CL&N Wikipedia Edition

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: History Railroads:

I don’t know about you, but whenever I first find out about a subject my first stop are my friends at Wikipedia. For a lot of people their introduction the the CL&N would be it’s wikipedia article. Well, as anyone who was curious about the CL&N anytime in the last year knows, the wikipedia article for the CL&N was generally crap. It was full of factual inaccuracies and missing a great deal of information.

Luckily, that is no longer the case. The CL&N Article has been recently rewritten. It now provides a much better introduction the the CL&N as well as all the important acquisitions, receiverships, and line changes. There’s also a Route Map that meshes well with all my other resources.

The article includes a number of nice scanned images from Narrow Gauge in Ohio and a locomotive roster copied from there. The references at the end also provide a good starting point for those looking to do their own research. They include some Interstate Commerce Reports as well as a Conrail track chart from the mid-1980′s.

All in all the article is very accurate and serves as a very good overview of the CL&N. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to be introduced to the railroad or wanting to get an overview of the system.

YALMMP (Yet Another LM&M Post)

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: News Railroads:

We’re continuing to follow the saga of the LM&M’s bridge problems.

When last left the story, it was looking like the city was ready to let the railroad go. I laid into them with a rather critical rant here. I won’t apologize for anything that was said there.

Now, it looks like the tides may be turning again. Council has proposed and subsequently approved a new contract for the railroad. The contract hasn’t been approved by LM&M CEO Brian Collins, but all indications is that this was the contract that was counter-proposed against the city’s original offer. I would expect it to be approved.

So what does this mean? Well first off this nasty situation is coming to an end. I look forward to returning to more of a positive attitude with this blog. I’ve been doing a lot of I&O research that should be providing some interesting posts in addition to the classic CL&N articles. Also, it’s good news for future rail in Lebanon and for the prosperity of the LM&M.

In the more near term, you’ll be seeing the LM&M run out of the Montgomery Inn Boat House until July 1st. They’ll be running out on the Oasis line, an ex-PRR Little Miami line in Southeastern Cincinnati. It’s some of the oldest trackage in the area and currently used as a branch by the I&O (though technically owned by SORTA).

I would also expect to see some interesting ROW work on the Lebanon Branch in the near future. I’m not privy to what the bridge repairs entail, but at the very least they’ll probably be getting a coat of paint.

Though it was a painful process getting there, it’s nice to finally seeing this getting done. It’s clearly the best solution for the railroad, the city, the merchants, and even the railfans. I look forward to some more positive posts in the future.

Sources:

Indiana and Ohio 1993

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: History Railroads:

Here’s a video I found showing some of the Indiana and Ohio’s passenger operations back in 1993. This was back when they traveled all the way from Lebanon to Mason. The locomotive was moved from one end of the train to the other on runarounds located at each end of the run. Notice how the gondola has no cab for reverse operation.

When viewing these videos, also pay attention to #55′s retro I&O paint scheme and some details of the I&O’s “Mason Station” (a former grain elevator office). I also noticed how the train motored out of Lebanon. The speed was a lot greater than it is now (which makes sense, given the length of run). It must have been nice to open the throttle a little bit more when operating the locomotive.

Check out the track too in this coming video. This was before the ballast and tie work in the earlier part of this decade was done. There’s ties rotting in place and ballast all over the main.

I’ve been considering switching my eras for my personal HO layout back home. I would be modeling around this time period instead of the original Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Northern. This would save me money and time for my construction at a time when everybody seems to be tightening up. Modeling the 90′s would mean less track (because so much had been abandoned by this point). It would also let me use my current rolling stock and most of my locomotive fleet.

Modeling the Indiana and Ohio’s Mason Subdivision would fit better in my space, and it would also give me an easier time researching. Not that much has changed in the decade or so since then. Anyway, it’s a decision I’m going to have to make soon, and I thought I would pass along these videos while I was thinking.

Source: http://home.fuse.net/garnst/

The DCC Revolution

Author: Kyle Montgomery
Category: Model Railroad

For Christmas one of my gifts was a Digitrax Zephyr DCC system. For those readers that are here more for the history than the modeling, a DCC (Digital Command Control) system unlocks additional control techniques using computer chips installed inside each locomotive. A DCC system can help control multiple trains simultaneously, control multiple units in the same consist, and control axillary functions like sound and lights in locomotives.

Those who have been reading know that I am currently layout-less, but that didn’t stop me from setting up a small run of brass track to try out my new fancy DCC Zephyr. One of my locomotives included a dual-mode decoder and two others needed only the flip of a jumper to switch them to DCC. Now I realize I may be late to the party with these sediments, but my review of DCC is glowing.

I knew going in what to expect from DCC. I knew the advantages of the system and have really just been waiting for it to fall into a price range I would be comfortable with. Yet nothing prepared me for the joy I felt from something as simple as switching a light on and off. Even the control of the locomotive felt more smooth and for lack of a better term, more “fun”.

The Zephyr itself was fairly easy to use. There were no major questions I had that couldn’t be answered in the manual. All the controls were intuitive and easy to wrap my head around. There was only so much I could test for on my short test track, but all three of my DCC locomotives were addressable and would run on the same track.

All in all, DCC helps keep up my excitement for my new layout. A layout which, as just so happens, is in a period of flux. Stand by for my next post in which I unveil a grand final design.*

*I am not responsible if the design and/or era changes again…