Extra 10 North Holds the Main

I’ve been making steady progress toward eliminating derailments on the main track. However, the passing siding has seen wheels only a couple of times in all these years because, frankly, there hasn’t been a need to use it! So, to create a reason to use the passing siding, and also to get the equipment off […]

Book design

For 18 years, I’ve timed our family photo book to coincide not only with the kids’ birthdays but also with Black Friday sale pricing at Blurb. As the years have passed, the tools have improved, and the laptop has gained power. It’s possible that as the kids become less cute the photo volume may be […]

Realistic Layout Operation

My old friend Tony Thompson has started a mini series of blog posts on Realistic Layout Operation. As always, Tony is a thoughtful person, who probably has more model railroad operating experience than anyone I know. The first post in the series surprised me, but I’m not going to precis it; you should read it […]

Cattle Pen Top Rail

The Canadian Government Railways stock pen drawing on which I based the cattle chutes shows wire fences with a single rail around the top. I like the lightness of the wire fences because they don’t detract from the herd behind. However, I’m concerned that an enclosure that small would require a rail the cattle can […]

Craftsman’s Corner 2024

By all accounts his weekend’s Vancouver Train Expo was a roaring success. It was perfect train show weather – raining enough to keep people focused indoors, but not so awful that they wouldn’t go out – and the ticket sales reflected that opportunity. Over at the Craftsman’s Corner, we had a steady stream of visitors […]