Indiana Harbor Belt of Texas

[soo]

Yes, Halloween,,, I know right!!! I was thinking that as I was painting. Layout really pops,, just freaking awesome man!!!

  Adios, Wyatt

[Rossford Yard]

Sorry for the late comments on my own railroad.  I have been busy.  So busy, in fact, that due to a late flight, a business proposal and some prepaid and very expensive hockey tickets on Saturday (Go Stars!) I couldn't fully participate in my own railroad weekend.  In fact, just back from another trip I took starting last Sunday when Wyatt left. Maybe some scenery this weekend.....but a cluttered garage calls now that weather is cool.

Not sure why, but I always liked Black and Orange, selecting it for more than one of my old dorm team football jerseys.  Maybe its why I like the IHB.....I had seen some blue and gray type fascia to simulate RR colors instead of perhaps mocking subsoil or natural green colors.     I do like the bold approach, even if it may take away from the trains.  If nothing else, it proves that a painted fascia really upgrades a layout over an unpainted Masonite.

[SSW7771]

Jeff, in honor of your now dismantled layout, here are a couple of videos I shot from the ops session last year.

BTW, I just learned how to edit and post videos to YouTube. Still need to learn how to add music.

[Rossford Yard]

Marshall,

Thanks, and I appreciate it as a nice memory.  Hope I can save those files.  My base level scenery needed some work to be ready for prime time.......

[soo]

  Why did it have to go away!!!! 

Adios Wyatt

[Rossford Yard]

Why did it have to go away!!!! 

Adios Wyatt

When the wife you want to keep wants a new house to be closer to the grandkids, it means the railroad you keep has to go away......life just isn't fair!

[MichaelWinicki]

When the wife you want to keep wants a new house to be closer to the grandkids, it means the railroad you keep has to go away......life just isn't fair!

Yep... that's how it works!

Still, applaud the effort.  You put a ton of work into that.  The yard itself is stunning.

[soo]

I know, I know. Oh well..easy come..easy go. Not saying it is easy...just sounded good...not trying to be bitter.lol

Y-it

[Rossford Yard]

Yep... that's how it works!

Still, applaud the effort.  You put a ton of work into that.  The yard itself is stunning.

Michael,

Thanks, and Wyatt (especially) and Doug were big parts of the crew.  Large layout like that cannot be built alone.

Funny thing about the layout is that I did learn the lesson of so many others before me, that complexity leads to more frustration than enjoyment.  For all that, most nights all I had time to do is run one train in a loop a few times, but most often, switch one job, like the grain elevators, corn syrup tracks, etc. 

My favorite DFW layout is Ole Melhouse Dakota Northern (well, Coldriver's may top it, but I won't have that space).  My plan is shorter reaches, no tortoise, no helix, no turntable, just 2 tracks open staging near the back, no grades, no big yard (road switching seems more fun than yard switching, and I love yard switching).  My old layout had the "Cliff" Branch, where we ran up the hill to a 4 track yard, had a lot of trailing and facing point turnouts. It was the most fun to switch, and I will try to replicate that.

Anyway, for all that work and money, I wasn't as sad to see the IHB go as I thought I would be.  I have an 8 x 17 storage room in the new house, and with all the turnouts, some plywood, lights, etc., I think I can build a terminal/branch line layout for under $1000.  And, have just as much, or more, fun running it.

Instead of running nearly every road at once, I will have to be content to run one road at a time.  Instead of vast staging, I save the construction, bring trains out from a visible interchange yard, trading putting a few dozen cars on the track each session for gobs of complexity, etc.

A guest likes Chessie?  Clean the wheels of a Chessie/BO/CO/WM  loco set on the shelves, plop it on the track, they get to switch with their favorite road name.  It will have to remain Midwest generic, so I will call it the "Annie Ware" Short Line Industrial Terminal.....or the AWSH*T for short....seems to sum up my model railroading skills succinctly!