Time For Expansion, Already?

After staring at the track layout for 2 days and then discussing it with the wife to get her opinion, I decided to already do an expansion to the existing “Manning Oaks” layout. I was not very fond of the idea of a ‘dead end’ track, and seeing that I had 2 loops and half of a 3rd loop, I thought why not have the ability to have 3 loops. Once all the wiring is completed I will be running DCC on this track (with also the ability to run DC) and one of the benefits of running DCC is to be able to control multiple trains at different speeds. Also one of the reasons for building this layout is just to be able to watch the trains run. So by adding a 3rd loop I can have the enjoyment of watching 3 trains go around the track without having to work any of the turnouts.

I put my existing “Manning Oaks” track layout into a program called SCARM, and then I was able to remove the pieces that I no longer was going to use and add the pieces I needed to complete the 3rd loop, I came up with the following layout.

“Coloma Rails”

Seeing how it was no longer “Manning Oaks”, the name “Coloma Rails” was born. The above image is also flipped from the original “Manning Oaks” since this will be the view from the Engineer’s station.

Once I finalized this layout, it was time to place an order for the remaining track pieces that I will need, and the wait now begins. I am hoping to get my track sometime early next week. In the mean time I will probably start to work on a shelf for the command stations.

Holding Pattern

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2017 Lowell Smith Disney Christmas Car

Back at Trainfest in November I met Lowell Smith in the vendor area and loved the cars that he designs and sells. Back in 2010 he came out with the Disney Christmas Train line and each year reveals a new car at the Walt Disney Family Museum. These cars sell out very fast and I was lucky enough to be able to purchase the 2011 ‘Mickeys Good Deed’ and the 2013 ‘Bambi’ cars from him while there. The 2017 car was releasing on December 2nd and I knew I had to get my order in right away or I’ll miss out. Well I am glad that I ordered when I did. My car finally came in the other day, and when I went back to his website this morning, the car is already Sold-Out, along with every other year. It will be challenge to find/collect my missing years. Here is the 2017 Disney Christmas Car ‘Donald Duck’.

C&NW #928 EMD SD40 Locomotive

Well the last couple of days I have really been giving our USPS lady a workout, packages and packages arriving for my layout. I added another diesel freight locomotive to the roster with a KATO Chicago & North Western #928 SD40. This model I had purchased used through a Facebook Group and already equipped with DCC. The following is borrowed from Don’s Depot . 928 was built in September 1966, #32099, FN 7912-8, as CGW 408. It became C&NW 928 in 1968. It was retired on September 25, 1987 and sold to Washington Corporation in November 1989. It was rebuilt for Corporate Leasing Inc as 3001. It then became MRL 3001 and was later renumbered 220. It was later transferred to I&M Rail Link as 220 in 1997 and sold as Iowa Chicago & Eastern 220 in July 2002. It was retired in February 2007 and scrapped by Jabco Industrial in March 2007.

Scenery: Freight Depot

This past Sunday I started work on the scenery for where my Model Power ‘Freight Depot’ will be residing. I was hoping to originally start my scenery work with the area around North Western Terminal (the parking lot and surrounding areas), but my order for my sidewalks did not arrive on Saturday like it was originally scheduled for. So instead I elected to start on another part of the layout. I already had the ‘Freight Depot’ in hand and knew where I wanted it to go and it would be a good location to test out my scenery skills (it has been a few years since I played around with any of the Woodland Scenics materials). First I applied some Brown craft paint as a base coat for the scenery. Second, I laid out some Brown Fine Ballast to be used as my dirt roads. I plan on using this Brown Fine Ballast for all my dirt roads in the Industrial section of my layout. Third I sprinkled on some Fine Turf in Earth color (trying to avoid the road as much as possible), although...

Coloma Rails - N Scale Model Railroading

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