Ohio Railfanning Locations

Hello again Readers,

This post will be dedicated to railfanning in the State of Ohio. I am going to give you some links to locations to see locomotives on display, and places to take pictures of the modern equipment running today. These are in no particular order, and are just a few popular locations that you can check out if travelling through Ohio.

In Lima, Ohio there is a museum that has a Lima Locomotive Works Shay Locomotive. It is at the Allen County Museum & Historical Society. For those of you that are modeling a layout using Shay Locomotives, or any Lima Locomotives the John H. Keller Railroad Archives could be a big help to you.

According to the website the collection contains, “Shay and Rod builder’s negatives and prints, as well as specification sheets from the Lima Locomotive Works.  In addition, the collection contains extensive amounts of material from the New York Central, ICC records, thousands of books, periodicals, timetables and assorted reference data covering numerous railroads.”  

http://www.shaylocomotives.com/surviving/3288surv.jpg

 

Also in Lima, Ohio at Corner of Shawnee and Elm St. at Lincoln Park there is a Train Exhibit that sits right in the park to see. The exhibit is of a Lima Locomotive Works 2-8-4 Berkshire Steam Locomotive. There is a passenger car, and wood Nickel Plate Road Caboose there also. If you come to Ohio at the right time you may get to see 765 operating Lima Locomotive Works 2-8-4 Berkshire this static displays sister that is located in Ft. Wayne, IN. 

http://www.remarkableohio.org/HistoricalMarker.aspx?historicalMarkerId=544&fileId=108744

Another great place to visit is the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevue, Ohio. They have quite a collection of railroad equipment to see there. This is a great place to see some old railcars that you don’t see anymore. They also have a number of diesel locomotives from days past.   

http://www.madrivermuseum.org/gallery/equipment/wabash_diesel.jpg

If model trains and family fun are your style there is a place to take the kids to get them interested in trains too at the Entertrainment Junction in Cincinnati, Ohio. This place has model trains to look at, and to buy. In addition there is a part of the place that has a play area themed with trains for the kids. This is the location of The American Railroading Museum with interactive displays to teach the whole family about trains, and how trains helped to build our great nation. 

http://www.entertrainmentjunction.com/cincinnati_model_trains/photos_railroad_museum

Now I would like to share with you a couple of photo opportunity locations. The first is in Deshler, Ohio call the Deshler Crossroads Park. It is on CSX property run by the Deshler Historical Society. The location has over 60 trains a day going to and from the North Baltimore, Ohio Inter-modal Facilities. There are a ton of trains every day from CSX, BNSF, NS, and Union Pacific if my Intel is right. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=99078867462&set=pb.98386332462.-2207520000.1375317926.&type=3&theater

 

Last but not least for this post is the Fostoria, Ohio Iron Triangle in Fostoria, Ohio the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society have been building an amazing RailPark there.  That will be really great once it is finished. This is also a great location to shoot your favorite CSX locomotives. 

http://www.fostoriairontriangle.com/

 

Well I hope that you have enjoyed this post. I look forward to telling you about other great railfan destinations in Ohio and others too. Also, if any of these locations interest you be sure to look them up on Facebook to see what they have to offer, and the times you can go.

Till next time, thank you for stopping at the station.

Robert

http://fostoriairontriangle.com/festival.htm

  

Chessie System Model Update

Hello, Trackage Video Blog Readers:

It is an exciting day for this Modeler and Railfan. In 1977 the locomotive 2101 former Reading Railroad loco got a new paint job, and was named The Chessie Steam Special. In April of that year it made its first trip from the paint shop to Philadelphia, and then to Baltimore. The loco was put together to have a number of excursion trips to celebrate the B&O Railroad’s 150 birthday. 

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29154

The loco ran a number of trips for revenue starting May 7, 1977. I did not see the engine and its cars in 1977, but my Grandfather and I chased it in his green Cheverly pick-up truck in 1978. I got to see it cross the Harpers Ferry Bridge, and disappear into the tunnel. Then we traveled along side of the great big T-1, Northern 4-8-4 loco through Sandy Hook and into Brunswick a place I had been before to look at B&O Chessie locomotives in the later years of my Grandfathers service as a B&O Engineer.

I was already collecting toy HO trains at this time, and to be honest I think my Grandfather started buying HO models for me at the sight of my Mother being pregnant. I had a big mess of train engines and cars, and in fact they filed an old Army footlocker.  I really only wanted the Chessie painted stuff, but I had a variety.

