My Little Helper

 While Harrison has his own Lionel layout, he has really taken an interest in the O scale layout I am building. As such, I try and think of projects we can work on together. So far, he has helped me squeeze closed "suitcase" connectors during my wiring projects; he has squeezed the trigger on my cordless drill (while I hold it steady) to screw in wiring clamps; and he is always willing to test track clearances and such.

After all the "work" is done, he likes to test out the track by rolling some of his trains back and forth. He has to stand on a stool to reach, but he is learning to be careful and balance properly.

Sarah and I were discussing recently whether his interest in trains will last throughout his life or wane as he gets older. I have no idea, but as she put it: "You really do a lot of train stuff with him". It is true. I don't mind if he has other hobbies in the future, but I will always try to include him in mine if he wants.

Until then, I will take all the help I can get!

PS: I have learned to add temporary buffers to the end of the tracks to keep the trains from rolling off. So far, they have worked.

Springfield Train Show 2025

Another Springfield train show is in the books. And what a great show it was! Even though Saturday seemed less crowded than "normal", it was still hopping. And because of the fewer attendees early, I managed to maneuver through the crowd early and have more time to stop and take pictures or talk to people. 

I didn't go with a specific list of things to buy this year, which is a departure from my normal course. There were things I wanted, but I could always get them online if I didn't stumble onto a great deal here. However, I did plan to view more of the layouts and take pictures of interesting scenes that I could use as inspiration on my own layout. This I accomplished.

That isn't to say I didn't come home with some goodies. 

For Christmas this year my wife bought me a Hot Wire Foam Factory 3" knife, but I specifically asked not to receive a power supply because I wanted to pick it out myself. When I saw that H.W.F.F. had their own table I stopped by to talk about power supplies and see if they had any show specials. They did, and they pointed out three different options and recommended the one I purchased below. Sadly, when I got home and tried to plug my knife into it they wouldn't connect. It turns out I need a special adaptor that I was supposed to be given but the sales guy forget. So, a quick call to them and they are sending it out to me. Unfortunately, I actually wanted to use it over the weekend.

Part of my O scale NENR layout will have a lumber yard, and I planned to use the Atlas (formerly Walthers) kit. Online it retails from $85-100 but I hoped to find a bargain. One store had two marked down 30% and the first rang up at $78. Not a great deal, but okay. But I looked and saw their other kit was opened and marked for less money. Nothing seemed amiss so I asked if I could have that one, and for $60 the kit was mine. Now that I have it, I can finalized the track plan on the right side of my layout.

I needed some Caboose Industries ground throws (208-S), and I picked up five from their table.

I enjoy using Gatorfoam for my model foundations, and Dave is such a great guy to buy from, so I wandered over and picked up a bunch of pieces to use for future projects. Buying a larger sheet is cheaper, but having lots of smaller pieces already cut up is handy.

I also preordered and picked up (what I thought was) the last switch for the layout. They aren't cheap so I have been spreading out their cost, but the quality is the best. If I waited a couple of months one might have popped up on the used market, but I wanted to keep on going with the track laying. Sadly, I discovered a defect with another switch I bought used (not the fault of Ross) so I will need to order its replacement. Had I caught it one day earlier, my life would have been easier.

I did purchase two things on a whim. First, I bought a scale MTH covered hopper for $25. That is about my spending limit per O scale car which significantly limits my options, but I usually get one or two cars per show that fit my layout's theme. And I like weathering covered hoppers.

I also found a small 3D print company (Under Construction Replicas) that offers lots of neat details in many scales, including O scale. They started as a source of detail parts for construction vehicle modelers (which explains why O scale to them is 1:50, a common scale for that genre) and many of their products were gears towards that. Garbage cans, cones, barrels, pallets, signs, etc. I didn't really need anything but their orange cones looked neat and I wanted to remember them for the future so I bought some.

I took every free catalog with pictures I could find because Harrison likes reading them with me. He mostly just points at the pictures but he can identify certain engines, freight cars, structures, etc. 

I also took many pictures of things, though I will only post a few that I thought were especially unusual.

