A journal following the history, design, construction and operation of Bernard Kempinski's O Scale model railroad depicting the U. S. Military Railroad (USMRR) Aquia-Falmouth line in 1863, and other model railroad projects.
©Bernard Kempinski All text and images, except as noted, on this blog are copyrighted by the author and may not be used without permission.
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June 30, 2019

Utah Bound - NMRA 2019 Convention



It was a busy week as I finished up some models for clients.  In a few days we head to Utah for the NMRA National Convention. For the first few days we'll play golf and visit with friends and relatives. Then on Sunday, I'll head to Michele and Brian Brendel's place.  I actually will not be at the convention much as I will helping Brian work on his N Scale Mountain Subdivision layout and host two open house tours.   I jokingly tell folks that I have three layouts, O and HO scale layouts in my basement, and an N Scale layout in Utah.  Then on Friday, Brian and I will go to the Train Show. Later on Friday, I will present a talk at the convention.

To get a head start on the layout work, I built this N scale model of the Clifton Forge coal dock.  The shell is laser cut acrylic. Most of the detail parts are laser cut 1/32nd inch laser board. I was very pleased with how fine I could cut that material and yet still be quite strong. For example, the stair railings are laser cut while the stair treads are plastic parts from Plastruct.  The crows nest is a kit bash using the top from one of Alkem Scale Models N scale light towers.  Brian's layout is set in the modern era, so the coal dock is not in service.  At one point, Chessie/CSX used it for servicing sand on diesels, but I don't think they do that any more.

  

Scene on the Jackson River on Brian's layout.

Meanwhile. Brian and his crew have been working on the layout getting it ready for the NMRA open houses. They made some good progress on the Jackson River scene near Rainbow Rocks.   Brian tells me that we will be laying track when I get to his house on Sunday. Hopefully we can get his Clifton Forge Yard track installed so we can have a place to spot the coal dock.

Earlier in the week I stopped by the Lyceum and checked on the models I built for them.  All was well. If you are in Alexandria, you might want to check them out.  When I get back from Utah, I hope to get some work done on my own layout projects.  I have a long list of tasks to complete.

Model subchaser at the Lyceum in Alexandria, VA


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