Model Railroading

I am an active model railroader, which basically is a hobby that depicts real trains and their setting in a model form. Model railroading is a real art form, with many levels of involvement, from simply running model trains to thoroughly researching and replicating real scenes from current or past railroading. A good way to find out more about model railroading is by picking up Model Railroader magazine.

Yep, that's me next to my current layout.

Another good place for exploring and enjoying model railroading is through the National Model Railroad Association. The NMRA consists of many Regions and local Divisions that conduct model railroad activities in a geographical area. Where I live, the New Jersey Division serves as our local NMRA group. I am currently serving as president of the NJ Division. If you live in the southern New Jersey area, check out our web site and attend one of our activities. If you live elsewhere, search for your local Region and Division on the NMRA website.

My Layout

My model railroading interest is in northern New England railroading, primarily in the late 1970s to early 1980s time period. I am particularly interested in the Maine Central Railroad and its Mountain Division, from Portland, Maine to St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I am also interested in the Boston & Maine, Central Vermont, Canadian Pacific and Lamoille Valley Railroad in Vermont. I am currently building an HO scale layout that will focus on St. Johnsbury, Vermont and the rail lines that radiate out from this point. More information on the layout itself can be found on my Layout web page.

A previous layout was started in 1999. This small layout was built in sections because we knew we would move within a few years. Well, it was dismantled in August of 2002 when we moved . The sections are now in use, in one way or another, on the new layout. Some pictures and a short movie of that layout can be found at my .Mac website.

I recently started a web log to capture things not found on this web site. This will include stories, how-to's and other things to supplement this web site. Go to the mainecentral.blogspot.com page and check it out!

Independence Junction 2006 In 2006, the Philadelphia Division of the NMRA will be hosting the NMRA National Convention right here in Philadelphia. There are many great layouts in the area that will be open for the convention and I am excited to be among those opening my layout for this convention. Work on the layout is in high gear right now! To learn more about the convention itself, including links to other layouts on the tours, go to the Independence Junction 2006 website. See you in 2006!!!

In addition to building a layout, a major part of model railroading is building models of locomotives, freight cars, structures and other things that can go onto the layout. These projects can range from the simple assembly of commercial kits to modifying and painting kits to building a model completely from scratch. Below is a look at some of the things currenlty completed on my workbench.

If you haven't stopped by this site before, be sure to check out this page of previous projects.

June 2006 - Construction on the layout has been in high gear as the National convention draws near. Scenery, tracklaying, even benchwork have all been keeping me busy. In addition to that, hee are a few off the layout projects to create things that get added onto the layout:

I completed the Allen Lumber company building. It is scaled down a bit and is not an exact replica. For example, the prototype is not clapboard siding and the 2 windows are a bit different. But I think it captures the feel of the building. This is built entirely of styrene with construction paper strips for the tarpaper roof. For the sign, I painted stick on lettering blue and applied them to a piece of styrene. The effect helps simulate the raised letters on the real building. (Click on image for larger view)

This Maine Central boxcar started out as a Walthers undecorated waffle side boxcar. It has a Details West plug door that was cut down a bit to fit the opening better. It was painted with Poll Scale MEC paints with an aluminum roof. The deals are custom made by fellow MEC modeler Cam Green. (Click on image for larger view)

With the open house coming I wanted to get a few more sound equipped locomotives on the rails. This MEC GP7 is stock Atlas unit. The basic MEC conversion is to remove the supplied horns on each side and replace with a 3 chime horn on the short hood. The other key feature is the bell, Custom Finishing part #110. Otherwise the unit is pretty accurate. For sound, I used a Soundtraxx DSD decoder for Atlas. The speaker was recommended by Tony's Train Exchange and I agree it sounds pretty good. It is what they call a mini oval and is inside the enclosure they sell. It fits in the short hood above the truck and gears with little difficulty. KD #58 couplers and weathering completed this loco. (Click on image for larger view)

The other sound unit I did was on this CP Rail RS-10. This is a really nice Proto 1000 locomotive produced by Hobbycraft in Canada. It has great detail and is very accurate right out of the box because it has many specific details already added. I used a Soundtraxx decoder in this loco as well, using a DSD for Atlas as recommended by Tony's Trains. They were right as the P1K board is closer to Atlas than P2K. It has the same speaker and enclosure and easily fits in the short hood above the drive shaft. KD #58's and weathering finished this unit. (Click on image for larger view)

An archive of previous projects can be found on my Projects web page.

I have written a few articles for Regional NMRA publications. As they are not online anywhere else, I have added them to my website.

• Custom Painting and Decaling
• NER Railfan Trip to Selkirk Yard
• A Freight Car Repair Facility
• Layout Planning For Prototypical Operations
• MER Trip to Homasote Plant
• Detailing a CNJ 40' PS-1 Boxcar
• Ten Tips for Summertime Modeling
• Kadee Installation Tips
• Using Styrene for Backdrops

Web page written and maintained by: Mike McNamara