Distant Cousins...

One of the enjoyable things about modeling railroading is the ability to share tasks and help modeler friends with tasks at hand.  Certain modeling efforts are essentially some form of production work:  adding metal wheelsets to cars, base-coat weathering, and checking coupler heights are good examples.  Each of these requires a bit of a production-line approach which allows for quite a bit of productivity.  I 

Another of these sorts of tasks is adding weight to cars to ensure they match the weight standards set by the National Model Railroading Association, or NMRA.  NMRA membership is optional but sticking to the standards they set helps eliminate variables, which in turn helps delivery of reliable operation.  

Friend and fellow author Jerry Dziedzic recently hosted an operating session where I was running a coal train when a hopper derailed.  It turns out the car was very light, and so I busted Jerry's chops about weight standards.  Jerry smiled and then at the end of the session handed me cardboard box with the entire train lined up on the bottom - and said 'you're such an expert, YOU go ahead a weight them correctly, then!' with a grin.  

I smiled sheepishly and took the invitation.  Jerry gave me some lead shot he uses for weights and I worked to get the entire 20-car train up to standard.  NMRA wants a minimum of 1oz per car, plus 1/2 oz for each inch of length per car.  That means that these little 34' hoppers should come to about 3oz.  I added shot below the car where feasible, filling cavities as I could and securing with canopy glue.  When that didn't get me to the standard, I added some in the bottom off the bays, which once glued in was also painted black.  We can see on the scale above that this one is now ready.

A side note is how nice Jerry's collection is: all these resin cars, built and painted by Jerry.  The variety of cars on his 1947 railroad is amazing.  There were so many different manufacturers that even the unit trains had a large variety of differences car to car.  

Beyond the project, though, the juxtaposition of the 1930's-era hoppers with the 1990's-era doublestacks is striking.  Sure, they are all trains, but that is quite a difference!  Still, while 60 years apart, the equipment can all benefit from the basics:  metal wheels, proper weight, and standard coupler heights. No matter your era, those constants are true.  Distant cousins they may be, but now, they will all run well!

A moment of pause

We simply must make time to pause.  Those of us in our middle-ages are tied to more things than we have time to consider each day, and those paths of thought don't get fully processed.  Instead, there is a slow and steady gradual buildup of unprocessed experiences, emotional directions and decisions.  The weight of that accrual can lead to a sort of 'numbness' to the other parts of life for which we once had more time.  

"More time."  Mentors have long suggested it is the most valuable commodity.  Well, time is sliding by at a rate that remains hard to imagine.   But undeniably it is the end of summer in 2026.  Compressed by the extra work effort that went into the World Cup this summer and the growing expectations for the regular day job, the summer of 2026 was overwhelming in some ways.  

And so, between alternating vacations and alternating time off, Jack suggested we spend some time hanging out.  Not on the OC, not with specific photography goals, but just hanging out along the railroad tracks - like we have done hundreds of times before.  Showers broke right ahead of our departure, so we grabbed a few beers and waited out the rain.  And then we headed out to our old favorite - the Lehigh Line, today's Norfolk Southern mainline to and from the New York metropolitan area.  In our youth it was the Conrail Lehigh Line and a frequent destination for our trips to watch trains.

The sun set as trains rolled past.  We did well on this Monday evening: 4 trains passed in about 2 hours, including the 23G, a high-priority intermodal train from Croxton NJ to Chicago IL, where it is handed to BNSF for the rest of the trip to Los Angeles.  The trains avoided the sun, but skies caught a setting sun on mackerel clouds. This was worth a photo at least. We talked of our careers, families, children's activities.  After 23G we had 28X, an intermodal headed east to Croxton, followed by 18N with loaded autoracks for Newark's distribution centers and finally H76, the NS local freight that handles switching along the handful of loose-car industries along the route.  Reflections followed on successes, and opportunities that went another way.  Should we take a promotion?  Should we plan to retire to work elsewhere in a few years?  Which way do we plan?  

When Jack had suggested this little outing, it was almost surreal: it has been a year or two since we did anything similar.  Life filled up calendars with all sorts of things required, some desired, and many obligations.  An evening at the tracks was a weekly thing for us in different times, something common, and yet even this remote suggestion in my heart had a shadow of 'too much.'  The boys would have enjoyed, but I knew this one needed to be Jack and I.  My family was home after a weekend when we all were in Central New York for a wonderful reunion, but still - leaving them for an outing still carries shadows for me.  There is a magic to the next few years, our three kids fully functional and healthy but still young and enthusiastic about life.  Susie's loving her first marching band experiences, the boys are growing into young men.  In time they will blossom and take flight on their own, which will also be wonderful.  And yet I know these days now remain special.  Dinners with 5 of us around our table.  Songs new to them, suppers they are now learning to make.  Forward looking thoughts.  Innocence continued, for now.  

