would be train Y120 running on July 22nd.   Highly productive railfan Tolga E. shot a great HD video this morning of  Y120 lumbering back to the yard with 13 cars in tow including an unusually high quantity of five loaded gons from Miami Iron and Metal.  Click HERE for the video.  Enjoy.

July 21, 2011

South FL Railfan Yahoo Group

There is a fairly active Yahoo discussion group called 'South Florida Railfans'.  For those interested in joining here's the link:     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthFLRailfans.   The message volume is quite high as there is a lot of time/location reporting by the railfan list members. I enjoy that aspect as it makes me feel like I'm there.  For those that don't want the message volume you can select digest format I believe.  Although presently a small group, it's a gold mine of quality information.  Within the files section are detailed industry lists as well as train descriptions.  Archive searches of previous messages reveal some pretty interesting information on train movements.

July 15, 2011

'The Bullpen'

Efficient Rolling Stock Management

Ergonomics, or the human comfort factor, plays a much greater roll on our layout than we realize.  It impacts how often we run it, how enjoyable the experience is when we do and, ultimately, whether we keep using the railroad at all.  The hidden trap is that ergonomics can be so subtle in some cases that we aren't aware of what is sapping our enjoyment.  Such is the issue with rolling stock storage.

The only rolling stock that should be on a layout are those pieces that have a realistic reason for being there.  The problem is that most of us have more pieces than  have a justifiable reason to be on the railroad.  Some have WAY more but that's a story for another day.    Things get thorny without us even knowing it.  Absent a good storage system, those excess cars ultimately end up where it's easiest to put them......on the layout.  They gradually accumulate until things really become mucked up.  This overcrowding detracts from the experience without us even being aware of it.  Let's see how we can address the problem.  Rolling stock can be broken into three categories:  pieces that need to be on the layout, those that will likely be cycled onto the layout in the near future, and finally those items that for a number of reasons won't see use in the near future.  Those that won't see use in the near future should be removed from the railroad, packed in their boxes and either put on a shelf or disposed of.  Easy enough.

It's the second group that creates problems.  We have a large pool of cars waiting to get in the game, the sports analogy being pitchers in the bullpen. These are cars that won't be in the current operating session but likely will be mixed into the flow shortly, replacing cars currently in service.  We have a problem.  We don't want them on the layout now.  It's human nature that if we don't put them in a place that is super convenient to access, they won't get used (which is why we put them on the layout when we shouldn't have).  If we put these 'bullpen' cars in boxes, subconsciously we dread rummaging through the pile of boxes, reading box labels, opening the container, dragging the car out and then doing the same for the car being removed from the layout.

What we need to encourage us to keep the layout surface clean of unneeded cars is a very simple, easy to interact with, method of cycling cars on and off the layout.  The system needs to be close to eye level, not involve opening and closing things, and have an open top.  It needs to be a system that I call 'grab-n'-go', a system so easy we can comfortably and seamlessly handle car cycling.   The solution is any type of open top shelving system that keeps the cars fairly close to eye level.

In thinking through my situation I opted for an 8" x 24" floating shelf picked up at The Home Depot.  These shelves are inexpensive, very easy to install, and have an ultra clean look to them.  I mounted it fairly high so as not to have to bend and squint to identify the cars I was looking for.  I did not add track to the shelves so as to avoid having to deal with the hassle of aligning the trucks on the rail.  The cars just sit on the flat shelf surface.  I added a lip of 1 1/2" molding to serve as a guard rail and that was it.  Even this small shelf holds twelve, fifty foot cars.  At most, I'll only need one more shelf to hold what would typically get cycled onto the layout.  All other pieces are classified as for use in the distant future and are stored in boxes in my shop.  This floating shelf system makes cycling cars from the 'bullpen' a breeze and encourages me to avoid storing them on the layout.

These cars are in 'The Bullpen' meaning they will likely see an operating session in the next few months.  Cycling them on and off the layout is a simple 'grab-n-go' which encourages me to keep them on this shelf and off the layout where they would clog things up.

July 12, 2011

I was going through my old files and found this forgotten image taken of Florida Bottling and Proveedora Jiron.  There is a lesson here and that is that lighting matters.  Fluorescents are fine for general documentation but beyond that you may as well be pointing the lens through a dirty sock.  Fluorescents are that bad, they really are.  The reason the colors are so vibrant in the image above and the reason it 'pops' is because I used Tungsten bulbs (7 bucks at a photo store if you are wondering).  Note the light streaming through the tree and shadow under the awning. That's the tungstens.  My guess is I used two bulbs.  One was probably located behind me and pointed towards the white ceiling.  The other was probably in my left hand and pointed downward at a 45 degree angle towards the tree.  There is something calming about this shot.  I suppose I'm in the minority but I don't feel compelled to have rolling stock or action in every photograph.  It's common mantra that photos need to tell a story.  I'm not sold on that view, at least not for every shot.  I'm more of the belief that photos should instill a particular mood.

