Well thats 2!

I'd have 3 but the Local Hobby is out of Keep Alives.
And these engines are a delight. Easy to get decoders into, and they can pull 25 cars on the level, so they'll have no issue with the trains I plan.
Thanks again Trevor.

Why, oh why?

Do people do this?

 I have no idea what adhesive/glue this is, but I've seen it before and I'm baffled.
There's no need to use anything other than CA for assembling resin. In controlled amounts.
Whatever this stuff was it also had the ability to eat into the resin if a large quantity was applied.
Some glue!
So I'm spending a couple of hours sanding and scraping this sh** off so I can reassemble this car properly.
Yes, I'm cranky about it!

Further refinement on the proposed trackplan

Trevor and his pencils are busy.
He just sent me this;

A few refinements and we used modelers license and added an icing platform in Colvis.
More "play value".
It's screaming "Build me!"

Mogul races in St Thomas yard?

Nope!
But now you know what Jay had in the box!
3 gorgeous Precision Scale brass SP Moguls, awaiting the installation of decoders, speakers and Keep Alives!
What's going on you ask?
Well...

I've come to the realization that the Wabash layout will not be able to come to life in the manner that I had first hoped for.
The doubt had been in my brain for a few months , but got solidified as a result of the 3 days of running TT&TO in La Mesa.
Successful TT&TO ops require mainline, lots of mainline. With the stations preferably out of sight from each other. Operators need time(which equals distance) between stations to review orders and the timetable as well as having a sense of going somewhere.
I was trying to replicate 50 miles of mainline in less than 2 scale miles, the compression just wasn't going to work. No room for meets, no challenges, no thinking required.
Now I am enamoured with the Cayuga Sub, and don't regret for a minute the time spent on this project. But if I'm to get a layout running I need to find a prototype that better fits my space.
The first thought I had was to take the old San Jacinto branch that Andy Sperandeo drew up decades ago and tweak it into my current space. Particularly now that I better understand the operations on a branch like that.
But then my friend and "Model Railroad Enabler" Trevor Marshall stepped in with a similar theme, but a little more to my liking.
The Clovis Branch of the SP. A lovely branch that reached up to Friant, with lots of winerys, fruit packing, some stock, and a goodly amount of general merchandise. Oh and a ballast quarry.
The track plan Trevor whipped up for me has the added bonus of fitting perfectly on the existing benchwork.

The actual towns will be laid out in the same manner as I did with the old layout. Full size templates and a survey to guide me.
It'll take some time to fully engage in this project. Rolling stock as to get sold, some layout work will be undone, etc.
Right now all the F-7s are spoken for, but I will be making up a list of rolling stock that I'll be selling and will make it available when the time comes. It is interesting that a good amount of the foreign road equipment is reusable.
The offer from Trevor of the 3 Moguls is what clinched the deal. We took all 3 out and test ran them, and determined how to get into the Vanderbuilt tenders for decoder installation.
I have a really good feeling about this new venture. Besides, for me, it's more about the journey than the destination.
Guess I'll have to redo the intro page to this blog!
Onward!

What's Jay got in the Box?

And I can assure you it's not a cheese straightner!

Stay tuned, all will be revealed shortly

Well I'm glad that's done!

No, Metra hasn't come to St Thomas.
I've posed these 6 commuter coaches on the Kettle Creek bridge just for fun.
These are Island Model Works kits, and I can't say I had a lot of fun building these.
no instructions, no photos, of the model or prototype. I had trouble finding images on line of these cars, so I knew what I was aiming for.
Rather disappointed in that regard.
On the upside, I finally got to use Alcad metal paint, and I'm very pleased with that product.
Now onto other projects.
Like contemplating whether or not to consider a whole new layout!
Stay tuned on that one!