The Valley Local

Modeling Monday: The Middletown Scene - Airline Bridge over Route 9

2026-10-19T15:06:22.187-07:00

Continuing in Middletown, as promised last time, here's how I did the Airline Bridge over Route 9.

Always start with a prototype photo, if you can. Fortunately, I drive under this bridge every day during my commute to Hartford so reference photos are easy to get :^)

I started with a standard Micro-Engineering through plate girder bridge kit, built according to the instructions.

But I discovered quickly that I was going to have to try and "skew" the bridge in order to follow the Airline's track alignment over Route 9. Thankfully, the bridge was long enough that I could afford to trim back a bit. Here it is mocked in place to start figuring the proper angles.

I eyeballed it in the proper alignment with the track centerline and then marked the cutting lines with a ruler.

Then used my bandsaw to cut it to the proper angle.

The bridge rested on the west end abutment fine - next I needed to figure out the east abutment.

In order for it to actually rest on the layout, the east abutment had to come in a bit closer - which required another trip to the bandsaw to cut the bridge down further.

Once it fit nicely between the abutments, I leveled it out using pieces of styrene as shims/bridge shoes.

And, of course, the bridge track required trimming too.

Once the track was installed, I weathered the bridge using Rustoleum Camo Brown paint & Bragdon powders.

Next up - doing the somewhat distinctive (or at least not at all standard or symmetrical) wing walls at the west abutment. I took the angles directly off of the prototype photo as you see above.

I made templates for the wing walls out of scrap foam core, which is much cheaper and easier to work with than styrene. Trim & fit to your heart's desire before committing to styrene.

And here are the foam core templates mocked up in place to compare to the prototype photo.

Once I was happy with how they looked, I used them as cutting templates to cut and trim the .060" sheet styrene. I used strip styrene to make the "cap"(?) on top of the walls. By the way, thanks to Bruce Wilson for convincing me to get this Ultimation sander - it's a super helpful tool, especially for this sort of work!

I painted the walls a base of Sky Grey (Tamiya XF-19)...

... and got some AK "Concrete" to try out for some concrete texture. Plain styrene certainly needs texture in order to look like concrete and this AK product - brushed on according to the instructions - does a great job.

Initially, it may come out looking a bit too coarse or larger than scale (left), but you can keep working it and even sand it down a bit if you like (right).

But there's no denying that the texture makes all the difference... as you'll see below...

Hopefully you'll agree that these "finish" photos compare pretty favorably to the prototype pics earlier in this post. I'm pretty happy with how they came out.

You may have noticed some timeline inconsistency in these photos though - we haven't yet covered (figuratively or literally) the terrain in the vicinity of Route 9 (despite what you see above :^) so that'll be next!

The Middletown Scene - Route 9 & Fascia

2026-10-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I finally started filling in the Middletown Scene. First order of business was to fill in between the Valley mainline and the aisle by adding the southbound lanes of Route 9. Details in the captions...

As I mentioned, I started by adding Route 9 between the railroad and the "Connecticut River" (aisle). The road surface is foamcore board with the paper peeled off (my favorite material for doing concrete roads). The rest of the terrain is scrap pieces of foam board, hot glued in place.

View looking west on Washington Street. I wish it wasn't necessary to have there be such a steep grade in the road, but it was necessary to get the road from the grade crossing to underneath the Airline Bridge further north. Luckily, the foamcore is just the right thickness for the grade crossing to match my MicroEngineering Code 70 track.

You can see the Airline coming out from under Main Street (the wall - click on the pic to embiggen). The bridge over the CT River will start right here over Route 9.

Looking further north, you see the approach to the Arrigoni Bridge roughed in (it's the yellowish foamboard) and the Miller Street neighborhood mocked-up further north on the right.

West end bridge abutment mocked up in place. I'll be doing a photo series on the abutment, pier, wingwalls, and the bridge itself in a future post.

I needed to trim the foam back to make room for the fascia extension (to cover the foamboard ends) - and I wanted to make sure that the face of the foam was perfectly vertical. So, I clamped a level onto the hot wire tool. I know BillS would be proud (as soon as the hives calm down...)

Fascia extension in place - finishes off off the foam nicely. I made this piece from scrap & cut to fit.

I used a combination of hot glue and PL300 foam-safe construction adhesive to mount the extension. Here, I'm razoring off the excess hot glue that squeezed out.

I used a strip of masonite to help guide the hot wire tool cut a nice slope (though, now that I think of it, the northbound side of Rt. 9 should be here, or at least in the aisle, so there shouldn't be a slope. Oh well, nobody should know that or notice . . . and I don't have to do another long fascia extension)

Here are a few overview pics of the Route 9 area, prior to painting the fascia...

Next step was to patch the screw holes . . .

and add topping to the seams & sand it all...

As you can see, the fascia extension seam needed a LOT of hiding!

After the topping dried, next step was to prime . . .

. . . and then paint to match the rest of the fascia. Just the first coat here, but already makes it look more finished!

Finally, I needed to add back all of the ops stuff that I had to remove to paint the fascia.