I had a love for the trains anyway, but I had never seen a Steam Locomotive before. I was only 5 or 6 years old. They are quite impressive to me even today. Well like I said, my Grandfather and I followed along with this Baldwin built 2101 that was originally a I-10a 2-8-0 #2021 built in 1923 and was converted to Reading 2101 T-1, Northern 4-8-4 in 1945, and operated until 1956 when all steam vanished on the Reading except for four T1's 2100, 2101, 2102, and 2124.             

Since that day I wished for an HO Scale Model of The Chessie Steam Special. I got an email on the 18^th of July saying that the deadline to order an HO version from BLI had to be in on Friday the 19^th. I was distraught to say the least, this is the second run of this locomotive that I know of, and I could not get my hands on one at all. That all changed today I got my preorder in for it today and it should be in at the end of September. I have never been so happy in my life, and would like to thank the staff at Hobbytown USA in Holland, Ohio for making my childhood dream a reality. I am sure that none of you know but my family and I are going through a ruff time right now. I had to sell my drum kit to make ends meet this week, but I would trade a second drum set to get a piece of history in my hand, that will forever remind me of the great day I spent with my Grandfather.

http://www.broadway-limited.com/images/view.aspx?productId=1803&index=0

This is something that I am trying to express in my writing and school projects that model railroading is fun, but it is heart warming and doing it with your kids, grandchildren, and anyone that you love is rewarding and will make memories that last a lifetime. For those of you that are modelers you know what I am talking about. I would encourage any of you to take someone under your wing and teach him or her all the modeling skills, and railroad history that you can. I am 41 and I play with trains.

For more information on The Chessie Steam Special, check this out.

Thank you, for stopping at the station.

Robert

Model Railroad Video

--> Today, I would like to write a review of Model Railroader Video Plus, a new subscription site offered by Model Railroader Magazine. 

http://mrv.trains.com

As you all know Model Railroad Video has changed over the years, as has a number of thing in the hobby. We have seen VHS tapes become obsolete, bringing the model railroad video to DVD, and now to digital download or web TV. I think the change is good for the future of model railroad media.

The reason is that this is a hobby that people get into later in life, in most cases. Is that because they have more time, or because they have more money, I don’t know? As people get into the hobby in the future they will have been using computers regularly, in today's day-and-age. It seems only natural to upgrade all they ways we enjoy the hobby.

Now on to the review:

First I would like to say that they have a number of price points available to fit your needs. You can subscribe monthly to the site for $4.95. The 2^nd option is you can subscribe annually for $44.95. The next two options are for $59.95 for print magazine with video subscription, or digital and video subscription for the same price. These are the prices for a new Model Railroader Video Plus member.

If you are a subscriber to the magazine currently, you can purchase an annual subscription for $25. These are introductory prices and are normally a little bit higher regularly.

http://mrr.trains.com/mrvoffer

You can purchase your subscription to Model Railroader Video Plus here at this link http://mrr.trains.com/mrvoffer.

I just signed up for the subscription today for one month to try it out. I viewed a number of videos on the site. I watched at least two videos from each category that was available.

I must say that all of the videos are very professional, and they are all in high definition. The videos can be viewed on computers (Mac or Windows), tablets, phones, and the quality is good for watching on your television.

There is a site that gives more information about exact requirements for viewing at this link http://www.kalmbach.com/mrvhelp that can answer a number of your questions.

There are a bunch of real cool videos on this site that make it worth checking out for at least one month. I would like to say that there are a few videos that you may have seen if you subscribe to the magazine. I would like to remind everyone that it is a relatively new site, and say that there are not a ton of new videos to watch. With that said, they are adding new videos every month.

There are new shows that are on the site that are different from the shows on Model Railroaders website too. Video Step By Step, Cody’s Workshop and Roundhouse are a few of their new shows.

Cody’s Workshop is a bit more how to then Cody’s Office, so if you are a fan of Cody’s modeling both shows are on the site. I think both of these shows are very good, and I get a lot of my modeling tips from Cody.

Roundhouse is a neat new show that is kind of a model railroad talk show, an idea that never crossed my mind planning my business plan out. They have Model Railroader staff and guests talk about all things modeling and railfaning. I enjoyed the couple shows that I watched of this.

My favorite new feature is the 3D Track Plan videos, this make the Model Railroader track plans come to life. They are a computer-generated walk-through of the track plans on Model Railroaders Track Plan Data Base. This is much like how people build 3D models of their layouts in small scale to see it before they model it, very cool.

