A model train geek, learning as he goes.
My two oldest kids and I went to the Moncton model railroad show Saturday. We had a great time. I enjoyed meeting some people I only knew online, and chatting with old friends. I didn’t come away with too much – five timetables and a few Aroostook Valley cars. I put some photos in the … Read more
Railroadman posted a great post about his model railroad wiring recently. Wiring can be intimidating but it is necessary. The most important thing to do is PLAN AHEAD. Don’t add just enough wires for what you need right now. Plan ahead for what you think you will need. Don’t hang them by the most direct … Read more
My new layout is an around-the-walls style layout, with a peninsula coming from one end of the room. I decided to build the layout on shelf brackets screwed into the wall studs, with shelves cut from 4×8 foot sheets of plywood. This way, I would not have legs under the layout, leaving room for storage … Read more
Finally we come to the plan I am building to, version 5. This version features four long tracks of staging each for Miramichi and Campbellton, as well as a single track of staging for each of the Caraquet Subdivision, the Nepisiguit Subdivision, the Irvco spur in Belledune, and the Smurfit-Stone industry in Bathurst. Can you … Read more
With my new layout room, I needed a new plan. My initial thought was to continue with the Dartmouth Subdivision idea that the NSER used. This plan is basically a single-level dogbone with some around-the-wall staging. No doubt you can see a number of problems with the design, including restricted aisle space. On the plus … Read more
I put some photos I took at last Saturday’s model train show in Saint John in my photo gallery. As usual the Saint John Society of Model Railroaders did a fine job organizing the event. The usual displays were there, with the SJSMRR modular display front and center. For the four and under crowd, my … Read more
I tore the Nova Scotia Eastern Railway up in the summer of 2004 to get ready for our move to a larger house. Being a good railway baron, I ensured I would have (more) space for a new layout in the new home. I ended up with a 10×16 foot room, which is about double … Read more
As promised, here are some photos of my old Nova Scotia Eastern Railway layout. A passenger train goes by the station on the main line, while a CN switcher shunts the Windsor & Hantsport siding in the background. The NSER 76493 caboose brings up the rear of a short freight as they pass some rather … Read more
In this post I will discuss how I designed the Nova Scotia Eastern Railway to achieve my “druthers”/modeling objectives, under the limitations of the “givens”. Given that I had decided on HO scale, I had a limited amount of space to work in and a lot of operation I wanted to cram in there. I … Read more
My first model railroad was the Nova Scotia Eastern Railway. It was a two-level around-the-walls layout built in an 8′ x 12′ room. The NSER was a fictional shortline that took over CN’s Dartmouth Subdivision in Nova Scotia, and interchanged with CN and the Windsor & Hantsport Railway at Windsor Junction. The Junction itself was … Read more