Next up - The Airline Bridge over Route 9. Stay tuned!

Throwback Thursday - Starting Scenery in Middletown

2026-10-15T19:24:57.845-07:00

I'm not even going to talk about how long it's been since I've done some "proper" progress posts, opting instead for "Wordless Wednesdays" (and I even miss those from time to time) and recurring seasonal posts . . . Unfortunately, apologies for not posting regularly tend to fall flat after having to make them a few too many times. But if you're reading this, I'm just glad you're willing to hang in there with me - and I'll do my best to post more regularly. I promise - to try :^) - if for no other reason than that I've needed to go back to old posts to remind myself how I did something - and if I don't post, there are no reference posts to reference!

So, by way of starting to catch us up a bit - and riffing off of the hint I included in a recent Wordless Wednesday - I've pivoted from operations related work (see "Ops Paperwork - Car Routing" - making waybill sorters and bill boxes) and plunged into the deep end of scenery at Middletown. I actually started way back in January, which makes this perfect for a "Throwback Thursday."

Here's what the area looked like in January:

This is how Middletown looked forEVer . . .

And this is how things look as of today. . .

The most noticeable difference is that the southbound lanes of Route 9 have been added between the Valley Main and the river (in the aisle). Terraforming and ground goop are done, but there's a lot of scenic-ing that has to be done. Also, note that I've also started to mockup the backdrop pics.

Washington Street, looking west.

Airline bridge approach to the swing bridge over the Connecticut River (the impressive swing bridge itself, unfortunately, isn't modeled since it'd be in the aisle)

View southwest - not the mismatched concrete wing walls and stone abutment and pier.

I'll go into detail re materials & techniques in future posts - I have lots of fodder so hopefully there'll be more content here for you to enjoy (and for me to be able to look back to for future reference!).

So stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday #531 - Did You Ever See a Mountain Blush?

2026-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy October!!

2026-10-01T04:05:41.630-07:00

from Liberty Magazine, October 1946

Ah October! The best - or at least one of the best - months of the year. At least it's one of my favorites.

And if you live in New England, it's certainly the most colorful of months - and right smack dab in the middle of my favorite season: Autumn! It's also the shortest season... Since I only count when the leaves have erupted in full color, my favorite season lasts only a few weeks. Anything before that is "late summer" and anything after that is "early winter."

But for now, I look forward to enjoying the shushing of leaves, the smell of wood smoke in the air, the taste of a warm cup of apple cider by the fire. And it wouldn't be a bad thing if I spend some more time in the basement on the layout as well in the coming weeks - after all, it's always Autumn on the Valley Line!

Wordless Wednesday #530 - Trimming Static Grass

2026-09-29T23:46:32.332-07:00

On the New Haven Railroad 85 Years Ago - Cycle Trains

2026-09-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

(Ok - so this post has nothing to do with the Valley Line, and I post it on this day every year, but I include it because it gives me a chance to combine my two primary passions: the New Haven Railroad & bicycling. It's also an absolutely wonderful window into the past - a veritable time machine, a trip down Memory Lane despite the fact that you're viewing it on a computer or tablet. So, turn back the pages of history and get a little glimpse of what life was like in New England on the New Haven Railroad on the eve of World War II, 85 years ago today . . .click to cue the music)

September 28, 1941 was a Sunday. An early autumn day in Southern New England, clear and mild.

World War II had been raging in Europe for exactly two years this month. The German army had advanced into the Soviet Union over the summer and was riding high on the success of having already conquered most of Western Europe. France had just been split into German-occupied and Vichy zones the previous month.

It wasn't learned until much later that at some point in the days leading up to September 28, 1941, there was an important meeting concerning Nazi Germany's capacity to develop nuclear weapons. We thought the atomic age didn't start until four years later.

We didn't yet have to "Remember Pearl Harbor."

On this particular Sunday, the Japanese were celebrating the 10 year anniversary of occupying China's northeast territory of Manchuria. At some point during that same day, perhaps as some sign of heaven's outrage at such an audacious celebration, the sun was blacked out during a total eclipse visible in most of China - from just northeast of the Black Sea to the Pacific ocean.

Just three weeks earlier, the Japanese government assured President Roosevelt that it had "no imperialist designs on any foreign nation."

Britain had survived the Blitz, which ended the previous May - the same month Glenn Miller first recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo" which was featured in a hit movie starring Sonja Henie. "Blue Champagne" by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra was the #1 song of the land on September 28, but the Henie movie, "Sun Valley Serenade," was released to theaters exactly a month earlier. By then "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was already a top ten on the Hit Parade, well on its way to becoming the first gold record ever the following February. It was the nation's #1 hit by that December.

Bobby-soxers fed the voracious appetite of juke boxes across the country one nickel at a time and made Frank Sinatra the top male vocalist that year.

Families had probably gone to church that Sunday morning in Connecticut, though some navy yard workers may have slept in having worked so hard to launch the Gato Class submarine USS Greenling (SS-213) at the Electric Boat Co., in Groton the previous Saturday. Some were still marking the 3 year anniversary of the Great New England Hurricane that devastated the Connecticut coast and rendered Hollywood screen siren Katherine Hepburn temporarily homeless, having to rebuild her family's home in Old Saybrook.

