Pour some fresh OJ, guys, and toast a bagel. Been too busy doing family stuff to do much rail related, but I did catch the W & LE working the end of the branch line here in Cleveland :




Going to Chicago for the weekend, will report later

Welcome to a tour by photo of an amazing layout which I visited.
Fellow members of a preservation group which I belong to, the American Steam Railroad, got a personal open house recently, with track privileges and an unobstructed view of the scenery. which is protected by glass panels on regular open house dates.

For those who want more, I encourage you to check out the following websites

https://www.americansteamrailroad.org

http://wpmrm.org

Wake Up! No sleeping in today...the plan is ....ROAD TRIP!

I have a special invitation to visit the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum, north of Pittsburgh. I guarantee pictures to come, but you can see it featured in the MR of last December.
 Just need to grab some breakfast and head out.

See you later, folks.

The signals are green, let's get rolling

Wow, that was impressive.



just an iPhone picture, a little high haze, but amazing how dark it got. A once in a lifetime experience - Totality!

Good Morning. Have some Florida OJ and wake up!

Rainy here in Ohio, but the tractors will soon be plowing the fields.

Well, I've had some vacant real estate on the layout for some time. Been playing with possibilities and letting ideas simmer, so it's time to move forward. I bought a Walther's kit, Reliable warehouse and storage.



After testing my plan with a cardstock mockup, I split the model in two, using the front and back to create two buildings:

Good morning, all.
Have some OJ and wake up.

Well, the one thing I DID NOT expect to see during a Las Vegas half time show was a marching band on the field. They even did formations (and spelled out USHER!)


Have a great day!

How many shopping days 'til Christmas? Better get busy...

The first Christmas concert by The Cleveland Orchestra was last night...Magnificent. Really gets me in the mood.

Wake up, y'all.

Why is everyone sleeping in this morning?
Well, when the trumpet sounds tomorrow morning, You'll all have to March for 31 days!

Have a good one, folks.

Some of the most interesting and unusual diesels that were built during the transition era were the Fairbanks Morse units acquired by the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad. This was a regional hauler with many interchanges in northern Ohio. They painted these units in a bright yellow, which was very eye-catching. I've always wished I had some HO models of these, but my budget never included brass, and these prototypes have only been made by a few commercial companies. I've studied what was available, and found some deals on eBay, so now I am starting a project...

Here are some prototype photos



This is ACY 208, an FM H16-44, which started service in 1957.





This is ACY 505, an FM H20-44, the very last one built by Fairbanks Morse. It is preserved in Galveston TX


The photos are from the book "Akron, Canton & Youngstown and Akron & Barberton Belt in Color. Author Robert E Lucas and the AC&Y Historical Society.

I'd like to join in... a very 'Old School' wood kit. Nothing like Campbell. Always found them so suitable for railroad settings.




The original price sticker on this box said $14.98

Here's the contents