Category Archives: a tourist train

LET US SLEEP ON IT*

woe betide them that try

to se in stone what needs more time…

My turn table lost?*

without further cost?

Then I looked near bed time!

I thought I’d lost my lead

To that tyrn table, but indeed…

A curve could be made

With large enough radius laid,

To satisfy the using of steam.

A switch I’d previously cut in,

To one engine stall could run…

The other could Branch

From the turn table switch–

My space problem was overcome!

Envisioning a massive water wheel,

Fed by a sluice pipe has appeal…

This motorized–

Already planned (what a surprise?),

For which the tourists would positively SQUEAL!

And then, the bridge over a mill dam flood—

If I wanted, a covered bridge wouldn’t take TOO MUCH blood…!

Just for light tourist trains–

Steel reinforced all the same–

An occasional short freight could be good!

-0

I wish I could draw all this now,

All it took was time to see how…

Possibilities arise

by opening one’s eyes,Imagination plus a day’s-worth of wrinkled brow!

–Jonathan Caswell

*NOTE–Refer back to the post..ECONOMIC CHOICES IN MINIATURE…posted yesterday~!

A VISION OF CONVENIENCE

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.

NEW HEADER IMAGES:

The Poet’s gone searching again,

For winter scenery then…

GREEN MOUNTAIN’s Alcos—

He’d love to see those—

His favorite engine!

ALCO RS-1’s in the cold,

Working with heart although old…

Giving class

To a road short of cash,

That railroad’s survival they’re owed!

–Jonathan Caswell

 

MODELING MEMORIES

His memories of New England various,

Were by and large vicarious…

Mostly pictures he saw

with interest and awe,

His chances of a visit–hilarious!

Point of fact he was too young,

Couldn’t drive himself even some…

The eight-hour ride

Once a summer left wide,

Window for relevant magazines to come!

Still his interest grew,

Past the time when he knew…

This paint scheme was gone,

these ALCOs moved on.

But the history he wanted to view.

Found an N scale engine thus,

Painted just like this—a plus–

To re-enact

Historical fact,

Without too much fuss!

–Jonathan Caswell

 

BIG KIDS’ PLAY

A re-engine Baldwin’s a “BEEP,”

And this is a one-trucked GEEP…

Inventive play

May even pay,

The price of these aren’t too steep!

It probably is O scale,

I think I’ve seen them on sale…

Familiar but not

Prototypical, yet

A whimsical engine they’ve nailed!

Don’t think this poet is stuck,

Some switch engines DO USE ONE TRUCK…

One recently

Used on off an “S.D”*

Getting two engines on a six-wheeled truck!

–Jonathan Caswell

Several manufacturers make these…!  *An “S.D.”, which stands for Special Duty,

is a heavy-pulling diesel engine with six wheels in each truck

JUST LIKE ITS REAL-LIFE PROTOTYPE

I’d bought a 2-8-0 steamer,

“Consolidation-type” in N scale…

I had one train circle running

And delightedly put this engine on rails!

This BOSTON AND MAINE “2-8-0”

It didn’t travel far…

Before the engine stubbed its toe

And the front wheels went ajar.

My careful but quickly laid track

Was not perfectly smooth….

And like it’s prototype,

The engine wheels hit a cross-groove!

Rough track is anathema

To models with light pilot wheels…

Even the real ones suffered

From extra tight curve squeals!

–Jonathan Caswell

HOT WEEKEND–SWELTERING HOBBY

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..

 

 

A YOU TUBE RUN WITH THE MERDDIN EMRYS (Ffestiniog Ry)

On “Timsvideochannel1”

On the driver’s side filming was done…

Filming seemed a breeze

On the MERDDIN EMRYS,

The camera looked firmly hung!

The last train to Porthmadog,

Which turned out quite a log jog…

Narrow gauge rails

Running through Wales,

Even a chasing white dog!

Walls sprung on one or both sides

Of the narrow strip where the train rides…

Many private crossing paths,

The more frequent  used have

A whistle post warning trains fly!

Sidings both old and well-used,

Giving riders good views…

Of the slate-hauling days

And narrow byways,

That the train softly chuffs through.

–Jonathan Caswell

 

LISTEN TO THAT VOICE!

The voice in his head says, “DO IT,”

He’s not sure he’ll get through it…

Layout wiring–

His least favorite thing–

This weekend (maybe) he’ll go to it!

More than half the feed wires placed,

And he has willingly faced…

“Plugging” along

(Is a pun so wrong?)…

Then underneath wires are laced.

Power supply–nothing new–

A good power pack will do…

One has a short

Is it an abort-?

Maybe two small ones will do!

–Jonathan Caswell

 

AN N SCALE RS-3M-?

(Image of a Housatonic Railroad RS-3m  found on Google)

A long-held modelers’ dream,

Doing custom modeling…

Certain railroads

Extended locos,

Lives economically!

RS-3 diesel engines on the main

Were rather hard to maintain…

EMD units

In crashes came though it,

These newer engines to the RS-3 came.

The ALCO RS-3’s “two-forty-four”

Diesel engines were used no more…

They put an EMD

Into the RS-3,

Made a hybrid which lasted years more!

This modeler’s vision is fading,

Tiny N scale’s quite a lading…

Too much for me

Small parts to see,

The project he’s begun evading.

–Jonathan Caswell