Winter and Progress: a component of change

 Winter is a great time to get some modeling done, and on the Onondaga Cutoff things can move well.  At the December operating session, we had our first 'revenue' move over the bridge at Butternut Creek:

The boys and I, thanks to help from Kristen and also Rich Wisneski and Ralph Heiss, made a great trip to the huge Amherst Railway Society's annual trade and train show at Springfield, MA.  This year the trip included the usual fantastic camaraderie, a few operating sessions and open houses, and a massive show with displays, vendors, manufacturers, and railroads.  The boys found an O scale vendor they loved.

We also knew of a few big announcements at the show, and one of the biggest for Conrail fans was Broadway Limited Imports with their upcoming model of CR 9 - the theatre car that brought up the markers on most of Conrail's OCS trains through the 1990's.  It was one of a kind, and it is very exciting to see this come to life!  Curtis was there and had one of the 3D prints for us to see.

Immediately, you can see the essential Conrail components, with the close-center marker lights, glass rear window, recessed grab irons, and lighting details on the rear.  But there is a lot more to this.  The interior is dead on, the two by two window stacking is correct.

On the 'front' end, we see proper diaphragms, MU connections, steps, grabs, rivet placement, marker lights and doors.  Simply awesome details.  

Finally here's the 'business' end, and this is just a 3D print - the actual plastic one will be superior.  Lighting will all work, and be ready for prime time with not just interior ones but also working markers and inspection lights all turned on with BLI's custom reed switch design.  At three places on the roof, you simply touch the car with a finger and the lighting feature turns on, then back off again with another touch.  Amazing!

We all left the show Saturday and headed home to avoid a major snowstorm that was coming Sunday, but that was the right call and allowed a family day in the snow which is a treasure.  Now those memories can last too.  This has been a great start to 2026, contrasting with some of the hardship and darkness in the world both in Minneapolis and around the US as well as in other parts of the world.  All of this requires some serious contemplation, but that is where this hobby is so valuable.  It's a steady force that can bring people together, especially in a world that feels uncertain at times.  

We simply need to remember, always, that change feels scary sometimes, and it is supposed to.  No progress is possible without change.  Face the fear, sit with it.  Progress is a part of change, just as maintenance is a required effort for longevity.  

Let's rely on making more effort to come together, overlook differences, tolerate opinions, and improve some part of our worlds each day.  That is a good and worthwhile goal for 2026.

Water and a falls on Butternut Creek

First, Happy New Year to you, once again!  It's 2026 now, with a swirling world around each of us.  This hobby makes me grateful for that and also for the downtime that brings me back to a center.  

I embarked on a big effort to finalize a key scene this winter. Waterflows on most model railroads are key scenes.  The prototypes often follow rivers and streams, and cross them at many spots too.  

Butternut Creek comes down through Jamesville, NY, south of Syracuse but several hundred feet higher in elevation.  Creek flows along the big limestone quarry down into the shale valleys and eventually into the marshy lowlands that head out toward Fayetteville and Dewitt, all of which eventually drains into the Oswego River and eventually Lake Ontario.  

It is a waterway that had to cross the Lackawanna Route coming up from Binghamton, and thus my Minoa & Euclid had to find a way across it too.  Early on I knew this scene would be at the entrance to the room, the bottom of the stairway.  But-pouring water on a complicated scene is nerve-wracking.  There is just no way around it - many hours of work, sometimes even years of planning and effort comes down to mixing and pouring epoxy and getting it right the first time.  

It took years to get the scene set, and years to commit to the pour!

We rearranged dry rocks, selected pieces of Marcellus Shale which forms the bedrock of the Finger Lakes, to see what worked in the basin.  The walls of the basin are tree bark carved and painted to represent limestone, which is the capstone in the regions south and east of the Finger Lakes.  

Eventually I asked Susie to help, as her creative eye has been a great help with ensuring scenery looks random and not unconsciously organized.  She found a great final arrangement that we glued in place.

Meanwhile I printed selected photos of CNY waterfalls, and with those as a guide, proceeded to lay things out.  The falls themselves were made from clear Dap paintable caulk mounted to celophane wrap from the kitchen, interlaid with 'angels hair' Christmas tinsel and drybrushed with white paints.  

A mix of epoxy and a pour followed, and I am thrilled with the results!

The overview takes us directly to the Finger Lakes, and brings a smile to my face each time I see it.

It is a wonderful relief to have this set - and opens a door into finishing several other scenes this winter on the OC.  It will be an exciting year!