I am currently compiling data to design and build a HO switching layout of the Poydras Street Yard in New Orleans, La.. Right now I am going through some insurance maps, and aerial photographs, to establish a track plan, and really need some data on what trains went in and out, switch lists maybe if they exist, or any kind of data in this area would be of help to me. I want to set it in the time period of 1938 to 1950 ish. It really depends on how much I can learn about operations in this area. Anything would be appreciated, please email me at guymartin1956@gmail.com.

To All: WR Interlocking Tower was custom built for Jim Duncan's St.Louis Layout,
by Layout Concepts.

Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout

It's time for me to quit lurking and start posting. I just relocated to the Chicago area, and once we close on our house in about a month, at last I'll have a decent-sized basement once again. For the last five years, my modeling attempts have been confined to single-car garages and utility rooms jam-packed with other stuff​, so that the prospect of making regular progress was nigh impossible. Shuffling out into a dim, damp, cold garage in the middle of an Ohio winter to work on the railroad meant that I didn't do it very often.

To All: A popular road all out of proportion to it's size was the CNJ. This is a car
I painted, lettered, weathered and dull coated.

Yours, Elvin Howland/E. St. Louis Rail Group Layout

 It was showtime at the Hiller.

Silicon Valley Free-moN had our modules set up and trains running only to find...

ONLY ONE PASSING SIDING ON THE WHOLE LAYOUT????

We had over a week of show and the ability to run only two trains at a time?

What would happen next Sunday when the whole group showed up and wanted to run trains?
Draw straws?
Stand in line?

Something had to be done!

So I built (most of) a staging yard in (most of) a week.

Hello Folks,

Well, it's been a while since my last update. I have been distracted by work for the last little while but things are calming down again.

I have spent what little free time I have converting two engines to DCC and learning (playing with) my NCE system. After converting my Kato C44-9W (a simple drop-in replacement), I decided to convert my Altas GP35.

This was not a drop-in replacement and also required some machining of the frame to make the decoder fit. Fortunately, my handy Dremel tool took care of that. In all, it took about an hour to convert.