Early January Update

It is amazing at how fast the Holiday Season goes by. Seems like yesterday was Thanksgiving and now are here in 2017! Since my last post the St. Clair Sub has seen different types of activity. One great point of our hobby is variety. For example I do not feeling like working on scenery, so I can instead install a decoder, assemble a building, or just run trains. Lets take a look at happenings from the back end of December.

Christmas Acquisitions
I have to give my family credit, they do a great job staying in tune to what I like. It also helps when online retailers like Walthers and Mountain Subdivision Hobbies have wishlists that you can create and folks then reference. At any rate I was very fortunate to receive great model train gifts for Christmas

 From the wife and kids: Blair Line Fertilizer Supply Kit, 2017 Walthers Catalog, and resale DPM buildings from Ebay. 

From parents and grandparents - 30ga wire, Soundtraxx Tsunami2s, Currentkeepers, and Railmaster 28mm speakers.

Very grateful and blessed for fantastic model train items. If your family or significant other doesn't know what you want and especially if it is model train items, use those wishlists to help them find the right gift. Not to mention an easy way to help them dial into what you model.

Both the DPM buildings and Blair Line Kit will be located in Grays Lake, Michigan. The sound decoder items were installed into Athearn Genesis SD45-2s that have been de-rated into SD40M-2s.

New buildings on the corner of Main and Harrison Streets in downtown Grays Lake. 

CEMENT TERMINAL STORAGE DOME

As I begin to "rough in" the Graystone Cement Terminal at Bay City I wanted to find a way to give the facility a modern expansion look to an existing facility that had been there for some time. Searching Google for Cement storage silos led to alot of different types of facilities. But this one below in Arkansas caught my eye as a great opportunity to model. 

Photo courtesy of Penta Industrial 

Finding my prototype I then setout to find commercially available items to help scratchbuild this storage dome. An quick visit to Hobby Lobby provided discovery of 12" smoothfoam halves. 


 This foam halve should fit the bill nicely. 

Using a bendable straight edge and pencil I traced the center where I would cut the halve. Once traced a sharp foam knife made quick work of the cut. 

 Mocking up the storage dome adjacent to the primary silos of the Graystone Cement terminal.

Planning my next move on the dome will require the top cap of a Kroger Whipped Cream canister, Walthers conveyors, and Pikestuff Walls to build the drive in access noted in the prototype picture. This entire cement terminal should make for a fun scratch-bash. It has been some time since I worked on buildings in detail, looking forward to the work.

In addition to the dome I will be purchasing a Walthers Medusa Cement kit as the base with additional silos added from what I have on hand. A two track load out shed put together from Pikestuff components and a set of those new Alkem Scale Models security fence kits will wrap up the industry nicely. 

MT. PLEASANT "MAC" SHOP UPDATE

Like prototype railroads, the business, mechanical, and regulatiory necessity need requires locomotives to be maintained, rebuilt, upgraded, or retired. In the case of the Michigan Interstate our locomotive and car shop are co-located at Mount Pleasant, Michigan. MAC stands for "Motivepower And Car". Our team there was quite busier than Santa's helpers releasing three locomotives back into service before the end of 2017. 

MCIS 4570 and 4571 (EMD SD45-2) derating to (EMD SD40M-2)

Wanting to align fleet similarity for parts and maintenance the mechanical team took the opportunity to de-rate the only two 20-645 units to 16-645s. Both of the units had issues with their original motors and had been sidelined at Mt. Pleasant. With 16-645 motors installed the locomotives have been re-classified as SD40M-2s. At current time the locomotives we keep their original numbers 4570 and 4571, in the future they will be renumbered into the 4050-4069 series. 

Components Installed

Soundtraxx Tsunami2 PNP EMD Diesel (EMD 645 Turbo)

Soundtraxx Currentkeeper

Railmaster Hobbies 28mm round speaker

Soundtraxx Sunny White 3mm LEDs

3825, 4570, and 4571 in "High Bay" at MAC Shop

MCIS 3825 (EMD GP38-2) Electronic Upgrade

With completion of this motor there are now eight modelled GP38-2s of the total twenty five in the fleet. This unit was painted early in 2016 by Fogelsinger Rail into special paint honoring University of Mary Hardin Baylor. The CEO must know someone who graduated from UMHB... 

