Where have I been you ask? Well, not doing too much modeling over the past year, unfortunately. But that's one of the great things about this hobby, it will be there when I have time. But the NE Proto Meet is coming up next weekend and that's always gets things moving. I didn't manage to get things together enough to host an op session on Thursday, but I'm looking forward to the meet.
A few of us got up to Mike Confalone's though, a layout I've been interested in seeing in person for a long time. I didn't take too many pictures, because it has been so well documented, but I did experiment when he showed us how he does an occasional night session. He has blue light strips along the edge of the ceiling that provide a minimal amount of light, and the rest is from layout lighting. Here's a look:
It is, of course, an amazing layout. I hope to get a chance to operate there in the future.
With my somewhat crazy schedule for the last year, I've had more opportunities for research than working on the layout. That's fine, I have several articles well on their way to completion and hope to wrap them up this summer after a trip or two to UCONN. When looking for something completely different, though, I stumbled across something I have been trying to determine for years.
In one of my searches, testimony regarding whether a fireman was needed on certain runs with a 44-tonner in 1949, the New Haven provided the schedules for all of the DEY-4 class:
Wouldn't you know it? Confirmation that the two switchers in New Britain did work staggered shifts. Even better, I now know exactly what they were. My ops session is specifically designed around the switch crews shifts, so now I know it will be 7:00 am to 7:00 pm (because I'm modeling November and Daylight Savings is in effect).
Hope to see you all next weekend in Springfield!