Tolga's Railroad Repository

I have decided in recent years to go with a layout of the FEC in South Florida. A fun railroad, FEC is probably, at the moment the most challenging too. For starters, accurate rock equipment is ridiculously hard to come by. You can't find correct 'penguins' anywhere except for a skilfully done set of hoppers by a modeler from South Carolina.  Nobody has as of yet made correct FEC containers, but I am about to try to help the suppliers with that and save them the trouble of doing field research. There are also a shortage of the 45' flatbed CYPZ trailers, but I think someone made something similar that all it takes is a kitbash.  There is a craving for UPS containers being answered by Athearn, so one past hurdle will be resolved soon. But someone needs to step in and mass produce UMAX containers - I only have one set (correct and with placards, from Athearn) and those are quite abundant IRL. But there are elements of the FEC that come across surprisingly e...

The NMRA National Train Show trip was very reflective for me. It broke a few historical records, being the first time I not only represented GFLUG but also ran with ECHOES and FECRS_NTrak. It reflected also the numerous friendships I've made in the train hobby and for that I am very blessed. It also reminded me of how disorganized my LEGO system is, too. Hold that thought! That took a quick turn there! I am always my toughest critic and the display I contributed to the club's massive 30'x50' ensemble shows no exception. I had gray ballast, black ballast (Club), and concrete ties stitched together in the piece. I don't think it bothered the 11,241 guests who showed up but I was like it's time to get consistent. As I am transitioning to university mode and putting away all the toys, I am also working to improve my city components so that I am on the ready the next time around. That will likely be the Tampa show in a little over four months. Keep in mind a ...

On August 7, my YouTube channel, one of my most prized possessions per se, is about to turn 10 years of age. It has had an interesting history. For one, the channel has been built from the ground up. It started as a rogue attempt at vlogging LEGO stuff and eventually evolved into a local railfanning and model train channel. I still do LEGO videos time to time, like the 10159 City Airport reboot video I just published. But what this particular entry is about is a celebration of one of the leadups and Precision Hobbying elements I have enjoyed about ten years ago. From July 17-21, 2007, I went to Orlando and visited Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I was a seasoned LEGO and somewhat-Disney geek. (I still follow WDW, as does just about everyone I know). Aside from some family memories I enjoyed at those parks, and a few scoots around Downtown Orlando and Winter Park, including the sight of Amtrak #97, I had an immense and influential haul from the Downtown Disney LEGO store. This haul has do...

First and foremost, I would like to welcome you to my rebranded blog, a play on E. Hunter Harrison's Precision Scheduled Railroad model as it is being applied to CSX. Indeed, this blog is not necessarily to be about his changes to CSX which are debatable, for better or for worse, but about how I see the hobbies (LEGO, Trains, etc.) going forward. I want to make needed changes so that those hobbies that I do enjoy can be done more so; and I wish to share the know-how with all of you. I am undergoing changes to the LEGO hobby especially that I will discuss at a later time. This entry, however, is about a very effective move being implemented on a future train show display. NMRA Display Plan with Airport added in. There is an extra baseplate I had lying around to be included The NMRA National Train Show is a month away, and we will be missing two very important gentlemen who have contributed immensely to GFLUG over the years. I was watching Beyond the Brick's LEGO Vault ...

Some may remember that in 2011 I've acquired tables to do what was to be the O717 corridor in HO Scale (CSX Miami Sub from Ft. Lauderdale-Deerfield Beach). I was off to a good start, having finished top sections in 2012. But college happened, and I lost track of progress, plus that was when my LEGO interests really kicked into high gear (as if they hadn't already). Fast forward to 2016, which was my first HO ops session on David DiMassimo's layout at Gold Coast Railroad Museum. Granted, I've fudged around, operated trains with Rudy and other railfans as I had acquired my CITX locomotive and actually had power to run. It was at this point my interests in HO scale model railroading were totally rekindled and, perhaps the first nudge towards future LEGO dark ages. Since I decided to stay local for graduate school, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon, so I am, as availability dictates, going to maintain a layout. I just purchased table legs for one of the 8ftx2...

My first all inclusive Power Functions locomotives, which are CSX General Electric ES44AHs are in the process of being rebuilt to adapt to numerous design improvements made and tested with my Florida East Coast Models. One of two of them has been completed and here are pictures. Over the old design, the improvements include the following: Reduction of height profile by one plate Reduction of Flame Yellowish Orange sil to one plate instead of two. A layer of black plate lines the bottom of the base. New handrail design. This uses cut up hose elements acquired from Bricklink. Granted it wasn't cheap, but these locomotives come with some of my heaviest investments. Easier Power Functions operations. For one, the battery box is now better connected to the locomotive. Also, I don't have to remove half of the locomotive to power it on or off. Just the section with the horn and exhaust stack has to be pulled out to access the battery box. This makes the engine sturdie...

It was a Saturday afternoon, and I finished an ops session at Gold Coast Models. It was then that, unexpectedly, I received an email from Lance Mindheim saying he was going to come down to Miami! As some may know, Lance is a talented model railroader responsible for very efficient shelf model layouts. In fact, he runs a business called the Shelf Layouts Company, and does commissions for customers. On the side, he has done three very awesome layouts, the Downtown Spur, East Rail, and the new Los Angeles Junction. His visit to Miami was set for a Wednesday afternoon, which for the first time ever worked for me. The purpose was much like past trips, a day trip from DC to do recon and railfanning of the local rails. The last time he came down here I was still in high school; that was back in 2013. Taking a day off was practically out of the question. Two things just so happened to fall beautifully into place. One was that Anthony Reyes, known by some as "Train Hunters" (t...