But there was no sign of bad weather on this day, and at least a few folks took advantage of the beautiful Sunday afternoon to go for a bike ride and have a picnic - all courtesy of the New Haven Railroad.

There aren't many left that remember the "Hobby Trains" run by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (aka the "New Haven") during the late 1930s and early 1940s. In an effort to boost ridership, the New Haven took advantage of the fact that their railroad connected the Great Metropolis of New York with New England. There were camp trains in the summer and ski trains in the winter. Photography specials in the spring and all year 'round. But what better time for a Bike Train than Autumn and what better place than the Berkshire Hills?

Thanks to a discovery of raw film footage by the NHRHTA, we can go back to that Sunday over eight decades ago and enjoy the sights of a pre-war bike ride. You'll have to pedal your single-speed cruiser over a bunch of rolling hills before you get to eat. Don't worry if you have to walk up some of them - and ladies, be sure to mind your skirts that they don't get caught in the spokes or chain. There are no "rest stops" as we think of on 21st century rides - bits of orange and Powerbars - but an entire spread complete with potato salad, Boston baked beans, chicken and watermelon awaits us.

So give your Schwinn, Columbia or Raleigh to the porter to put in the baggage car, give the conductor your ticket, and enjoy the trip. The train is about to arrive at the station . . .

For more about the cycle trains - and all the other "Hobby Trains" the New Haven Railroad ran - be sure to check out the comprehensive article by Marc Fratassio in Volume 40, Issue 2 of the NHRHTA's Shoreliner magazine. I also came across the following article from the May 2, 1936 issue of Railway Age magazine which covers the New Haven's cycle trains shortly after the first one ran.

Hope you enjoy this additional little journey down Memory Lane . . .

On the New Haven, 88 Years Ago Today. . .The Great New England Hurricane

2026-09-21T07:05:21.400-07:00

September 21, 1938 marks a somber - and for the New Haven Railroad, a devastating - event in history.

Making landfall that day, The Great New England Hurricane was - and remains - the most powerful and deadly storm to hit New England in at least 300 years. It killed an estimated 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes and cost an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019 dollars. Even as late as 1951, you could still see damaged trees and buildings.

The New Haven's Shore Line route was hit especially hard. . .

But the railroad - despite being in receivership after having gone into bankruptcy a few years earlier - restored its many washed-out lines in record time. The little booklet above tells the story:

"On September 21st, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven Railroad where the tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers...suddenly, just before dark, in the teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily to hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line across the Shore Line Route of the New Haven Railroad...carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings, and wreckage. Communications by rail, wire, and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane - tidal wave - flood throughout the length and breadth of southern New England. But the next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where fast freights and through passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds had sped in rapid succession between New York and New England points carrying passengers, mail, express, and the vital necessities of life...now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles over yawning chasms in a hopeless tangle of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic, and Putnam the hurricane had left its toll of felled trees and communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories...and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the north broke through dams and temporary dikes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track...rendering useless the strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and points south and west had been effectually severed. It had to be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackmen, engineers, skilled repair crews, and laborers had to be carried out without the help of modern communications systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5,000 men were at work...toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts...many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job..."

Those of us living in New England a few years back went through "Superstorm Sandy" and got a taste of what The Great New England Hurricane might have been like. But, as it turns out, it was a pretty small taste - as bad as Sandy was, it didn't come anywhere close. Check out this site for an eye-opening comparison of the two storms.

There are fewer and fewer folks that have first-hand memories of that fateful day 88 years ago, but thanks to the extensive coverage the storm received - not to mention the wonders of the internet that allow all that coverage to be easily saved and shared - the heroic efforts of the employees of the New Haven Railroad, including those on the Valley Line and most especially along the Shore Line, will never be forgotten.

Wordless Wednesday #529 - A Great Start to an Evening on the Valley Line

2026-09-16T14:36:28.068-07:00

Wordless Wednesday #528 - NHRHTA Convention This Weekend! ALL are welcome!

2026-09-09T19:59:29.253-07:00

Labor Day Weekend - 78 Years Ago . . .

2026-09-04T16:49:25.849-07:00

I'm told it was 78 years ago - the Friday of Labor Day Weekend, September 3, 1948 - when an 8 year old little boy went down to the Old Saybrook station platform to watch trains. The sun was going down - it'd be totally set within a few minutes - and in the gathering dusk a dull roar like thunder could be heard . . .

Looking eastward down the tracks, toward the gathering darkness, the sound seemed to get closer and he could just start to make out what looked like a plume of smoke - or maybe it was two? That didn't make sense. Almost all of the trains on the Shore Line had diesel locomotives now, but, as loud as a pair of back-to-back DL-109s are, they sure don't sound like this . . .

It was the glimmer on the rails, lighting up the curve in the far distance, that was the first giveaway that a train was for-sure coming. Of course, the little boy knew a train was due. He'd been into trains for as long as he could remember and he knew how to read a timetable.