July 11, 2011

First Impressions II

In my April 16th blog I wrote about paying attention to which layout scene is presented to layout visitors as they first enter the room.  It's the first impression situation.  I had noticed at that time that, as people entered the room, all of  the finished portions of the layout were out of view to the right.  The first thing visitors  saw was a blank sheet of pink foam and temporary track.  While not critical, it certainly isn't the best situation if you have guests over occasionally.  I needed to complete sections of the layout behind the door to make a better first impression.    Before starting I took a look at the site lines and put a light pencil line on the layout marking the sections of the railroad that were in the field of view as you stood in the door.  At that point it was a matter of building structures and scenes until the blank expanses were covered.  The section is nowhere close to complete but now I can live with what people take in initially.

June 29, 2011

Abandonment and Plausibility

Permanently abandoned track (left) and temporarily abandoned sidings are such common features of the prototype rail scene that they must be incorporated on a model railroad if plausibility is to be maintained.

Self discipline.  It sounds painful.  It sounds like a word associated with dieting and exercising, something we resent feeling we 'should' do and would rather not.  Model railroading is no different than anything else.   As with diet and exercise, self discipline in model railroading is something we do do more talking about than actually implementing.  However, just as with anything else, it is generally rewarded with long term gain.

I doubt that most modelers are concerned with absolute, unrelenting accuracy.  Dragging a project out for months trying to decide if a window has three versus four mullions isn't that fun.   However,  when it comes to our model railroads the majority of us probably feel  it is important that what we  see in front of  us is at least  plausible.    We want something that looks like it exists or existed in the real world, something that is reasonably believable.  On the surface this wouldn't appear to be that difficult in that we can simply copy what we see (in person or in photos).  That only works if, and it's a big 'IF', we have the self discipline to stick to copying what is actually there in correct proportions, neither playing up or downplaying reality.  Working against us is the misguided belief that every element on the layout be tightly bound to ongoing, active rail activity.  If there is an industry on the layout it must have a spur, and an active one at that.   Well, it doesn’t work like that in the real world.  Many, if not most, rail side elements aren’t directly tied to the railroad. Add to that list elements that used to be tied to rail activity but are no longer.  It’s common to see rail side industries that were clearly once rail served either: totally abandoned, active but not rail served,  or active but temporarily vacated with the possibility of seeing new rail served tenants at a future date. 

Given that this is the way the real world works if we want a plausible looking layout, especially one set in the modern era, then we need to devote a fair amount of real estate to non-rail  and abandoned rail elements.  Giving lip service to abandonment by slipping in a token here and there won't impart the effect of believability.   To the extent we can, we should strive to include abandoned elements as frequently as they appear in the real world.

I'm realist and know we are hard wired to approach things differently.  Having a nicely built structure, with freight doors I might add, on the layout and not have an active spur going up to it isn't in our nature.....and plausibility suffers as a result.  The question you have to ask your self is this.  When was your last operating session?  Despite the best of intentions most layout owners I  know  just don't operate as frequently as they thought they would.  Next question.  Of those that have recently had an operating session, was it too short because you didn't have enough rail served industries?  I doubt it.  Most struggle to get the rail crew's work list even remotely close to complete before people need to go home.  So, if you aren't getting through your current operating session what is the compelling reason for NOT having non-rail served industries and abandoned features?   If you can't service all of the industries presently on the layout during an op. session why does each and every daggone one of them need a shiny railed siding?  They don't.  In order for a layout to appear plausible there should be a fair representation of abandoned track, abandoned/vacated structures, and non-rail served industries.  Having the self-discipline to do so will pay big dividends in terms of realism and will most likely have little or no impact on the play value of your model railroad.

The spur leading into Antillean Marine still has the ability to take rail shipments although the likelihood of that actually happening becomes more remote with each passing year.  Totally abandoned rails from the line's old double track days are in the foreground.

Devoting substantial layout square footage to non-rail served elements increases realism.  As it stands now the Downtown Spur provides all of the operational play value I need from it so there was no reason NOT to devote seven and half linear feet to an industry that doesn't receive rail cars.

For those that are starting to fidget in their seat as they read this, there is an alternative middle ground.  Many spurs are only temporarily abandoned.  You have a customer that leases space and takes rail shipments.  The customer vacates the location.  The rail spur becomes rusty and weed covered until a new tenant rents the space and resumes rail service.  This is easily modeled.  Just paint your rail heads a dark rusty color and work some thick vegetation around your track.  In the unlikely event you find you want to use the spur just wipe the paint off the rail heads, scrape the scenery growth away and you are back in business.

