Everybody's heard of miniature track gangs, but what about a small carpenter?

Just asking for a friend.

Note the light on, in the base of the impact. This wasn't posed - he's driving screws that Dad presets. He's not quite tall enough/experienced enough to see the pre-drilled holes.

More Fast Tracks Jigs

Recent eBay scores have included a #8 double slip jig and point form tool as well as a 60 degree crossing.

I hope to be able to capture some images of them and test them out fairly soon.

As promised, some snaps of the new jigs:

#8 puzzle switch jig. Current track plan calls for 4 of these inside Acca to maximize body track length

Doswell crossings, here we come!

I've been considering seeing if I can work a trade in on my #10 turnout jig for a #10 cross over jig.

Maybe I should put in a #12 somewhere.. Hmm.

A quick follow up

So, way back in August of 2012, I mentioned I had purchased a Overland Models P42, in brass, and promised pictures.

Never let it be said I don't deliver, but let's agree to not talk about timeliness. 😀

I'll make a promise to put a bigger post about it and some other recent buys in the future. Hopefully, it will be the near future. 😏

Track Planning for Version 2

Editor's Note: Some of this content is going to be submitted to the LDSIG's Journal whenever I get time to finish the article up so don't be surprised to see it again.

I believe the refrain "make only new mistakes" applies to a fair amount of the human condition but let's focus on how it relates to model railroading.

One of the chief complaints about version 1 was the short mainline run.

In trying to fit a super sized adaptation of the original railroad into the new space, I wasn't really fixing that problem, but putting a band aid on it.

 I stubbornly continued to try to make it work; even with some serious contortions, the outputs were never good enough to grab me and say "build this!"

It took multiple people, including a LDSig member during a consult at the Indianapolis NMRA convention to tell me to consider a "one way" approach before I finally listened.

I'm glad I did since I ended up getting a design that have 9.5 scale miles of mainline run, generous curves (40" is the mainline standard), the wye at Acca and the Amtrak station at Staples Mill.

Version 2 - The Space and Environs PreView

As I've briefing mentioned, the original Richmond Terminal is no longer with us.

In 2016, we sold our house in Chesterfield and moved east of town into New Kent.

We purchased a good size ranch that, most importantly to me, included a full size basement. As a bonus, the basement was going to be finished when we moved into the house.

I had to finish the basement or at least make it livable for a railroad at the old house, so that took about 4 years worth of work before I started screwing together the first pieces of plywood.

At the new house, the original design of the basement was cut up into multiple rooms. One of the walls was load bearing which was going to be a complicating factor.

For the space's use as a model railroad, this just would not do.

 A LVL beam was specified and installed and the other walls were removed, giving a large open space for a railroad.

We are looking into the larger portion from the walkout area under the 1st floor sunroom.

These shots are from right after drywall was finished and painted, but before the carpet was put down.

Entry to the basement from the stairs to there on our right. The two doors are a full bath and coat closet, from left to right.

Walk out space; the sunroom was a $12.5K option, but we added space on both levels so it was a strong value.

The bedroom space; the breezeway opening you see above was another request to the homebuilder.

Content Oops

Sorry the promised content failed to appear last summer; it's been 18 months since I posted to the blog and that is my failing. Let me make some notes and try to make this better.

Major Changes!

We have sold our home and I'm in the process of tearing the railroad down.

I've got a retrospective to put together, but that might have to wait until I get more time.

This is mostly a warning that more content will be coming, sometime in the next few months.