13Sep 2016 by Geren

Updates to Dead Rail Primer, Site Additions and Changes, News, and … PMS?

Miscellaneous, Shop News
Dead Rail Primer A lot has happened in the world of Dead Rail (or Power On Board, as some prefer to call it) in the last couple of years, and that means that it's time to update the Dead Rail Primer. I'm doing it a little at a time, but expect to have most of the changes I'm going to make done within the next 10 days or so. When it's done, it will be available for download through the store, free of charge. New To The Site Let's face it. The FAQ system is ugly, it takes a long time to update, and it's not very interactive. So, today I've rolled out an interesting looking discussion system. It combines the functionality of a traditional FAQ with that of a…
Read More
23Jul 2016 by Geren
Laser Experimentation

Laser Experimentation

Miscellaneous, Shop News
In my last post, I briefly mentioned that I had ordered a lower-power laser engraver/cutter. While waiting for mine arrive, I've been experimenting with an even lower-powered model that belongs to Kevin over at Berrett Hill Trains. One of the ideas I had was to use the laser to "drill" the holes for the controls in the throttle kits. Using the laser for this requires moving the top controls to the front face. While cutting the first one, I thought I'd make this little video: https://youtu.be/ztT4AXtLu8g The software that's included with the laser is pretty basic, and has more than a few quirks. However, there's a pretty active community developing some excellent tools for controlling these low-powered machines. Unfortunately, Kevin's machine doesn't support these upgrades, so I've had to test…
Read More
06Dec 2015 by Geren

WW&F #9 Is Running!

Locomotives and Rolling Stock, Miscellaneous
Boy, was I ever in the wrong place yesterday! Yesterday, at 2:45PM, WW&F #9 made her first moves under steam since June of 1933 at the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Alna, Maine. Unfortunately, I wasn't there, but a couple of other fans were, and shared some video. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! Thanks to YouTube user bunky41058 for those clips! Eric Schade put together this nice video. It's about 20 minutes long, and is a good look at yesterday's festivities. Eric posted the following on his YouTube page, along with the video: She was built in 1891 by the Portland Company in Portland Maine. She served the Sandy River Railway as #5 then Sandy River and Rangely Lakes RR as #6 until…
Read More
27Apr 2014 by Geren

Now There’s a Prototype for Hi-Rail!

Miscellaneous
[caption id="attachment_2991" align="aligncenter" width="474"] There's a prototype for everything -- including 3-rail! Photo by Treve Kneebone[/caption] So, are you an O-gauger running on three-rail track? Are your buddies giving you grief because of it? Well, just show them this picture. It's Gar-Graves in 1:1 scale!
Read More
16Apr 2014 by Geren

Sad Day in Portland

Miscellaneous
The FRA certification on Monson #4 expired at the end of March, and the Maine Narrow Gauge Museum doesn't know when she'll be back in service -- #4 needs a new boiler before the FRA will re-certify the loco. You can read the whole story here...
Read More
27Mar 2014 by Geren
On30 Guy™ Shop Now Open!

On30 Guy™ Shop Now Open!

Miscellaneous
Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed a new tab in the site menu -- the On30 Guy Shop is now open for business! Initial product offerings are related to Dead Rail, and I'm featuring the DelTang radio system I've been talking so much about lately. There are also a number of related items available -- batteries, chargers, supplies, etc. Product is on the way from across the country and around the world, and I've established regular dialog with several suppliers. So, even items that are currently on back-order can be purchased with confidence that I'll be able to fill your order quickly. There are a number of other products in the works, too, including On30 rolling stock kits and a variety of textures that will be unique to the On30 Guy…
Read More