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Lebanon NH train show

The urge to go and see some trains became overwhelming. So, into the teeth of the Northeast storm, I set off for Lebanon NH, some 70 miles south of me. The show was in the Lebanon high school. They had three big modular layouts up and running, one for G scale, a huge HO one, and a "European theme" one, little four wheeled "goods vans", European outline diesels and buildings. Quite nicely done. Enough dealers tables. I picked up three tired heavyweight passenger coaches in plastic, plus a sheet of B&M passenger decals. I'm thinking to do some interior work, glaze the windows, paint them passenger maroon. Should be a good project. Trip back got a little interesting. Snow started building up on the road. I passed an 18 wheeler who was chaining up to climb the hill. Made it home just in time for the great April blizzard on Monday. 85 mph winds, roofs blown off, power out for days, 8 inches of snow. Big tree fell on house.

David Starr

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David Starr
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DS:

85 MPH? Wow. Do you mean a tree fell on your house?

Just a question...have you ever posted a track plan of your RR? I am just curious, since IIRC it used to be a 4 x 8 like I am now building, and you seem to have been quite happy with it for the last few years.

Cordially yours: Gerard P. President, a box of track and some grids.

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pawlowsk002

snipped-for-privacy@gannon.edu wrote:

I don't have a track plan in digital form at all. The plan was done (many years ago) using a 0.7 mm Pentel and graph paper. And the poor layout didn't make the last move so I am planning a new one to fit somewhere around the new house. Probably a very narrow around-the-wall layout in the downstairs bedroom which is largely intended to bed visiting grandchildren. With a massive bridge to jump to gap of the door, the closet door, and the bathroom door... Construction might start this fall after youngest son goes off to college, freeing up the space. The old 4*8 track plan was two loops around the outer edge of the table to permit continuous running of two trains in oposite directions. There was a lovely Shinohara double crossover permiting trains to move from the inner to the outer loop. There was a long spur that climbed up to an elevated section which the main line tunneled under. It was intended to service a mine and/or a logging operation and give a destination for a Shay pulling ore jennies or logging cars. There was a reverse loop, and a short (very short) three track yard. Switches were powered by twin coil machines driven by home made capacitor discharge machines. I used bicolored LED's to indicate the polarity of each end the reverse loop relative to the main line. I learned a good number of things from the previous 4*8. Such as the need to keep grades below 4%. The need to ease into and out of a grade with transition sections lest the sudden change of pitch lead to uncouplings and worse. The need to back up Homasote with 1/4" plywood to prevent Homasote sagging. Was I to do another 4*8 I'd plan for a view block running down the center of the table dividing the layout into two scenes. I'd allow for a cut out section below the level of the main table to carry a river under some bridges. Trains look their best posed on bridges.

David Starr

Reply to
David Starr

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