I'm tired of being an armchair model railroader...

So I finally ordered the track for my $100 Layout (that's per month, not "total"). I had a hard time deciding what track to run, what track plan, blah blah blah and I finally decided I'm sick of piling up more and more toy trains with nowhere to run them. Since there's no such thing as a perfect layout anyway (especially when you're trying to cram an O Gauge layout onto a 4x8 table) I decided to just stick with the FasTrack that came with my Polar Express set. For my track plan, I used SCARM (a free layout design program) to draw up a simple layout based on Lionel's D-290 display layout. For now I'm leaving off the upper loop, but I might add one later with HO scale track so I can run my On30 Porter and Shay locomotives. One reason I decided to stick with the FasTrack instead of going with Atlas track is the built-in roadbed means I can run on the carpet until I get my train table built. Here's what the track plan looks like:

(Related links: A $100 Layout, Free train layout software)

Snooze, ya lose...

One thing I've learned is that if you model an obscure short line, you need to buy equipment when it's available - 'cause if you wait, it might be gone. When I decided to model the Eureka Mill Railroad in On30, I thought I'd have to compromise on the ore cars and use Bachmann's 4 wheel version - then I found out that Wiseman Model Services makes an exact scale kit of the actual car. They're kind of pricey at over $30 each ($59.95 plus shipping for a 2 car kit) but I really wanted them - so I bit the bullet and ordered 5 kits listed on eBay. I don't know if I bought the last 5 kits, or if I did if any more will be made, but the maker is now showing 0 (zero) availability. Since this is probably a limited demand item, it wouldn't surprise me if I got the last 5 kits. Waiting can cost you like that... That happened to me last year - I'd been wanting a Dolores Conoco Oil plant and an Ouray engine house for my Sn3 layout since around 2009 and kept putting off the purchase - until last year, when I found out both kits were out of production and no longer available. Lesson learned - buy when available because what you want might not be available later. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to get a complete set of the correct ore cars for my On30 Eureka Mill Railroad...

More on On30 - more than I imagined...

When I first started looking into On30 I couldn't find much information on US 30" gauge railroads... and I still can't, at least not on the internet. But... The Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette has an excellent series on 30" lines starting with the July/August 2005 issue. Most of the lines are mining or plantation roads that used Porters, but the first line featured - the Crescent Tramway - used 2 Shays; 1 Class A and 1 Class B (both were 2 truck Lima shays). In fact, the Crescent Tramways first locomotive was the first Shay to be operated west of the Mississippi. So, I take back what I said about On30 "sucking" except when it's used to "freelance" a 3 foot gauge line. I haven't been able to find pictures of either locomotive, but the Bachmann On30 shay is about the right size and should work great. For a little variety you could add the Wiseman modern conversion kit to the second locomotive. I already bought a Bachmann Porter for my Eureka Mill Railroad but I'm probably going to pick up 1 or 2 Shays "just in case." I really love these early mining railroads...

UPDATE: Couldn't resist - ordered my Bachmann Shay tonight - also a set of 10 ore cars for my Eureka Mill Railroad (Wiseman kits). I hope I'm not getting addicted to PROTOTYPE 30" gauge railroads...