When Your Train of Thought Leaves the Station…

Let us begin, again.

speritrains — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 19:54:14 +0000

The last few months have been very difficult for us medically, but things now seem to be under control, so I am expanding my daily list of things to do to include website maintenance and postings. I am going through all the links to ensure that they are stable, there have been a lot of changes.

Meanwhile I am working on AP Electrical, Cars, and Prototype to complete my MMR. All are well in progress. The electrical work is being done on T-trak modules for our division layout. The prototype is going to recreate the Bristol, New Hampshire terminal that was part of the Boston and Maine.

Over the holidays the division ran multiple trains at the Roger Williams Botanical Center. Three different G scale layouts with holiday themes.

A Providence holiday trolley. https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOBmKW1yCIfrvloEHdU5bzpN-kJw-9Tb0ofzQIL

Large Scandinavian themed layout around a pond with paper buildings: https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPQN4cK0_6N5mwxCmquQ-pdlsv0dMlWXMIU4mj9

The third layout was a loop around their Christmas tree.

More to come

Construction begins

speritrains — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:05:12 +0000

I had the contractor and architect visit my basement today, and we should start building out the train room next week. I needed architect plans for the basement, so the town does not think I am building a bedroom or a kitchen down there. Just four walls, a couple of doors, insulation, lighting and a cheap floor. I have several modules ready to be installed and will be getting more benchwork from https://miannebenchwork.com/ which is located just over the state line in Massachusetts. After a couple of years of pandemic/health/caregiving issues, I am back on track. I have been spending a lot of time building structures and modules for the Old Colony and RI Railroad, our N scale T-trak group layout.

Pictures soon.

Shorpy is a great site

speritrains — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 01:05:52 +0000

I regularly check out Shorpy.com. Great photos, period detail, and humorous commentary. This one is perfect for my time period

https://www.shorpy.com/node/26818?size=_original#caption

British Railways

speritrains — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 15:37:43 +0000

George Landow, one of the members of the LRD, put together a presentation on British Railways. It is a fascinating look at how the systems evolved in two different countries, with different resources and needs. One thing to note: In the US as trains moved westward the preferred span of a river was a wooden bridge, while in England generally stone bridges. The deck can be seen here: https://www.littlerhodydiv.org/clinics/ukvsusa.pdf

Finally an update

speritrains — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 23:26:57 +0000

After quite a while I am updating my model railroad web site. I am about to have shoulder surgery, which is going to limit me for a bit, but the good news is that contractors should be appearing shortly to finish the basement train room. Then it is off to the benchwork, installing the existing modules, and getting it running. I will also be posting updates about the N scale T-Trak modular layout built and run by the Little Rhody Division of the NMRA. Their website is here: https://www.littlerhodydiv.org/

Building the OCD — Old Colony Division

speritrains — Sat, 27 May 2017 20:53:46 +0000

We moved into the new condo this winter, closed on the old house in March, and have spent a couple of months unpacking and setting things up. Getting ready for TKR in July. But before I get another titanium knee, I am trying to start planning and building the OCD.

The basement is 1,800 square feet, mostly empty. Here are some pictures of part of it:

I have some box square benchwork left over from the old basement train room, and have acquired some layout sections from an old friend of mine, Henry Pierce, which will be incorporated into the finished layout. Although I will be laying out the plan and starting to assign structures to various locations, I plan to stud and insulate the walls and put in lighting and a drop ceiling. This is going to be a great project.

Today I have spent a good amount of time updating the web page and the links contained in it, searching for signs for my latest building project, and working on the 2017 Northeastern Region NMRA convention, scheduled for Newport in November.

Here is a picture of one part of the basement with the modules on the floor:

My thinking is that there will be a straight run down the wall side, with a letter E configuration down the middle. There is more room to the right of the columns.

Meanwhile, at the workbench I am kitbashing the “Seaview” from Nick and Nora Designs. You can see the kit here. I am backdating it and making it a Fish Company as part of my village of Eastwick — a fictionalized Rhode Island town created by John Updike in the book the Witches of Eastwick. Right now it is a pile of parts on my bench — started it last year before I got busy with moving and selling, now retrieved from a box and marching toward completion. Last week I finished Fos Scale Models kit Pressman Radio Repair. Here is a picture:

Just a small structure, but will fit into the Newport scene on the layout nicely. It came with a window display, which is nice.

Working On Author AP

speritrains — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 16:37:49 +0000

Currently working on Author AP documentation, not an easy task. It requires word counts for all the articles I have written over the past few years, which I am going to assemble in one area on the web page. Also, clinic handouts and links/copies of electronic presentations, such as this web page. Check for new updates regularly

Steve

Getting Ready for Christmas

speritrains — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 17:45:40 +0000

I took my rough cut Christmas layout to the division meeting on Saturday and got some great ideas for it. Will be posting pictures, as well as my other recent completions, soon. If you are visiting here for the first time, be sure to check out the pages with links to all your hobby needs.

Steve

A covered bridge

speritrains — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 16:22:18 +0000

Here is a covered bridge that I built from a Carolina Craftsman kit. I added a lot to it, and I like how it came out. This will be on one of my modules soon.

Getting the Blog Going On a Regular Basis (GOOD LUCK TO ME)

speritrains — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 15:35:33 +0000

I have a lot of good information on this web site, but I have not been maintaining or adding to it the way I should. So I am going to try to change that.

A lot of interesting stuff going on right now in the train world. The Division (Little Rhody) is putting together a T-Trak modular group to construct an N scale layout that will be highly portable and easy to maintain. We had a meeting yesterday and made a number of decisions that will let us get started in ernest. We are getting our materials from http://www.t-kits.com/ which ensures that we will be able to match the modules easily.

I am also getting ready to finish the article on Booty Corner for the next issue of Rhode Rail, the monthly newsletter of the Division.

There was also an article about the Division in the quarterly edition of the regional publication, the Coupler.

Here is a picture of me from January with my first Achievement Program award, for structures. 1/7th of the way to Master Model Railroader.

More soon.