Phases of a Model Railroad: Roster

Although this is more or less theory at this point, looking ahead I can see how my railroad will be completed in some distinct phases. In fact, there are different phases for different potions of the layout, but for this posting I will be focusing on the roster.

Planning Phase
I'm primarily working within this phase right now. A big portion of this is research of both the prototypes and models. In the process of collecting and organizing the prototype info, I started making a binder of material along with entering a lot of data into the computer to make the key information easier to find. This website is an extension of that, because I figured I wouldn't be the only one that would find this information useful, and it allows me to access it anyplace I can get to the internet. A side benefit for me is that others have the opporutnity to "proof" my data when they visit the site. I've already had some feedback and corrections, and I hope that process continues.

Collecting modeling info is a combination of a few areas. One is identifying and acquiring modeling info about the New Haven Railroad in the hobby press. A side benefit of this is that I also acquire some info on other prototypes as well. The next area is identifying what models are/were available for the New Haven. This can be a little more complicated, but not nearly as complicated as the next step: identifying which models are the most accurate, and/or are the easiest to "correct." The modeling articles are helpful in much of this regard, but online forums and other modelers are invaluable. Again, in the process I end up with information about other roads.

Home Road Phase
I'm sure most modelers are like me, and they are hunting for as many models of their home road as possible. I'm actually using focused prototype modeling as a method to manage my budget as well. There aren't all that many models of New Haven prototypes available. There are even fewer that are accurate, and fewer still that fall within my era. Manufacturers (and probably modelers as well) seem to focus heavily on the era just after mine: the McGinnis era. The cars are more colorful, and the big NH is instantly recognizable. But I'm not a big fan of the paint schemes myself.

In any event, it means that I have a relatively short shopping list, and I'll usually only find a couple of things (if any) at a store or a show. Most of them I have to order, and these keeps expensive impulse purchases at a minimum.

Once I identify what's available, I can prioritize. Price plays a part here, but it's usually dictated more by scarcity. I start with the hard-to-find things, because the longer you wait, the harder they are to find. The next priority is the limited releases that are available now, but won't be for long. New Haven lettered locomotives seem to be the biggest culprit here, they tend to last less than a month on the shelves (at least in CT).
I can easily see the next couple of years focused almost exclusively on filling out my New Haven roster.

Foreign Road Phase
Three major things will influence my purchase of foreign equipment. The first is the scarcity issue. This applies primarily to models I'll be making based on a magazine article. If the model is a limited release I may pick it up so I'll have it when I need it. These will probably sit on the shelf while I'm building New Haven models, though.

The second factor that will play a part is the completion of a signicficant amount of the layout. I'm not talking about scenery and structures. This is purely related to trackwork. When there's enough trackwork in place to start some early operating sessions, I'll need some cars. It might be OK for a few sessions to have all New Haven models, but I think that I'll want to see some variety pretty quickly. In fact, this will probably be important once there's a significant amount of trackwork to have a good amount of cars sitting on the layout.

The final factor, and the one that really signals this phase, is the near completion of the New Haven roster. Once the layout reaches a certain point, almost all of the new additions to the roster will be foreign roads. This is due to several reasons. This will happen from time-to-time when there aren't any specific models on the market. But the roster itself is based on the real thing and the size of the layout. So I know exactly what I want for the roster, and once the New Haven portion is complete it's not likely to change much.

Final Thoughts
These phases aren't set in stone, of course. They will always overlap to some degree. But the major factor for me is that my focus will shift. I might pick up a nice model of a foreign road because of a particular opportunity, but I won't be searching out those opportunities. Right now I'm looking for New Haven stuff, and just New Haven stuff. I already know the next 2-3 cars I'll pick up, and that will probably complete my flat car roster. This is simply because the models are available, and I don't need very many.

