The future of model railroad is .....

....here now.

Over the past few years as I have been working and test operating my layout, dealing with shorts,  dealing with dirty track, and having to engineer reverse loops and frog power, I thought, "when are we going to drop this archaic system and go to battery power?"

Well, the answer is now.

This weekend, in a discussion with Ted Pamperin, he alerted me to the availability of the Stanton Radio Cab DCC system with battery pack. I had looked at it a few months ago, but because the NWSL's web site, the company that is offering the system, was so hard to use with broken and circular links, I could not tell if it was for sale.  Now, I confirmed that it is for sale. Today I ordered a starter bundle with a lithium-polymer (li-po) battery system.


I plan to overlay this on my Easy DCC system and use the 15V from the DCC system as a trickle charge. If the radio-battery system works as advertised, I'll convert the whole fleet to radio-battery control. At that point, my Easy DCC system would be come a bit overkill, as all I would need is a 15V DC source on the rails. But I can keep it for use on my N Scale DCC equipment.

If you need convincing about this system, check out this video.


I think that this type of system, as it comes down in price and becomes ready installed will lead to a new revolution in model railroading. If I was a DCC manufacturer, I'd be looking into this.

I also received my Christmas present today, the Model Railroader 75-Year Collection DVD. This is another move toward the future. But in this case, it looks like the future must wait. My disks were damaged during shipping and they won't install. I called Kalmbach customer service and they are sending replacements. They said they had a lot of trouble with disks 1 and 2 in the way they are packaged in the case.  I hope the replacements work.

In a triple play, I also received a review copy of The Iron Way, by William Thomas. I'll post a full review once I read it. Thanks to Ivan Lett at the Yale University Press for the copy.

Inspection Trip to NJ Model Railroads

Sewell, WV on Ted Pamperin's layout

With the quiet that accompanies winter quarters on the Aquia Line, Pvt Martin McGuirk accompanied BG Kempinski on a two day inspection trip of the railroads in New Jersey. The objective of the trip was to visit various railroads to learn the latest techniques in railroad technology and design. The culmination of the trip was an operating session on Tony's Koester's Third Sub of the Nickel Plate Railroad  where we experienced the latest in Train Order and Time Table Operation.  All in all it was a great trip. We got to see 4 great layouts and operate on one of them.

Mike's shelf fascia under St Johnsberry

Our first stop was at Mike McNamara's Northern Kingdom Layout. Although situated in southern New Jersey, Mike models the area in and around St Johnsberry, VT. For more information about his layout see his blog. His layout set in the 1980s features beautiful fall scenery complemented by the colorful diesels of five different railroads. Mike builds a shelf into his fascia with clear pine creating a very pleasing "furniture" look to his benchwork. 

St Mary's Yard

(L to r) Marty, Perry, Tony

The next stop was at Perry Squire's 1920s era Pittsburgh and Shawmut line. This gorgeous railroad is set in the 1920s and features numerous prototypically correct steam engines, structures and layout design. Perry was recovering from shoulder surgery, but he graciously allowed us to visit.

The scene at the left is St Mary's yard on Perry's layout. This is as fine a scene as you will find on any model railroad. 

Ted and Marty by Sewell

Thurmond on Ted's Layout

Third stop was Ted Pamperin's C&O New River and Alleghany Subdivision layout. Ted set his layout in winter and his mountain scenery just nailed it. His version of Sewell is the best I have seem. He also has a great representation of Thurmond that incorporates the Loup Creek branch as an active Branch. This is very hard to do, but Ted's design accomplishes it. As a bonus, Ted's layout features an upper level that models the Mann's Creek narrow gauge RR.

Tony briefs the crew at the start of the session.

Eric Hansman at one of the operator's stations

After a great dinner with Ted and Tony, Pvt McGuirk and I went to Tony's layout to get an hour long orientation and inspection.

On Sunday morning, after morning physical training (at least for me, Marty stayed in bed and watched "Hell on Wheels" on AMC), we met some of Tony's operating crew at the Andover diner for a big breakfast.

Then it was off to Tony's for an intense and enjoyable 4.5 hour long operating session.  Tony built the huge double deck design especially to allow his collection of NKP steam engines to reach speeds that are normally never seen on operating scale model railroads.  They didn't call it "High Speed Service" for nothing.

It was a toot operating the layout, literally, as the dozen or so grade crossings, meets and station required near constant use of the horns.

This is a layout of incredible scope and execution. It is amazing. We had 25 operators in Tony's basement and everybody was busy.  I always admire guys that take on such large projects and Tony is pulling it off.

That is Frankfort yard. Yes, it is about 60 feet long.

Marty proudly wearing his USMRR T Shirt

On our drive back to Virginia, we contemplated what we saw, heard and did. We had a great time. We both were re-energized to get our layouts going, confident that the layout choices we made for ourselves are just right. I look forward to a return trip to NJ in a few years to watch as these amazing layout progress.