May 27 2011

Teacher Performance Bonuses 

Somewhere in the course of my web surfing, I can’t recall where, I came across the subject of rewarding top performing teachers with cash bonuses.  I agree with the overall intent but the idea quickly breaks down.  I think most of us would agree with the ‘bonus’ part.  Things fall apart when it comes to the measurement aspect.  How do you define a ‘great’ teacher, a ‘top performing’ teacher?  In order to pay a bonus to someone there has to be a way to objectively identify them.  There’s the problem.  Most teacher bonus systems are tied to student test scores.  That’s fine if there was a meaningful correlation between test scores and meaningful student enrichment.  I don’t buy it. 

It really irks people to point out the reality that you simply can not measure some things.  We all may recognize a great teacher when we have experience with her or him but you can’t measure them.  The analogy would be rewarding your most loyal friends.  How do you identify such wonderful souls, by giving them a test on the critical elements of loyalty? Of course not. 

This fixation we have on constantly trying to measure critical but totally subjective traits gets us  in constant trouble.  We refuse to accept the fact that some things simply can not be measured.   Well how about test scores?  No go on that.  What parent hasn’t been frustrated to learn that their child has spent weeks in class being ‘prepped’ for the next achievement test as opposed to actually learning meaningful material.   Just as you can’t easily measure teacher performance I’ll take the somewhat unpopular view that student achievement test scores tell you  very little.  They may be a general guide that gives you some information but I seriously doubt they carry the weight most attribute to them. 

There are things though that can be done with the bonus pool.  Within any school it’s fairly easy to not only identify the students that are failing but also those that are totally disengaged and/or suffer from behavioral issues.  These are the kids a school wishes would just go away.  Unfortunately they won’t go away and pose the largest challenge.  Why not financially reward the teacher that has the stones to step up, raise their hand, and say, “I’ll deal with this mess.  I’ll try to reach these kids.”  Let the teacher have a go of it and reward them for taking the risk.  And, by no means are you to squeeze the risk taking teacher by requiring them to anti up test scores twice a year.  Will some teachers do it just for the money?  Maybe.  Are the best teachers motivated by reasons other than money, no doubt.  Alternative rewards may also appeal to teachers such as additional time off with pay. 

The idea of rewarding great teachers is well meaning and has merit but, at this point, we’ve only figured out half of the issue, the reward part.  We are a long way from figuring out the measurement part and may never get there.

May 24, 2011

YouTube Glitches

It appears my YouTube experience has been at least temporarily derailed.  After many months of problem free service I tried to log in to update my 'friends' requests.  I was unable to login and received a rather ominous note stating that my account has been 'permanently disabled'.  Sounds serious.   After a Google search of the issue I found that, a) this is somewhat common b) there is no consistent reason why it happens and c) there is no remedy short of totally deleting your files, losing everything and starting over. The YouTube service reps. confirmed that the only solution was to delete everything and start over.  I find it hard to believe that a tech giant like that doesn't have a simpler solution for what is clearly a software glitch.  I want to make everybody aware of this so they know that I have no ability to respond to friend requests, reply to comments, etc.  As I get time it appears I'll just have to delete the entire channel and start over.  If there is anybody out there that has encountered this issue and worked it out I'd love to hear from you.

May 18, 2011

Layout Lifespan

It's pretty easy to sub-consciously buy into conventional wisdom without  thinking through whether such an approach actually applies to our situation.  It may or may not.  The expected lifespan of a layout is one such example.  For many of us, when we set out to build a layout, it's with the thought that it will be something that is around for a decade or longer.  If the model railroad is of any size at all, it would certainly take that long to get it to completion.  Several things can come up though that may such a long term approach an ill fit for some of us.  Our lifestyle may change long before we get close to completion. Moving to a different house being a prime example.  The more likely issue though is that our interests may change.  Three years in, something that holds more appeal may catch our eye.  If we are so committed to our one or two decade project we may have to constantly brush aside other opportunities.  Finally, if we put any time at all into the hobby our skills will increase over time.  Five years into a layout, it will become painfully obvious that the portion we are working on now looks substantially better than the initial work done with older skill sets.  Over time that can begin to grate on you.

Here's where I'm going with all of this.  For many of us,  consideration should be given to layouts with shorter life spans, say three to five years.  By keeping the layout size and complexity manageable, we can get it up and running quickly, flog every ounce of fun out of it, and then move on to a new and exciting theme.  Such an approach will keep us energized and excited.  Shorter term layouts will be put together with a more consistent look because they represent a narrower band of our skills progression.    Turnouts, trees, bench work, and electronics can generally be salvaged keeping the cost down.  To be clear, I'm not talking about getting two months into a layout and then constantly changing your mind and never getting anything up and going.  I'm talking about driving a manageable model railroad purposely towards  completion in a medium time span, and then re-stoking the fires with a new project.

