Some of you might remember that I used to write a column called, Out Arizona Way for a newspaper in Ohio. The idea was that I got the paper every week giving me an idea of how folks lived in that area, and I would write an article for that same paper so those folks would see how life was around my area. It’s been a good ten years since the owner passed away and they stopped publishing the paper. I also used to write a monthly article, Along the Lines,  about trains for a publication in Tahachapi, CA. Yup, that town near the Tahachapi Loop. That too went belly-up with the downturn in the economy around the same time. I do have a blog here where I posted about a dozen of those articles. I do miss writing both articles, and although this sub-forum has been tagged for blogs about railroads, it’s been dormant for a few years, and so, we have decided to widen its scope. Rather than use the Hobo Camp thread to post short stories, as I’ve been doing occasionally, I’ll just post some old and some new ramblings of an old man here. Feel free to comment. I guess I could post things in one or more social sites in hopes of getting a few thousand or million, “likes” or “followings”, but that’s just not my bag. I see where there are people becoming millionaires by posting stuff on social media such as, youtube, but it’s too late in life for me to think about all the complexities of being a millionaire, so I choose Big Blue members as my target, forgoing the chance for fame and fortune.

Again, feel free to comment or even open your own blog and add your own stories. We still have the Hobo Camp forum for daily chit-chat and personal updates, blogs are more for story-telling. My stories are about what it’s like living in a place that once was a vast desert, I would hope others would start a blog on what it’s like living in their part of the world.

Please step forward all of you fellows that are knowledgeable about scenery.

I'm trying to place a Walthers 'New River Coal Mining' structure into the upper deck, back left corner of my layout. A portion of it would sit over the double crossover fixture I made, while the loading tracks themselves would be out on a 'flat' like I show in these photos,...the foam flat

 

 
Two of the most immediate questions that come to mind:

1. Is it possible the 'camouflage' that opening in the rear wall that is bringing a single line track into the room from the outdoor helix? Is it possible to make that NOT look like a tunnel entrance??
   
2. In that same sort of vein, is it possible to create a 'fake background scene' on a small portion of that rear wall would appear to be a track (or several of them) coming in to the loading tracks for the coal cars?...(at the wall end of those straight pieces of track I laid down there)
   
    
   

I'm going to begin this subject thread by making some copies of some of my previous postings as it will probable best convey the steps I have taken so far.

I need HELP!
Quite awhile back I set aside some spaces on my new double-deck layout plan to have some logging scenes.
I labeled them Logging Tracks & Logging Interchange
 
Even though both of these 'scenes' are interconnected, they both require individual design attention:
a) to the logging trains that gather up the downed trees and deliver them to the lumber mill,
b) the mill itself,
c) and finally placement of finished product on mainline cars for retail distribution.

 

 
On this upper level I am proposing to put some logging tracks and trains running out the peninsula to its tip. There might be a very tight loop at the free end of the peninsula for the short logging locos to run. Or it might be just a back and forth operation for them. They will bring logs back to the saw mill scene at the trunk end of the peninsula (logging interchange). I have the whole Walthers saw mill kit(s) and would like to make this scene some sort of transfer of logs to cut/finished product that would be loaded onto mainline log cars and center-beam loaded cars, and a number of other wood carrying cars
 
At that point I let myself get stalled out thinking of details about this logging scene, and I went onto more pressing matters to getting some lower plywood decks cut out, and tracks laid in my helix, etc, etc. Now I am at a point where I want to finish up cutting out the deck plates for the upper level,...BUT I need to define what I intend to do about this whole logging area. I need some ideas, hopefully from folks interested in logging subjects.

I'm going to begin this subject thread by making some copies of some of my previous postings as it will probable best convey the steps I have taken so far.

I need HELP!
Quite awhile back I set aside some spaces on my new double-deck layout plan to have some logging scenes.
I labeled them Logging Tracks & Logging Interchange
 
Even though both of these 'scenes' are interconnected, they both require individual design attention:
a) to the logging trains that gather up the downed trees and deliver them to the lumber mill,
b) the mill itself,
c) and finally placement of finished product on mainline cars for retail distribution.

