Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

GT Locomotive Lineup

Steam at BFNE '16

GT Locomotive Lineup

NELTC at BFNE '16

MEC 401 Was a solid performer. Looking forward to seeing it run with twin 400.

Steam at BFNE '16

The little engine that could. Powered by a single M-motor at 3:1 gear ratio, this thing could haul anything I threw at it except Train 17 up the corner grade.

Steam at BFNE '16

GT 3406 and CN 5288 side by side. Despite two very different classes and wheel arrangements they share a remarkably similar appearance.

Two weeks to Brickfair

3406 is still on the workbench. Should be good to go in time. Runs nice on the test track.

Brickfair NE D-24

While it's starting to look quite nice, it has some disappointing structural flaws. The cab sags and this is probably my explodiest design to date, even after I spent the morning rebuilding the boiler. It will probably need a complete redesign of the boiler after the Bartlett show in June. Also 24 days to show, this isn't finished, 3406 (my primary freight) is half-built, and I still have some layout modules to attend to. For those just tuning in: Canadian National #5288, J-7-b class pacific. Frequently ran cross-border trains on the CV and GT-NE. Now lives at the Tenessee Valley RR Museum.

GT N-4-a

85% Complete Borrows heavily from my E-7-a design since the real thing did as well. Oh, and I love consolidations.

CN 5288 WIP

It's getting there. Still plenty more to be done including wiring up the headlight and firebox.

CN 5288 WIP

After some debate over whether or not to do a MEC Pacific, I've decided to stay the course with CN 5288. She'll replace the CV #601 model at the head of the Ambassador and GT Train 16/17. Still some work to do around the pilot truck and tender. Q: Vinnie, it looks like you took your S-1-f model and slapped it on a Pacific chassis. Surely you're not that unoriginal? A: I think Montreal Locomotive Works had the same idea over a century ago. In fact, the first time I saw a photo of a J-7-b double heading with an S-1-f, I thought it was two Mikados. There's some minor differences, but the two designs seem to share a lot of common features.

Grand Trunk 713 (WIP)

So I'm back to building after a 2-month hiatus. Built in 1900, and assigned to Island Pond, VT, this little mogul worked the GT NE line until 1954 when it was selected to haul the Canadian National museum train across Canada. From the mid 40s until 1954, it was the primary power on the 7.5 mile long Lewiston Branch mixed train. It is preserved at Exporail outside of Montreal. The design is about 75% complete. The chassis is undergoing testing and the results are very promising.

Glory Days 2015: D-3

Finished the last of my MILS modules this morning. A few of the decorative modules will just have to be green baseplates propped up to MILS height. Ran out of time, technic bricks, and well, green plates. You can see one of the modules finished this morning in this pic. Now what's the big deal with this locomotive? Surely this picture looks exactly like this one, right. That in itself is the accomplishment! Because in between the two photos, CV 455 looked more like this. So now she's back the way she was built...more or less. I've added some 1/8" white automotive pinstriping to the sides to get the white running board edges common to the Canadian National and subsidiary locomotives. More decal and detail work tomorrow.

The last of her kind

Had a short amount of time before I caught a flight, so I did what any rational person would do. Goto the Shelburne Museum and get a selfie in front of the sole surviving Central Vermont steam locomotive, #220. I had never seen her before, but there's a dedicated crew doing a nice job keeping her varnish ready.

M-3-a Haul Test

6xAAA NiMH Rayovac cheapos fully charged. I wanted to forgo some of the additional weight I had planned to hide in the cab in order to include cab details. However, I was worried that I wouldn't have the traction to pull a B&L mixed train. I decided to test that out. Looks like it will pull 3 freight and a passenger car with pretty decent speed. Not sure how long the battery will last, but for purposes of my layout it should be fine. Sadly my AAR1937 and postwar boxcars are anachronistic for the B&L so I'm considering scrapping or selling them. The truss rod coach will also get scrapped to build the truss rod combine.