May 1, 2011

You've Come This Far

 I've gotten a number of emails in the past week illustrating progress on switching layout construction.  To a person each project looks fantastic, well designed, simple but efficient, and neatly constructed.  You've come this far, don't shoot yourself in the foot now.  Next up for many of you will be the steps of painting the rail and applying ballast.  Both are critical in terms of the final appearance of the layout.   Both are almost impossible to correct if you mishandle them.  If you are using Atlas code 83 or Walthers track it is very important to paint the rail a darker color to downplay the out of scale spike details.  Rail brown (essentially a tan) or Rust (pumpkin orange) will highlight the deficiencies of the track and are incorrect color palette selections.  Don't use them.  All you need are rattle can sprays of Floquil Roof Brown and Grimy Black.  Paint the rail and ties entirely with the Roof Brown first and then fog on the Grimy Black.  Do short stretches and immediately wipe the railheads clean moments after painting.  Keep your area well ventilated for safety and wear a respirator (a dust mask is not a respirator).  That's all there is to it, Roof Brown fogged with Grimy Black.  (For those using Micro Engineering rail, going with lighter rail colors is less of a problem).

For the ballast it is all too easy to get lazy and run down to the local hobby store and grab some Woodland Scenics product.  Not only is their color and shape too uniform, it is tricky to work with.   You need to use natural rock ballast products from Arizona Rock and Mineral Company.    This product is not that hard to track down at large dealers and is easily obtained by calling the owner Phil Anderson directly.   Even for those of you in the UK it's worth the effort to get the better Arizona Rock product.  Phil is a modeler himself and extremely helpful on the phone helping you pick blends.  I use a mix of N and HO scale "CSX/Wabash".  Other good soils are 'concrete', 'industrial dirt', and regular 'dirt'.

So folks you've come this far don't fail yourself now!

April 29, 2011

3 Reasons  I Love The Brits

My friends in the UK seem continually dumbfounded when I try to explain to them how fascinated American are with British culture, the Royals in particular.   It really is true though, just by sheer numbers there are far more Royal followers in the US than in Britain.  Americans just can’t get enough of the stuff.  Although I’m ambivalent about the entire monarchy thing, I do share the fascination with British society.  So, with the Royal wedding taking place today what better occasion to set forth the three things I love about the Brits.

Their Sense of Humor:  The Brits understand and enjoy subtle and dry humor.  Jokes that would leave a Brit howling with laughter often draw blank stares in the US.  I’ve been given strict orders by my wife to no longer attempt dry humor with members of the general public because “they don’t know you’re joking.”   For example, I once found myself at a party (against my will I might add) at which I was approached by what I assumed to be a worldly, well educated individual.  When the small talk turned to what I did for a living I remarked that, having just been released from a penal institution, I had yet to find gainful employment.  I was shocked to find out months later that the person I said that to took it literally and thought I was serious.  (For the record I was joking).  I’ve also found that I can no longer joke about wearing electronic ankle bracelets, using tasers on unruly children, and burying door to door salesmen in the backyard.   If you throw out such remarks in Britain they would realize you are joking.  Here they don’t. 

They Are So Civilized:  A thread on a British chat forum can go for months with the participants engaging in friendly, polite, intelligent discussion.  In the US, a thread on something as simple as proper coupler height frequently disintegrates into forum members questioning each other’s lineage. 

They Speak English So Damn Well:  If you were to place an apple on a table, a Brit would correctly comment, “I see an apple”.  In the US, half of the respondents would likely remark, “I done seen an apple.” 

Just as a parent might be relieved to see a problem child leave the home upon reaching adulthood, I’m sure the Brits are delighted that we are no longer a colony so that they can enjoy our company from a distance.

April 27, 2011

Layout Room Lighting and Photography Lighting

For layout photography lighting I use two fixtures containing tungsten bulbs.  I remove the reflector from one of the fixtures and use that for the 'sun'.

I've been getting a lot of questions lately as to what type of layout lighting is best.  The answer really should be broken into two parts, one being what is the best room lighting and the other being what is the best for photography.

As far as room lighting goes, and I think this is what most people are asking, I don't think it matters that much for normal viewing and running trains.  I use ordinary fluorescents now and couldn't tell  you what temperature or CRI (color rendition index) I have in the fixtures as I write this.  My ambivalence goes back to the early days of my East Rail layout.  Given the small layout size I thought, why not go for the best, state of the art, fluorescents I could track down.  I studied.  I did research online.  I drove across town to purchase specialty daylight fluorescents with a very high CRI.  With much anticipation I installed the bulbs, hit the switch, and.......  I think totally under whelmed would be the best way to describe the impact.  I suppose it's subjective but I didn't think the time and effort optimizing the bulbs gave proportionate visual payoff.  From that point onward I stopped worrying about it much and just try to get fluorescent bulbs of matching temperatures.

