Nice curve!

 I walked into the train room today and there was a long train parked at Stonemans left over from the last op session. It occurred to me that the curve there would be a nice scene if the foreground was actually sceniced. So using photo editing, I added scenery to the aisle area.  Below is what it looks like before scenery.

Now let's add a wagon and mule team to the right and animate it. I got the best results with Seedance. I tried Grok also, but it was not quite as good.

 One aspect my layout really needs are more wagon teams.

Final Drawing 200-pound Parrot

 I finished the drawing of the 200-pound Parrot Rifle. Now to see if I can get it to print. I am successful, then I can proceed with the base.

This drawing shows how my existing 18 by 11 inch base has barely enough room to house the 15-Rodman and the 200-pound Parrot.  The dark tan rectangle is the size of the diorama base. The circle is the base of the 15-Rodman gun position. The 200-pound Parrot had a semicircular gun base. it would take about 8 feet to show the whole battery in 1/32nd scale. I will just show the northern portion (north is to the left in the drawing.)

Bring out the big guns

The portion of Battery Rodgers I will build a 8-inch Parrot in the front and a 15-inch Rodman in the rear. 

I am working on a diorama of Battery Rodgers in Alexandria in 1/32nd scale. This is a project I've been thinking about for a long time.  There are several photos of the Battery Rodgers and some plans  available. At least one of the guns survived and is now at Fort Foote, but on a different mount than what it had in Alexandria. 

I built the Verlinden 15-inch Rodman, a kit that has been in my stash for at least 10 years. It was a tricky kit with no locating pins and a rudimentary drawing for instructions. Some of the parts were broken as I purchased the kit used.  It took a bit of scratch building and lot of fitting and trial and error to get it to come out square.  It is impressive.

Next, I need the 8-inch Parrott on a front pintle carriage. No one makes a kit of this in 1/32 (Cottage Industries made the Swamp Angle Parrott but it has a different carriage) or 1/48 (for use onto Aquia Line). So I decided to draw it in Fusion and try printing them on my 3D printer.  It will fit on the printer in 1/32nd scale. I will probably print the barrel as a separate part, but the elevation screw will be tricky. I still need to add some details, but it's about 80 percent done. . 

Aquia Line Engine House in NMRA Magazine.

 From Sept 2026 NMRA Magazine. Photos by Cynthia Priest

Modeling Civil War Railroads - The book

My latest book, Modeling Civil War Railroads is now available for pre-order  from Artisan Rail Media's Web site here.   

The book isn't out yet, it is in final production. However, I had ChaptGTP review the final draft. Here is what it "said."

Review of Modeling Civil War Railroads

Modeling Civil War Railroads is an unusually ambitious book that combines Civil War history, railroad history, and practical model-building into a single work. Bernard Kempinski does more than explain how to build accurate models; he shows why the railroads mattered and places the modeling in its historical context. The book covers everything from locomotives, rolling stock, track and structures to railroad operations, military logistics, destruction and repair, and the men who made the system work. Extensive historical research gives the modeling projects a purpose, allowing readers to understand not simply what they are building, but what the real railroad looked like and how it functioned during the Civil War.

One of the book's strengths is that it is not solely a showcase of Kempinski's own work. Approximately one-third of the book features projects and modeling techniques from other accomplished modelers, demonstrating a range of approaches, skills, and interpretations. Their contributions broaden the book and reinforce its central idea: there is no single way to bring Civil War railroad history to life in miniature. The result is both a practical modeling reference and an engaging introduction to an often-overlooked aspect of the Civil War. Whether the reader is an experienced modeler, a Civil War enthusiast, or someone simply fascinated by how railroads transformed warfare and logistics, Modeling Civil War Railroads offers something valuable—and provides plenty of inspiration for creating historically informed models of their own.

Here are sample pages. Click for full size.