How quickly I build the roster also depends on what prototype info I find. If I have a choice between an Employee Timetable or a locomotive, I'll always go for the timetable because they just don't show up very often. Once the actual construction on the layout begins, then funds and time will be focused on that aspect. This, in fact, forms another series of phases: modeling. My situation would also be similar to somebody living in an apartment or going to college. No layout (at least not at home) so plenty of opportunity to plan and build a roster. Once the layout gets under way the roster probably won't grow much until enough of the layout is ready for some trains. Then roster building gets to fight it out with scenery and structure building for a few years. Once that's largely completed it's back to roster building.

This is all assuming that you don't move and have to start with the planning stages again...

Anyway, my current goal is to work on the core of the New Haven roster for the next 6-12 months. I may have less time depending on when we move. But I'll still have a window of time after the move to build some models while I work out the final plans for the layout befure I start building.

This weekend I'll be adding a new locomotive (or two) to the roster. They won't be super-detailed yet, and they won't even be the correct road number. But although they were released a couple of months ago, they are already getting harder to find. By the end of the month I'm hoping to have 2-3 more flat cars to build, and then I'll be looking to get started on the PS-1 boxcars. With a tax return, bonus, and a tax rebate all due in a couple of months I'm hoping to be able to build all 20 at once. With those complete I'll have about 15% of my freight roster done.

We'll see.

Proto:87 Revisited

Well, I am well on my way of completing my first official addition to my roster: A 17200-series Flat Car. Pictures and thoughts will be posted in the relatively near future.

I have also completed my first semi-handlaid turnout. I say semi-handlaid because I'm using the Central Valley turnout kits, and it doesn't require quite the amount of work as a completely handlaid turnout. In any event, I've come up with a way to model the throwbars to my satisfaction:

 

This is a rough prototype, but the concept works. It has been noted (by Andy Reichert) that the approach of soldering pc-board ties as a throwbar is not as reliable as you might think, so testing continues.

So between the better looking track, and the fact that I need to order some trucks and wheelsets for my new flat car, my thought process is once again focused on proto:87. In the last few days I have found and joined two Yahoo groups, handlaidtrack and proto:87. Although I may be stating the obvious, I tend to do a lot of research and even experimentation when making decisions. I don't take this one too lightly, because there is both a time and a money component involved. I also have to worry about converting my locomotives (I have around 10 right now) as well.

But since I don't have an operating layout, and I've loaned out my DCC system for testing and evaluating to a friend, I have some time to make those conversions. I only have 3 locomotives equipped for DCC right now anyway, and all three will probably not be in my final roster because I've altered my plans, and settled on different standard models.

So, later this week I will most likely place my first order for proto:87 wheelsets, along with the trucks and couplers I'll need to complete this model. The very fact that I keep coming back to this question is a pretty good indication that it's the direction I want to take. All my other decisions: handlaid track, Sergent couplers, prototype modeling with a high degree of fidelity, are not only compatible, but heading down the same tracks, pun intended.

I will post an update with what I think after I've received the wheelsets and other materials and complete the car. I also plan on building a second (code 70) turnout with the same process, but to proto:87 standards to see how much additional fiddling that entails. Hopefully I'll have more to report within the month...

Freight Rosters

I've been adding a lot of info to the freight rosters. There's still a bit to go from what info I already have, but there is a lot of info I don't have. In particular, I'd like to include the info from all of the ORER's from 1949-1954, I currently have one, with some leads on a few more. These are particularly valuable for identifying which flat cars are equipped for piggy-back service, and which gondolas have had their drop bottom removed.

In addition, I'm working on completing my first prototypically accurate model, of the 17000-series flat car. I'll be posting some pictures in the near future. I've also worked out how I will be building my turnouts, including near-scale throw rods. This is a project I've been working on for about a year. I finally found a surprisingly simple solution and assembled a sample turnout that I think looks great. More on this to come as well.

Lastly, I've been visiting a few other layouts to run some trains. I'm going to check with the other guys, but I'd like to start posting some info about those sessions on the site, because I find them very helpful, informative, and fun.

Progress

It's been a while since I've posted an entry in the blog. I've been slowly adding content to the site, in particular new timetables as I've gotten my hands on them. The site has also been getting a few visitors, and I've had some feedback (and help) from a number of you, and I'd like to say thanks.