Components installed:

Soundtraxx TSU-1000 (EMD 645 non-turbo)

Soundtraxx Currentkeeper

Railmaster Hobbies DS1425-8 speaker

TCS Sunny White SME LEDs 

MKT 175 (EMD GP40) Sound Install

In addition to work for Michigan Interstate and its subsidiaries, MAC shops also does contract work. Earlier in December we installed a TCS Wowsound decoder with motherboard discussed in my last post. 

Prior to return customer delivery, locomotive was tested and calibrated in rock train service. This photo could be somewhere in Texas during the "Katy" days.

L.H.T. - Layout How To (Railcar Deck Rebuild & Base Weather)

During a visit to the train store last week I came upon the Laserkit wook deck replacement kits for various railcars. . Selecting kit #325 for Model Die Casting / Athearn RTR 60' Flatcar I knew that the only 60' HTTX flat on my layout could really use this upgrade.

Kit and Athearn RTR HTTX flatcar in need of a better deck...... 

 Chisel blade made quick work of removing the plastic tractor holders. These had been glued on a factory.

Plastic holders removed, use the chisel blade to ensure the clean is clean. 

 Before installing the self adhesive wood deck, I wiped down the plastic deck with alcohol.

Following the kits instructions, use the stake pockets to line up the wood deck and car. Looks great but too new.  

Wash of india ink / alcohol helped tone down the car and deck. 

The india ink wash helped give the car a nice base weathering. Using other techniques I will continue to weather to represent a 30 year old car operating in machinery service out of Midwest factories. This car will allow me to test out the Smokebox Graphics FRA224 reflective stripes. The deck replacement kit from American Model Builders is a great value, simple to install, and helps transform a plastic kit into a flatcar model. 

Quick update for a Quick holiday season. Now that we are in the new year its time to see where we are going in 2017 and where we went in 2016. My next post we will look at the goals I had at the beginning of 2016 and see where I landed in actually completing them. We will also discuss "State Of The Railroad" and how I plan to manage scenery on the layout. 

Thank you for stopping by to read my Early January Update. 

Happy New Year!

GM 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Michigan Interstate Railroad.

Mid December Update

Well it has been a "few" weeks since my last post. No doubt this time of the year 

is the busiest with the holidays and when you add in a vacation, time speeds up 

very quickly. Getting the layout prepared for the operating weekend can take a toll 

on you, especially when there is a big project in progress that requires completion 

for the session. Case in point the ABS Signal system install which began planning in June and ultimately wrapped up the week prior to the Interchange. It is always good to take a break, step back from your work, celebrate the accomplishments, and refocus for the next project. There is no need to get burned out on something that is a hobby... 

Anyways my break is over and I want to share some inspiring photos from my vacation and show what I have been up to the past few weeks with the St. Clair Sub. 

VACATION INSPIRATION

One of the most enjoyable things about Walt Disney World besides the fantastic 

family time is how the Disney Company has done a great job capturing Walt Disney's love of trains and how it is reflected around the property. Any modeler who needs inspiration should have no trouble getting a jolt from visiting the Parks and Resorts. 

Magic Kingdom:

Main Street USA Station @ The Magic Kingdom in full Christmas decor

Roger E. Broggie @ Fantasyland Station (Daytime)

Roger E. Broggie @ Fantasyland Station (Nighttime)

Roy O. Disney @ Fantasyland Station (Nighttime)

Absolutely the best themed bathrooms on property are in Fantasyland adjacent to the Station. They are themed like a three stall roundhouse in reference to the Casey Jr. train from Dumbo. 

Epcot:

My little boy absolutely loves the G scale garden railroad at the Germany Pavilion. 

I have posted many photos of this setup before, but it never gets old as there is 

always change / updates happening to the trains running, scenery, and structures. 

Hollywood Studios:

While there is not alot of railroad or train related items at Hollywood Studios I did want to focus on inspiration and ways to help immerse our visitors and operators more into the scenes we strive so hard to create. Case in point this photo of a large soundstage at this years Jingle Bell - Jingle Bam celebration. 

