The Rip Track

So your layout has progressed beyond the plywood plains to include some basic scenery and a few structures in the city.  But there aren't any tenants in your buildings yet, right?  If you don't want to model interiors and want to have windows that you can see into, you're going to have to find some way to explain the empty spaces within the buildings.  While you could put rental or sale signs outside the buildings, but it isn't entirely prototypical to have every building with such a sign in front of it.  Try this strategy I saw on an HO scale layout recently: place a delivery truck outside the front door of one of the buildings and have some delivery men moving furniture into the building.  It not only provides a reason for empty rooms, but also gives visitors to your layout something interesting to look at.

When it's time to plan your track, keep in mind that S curves are generally not friendly to smooth, reliable operations. Sure, they may look great in photos, but when the middle of an S curve is too short, it can cause derailments especially with longer equipment operating through them. One way to eliminate S curves on a double-track crossover is to position the crossover so that every route through it turns in only one direction. This can be done as seen in the photo to the right; this example was on one of the layouts displayed at the 2008 National Train Show in Anaheim.  Keen observers will also notice that there is a curve a little further down the track that goes in the opposite direction, but there is a section of straight track between the two opposing curves to eliminate operational problems.

Yesterday afternoon, the NTSB issued a press release stating that they had determined the fault of the 2008 collision in Chatsworth between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train rests with the Metrolink engineer.  The press release states:

The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that the 2008 rail accident in Chatsworth, California, involving a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train, was caused by the Metrolink engineer's prohibited use of a wireless device while he was operating the train.  The engineer failed to respond appropriately to a red signal at Control Point Topanga because he was engaged in text messaging at the time, the NTSB said.

The September 12, 2008 head-on collision resulted in 25 fatalities and more than 100 injuries.  As a result of its findings, the NTSB recommended that the Federal government require audio and image recorders in the cabs of all locomotives and in cab car operating compartments.

The release goes on to describe that the cab cameras are intended as a way for railroad companies to enforce existing operating rules that prohibit the use of phones and other wireless devices for personal reasons while on duty. 

Listen to Episode 11 Part 3

This took a little longer than expected to get online (previous posts on The Rip Track home page have all the details), but here it is.  In this part, we'll finish hearing from the manufacturers that were showing their products at Trainfest 2009.  So, without further ado, let's get back to the show floor.

So we start 2010 with a new web host.  It looks like everything is working as far as I can tell, so it's time to get back to making updates to the content here.  Watch the recent updates column on the right of the main page for specific pages that are updated, and of course, watch the center column for new items as well.

This is really just a heads-up post more than anything.  I got an email today that my current web host will be closing business at the end of December.  The company I've been with for a few years now has served me well and I will be sad to see them go, but just like in the railroad industry, everything is always changing.  I'll be working on getting the site migrated to a new host before the end of the year, and there is a simple migration path that is already on my short list of solutions, but if there are any recommendations from readers, now is the time to state them.  I anticipate that the migration will not lead to a major disruption in your ability to read the content.  I will post more as soon as I have definite information to present to you.

Thank you for tolerating my rambling on this site so far, and until next time, happy modelling!

Listen to Episode 11 Part 2

In part 1 of this episode we heard from a few manufacturers who were showing new products at Trainfest 2009.  It's time to pick up where we left off, so let's jump right in and hear from some more manufacturers.

Listen to Episode 11 Part 1

There are three major model railroad shows in North America that have become known in the hobby as shows where many manufacturers announce and debut new products: the National Train Show held in conjunction with the NMRA's national convention, the International Hobby Expo held every October in Chicago, and Trainfest held every November in Milwaukee.  Last weekend, I went to Trainfest and recorded quick interviews with as many manufacturers as I could to find out what we can expect from them this model railroad year.  I was able to talk to so many different companies that each had so much to say that Episode 11 is the first mulitpart episode of The Rip Track Podcast.  We'll hear from several manufacturers in each part of this episode, and each part will have photos and links in the show notes that relate to the announcements that were mentioned therein. 

There have been many stories in the past from reputable news sources about Warren Buffett's investments in BNSF Railway stocks.  Today, his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, cranked it up to 11 and announced plans to purchase the remaining 77.4% that it didn't already own in a deal valued at $26 billion.  Here are a few links to articles with more information:

• Berkshire Bets on U.S. With a Railroad Purchase (New York Times)
• Berkshire Hathaway to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe (MarketWatch)
• Berkshire Buys Burlington in Buffet's Biggest Deal (Bloomberg)
• Warren Buffett: Buying at the Bottom ... Again (Wall Street Journal)

While the news outlets are all pondering what this means for the company and various BNSF forums are rabidly discussing how this will affect operations, I'm left to wonder if Mr. Buffett is secretly a model railroader at heart and hiding a closet full of Thomas The Tank Engine toys.  Just like the number of licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.

A little over a year ago, I took a look at the logfiles for this site and posted a story aggregating my findings.  It's time to do it again and get an idea of how things have changed in a year.  To make the comparison easier, I will look at the logs for August 2009 here.