The best lighting for photography is a totally different subject.  For everyday room lighting fluorescents are nice because they are inexpensive and can light an entire room brightly and without throwing off a lot of heat.  However....when it comes to photography they are a no go.   Photos shot under fluorescents are flat, lifeless, and muddy.  They are awful.   No matter how much time you spend in photoshop, it comes back to the old adage of, 'you can't polish a turd'.   The good news is that excellent photographic lighting is very simple and inexpensive.  You will need two tungsten bulbs from a photography store (say seven bucks each) and two inexpensive clamp on reflectors from the hardware store.  Put a bulb in one reflector, clamp it to a chair back or trash can, put it several feet to your back and point it the ceiling.  This will throw off a good canopy of diffuse light.  Remove and discard the reflector from the second fixture and insert the bulb.  This will be your sun.  Hold it in your hand about four feet from the model and shine it down from a 45 degree angle or whatever sun angle you prefer.  Experiment with different sun angles and distances.  Set your camera on the tungsten light setting and aperture priority.  I generally set the exposure compensation to +.75 or +1.0.  Take some shots, see what you have, and make adjustments until you have what you want.

April 25, 2011

Switching Tupperville

Time to get back on my soapbox with my monthly refrain of 'the reason people think their layouts are too small is that they skip the majority of the steps the prototype employs and then run the trains much, much too fast'.  Our layouts aren't too small, they really aren't.  With the magic of YouTube we can teach ourselves  the rhythm, pace, and steps involved in industrial switching simply by watching and copying.  One example is the four part series "Switching Tupperville".  Part I can be found HERE.   (For the remainder of the sequence just click the links for Part II, III, and the final sequence named Done at 'Tupperville').  This series shows a very simple move of swapping out loads for empties in a scene not much bigger than what we would see on a model railroad.  Even with editing, the clips run almost eight minutes which begs the obvious, such a move should take almost as long on a layout.  Notice how the brakeman needs to walk to the derail and unlock it.  After that the engineer taxis him to the switch to throw that.  The engineer must be a kind gentleman as  he ACTUALLY WAITS for the conductor to get back to the locomotive before taking off rather than leaving him in the dust.  Model railroaders would never trouble themselves with such a time waster,  they'd leave the poor booger there and let him run (or fly).  Take note of the acceleration rates and throttle up times.  Note the time it takes to uncouple and also to hook up the air when a couple is made.  There are lots of pauses even if only for a few moments.  Finally, you have to love the sound of that prime mover.   I certainly don't advocate adding in artificial delays or copying the prototype to the extent that boredom sets in.  You don't need to take it that far.  But for gosh sakes, watching this video illustrates that these machines don't barrel down the tracks at fifty miles an hour, slam on the brakes, grab a car and then blast down the main in just a few seconds. 

April 16, 2011

First Impressions

View as you enter the layout room.

I've been jumping around the layout this year with no one area  standing out from the others in terms of screaming for attention.  As I finish one small section I find myself scratching my head as to what to work on next.  Without them even knowing it, a visit from some guests from southern Maryland finally gave me some focus.  I always watch visitors as they enter the layout room to see what catches their eye.  At this visit each modeler walked into the room, scanned from side to side with that 'where's the money' motion until they found the finished sections of the layout to the right of the door.  They then did what would come naturally and walked in for a closer look.  The finished sections aren't visible as you approach the door but only after entering the room.

This isn't the first impression I really want.  They shouldn't have to scan for the visual payday when they enter the room.  It should be in their field of vision immediately.   Therein lies the solution as to what my next project should be.  I'll be working on the scenery and structures right in front of the door as shown in the photo above.  This section will be the backside of the river scene and as such one of the more interesting areas of the layout.  I've been putting off pulling up the old flooring and realize the time has come to do that as well, or at least the section you see as you enter the room.

March 31, 2011

Sage Advice

While logging into my GoDaddy ISP account I noticed a link to one of the better video blogs I've seen in awhile.  Produced by founder Bob Parsons the series is loaded with sage advice for business and life.  Click here to take a look.

March 18, 2011

Port of Miami Update

Although out of use for some time, FEC runs a spur from their main line down to the Port of Miami.  Due to an issue with the bridge to the port being out of service, there is no longer any way of crossing from the mainland to the port.  Truck traffic hauling the containers out of the port has been an increasing headache for the city.  That headache  was on pace to become even larger  with the increased traffic expected from the widening of the Panama Canal.  In an effort to move some of this container traffic away from trucks and onto the rails, funding was fast tracked to re-active the FEC branch from the main down to the port, including repair of the bridge, in the hopes that rail access will lesson some of the truck traffic in town.  When I was in town in January I was a little surprised how well maintained the dormant branch was.  Rail traffic from the port to FEC's yard in Hialeah is expected to resume the first quarter of next year.  Click here for an interview with the CEO of FEC on the subject.  Good news for Miami railfans, probably not so good news for commuters sitting at grade crossings waiting for train after train of containers to pass.

Here's a map of the area involved.

March 15, 2011

Essence Part II

In response to my last blog on the essence of industrial switching,  Scott T. brought up an interesting point.   He reminded me of the Sergent brand of scale size couplers.  The Sergent couplers are unique in that, in addition to their  scale size and shape, they also operate prototypically.  Scott suggested that they are particularly applicable to switching layouts as far as getting you in the game.  Click HERE for a YouTube demo video.

