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. 

 
comments(0) • boasted(0) • toasted(0)
 
 
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

 
comments(0) • boasted(1) • toasted(0)
 
 
Track laying and Wiring . . . Still ongoing
Fri, Jan 29, 2010
Posted by: Martin McGuirk

Yikes! The last update was more than a month ago - an eternity in internet land!

I've been working on the layout fairly regularly (about an hour or two a night). After one evening it doesn't look like any progress has been made, but by the end of the week I can see some definite changes.

The mainline is almost completed around the upper deck, although the Palmer yard will take a while to finalize and get in place. I've also been working on the New London yard - the area around the piers shown in a previous posting.

Well, all for now.

 

Marty
comments(0) • boasted(0) • toasted(0)