His N scale model railway,
Unfinished to this day…
Is labeled P.C.
Not politically,
But “Procrastination Central”, he’d say!
–
So much on it still to do,
Each project is almost half-through…
Keeps changing direction
On theme selection,
Rearranging things as if on cue
–
HE THINKS…he’s nailed it down,
His scrap plastic pile’s quite a mound…
Rough kitbashing
Some parts go missing,
On which he won’t expound!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
His layout was headed West,
Now North-South orientation suggests…
An interchange done
In North Grafton,
But not if the cardboard resists!*
–
Re-arranging the room,
For inspection lighted his gloom…
Found his hand drill
Punched through at will,
A fiddle yard north will do!++
–
Pretending it’s North Grafton Yard,
The GRAFTON and UPTON rail yard…
Washington Mills**
Functioning still,
attracted this bard!
–
Basically freelanced***
The layout’s influenced…
By several N.E roads
Rail carloads,
The ones that most make sense.
–
-Jonathan Caswell
*See EXIT STAGE LEFT–NOT STAGE RIGHT!
**Washington Mills Abrasives Co. in North Grafton…at one time the sole remaining rail-served industry, beyond a team track!
***Freelanced is a model railroading term, meaning the modeler is taking elements from several railroads to model, without any one or two being dominant.
__++Fiddle yard is a track or tracks to fiddle–move on and off with hands–rail cars and locos being staged or removed from the main visible part of the model train layout.
His shirt’s soaked with sweat,
Soldering smoke and yet,
He has had fun
Track wiring half done,
The track plan as complete as it will get!
–
Still running the air purifier,
Don’t need a humidifier…
Plenty of light–
Three lamps shining bright–
His soldering iron on fire!
–
Finalized a couple more spurs
From industry tracks that once were…
Salt shed track
Was modified back,
To a siding with “green growing fur.”
–
It’s nearly one electrical block,
If wanted I could cut sections up…
But just one train
For this tired brain,
Spotting cars to load up!
–
I’m planning the tourist train,
Variety the name of the game…
A simple turn around
The turntable’s sound,
Add a trolley and nothing’s the same.
–
–Jonathan Caswell
The Poet refers to progress on his N scale switching shelf layout..
–
My model layout wanders it seems
Away from cherished themes…
What for you
Says “New England” too,
Beyond operational schemes?
–
Does NISSEN BREAD,
MOXIE, barns red,
SPAGS and stores
With “colonial” decors,
Monuments to Revolutionary dead?
–
Dairies and granite quarries
In earlier days held stories…
Ice cream and views
Along the Turnpike count too,
And whaling ship stories!
–
Broad “a’s” in speech,
A Kennedy’s reach…
Where Plymouth Rock stays
And Sturbridge Village ways
Are preserved to history teach!
–
So for my small train set,
What industries are best…
Beverages and rock salt
Metals, food stuffs sought,
And historic touristy nests?
–
Gravel still travels by train,
Lumber and minerals same…
Environmental ire
Has dampened coal fired
Power plants, but garbage still flames!
–
A water-powered mill
And museum of trains fit the bill…
For small excursions
Of rich incursions into filling the local till!
–
Do you think I’ll have enough room,
I figure some things will die soon…
New England gives
And takes to live,
But survival cannot be assumed!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
European and Yank,
Vie for most layout cranked…
Out in area
Trackage hysteria,
Each want to be higher ranked!
–
The winners are folks with a notion
To see trains both sides of an ocean…
Berlin–New Jersey,
Colorado…have mercy!
A wealth of details for promoting!
–
The model of Russia is neat,
And It’s female presenters so sweet…
All this on You tube
(The troika’s been lubed)…
A visit to THERE would be neat!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
Building model trains,
Modelers take pains…
To follow plans
Like real railroads can,
Working like the real trains.
–
A place to store the switcher,
Close by–you get the picture…?
Go right to work,
The main line trains’ perk,
The switcher gets out of the picture.
–
It needs just sand and fuel,
To be the engineer’s tool…
Move cars around
That are locally-bound,
Customers like fast removal.
–
–Jonathan Caswell
Layout planning changes,
History one rearranges…
In the seventies around here
Boats to carry scrap appeared,
In Boston to be filled before market price changes.
–
When a boat arrived
all area scrap yards came alive…
To fill this boat
all would devote,
A few weeks and then stay alive.
–
Thus like grain or snow,
Scrapyards have seasonal flow…
Like winter for salt
In autumn would start,
Ship arrival told when to load.
–
Where was this metal heading,
Japanese car makers getting…
Ready to sell
More cars that kept well,
Unlike the American vetting!
–
Rolling stock needed I’ll use,
Body shells from old “choo-choos”…
A yard with two tracks,
‘Though I might take one back,
Lots of switching for short line train crews!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
,
–
–Jonathan Caswell
With that forklift rover,
Why doesn’t the flatcar tip over?
Unloading each side
Balances it right,
So a load won’t become a rover
(slip off)!
–
–J.E.C.
By the Mighty Mumford 