Great Train Expo - Model Railroad Train Show

To all of you midwestern model railroading enthusiasts, the Great Train Expo is coming to Council Bluffs, Iowa January 28-29 at the Mid America Center.  It has been 2 years since the last show due to the "World's Greatest Hobby" appearing at the Qwest center in Omaha last year.  I have always enjoyed the GTE since the vendors and layouts are in seperate rooms which helps manage the crowd.  I had the Orin Line there 2 years ago, and N scale was well represented overall.  I'm taking the Marias Pass layout this year which will be the very first public appearance for the model railroad.  Stop by and say hi if you attend the show. 

BLMA Reefers - Graffiti Project

After I gave my first 2 reefers a weathering and graffiti treatment a couple months ago, I finally decided to begin work on the remaining 16 cars.  They have been sitting on my work bench for a couple months now, and hadn't even been out of their boxes.  I am going to do these in batches, starting with the graffiti decals and then adding the minimal weathering after removing the trucks.  I am using both Microscale and Blair Line decals.  The reefers are nice cars for large graffiti decals since they are a smooth car.  The only challenge is applying the decals over the sliding door track and the other details that stick out from the car side.  Graffit typically goes to the very bottom of the car so it doesn't look right to start the decal above the track.  It's getting cold in the garage now and I'll be moving my work inside very soon.  I also threw a couple older LBF cars into the project mix.

Inspiration from Mike Danneman

I had the pleasure of using some prototype photos from Mike Danneman in my recent Marias Pass Introduction article in the latest NSR.  The latest Model Railroader magazine featured his N scale Rio Grande model railroad which is truly a work of art. 

I was fortunate enough to see Mike's 5'x7' model railroad in person at N Scale Supply in Denver, CO about 10 years ago.  A few years later I was even more fortunate to be able to visit the model railroad on a frequent basis as a fellow N scaler as well as local friend of mine acquired it.  I can honestly say that this model railroad has been an inspiration to me as well as many other modelers of all scales in our hobby.
Here are a few photos of Mike's 5'x7' model railroad that I shot a couple years ago.  My son was only 5 years old at the time, and had the best seat in the house.  It was made for model railroad photography.

Marias Pass Model Railroad, Video #4

Here it is: video 4 of 4 in the Marias Pass model railroad series.  This time I am following Amtrak's Empire Builder as it snakes eastbound towards the continental divide.

Amtrak Empire Builder Over Marias Pass

Marias Pass Model Railroad, Video #3 - West Glacier, MT

I've been having a lot of fun shooting video and creating short clips of my Marias Pass model railroad.  My video camera is several years old now and the quality of the video shows.  However, until I find a need to buy a new camera I'll use what I have.  For some reason my wife doesn't think that buying a new video camera for model railroading is a worthwhile investment? 

This video features the opposite side of the divided 4x10 model railroad from my first two videos.  It is modeled after West Glacier, MT which is located on the southern edge of Glacier National Park.  I added some "man" music by AC/DC.  Enjoy!

Marias Pass Video #3