March 13, 2011

Capturing the Essence of Industrial Switching Operations 

When prototype practices are fully incorporated,  even a simple two car shuttle can make for an interesting mini session.

Much has been written about model railroad operations.  Typical subjects addressed include rights of trains, timetable and train order operations, and car cards.  However, somewhere in all of this discussion of the technical aspects of the operations chess game we lose sight of the most important goal of all.  Specifically,  how do we capture the essence and atmosphere of what we are modeling?  How do we make it feel like we are actually there and watching the real thing?  As with music, each operational type, whether it be mainline through trains, locals, or passenger trains, has it’s own distinctive beat. 

Industrial switching operation is characterized by a slow, purposeful, rhythmic cadence.  Locomotives crawl at a few miles an hour as they pull cars from the deck and deal them with precision to the customer’s door.   The atmosphere is one of mass, momentum, and the sound of 2000 horsepower  prime movers  constantly throttling up and cycling  down over and over.  There is the sound/motion disconnect of momentum as we hear the power rev up and exhaust billowing skyward  long before we see actual movement.   There is the constant sound of idling diesel cylinders and air release as the engineer waits patiently while the brakeman walks,  hooks up hoses, un-couples, and walks some more.  It’s slow.

 In the real world there is no way to speed it up even if you wanted to.  Model railroad operating sessions are a different story.  To watch an ops.  session you’d think it was a trip to the dentist, to be dispatched and completed as quickly as humanly possible rather than drawn out and savored for the flavorful experience that it is.   

One would think our model brakeman have the wings of Mercury as the engine screeches to a halt at a switch, the switch is instantly thrown, and then the loco. launches like a top fuel dragster down the spur.  The process is repeated at the same lightning speed throughout with total ‘mission’ focus.  In short order the layout owner rejoices in the fact that the job is ‘done’.  Wait a minute that didn’t keep him too busy.  The layout must be too small…..  No it’s not too small it’s just that nothing was done the way it really happens on an actual railroad. 

So, how do we translate that to our switching layout?  First there has to be a desire to do so.  There also has to be  knowledge and awareness of how things really happen in the field.  Most grasp the concept of running the locomotive a little bit slower.  That’s only a small part of it though.  Everything should happen slower.  Let’s take a look at some things that will enhance the industrial operations experience.  All you will need is a good sound equipped locomotive, a hot cup of coffee, and the willingness to throttle one area of your life back into slow motion.

Train Dynamics

An EMD GP38-2 weighs 125 tons, considerably more than your SUV.  Even with 2,000 horsepower, it takes awhile to get rolling and it takes a while to stop.  It’s not like a Porsche Boxster where you hit the throttle and go.  By contrast a Lifelike GP38-2 weighs ounces.  It takes some fiddling to get it to move and react like the real thing.  As we operate our model engines it’s helpful to keep in mind just how much 125 tons really is! 

Typical model motors have a huge amount of top speed that is completely and utterly useless to us.  For our part we really only need the 0 to 30 mph end of the scale.  The 30 to 250mph isn’t of much value is it?  We’d like to have a fair amount of turn on the throttle knob in that 0 to 30mph range.   

Every model has different operational characteristics so use the following settings for general guidance only.  They may be a bit much for other units.   In my case I’m using a Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder in a Proto 2000 GP38-2.  I start first with momentum and deceleration.  For this specific model I set the momentum very high to a value of 160 (out of a max of 255).   As high as that number seems in some cases, for this application it doesn’t feel like overkill (in other locos it would be way too high). Although it would be realistic to set the deceleration to an equally high value, I really don’t like to do so.  I want total control of the stop function so set deceleration to a relatively low value of 30.

A very handy, simple, and often overlooked feature of many decoders and DCC systems are custom speed curves.  In basic terms a speed curve allows you to easily input a setting that totally alters the top speed of the locomotive as well as the intermediate speed points in between 0 and top end.    In most cases a few keys strokes inputs the curve and you have what feels like an entirely different locomotive.  My DCC system (EasyDCC) uses linear curves (other types are logarithmic and exponential).  I selected curve 6 which gives a top speed of 60% of normal.   I use 28 speed steps instead of 128.  With a little practice and a light touch on the throttle the momentum, speed curve, and 28 steps combine to create a situation where you hear the prime mover rev up for a few moments before the engine starts to move.  (With 128 steps I would get movement as soon as I so much as breathed on the throttle).

Throttle use really does require a mindset of a light touch and relaxed patience.  Spinning the knob like a ship’s wheel and catapulting your locomotive, drag racer style, at every move isn’t very “railroady”.  Get in the habit of just cracking the throttle and ‘waiting’ for movement rather than spinning it and ‘forcing’ movement (which usually requires frantic back spinning of the throttle to compensate for your impatience).

