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 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
(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
Aurora went into trains,
Memory of this one remains…
In N scale,
It would not fail,
But burnt one out hauling heavy scrap metal remains!
–
It hauled heavy loads up a hill,
Seven and one half percent, by sheer will…
Drive wheels slipped
At too steep a tip,
A break in a rail stalled and it stopped still.
–
For parts I bought two or three,
It runs near endlessly….
A blast from the past
Whose heritage lasts,
My MINITRIX Li’l Donkey!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
IMAGE from: model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/10313
Rearranging to see,
Works best imaginarily…
Power plants offstage
Are all the rage,
Illusion necessarily!
–
The said industrial lead,
Curving into a mirror succeeds…
At least for my eyes
Suggest beyond lies,
The rail yard a power plant needs.
–
Between a mill and old store,
Rail cars are parked, one or more…
Coal and limestone
Go “in” and are “gone”*
Wood chips,old tires and more!
–
Some places burn up trash,
N scale neighbors objected fast!
Objecting to smell–
And vermin, they tell–
But they’re okay with biomass!
–
*Gone…cars picked up by hand and replaced by outbound empties or out-coming fly fly-ash and scrap metal.
(Google Image of the wood chip-fueled power plant in Burlington, Vermont. U.S.A.)
On the layout, in N scale,
Energy alternatives prevail…
Wood chips and gas
From biomass,
With coal on the side if they fail.
–
Th’unloading facilities modeled,
Smaller and neatly bottled…
Opportunity
For energy,
Wisely and carefully throttled!
–
Photo-backdrops provide,
Give hints of the plants nearby…
One could say
It’s an energetic way,
Simulating utility pride!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
Receiving the next-to-last one,
The end of my buying fun…
Things are tight
More bills in sight,
Peddle harder to make this hill run!
–
A purple Baldwin it’s not,
But a neat SANTA FE, I got…
Edged in yellow
He is a cute fellow,
Saving him a display spot!
–
I suppose my three should look the same,
A fleet with my railroad’s name…
But a collector,
Not railroad inspector,
Purchased all three as they came.
–
As switchers they’ll do fine,
With lots of work on the line…
But ALCO rules,
In bigger schools,
“Fishing” for freight all the time!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
(Railpictures.net image)
A necessary story,
Reducing inventory….
Too much to store–
Can’t buy any more–
The results of trying it–gory!
–
Collection reduction in size,
With E-Bay he had bigger eyes…
Not all fit
So get rid of it,
Someone else gets a pleasant surprise!
–
KATO, LIFE-LIKE and more,
Model trains I’ve seen before…
Standardizing
Is realizing,
Maintaining many brands is a chore!*
(Is for the real railroads, too!)
–
What to do with the proceeds,
If any—for charitable deeds…
Perhaps the Boy Scouts–
A troop hereabouts–
May have some project needs?
–
–Jonaathan Caswell
(Image is from E-BAY, and does not represent all of the equipment culled out or necessarily any specific equiopment.)
*NOTE: Am selecting ATLAS AND BACHMANN, PRIMARILY All of my ALCOs are ATLAS…WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS.
REPRISE; THE LOST BODY SHELL
(refer to “LIKE THE LOST COIN” November 25, 2015)
–
Rejoice for the lost is found,
Join in as we dance around…
That one body shell
Is safe and well,
Had fallen apart on the ground!
–
I found it underneath
Where I’d looked but brief…
Took days to find
Peace of mind,
BOY–do I feel relief!
–
Having recovered my prize,
It fit pretty good otherwise…
Newly installed
On a chassis and all,
Results are a pleasant surprise!
–
–Jonathan Caswell
Image courtesy atlaso.com
MY N-SCALE MODEL TRAIN LAYOUT UPDATE
–
Seeing another’s planning
Has me thinking too….
There’s not enough room on the layout
For passenger trains coming through!
–
I have a long spur behind the station
That could tie back into the main…
I have a curved turnout elsewhere
That would help my passenger train.
–
Other side of this spur, a turntable,
That I’ve yet to install…
Would turn single-ended locomotives
So I could run them all!
–
Changing plans is nothing new with me,
It’s a fun part and I do it…
Appreciating the whole hobby
I decided and must get to it.
–
–Jonathan Caswell
By the Mighty Mumford 