 

The Model Railroader staff’s how to videos are really great; they have a way of making everything look easy. If you have had access to The Dream Plan Build Video Series DVDs then this is more of the same, if not it is good information for new or intermediate modelers.

This subscription video platform is easy to use, affordable, and very professional, this is truly an extension to the magazine. The videos let the pages of Model Railroader Magazine come alive, in the how to sections of the videos.

I would recommend this site to all new modelers, and any subscriber to Model Railroader Magazine. I am very pleased, to have signed up for this.

 If you were hoping for the site to have a ton of videos before you join, then I would wait a bit. I would say that if you had three days to do nothing, you could possibly watch everything on the site (just a guess). New videos are added every month, that is a good feature of the site. All the videos are professional, also a good thing. The price is right; you could spend the annual fee on two videos or less.

Over all I would give it a thumbs up.

Thank you,

Robert

        

References

Kalmbach Publishing Co. - Model Railroader Video Plus. (n.d.). Kalmbach Publishing Co. - Hobby, craft, leisure time magazines, books, events, shows. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://www.kalmbach.com/mrvhelp

Model Railroader Magazine - Model Railroading, Model Trains, Reviews, Track Plans, Forums. (n.d.). Model Railroader Magazine - Model Railroading, Model Trains, Reviews, Track Plans, Forums. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://mrr.trains.com

Model Railroader Video Plus. (n.d.). Model Railroader Video Plus. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://mrv.trains.com

Model Railroader Video Plus. (n.d.). Model Railroader Magazine - Model Railroading, Model Trains, Reviews, Track Plans, Forums. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://mrr.trains.com/mrvoffer


 

Adding Lighting Effects To Steel Modeling

-->

As you may know steel was a very large part of the U.S. economy. Most of the steel production that was done in the U.S. is now gone. Steel was a very important part of the railroads revenue, from hauling ore to mills and hauling finished products out.

Two places that I have been to in my life stand out, when it comes to thinking about steel production and they are Pittsburg, PA. and Baltimore, MD. I remember as a teen watching the ore boats come into Sparrows Point to off-load at Bethlehem Steel, I also remember seeing all the trains in-and-out of the plant.

I found a few videos that I thought you might enjoy, that will show some steel mill activities to go along with my earlier post Good Deal On Structures, about the Walthers Cornerstone products. I hope that these videos will give you some good ideas about how to model a steel mill on your own layouts.

 

The video that I found to show is really cool, slag cars being dumped at Bethlehem Steel 1994.

--> Dumping slag at Bethlehem Steel in 1994   From: steelmanjules, YouTube Video. (2007, September 26)  

Slag Car

You can buy slag cars from Walthers or your favorite hobby store, when in stock. Bachmann also makes a reasonably priced DCC GE 70 Ton locomotive with Bethlehem Steel reporting marks to pull your steel production rolling stock. 

Ge 70 Ton Locomotive

                                                                       

The next video is a video how to, for teaching how to model a slag dump. Keep in mind that this is in N Scale not HO, but you can adjust what you need to for your scale. The video I am going to share is how to install lighting to make the slag that is dumped look hot still. I think that this is a very cool idea and thought that you would too. 

How to model an N scale slag dump continued.   --> From: djstrains.YouTube Video, (2012, August 7). 

Lighting effects can make your model railroad come to life. You can light buildings, streetlights, and a number of other things on your railroad to make a scene stand out. Lighting for your layout can be powered by track current or other methods, and controlled on DC layouts or DCC layouts.

Add that extra realism; add lighting effects to your layout.

Thank you,

Robert 

    

 

-->

Reference:

Bethlehem Steel- Yellow and Black - GE 70-Ton - DCC [60612] - $95.00 : Bachmann Trains Online Store!. (n.d.). Bachmann Trains Online Store!. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=258_288_308&products_id=2045

Gold Line(TM) Slag Car Ready to Run -- Painted & Numbered Single Car (932-3144) -- Walthers Model Railroading. (n.d.). Walthers Model Railroading - main page. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3144

djstrains. (2012, August 7). How to model an N scale slag dump continued. Steel mill model railroad layout - YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4a2unLQovA

steelmanjules. (2007, September 26). Dumping slag at Bethlehem Steel in 1994 - YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJF_hTJ2Rw

Good Deal On Structures

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Hi again, everyone this is Robert with some news for you about Walthers. Walthers is bringing back some older products from its Cornerstone line. They are bringing back their Waterfront Series. There are eight structures and a number of detail parts for this line. The company is advertising a new product from Sylvan Models to go with their kits; it is a Tramp Steamer in resin. There are a number of products that could be used with these kits, to build a great piece of waterfront property. If you are modeling an east coast railroad, this is some great stuff to add to your layout. It would be perfect for building a downtown Baltimore port area addition. In Walthers fashion the kits will work on a number of railroads, check them out.