Here is a vendor selling laser cut wood kits of trains. He even has some Talyllyn Railway stuff, which I love. I don't know what I would ever do with them, but I thought that they were neat.

Here is a n scale T-trak module of something like a nuclear bombing. I am not sure I fully understand what it is supposed to represent, but it was different.

Speaking of different, I rarely see full mohawks at the Springfield show (except the New York Central ones... hehe) but this guy was being scanned for a 3D printed figure. Um, yeah.

Here is a concept I recently saw described in the Micro Model Railway Dispatch magazine. Similar to T-trak modules, the idea is to craft a model railway using hexagon baseboard components which can be rearranged for many combinations. Is it a gimmick or a serious modeling idea? Only time will tell, but it certainly is unique.

Finally, here is a shot from the Lego layout showing thousands of figures watching a football match. I can't imagine the cost that went into this scene alone. I guess Ebay is your friend.

Until next year...

T-Trak Japan: Festival (part 1)

My module is scheduled to be part of an exhibit in the upcoming March, and despite being more than two months away I know my modeling time will be limited so I better get cracking on finishing the left side of my festival. I don't think I have touched it in almost a year.

Looking at where I left it, I had several packages of 3D printed parts which I had acquired from Outland Models on Ebay. There were various tents, stands, tables, food items, and figures... all attached to lots and lots of sprues. I found it very tedious to cut the castings free and many of the small, delicate support posts were broken in the process. I can fix them, but I won't enjoy it. I don't envy those people who work in N scale as their primary focus. I didn't even both to try and free the figures, as I don't like N scale figure painting. 

Then, I used a blob of tacky glue to attach each of the stalls to a lollypop stick. I had to get a bit creative in holding them in position while the glue dried. The convenience of having them on a handle to paint cannot be overstated. Then, most of the items were primed with flat white paint.

Next, it was time to paint everything with craft paints. I started by using white glue to attach a lollypop craft stick in each one to give me a handle for painting them. It took a bit of creativity to get the sticks to stay in place until the glue dried.

 

Then, I sprayed everything with an even coat of white primer. After that, it was just painting everything with bright colors. I used photos of Japanese food vendors online for reference but didn't strive to copy them perfectly. 

I then added small dots of paint along the overhangs and edges to look like flags or lights. I also added pseudo-Asian lettering with paint and markers. I found that drawing characters with white paint applied with a toothpick, and later going over the middle of them with a black fine point Sharpie marker, game me the look I was after.

Finally, some extremely small glass 11/0 seed beads from the craft store were added to look like bowls, cups, lanterns, and other details. I used green, yellow, red and white beads and they look pretty cood. Remember, some of those vendor stalls are only as big as your little pinkie nail!

I played around with how I wanted to arrange them in the space I had. Unfortunately, if I left the stalls facing away from the tracks (which seems the most prototypical from a safety standpoint) then all of the details I added would be pointing the wrong way. Plus, the backs of the stalls have mold mark dimples and other issues that I just painted over without fixing and I didn't want them visible. So, I arranged most of them away from the road and facing the tracks. Oh well.

But there is more work to do...

Happy New Year!

I haven't done much on my HO layout this year, unless you count removing another one of its four sides. It currently is L-shaped and I rarely run it, but that is because I am at a crossroads with it. I have started a new O scale, three rail layout (the New England Northern Railway) that previously occupied part of the space (featured on my other blog) and having a lot of fun with that.

Other highlights of the past year include:

▪ I have had an article published recently in O Gauge Railroading magazine about building an MOW boxcar scene; 

▪ My tenure as NMRA Hudson Berkshire Division President ended in November and I chose not to run again because of family commitments even though I enjoyed every minute of it; 

▪ I completed my seventh certificate towards my Master Model Railroader award. It is now only a matter of time until everything is processed;

▪ We stayed overnight in a real caboose next to the Boston and Albany mainline in Chester, MA, at the Chester Railway Station and Museum. You can read my review of the experience in the Division Form 19 newsletter here starting on page 2.

I wish all of you a safe and happy (and train filled) 2025!