He knew that the approaching train had just crossed the Connecticut River and was accelerating hard off the bridge. It sure sounded like it - and the distinctive bark meant this train had to have a steam locomotive on the point. And with it being a little past 7pm, that meant it had to be The Merchant's Limited.

But was it early? The Merchants wasn't due through Saybrook until 7:17 . . . but just then, the train came blasting around the distant curve - exhaust roaring and headlight blazing! Before he could fully comprehend it all, The Advance Merchants Limited flew by at 65 miles an hour behind not one, but TWO! I-4 Pacifics with 23 heavyweight parlor cars on their tail.

In the rush of the passing train, little John Pryke could just make out the glow of two fireboxes and just as quickly as it had come, it was gone again with the tail sign receding quickly toward the sunset.

As the dust settled and the thunder of the Merchants' passing began to fade, the impression of the sight seared itself into the little boy's memory, and sparked a passion for the New Haven Railroad that would last the rest of his life and spur him into recreating this memory in miniature, someday.

* * * * * * * *

I try to relate this story at or at least near the anniversary of this event, which is all - mostly - verified as true. Especially since it not only inspired John to a life-long love of the New Haven RR, but - indirectly - influenced my choice not only of prototype, but of era and locale. John often mentioned visiting his grandparents in Old Saybrook and going with them down to the station to watch the trains go by. And he remembers seeing the double-headed, steam-powered Advance Merchant's Limited the Friday evening of Labor Day Weekend, 1948. It was this event, more than anything else, that he always pointed to as the inspiration for getting into model railroading and trying to recreate the New Haven in HO scale.

In fact, all of John's layouts - all featured at one time or another in books or the pages of Model Railroader - were firmly set in space and time: Southern New England's New Haven Railroad was the space, and the time could only ever be "September, 1948."

Now, almost thirteen years after John's passing, I'm closer than ever to being able to recreate this memory in miniature. I have the Old Saybrook station scene as a highlight on my layout and, while I don't mind varying my chosen era within the narrow confines of "1947-1949," for all intents and purposes I'm modeling the Autumn of 1948.

I think - and hope - John would be proud of the effort. And I know he'd get a kick out of seeing a little HO scale version of his 8 year old self on the Saybrook station platform, waiting for another train to go by . . .

* This post originally appeared 9/27/2018, 70 years to the month since the event took place. I've reposted it not only to commemorate such an important time in John's life, but to remind myself that preserving these memories is one of the reasons for embarking on this project in the first place.

Wordless Wednesday #527 - The Current State of Things (where I left off weeks ago...)

2026-08-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday #526 - A Visit to the Chatham (MA) RR Museum

2026-08-12T07:03:52.782-07:00

Canaan Railroad Day - August 8, 2026

2026-08-10T18:33:31.145-07:00

I first heard about "Canaan Railroad Days" way back in the 1980s, but never made it up there. Then, for many years, they didn't have them.

Finally, some years back (not sure exactly when), the Housatonic Railroad decided to bring them back. And, even though I typically avoid going to "Autumn" places during the summer (I've only ever visited North Canaan, CT in the fall and winter), I decided to take my still-new-to-me drone up for a visit.

But the main impetus was that one of my favorite locomotives would be there - an EMD SW1 - and the prototype for the NHRHTA's latest collaboration with Rapido Trains would be there too - the Roger Williams. Of course, it'd be fun to hang out with ChrisZ at the NHRHTA table (and maybe drum up a few more members) as well as BillS from Rapido.

So, herewith are a few of the photos and videos that I took during the day. Hopefully they give you a bit of a sense of the day and that you enjoy them!

Throwback Thursday: Talking Ops Podcast

2026-08-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Way back in early June, I was the featured guest on a "Talking Ops" episode of the Around the Layout podcast. From the show description:

How can you turn your layout into a historical reenactment? For our Talking Ops guest Chris Adams, that was the mission when he created his layout, The Valley Local. Chris shares how his passion for history drove his desire to have an operating railroad that immerses his operators into a full late 1940's experience. Chris also shares how his methods for running his operating sessions have evolved to balance his passion for prototypical accuracy with a enjoyable time for guests.

Here's hoping you click here and give it a listen!

Wordless Wednesday #525 - Another Article! (Staging Yard in a Box)

2026-08-05T07:46:57.012-07:00

Tuesday Tips: Cufflinks and Toggles

2026-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

What do cufflinks and toggles have to do with one another, you may ask? Well, as you'll see, one is a way of protecting the other. Allow me to 'splain....

It may not be apparent in the view above, but sometimes when operators have to lean over this part of the fascia to reach the back of the layout, they may <ahem> come into contact with those toggles . . .

And if you happen to lean into these toggles, you may inadvertently turn off the command station and/or the power. Yes, it's happened - a few times . . .

So, while trying to think of something that could protect the toggles, I came across this . . .

This is a cufflinks box. I don't even know why I had it nor how I got it. But it was just laying around and I happened to spot it at the right time.

