End Of The Line

I'm afraid this is it for the Southside Spur layout project. I've essentially killed it before I could really get started. It took me a long while to discover, but I realized N scale just doesn't work for me. I posted once about working on a side project Atlantic Coast Line GP7 in HO, and this is what undid my interest in N scale. I was able to do more real "modeling" in one GP7 than in 9 years of N scale. The larger size allowed me to play around with detail parts, painting, and even a Loksound installation, without needing years of expertise, which I certainly don't have. I am now a firm believer that no locomotive should be without sound, and this is much easier to do in HO. N scale in comparison felt like collecting little toys instead of real models. Now, I have a total of six Atlantic Coast Line units, 4 of which already have Loksound. I've sold the entirety of my N scale collection. I think for the future I'll be focusing on the same area, but this time with Atlantic Coast Line in 1952. This means long passenger trains with purple E-units AND freight operations AND switching. I feel the era and scale change has much more to offer me in terms of enjoyment. I plan to leave this blog up forever. To see my progress as a modeler in the years to come. Be on the lookout for another article in Model Railroader this year. You may see a glimpse of some of my future modeling aspirations...

Digitized Track Plan

Well, thanks to the efforts of Robert Sprague, I now how a professional looking track plan for this layout. His layout rendering really is top notch! Check out his website for more of his track plans. You may have seen some of his in Model Railroader Magazine!

http://www.annapolisjunctionrr.com/

Running Trains at Citrus Model Railroad Club

Until I can get the Southside Spur going, enjoy watching a consist run with a few other trains on my local model railroad club!

HO Scale Side Project

I've been working on this little project for some time now, and just thought I'd share it with you all. I acquired a Proto 2000 GP7 in ACL paint and just did a simple TCS LL8 decoder install along with scale Kadee coupler fitting. I'll probably have some video of it running at the model railroad club soon!

Details such as a roof bell, gyra-lights, and see-through vents will be added at a later time.

Photo from www.tcsdcc.com of the installed LL8 decoder. Forgot to take a picture of the set up before I put the shell back on!

Removing the factory board.

Straight outta the box comparison between P2K products in N and HO.

Power on the Southside

Just a quick look at the two locomotives I have assigned on the Southside Spur layout. A third will arrive eventually, once Atlas releases those GP40-2's that were due December of LAST YEAR. Anyway, I currently have the brand new release of Proto 2000 GP38-2 in the Boxcar Logo scheme, as well as the 2005 release of Atlas's GP40-2 in YN3. Hopefully I'll get around to making a pair of GP39-2's in the future, as these were the most common on the Southside. My current locos both have DCC installed. The 38 has a Digitrax DN163L0A, and the 40 has a TCS AMD4. A little work was needed to get the contact to be firm for constant electric current, but all in all they were easy installs. The next GP40-2 will be released in June this year and will come DCC Equipped with an NCE 2-Function decoder. I may save sound decoder ventures for a future HO scale layout.

Proto 2000 GP38-2 on the left, Atlas GP40-2 on the right.

Proto 2000 GP38-2 sitting with its old factory board removed. The locomotives are well worth the money now that the new release is truly DCC Ready, and comes standard with MT couplers. The old release required hard-wiring.

Southside spur locals most commonly operated with a pair of matched GP39-2's of GP40-2's, but a GP38-2 will suffice until the new GP40-2 arrives from Atlas, or I build some GP39-2's.

A TBOX Arrives!

After a lot of hunting on eBay, I managed to track down a LBF TBOX model that has been discontinued since 2004. These boxcars are a keystone of modern industrial layouts. This will be a nice project to work on with upgrades and weathering. The paint has already been toned down to better reflect the faded yellow color seen in real life, something that desperately needs to be done to my TTZX Red Caboose Center-beams (come on, Intermountain!).

Southside Spur Consists

Here are a few shots of Southside Spur consists that helped me decide on rolling stock to purchase.