Wendell1976

Here's a new picture of a Norfolk Southern Railway train in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. The train is moving down Main Street. West Brownsville is a suburb of Pittsburgh.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/842808/

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

5 hours ago, roundhouse said:

And the top of the hotel that we tend to use (when its affordable) when in Downtown LA. The new underground section of the Metro has now opened since our visit last Christmas.

LA Metro had just opened a new subway tunnel in Downtown Los Angeles called the Regional Connector this last June. LA Metro had consolidated the Metro A, E, and L Lines with the Regional Connector tunnel. Metro A Line runs between the port city of Long Beach to Azusa. Metro E Line runs between the beachfront city of Santa Monica to East Los Angeles. The Metro L Line no longer exists. As a result of this consolidation, the Metro A Line route is now the longest light rail route in the world.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Connector

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Line_(Los_Angeles_Metro)

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

Here's a pair of beautiful pictures of a Royal Gorge Route Railroad excursion train near Canon City, Colorado. The train is running in its namesake gorge alongside the Arkansas River in both pictures. Canon City is about 40 miles(64 kilometers) west-northwest of Pueblo and about 120 road-miles(192 road-kilometers) south of Denver.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/782050/

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/803874/

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

Here's a picture of the DC Streetcar in Washington, DC. The streetcar is running down H Street Northeast(an alphabet street) at the intersection of Third Street Northeast. The DC Streetcar is owned by the District of Columbia Department of Transportation(DDOT) and is not part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority(WMATA).

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/568836/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Streetcar

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

Here's a new picture of a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority(LA Metro) light rail train in Downtown Los Angeles. The train is crossing over the Hollywood Freeway(U.S. Route 101, US-101, or "The 101") during the morning rush hour commute. The iconic Los Angeles City Hall building is in the background(white).

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/838718/

Wendell

Idaho, USA 

Here's a new picture of a CSX Transportation train in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. The train is lead by a Union Pacific Railroad locomotive and is traversing South First Avenue. Elizabeth is a suburb of Pittsburgh.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/839509/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

22 hours ago, pH said:

Bootlegger Canyon, the arches in it (there is at least one other in addition to Corona Arch) and the surrounding landscape are stunning.

The last time I was in the Moab area was in 2012 when I drove on U.S. Route 191(US-191) as a professional truck driver. Eastern Utah is one of my favorite places here in the United States. I really love the kaleidoscope of reds on those rocks and arches.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a couple of newer pictures of a Union Pacific Railroad train near Moab, Utah. The train is running through Bootlegger Canyon on the Cane Creek Branch. The Corona Arch is visible in both pictures. Moab is 235 road-miles(376 road-kilometers) southeast of Salt Lake City.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/831336/

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/831270/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

On 10/07/2023 at 08:50, nsl714 said:

 

The interurban network in the US is another topic well worth studying. They varied in substance from overgrown streetcars to heavily engineered electric railroads. Most sprung up between the 1890's and 1910's, and were long gone by the 1930's, though a few (such as the Pacific Electric above) hung around into the postwar era. A particular favorite study of mine is the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railway (North Shore Line for short). That railroad had about everything: fast multiple unit electric passenger trains, heavy freight operations, local streetcars, even a pair of streamlined electric trains. Trains would operate from downtown Chicago over the 'L', sprint north to Milwaukee, and operate over a few miles of street trackage to reach downtown. Here's another archive video (with street running smattered in to keep it topical!)

 

 

Nice video clip of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. Much of the former North Shore Line route is now the Green Bay Trail. Metra's Union Pacific North Line runs between Downtown Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin today for commuter train service. I have ridden on this Metra line many times when I was in active duty with the United States Navy at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_North_Shore_and_Milwaukee_Railroad

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pacific_North_Line

Wendell

Idaho, USA

On 04/07/2023 at 02:38, melmerby said:

In many places the US doesn't seem to have quite got the gist of "Trams" as Europeans would call them.

They seem to be an odd  mixture of heavy rail and tram practices. With tram-like vehicles and train like trackwork.

 

The LA Metro "A Line" video is a good example.

Where we would concrete the track into the road, in many places it looks like sleepered (tie) track covered over.

It's also curbed off from the street.

 

The other thing I would comment on about the A Line was too many intersections, with traffic lights every few yards.

It hardly allows the tram to get any speed up. (I notice the traffic lights say "Train")

Most of the route for the Metro A Line(formerly Blue Line) between Downtown Los Angeles and suburban Long Beach, California is on a former Pacific Electric line. However, the street running trackage in the City of Los Angeles(on Washington Boulevard and Flower Street) is a newer route. The trains on this route have traffic signal priority.

On 07/07/2023 at 14:10, nsl714 said:

 

To be fair, the US used to have a quite sprawling network of streetcars (the American equivalent of a tram). The construction was as you would expect, rails laid and paved over in the street where the cars could commingle with other traffic. Most cities gave them up between the 1930's and 1950's and replaced them with buses, as the systems aged out and reached the economic point where they either needed rebuilding or replacement.

 

An interesting comparison to the LA Metro videos is this one from the last days of the Pacific Electric "Red Cars" in the LA area. The route followed to Long Beach is much the same as the "A Line" today. As on the Metro, a portion of the route at either end plies the streets of the cities.