When I opened it and felt how nicely it popped open, stayed open, and popped closed, I got a wonderful, awful idea . . .

Why not drill some holes for the toggles? So that's what I did.

Thankfully, the toggles themselves don't poke out too far (though apparently too far for some operators :^) . . .

. . . to allow the box to shut. Talk about an elegant solution!

And as you may have guessed from the previous photos, I came up with this a while back (still trying to catch the blog up to current times) - so here it is as it looks today. Classy!

While I was going through all this, it occurred to me that every time I powered up the layout a bunch of engines would power up as well. Not only does that create a bit of a racket (especially when you're just troubleshooting something, or wanting to run one engine), but creates an unnecessary power surge on the command station.

So I decided to proved some "cut-out" switches for the tracks that those engines typically occupy. I had not plain-ol' toggle switches on-hand, but I did have a few spare wall light switches. Those turned out to be a more elegant solution (detecting a theme here?) and - bonus! - no soldering required.

First step is to use the faceplate to help locate the switch.

And I traced around the switch itself to get an idea of how large to make the opening in the fascia.

I used a 1" spade bit to drill 3 holes, one on top of the other . . .

Then it's just a matter of cutting one wire that's supplying power to the track you want to isolate and attaching the two ends to the screw terminals on the switch.

This creates a nice, intuitive on/off switch for the track (even better if you label which track it controls!).

Now I can store engines on "Yard 1" and not have to worry about them starting up until I want them to start up.

Being so successful with one track, I figured I'd next tackle multiple tracks . . .

Using the same techniques I described above, I used one switch to cut power to a pit track and another switch to cut power to my entire west end staging yard (for an article on this "Staging Yard in a Box" check out the September 2026 issue of Model Railroader :^)

This project was a little more complicated than the earlier effort since it involved more wires and required more careful attention to the location of the switches themselves so they'd fit nicely in the switchplate/cover.

But, again, a nice looking solution to a common problem. If you can't source toggle switches (and having Radio Shack disappear makes that more difficult), or if you don't like soldering, try giving regular light switches a try. You may find that you prefer them, despite their taking up quite a bit more space on your fascia.

Masonite Monday: Sorting Waybills & Protecting Structures

2026-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Since evolving my operations paperwork to a full(er) waybill system, I not only needed bill boxes, but also some way to sort the bills themselves. I considered everything from just allowing crews to sort their bills on the layout (less desirable as more scenery gets done), providing clipboards (which I do, but they're not great for bill sorting), to some sort of shelf - either flip up or pull out.

Since I had a bunch of leftover masonite from my fascia though, I finally decided to just make up sorting "slots" - one for each town. That meant I needed 11 of them(!). Here's the "plan" I came up with, such as it was (more of a bill of materials...):

I needed:

For the front of the sorter - 11 strips measuring 1.5" by 13"
To offset the sorter front from the fascia:

at the bottom - 11 strips measuring 1/2" by 12"
at the sides - 22 strips measuring 1/2" by 1.5"

So, I pulled out the table saw (which I hadn't used in months, if not years) and started ripping strips. Here's what I ended up with (in addition to a LOT of dust...):

I glued & clamped the three "offsetting" pieces (sides & bottoms) to the back of the sorter front...

Drilled clearance holes for the mounting screws . . .

And painted everything black . .

I'd considered countersinking the screws and covering them with spackle and paint. But instead, I decided to mount and paint them in place . . .

Since I painted the sorters the same color as the fascia, I didn't really have to mask. But whatever. Here's a view of the sorter in service (though before it was painted):

And here's a pic of a painted (albeit empty) sorter . . .

It was admittedly a bit of work - and would be even more difficult without a table saw - but I've found no off-the-shelf product that will create a slot like this, that can even bend (albeit slightly) around curves (I even tried restaurant ticket holders, eh Tom?). But if you have the right tools and some time, these sorters will work really well.

Structure Protection

Ever since I got the Dickinson's Witch Hazel distillery structure from Bill & John (yikes! I just realized I never did a post on that <facepalm>), given it's proximity to a narrow aisle, it's been protected with a piece of plexiglass - held in place with three spring clamps - for the past I-dunno-how-many years . . .

But fresh off the success of my bill sorters, I thought a similar approach would help me get rid of those clamps. The pics & captions below tell the story . . .

The plexi - which I got from Home Depot - was just the right size: tall AND wide enough. I'd just clamped it at the bottom for years, but using the same process I'd used for making the bill sorters, I used a big piece of masonite and three "offsetting" strips to create a slot for the plexi to fit into.

As you can see, it's glued and screwed to the fascia. But, unlike the bill sorters, I decided to countersink and hide the screws.

Took a few easy coats of spackle and some sanding (including rasping down the edges) . . .

. . . and then a coat of Kilz primer.

But after 3(!) coats of my fascia paint, it looks a LOT better than clamps!

No clamps to get caught and the plexi slides up out of the slot as needed for photography and such.

The packrat's motto is to never throw away anything. While that can certainly be taken to an extreme, I'm glad I saved the scrap masonite. As you can see, I've put it to some great use!

