Real Men Don’t Read NMRA’s Recommended Practices

The Wheel Report, the official publication of the South Mountain Division of the NMRA, just released its Winter edition including my article "Real Men Don’t Read NMRA’s Recommended Practices". In the two page article I describe my problems and solutions to too tight of radius for running six wheel truck locomotives and passenger cars.

A KISS method to control PRR signals on my layout using 4 bits from the SMINI board per signal head.

Update

Today Fred continued work on the remaining CTC modules. Soon we will have to address the programming. I installed the fascia for the extended (larger radius) New Freedom. Need to add some internal framing and a few cross braces. So this week should start putting down the two track roadbed. Using my usual Homasote spline roadbed method. May send a photo when I get some of the roadbed in place. Was successful in removing the unused reverse loop so got almost new Homasote and lots of unused flex track. Also need additional lighting for York as now that you can see from the harbor area to Baltimore and York, I noticed how dark York is. But what a Wow view from the harbor now that the backdrop at the previous Warrens Gap is gone. The scene is about 40 feet deep and really shows well.

Some recent photos. Also on September 18th and 19th we are having an Open House. Noon to 5. Face masks optional. Email: james@thebeckhams.us for directions

Facebook & Update

I am posting on this blog until I have time to work on my website.

A brief statement of the layout.

We are modeling in the late 1960s mainly the Pennsylvania Railroad from Baltimore to Harrisburg up the trackage that belonged to the Northern Central.  That route hauled freight as well as passenger service including several through trains from Washington DC to points West and North e.g. Chicago and New York.  A good bit of the freight was coal that was south bound.  We are also modeling PRR trains running on what is now the North East Corridor.  Washington DC and New York are represented by a North and South bound staging yards.  That portion of the layout will eventually be under Catenary.  

Downtown Baltimore near Penn Station.  Tracks in the street are for our future trolley line representing the Baltimore Transit Company.  The department store in actually based on a Washington DC store Woodward and Lothrop.

Stay tuned for more current photos.

Thanks