D & H "Colonie Main" layout
This blog will be a record of my personal journey in researching, building, operating, and finally sharing my HO scale layout based on the Delaware and Hudson Railway's "Colonie Main Line."
CP Executive train in Albany
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Caboose #35794 with side damage (1986)
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
D&H #4075 on Adirondack Railway (1980)
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Springfield Train Show 2024
Saturday, January 20, 2024
Wishes for 2024
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
D&H train in Voorheesville (1985)
Monday, December 25, 2023
Merry Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12
Not much to report at the moment modeling wise, but Harrison received some trains this year under the tree. In the end, that is a good thing. 😀
Friday, December 1, 2023
Harrison's first Lionel layout
Saturday, November 25, 2023
C.P. Holiday train on the Colonie Main!
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
I've been published in O Gauge Railroading magazine!
I love the D&H's blue hoppers used for glass service and have written about them a lot on this blog.
When on a trip near Philadelphis a couple of years ago I purchased an O scale Atlas blue D&H hopper at a train store, and I knew I was going to make glass loads for it similar to my HO scale ones (here and here). Even as I was driving away from the store I started to write the article in my mind. I knew that if the cars looked good in HO scale, they would look even better in O scale. So, I got to work.
I actually acquired three O scale cars (an Atlas 2-bay hopper car, a special TTOS Empire and Eastern Division 3-bay hopper club car; and an MTH 2-bay hopper). Unlike the HO scale cars, though, I needed a lot more glass beads. And, I decided to make the loads removable.
When I wrote the article my friend Don offered to let me photograph the cars on his layout, and in exchange I made six loads for him for his unit train. I made another one for my friend Frank in Buffalo too. Below shows my three cars.
The article described how to make the loads removable, which meant that the hopper cars could be used to carry other things too. Pictures on my blog certainly show the prototype cars used in MOW gravel service. I used real crushed coal in one, and real crushed stone in the other.
I submitted the article, and waited and waited. Such is how the publishing business goes. But this week the finished article arrived in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of O Gauge Railroading magazine. It looks great, and I am real happy how it turned out.
Working in O scale was a lot of fun, and readers of my blog know that I haven't done much on the HO layout recently. Much of that is because of a lack of time, and I hope to get to my layout again in the future. But for now, some side projects in the larger scale are a good way to work on new modeling skills.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Happy Halloween (1981)
Note the trucks on #2304, which haven't been painted and are various shades of black, brown, and gray (perhaps overspray from painting the frame of the engine?)
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Chester Railway Museum (Mass.)
The Hudson Berkshire Division of the NMRA held our October monthly meeting at the Chester Railway Station and Museum in Chester, MA over the past weekend.
Though it was a 70 minute trip from our house, my wife and son came with me and we had a great time learning about the local railroad history.
Some fun facts I never knew were that the first pusher operations were conducted on the original railroad in this location, and technically the first "mountain railroad" was located here.
They have an attractive tank car painted up for "Bakers Chocolate", which apparently shows the oldest American trademark (the old woman) on file.
They also have an old Rutland caboose, painted for the New York Central, that you can rent for the night. I definitely plan to do that in the spring.
An unusual steam locomotive, which arrived with a two-axle tender that was powered by a motor, is also on the property.
The station itself is nicely restored and smelled like an old railroad station.
Inside, they had lots of displays and memorabilia as well as tables and chairs to rest in.
During the meeting I was also awarded officially my MMR Structures certificate.
A CSX train happened to go by on the old Boston and Albany mainline, which was neat and caught everybody's attention.
An old schematic of the tracks that use to be in the area.
They even had a "kiddie" boxcar (an actual boxcar) filled with toys and children's books and things for young ones to play with. An old Lionel train circled the ceiling.
Across the street from the station was the location of an old marble quarry.
Apparently, someone tried to steal the cutting wheel with a blowtorch! They might have cut part way through, but they never got it off though.
One neat thing about this trip was that I found out about the background for Michael Tylick's (one of my biggest influences) large scale Chester and Beckett Railroad which is frequently exhibited at the Springfield Train Show. It has models of quarry operations based on this area, and when I go in January to see it again I will take better notice of all that he built.
All in all, I learned a lot and it was a really enjoyable place to visit for an hour or two. Even my wife and Harrison (who is in a couple of the shots) enjoyed themselves too.