Friday Fun - NERx Layout Tour (March 19, 2026)

2026-07-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Yup - still catching up on posting %^)

This time, for your viewing pleasure and for this edition of "Friday Fun," here's a video taken by my friend Dennis Collucci (NscaleTrainBoy on YouTube) for the NERx virtual model railroad convention last March.

The entire day is worthwhile viewing - as are the rest of the videos & presentations given throughout that week - but if you want to get right to the Valley Local content, fast forward to 2:17:00.

Enjoy & have a great weekend!

Throwback Thursday - More 44 tonners (& specifically, DEY-4 #0806)

2026-07-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I try to bring the Valley Local blog up to speed, I'm realizing that I dropped a few balls along the way. Case in point - the DEY-4 (GE 44 tonner) #0802 I weathered for Randy and which ended up being the subject of my latest article in Railroad Model Craftsman. In addition to yesterday's Wordless Wednesday, you can find some additional pics of it on Randy's layout here.

My last actual post on it was from October of last year(!) There I'd only just started the process. And there, for all intents and purposes for the blog at least, it sat. Thankfully, even though I failed/forgot to log my process on the 0802, it's distilled and recorded in the June 2026 issue of RMC :)

One of the reasons I keep the blog going is not so much for the feedback (since, disappointingly, there aren't many comments left here - not like on the Valley Local Facebook group), but to document what I've done in the past so I can refer back to it. In that sense, it's a true "web(-based) log" (e.g. "'b'log") of my builds, processes, etc.

To that end, here's yet another DEY-4 - this one for my layout!

Although I'd weathered (and "crewed") my own #0802 a while back (click here for pics), I really wanted a DEY-4 in the New Haven's original Pullman Green delivery scheme. Unfortunately, that wasn't one of the decorated units Rapido offered, so - thanks to Bill - I got an undec . . .

and tried out my newly developed airbrushing skills . . .

Modelers Decals & Paint (MDP)

3 Pullman Greens: Tru-Color, Badger, MDP

I recall there being some debate about which brand of "Pullman Green" to use. I'd used Tru-Color before (on DEY-5 #0604), but it looked too yellow/olive to me (I salvaged it with weathering), and I used Badger on DEY-3 #0967, but didn't really like it. Unfortunately, Randy got the MDP paint to me a bit too late - but I look forward to trying it in the future. It behaves MUCH better than the Badger (more like Tamiya, which is my fave), but I ended up using Badger again for this model.

For the lettering, I used Highball Graphics decals, sealed with a gloss coat of Tamiya.

The Rapido model runs beautifully and the body is gorgeous, so it doesn't really need anything to create an accurate model. Nevertheless, I decided to use Cal-Scale door handles instead of the brass bits Rapido supplies, and I replaced the stock headlights with MV lenses. I also moved the front airhose to the engineer's side and added fuel caps on both walkways just in front of the cab.

That's where the fuel spills come from :^)

As you may notice, if you compare this model to my #0802, not only will you notice there's no crew - but I also removed the beautiful Rapido cab interior(?!), opting to replace it with a Scale Sound Systems cab-filling speaker. Let me tell you - it makes a HUGE difference in the sound quality!

That being said, given the later runs of Rapido 44-tonners which have better (or at least better mounted) speakers, I think I'd actually keep the interior if I had this all to do over again. Check out this comparison of the early vs. later run of speakers (spoiler alert: while the SSS cab filling speaker beats all, the SSS drop-in replacement speaker isn't noticeably better than the later-run Rapido stock speaker).

Since by my 1948 era, this engine would have been working pretty much nonstop for about 7 years (mostly during busy wartime), I applied moderately heavy weathering - certainly heavier than I've ever done before on a loco.

It's certainly no rust bucket - it's just supposed to look a bit worn, certainly used, but cared-for.

Although I finished the 0806 in May of last year, I hope you've enjoyed my taking some time to catch y'all up on it - especially if you missed it on FB. If nothing else, at least I have some documentation of it on my own(ed) content, unlike FB which can be a bit ephemeral.

Stay tuned as I bring back some more "blasts from the past" on the next "Throwback Thursday!"

Wordless Wednesday #524 - Another #0802

2026-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is different than this #0802 . . .

Ops Paperwork - Car Routing

2026-07-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm doing my best to make operating the Valley Line as prototypical as possible. To that end, you'll get the following at the start of a run:

Conductor's Notes (info about your train) & Engineer's Notes (info on your engine)
Wheel Report - tells you what cars are in your train, including road name, car number, and destination.
Waybills and Empty Car Bills - one for each car in your train - tells you the consignee (industry destination) for each car (waybill) or how to get the car back to its home road (empty car bill).

Most of you are probably familiar with train movement paperwork (Forms "A" and "19"), so the focus of this post will be car movement paperwork - and that starts with something called the "Conductor's Freight Train Wheel Report" - or "Wheel Report" for short.

Wheel Reports

The wheel report lists all the cars in your train as you leave the originating terminal and tells you the destination of each car.

