A model train geek, learning as he goes.
The first train to Warrant had some work to do! After engineer Greg and conductor Tyler brought the train into Warrant, they had to do some switching before they could go for lunch. You may recall they had five boxcars (including two refrigerated boxcars) and a grain hopper, plus the engine (ex CP 4242) and … Read more
Ivan looked out over the Central Prairie Railway’s rail yard in Grand Plains and counted cars. The yard master saw there were enough waiting rail cars to justify sending a train to Warrant. He pulled out his cell phone and made a few calls. While the crew dispatcher ordered a road crew, the yard crew … Read more
A few hours after CN dropped three cars off at the interchange, the Central Prairie Railway fired up their ex CP C424 locomotive to retrieve the cars and do some switching.
CN’s branch line crew was called for 06:30 to take three cars to the Central Prairie Railway interchange, and spot a covered hopper at the plastics factory. CN 3665 Locomotive ACFX 59974 Plastics factory NIRX 232001 McCain via CePR interchange SKNX 397392 UGG elevator via CePR interchange SKNX 397387 UGG elevator via CePR interchange CN … 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
I’ve always been challenged on how to store rail cars and locomotives when they aren’t on the layout itself. I’ve acquired most of my fleet from train shows and therefore I don’t have original boxes for 80-90% of the fleet – or any boxes at all for most of them. Over the years, I accumulated … Read more
The Central Prairie Railway is a short line in the Canadian Prairie. The railway serves two local towns and interchanges with both CN and CP. The main industries served by the Central Prairie include several local grain elevators and a local fuel depot. The railway also offers car storage on a branch line that is … Read more