What I want you to notice is projections being cast onto the building.... It is falling snow that occasionally will blow around when the wind blows in live person. Additionally you can see the snow is beginning to pile up on building ledges. Remember this is a projection, but Disney does a great job immersing us and tricks our senses to think it is snowing in Central Florida. Obviously they have a large budget and cutting edge technology but this makes me think about the new Lightning / Thunder effect system released by Broadway Limited. Another example was while we rode "Living With The Land" boat ride at Epcot's The Land Pavilion. During the ride there is a scene with lighting and thunder. I told my wife - "yea we can do that on the layout" and it really peaked her interest. Immersing our guests / operators even deeper in the scene whether it be night operations with blue rope lights or lightning/thunder effects is another layer to our story. I believe we have just dipped our toe into deeper scene immersion. Not to mention the projector technology used for Christmas lights on homes and the show at Hollywood Studios could usher in really neat concepts like stars, fireworks, or weather effects on our backdrops and even trees / buildings in the scene. 

Just some thoughts from a guy re-inspired..... Anyone with me on this?

GRAYSTONE CEMENT 

Working with Kevin Klettke (Washington Northern Railroad - www.wnrr.net) and Dean Ferris we resurrected the logo of Graystone Cement out of Grays Harbor, WA. In doing so a new backstory was created for the company. Long story short Kevin did a fantastic job creating the logo and printing on adhesive film for use on buildings, equipment, and railcars. While it is not water slide decal thin, the setup is perfect for intended uses. 

Graystone recently established a terminal at Bay City for water/rail/truck operations. This terminal will allow the company to expand their footprint in the Great Lakes region. For this growth, new Trinity 3281 cubic hoppers were setup on lease from GE Capital. MAC Rail Services recently installed the newly printed logo plates onsite at Bay City. Decals for the NRLX marks are still on order at time of press.  

TCS WOWSOUND KIT

Over the weekend I completed install of a TCS WOW121 kit in a friends Atlas GP40.

Replacing the factory board with the motherboard and soldering all wires to it really makes sound install a snap. If only all of the manufacturers created their 21 pin decoders and boards to allow interchangeability.... Along with using all TCS sound products I also gave their SME LED's a try with good success. 

Photo above shows the motherboard installed in place of the factory board. Once the 

power pickup, motor, speaker, and lights are soldered to this board it is a matter or re-assembly and testing. TCS has a very well done website with install photos step by step and information/support for their products. Not to mention that for $129.95 MSRP getting a motherboard/keep-alive, decoder, and speaker as a kit is a very good deal. One vendor I use often for DCC supplies (Mountain SubdivisonHobbies), offered the kit fior $98.95, so even more savings for you the modeler. Shop around with competition in the sound market we have great choices and competitive prices.

AGGREGATE HOPPERS

Had a railfan send me photos of MCIS ortner and greenville hoppers on the Virginia Midland Railroad. 

This set of cars had been shopped at VMS for the upcoming aggregate season. We expect 2017 to be a big year for rock trains on the MCIS and we are preparing the fleet to meet our customers demand. Not only will webe handling rock for construction projects, but also handling rock for new power plant emission scrubbers. The cars got new doors, grab irons, FRA reflectors, and re-patched markings as necessary. Great work by the VMS team! The cars should be on home rails to make a nice homecoming in the Late December Update. 

The ortner fleet (100 cars) is mostly second hand with just a small fraction of the 

fleet actually in MCIS paint. Most of the cars are patched up from their 

former owners Wisconsin Central, CSXT, and Florida East Coast. 

Our greenville fleet (50 cars) is roughly half new builds in MCIS grey and half 

secondhand purchased from Wisconsin Central.

So as you can see a little vacation from the layout was needed and now back in the 

modeling groove.  On my list to Santa I had asked for the Tsunami2 PNP EMD Diesel 

decoder for my SD45-2 repower to SD40-3 installs. We will have to see if I get my wish or a lump of coal.... But even if its coal, I can crush it up for hopper loads.

I hope everyone has the opportunity to spend time with family and friends this holiday season. Don't forget to spend some time at the workbench or on the layout. 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! 

GM

Happy Thanksgiving

Take time today to give thanks and spend time with family and friends. I am thankful for you the reader.

Early November Update

Happy Election Day! Just like that October is behind us and we are running full tilt towards the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving.

