I hope everyone who subscribes to the NGSL Gazette has received the latest issue. They feature a review of the Bachmann On30 4-4-0 as well as the new On30 railbus and trailer. In a short article the publisher, Bob Brown, shows how he converted the railbus  and trailer to On3.

I was looking at the La Belle Woodworking website and they have a spudlike power unit (HO) that could be useful for repowering. The company is in Australia and the website is www.hollywoodfoundry.com. Just looking at the pictures of their products in use which they have posted is interesting.

The latest Gazette contains two items that may be of interest to On3/30 modelers. The first is an article written by the editor, Bob Brown, where he regauges a Bachmann On30 4-4-0 to On3.

The other item is a review of the new Peco On30 turntable (p. 16). It is molded from plastic and has to be assembled. The Turntable pit measures 12 and a quarter inches and the bridge is a foot long. There are motorizing instructions included with the kit; the basic kit is an Armstrong type. The Price is $116.99 from Walthers (where else?) and the price might prevent some people from buying one.

Now I can dig out the Russian River plans I have for a gallows turntable . By the way, I am willing to make copies for anyone whose interested.

Maybe this should be posted in the Williams area but browsing this morning (looking for Lionel GG-1 prices) I came across the Lionel website. I thought they were bankrupt and out of business but, apparently, they are back. They have a very colorful catalog on line: www.lionel.com

Happy Fourth of July to everyone!

If you go to the New York Times website for today, Saturday, June 21st, you'll find an interesting and informative article about Amtrak service (in light of the gasoline  problem.) It mentions that Acela trains have already logged one million miles of service. It also discusses the shortage of Amtrack equipment and the large number of cars out of service with no money for repairs. also, it mentions that the regular Amfleet ccars are 30 years old and could probably be replaced. The article also deals with whether or not long distance trains should still be running.

here's the link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/automobiles/22OLDER.html

I've begun to assemble the fine Banta On30 tool car sold by Micromark. I wonder if there's anybody out there who's  built the kit.

The kit comes with a wooden deck that has to be glued onto the Bachmann flat car. They don't suggest a method and I am wondering if anyone has suggestions.

I think I'll sand the paint off the flat car and use 3M spray mounting glue.

Any suggestions?

Maybe they have Bachmann stuff aboard the world's biggest container ship!

I don't seem to know how to send links so cut and paste this URL:

http//frmohd.blogspot.com/2007/09/worlds-largest-cargo-ship.html

Rapid transit fans are encouraged to look at this: trainsinchina.wmv

Bob Hayden has a great article in the current Gazette (May/June) about making Bachmann cars resemble Maine equipment. In the article he has an interesting method for lowering the cars since the Maine cars had a hunkered down appearance.

I rode in one of the long cabooses while they were in Massachusetts on the Edaville. It was quite a nice ride and endeared me to Maine equipment.

Looks like the NS needs some work on their hotbox detection. (Not sure how to add a link so do a cut and paste.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQAGWo3PbZk

This month's Railroad Model Craftsman contains an article about the old International company and features a picture of the Wabash mogul that they imported in brass.

If you get RMC, read the article, check out the picture and you may agree with me that the Wabash 500 class mogul might be a great little engine for Bachmann to produce.

I had two of the International imports and they were really nice for their day. I wish that I had not swapped them for an Alco Models brass RS -11 (which made more noise than a coffee grinder.)

I came across this little poem and thought I would pass it along:

Ode to the Spell Checker

Eye halve a speling chequer,
It came with my pea sea,
It planely marques four my revue,
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word,
And weight four it two say,
Weather eye am rong oar write,
It shows me strate a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid,
It nose bee four two long,
And eye can make the error rite,
Its rare lee ever rong.

Eye have run this pome threw it,
I am shore your pleezed two no,
Its letter perfect awl the weigh,
My chequer tolled me sew.

Today's headlines here on Long Island deal with the new LIRR GM built locomotives that can run both on diesel or third rail. It seems that when one computer acts up several others shut down. The railroad is having major problems with its schedules due GM electronics problems. Shop personnel said that they often get a locomotive out of the shop only to see it back in a week.

Funny, they never had this problem when they were running G-5 steam engines and Alco road switchers.

I saw the photo of the new Athearn UP FEF-3 in the latest Model Railroader. All I can say is that I wish I was back in HO again.

Now that Bachmann has announced the imminent arrival of their Balwdwin Sharknose diesels, who will be the first to modify one to blow mountains of black smoke like the real ones?

I saw one in action on th D&H years ago and it was belching tons of smoke. I suppose an engine overhaul with some new rings might have solved the problem.

I cast my vote for the D&H blue and grey to be the nicest of all the sharknose paint schemes.