Swapping sides - Working on my HO scale 3025

Well this weekend would have been spent up at the Big "E" fair grounds exploring the four buildings packed full with all things trains and model railroading. But like with most thing during this pandemic its was shelved for another time. It was not all for loss though as there was over 12+ hours of live stream presentations, clinics, and product announcements at the Virtual Amherst Railroad Hobby Show. 

It was the perfect thing to put on in the background as I spent most of the weekend working on model trains things. I spent most of Saturday 3D modeling parts for my HO scale Walt Disney World Engines, which you can see the results of on my Facebook group.  But the biggest find of the weekend was part of my HO scale 3025 model!!!

I'm a bit ashamed to admit this but it was ever since the move to the new house I have not fully unpacked all of my model train things. While looking for items for the WDWRR project i found a small green box that happened to have about 80% of my 3025 models.  It gave me such a rush to find these items that I put the Disney trains aside and took out the parts of  to see what I had and what the next steps were.

Now the Bachmann SY models are very accurate to the real life locomotives which is a blessing as it means many if not all of the major details were included in the base model. Accurate as the model is there is one major issue when it comes to converting the model into 3025.  

The SY locomotives were created by the Tangshan Locomotive works in Tangshan, China. Chinese railways are "left-hand" drive, meaning that the engineer sits on the left of the cab and the fireman on the right. This is opposite of what is common practice here in the USA. This means that components of the engine that drive the locomotive, like the reverser, are alongside the left side of the boiler. The Bachmann model depicts this perfectly. So what my issue? 3025 and its predecessor 1647 were modified to be "right-hand" drive!!!!!!

So what does this mean for my model? I have to carefully cut off and remove many of the modeled in and separately applied details and reattach them to the opposite side of the model. A simple task on paper but increasingly harder in practice. 

In the following pictures you can see my 3025 boiler compared to a stock Bachmann SY to show what I removed.

Nothing terrible yet until you examine the parts I cut off. Lets take the reverser for example. (please forgive me if this is not the actual name of the part)  the way the model is designed it is hollow on the back side that would normally face the engine. Meaning I can simply spin the part 360 degrees and re-glue it as I had hoped to do. So now I have a part that is not longer usable and now replacement to fit on the other side. What to do? Well take measurements of the existing part and start to 3D model my own part. It was during this time I took the liberty to "upgrade" the part as well. The Bachmann version used basic shapes and mine was a little more.....rivet counter level........

 No telling if this will print the way I want but that's a story for another time.

My next item to relocate what the air pumps. ( Again please don't be too critical if i got he names wrong) This would fit into a gap in the running board on the right or East side of the boiler. In order to move the pumps to the West side a new gap would need to be cut out. This was the job for the hand held razer saw. 

Carefully I made my cuts for the new gap as well as cutting out the existing running board strip. 

My plan was to use the off-cuts on the opposite sides to fill gaps, basically swapping sides. and after some filling and a bit of 0.04 styrene sheets the new running board was super glued together.

And here is where I stopped for the night. Not the most things done off the list but a good start on some of the trickiest parts. I have learned that Model Railroad projects take time and should not be rushed. It one of the main reasons why I'm redoing my WDWRR models. Slow and steady will win the race on this one and I hope that it ends up being well worth it in the end. This is one of the first times in the new house I have sat down and worked on a model in a proper workshop and it felt amazing. Hopefully during this pandemic and the winter months I can get more work done on the trains. But only time will tell, but for now I need to prepare for the expected 16" of snow we are getting tonight. 

I hope you enjoy reading this update and I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, 

Old Friends get a well deserved makeover - Creating HO Scale DOWT Dummies

After the completion and release of my 0901 shell. I was lucky to be able to sell a few of them as well. I used to sell a few odds and ends on Ebay, so I had some shipping supplies pack away. As I was digging through boxes I came across these little guys.

