Your 2011 "Project of the Year"

[Coxy]

I moved my family from California to Toronto.

I miss California, but I now have a 27' x 20' basement for a layout!

[mark dance]

Opening the C&W up in September to visiting Operators for 3 three sequential days of TT&TO operations.  This required the implementation of Dispatcher-controlled Train Order software, installation of a phone system for communicating with the Dispatcher, and adding 20' of scenery to complete the scenery on the second deck.

Friday's crew [Left to Right: Cal Sexsmith (guest dispatcher), Dan Thompson, Mark Johnson, Len Thompson (asst. Dispatcher), Scott Sabo, Bryn Ekroot and Ray deBlieck. Absent from photo but present at session: Gary Hinshaw, Scott Calvert and the C&W's superintendent (me - Mark Dance)]



Saturday's crew [Clockwise from 9:00: Seth Neumann (guest dispatcher), Rene Gourley, Scott Calvert, Larry Rice, Don Mitchell, Kent Williams (kneeling), Jim Providenza (kneeling)]



Unfortunately I never snapped the combined crew for Sunday but here is an "action shot" showing this year's scenery project on the left! [Don Marenzi pushing Dave Falkenberg train up West side of Farron grade and Eric Eggel watching the action at Fife.]



md

[eric220]

Although not strictly speaking "my work", this is what I'll remember 2011 for:



Well, that and my first pilgrimage to Horseshoe Curve. Many thanks to and who came with me!

[BCR 570]

For me it would have to be completion of my first six axle unit - C-630M 701:







Tim

[BCR 570]

Gary:

Congrats on the benchwork start - look forward to seeing more.

Tim

[M.C. Fujiwara]

My Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout went from this:



To this:



To this:



And I'd probably be "done" by now if my daughter & I hadn't started up the "Alameda-Belt-in-a-Box" shelf switching layout, which went from this:



To this:



To this:



All while spending time with and making an little N scaler out of my daughter.
A good year!

[chuck geiger]

The San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SP 9/86) HCD went from:



to this:

[MichaelWinicki]

End of 2010...


End of 2011...

[Puddington]

"I wanna go play at Michael's house....Mommy, can I go over....." ?

[CSXDixieLine - RIP 1/27/2013]

My project of the year for 2011 was completing the roadbed on the entire lower level of the layout:





I did not work on the layout at all until after Thanksgiving, but completed this project in the first few weeks of December. While this is not a very glamorous accomplishment, it is a big improvement when compared to what the layout looked like for the first 3 1/2 years of its existence:



Jamie

CSX Dixie Line blog: http://csxdixieline.blogspot.com/

[MichaelWinicki]

"I wanna go play at Michael's house....Mommy, can I go over....." ?

My house?

Sure!

New York State isn't far from Canada.

[milw156]

After several years of using a Walther's truss bridge as a stand in on my Techny (A-20) module, I finally got around to building the  Whipple Truss bridge that carried the C&NW over the Milwaukee Road south of Northbrook Il.  Then got the abutments built, and ballasted the bridge & CNW tracks, need to add static grass, weeds and brush to it. Pictures I have found from the 60's show very little vegetation other than tall grass & weeds. Vince Kotnik provided the C&NW train for the bridge.
 


Rick

[chuck geiger]

OK now you guys are just showing off....Rockin stuff Mike and Jamie

[cv_acr]

I started a bunch of things: a new shelf layout and several interesting freight car projects but don't have anything finished yet. I just got a new airbrush and hopefully 2012 will be the year I actually finish the first of my projects!

(Or maybe that's just wishful thinking....)

[wm3798]

While it's a long way from being complete, the most substantial project I worked on this year was the installation of the yard and engine terminal at Ridgeley. 



The layout is now more or less fully functional, but I'm still waiting to get the crew together for a good ops shakedown.

I guess I have to wait till there's a good snow storm in the forecast!

Lee