Mar 03
The last two months since I launched the book “Minimalist Model Railroading” have been a wild ride. I have moved again (move number 6 in 7 years!) and the club participated in the Railroad Hobby Show at the end of January in West Springfield, MA. Due to the move, I had to stop work on …
Jan 01
Even though I’m in the midst of starting a new Wood River Branch layout and working on the preparing the MPRR club’s modules for Springfield, I’ve been able to put the final touches on my latest model railroad book: Minimalist Model Railroading This book focuses on applying the art philosophy of minimalism and to your …
Nov 16
After completing benchwork on a handful of future HO modules being prepared to be used with the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club, I decided to set the 12′ module set up in the workshop. As I sat there looking at the module set in the cork phase, I thought this would be a good opportunity …
Nov 12
As I thought about the new version of the Wood River Branch, I figured I’d take a little more time to find just one locomotive to run the railroad. This was both for practical and prototypical considerations since O scale engines are very expensive (although not much worse than a sound equipped HO engine at …
Nov 08
For the new railroad, the idea is to go simpler. This design is so simple in fact, it cuts the number of turnouts from the old layout in half to a grand total of 2. (In reality, I could have gone for just one!). The new layout is a point to point switching layout stretched …
Nov 06
Over the last year or so, I have been thinking about trying a different approach to the hobby. After building the 12′x16′ edition of the Wood River Branch Railroad, something just wasn’t sitting right. I’ve been trending in the direction of simplifying my approach to the hobby – going so far as to purge most …
Nov 02
Well, after some more time and a little work on the railroad, I decided the best course of action was to move the layout on to a new owner. If you have been following the blog for awhile, you may have read that my space situation has changed in the last few months and I …
Aug 01
With the re-design of the railroad, there is some demolition work that needs to be done before reconstruction can begin. The first step was to take apart the original Hope Valley Yard modules. The original design had the yard on two 2′x4′ modules. These modules will be replaced by a corner and 2′x4′ module set. …
Jul 02
It has been a few months since I’ve been able to have a chance to work on the railroad. During this time, the railroad has found a new home. Unfortunately, it is smaller than the space I had previously. This means that the layout will be shrinking a bit and going through a redesign. After …
Apr 10
Just north of Marysville, PA – home of the famed Rockville Bridge – sits a smaller stone arch bridge over Sherman’s Creek. This small 2′ x 4′ module depicts a model similar to the Sherman’s Creek bridge and the surrounding area. The module includes two small mini-scenes featuring a railfan park complete with a caboose …
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