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So after finishing the paint and decals for my BN b unit, I started brain storming for the chassis. after some  time and thought, I decided the original trucks were just too ugly and out of scale, especially when compared to the GP18 that would be pulling it half the time. The decision was made to get different trucks, which then lead to why not power it if I'm going that far. So here I go. I decided to use a older style Life-Like chassis from a GP18, the wheel base is real clse to a F7.

Import Image from Service:

Well, FWIW, my wife and I have already changed our thinking for the next trip (from that mentioned in the Ft. Lauderdale to Chicago blog entries)!

Our present thinking has the following up for consideration:

Using North American Rail Passes, we will fly to Toronto and visit with some relatives then take VIA's The Canadian to Vancouver (thee nights on the train).

Well I've finally settled in enough to start modeling again. In June I moved from Colorado to Illinois, so life's been a little hektik. Still don't have a work area set up, but I've been moving my plate-glass work-surface from table to table. While rummageding through some stored stuff I found a older bachmann F7 B-unit and decided to strip it and rework it as a BN F7B. Figured this would be an easy project to do. Basicly removed the end over-hangs, added back-up lights, installed wire grabs, shaved down the skirts, and painted and decaled.

Import Image from Service:

It's been a while. So long, in fact, that I've changed my modeling location (South Carolina-Indiana-Southern Pewnnsylvania), and I've changed the size as well. Well, now my layout is a planned 6x6 (I'll see what's left for staging) and it is set in 1981 in Southern Pennsylvania on the fictionious Maryland, Pennsylvania, & Northern, a class 1 RR running in Maryland and all the states north of it. Here's the plan:

Here's the logo:

• A wonderful trip and I am really very glad we did it. I would recommend travel by train to anyone (maybe with a few caveats)!
• All Amtrak personal encountered were polite, pleasant and helpful. Some more than others but none were "bad". To single three out who were particularly helpful: Faith, the ticket agent in D.C. who handled our upgrade; Paula, the car attendant from D.C. to Chicago and Leo the car attendant from D.C. to Ft. Lauderdale.
• Overall, the food was really quite good on board!
  

These three days made up the entire trip back home to Ft. Lauderdale.

Checkout time from the hotel on Wednesday (day 7) was at noon and we waited until the last minute! A cab ride to Union Station followed where we found the Metropolitan Lounge, checked in and stored our baggage.

Well, I finally have a track plan to share.
I did this with 3rdPlanIt - layout planning software I've used for several layout in the last few years.

The entire track plan is within the city of London, Ontario, Canada.
If I do say so myself, I think it's a good compression of the CN right-of-way and industries through the city.
GoogleEarth shows very detailed closeup photos of this area, if you want to see the prototype.

I'm interested in any and all comments and questions.

Cheers,

OBRY

Hey everyone, thought I would take a few minutes to introduce everyone to my new layout.  Brand spanking new actually, I just moved into a new place about at the end of May and it only took about two weeks before I fixed enough sprinkler heads and hung enough pictures to turn my full attention to making proper use of my basement.  With gas the way it is, fishing trips are crimped down anyway so might as well stay cool in the basment and fire that miter saw up.

During my visit to the Louisville N Scale Convention, which by the way was very well organized and  was a great experience, not only because the city is really worth visiting, I got to meet really interesting people, and  acquired some Knowledge, I took some pictures of the giant layout, of which I added some to the "Louisville Layout" folder in my album, these being only a sample of the good work presented in the Convention, at the following link

These three days were spent playing tourist with no activities even remotely related to trains! The weather was really quite good. A little rain on Monday but nothing to really cause any serious problems.

With this in mind this is not going to be a lengthy entry.