I've also moved a couple of things around a bit in regards to the organization. There's a lot of potential information to include, so I'm working through what I want to add. Now that the holidays are over, I'm hoping to have the time to fill out the info on rolling stock, etc. If I'm lucky I'll be able to work on a few of my modeling projects as well...

While this site is my own little project, and will contain my own modeling efforts, a good portion of the site will contain prototype info that I'm hoping will be helpful for others. As always, feel free to let me know what you think.

Lastly, I've been a bit concerned about the performance of the site. I haven't been getting much help from my hosting company, so as soon as I can afford to I will probably be switching. Until then, be patient, sometimes the site seems to be loading pretty quickly, but other times it's very slow.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Setting an Era

My first New Haven layout was going to be set in Autumn 1948. I was able to purchase a public timetable for September 26, 1948. By sheer cooincidence, the Railroad Archives at the Dodd Center at UCONN in Storrs had a copy of the corresponding Employee Timetable.

So my initial inclination was to model the same period. The problem that arose is that the last steam locomotives on the Highland line left in January of 1949. Steam locomotives for New Haven modelers must be scratch-built, or brass, with few exceptions. Neither are an option for me right now, so I started looking at moving to 1949. I didn't want to model later than that, because I wanted to retain the original appearance of the DER-1 locomotives, and they were rebuilt from 1949-1951.

But once I started researching, I found that I could include the DERS-2c locomotives if I switched to 1950. In addition, Westerfield had the July, 1950 ORER available on CD-ROM. I also found out that I could get the October 2, 1950 engine and caboose assignments.

So now I was leaning toward 1950. The first non-alco road diesels were the DERS-3 locomotives (Fairbanks-Morse H16-44) and they were delivered starting in November, 1950. So I could retain an all Alco roster if I stuck with autumn 1950.

But things are never that simple. I have the Consist book for 1951. In addition, the DERS-3 locomotives were growing on me. I also learned that freight and passenger traffic was reduced on the Highland line in 1949-1950, but picked up again in 1951 due to the Korean War.

Well, I think you can see where this is heading...

Then I realized that the city itself did not change significantly through any of these years. The date on the layout will be determined by a combination of signs, billboards, automobiles, and the trains and timetables. Most cars found on the road at any time are not from the current model year, so that's easy to deal with. By planning to have a few "year specific" scenic elements that are replaceable on the layout, I can model a period of time, rather than a specific date.

I had always planned on autumn, since I figured I might as well model the New England foliage. But for the bulk of the layout there will be no trees. It's all urban. So if I plan appropriately, I can even swap out a few trees to change the seasons.

As it turns out, the last confirmed steam running on the Highland line was in November of 1948 on the Boston assigned trains 131 and 136. The New Haven reduced the Highland line from Newington to Plainville (through New Britain) to a single-track mainline in summer of 1954. So by using these as the defining events, the layout would now be designed to be accurate from 1948-1954. And when I get around to learning how to scratch-build steam locomotives, I can easily step back to 1947.

Right now, my operation focus is on the post-steam, but pre-Budd RDC car era. This sets my primary era as 1949-1953, with 1951-1952 as the core years due to the variety of locomotives and the increase in passenger and freight traffic due to the Korean War.

This also works well historically in other ways. The management of the railroad changed significantly 3 different times in this period. The first was in 1947-8 when the railroad came out of bankruptcy. In August of 1948, a former director of the railroad, Frederic C. Dumaine, Sr. took control of the railroad in a proxy fight. He believed in cutting expenses, and greatly reduced the maintenance of the railroad. After his death in May of 1951 his son, Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine, Jr. steered the company in the exact opposite direction, increasing service and maintenance. He remained in charge of the company until Patrick McGinnis, a partner of his father who helped in the takeover of the company in 1948, did the same thing and took control of the company in April of 1954.

In essence, I'm modeling two different eras: The "dirty" era, of Frederic C, Dumaine, Sr. when locomotives, freight, and non-revenue equipment will be heavily weathered; and the "Buck" Dumaine era when equipment is well maintained. The primary era will be the second.