 

 

Nice video clip of the Pacific Electric Railway from Downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach via my hometown of Compton, California.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

In the August 2020 issue of Model Railroader magazine, Lance Mindheim created an article about learning the basic skills in building a layout by using a single piece of lumber. Mindheim created a one-turnout layout called the Practice Plank RR in HO scale. The layout measures only 72 inches(182.88 centimeters) in length and 8 inches(20.32 centimeters) in width. The area of the Practice Plank RR is only 4 square feet/576 square inches(3,716.1216 square centimeters) and it is a true, micro layout by the late Carl Arendt standards. 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a new picture of a New Jersey Transit light rail train in Jersey City, New Jersey. The train is running down Essex Street. Jersey City is a large suburb of New York City.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/832751/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

I had just saw this today. Here is the new locomotive paint scheme that the CPKC Railway is going to bring out very soon:

https://www.railwayage.com/mechanical/locomotives/first-look-cpkcs-new-livery-design/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

In the June 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine, Ken Hutnik built a detailed HO scale narrow gauge layout that is 10 inches(25.4 centimeters) long and 8 inches(20.32 centimeters) wide. You read that last sentence correctly. The layout is only 80 square inches(516.128 square centimeters) in area which is LESS THAN ONE SQUARE FOOT(929.0304 square centimeters)! Hutnik built a farm market scene with a rail truck going around a loop of track. This is proof that everyone has room to build a layout including urbanites(e.g.- Angelenos, New Yorkers, Torontonians, Londoners).

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Ray, I had read your article in the May 2023 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. You are doing an awesome job with your layout. Keep up the good work!

Wendell

Idaho, USA

27 minutes ago, Type 2 said:

I like option 1 best, almost a throwback to the multi-mark CP livery

 

In fact I think the multi-mark logo with the KCS livery elements would look good!

The Option 1 design is okay, except for the black coloring, in my opinion. Having a lot of black paint on the locomotive looks too much like a Canadian National locomotive.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

This article is from four days ago. CPKC employees will be selecting a new locomotive livery via a survey. I like Option 2 the best, but Option 3 is okay.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/cpkc-employees-will-select-railways-new-locomotive-livery/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here is some more information about the N scale Salt Lake Route layout that was featured in the Model Railroader magazine using Kato Unitrack:

https://www.trains.com/mrr/beginners/free-downloads/the-salt-lake-route/

Here is some information about the HO scale Black River Junction layout that the Model Railroader staff had built using Kato Unitrack:

https://www.greatesthobby.com/get-started/bbrj-part-1

https://www.greatesthobby.com/get-started/bbrj-part-2

https://www.greatesthobby.com/get-started/bbrj-part-3

https://www.greatesthobby.com/get-started/bbrj-part-4

All of this information is for everyone.

By the way, Nathan, you have a nice layout. Keep up the good work!

Wendell

Idaho, USA

On 13/05/2023 at 18:23, nathan70000 said:

My layout is a roundy-roundy, using Kato Unitrack which I discovered whilst dabbling in N Gauge. Some may sneer at sectional track but I am not good at wiring so Kato's plug 'n' play approach is a godsend! It works 100% reliably with DCC and I very rarely have derailments.

 

Nathan, there is nothing wrong with using sectional track on your layout. You had selected the best brand of sectional track! I love Kato Unitrack because it is reliable and looks like real track. I have Kato Unitrack in N and HO scale. Many modelers use Kato Unitrack exclusively on their layouts. Here is a video on why this model railroader uses Kato Unitrack on his large N scale layout:

Here is a N scale track plan of the Salt Lake Route layout that was in the Model Railroader magazine:

https://www.trains.com/mrr/how-to/track-plan-database/the-salt-lake-route/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a present-day cab video of LA Metro's(Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Metro A Line(formerly Blue Line) route between suburban Long Beach, California and Downtown Los Angeles. Before the 14-minute mark, the light rail train will depart the Downtown Long Beach station at First Street and run down Pacific Avenue, Eighth Street, and Long Beach Boulevard within the City of Long Beach. From the 45-minute mark to the 58-minute mark, the train will traverse Washington Boulevard and Flower Street within the City of Los Angeles.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a video of San Diego Trolley's Orange Line route between Downtown San Diego and suburban El Cajon, California. Between the 6-minute mark and the 12-minute mark, the light rail train is running down Commercial Street in San Diego.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a short 2013 video of a LA Metro light rail train in Los Angeles. The Metro Blue Line(now Metro A Line) train is running down Washington Boulevard between the San Pedro Street station and the Grand Avenue station.

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a beautiful picture of a Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad excursion train near Durango, Colorado. The train is traveling on the High Line alongside the Animas River. This picture would make a nice scene on a N scale or Z scale model railroad layout! Durango is in the Four Corners area(where the States of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico form four perpendicular right angles) and is 334 road-miles(534.4 road-kilometers) southwest of Denver.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/805369/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a new picture of a CPKC Railway train in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. The train is rounding Morant's Curve within Banff National Park. Lake Louise is about 110 miles(176 kilometers) west of Calgary via Trans-Canada Highway 1(TCH-1).

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/831463/

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Here's a picture of a Union Pacific Railroad train in Houston, Texas. This executive train is led by a Big Boy steam locomotive. The downtown skyline is in the background.

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/779827/

Wendell

Idaho, USA