And these are the sorts of things we can reflect on when we take a moment to pause like the old days.  Trackside, one-on-one conversations, focused thoughts free to wander where the banter takes us.  A small step, yes, but a reminder of what is good in life.  It is going to be a wild ride for the next 7 years with all three kids, too much to stay up with.  

Somewhere in all that bustle, as months pass, I am hoping to still make time for a moment of pause.  

Operations, Near and Far

 As years have passed and operations on the Onondaga Cutoff have grown, so has the option to attend sessions at other's homes, and to be part of other communities around the country.  

A recent photo that came across email to me brought a smile to my face.  There are friends you meet along the road who are there to help you learn, and to help guide us forward.  These friends grow to become close to us and our families too, indeed becoming friends both within and outside of this hobby.  Doug Watts is a person who has always been willing to offer an ear and to be part of what we are working to build on the OC.  

Here's a fun image of Doug and I at an operating session on Tony Koester's famous Nickel Plate Road back in 2023.  We are both fortunate to be within a reasonable drive of this operation, it's a great experience to share!  Thanks to Rich Wisneski for the image.  

Operating a model railroad is a truly compelling part of this hobby of ours.  It becomes a bit of a lifestyle, too, one where you have to stay flexible in being surprised, be willing to take a risk and make mistakes, and have fun in a spot where you're the new guy and everyone else knows what they are doing.  (Or, at least, they seem to know what they are doing.)  

Take a chance on operations!  There are a variety of ways to get started, including open events that surround many National Model Railroad Association conventions and meets, as well as around Railway Prototype Modeler meets (RPMs) and even some train shows such as the big expo each year at Springfield MA.  

Operations keeps the good times going.

Simultaneous with the Semiquincentennial

This American semiquincentennial year of 2026 has been the sort of whirlwind year that makes the last few years look quiet - which is saying quite a bit.  Perhaps this is standard fare for the mid-life responsibilities that creep upon families and professionals.  However, when we add in the once-in-a-lifetime sort of activities that surround this particular year, it becomes clear how much of an outlier this one is.  The foundation of all of this is health, and by the grace of God the family is doing wonderfully.

This crowd is having quite a year, and it seems appropriate to list that here for posterity. New Jersey had a great cold winter this year, providing challenges at work.  We had two kids finishing their time at elementary schools headed to the next level while I was elected President of the Board of Education, while serving as Vice Chairman of the Planning Board.  Work at the day job was heating up too: we received permission to work on a semiquincentennial locomotive wrap.  

Meanwhile, for the first time the Onondaga Cutoff was selected to host a pair of full-day operating sessions as part of the annual Prototype Railroad Operations (ProRail) weekend in April.  ProRail is a national invitational event where about 60 of the nation's most avid model railroad operators come to spend a weekend running trains area layouts - the sort of event that takes maximum preparation and planning.  Simultaneously at the day job we were preparing to host the world cup soccer matches in NJ.  In the middle of those preparatory activities was Conrail's 50th anniversary on April 1, to which I was invited as part of the day job.  Of course April 1 is also the day which happened to also be the feast of Passover this year, immediately ahead of Easter weekend, both of which we hosted.  

May included a first overnight trip with the family to Washington, DC during the kids' spring break as well as a family wedding weekend followed nearly immediately with night shift work started surrounding the 8 world cup events hosted in NJ.  June was a blur of competing priorities, graduations and school concerts, and night work.  Those events overlapped with July 4th, the actual 250th anniversary of the nation. A large part of the 250th birthday of America is also the incredible trip of the largest operational steam locomotive in the world, the Union Pacific no. 4014 'Big Boy', making the first trip ever for such an engine to the East Coast of the United States. We were able to get away to see that on July 1, a life-changing and awe inspiring spectacle of 600 tons of locomotive and Union Pacific's business train climbing a 1.1% grade at speed.  The waiting was part of the fun!

Then came July 4 itself, coincidentally this year marking not just 250 years of America but also the 100th anniversary of our town, celebrated as part of its annual Independence Day parade.    

Holy smokes.  Too much, right?  

I don't know.  I used to think so, and it's certainly possible that it may be so still.  And yet I am no longer certain.  Add in some family health issues and it is certainly unsustainable, of course.  We have some of that on the horizon.  And then again, still, how can we discount some of the moments that happen now only because of the time we have invested to date?  Here's a moment nearing 10pm during one of the world cup soccer service events with Semiquincentennial 4526 along with 4210, the Erie heritage unit, both of which we had a hand in creating.

While this level of activity adds stress to the family and is exhausting for me, moments like this give me some pause.  Each of these things are so important to me as part of a larger community that I feel it is worth the invested time and energy.  I don't see these things as optional, per se.  Of course that is a luxury made possible by good health, and the key to all of it is the love and supportive transparency with that family back at the start of this post above.  

All of this....and it's only July 9.  What a year!

What a FUN hobby

It is so easy to get caught up in the frustrations and the trials and tribulations of life.  

