The Valley Local

Wordless Wednesday #533 - New Focus Stacking Software Experiments

2026-11-11T19:50:16.322-08:00

Tuesday Tip: Do What Excites You - and a brief announcement...

2026-11-10T14:59:12.337-08:00

Valley Local Conductor Bernie Edison approaching the callbox at Middletown Yard at the end of Miller Street to call the Hartford Dispatcher for clearance and orders to return northbound from Middletown to East Hartford Yard to tie up for the day.

You'll Make More Progress If You Do What Excites You

Look around your layout and find something that you're really in the mood to do - and do it! Of course, if you're already in the middle of something else and the "next" step "MUST" be done, well, you probably have to do that next, naturally.

But one of the consolations of ~~having too much~~ a large-ish layout, is that there is ALWAYS something you can find that you're actually in the mood to do. So do that!

I think it can be really that simple.

Case in point: The photo above is a snip from a larger prototype photo of Middletown Yard taken by Kent Cochrane from the Arrigoni Bridge. I've always loved this photo since it not only shows a nice overview of the yard for modeling purposes, but it also shows the end of Miller Street, which is - if there is just one - THE signature scene of the whole layout (more on that scene here).

And, a close look (possible when you zoom in and blow up as I have here) reveals some cool details: a rare photo of Valley Local Conductor Bernie Edison (one of two I have), as well as the callbox he used to get northbound clearance for the local, the pole it's on, the callbox, the barrier at the end of Miller Street, etc.

Replicating photos and details like this is what REALLY excites me. So, instead of my usual sense of "overwhelmedness" when looking at the layout project I've bitten off, I decided to tried taking the much smaller bite of replicating this scene.

So next time you're at sea, not quite knowing what to do next and getting overwhelmed... instead of turning off the layout room and heading to the TV, just find one, small thing you can do that you're in the mood to do - whether it's snipping "airhoses" off of KD couplers, weathering a car, adding a few more pieces to a kit in progress, or even just gathering together the things you need to replicate a scene you love (which then often actually leads to your starting to replicate it!).

That's really the epitome of #DoOneThing which I spout on the Valley Local Facebook Group (and which, giving credit where due, is a variation of Tom Jacobs' #AnHourADay). If you just #DoOneThing, you'll find that progress just naturally happens. And if you find something that excites you each day, then doing that one thing will keep you regularly moving forward, despite any setbacks.

Which leads me to my (hopefully) brief announcement . . .

As I mentioned on the FB group early this morning (and since many of you aren't on FB I'll repost here), on Sept. 29, I was diagnosed with bone cancer. I just completed my fourth treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Hospital (DCFI) in Boston yesterday. After each treatment, except for short 30-45 min naps here and there, I’m awake for about 3 days. The sleeping pills aren’t helping much, but the end of my first cycle (8 cycles during this first round) is this Friday, so hoping they can get me dialed in with some better meds.

That’s the bad news - and the reason why you may see me mention Boston and DCFI from time to time.

Which is a nice segue to the good news. I’ve been under close monitoring for this since July 18 of last year. They knew it wasn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” So they caught this at the earliest possible moment, I’m at the world’s best hospital for multiple myeloma, asymptomatic, already in a clinical trial, and the prognosis is good. And other than not sleeping much for three days of every week so far, I’ve had no bad side effects. We’ll reassess after completing the 8th cycle late May/early June next year. I actually consider myself very very blessed under the circumstances.

AND I've been making a lot of lemonade out of the lemons. During each treatment, I Google "historic diners between Boston and Providence" for lunch afterwards and have already discovered a couple...

And, in addition to the diners, I get to visit one of my favorite hobby shops every week now on the way home (instead of just a few times a year) - and sometimes even happen to see a friend I haven't in a while...

With Ray Arnott at AA Hobbies in Warwick, RI

Another place I get to visit regularly now, is the oldest continuously operating steam powered cider mill in the country . . .

