Santa Susanna Model Railroad Club in Pictures - NMRA 2024 Long Beach

 I attended the NMRA National Convention in Long Beach, CA, in August 2024.

As in some years past, I did the LDSig layout tour. One of the layouts on the tour this year was the Santa Susanna Model Railroad Club. The Club is housed in the former Southern Pacific Santa Susanna Station.

What follows is a sampling of photos that I found interesting. If you find yourself in the Los Angeles area, this is worth the ~60 minute drive up into the foothills.

We were able to get a nice depot tour and presentation from one of the historical society docents that was at the depot that day. His presentation was outstanding and engaging. He was able to take my group upstairs in the depot, which is the living space for the station agent. In Santa Susanna's case, the Agents were a husband and wife team.

Upstairs in the depot is the living area for the station agent - couldn't resist a cat on chair picture.

More shots on the gallery at richmond-terminal.org. If you are interested in more information about the club, you can check out the Club website for the depot. The Museum website here.

Please Handle and Couple Cars Carefully - An Example of Why

 During my pre-session briefing, I ask all operators to handle cars carefully, and couple with care.

HO scale frieght cars are beautifully detailed these days, but all those great looking details are fragile, and subject to damage.

I show you an example of what happens when cars aren't treated gently.

Op Session Follow Up - Engine #17 Performance

 One of the joys about operating sessions is having problems discovered by your crew.

During the previous session, an operator let me know about poor performance by one of the diesel switchers in Acca yard. This is a MP15 model by Atlas that I have had for many years. It has a standard TCS decoder installed, as it was a DC locomotive from the factory.

After taking it off the layout and putting a note on it, I also added it to my list of gripes.

This week, I took a look at it and noticed it was on the list from the February session.

Some troubleshooting during the session suggested that this loco had a low fuel tank, and I thought the plastic cover had just loosened, so should be an easy fix.

You can see where the tank has been rubbing on the trackwork:

After some additional investigation, I realized the frame on this engine has warped. I assume this has zinc pest, like many other engines from this time period. Very disappointing.

It will go into the case; maybe someday I will be about to source a replacement frame.

Doswell Changes, Part 1

After multiple operating sessions, I decided that the track layout inside of Doswell wasn't what I wanted.

So, I ripped up all the track and roadbed, to start afresh.

After a bunch of measuring and test fitting, I realized that I needed to revamp the benchwork as well.

Here's the benchwork re-completed:

And now I'm starting to layout some track options: 

More pictures are on the gallery on richmond-terminal.org

Customizing Resistor wheelsets

 As most readers know, the freight car fleet on the Richmond Terminal is equiped with resistor wheelsets to make sure that all cars are detected on the line, and that the signal system reflects that fact.

To do that, I've used Intermountain axles that I prepared and installed.

Some freight car truck designs do not support the IM axles and require a different approach.

These are Athearn coal cars - the bathtub style cars, BTW.

Glue a 10K 1206 size resistor, and then paint to the wheels with conductive paint or glue. Problem solved.

September Operating Session Recap

We had a full house for the operating session in September.

I tore up the trackage in Doswell in late February, and it wasn't put back together yet, so trains in and out of Bremo staging were annulled, and other trains modified.

Other than that, trains ran and the crew enjoyed themselves.

Crew Assignments

Dick M - Acca YM

Mike B - Acca AYM

John V- Acca AYM

Scott L - Traffic Manager

Road Crew:

Bryce L

Bob S

Bill W

Bob R

Jerry R

The crew identified a couple of issues for remediation during the session that I will be working on before the next session. I will do a separate blog post about the cars that ended up on the RIP track, as that is interesting in its own right.

Now, onto the pictures:

Bob has Amtrak well in hand as he approaches Acca yard.

Bill plans his next move in Doswell, as Jerry surveys the south side of Acca.

More photos!