These guys are the remains of a Bachmann HO scale Thomas and Percy. They are missing parts and more importantly their faces. Scary as these might be they are actually some old friends. Cast your mind back a few months to when I restarted this blog I made a series of posts about how I had to stop regularly going to visit my old model railroad club at Masonicare.

These engines where the first Thomas and Percy we got for the club layout.  They ran for a number of years for who knows how many miles. They took a few bumps,  falls and  lots of confusion and delay. Eventually there motors failed and they were taken off the layout. They were the most popular engines on the layout by far and the train guys deemed it necessary to replace the engines.

As they were destined for the scrap yards I elected to take them home instead.  I removed the motors and greased the wheels in order to help make then free rolling. Back then I didn't know what exactly I would do with them. But I knew that they would be become very useful again one day.

And today is that day!!

First a bit of backstory for you all. For many years Thomas has come to visit us here in CT; helping to pull heavy trains on the Valley.  I can remember my Nana and Papa bringing me there for a Day out with Thomas. Originally there it was the live steam Thomas that travels around the US for these events. However in recent years the "dummy" non-powered versions of Thomas has been visiting the Valley. There is a bit of debate about which is better, but personally I prefer the new "dummies" because it is more accurate to the TV series models. In addition, since 2015, Thomas has brought his friend Percy to visit us here as well.

As you may already know from my previous post I have been working on creating models of unique engines and rolling stock; mainly the ones found on the Valley. But what does this have to do with those old models you may ask?  Well I decided I would try to make HO scale replicas of the Day out with Thomas (DOWT) "Dummies" that come to the Valley each year.

One would say this is not needed as Bachmann make fully working models of the engines, but they are not correct to the Dummies, nor their TV show versions ether.  First lets look at Thomas; the factory bachmann model has the overall shape correct but there are things like the cab windows, the face and overall height that are incorrect for the dummies.  If you look at this photo:

 You can see the Thomas Dummy coupled to 3025. Notice that Thomas is significantly shorter, this is due to the dummys wheels. The overall body shape is correct but the wheels are a bit small making the dummy shorter than a one of the Valley's coach cars. Compare that to this photo of the Bachmann Thomas next to a Athern heavyweight car.

Both Thomas and Percy are the same height or taller than the coach car.  This is an issue I will have creating these models. Because I want to use as much as the factory parts possible, mainly the wheel sets. 

So I decided that I will try to fix these two issues at once using 3D printed parts. I started by creating a slightly shorter shell for Thomas, correcting the window issues found in the factory model.
I also starting to think ahead for "super details opportunities". Like creating a hole in the bottom of the smoke box to install a smoke machine as well as room for possible future DCC sound, while still leaving room to have the cab be open and not blocked off by black plastic like the factory model has.

Its just a start, but I thought it would be a fun project to revive some old models from the past and give them a new working life.

"The Gon" is shaping up - Progress on L&NE 728

Its been a bit since my last update.  There was some delay in modeling time and a brief break from the computer, spending all week on a cpu for work can be a bit draining and I took a few weeks to work on a quick side project for Chris's Valley Line layout.

But I am back working on the Gon. Which is actually complete for now!!!!

Well what I am calling Version 1 is complete anyways.

Version 1 (V1) is going to be modeled as if the car was still in service on the L&NE as a low side gondola and/or part of the L&NE's wreak train. In fact I was able to find out recently, with a bit of digging and a some help from another online group, that the Gon down at the Valley was used as a crane boom car with in the L&NE wreak train. Here is a picture of it at work.

L&NE/VRR 728 Gon on the right. Photo from the book "Lehigh and New England" by Ed Crist.

 But why make this Version one? If the Valley has the same type of car shouldn't this be called complete?

Well, yes the car is still at the Valley and yes, its still on display painted for the L&NE. BUT before it was "stuffed and mounted" into the display freight train. It was the VRR first open car and there were a bit of modifications done to aid allowing guests to ride in the car.