B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill, Old Mystic, CT

So, actually, LOTS to be grateful for - in addition to the notable layout progress made possible by the insomnia induces by the crazy meds %^)

But that’s enough of that and I won’t mention it again since you’re here for the Valley Local - so let’s get to it! Here's how the scene is shaping up - compare to the photo at the top of the post . . .

That's not Bernie Edison, but an HO scale, resin printed version of my friend Chris Zygmunt, who is actually a conductor on the Valley Railroad (aka Essex Steam Train). He's certainly more formal than Bernie, with his full uniform and all, but he definitely helps recreate the scene I'm after. Rix telephone pole, a call box from an Atlas line pole kit, and a scratchbuilt road barrier begin to flesh things out. A "No Tresspassing" is next (barely discernable in the photo - it's located behind/to the left of the barrier & you're looking at its side since it faces the street).

But that'll be the subject of a future post, as I try and catch up this here blog with what's currently going on with the Valley Line - so stay tuned!

Ghosts of Railroads Past

2026-10-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

(In the "spirit" of the season, and because it's All Hallows' Eve Eve ;^) I hereby repost this from last October. I think you'll agree it's especially fitting this time of year...)

A big part of my motivation for recreating the Valley Line is to keep alive the memory of the men & women who were responsible for getting the stuff of life delivered to you, each and every day. From coal for winter heat to a bicycle to ride in the summer, for over 100 years in this country the stuff of life was delivered almost exclusively by rail. And sometimes, if you're lucky, your historical research will unearth a ghost or two.

Given that it’s Halloween-time, here's a question for you:

Do you believe in ghosts?

The answer for me depends on what kind of ghosts you mean. I don't believe in the creepy un-dead or goulish wanderings of departed souls. But I do believe in the ghosts of the past - the hauntings of a place by the memories of the people who were there. Who were they? What were their dreams and plans? Were they anything like us? While dead people don't actually haunt us, the spirits and memories of the past can - and often do. Especially if you're paying close attention.

During this time of year especially, if you keep your eyes open and know where to look, you can see some of these ghosts of the past materializing. You have only to slow down, pay attention, and keep your eyes peeled.

This is a bridge on the old line between Middletown and Berlin, CT. The railroad was abandoned and torn up years ago, and the trees have long since reclaimed much of the right-of-way. But this bridge remains - a monument to the memory not only of the railroad, but to the spirit of the men who built it.

If during your travels you stop at a spot like this and imagine, even for a few minutes, how those men lived, what their hopes were and whether they ever achieved them, you might see some ghosts.

And if you're especially quiet, you may even hear in the sound of the leaves floating by on the breeze a whisper of thanks from those men for not letting them be forgotten.

Throwback Thursday - 15 Year Anniversary

2026-10-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this month marks the 15th(?!) year since I've been working on the Valley Line. I wish I had more progress to show for the time spent, but a short trip back shows that I've still come a long way. So, in the spirit of Throwback Thursday, here are a few fun photos from the early(est) days . . .

October 29, 2011
With Randy's help, I'd developed a rough trackplan, but most of the final planning was done with full size mockups on the floor like this. This will be Middletown, with a "typical" Valley Local for scale.

Looking back toward the peninsula, with Wethersfield roughed in on the far side.

November 16, 2011
To be fair, October-December 2011 saw the final planning & mocking up. This is Essex, being roughed-in in the other room. I wouldn't start laying the first track until January, 2012 - and I wouldn't get to Essex until two years later.

Another view of the Wethersfield/Rocky Hill peninsula, with Rocky Hill being mocked-up.

November 25
First benchwork going up - so maybe I'm a bit early for a 15 yr anniversary? :^)

November 26
View toward Middletown, with Rosie supervising.

November 28
Looking toward Rocky Hill & the peninsula.

December 17, 2011
Overall view of the main (Middletown/Cromwell/Rocky Hill/Wethersfield) room.

I moved the craft paper & turnout template mockups from the floor to rest on the benchwork. Then, using more mockups of buildings & such, I finalized the track layout. This is Wethersfield, looking back toward the "north" end of Middletown in the far corner.

