Random Recap #27

Trackside Treks Episode 8: Trains Along the Mohawk, Part 1

Harrison is off to Utica, making a railfan trek along the way. Part 1 of 2.

Workin’ on the Railroad: Track and Transfer Cabooses

I have been fiddling with track. I have decided on this track for Plattsburgh. All the hammering caused some destruction in the forest. The transfer caboose needs some paint touch up, and detailing and then decals. The next scenery project is to make piping going from the GP pulpwood loading to the paper plant across […]

Breaking Stuff and Making Sparks

Today I made some decisions about my layout. I added a leg to one end and secured the other end to the wall.(BTW, I am not happy with my benchwork and am considering rebuilding.) I then smashed some plaster and started taking off the back piece of 2×4. Before… All the plaster is off. The […]

Random Recap #26

The Sam Roberts Band rock it out on the CPR holiday train during the 2018 stop in Plattsburgh. Gideon and I tried to be Garry Knapp, but failed. This is the only good photo I took. -Harrison

Some Random Railfanning in March

On the way home one day, we stopped at the Miller St. crossing to catch the northbound Adirondack. At robotics, I (just) caught the southbound 630 on the Terry Gordon Bike Path. A CP ES44 was DPU. Later that day, I shot Amtrak 69 with P42DC #96. On Saturday, Gideon and I shot both Adirondacks, with P42DC’s #111 […]

Workin on the Railroad: Weekend Update

I have done some scenery this weekend. I started with the far corner. I did some of my “suburban blend” ground foam around the north side of the GP mill. I 3D printed some HO scale oil drums. they cost 5 cents each and took 4 minutes to print. You can download the file here. […]

Random Recap #25

Amtrak P42DC #110 leads the northbound Adirondack across the Miller St. crossing in Plattsburgh. -Harrison

Trains Along the Mohawk: Video Trailer

BONUS: Trains Along the Mohawk, Part 4: Foreign Power and More

After both Amtraks, we headed to our hotel. Afer dinner, we headed back to the station, but nothing was coming through. I took some shots of the inside of the station. We left the station, to return…

Trains Along the Mohawk, Part 3: Utica to Sunset

We got ready for some more Amtrak action, but there was more in store. We headed down to track one for a slow moving eastbound manifest, with CSX ES40DC #5281 and CSX SD40-2 #8850 on point. Two Mohawk, Adirondack & Northern Alcos are switching in the background. As the train slowly rolled through, a rumble […]

Trains Along the Mohawk, Part 2: Getting up to Speed at Utica

We headed for Utica, arriving just in time to see the Westbound Amtrak we saw at lock 13 leaving. We headed into the station, and when we came back out the loco of a eastbound intermodal had just passed, moving about 10 MPH. CSX ES44AC-H #3123 was the rear train DPU. Moments after the train […]

Trains Along the Mohawk, Part 1: Amsterdam, Fonda, and West

At 9:21 on Friday, we set out for Utica, NY, with a year of Trains, my T5, my Nikon video camera without the tripod😡, and my trusty Uniden Bearcat scanner. As we approached Amsterdam, we knew it was gonna be close to try to catch Amtrak 284 to NYC. The train pulled in right before we got there, […]

St. Albans Show Coming Soon!

The annual Vermont Rails St. Albans VT train show is Saturday, March 9th. I will not be able to attend, but stop by the A&LC and say hi.

Random Recap #24

A CSX westbound intermodal races past Utica Union Station, one of several to pass before we called it quits. An Eastbound Manifest rolls along the Mohawk river near lock 13. A flashback from December. I will be hunting down more fast freights on the water level route soon, and a full-length Trackside Treks will follow. -Harrison