Tornado Strikes The CDRLL!

Superior Engineering Diverts Disaster

Unfortunately a dove and two plover chicks did not survive the tornado. The dove's life came to an end after discovering the dangers of trying to fly through tornado: Cause of death was determined to be Triple Impact (Window/Wall/Ground). The plover chicks didn't stand a chance when their nest of security was ripped out of the bushes and slammed against the wall of a garage.

The Railroad withstood the cyclones furry very well, thanks to the superior engineering that went into its design. Two beacons were knocked out off the pivots at the top of the light towers and the trailing car of the Hiawatha was derailed, but remained upright. This slight damage could have been avoided had the Chief Dispatcher closed the windows to the train room. An investigation into how the damage may have been averted has been put on hold until cleanup to surrounding area has been completed. 

Damage to the surrounding neighborhood includes collapsed Florida Rooms and screen enclosures, blown out windows, and vehicles that were lifted off driveways and crushed by fallen trees. Because of this destruction it seems the Chief Dispatcher of the CDRLL may have been fortuitous in failing to close the window. Had the window been closed a resulting vacuum effect may have caused damage to the structure's roof and windows to have been blown out.

12/12/2009

Christmas Layout

click on pictures to see larger image

The 2009 Christmas Season is here and with it comes a new layout for us to enjoy all year long.

As you can see it consists of four separate loops stacked on top of each other, so we'll be able to run a variety of trains simultaneously.

The top two tiers are small O27 loops. The second tier is O36 and the bottom tier is O48. You can see all the way through the second and third tiers. We  covered the bottom of the top two levels with white packing paper. This promotes reflection from the different illuminated cars as they roll around the layout creating a magnificent light show. 

We also experimented with with some noise dampening techniques by sandwiching the sheets of plywood between layers of double wall corrugated cardboard. A bonus in using the corrugated material was being able to bank the turns on the O27 track without using individual shims, which lessons the chances of derailments.

Watch the video on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGI-g9GRMkU 

5/6/2009

The Accidental Railroad

It's a lot of fun running three trains at a time on a small layout. You can see how the "Accidental Railroad" fits in with the other rail lines by viewing this video.

4/24/2009

We've been looking forward to adding the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha to our line up. Thanks to Jim Sutter at Jim's Train Shop in Homer City, Pennsylvania and his excellent prices we were able to make the acquisition possible.  

Our new 4/8/4 Hudson Hiawatha passenger train is a model of the train that took Carl Dovis Rogers Jr. and his new bride on their honeymoon. The day after they were married they departed Chicago for the Wisconsin Dells on the "Morning Hiawatha" June 15, 1946.

This train also compliments our genealogy studies in that Carl Dovis Rogers spent most of his career with the railroads working for the Milwaukee Road until he retired.

The F7 4/8/4 Hudson, Hiawatha was one of the last steam locomotives put into service. It broke many speed records and set the standard for luxury in rail travel.

You can see the transition from the Milwaukee Special to the Hiawatha by clicking here.

Click here to see some of the unique features of the new Hiawatha.

You can also watch the train running at night.

This Hiawatha Postcard is a memento from Carl Dovis and Peggy Rogers' honeymoon 

3/6/2009

Were slowly shaking away the Cheesy System. As you can see we've added some ground cover and acquired a new freight line. The Southern Railway is merging with the Milwaukee Road. 

Dad retired from the Milwaukee Road and his Father retired from the Southern. Because they both shared the same name we are now introducing our new Rail Company the "Carl Dovis Rogers Life Line" or "CDRLL"

As you can see because of our new acquisition the rail yard in the middle of the layout is getting pretty full. It will soon be over flowing with Motor Power and rolling stock once all the equipment arrives. We're going to spend the next few months working on purchasing more space and road bed to accommodate the new merger.

The searchlight cars the Southern Freight brought along to the merger really helps highlight the upper mainline and Milwaukee Special that runs along it.

This new merger hasn't been without its problems. Partisan fighting between the two Railroads over jobs, yard space, rail lines and power sources have been our main focus of late and have been preventing us from moving forward in the transition. 

We've posted the video here  Missing from the video is the little guy in this picture Trying to hold the Southern Crescent back in its second go around the track.

You can view this new layout in action running at night and running during the day.

2/13/2009

The Cheesy System is proud to announce we've placed the new mainline for our Milwaukee Special on a pedestal of Ice. This isn't an easy thing to maintain in Central Florida, but thanks to new breakthroughs in acrylics the rail line is relatively trouble free. 

The roadbed was cut from a sheet of acrylic 1/4" thick. The six sections of trestle consist of various lengths of 1/8' acrylic 6" high  with 2" wide supports clued at each end to form a "Z" configuration. This system is very sturdy with absolutely no sway or sagging.

Because of the small size of the layout 69" X 48, acrylic is an excellent choice for the trestle system. There's limited visual obstruction to the rest of the layout. The reflective qualities of the material makes up for the lack of accessories with constantly changing light show.

Other additions to the layout include the raising of the lower level with some stubs of 2 X 4s  allowing the wires to be easily fed under the layout to the transformers. It also provides storage for track cleaning supplies and tools. We also added two Lionel rotating beacons and a Lionel 1033 transformer. And of course the Cheesy System billboard with our mascot Cheesy munching on some cheese in the center of the big "C".

As you can see we've retired Mt. Heston. But still retain the air whistle in the center of the layout for our freight operations.

You can watch videos of the trains running during the day and running at night 

1/15/2009

I’m proudly sharing my first model train layout with y’all. The Cheesy System  is a lesson in efficiency measuring 48” X 69”. Notice the stretegery I used to provide access to the bathroom and underwear drawer by cutting out the corners of the layout.

My Milwaukee Road SD18 doesn't have a horn so I improvise with air whistle seen standing in the center of the track next to the Hiawatha billboard. Some people may think the whistle isn't appropriate for a diesel but I don't care these are after all toy trains. 

I was preparing to lay down the new mainline of a O27 track to accommodate my Milwaukee Special the evening it arrived when the power went out. Luckily my battery operated billboard provided enough light to find a flashlight. With a few cordless tools, I was still able to put down the track and thirty minutes later when the power returned we were ready to run. 

When I decided I'd add a mountain to the layout it took fifteen seconds to pull the Charlton Heston kite off the wall and lean it against the dresser. If I ever decide to put a tunnel through Mt. Heston, I figure it will take about five seconds to lean it over the track.

I love the "Cheesy System" alterations are fast and easy leaving more time for operations. 

Now you can see the Cheesy System in Action!

On the floor is the debut of our Lionel O Gauge Milwaukee Road consist SD 18. Mom's Teddy Bear Collection fills up the inside of the loops.

To get a better view and see this layout in action by clicking here