Upstate Model Railroaders

Just heard from a reliable source that the Amherst train show is canceled.

Today I would like to thank one of our members, John Cunningham, for the donation of his layout and rolling stock. It is a significant amount of Kato Unitrack. We will be able to utilize Unitrack in designing and building many new T track modules. Thank you John!

The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Engine No. 313 delivers the steam yacht "Ellide" to Baldwin Dock in the 1890s. The boat rides on a flatcar along a makeshift l...aunching track near the steamboat dock. A winch on the flat car allows the boat to roll gently down the ramp into the water. The D&H maintained a similar permanent "marine track" in the village of Lake George (Caldwell). See more

A little bit of the history of John Nye’s rail road. It’s name 3J rail came from the initials of John, Jared, and Jay, his two sons. I don’t know when and how John came up the idea to make the layout mobile. He found an old ambulance. It had a high roof and a wheelchair access port. He cleverly fit each section of the layout into this vehicle. He displayed all over the Northeast. His favorite places were Syracuse, Plattsburg, and our show at Glens Falls. The layout itself h...ad great detail. Lots of miniature people, animals, and a real water flowing river. People loved it. He had signs up around the layout asking people to find individual scenes on the layout. The idea was for a one track mainline through the Adirondacks with long passing sidings. It was fun to operate on the layout and we enhanced it at the Hartford convention by using walkie-talkies to handle the traffic. that’s just a little of what I remember. There are videos on YouTube. Search under 3J rail. See more

Traveling south on the northway this afternoon. Saw two NYC subway cars heading back to Plattsburgh. Looks like they need an overhaul. No graffiti on them.

It was a sad day yesterday. John Nye‘s famous 3J rail layout has been taken down. Here are some photos of the project. Thankfully many pictures were taken and every item that could be saved, was. John’s son Jared, will build a new layout remembering the legacy of his dad. The last picture is John’s layout on display at the 2009 NMRA Hartford convention.

October Business meeting, with social distancing and masks. Or its a very old bunch of bandits!

Sunday school tonight. Learning about the new Digitrax 602D throttle.

The Turbo train is listed in this story.