 

 
On this upper level I am proposing to put some logging tracks and trains running out the peninsula to its tip. There might be a very tight loop at the free end of the peninsula for the short logging locos to run. Or it might be just a back and forth operation for them. They will bring logs back to the saw mill scene at the trunk end of the peninsula (logging interchange). I have the whole Walthers saw mill kit(s) and would like to make this scene some sort of transfer of logs to cut/finished product that would be loaded onto mainline log cars and center-beam loaded cars, and a number of other wood carrying cars
 
At that point I let myself get stalled out thinking of details about this logging scene, and I went onto more pressing matters to getting some lower plywood decks cut out, and tracks laid in my helix, etc, etc. Now I am at a point where I want to finish up cutting out the deck plates for the upper level,...BUT I need to define what I intend to do about this whole logging area. I need some ideas, hopefully from folks interested in logging subjects.

Thanks for the invite. I had previously registered on this site when I first encountered your wonderful images over on that 'other forum'.

I am about to resign (or be banned) from that MYOPIC forum for posting links to good subject matter from 'other forums', so I welcome the chance to solicit help planning my new layout on other forums.

Let me know if I cross-the-line with inappropriate postings, as sometimes my older brain can make mistakes.

The day is almost over but I will start this weeks thread.
 This  equipment arrived in a dimensional train early this week and is being placed in storage on the Wilderson Division  The owner, Hugh Connaghan, owner of the Charlevoix Glass Company,  is hoping that the coming winter will produce enough bad storms that he can convince the  railroad to lease it in exchange for the storage fees.  The railroad agreed to store it only if it can be kept in a secure indoor location to protect all the various exposed machinery from the weather and they are also worried that vandals would do extensive damage which would be the railroads responsibility to repair. This may be the only opportunity to see this plow unless it is called to duty.  
     I think Cookie Gibson is acting as a broker for a 3% finders fee.  I think all parties may be satisfied with the arrangements if it snows. .       Charlie

Just a place for me to try and show some old trains running again. My only problem is at this time is a large hill and the way it is seperating the train board down the middle. I want it as a backdrop for photos taken of my old trains running and sitting. It will be steep sided like the hills along the Lehigh Gorge or the Palisades. So it may be based not in Bergen Point but in mind still going there. Possible I'll resurrect Laurys Station. An with the way I am now putting something together, another layout, is taking a lot of time. I'm going to travel out to Hamburg PA Sunday for Maurer's summer train show and see if I get lucky and find a few treasures there as usual. Who knows what will be there. As for trains for my present layout, In my boxes and trays are plenty of interesting things to run and place around to make things look nice. If only I can make some nice scenery. well we will see, If I can keep going. It seems I can't just post a photo here. I must use a photo handling site like Flickr. A picture is worth a thousand words. So it looks like i must write a thousand words.
frank

Yes, I still live, and I occasionally work on my trains. 

Earlier this year, I did attempt to run a massive train on our club layout.   It did have some issues, but they seemed solvable, all except for the fact that  the train would not fit on any storage track.  It was neat though, that up to that point, the train was rolling with just 2 Scale Trains SD40-2s.  It would be no problem to tack on another SD if necessary.  

I want to say the train was just north of 26' feet, maybe closer to 30.  I knew how long it was at the time, but I've since forgotten.   Still, it was fun trying to run a mega train. I just realized I didn't take pictures of the caboose end of the train, but its still pretty long.   In the final photo,  the distance between the signal in the foreground (by the Conrail boxcar)  and the red lit signal ahead of the Atlas trestle in the far background is about 18'.    There is still a large chunk of that train "around the corner" in the background.  Very long!







For more reasonable trains,  older 4 axle power was the name of the game.  #2856 was a U30B with sound on discount, a deal to good to refuse.  There are not enough U-boat models out there!

Waited at the station for over an hour but I got Pics!!!!!
7-14-2019  Ardmore, PA

Here is the information on the 3 cars:
https://www.broadwaylimited1949.com/railcars

The Main Site:
https://www.broadwaylimited1949.com/

This was fantastic to see!!!

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Maybe we should make this monthly photo fun because of lack of posts.

An old photo from an old ops session at my friends in Apollo, Pa. What if the Zephyr was transferred to the PRR for a through train to to NYC?     
Charlie