Using all this info, I drew outlines around the track and proposed building footprints to determine the subroadbed/plywood cuts. This is Dividend, looking through where the backdrop will eventually be, toward the Goff Brook/Wethersfield end/side of the peninsula.

Next, it was "just" a matter of cutting up the paper and arranging the cutouts on plywood in cookie-cutter fashion . . .

. . . then lay it on the benchwork. This is looking toward the "neck" of the peninsula - Rocky Hill on the left and Wethersfield on the right.

New Year's Eve - December 31, 2011
This was an ill-fated experiment in raising the layout to eye level. As you can see, given the benchwork/girder height, it would have required really long risers!
I'm glad I rethought this idea.

January 3, 2012
Speaking of risers, with the coming of the new year - and all the subroadbed cut for the layout in the "main" room - it was time to set up a "riser construction workstation." For that, I needed a chop saw, wood glue, clamps, and LOTS of 1x2 & 1x1 material.

Risers galore!

Going into the archives for these early construction photos, I realize that while it was 15 years ago this month that I started documenting my layout progress, the "groundbreaking" (finishing planning/beginning benchwork) really happened this whole autumn season, 15 years ago.

Wow - time really flies. And the layout still isn't "done" - but it's sure much more finished than it's ever been! Guess I'd better get back to it!

Hope you've enjoyed this little trip to the beginnings of the Valley Line as much as I have - and are as motivated as I am to make some more progress!

Wordless Wednesday #532 - Ghost Train

2026-10-28T02:00:59.101-07:00

The Middletown Scene - Route 9 Terrain

2026-10-23T06:04:30.341-07:00

Towards the end of the last post, you saw that the Airline bridge had been "terrain-ed in" (to coin a phrase), but that was getting a little ahead of ourselves... Follow along in the captions for the process I used for the terrain around Route 9 (and the Airline bridge) - as you'll see, I use a variety of techniques depending on what's needed.

The foam board base had been here for YEARS, acting mostly as a shelf for tools and such, but it provided the foundation for Route 9 itself - which was made up from foam core (foam core posterboard with the paper peeled off makes for great concrete road texture).

We can't avoid at least a little compromise when it comes to scaling things down from the prototype - and, unfortunately, and the distance from the Airline bridge to the Washington Street intersection had to be severely compressed, resulting in an unprototypical hill/grade. But it at least conveys the sense of the area I'm modeling - it's impressionistic - and would you have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out?

The area "south" of Washington Street to Sumner Creek is totally open here and will get the cardboard lattice treatment.

This is a good view of the two major methods I use to cover & fill in terrain - it's typically some combo of foam board/scraps and cardboard lattice.

The cardboard lattice technique is pretty easy and straightforward - just hot glue (or even staple) vertical strips...

... and "basketweave" horizontal strips. It's incredibly versatile and can be squished and manipulated to get the rough contour you're looking for.

It's an especially effective and easy technique for quickly covering large, open areas. How would you go about covering this with foam board?

It's super easy and quick with the cardboard lattice.

Unlike foam though, it does require the extra step of adding plaster-impregnated gauze (or plaster-soaked paper towels, which are way too messy IMO).

Back to the Airline bridge area, I used more cardboard - and my foam core wing wall templates - to rough in the terrain around the abutment. There's no "right" way to do this - just keep gluing strips in as supports for the plaster cloth & Sculptamold/ground goop layers (so be sure to allow for those).

Plaster cloth layer applied

Ground goop layer applied

As you can see, the "terrain-ing" (aka "terraforming") stage goes very quickly and provides a HUGE bang for the time, vastly improving the overall look. The next step will be to start adding color and texture in the form of ground foams, grasses, bushes, etc.

But that will come a bit later. One of the perks of having a large-ish layout is that there's always something different you can do, depending on your mood. Not ready to start adding ground cover yet? How about we do something with Washington Street?

Next time we'll try to make some Walther's city streets a bit more realistic . . .

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!