There was a chunk of the north end cut out of the car to allow a folding trap door to be placed over the couplers allowing staff and passengers to walk onto the Gon. This trap door is still present today seen here:

Photo by Tim Darrnel

The car had bench seating similar to the VRR "Riverview" does today and a metal handrail extended around the top of the car to provide a bit more safety. Here photo of the is a Gon during a Railfan trip back in 1986:

Here is L&NE 728 mixed in with some of the RMNE Stock on the Valley.
Photo by Carl Weber

So as you can see there are some more items that need to be added in order to make this match the Gon during its revenue service era. But not to worry I have already started to make some progress on that. Here is a snip of what it looks like right now:

And this is where I will leave it today but until next time see ya real soon!!

VRR 0901- Building an HO scale Spaceship!!

So I have a confession to make......I cant find my HO scale 3025 right now.........It is lost in a box that I haven't unpacked yet or its back at my parents home......


BUT NEVER FEAR!!!!!  I have another project to work on while I try to locate that box. I have mentioned before that I am partial to steam engines when it comes to models and real life trains. However I do have a soft spot for a few diesels, especially those that I have worked with and on. 

Down at the Valley they have a small collection of General Electric 80 Ton Locomotives, including the star of this project and as far as we know prototype to the class, Engine 0901.

While it has the same overall size and power it definitely dose not share the same shape as her younger sisters. 

0901 on the right

She has a shorter and squared off hood design and makes different noises as she rumbles down the track. One engineer compared it to a spaceship as it chugged up and down the line. But spaceship or not she is a Valley Engine and make it a contender for HO scale modeling in my book. There is only one little,  tiny, itty-bitty problem about that........no company ( to my knowledge) has made an HO scale 80 Tonner......

What to do, what to do.....well I did what most would due in this day and age, I googled it!! and actually found a article someone wrote about modeling a U.S. ARMY 80 ton GE locomotive. If I find the link to the article ( may have been taken down) I will post it at the end of this post. But the main point is that they used a Bachmann 70 tonner body and motor as a base. I measured 0901's length in real life and scaled it down to HO scale and they are right only off by about 2 inches or so. Close enough in my books!!

So I have wheels and a motor but I am going to need to create the body somehow.. I can try building it out of plastic card or something similar but I want there to be some details. If only there was some why i could draw it in my cpu and print it out in 3D?!?!??

Oh wait!!! I think I have just such an printer I got for Christmas. So using some nice photos I found on Lee's Facbook Page. (If you like the VRR you should really check this out!!) and measurements off the actual 0901 I started.

The start of my Madness: 2 CPUs, calculator, engineering paper,
pencils, and the HO scale 70 Tonner.

Boo, our new little kitty, decided he was going to help me as well....
By getting in my way.

And after a few hours of work here is what I have so far: 

Not much but its a start.  Now enough talk and back to modeling. But until then; See ya real Soon!!!

Twas the night before Train Show....

Here we are on the eve of the annual Amherst Model Railroad Show. Every year around this time this group sets up one of if not the largest model train shows in New England. Located at the Eastern States Exposition, or "The Big E" as its nicknamed, this show fulls 4 giant exposition halls crammed pack with Model train Vendors , manufacturers, layouts, trains and much more. These weekend event is pack every year and somehow keeps growing every year. 

They provide a list of vendors as well as a map showing all of there location on their website. Normally I print them both out and take different color highlighters to mark which stalls I want to visit and even try to categorize them.  Here is a picture of this years map and my work.

My 11 x 17 Printed Map

The 2020 8 page list of Vendors

This year Blue indicates a Manufacturers booth, Green a Railroad Historical Society, Orange a layout, yellow a tourist railroad, and pink a store or vendor that I have visited in the past that had great deals. As you can see there is a lot to see in only a day.

This year I'm not looking for any model in-particular, but rather information and connections.  There is another project that I have been working on with some other members of the FVRR to find the history of the VRR rolling stock and engines. I will go into more details about that a little later but I saw this show to be a wonderful opportunity to reach out the other organizations or get contact information/leads to were i might be bale to find specific information.