Top Speed

In most switching environments it’s unusual to see speeds in excess of 25mph.  Usually they are much less than that.  This should be in our mind at all times.  Anything over that speed is just not very realistic.  The pay off is that slow speeds effectively ‘stretch’ smaller layouts (well actually they would stretch a big layout too).

Pauses in the Action

Most grasp the idea of cruising down the branch at a relatively slow speed but then quickly pick it up a notch when it comes to car move,rments. Slow applies to everything, speed AND movements.

I mentioned ‘mission mode’ earlier.  Model railroaders really do have a bad case of it.  They focus on getting the job done and getting it done ASAP.  If that’s your cup of tea go for it.  Get that nasty op. session over with so you can go mow the lawn!

In the real world though there are a lot of pauses in the action.  In most cases it’s because real brakeman, as much as they’d like to, just can’t fly.  They have to walk.  They have to get out of the cab, walk to the switch and throw it.  They need to walk to the car and uncouple it.  They need to walk to the industry gate and unlock it.  They need to walk back to the locomotive.  They get extremely ticked if the train takes off and leaves them without waiting for them to walk back.  All this means that there is a substantial amount of time where the engine is just idling waiting for tasks on the ground to be completed.   On a model railroad you know where the line is between relaxation and boredom.  What’s the rush though?  Take a pause between moves.  Stop your engine, go warm up your coffee and come back. 

Real tasks

Out of ignorance modelers skip a lot of real tasks that, if incorporated would add interest and extend an operating session.  For example, in some environments crossing gate protection alone doesn’t instill a total sense of confidence in the engineer.   Even you are in the right, peeling a Camry off of the pilot will result in a lot of paperwork back at the office.  For this reason it’s common at some intersections for the engineer to bring the loco. to a complete stop at the crossing, lay on the horn, and then inch across.  The use of fusees to protect grade crossing movements is becoming more prevalent.  Model versions of the fusees are easy to install and add an interesting dimension to operating sessions as you halt the action and activate the warning device.  These are just two examples of practices that can be added that add interest without feeling too contrived.

To give you a sense for how this can all play out on a model railroad I ran a solo op. session on the Downtown Spur this morning.  It is common on the prototype to have a case where the graveyard shift can’t get all of the work done.  The morning shift will then handle any leftover mop up duties on the spur.  I set up a similar morning shift clean up session that, on the surface seemed incredibly simple.  One car was to be spotted at Florida Bottling and an empty at Trujillo was to be swapped out for a load.  Drop two cars, pick up one.  No tricks.  No gimmicks.   The length of the session?   A full 50 minutes!

You would be amazed at how much incorporating momentum, slower speeds, pauses, and real world tasks will enhance and extend the operating experience.   And that’s what we really want isn’t it,  a better experience that lasts longer.  We want the sensation of actually being there.

February 1, 2011

Two Hour Delay

Schools were on a two hour delayed opening today due to inclimate weather.  Anybody that works from home and has kids knows that as the school day goes, so does your work day.  A two hour school delay means a two hour delay in the start of your work day.

I did come up with a trick to shave some time off of that though and start the day earlier.  Rather than wait for the bus, if I drive my son in early I minimize the damage.  He gets to start his social life, I mean academics, early and I get to start work earlier.  It’s a win, win situation.

He’s down with that and I go through the pre-flight check list.  My son has many admirable qualities but organization isn’t one of them.  If his ears weren’t growing out of his head he’d forgot those.  Do you have x?  Do you have y?Do you have your lunch?  You have a game today, do you have your uniform (I should have been much more specific with that one.  I should have asked to you have your ENTIRE uniform but I digress)?  Dad, you’re getting pretty damn annoying. I’m in high school.  I’m not three.  Alright, he’s right.  I was beginning to annoy myself. 

The school drop goes without a hitch and I’m deep into the workday.  3pm and I’m really deep into things.  My cell phone rings.  Caller ID says it’s my son.  When teenagers call it is not to tell you they won the lottery.  It’s not to ask how your day is going.  They WANT something.  Notice I used the word ‘want’ not ‘need’.  With teenagers there is often disagreement as to what constitutes a ‘need’ vs. a ‘want’.   Dad, it’s Zack.  Well between the caller ID, the word ‘Dad’ and the fact that I only have one child I sort of pieced together it was him but I appreciated the clarification.  Yesssss.  Do you think you can come to the game early because I forgot my uniform shorts.  (High school basketball is very picky when it comes to clothes.  No uniform, no play).  Sure.  Five minutes later the phone rings again.  Dad?  Yes?  Well the thing is we can only get into the locker room at certain times and coach wants us dressed for the team meeting……so…can you bring them….like…..NOW.

