Weekend Update 8-17-2008

[davefoxx]

Not too far south of DC.

Could be the W&OD, as Lee suggested.  Where exactly were the photos taken?  South of the District, you can also find abandoned U.S. Navy branches from the former RF&P heading east towards the Potomac River.

Dave

[Bob Bufkin]

Dave your close. 

It's the old U.S. Army line to Fort Belvoir from the ex RF&P.  You can still see a lot of right-of-way and where the tracks crossed the roads.  I love railroad archiology.  There is still a bridge where the RR crossed Route 1.  I went on the base to purchase some some things for the family picnic.  Some day I'm going to drive around and see if there is any trackage left on the army base.

At one time this base was the main training ground for U.S. Army engineers (no, not RR engineers).  I knew a guy who was in the reserves and trained in one of the last railroad battalions the army had.  My understanding is that they still had some steam at late as the 70's for training purposes.  Wish I knew that back then I would have been there like stink on a skunk.

Bob

[SAH]

So I've not checked in for what, 4 or 5 mons.  But then I do and find you're even crazier than when I left!!!
Beautiful work there home boy.  You simply amaze me.  Maybe it's time to get outta da valley for a short vacation. no?   ;D

Bachmann announced a On30 railbus based on one of my favorites. Looks like about $140 for it  So why not try one in N scale.

It will be battery powered and is about 2" long.

My theme music:
http://www.buffalocreekandgauley.com/LOCOMOTIVES/BusB/RailbusB.html
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n255/Chris333_33/bus001.jpg
http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/On30/photo#5219261434432802098

[davefoxx]

Well, I thought I would never own one, but I broke down and added a U25B to the fleet.  To me, the U25B has got a face that only a mother could love, but the C&O owned a number that ran on the Piedmont and Mountain Subdivisions.  By adding #2536 to the roster, I am limited to modeling no later than 1970, because the C&O renumbered the U25Bs to the 8100 series in that year.  This is good news for Lee, as it means that absolutely NO Chessie System equipment can run on my layout, as that marketing scheme began a couple of years later.



Dave

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You're not a U25b fan? I think they're great!

Yours sure looks good there!

[Mark5]

While playing with my crude templates this weekend (pencils, string, and thumbtacks notwithstanding) I decided my layout is too small even for the wacky hidden staging trackage I was envisioning. It's come down to "screw it, I'm just gonna build this thing" and worry about staging and whatnot (which I think is important) on the next layout (which will be larger and maybe by then my kids will be taking care of themselves  ).

Good news today - I seem to have scored a Ribbonrail 15" curve thingy. This will be used in actual track laying. Next I need to fabricate a track center tool from styrene or brass. Well, sorta next. In the next month or so I will finalize the track plan using state of the art techniques (me kneeling on the floor drawing the track plan 1:1). It's a plan.

I need to get this crap outta the way so I can get on to working on my backlog of modeling projects (which like Jacob Marley's chain is ponderous!).