Small details

I recently was recommended to take a look at 'Unit Models'. This small family business makes great details and items that are ideal to further detail structures or add items on other areas of your layout.
There's small US style mailboxes, roof vents, oil drums, small sheds , relay cabinets etc etc.

Their range certainly contained some items that I really liked, so I placed an order for some of these, and will use them (among others) for my warehouse.
Take a look at http://www.unitmodels.com/  . I've now added them to my ever growing list of useful links.

Creating a believable railroad

There are many factors that help in creating a realistic model railroad.  All too often, we focus on painstaking detail, weathering , scenery etc etc. However, another crucial element is to have a good look and do some research when you're buying your locomotives and rolling stock. If your goal is to have great realism, and you're modeling a branch line, then a Big Boy, or a consist of SD70Ace locomotives isn't going to look right.  Similarly, you have to avoid a collection of 'exceptions'.
With that I mean, that while a certain type of loco , or guest railroad (lease power) showed up at some point, having that on the layout might not come across as realistic. Instead go for the ones that would be there most of the time, perhaps this was in the shape of GP38-2 locos, and of a certain road.

The same goes for your freight car fleet, make sure you have sufficient of the 'home railroad' , that you would commonly see to make a convincing scene. There are many boxcars I'd like to have, but I have resisted buying them because they would not have been around or seldom in the area and era I model. I came across a set of 5 Cotton Belt box cars recently, all with different roadnumbers.
Now those I can use, as my layout is SP/CFNR, and Cotton Belt box cars were quite common place in California. I need to do a lot of weathering and some graffiti attacks to these, but they do convey the fact that my layout is SP territory predominantly. 
Here they are shortly after arrival in the mail, on my module. They will find good service on my home layout in time.

progress on the warehouse

It's been a little while since I've been able to continue on this project, but here's the next stage (the warehouse is not placed in the right spot here btw)

I've applied a 'concrete' foundation by finding a suitable concrete pattern on the internet, scaled it down into strips and printed it out on a colour laser printer at work, and glued these to the structure base using PVA glue. Next I used a black craft paint (same stuff they use at pre-school etc) to paint the roof, and sprinkled on Woodlandscenics B76 cinders ballast while it was still wet. It will be followed by a layer of diluted PVA glue to further fix it in place. After that it is time for detailing the roof etc, but I first need the detail parts (such as AC units, vents etc) which I haven't even ordered yet....

SP Cement train Picture of the month

Below is a SP cement train, somewhere in the early '80s,  running on the SP coastline headed for San Luis Obispo, CA.
 Motive power is GP9 3428, hauling 5 PS-2 cement hoppers, and a caboose.

And yes, it's a model.
The loco is a detailed, repainted and weathered Lifelike Proto2000 GP9, and the hoppers are from a variety of sources (Kadee, Atlas etc), all detailed / decalled and weathered, by Brian Moore.

Photo by Brian Moore

Athearn announces new GP50

Athearn has just announced their new GP50 in their Genesis line of locomotives.

The models are based on the earlier release of the GP38-2, sharing the same modular construction and mechanics. Athearn has developed a new set of molds to enable them to produce a variety of 'Geeps' over the coming years, rather than having to develop molds for each locomotive variation. It can be as easy as just attaching a different short hood, different door set, roof ventilator etc etc.

Below a video of their introduction. They will ship later this year.

Operating sessions at the local club

Recently, I was present and operating at our local club, using modular boards build to the NMRA-BR specification. For more about our standard , visit the NMRA-BR website at: www.nmrabr.org.uk , or better still, become a member, only 23 pounds per year , including our own full colour bi monthly magazine Roundhouse.

This video was filmed by Mike Ruby, with the intention to show how long a switching session can last, if you operate proto-typically .  It is an aspect of the hobby that is getting more and more interest in the UK and elsewhere, and is much more fun than just watching trains run around in circles. It gives them a purpose.
Hope you enjoy it.

SP power at Napa Jct

SP Power on the service track at Napa Jct CFNR service facilities.

It's 1994:

The California Northern is about 1 year old, and running over former SP trackage. The SP is still present however, and takes over trains that the CFNR brings down to Napa Jct. and elsewhere. Here a string of mixed SP power waits for their next assignments. Meanwhile CFNR SD9 203, one of 4 SD9's they own, is just about to depart with a short mixed freight West to Suisun, and will continue it's run north towards Willits, to be part of a lash up of 4 SD9's for the downhill run of a long string of flat cars loaded with wood, the so called Willits turn.
This run with many grades needs to be operated with locos equipped with Dynamic brakes, and the SD9's are the only locomotives so equipped owned by the CFNR. The fleet of GP15-1 are normally used for the flatter runs.