Dec 23 to Jan 23, 2005 Matt Lappin's Central Indiana & Ohio Railroad is what some may call a "Mega Regional" that stretches from the Steel Mills and Coal fields around Pittsburgh through the corn fields and into Kansas City. With a mainline spine running from Pittsburgh to Kansas City and reaching Cincinnati, Chicago, Decatur and Louisville, the CIOR consists of many fallen flag routes, from the PRR and NYC, Milw Road and RI, Erie and C&, P&LE and MK&T. The CIOR began life as a shortline with rails acquired from the PC in 1968. Operations began with a ALCo S2 Switcher and rented office space in dowtown Greenville, Ohio. Soon the CIOR was acquiring more rail from the likes of the failing PC. By the early 1980's the CIOR had purchased a complete mainline from Pittsburgh to St.Louis from the PC and now Conrail. Then came the St. Louis to Kansas City main. Let's follow the CIOR through the construction photos and projects as Matt Lappin shares his Central Indiana & Ohio Railroad with us. Jan 23 to Feb 23, 2005 Chip Syme's Penn Central's Valley Division Chip said: My railroad is modeled after the Penn Central's Valley Division, early 1970's to today's ConRail. My layout is 20' X 13', double track mainline and a branch line. Interlockings are controlled by individual towers. I have two main yards and a three-track interchange with the B&O. The interchange is on the branch line along with a "Y" track at each end. Other industries on the branch include a chemical plant (not a refinery) and a small stub track for an occasional car of lumber. There is also one passing siding to store a unit coal train in case the B&O can't handle it or in case of loading problems at the mine off this division. From PC to CR to NS Chip Syme is an Engineer who has a web site well worth the visit. So, without further ado, let's visit the Penn Central's Valley Division. Feb 23 to Mar 23, 2005 How I make a Model Railroad by Paul Templar Paul writes: "TRAINS, THE ULTIMATE HOBBY. THIS IS A VOYAGE INTO EXPANDING A RAILROAD. IT'S ON GOING MISSION TO EXPLORE STRANGE NEW ALCOVES. TO SEEK OUT NEW PLACES, AND NEW AREA'S TO MODEL. TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO TRAIN HAS GONE BEFORE." "I had started modelling at the tender age of seven with one O - scale BING (wish I still had it) 0-6-0 clockwork. (Come to think of it, it never ever did stall at a turnout) Anyway, the fascination with laying track all over the place has never really left me." Paul is an Author, Photographer, Webmaster and Web Forum owner who has put together a very interesting 'How To' site describing how he does it. The topics include: Benchwork, Wiring, Ballasting, Track Cleaning, Scenery, Scratchbuilding, Big Trees, Fences, Card & Waybill, Sound & light, Trestles, Model Photography, Weathering, Lift Outs and Photo Scanning Although Paul's Cooncreek & Tumbleweed Springs was Webmaster's Choice in May 2004, this site is certainly worth a visit on its own merit. Let's take a look at How I make a Model Railroad Mar 23 to April 23, 2005 I received this e-mail: Roger, here's one of my all time favorite model railroads, Craig Tice's Mojave and Panamint. It was featured a few years ago in RMC. It's gone now, but it's well documented on Craig's website. I go back to it from time to time, even though I model N-scale, 1990's. Craig has all the essential elements of a great model railroad here. - Bob B. Checking out the site, I read: "Welcome to the Mojave & Panamint "3-foot standard gauge" railroad. We're a small outfit located way out here in the Mojave Desert of California. We own 5 or 6 locomotives and from this mess we can almost always scrape up one or two that are capable of holding steam. Actually we take great pride in our stable of little iron ponies. Despite somewhat limited finances we manage to employ a full-time boiler wiper who keeps the russia iron shining like new and someday we even hope to be able to hire a mechanic. The name of the railroad was originally the "Mojave River and Panamint Valley Narrow Gauge Railroad" but we couldn't fit that name on the tenders so we shortened it to just "Mojave & Panamint". It's a good thing we did too because the line never did reach the Mojave River." Yes, Bob, it is well worth the visit. So, let's go to the Mojave & Panamint Railroad April 23 to May 23, 2005 So you think that the Nickel Plate was the only road with those beautiful Berkshires? Wrong! This month we take a trip of a different nature and visit the Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc during its 10th year as a historical society. The. Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc was founded in 1995 as a means of collecting and disseminating information regarding the Pere Marquette Railroad. The membership is made up of historians, former employees, modelers, and railfans. The Pere Marquette Railroad Company was formed in 1900 by the merger of numerous Michigan railroads. During its existence, it came under the control of several other railroads. In the 1920s, it came under the control of the Van Sweringens from Cleveland who controlled the Nickel Plate, and other roads, thus those beautiful Berkshires The Pere Marquette operated over trackage stretching from Buffalo, New York to Chicago, and from Bay View Michigan to Toledo, Ohio, with trackage in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Ontario. The PM also operated railway car ferries on the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, and a fleet of car ferries from Ludington across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Kewaunee and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Nearly all of the trackage CSX operates in Michigan today is former PM trackage. From photos to rosters of steam and diesel locos, passenger and freight cars, this site is well worth a look-see even if you don't model the PM. The Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc is a wealth of information. May 23 to June 23, 2005 The Parkdale Yard Limit is a transition-era HO scale industrial switching layout. The site features layout progress with shots of basement prep and the beginning of benchwork, model photos of buildings already built just waiting for their place on the layout, and motive power roster with shots of locomotives ready for the layout and those awaiting DCC and conversion to Canadian look and feel. On the Resources pages are road signs and billboards and gasoline signage ready to download, and a monthly gallery of interesting structures. The track plan ahowing the layout as an around-the-walls design occupying a 12' x 16' space. The track around the perimeter is elevated 3" and allows for continuous running, mostly of passenger trains. The lower track is for point-to-point operations. Maximum grade is 2.5%. Minimum curve radius is 22" on the lower track and 30" on the upper. Without further ado, let's take a trip to The Parkdale Yard Limit remembering to return in the future and watch the progress.