If a car is destined for a consignee on your route, the wheel report will tell you which town and consignee (and the specific spotting location, if any).
If a car is destined for a consignee not on your route - or (more commonly) is an empty being routed to its home road - the wheel report will tell you where, and to what train, to hand off the car for further movement to its final destination (in the example above, note all the cars to be handed off to HDX-7 in Middletown).

Waybills

Like many others, my "waybills" are actually a combination of two parts:

1) the waybill form itself, which tells you where the car is destined (other than its home road) . . .

and 2) an "Empty Car Bill" (you may refer to it as a "car card") that has the car information as well as home route information for the car when empty.

In addition to the "bills" (waybills/empty car bills) you receive at the start of your run, you'll get others at each town along the way. So let's get going and see how it all works together . . .

From left to right: beverage/tool cup holder & throttle plug, throttle holder, bill box, bill sorting rack/slot, track diagram, clipboard hook.

As you enter each town along your run, the first thing you'll do is check the bill box, handily labeled as "BILLS" and located on the ~~freight house wall~~ fascia.

The bills will tell you which cars are ready to go and where they're headed. If there is no bill for a car, it's a "Hold" - it can be moved if needed, but must be returned to its original spot before you leave town (be sure to check for any blue flags before moving such cars in case they're being actively loaded/unloaded).
Take only cars headed where you’re going or that need to be transferred to another local with which you interchange.

Consult the gateways map and route/interchange information on the back of your clipboard. (See "Interchanging/'Swapping' Cars" below).

Spot cars destined for consignees in town as directed by the bills.

In addition to the bills, the local agent may also leave a switchlist with special instructions - e.g. to respot an offspot car, etc. There may also be additional switching instructions/tips included in the bill box (see below):

For more about these cool NHRR-specific bill boxes, click here.

ProTip: Many local freights are "turns" - which means they start at point A, go do their work, and then return back to point A. In those cases, instead of picking up cars destined for point A (or headed in that direction) on your outbound run, you may want to leave those cars for pickup on your way back (inbound run). This tip often helps you stay within tonnage (and most importantly, run-around capacity) limits.

Interchanging/"Swapping" Cars

One of the most distinctive features of operating on the Valley Line (or, frankly, just about any New Haven RR line during this era) is that cars often have to be interchanged - or swapped - from one local freight to another to get to their final destination. This intensive and significant amount of car handling was the main reason why the NHRR was often referred to as just "one giant terminal railroad." Incidentally, it's also what made the railroad especially vulnerable to truck transport - and ultimately contributed to its downfall.

My layout follows the prototype in this way as well. The "Home Routes & Gateways" map above (and spelled out in more detail in the "Local Routes & Interchange Points" section) shows:

How cars get routed off the layout, and
Where cars can be swapped from one train to another to get to where they need to go. This information is on the back of your operator's clipboard.

For example:

Say you're the crew on HDX-7, southbound from Hartford to Middletown and you've entered the town of Rocky Hill which is located along the way. According to the bills, you have two empties and one load to pick up:

One empty is routed to its home road via Cedar Hill
One empty is routed to its home road via New London
The load is destined for a location off-railroad, but routed through Hartford.

Using the "pro tip" above, you leave the load - for now - for later pickup on your northbound run back to Harford and you pick up the two empties.

You see from the map that Cedar Hill is served by PDX-1, PDX-2, and HDX-12. You interchange with HDX-12 in Middletown. So, the empty routed for Cedar Hill is left at Middletown for later pickup by HDX-12.
You see from the map that New London is served by PDX-1 and PDX-2. You interchange with PDX-2 in East Haddam. So, the empty routed for New London is left in East Haddam for later pickup by PDX-2.

Heh - unfortunately, HDX-7 only serves East Haddam on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (you know this from consulting your "Conductor's Notes"). So if it's a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, you'll leave the car in Middletown for you to pick up and take to East Haddam "tomorrow."

This may seem a bit overwhelming & complicated at first - and that's not surprising. Even real railroaders didn't qualify on their jobs until they did them under supervision a number of times - and you shouldn't expect anything less. Fortunately, you can't really mess up - nobody's gonna complain if you spot a car incorrectly, or send it to the wrong destination (heck, even that's prototypical!).

The main goal of all this effort is twofold: 1) to learn about how the New Haven Railroad moved the freight in the Connecticut Valley during the late 1940s, and 2) have FUN simulating those operations.

If I meet that goal, the op session is a success - no matter where the cars end up! :^)

Operator's Helps - Bill Boxes

2026-07-26T14:59:29.578-07:00

How things used to look - notice the switchlist and the "car transfer form"

Long time readers may recall that my operating systems have varied over the years - from switchlists, to a hybrid using "car transfer forms" to, now, waybills.

While I - and many of my operators - prefer switchlists, I never could figure out a good way to deal with cars that have to be handed off from one local freight to another during a session (hence the contrived "car transfer form" above). And as fun as the "pre-ops ops session" was (honestly!) - it would also take me just about as long to set up the session as the session itself.

Switchlists are certainly a great - and usually the fastest - way to get ops going on your model railroad, but I think I've finally settled on a version of waybills to move cars on my railroad.

