Vacation is Over

Florida was great. I'm not a fan of southern Florida, it's too humid to me. It's like a bad August in Philly, except it's March or some other time of the year. The panhandle is different. If I'm ever tempted to move to Florida, it will be somewhere along the "Emerald Coast".

While on vacation I was using my phone to look up online magazines. Somehow or another I ended up finding out that I can subscribe to Model Railroader's digital addition per month rather than on a yearly basis.. It cost about half of what I normally pay for the magazine at stores so I signed up. It was cheap enough that I won't mind all those advertisements MR usually buries their content in. Plus, I get all those nifty subscriber "extras" on their web site...At least I did for the first day. Now it doesn't work anymore. Time to contact customer service. I'm used to that with computers, but this is a magazine. Ain't technology great.

One additional plus to the digital subscription...the shelf space in the library under the layout can be used for more useful magazines like older issues of MR and other publications.

One other thing. There is a thread over at Railwire that Pennsy fans will surely be interested in. I know I am. Jason Smith has taken one of his T1 shells and built a mechanism for it. You can see details on the project HERE.

Some of the comments on tender drives make a good argument for "dieselizing" the tenders on my steamers. It's not kosher, but it sure would make for some great running locomotives.

Just for Giggles

Details on Jason's T1 shell and other products of "Tomball Locomotive Works are available in this THREAD

It's time to get back to work on the layout, but only after I cut my overgrown lawn and do some other necessary chores. I'm at the point of raising the roadbed and creating the long climb up the eastern slope of the Alleghenies. I'm starting at the top of the helix, about 8" above Altoona and almost 5 feet above the garage floor. Have to dig out the old Gradometer.

I have to make longer "smokejacks" to compensate for the additional 2" lift above the bench work. A slight oversite on my part. The support sockets will work just fine. It's the uprights that need to be lengthened.

I also purchased a copy of the book Triumph I.off E-Bay for about half of what it usually sells for. For those not familiar, the Triumph series of books is considered the defacto authority on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Written by Charles Roberts and Gary Schlerf the series reveals details on the PRR that I, for one, have never seen anywhere else. They cover geography, politics, competition and just about every other factor (even religion) that can influence the development, history and operation of a railroad. Triumph I covers Altoona to Pitcairn which, coincidentally, contains the area the Allegheny Eastern is modeled after. Normally I look at all the photos before I read any reference book but in this case the research is so exhaustive I can't stop myself from reading the text first.

The down side of the book may be the changes I'll have to make on the All East based on new information.

The next blog will actually include work on the layout.

Regards
Frank Musick
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Allegheny Eastern Railroad