This past week things have been the quietest on the layout in probably six months. After the Lone Star Region Ops session in June, I began the ABS signal project which is now 80% complete, followed by hosting two sessions at the 2016 DFW Interchange. Sometimes a little break is nice before getttig back to the layout. That being said let's look at the Ops Weekend, Industry Changes, and future posts.

Z-BKPH-28 departing Bay City after making crew change

DFW Interchange Weekend
On October 29th I hosted both am and pm operating sessions during the operating weekend. The layout operated very well during both sessions with only five railcars going bad order. I was honored to host guest operators from Houston, Austin, Dallas, Tulsa, and Kentucky. That evening everyone had a chance to meet up and have a group dinner at Uncle Bucks in Grapevine. I put together some quick stats of the days operation: 

Operators Hosted: 10 (5 am session, 5 pm session)
Trains Handled: 25 
Car Movements: 263
Bad Orders: 5 (Tight Trucks mostly)
Operating Hours: 6 hours, 15 minutes 
Donuts Eaten: 5

Provided are a few photos from the day with commentary. Thank you to all who participated and operated on the Michigan Interstate St. Clair Sub. 

Y-BA04-29 pulling across Saginaw River to clear switch to River Spur

L-PBBA-28 awaiting authority to take West Wye Switch and proceed to Bay City

Inbound M-PHBA-29 on Yard 1 to classify. In the photo you can see four sugar beet loads

RCL Operator on front platform of MCIS MP15DC #153 at Bay Yard. 

Every type of boxcar in modern era is pretty much in this photo at Bay Yard

West end of Bay Yard - Sugar Beet harvest is in full swing no doubt

Y-BA04-29 spotting two loads of Bitumen at Interstate Asphalt

Towards the end of the afternoon session we had enough traffic for Michigan Sugar at Grays Lake that we ended up running an extra L-BAUH-30. In this photo we can see the inbound traffic shoving into the plant storage tracks.

Industry Changes
Always looking to continually improve the layout, a few industries will have their locations changed. 

Bay City Station

The history of this location has been altered and the station no longer existed here. The station from its construction has been located on the mainline at Grays Lake. Accompanying the move is a neat history that we can explore along with providing a great architectural add to the downtown of Grays Lake. The location clicked almost instantly and where I placed it was actually a coincidence while I was working on the lower deck. Imagine that....

Grays Lake station looking west

Grays Lake Station looking east

View of station from an eastbound train. The station adds alot of character to this scene,

GEM Bakeries

The bakery has moved from the River Spur (West Switching Zone) to the Elevator Spur (Central Switching Zone) located where the Bay City Station was located. This new location will allow for a facility that will located on the edge of layout while providing three car spots for flour, sugar, and corn syrup unloading. I plan to cut in the switch and industry track over the Christmas holiday. 

Bakery adjacent to MAC Bay City Terminal

Graystone Cement 

In place of where GEM Bakeries had been located will be Graystone Cement's Bay City Terminal. This cement distribution terminal will receive inbound lake freighters of cement from Graystone's Superior, Wisconsin Plant. From here the cement will be stored then transferred to outbound railcars or trucks for delivery to batch plants / smaller distribution facilities. Using photos, a lake freighter will be added to the backdrop behind the terminal. Base model will come from the Walthers Medusa Cement kit. Ever since a kid I have loved the look of this kit, glad I will have the opportunity to add one on the St. Clair Sub. A single track will serve the plant allowing for 3 cars to be stored at one time for loading. 

Having a little fun clearing the lot before silos went in... 

Stand in silos for Graystone Cement. A simple print out of a lake freighter was used to get a sense of the scene.

Overall the changes in industries will net an extra 6 to 10 car movements per session in the form of GEM Bakeries gaining two extra car spots, and adding Graystone's new four car track.

Tank cars for Interstate Asphalt
A friend in Virginia snapped photos of three Interstate Asphalt cars coming out of VMID after receiving new markings and tank maintenance. The railcars were waybilled empty to Bay City for loading. Those cars sure look fantastic!

Steady progress is key.... it may not be alot but it is still progress. Always remember to continue moving forward with your hobby no matter how large or small the gain is.

Have a safe month.

GM