TomHolley

I like the third from the top back scene. I like the cloudy sky, and the almost black and white look of the scene. The Cuban flag sets the location plainly. Regards, Tom Holley

Outstanding work! You wouldn't have a track plan to share, would you? Regards, Tom Holley

Wow! Great looking layout. I hope when I retire I can do work one-tenth as good. Regards, Tom Holley, Columbus, GA, USA

I cut my railroading teeth on old ICG GP10s on the MidSouth (ex-IC) line between Meridian and Shreveport. Now I work for NS, but I wish I still had two of those old GP10s to switch with on my paper mill job. The GP10s were solid, reliable engines, and you couldn't, and in my mind still can't, beat them on a switch engine or local. Give me 5 GP10s and 9000 tons and we'll move some freight! Thanks Seb, for a pleasant memory from my younger days. Regards, Tom Holley

Your English is fine...better than many Americans! Regards, Tom

Hello, list. What is the link or name of this railroad's Facebook page? Regards, Tom Holley

]Wow! Great looking model railroad. A high standard to meet. Regards, Tom Holley

Motorcycles not allowed in it...

This is what PTC is supposed to fix. Regards, Tom Holley

Junctionmad said, "just a point, how can you emulate a train line brake, when in reality you have no train brakes on the cars. I cant see your point, You simply cant and never will emulate a real locomotive and train using a model with the electric motor and drive train we have in current models . its simply not possible." That's exactly right. So how does the ProtoThrottle let me operate exactly like a real engineer? It doesn't. It's a throttle with a lot of bells and whistles, but it won't let "modelers can operate just like a real engineer because the controls feel and perform just like the prototype." because they don't. I don't think that's really truthful advertising. Again, that's just my take on it. That's my issue with it. Regards, Tom Holley

Hello, list. Sorry for the second post. I just received a very nice email from Scott at ProtoThrottle, in which he explained to me the thought process the designers followed in omitting the trainline brake. I understand their reasoning, and I understand they have a much better grasp of the market they are selling to. I hope the product does well; I hope at some point you can get it in the UK. It is well designed, but just doesn't do it for me. Moving on now... Happy modeling! Tom Holley

Hello, Prof. I don't model stretch braking at present, since I can't. The issue I have with the ProtoThrottle is they say, on their website: Introducing the most realistic throttle for operating model diesel locomotives – the ProtoThrottle. With the ProtoThrottle, modelers can operate just like a real engineer because the controls feel and perform just like the prototype. That's just not true. You can't operate just like a real engineer; you are missing a key component: the trainline brake stand. If you are deep enough into operations to want a prototype throttle, you'll probably want to do brake tests. It's hard to do with no brake stand...show me how to make a 20 pound reduction on the ProtoThrottle. Also, there is no amp meter. That's a fairly critical piece of equipment, too. How can I blend air and dynamic braking with the ProtoThrottle? These are things I do (or did) on a daily basis...so I am somewhat biased. In short, I can't stretch brake on my railroad now. Even after I spend a ton of money on a ProtoThrottle I still won't be able to. It's nice piece of equipment, and represents a lot of thought and work, and I respect that. I can understand its appeal, but, for me, it doesn't ring true. What we need is an an optional trainline brake valve. That would open up a whole range of possibilities... As far as the electronics side of simulating stretch braking, t would seem to me that as you made a reduction on the modeled brake valve, it would reduce throttle output by X amount, based on the tonnage and train length parameters you input. That way, you'd still be in whatever notch you were in when you made the reduction, and less current would go to the locomotives, thus slowing the train. As you notched down, power loss would increase, reflecting less power being applied against the train brake. You would eventually stop when the power being applied was not sufficient to overcome the braking force applied. I'm probably clear as mud here, I know... These are just the musings of an old engineer. Take them for what they're worth. Regards, Tom Holley

Hello, Prof. Yes, my layout is based on stretch braking. Also, when switching some engineers (myself included) use the trainline to work with. When I am spotting a cut of cushion underframe boxcars or a cut of sloshing loaded tankcars, I use trainline air, usually about 10 pounds. When the foreman tells me to stop, I shut off the throttle and stop. There is very little or no roll out of slack when using trainline air while switching. Granted, some jobs don't use it, and get by with the independent. Depends on what job you're working and where you are. It's a neat throttle, but without a trainline brake valve it just doesn't work for me. Of course, I don't have sound on my locomotives either. No speaker in HO scale can capture what I hear on a daily basis.Great if you like it, but not for me. That is the beauty of this hobby. There are no finite rules; go with what works for you. Regards, Tom Holley

As far as I can see, there is no trainline brake. The independent brake valve looks to be represented, but I don't see a trainline valve. That won't work for me...I model the pre-dynamic brake days of the old Central of Georgia, and I need a 26L or 6BLbrake valve. Regards, Tom Holley

You are correct; the dray track and a team track are the same thing. The house track serves the railroad's goods shed. Dray and team track got their names from the old days, when a team of horse would dray the goods from the railyard to the business. A dray/team track is a good open industry. Just about any car type can be spotted there, and sometimes you have to shuffle them about to pull a car that's empty and then put the loads back. it's a neat industry with no structure required; just a dirt or paved parking lot.