How is it already the end of May, in 2026?  2026!!  (Good lord how is it already 2026?)  All of this moves so quickly here at this point in my life that sometimes I am amazed at how fast time passes by.  

Where my time is limited, I find strength in digging into some quick-hitting projects on the Onondaga Cutoff.  While the beautiful Rapido Trains C36-7 has been delivered for months, I only found time this weekend to unpack the last of the ones that came with this order for the OC - the UP 9003.  

I have early memories in the later 1980's of these distinctive locomotives on trains passing Dewitt Yard near Syracuse, and I am really pleased with this model.  Adding the big Dash-8 style radiator fans and dynamic brake is something I wanted to do someday in the future - and here it is, ready to go.  

 Weathering has just started here with some panel liners, but the rest will follow soon.  This was just FUN - fun to open, fun to look forward to running, and fun to add to the roster to recreate some of those early memories.  

We are so fortunate to have a hobby that lives in the historical arc like this one does!  There's always a way to spend a few minutes to appreciate it.

Details that Tell a Story of Decades

Details are part of the richness of modeling, and when we model railroads, there are plenty of details to choose from.

Here's a quick shot on the Onondaga Cutoff that is worth some pondering.  

 

Now and again, I find it is interesting to glance at an image of situations that 'happen' on a modeled railroad.  Recently, Garden State Modelworks did a great job installing a capacitor and proper LED lighting into my model of Conrail welder truck R-5180.  The R-5180 is a Bachmann model from a decade ago, one that ran out of box but was generally a rather poor runner.  It is hard to make models this small work well, but John's hand with a new keep-alive capacitor and LEDs has gone a long way to bringing new life to this little model.  I added details and weathering and we are in business.

Then, we add to the scene a passing ballast train, led by Rapido C30-7 6608. This is a model from their first run, delivered in 2025, with weathering and a crew added by me.  This adds to our collective background along with GP38 7714, an Atlas model custom finished by Southern Tier Modelworks, and some of the usual sundry freight cars - many 30 years old - at Onondaga Yard.  

Three decades of progress are represented here, along with the yard office created by Al Tillotson and my recently-added American flag.  And this is just a random happening as part of operations - in effect, just another day on the OC.  A favorite thing about modeling railroading to me is the ability to come down trackside and just gaze, standing with appreciation on how far this hobby has come and how wonderfully it builds upon itself.  

This month has gone by in a flash, as we had expected it to, with kids busy and family commitments after a series of great operating sessions in April.  There is a lot of good out there, we are fortunate to be busy with good things.  Take some time today to stand and gaze at some of what is going on in your life.  There is always good to come from that.  

The Art of the Grab Shot

 Hobbies need to fit around the rest of life in real time.  In 2026, that is to say that there is very limited time to pursue hobby activities, especially ones that don't directly deal with the operation.  This month of April started off with a day that was so important in several different theatres of my life:  Conrail's 50th birthday, and this year's first full moon after the equinox.  (The latter is also known as the Jewish holiday of Passover, something I host in honor of my dad each year.)  

To top that off, on behalf of my day job, we were invited to attend Conrail's 50th anniversary party in Philadelphia.  Amazing, and part of a post coming soon!

So, April 1 was a busy day, and the rest of the month has followed suit preparing at work and on the OC for major events.  How do we get through months like this, while following our dreams and keeping momentum on projects that will outlast the busy times?   We simply have got to make time as we can.

There is always the ability to take a grab shot - nickname for a photograph that was grabbed with minimal preparation and mostly good luck.  Fortunately, sometimes we can also simply get lucky on our modeled railroads, too.  Joe Relation, a good friend and regular yardmaster on the OC, is a fan of military history and armor.  He's also a great modeler.  When I took delivery of a handful of Spring Mills Depot DODX flatcars, Joe offered to add vehicles to them from kits I had around.  And last week, he showed up with car 1 of 3 - with a pair of Bradley fighting vehicles securely chained to the deck.  Wow!  This brings back immediate memories of the 'baby' military trains I remember from the 90's at both Syracuse and at Manville, NJ, with a Conrail unit or two and a few flats with vehicles enroute to or from major repairs.  Awesome! 

And while admiring this great work, I took a moment to breathe - and just look around.  Each evening, I try to get into the layout space, and simply stop and stare.  There are many ways to enjoy modeling railroading and sometimes, with life so busy that there is not time for a big project, we can pause to appreciate one that catches our eye.  This one is one of Lenny Harlos' amazing patch and weathering jobs on a car that lives on the OC.  This is a Roller Bearing Models resin kit for a 65' Greenville mill gondola, and is kitbashed to match the prototype of Penn Central heritage that lived around Dewitt Yard on the prototype for the 1990s in MOW service.

Having friends that are willing to contribute at this level is an honor, and helps build the camaraderie behind the Onondaga Cutoff.  Leaning into that camaraderie is a way for each of us to bring things together - now, and for the future.  We can all use more of that!