SNE Breaks into print
Wed, May 12, 2010
Posted by: Martin McGuirk

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog, but that doesn't mean I have been ignoring the hobby or the Southern New England. In fact, the SNE has appeared in two places in "print" in the last few months.

The first was in the form of a one-page planning tip on building screened staging that ran in Model Railroad Planning 2010. This article showed a section of the former SNE (from Colorado) - although I plan to use the same screened staging on my new, current layout.

Speaking of the current layout, it has broken into print at www.model-railroad-hobbyist.com, the bi-monthly model railroad ezine.

The article shows some of the ups and downs of the first "sea trial" test session on the railroad.

Current plans are to hold a second test session within the next month or so.

 
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Meet SNE #1 - from Model Railroad Planning 2000
Wed, Mar 10, 2010
Posted by: Martin McGuirk

 

The story of the evolution of the HO scale Southern New England starts back in the mid 1990s when I was on the staff of Model Railroader magazine. I was frustrated with the lack of appropriate engines for the Central Vermont. About that time, Bachmann released a Spectrum 2-8-0 that, with some work, could be detailed into a passable replica of a CV N-5a class Consolidation. 
My good friend, and British layout designer and model railroad author Iain Rice, took on the task of converting the first 2-8-0. Since then I’ve converted two others. 
Our efforts to  shoehorn a prototype-based CV layout into my 125 year old basement in Oconomowoc, Wis., proved frustrating. Iain suggested developing a prototype freelanced railroad based on the CV - and the Southern New England Railway was born. 
We described the process of designing the layout in Model Railroad Planning 2000. That article, which we titled "Fitting the Layout Into the Room" is reproduced here, with written permission of Kalmbach Publishing Company and Model Railroader magazine. 

 
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SNE Sea Trial #1
Tue, Mar 9, 2010
Posted by: Martin McGuirk

On February 19, after a year or so of construction, enough track and wiring had been completed that we could have a test session, which I nicknamed a "sea trial," on the HO scale Southern New England. 

A total of eight people and two canines participated in the event. 

I discussed the Sea Trial on Model Railcast Show #99 www.modelrailcast.com

Also, check out the Issue 7 of Model Railroad Hobbyist. My Getting Real column will feature a full run down on the SNE Sea Trial. 

 

Marty

 
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