Of course, that means I need bill boxes. Enter Josh from Cohn's Custom.

Josh had seen me mention on the Valley Local Facebook group what I had been using for waybills (wooden box below, with pencil/pick tube), and what I was going to start using (cheap cellphone holders above). He offered to help, but needed a design.

I started the design process like I do everything on this railroad - by consulting the prototype. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I couldn't find out what a New Haven Railroad bill box looked like. So I improvised by finding the closest match I could to a font on some NHRR paperwork, and basically made up the rest . . .

And here's what we came up with:

During the course of developing these boxes, I decided on a car card/waybill form factor based on a 3x5 index card. So these boxes will accommodate those, as well as include a tube on the side for a pencil and an uncoupling pick.

The "N.Y.N.H.&H." is as close as I could come to the font the NHRR used on its paperwork at the time - "FetteEgyptienne" - and the word "BILLS" is just a regular sans serif font that looked right to me. I guesstimated the sizing as well.

But I think you'll agree that they look "right" - especially with some prototype-looking NHRR bills in them. And they look even better installed on the layout.

Now that I've installed them, the only thing I'd change on these is the mounting holes. I planned to mount them with regular #6x1-1/4" drywall screws . . .

But the tapered head didn't allow the screw to fit flush . . .

Josh graciously agreed to do a little redesign and the final product is perfect, allowing the screwhead to sit nice and flush like you see on the left screw in the pic below (I'd reamed out the test print to get the effect):

Unfortunately, when I mounted the boxes to my 1/8" masonite fascia, I discovered that the screw - now that it sits so nice and recessed - no longer had but one or two threads biting into the fascia(!) It's really easy to overtighten slightly and strip the hole in the masonite, preventing the box from being mounted as tightly & securely as you might like. If I had it to do all over, I'd probably just live with the un-countersunk screw heads - or choose screws with a different head (or screws with threads all the way up to the head).

But none of that diminishes by one iota how FANTASTIC these boxes are and I can't thank Josh enough not only for reaching out with his offer to help, but for all his patience through the design process and for creating a product which truly sets my layout apart from many others. There's certainly nothing wrong with the MicroMark boxes, but I think you'll admit these are a step WAY above (and when was the last time you could even get the MicroMark boxes?? They've been out of stock forEVer!).

Now, you may have noticed a few more "helps" mounted on my fascia in addition to the cool bill boxes. Waybills need a place to be sorted, clip boards need a place to hang, and - if you're so inclined - beverages need a place to sit. As you might have guessed, I've been all-in lately on creating "operator's areas" on my fascia in time for my next op session, so stay tuned for a couple posts on the things I've built and installed to help my operators. . .

In the meantime, be sure to check out Josh's website to see what wonderful products he has to offer!

Wordless Wednesday #523 - What’s new?

2026-07-22T14:01:04.195-07:00

Thoughtful Thursday - Respect the Build

2026-06-25T11:16:36.598-07:00

Ballantine's at Wethersfield, CT - Prototype scene with a freelance reefer (& sky added)

(Incidentally, I thought I already had a category called "Thoughtful Thursday" - but the closest I have is something called "Philosophy" which doesn't quite fit... So I guess this is the first in a series of "Trains of Thought" type posts. . .
Also - and not incidentally - I want to thank you all for your patience as I try and get this here blog back up and running regularly...)
* * *
“Respect the Build”
In the car enthusiast community, this phrase is shorthand for respecting and accepting someone’s enthusiasm and passion for what they’ve done with their car beyond stock, no matter what. Of course, there are some builds that are more impressive than others and some that cause others to shake their heads in disbelief or subtle derision, but the phrase is part of the mortar that keeps the car community together. If you’re excited about cars, you’re part of the community. 

I think model railroaders can learn a bit from this attitude. As long as you’re excited about Model Trains, you’re part of the community… But admittedly, there are a number of different sub parts of this community just as there are in the car community (muscle cars, sports cars, low riders, rat rods, etc), but the passion and enthusiasm that we have ought to transcend any apparent differences, even if a particular approach isn’t exactly our cup of tea…

Case in point – operations. For some, like me, it’s all about coming as close to an historical reenactment as possible since that’s my goal and the story I want to tell. For somebody else, the trains may be incidental to the live action role-play (LARP) that they enjoy when operating. For others, it’s a game (even a “card” game) or a puzzle to be solved. After a long stressful day at work, you may just want to move freight cars around randomly…

The cool thing is that model railroad operations isn’t just one thing but can actually be ALL of these things. That’s part of the greatness of this hobby - no matter how you approach operations, or for that matter, no matter how you approach the hobby itself, either from your interest in art, sculpture, history, electronics, building, architecture,… well, you get the idea... the greatness of model railroading is in the many ways different ways you can enjoy it and still be part of it.

“My Railroad, My Rules” is certainly an effective defense of whatever you’re doing in the hobby that brings you joy… But in my mind, it’s unnecessarily defensive. “Respect the Build” encourages all of us to acknowledge the passion and joy that others derive - and provide to the rest of us - just by participating in this great hobby.