Council Close-ups: Brian Davis

Closeup of model diesel locomotive

My employer creates short videos to highlight the work of its employees, and includes items to showcase their hobbies. My model railroad was included in this video. My small layout is inspired by Ed Brunner’s article about Rock Island and Milwaukee Road operations in the Muscatine, Iowa area in April 1986 Trains magazine. — Brian […]

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New model trains for the week of April 5, 2018

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HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (“Kodachrome” scheme, four road numbers); BNSF Ry. (Heritage III scheme, four numbers [two each with 88” and 123” nose]); Norfolk Southern (high short hood, two numbers); RJ Corman (three numbers, two with 88” nose and one with 123” nose), and Union Pacific […]

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Computer-aided model railroad – Logging in Sacramento Mountains

Screen shot of CAD software

“Computer-aided model railroad” uses the computer not only to help run an HO scale model railroad but also adds customer ship orders to make it feel real. A customer database is used to generate scheduled and unscheduled ship releases to the days activities. This video demonstrates how this is accomplished logging in the Sacramento Mountains […]

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Council Close-ups: Brian Davis

Closeup of model diesel locomotive

My employer creates short videos to highlight the work of its employees, and includes items to showcase their hobbies. My model railroad was included in this video. My small layout is inspired by Ed Brunner’s article about Rock Island and Milwaukee Road operations in the Muscatine, Iowa area in April 1986 Trains magazine. — Brian […]

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Polishing the rails for General Electric

nyc9363

New York Central S3 No. 9363 stands on the West Side line in Manhattan in 1967. Thirteen years earlier and 150 miles to the north, the road used another Alco switcher in a novel attempt to capture special-train business. Elliot Kahn, Louis A. Marre coll. In a lifetime of reading about railroading, I’ve seen the […]

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O gauge nuclear power Plant from Menards

nuclear_reactor

O gauge nuclear power plant from Menards Price: $99.99  (No. 279-4433) Features: Nuclear reactor building, revolving light, two illuminated power transformers, employee and canine figures, cooling tower. Order online at www.Menards.com/Trains. Behold the No. 279-4433 Oak Point Nuclear Power Facility. While I suppose that nothing should surprise me when I open a large box from […]

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RailKing O gauge 2-6-6-6 from MTH

black steam locomotive model

RailKing O gauge 2-6-6-6 from MTH Price: $799.95 (No. 30-1728-1) Min Curve: O-31  Cmd Low: 5.74 smph  Cnv Low: 7.0 smph High: 71.1 smph Drawbar pull: 2 lb., 2 oz. Features: Can-style motor, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, smoke unit, coil coupler on tender Current-production road names: Chesapeake & Ohio, and Virginian Ry. Further […]

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Different paths, same destination

CumminsQSK95testlocomotive1919

Cummins QSK95 test locomotive No. 1919 uses Selective Catalytic Reduction aftertreatment of its exhaust. The system is located in the wing overhang; a urea and water solution tank is inside the forward portion of the fuel tank below the forward air reservoir. Chris Guss With Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emission regulations in effect for […]

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