Giving Thanks

 As we head through Thanksgiving and into December, it is an annual time of Thanksgiving.  This is always a good time to take a breath and really think of things for which we are grateful.  And this year, it's an easy one for Conrail modelers.  

I love Thanksgiving.  I really do, it is my favorite holiday and a complete joy to host each year.  And a fun chapter of that night in the last few years has been the Abeles cousins all running trains around the OC after dessert.  Sure enough, that came to be once again!

Here's a grab shot in Island Yard, showing two fantastic 2025 deliveries that have helped the OC look the part.  In the background is Broadway Limited Imports' new business car, which is a PRR prototype that Conrail did not roster.  However, it's a great addition to my Office Car Special train, custom-painted, numbered and detailed by me to bring up the markers on the OCS train.  And of course, prominently in front of it here is the fantastic C36-7 by Rapido Trains.

As a thought exercise, either of these would have been sufficient for me this year.  The OC benefits quite a bit from both, and these models help with being able to share the story with others via operating sessions and with Facebook Live, with photographs for this blog or for magazines or books.

Those operating sessions specifically also make me thankful for the companionship and support of those that have helped with the OC from an operations aspect.  And there is no greater contributor from an operations perspective than Jack Trabachino.  I am grateful that we live near each other and can see each other regularly, that we work at the same company with the same mission, and most of all that it is still so much fun to hang out with each other.  We met in 1987 and so 40 years of friendship is right around the corner, and here we are enjoying a few drinks with each other in November.   

In fact if I take a minute to reflect on it, it is hard to not have other things come to mind for which I am thankful.  There's a text group, as a random example, with longtime friends I met through The Station Inn, and it brings me joy.  Alex Lang, Lou Capwell, Jon Kayes, Mike Filoni and I share images, reflect on happenings and get a few laughs regularly that way.  And all of this is only worthwhile because of Kristen, my wife and parter in all things, and 'DemClams' - those three crazy kids that make me proud and hold their own in a changing world.  

In closing, thanks to you too for reading this post and the blog, and for supporting the OC journey which is chronicled here.  There is no question that I have a lot to be thankful for!

Catchin' Up on November

We blink today in 2025, and in my later 40's, and the weeks and even months pass right by.  In so many parts of life we look at photos or videos and realize now and again that those months really did pass right by.  So this December 2 post is really about mid-November, and the next one will be about later November but with many plates spinning all the attention was focused on meeting obligations!

Still, though, progress continues on the Onondaga Cutoff.  One of the hobby's best characteristics is that there is always something more to do, something to chip away at that will allow progress to continue.  

First, allow me one more post to just remark on how nice it is to see such beautiful models of 'Big Dash-7s' on the OC.  Through the 80's and '90's, the Albany Division was loaded with these locomotives, and these C36-7's especially roamed not only from Selkirk but also systemwide.  So you can't call a railroad the Chicago Line without them - and now here they are.  Amazing!

Just beautiful.  Those that follow my Patreon channel ( https://www.patreon.com/onondagacutoff ) are familiar with the improvements I did with the number boards, and aside from that I am simply thrilled with these models out of the box.  Someday, when there are also a bunch of C30-7A models (6550-6599) we will be all set.  

With the number board improvements completed, it was time to do a batch weathering of the new fleet, so I jumped into that quickly to get the series in service ahead of an operation session just before Thanksgiving 2025.  

They followed my usual procedures - details first, then masking, then panel liners and dullcoat.  These got a second layer of dullcoat as seen here, then got an overspray with a fade coat and grit coat on the underframes before final applications of pastel chalks and paint details.  

Here's three friendly faces, ready to join the 6621 in regular service.  Now, clearly to have seen four of the 25 total in one spot would be unlikely in Conrail days, but not impossible.  But what is a guy to do when one of the two most critical locomotives is offered commercially as a pre-order for limited production?  

Yep.  Get 'em all.  

I'll be paying for it for a while but this is the right thing for the roster now, like it will be again when the C30-7A is available.  

These are great problems to have!  

Best wishes to you all and I hope your Thanksgiving was great.