But just because I'm focusing on that doesn't me I wont keep my eye out for things. The HO scale Valley Railroad and WDWRR projects can always use a few more parts here or there. Thats one of the fun parts about this show; you never know what you might find....  Ill be sure to take lots of pictures and report back here if I find anything. Till then; see ya real soon!!

Modeling inspiration can come from anywhere,.....even work!!!!

My plans to build an HO Scale 3025 have been set on hold for a bit. Mainly because I'm not sure where my it is!!!!

Recently I have moved into my first house with my beautiful fiancée and as we are still setting in to our new home model trains have taken a back burner....kinda. While most of my modeling projects and equipment are still in sealed boxes that doesn't mean I cant use my computer for 3D modeling.

A few years ago I started my own Shapeways store online and have been uploading some of my 3D models I made for fun or for my own projects for others to look at and buy. I was even asked by someone on there to redesign some cylinders for his HO scale 4-6-0 Steam engine. If anyone would like to take a look at my store please follow this link: Artist794's Workshop Shapeway Store

So what do I mean by inspiration comes from work? As I mentioned before I am a volunteer at the Essex Steam Train. What I haven't mentioned is that I also help out as part of their operation department and the track crew. My current job with the track crew is repainting the Valley's line-side items (Mile Markers, Whistle posts, etc.) I have been working my way up the line in my spare time focusing on the mile markers from the main hub Essex to the end of the line. Here is a example of a before and after:

So after painting my fifth mile post my mind started to think.....I can make scale models of this.

and that exactly I did. It took me an afternoon and some screaming as my cpu died as was saving the final model but here they are!!

I made them into a HO scale set of 10 for the store but I can print them one by one if need be. I don't have a layout to use them on but it was still fun to make. Hopefully someone will find these on my store and use them on their layout. They can easily be scale up to O and down to N scale if anyone requested them. This isn't the only model like this I plan on making so stay tuned to the blog and check the store for update in the future soon, but until then; See ya real soon!!

History of 3025 - "The Locomotive That Would Not Die" Part 4 - The Finale

Part-4 Reborn from FIRE

On October 11th and 12th of 2008 all motive power, rolling stock, and everything else once owned by the Knox and Kane Railroad were put up for auction. The railroads land was bought by the Kovalchick Corporation who removed all of the track and rails-to-trails path was built, Engine number 38 was purchased by the Everett Railroad of Holidayburg, PA, and the remaining rolling stock was bought up by other railroad operation. But what happened to Engine number 58? The last time we talked about it it was a burnt pile of metal and rust.

As the title of this story has implied this was not the end of the line for the poor old engine. Knox and Kane Engine 58 was bought by non other than the Valley Railroad Company. Under the guidance of then Chief Mechanical officer J. David Conrad, who was the one that started the process to build the original first USA SY locomotive, the Valley shop crew worked tirelessly thought the cold winter to ready thr engine for transport to her new home in Essex, CT.

EX KKRR 58 undergoing restoration in Valley Shops

Once in her new home the newly renamed Locomotive 3025, in remembrance of the New Haven Railroad's steam engines,  we rebuilt and restored over the course of 2-1/2 years. This is the parts where the Friends of the Valley come in. Like many things in at the railroad when there is work to get done the friends are there to lend a helping hand. The Friends worked together with the full time shop crews to bring this beautiful engine back to life. I wasn't apart of the Friends of this time but looking back I do remember seeing the progress during my many visits as a guest with Nana and Papa.

Dave Conrad supervising the reassembly of 3025's tires

Finally in November of 2011, after all the hard work and effort, Valley Railroad Engine 3025 rolled out of the shops under her own power. Ever since that day she has been a staple of the Valley's fleet and is an amazing engine to see in real life. 