No problem.  It’s not like I have a job.  I’m basically your flight attendant on your flight through life.  When you hit the call button I come.  Right.  (Did I mention this is an away game.)   Hell no I can’t come now.  Fine, then I just won’t play then.  I can see it now, team already decimated by injuries loses another player because insensitive father won’t bring son’s uniform.   O.k., I’ll bring them.  Meet me out front, and Zachary.  Yes, Dad?  You damn well be in front waiting for me.  No problem.   By the way, where are the shorts? Hmmm. I dunno.  Unlike teenage girls that have clothes neatly hung in the closet sorted by color, boys use the ‘pile system’  there are many piles.  He ‘thinks’ they are in one of three piles.  That narrows it down.  I find them in the first pile.

Three blocks out I call and tell him to be out front.    I arrive at the school.  No son.  I am pissed.  I call again.  The phone answers and I can hear what sounds like a party in the background but no answer.  Hellooooooo.  Oh, sorry Dad I forgot.    Where the …………..F…(New Year’s resolution.  Stop using that word so much, especially in front of kids).  Where are you? I’m coming.

High school runs on a rigid social caste system tied to grade.  The higher the grade, the more status you have.  My son is a sophomore so the freshman stick to him like glue hoping the status will rub off.   Here he comes, three freshmen all a foot taller than him falling in tow like ducklings following a mother goose.    They are having a grand time.  Game day.  Riding the team bus.  Day shortened due to whether.  God bless them.  I literally whip the shorts out the window and before I can put the car in gear….   Dad? (Let me guess he’s not going to say ‘thanks for dropping everything to bring me my laundry’)  Yes?  When you come back for the game could you bring some extra Gatorades, me and the guys might be thirsty.    If you are reading this with young kids in diapers, dreaming of the day the kids get older so you have more free time, well dream on.  That day does NOT come.

January 23, 2011

Layout of the Day

For those interested in very well thought out switching layouts and their inner workings, I highly recommend Jack Hill's New Castle Industrial Railroad website.  Jack is a professional railroader by trade and knows what he's talking about.  Click HERE to visit the site.

January 17, 2011

Walls of Miami

   The top two are in the vicinity of Cliff Berry Industries.  The bottom is the Produce Connection.

January 12, 2011

Miami Trip Report

I made my annual pilgrimage to Miami on January 6th.  It was one of those trips where everything went right.  The temps were comfortable and the sunny skies made for some shots where the color just snapped off the page.  More importantly, with one exception, there was no noticeable decline in industrial switching activity evidenced by the number of cars I found spotted on the spurs.  I swung by West Rail first which I thought had been long since been abandoned.  To my shock two boxcars were spotted at a construction supply house.  Heading north towards East Rail on 37th Avenue Pan American Papers had a few cars spotted rail side.  East Rail was the only downer as it has seen a noticeable drop off in rail service and was a shadow of it's former self.  It appears the only businesses still taking cars are Weeks Gas, Sentry Chlorine, and Salco.  The largest customer, Seaboard Warehouse, doesn't appear to be taking cars any longer.  Same for Guixens.  I took a jog north to check out a team track location at Hialeah Yard that looked promising on Bing Maps.  Sure enough, there it was with three cars, one of which was being unloaded.  The day ended on a high note with a jog to the Downtown Spur which seemed to have something spotted at virtually every industry.

Left Photo: Two cars spotted at a construction supply house in West Rail.  Right Photo: Pan American Papers on 37th Avenue.

Left Photo: Salco "Lost Shaker of Salt" sign in East Rail.  Right Photo: Team track outside of Hialeah Yard.

Left Photo: Cliff Berry Environmental Services (Downtown Spur)  Right Photo: The 'Orange Warehouse' behind Sun Gas on the Downtown Spur

Left Photo: Vegetable oil tanks at Family and Son (Downtown Spur)  Right Photo: Reefer in front of Pan Am Frozen Foods (Downtown Spur)

January 9, 2011

Cup of Joe

I spent last Thursday in Miami as a roundabout way of getting to this year's Prototype Rails convention in Cocoa Beach.  It ended up being one of the more the productive photographic harvests in recent years hitting pay dirt at seemingly every turn, more on that in the days ahead.  After getting off the plane I made a beeline for the COD restaurant next to East Rail.  My goal was to score some high end coffee the likes of which you won't find in any Starbucks and is of such quality and punch it probably qualifies as a controlled substance.  I marched up to the chipped Formica counter and placed my order for 'Cuban Coffee'.  This set the waitress off on an elaborate dance in front of a well used machine  which ground, massaged, and did it's magic on the coffee beans.  As I chatted her up it quickly became evident that she spoke not a word of English and probably didn't care what I had ordered.  Any utterance from me was merely a guideline, to be discarded or amended as she saw fit.   It was her domain and she'd make the decision as to what she felt I needed to consume.  After much more time than I'm used to at a suburban coffee house, the brew was apparently ready and placed in front of me in a midsize, cream colored, china cup and saucer.   All I can say is that stuff was freakin' great and carried a flavor you just can't get in a coffee franchise.  I can't even describe it.    Sorry, you'll just have to go and check it out yourself.  The cost?  A buck.  Welcome to Miami.