I am good a finding deals, as you all may know from my tool tips from past posts. I was looking at Walthers Flyer today and noticed that they are having a sale. This is not news at all, because they are always having sales. The savings on most of their products are not that big of a deal. They have some savings that are a few dollars per item. This is good if you are buying a bunch of stuff, every dollar helps, right?

Then I did a search on just structures from their Cornerstone line. What did I find, you ask? I found a great big sale on their Ashland Iron line. As you know some of these kits are hard to find in hobby shops and when you do you break the bank with the purchase. I don’t know how long the sale is on, but I know it is on today. These items had the best sale prices that I have seen on the site in a while. It was not just a $5 discount or even $10, much better.

    Regular Price - Sale Price

Hulett Unloader  $186.98 - $99.98

Hulett Unloader  $186.98 - $99.98

Rolling Mill $175.98 - $94.98

Rolling Mill $175.98 - $94.98

Coke Oven $142.98 - $77.98

Coke Oven $142.98 - $77.98

Blast Furnace $263.98 - $139.98

Blast Furnace $263.98 - $139.98

Blower Engine House $164.98 - $129.98

Blower Engine House $164.98 - $129.98

This is a great start to building a steel mill on your layout. Walthers reports also that all of these products are in-stock ready to be ordered. There are a few other structure kits that are on sale, some of the Ethanol products and the Transfer Table for your engine house too.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, please do yourself a solid and check Walthers out before these items are gone. These products are perfect for those of you modeling the B&O or Pennsylvania railroads, any place that steel was made.

 If you are interested you should pick up this book too. The Model Railroader's Guide To Steel Mills from Model Railroader Books. You can order it from Kalmbach or find it on Amazon.

Have a good one and see you next time.

Happy Modeling,

Robert





 

New Chessie System Products for 2013

Hi everyone, I would like to let you in on a few new products in HO scale for 2013. I will be letting you know about my favorite road, so don’t go out and buy all of them. So I can get them too. I am joking, if you buy them up the company might make more. If you are a modeler or collector of model railroad models then you will understand. If you were not a modeler you would think that there is an endless supply of the models out there. I am here to tell you that is not the case. Chessie System models are some of the hardest to keep on the selves.

As you all know I am a big Chessie B&O fan. I have had lots of trouble getting the models that I would like to have. In 2013 there are a couple of great new Chessie models coming out. At least two companies have new Chessie System locomotives coming out this year. So lets get to it.

First, Athearn has come out with its first catalog in over a decade and it is not just a catalog it has prototype information in it too. I remember in my youth Athearn locomotives were about 75% of my motive power. They produce a great product; since the addition of sound, and DCC control they are even better. The first new CS model is an Athearn Genesis GP9 Phase II locomotive in Chessie paint. It will be available in March. There are several road numbers and it comes with or without sound. These units will be B&O and C&O with proper details.

The next new locomotive will be also a Genesis, a GP15T. These will come in 3 road numbers and will all be C&O locomotives. They will be all prototypical in detail. This locomotive is great for late Chessie System modelers. The locomotive was delivered to the C&O in late 1982. This loco would not work on my layout it is to new. These engines will come in DC or DCC also. 

The next company putting out some really nice CS locomotiveis MTH. We have a GP35 in CS paint that is in DCC/DCS and DCC ready. These locomotives look great, very realistic. MTH is known for its large-scale locomotives more then their HO, but these are amazing. These come in 3 road numbers and they are my favorite road name B&O. I wish that I could buy a fleet of this one. They also have a C&O and B&O GP35 in the classic blue paint schemes 

Both of these companies offer many other locos. Athearn has a number of Union Pacific heritage units for sale that are popular right now. In addition both companies offer some C&O and B&O EMD locomotives of the early diesel units, like the F7 or E8. The F7 C&O from MTH is greatly detailed. So go check them out.

Thank you, 

Robert