3025 heading South over Essex Street, Deep River, CT

When I first started with the Friends I learned the history of the 3025 and being able to help keep her running has been like a boyhood dream.  This is why I think I choose to create a model of 3025. To me it was really the first engine that I got to say I helped work and one could say it was my "one little spark" of inspiration for me to get serious in model making. Now I have skipped a few details in this story and I encourage you to do some research on your own to fill in some of the gaps. Thats part of the fun in this hobby. Trying to find that one little article or story that might lead you to one more little piece and soon you will have the whole history.  I hope this little bit gives you a taste of the many reasons why I want to make a miniature of this engine; in addition there is nothing like seeing the real thing. I invite you to come down to the Valley and see 3025 in person. We are heading into one of the most magical times at the Valley where you will get to see all 3 of the Valley's Steamers in action during the North Pole Express.  I hope you have enjoyed reading this and until next time: Hope to see you on the Valley.

History of 3025 - "The Locomotive That Would Not Die" Part 3

Part-3 Troubled times in PA, High winds and Fires

In my last post we talked about the Valley's original SY engine  No. 1647M and its sister 1658M. After both being unloaded in New Jersey the twin sister parted ways. If you remember 1658M was headed for the Knox and Kane Railroad in Pennsylvania. The KKRR was a tourist line with over 90 miles long and located in northwestern Pennsylvania; operating between the towns of Knox and Kane with a later expansion to Mount Jewett. Originally  owned by the B&O and the Eire Railroads this tourist line traveled through the Allegheny forests and over the beautiful Kinzua Viaduct.

The Railroad has a few engines on its roster, a few diesels, but the main star was No. 38; a Ex-Huntington & Broad Top 2-8-0 consolidation. From opening day in 1987 No. 38 was the star of the show and would head the all day excursion train from Mount Jewett over the viaduct and back. Around the late 1980's the railroads owner, Sloan Cornell, wanted to find another steam engine to help out No.38 with the excursion duties. He made the decision to buy a brand new locomotive from China.

No. 38 EX-H&BT 2-8-0

                                       (Now where have I heard this before...hmmmm)

So in 1990 just like her sister 1647M, the new Knox and Kane Railroad No.1658 arrived on the railroad. This was the start of the KKRR's glory days. From this moment till 2002 the railroad was flooded with tourists wanting to ride behind the two steam engines, marvel over the brand new Chinese engine, and especially in the fall foliage, enjoy the ride over the famous Kinzua bridge. However the glory days would not last forever.

No. 1658M SY 2-8-2

No. 1658M rolling over the Kinzu Viaduct

Near the end of 2002, state inspectors became concerns about the structural integrity of the the bridges supports. Closing the bridge to both railroad foot traffic for inspection and in 2003 a restoration plan was put into effect; but the bridge was running out of time. In July of that year a F1 tornado hit and destroyed the center span of the bridge.

Kinzu Bridge After the F1 Tornado

The railroad tried to survive from then by still running trains up to the bridge but without the attraction of having the train run over it; the journey wasn't the same. With less visitors and profits falling in 2006 the railroad had to officially shut its doors. The engines where but into storage at the engine house and awaited their fates.The final blow to the railroad happen in March of 2008. The engine house that was storing the locomotives was set on fire by arsonists. The fire damaged or destroyed the engines, including the new engine No. 1658M, and a majority of the coaches causing over one million dollars worth of damage. This event forced the railroad to have a total liquidation sale of all of their assets, land, buildings , engines, rolling stock, new and damaged goods, everything. The Knox and Kane was officially gone. Rails ripped up and properties gone, however among all of this negativity, there was a little spark of hope for one of their engines.....

No.1658M and whats left of the engine sheds

For more history and to see where I learned some of this information check out this video by Mike Adams about the KKRR:  Video
BUT MAKE SURE TO STOP AT 19:51 IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE NEXT POST!!

But till then, see ya real soon!