T Shirts now in stock

 The USMRR T Shirts commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the  USMRR beanpole and cornstalk bridge are now sold out except for a few 2X. Paypal will add shipping automatically. To pay with a check please go to www.alkemscalemodels.com

USMRR T Shirt  Medium Gray with blue Ink (Special order please allow an extra two weeks for delivery) $15.00
USMRR T ShirtLarge Gray with blue Ink (In stock)  $15.00
USMRR T Shirt   Extra Large Gray with blue Ink (In stock) $15.00
USMRR T Shirt  2X Large Gray with blue Ink (In stock)$15.00

JB leading a train out of Falmouth shows the back graphic on the shirt

The smaller front logo

Machined Cannon Barrels

One thing I observed over the years of visiting layouts is that O Scale modelers tend to have machine shops with all kinds of cool mills and lathes. Smaller scale modelers tend to do without such elaborate tools. Now I know why. I also learned that buying tools can be addicting, and expensive. I also remembered my respect for master machinists. Until you try to machine stuff accurately and repeatably, you don't appreciate the jobs they can do, even with CNC assistance.

I finally got my Sherline Lathe in operation. To learn how to use the machine, I started with some O Scale cannon barrels. I previously made some barrels using wood dowels and my drill in a vise as a lathe. These did not come out well enough to make masters.

I am still learning how to use the lathe, but I did come up with two final barrels that I can use as  masters for the 3 inch rifle and the 12 pound Napoleon. See the top two barrels in the above figure. Note the separately machined trunnions. I ordered some brass bar so I can make future barrels totally out of brass. That will allow me to solder in the trunnion pieces. Parrot rifles, howizters and naval guns are next.

A couple things I learned so far.

The trickiest operation I have to do is to drill an appropriate sized hole through the side of the barrel that is both perpendicular and exactly through the center.

 I currently have a cheap Dremel Motor Tool drill press which is inadequate for this operation. I am planning on buying a Cameron Drill Press, especially if I can find a used one. They are quite expensive, but are regarded as the best miniature drills out there. Made in the USA too. They look old fashioned, but have accuracy of 0.0002" runout! That is amazing. The Albrecht Chucks are very high quality too. No more cockeyed bits in the drill press.

Speaking of bits, I am having no luck with my Drill Bit City Tungsten Carbide bits. They keep breaking in my Dremel Press. The only luck I have had with them is when I mount them in the lathe tailstock to bore out the cannon barrels.

It is so cool to bore the barrel to within one thousandth of an inch of the scale bore. It makes me realize how beefy the Napolean gun was, especially compared to the three inch rifle.

The Sherline lathe has an option of rotating the headstock to cut tapers. But for very shallow tapers, it is difficult to get repeatable and accurate results. So I ordered a compound slide. I got one on ebay for about a 20 percent discount.  I just looks cool too. We'll see how it works.

While I was at it, I ordered a set of carbide cutting bits and a new drill index with #1-60 HSS bits. Eventually I'll need a grinder to make my own form tools if I want to do more small scale machining. See, tool buying is addictive.


Here are the aluminum barrels on my laser cut chassis.

My next major acquisition is a spin caster. That will allow me to cast both the barrels and the chassis. I haven't decided if the laser cut details will be add-ons to the casting, or cast in place. I may even try sculpting and casting figures.

Railroads and the Making of Modern America

Word Cloud of Official Correspondence of William T. Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign from Railroads and the Making of America.

I received a notice that the Yale University Press has published a new book called "The Iron Way: Railroads, the Civil War and the Making of Modern America" by Professor William Thomas. I will review the book after I get a chance to read it. In the mean time, Professor Thomas has put together a companion site at The University of Nebraska called Railroads and the Making of Modern America that is worth a look.

The University of Nebraska site has a great collection of data, maps, letters, photos and articles on the role railroads played in U.S. history from the earliest inception of railroads to the post civil war development. It has several interesting animated graphics that exploit the dynamic attributes of on-line presentations compared to static print.  For example you can watch the progress of the railroad construction in Nebraska as a function of time.

Some of their conclusions are surprising, especially about the role of the railroad in South's development. For example the site has a graphic that shows southern railroads at the time of the civil war reached more of their population, as measured by having a railroad within ten miles, than the northern states.

They have an excellent topic discussion on the USMRR. They really delved into the labor arrangements for the USMRR construction Corps, which is a subject I had been wondering about too. The timeline and accompanying map found at this page is pretty neat as it logs in time and place. An excellent use of web based graphics display.

Some of the graphics do appear to be done just because they can and not for their research value. There are some animated nodal diagrams that didn't convey much new information to me in spite of their animated aspect. But many were downright fascinating. I found the  "word clouds" particularly intriguing. Check out this one depicting Official Correspondence of General Sherman during the Atlanta Campaign. It gives you an immediate view into Sherman's state of mind.

Professor Thomas' website is well worth checking out if you have any interest in early railroads in America.