Confessions of a Model Train Geek
A model train geek, learning as he goes.
I attended my first SuperTrain this year! SuperTrain is Canada’s largest train show, and is held in Calgary, Alberta every April. This year it was in the Genesis Centre, a spacious facility in the northwest part of the city. My friend Brian Schuff and his lovely wife Deana offered me a lift to the show, … Read more
I recently constructed a loading ramp on my layout to better serve the CN team track. It was loosely modeled after a few ramps I’ve seen in the past, including the loading ramp that used to be in Debert, Nova Scotia.
On a layout like my Central Prairie Railway, you need a lot of grain hoppers. I recently received a Rapido 3800 cubic foot hopper car and I took it for a drive on my layout.
I’m not a very sentimental person. I don’t tend to keep a lot of keepsakes, and when we travel, I usually don’t buy souvenirs. I rely on my photos and my memories. However, this box means a lot to me.
I was sorry to hear that Iain Rice passed away on October 8, 2022. This is a great loss for the modeling community. My condolences to his family.
I purchased a few HO scale model railway cars at an estate sale recently. They will be worthy additions to my fleet once I check them over and maybe tune them up a bit. The locomotive, CN 4109, is a dummy GP9 that appears to have been renumbered. The numbers are way too small. I’m … Read more
Here’s a little layout tour of the Central Prairie Railway to show the progress I’ve made. Basically I have laid all of the main town track for the Central Prairie, and the interchange to CN is fully functional. The next step is to complete the McCain spur, then run track around the room to the … Read more
I’ve made some decent progress on the layout since my last update (Fits and Starts). All of the track in the CN area has been laid and wired. I ended up buying a new Dremel, since the battery on my ancient Dremel had died and I couldn’t find a replacement battery. I ran another operating … Read more
I’ve been making progress on the Central Prairie Railway… in fits and starts. I’m trying not to beat myself up about the (lack of) progress. It’s a hobby, after all, and it shouldn’t feel like work. Every now and then, I get the urge to work on the layout and I do a bit of … Read more
As many people have found out, fitting the available space in a track plan doesn’t always mean that the real track fits the available space. Switches in particular can mislead you – they take up more space than people think. For the Central Prairie Railway, I’ve resolved to sketch it out in the track plan … Read more