History of 3025 - "The Locomotive That Would Not Die" Part 2

Part 2 - Sisters

Before I go any further with 3025's journey to the valley I need to mention a very critical element to this story. 3025 had a sister that lived on the valley before her.

Also before I start today's post. I have to give credit to where I learned about this information. In late 2017 there was an amazing book titled, "Along the Valley Line. The history of the Connecticut Valley Railroad" written by local historian Max Miller. It is an absolutely amazing book and is worth the read for anyone who is a fan of railroading. You would never believe how much could happen along our little hometown line and this post contains information from only one small section of the book. There is just too much good information. if you would like to get a copy of the book you can find it at the link below or see if Max will be having any events/talk about the book soon where he can sign your book as well. So a big Thank you to Max for the wonderful information that helped me in this project!!    Find the book here > Link:

Anyways back to our story. Turn the clock back to 1985 the Valley was looking to obtain a new steam engine to add to the roster. It took 4 years but with the help of at the time board member Bob Bell and chief mechanical officer J. David Conrad; the valley was able to order a engine from the Tangshan Locomotive & rolling stock Works. The engine's plans had to be converted from metric to imperial units and modified to be up to ASME ( the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards from locomotive and welded boilers. Other modifications to the locomotive where thicker firebox sheets larger crown stay bolts. The engineer and firemen controls where also switched to the other side of the cab to match American standards. All of these and a bit more became the valleys new engine, SY1647M!  ("SY" meaning the style or class of engine and the "M" standing for "Meiguo" or  "Beautiful Country", America).  Now while all this was going on the Chinese shops also built a twin sister engine, SY1658M for the Knox & Kane Railroad located in Pennsylvania.  (This is important for later, "hint hint")

Once the two engines, as well as a another engine of a different class heading to California, board a cargo ship heading for the USA. After dropping of the third engine in California  the two sisters headed though the panama canal and where unloaded at the Port of Camden, New Jersey. This is where the sisters parted ways and headed to their respected new homes and on April 21st, 1990 1647M with its's shiny new bell started her life along the valley line.

1647 worked on the Valley for about two years before there came a call and offer from the Susquehanna Railroad of Syracuse, NY. They had just order another SY locomotive, No.141, from China but sadly it was lost at sea when the ship holding it sank in the Bay of Bengal. Valley 1647M was sold and moved to her new home and renumbered No. 142. No. 142 still runs today and is part of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad and runs in the summer to Oct.

But what does this have to do with 3025? Remember 1647's sister in Pennsylvania? Well I shouldn't say more or I might spoil my next post.

History of 3025 - "The Locomotive That Would Not Die" Part 1

Part 1 - Origins and Classifications

After deciding that my first project was going to be 3025 I needed to start on some research about the engine and how in the world was I going to create a working HO scale model of it!?!?

VALE 3025 has had a interesting and troubled past before its working life here in Connecticut and I think its one of the reasons I choose to model this engine. Believe it or not 3025 is the youngest steam engine at the Valley as well as one of the youngest in the USA. It was built in July of 1989 by the Tangshan Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works located in Tangshan, Hebei, China. Yes, you read that correctly the engine was make in China!!! Tangshan starting building steam engines during the 1880 and was the last factory in the world build brand new steam engines up until the year 1999.

In America and other parts of the world; steam engines are categorized into classes based on their wheel arrangement. Normally they are arranged by 3 numbers and the name of that class. 3025 has 2 wheels under it's smoke-box, 8 driving wheels under the boiler, and 2 more wheels under the firebox/cab. This would be called a two-eight-two (2-8-2) or a "Mikado" type locomotive.

Here is a chart showing other groups of
Locomotive wheel arrangements and their names.

 The Mikados were first built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Japan and got their classes name from what the Japanese Emperor was often referred by during the late 1890's. The Mikado class of engines were a improvement of the 2-8-0 consolidation class locomotives. They proved to be great engines for fast and heavy frights during the transition era from steam to diesel power. With their power, versatility and smoother running this class of engine became a standard design around the world. Even today many tourist railways have this or similar classes of engine because of these factors.

