See shining eyes
Oversee the worlds…
while trains run by
Taking straights and curves;
Daddy, can we buy
Just a little train…?
Yes, child, we’ll try
Santa may bring one then!
–
–J.E.C.
CHRISTMASTIME–FOR MODEL TRAIN SHOWS!
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Tag Archives: model railroad layout
SHE COULD HAVE TOLD ME SO.
Small change–of little account–
Compared to larger amounts…
I thought I’d pay
For an easier day
But that’s not how it’s turned out!
–
If I want it–have to start it myself–
And do it for my mental health…
My “suitcase” connectors
Evade their detectors,
Must tear the room apart by myself!
–
Been tempted to use a clothes hanger,
Of metal like I did when younger…
My soldering iron
Works more like I’m desiring,
My long history as scrounger.
–
He’ll get to me when he can,
Helping out as a hired hand…
Could he wire
Turntables as required
And would that be pay on demand?
–
I went this route to disperse
Concern that my shaking’s worse…
Have to wait my turn–
(This I haven’t learned?)–
Meanwhile I’ll try. till he’s confirmed.
–
–Jonathan Caswell
(Image via GOOGLE)
WIRING GUY
He emailed a wiring guy,
Thirty per hour ain’t high…
But when broke
Swim different strokes,
And effort yourself supply!
–
Maneuvering extruded foam
With track on it all alone…
All-in-all he’s glad
It wasn’t too bad,
Another prop came along.
–
Clearing his table of junk,
Meant a certain “spelunk”…
Places to put
Stuff that’s good,
The circular file got the junk!
–
Couldn’t find his “suitcase connectors”,
Instead of a soldering specter…
His iron’s too cool
To properly do,
work to pass the inspectors!
–
But first he’ll poke holes
Feeder wires to go below..
Not unsightly
When done rightly,
Like properly tailored clothes.
–
A power bus underneath–
A rod or wire to reach…
To reach all track
Sending current back,
A positive and negative each!
–
Some turnouts power-routing,
If working, eliminate shouting…
One engine stands still
So another will
Be running without both pouting.
-=
–Jonathan Caswell
WITH SOME TREPIDATION…!
With some mild trepidation,
He emailed for information…
Thus inspired
To his layout be wired,
By someone who has that vocation.
–
His new soldering iron should,
Do better but it’s not as good,
The one tossed out
Had hotter clout,
That aluminum tip isn’t good!
–
He made the initial contact,
He’s hoping he hears back…
Seems too much for him
Wiring neat as a pin,
Would they help him onto the right track?
–
–Jonathan Caswell
“MAKING PROGRESS”
MAKING PROGRESS
(on his N scale model train layout)
–
Determined to start building,
He spiked down the mirrored yard…
It needed measures precisely
Just sticking to it–not hard!
–
Unhooked another rail section,
It had to be re=aligned…
He’ll have to spike or glue it down–
The home engineers won’t mind.
–
He’s found a place for the grist mill,
With turning waterwheel…
It may seem a little hokey
But it has that tourist appeal.
–
The team track at Whitinsville Machine Works
Doesn’t seem very long…
Three-to-four cars is the most it’ll take
but we’ll have to get along!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
TRAIN LAYOUT THOUGHTS
TRAIN LAYOUT THOUGHTS
For years, other’s expectations
Colored my operations…
Electrical blocks
Of track (lots),
For two-train considerations.
–
Problem is–I
Don’t know many other guys…
Only one “club”*
Accepted me, bub,
Since then, how the years do fly!
–
How many trains can I RUN…
The answer is just ONE!:
With a couple of places
As engine storage spaces,
I’ve over-built–that’s what I’ve done.
–
In staging, I can keep two or three,
Trains to appear frequently…
The chances of TWO
OPERATORS are few–
There’s room for only me!
–
For one big block the need is,
With lots of electrical feeders…
Keep It Simple for Success**
Prevents the mess,
I’ve gotten into other years.
–
I’m thinking of a place of yesteryear,
Where two New England railroads both appear…
The Boston and Maine
And the New Haven, the same,
Find interchange and switching dear.
–
Industrial railroads exist
Where private companies find it best…
Better profit when alone,
They their railroad own–
When profits drop, they get it off their chest.
–
Something like that is what I mean,
Or some very similar scheme…
A tourist line, too,
Helps the revenue
With industries that match my kind of dream.
–Jonathan Caswell
* only one “club”…the guys at the Tioga Transportation Museum…back in the early-to-mid 1980’s
** K.I.S.S. (one possible use of this nemonic)
LAY-ABOUT LAYOUT
LAY-ABOUT LAYOUT
He started with such great plans,
To build it satisfying demands…
For switching with meaning,
His interests gleaning
To build one attractive to fans.
–
Somewhere along the way,
His railroad found enough delay…
Not anticipated
It got complicated,
Procrastination held sway.
–
Once meant until he retires,
One hopes that he won’t expire…
Before the thing runs
Will he get off his buns,
To more than pink foam* track base admire?
–Jonathan Caswell
* Many lightweight model train layouts use pink or blue extruded foam as part of the base and/or rough scenic forms to cut weight…as compared to using wooden two-by-fours, screen and plaster.
MICROLAYOUT MOGUL
MICRO-LAYOUT MOGUL
We mini-model railroaders grieve for Carl Arendt,
In the case of mini-trains he was a knight-errant…
His blog exists*
With a few new twists,
In his shadow our loss is apparent!
–Jonathan Caswell
*MICRO/SMALL LAYOUTS FOR MODEL RAILROADS…at http://carendt.com/ or http://carendt.us/ being continued posthumously by a couple of his colleagues, and can be subscribed to!
MISWIRED
It is a common thing
To wrap oneself in pride…
Missing a message presented,
By casting common sense aside!
–
A railroad modeller I admire
Had shown just what to do…
I would have caught what transpired,
If I had read things through.
–
Feeders and jumpers mean little
To the general public’s mind…
But for model trains it means a lot,
How could I be so blind?
–
A simple result: his DCC,
While mine is DC cab…
I thought using jumpers between tracks
As he did, wouldn’t be bad.
–
I re-read the article again and again
And finally occurred to me…
I needed FEEDERS to power MY track,
No wonder my power was weak.
–
So David, if you are list’ning,
I tried to do the right thing…
I have to rework my own mistakes
And remember to READ EVERYTHING!
–Jonathan Caswell
PLEASE NOTE: For anyone who wishes an excellent article on wiring model train layouts–assuming you read everything carefully—see a part of David Popp’s “Step by Step” Series, MODEL RAILROADER MAGAZINE, especially in the June, 2005 issue, pp. 36-40. He uses Digital Command Control to power his layout, and makes that clear that that wiring is different than for Direct Current cab control. More info. available at www.modelrailroader.com.
By the Mighty Mumford 