My first real Kit-bash/prototype model

For all of the time that I have been in the hobby of model railroading I never really considered myself whats known as a "rivet-counter". For those who haven't heard about this term and to my knowledge it stand for someone that needs to create or model every detail on a model down to the last nut and bolt, or in this case rivet.  Now there is nothing wrong with this mentality and in fact some of the work that comes out of this mind set is outstanding and extremely realistic.  If you took a picture of the model you wouldn't be able to tell if it was a a photo of a toy or of the real thing. I guess that's just on of the many draws to this side of the hobby.

Anyways up till about the time I joined the friends I never really cared about this and for the most part i still feel this way.  For years I followed something i heard on a British model railroad DVD, "It's my railroad and I will do what I bloody like!" Most of my trains are ether off the shelf models or they are incorrect in some way, light passenger cars being too short, or character based trains ( Thomas, Hogwarts, etc.).  I only have 2 engines that are slightly weathered and I bought them second hand like that.

I think what changed my mind on the subject and want to give this rivet counting a try was my experience working with the FVRR. Even though I love trains I hadn't spent a lot of time near them or fully understanding how they work. Working in the shop on Wednesday nights on just about everything that rolls got me thinking, "How cool would it be to build HO scale models of this to run at home or at Masonicare?"

So I started looking at all of the rolling stock at the Valley and online for good to start down the path of super detail and kit-bashing. Should I start with a caboose? No to simple. A boxcar? No not unique enough for me to be motivated...........THAT'S IT!!! Something simple, easy, something wont take much time to build, and wont be to devastating if something gets messed up!!

Stupid me.....I picked the biggest steam engine the Valley has, SY Class Mikado 3025.........oh boy, what have I started........

Changing of the Guard - Masonicare to Friends of the Valley Railroad Part 3

Part 3 - Finding New "Friends"

Many years ago back when I was living with my Nana and Papa another fun summer trip we would occasionally go to was a local tourist railroad located in Essex, CT. The Connecticut Valley Railroad or known today as The Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. Essex has always been a favorite place for me, my little brother (when he was younger) and my Nana and Papa. There is a bit of magic in that railroad that just makes me feel relaxed and happy. I think a major part of  it is that connection to my Nana and Papa. This picture sums it up better than anything I could ever write.

Anyways as I said in my last post I was looking for something the fill the hole left after having to take a step back from my volunteering days at the Train Room. I had always seen advertisements and signs for the volunteer group at Essex but I never had the time or means of getting there to really inquire about it until now. So during the last months of my college life I sent an email to the group asking how do I join or at least get more information about the groups goals and work. I as invited to come down to the engine house at Essex on a Wednesday night. I thought it was just going to be a introduction and tour of the shop and maybe a interview like process to see if I was able to join. Well I had my tour and introductions for about the first hour and for the next two I was under one of the dining cars helping them fix the wheels. I knew then I had found what would become my new group and my new friends.

Over a year now we come to today where I have helped the railroad out in almost every thing they have to offer. I have worked on passenger and freight cars, track work, steam and diesel engines, etc. It has been an amazing experience and I am so grateful to everyone that I have met there and all of the advice they have given me. It has become like a second home to me and is something that I hope to be apart of for years to come. During this blog you will probably see me mention the friends a lot as they have also been a major inspiration for a lot of modeling projects I am going to try my hand at. And if you are interested in learning more about the FVRR and what we do check out these links below. The Friends are always welcoming new faces; come down and see us at the station and give us a hand in the shop. I hope to see you along the valley line.

Friends of the Valley Website - The Friend's Website with Sign up information
Essex Steam Train Website - Come for a ride on the Train and Boat
I Like the Valley Railroad - Facebook group with photos and history of the Valley line
FVRR Facebook Page - Updates and pictures from our shop nights