Since my last update, we’ve been doing a little bit each week. I did get the 3D printer fired up last weekend, printing a re-railer and a holder/holster for the NCE PowerCab controller, which will be added to the side of the table, along with the controller connection station. This just means that I also have to add the power bus line and get power routed to all the connection points to get trains to all the track sidings I have planned.
Played Santa to myself last weekend too, picking up a new engine, another coal hopper, gondola and caboose – all in PRR colors.
The engine is a classic American steam Locomotive, a light Mikado, a 2-8-2 wheel arraignment designed and commissioned by the US Railroad Administration during WWI. The design became the standard light freight engine produced under the USRA and the nickname Mikado came from the fact that this wheel arraignment was first pioneered by the Japanese. The Pennsylvania built a limited number (33) of the USRA designs during the Great War and far more of their own classified L1 engines (574) through 1920. The Light Freighter was mothballed due to the railroad needing bigger and more locomotive power for the long coal trains and getting over the mountainous Central and western Pennsylvania Allegheny mountains. The engines were put back into service for WWII and ran on branch lines through out the PRR until full desalination. This engine will need some heavy weathering once I get the courage to dirty up an expensive model.
I remember trains running by the house I grew upon always having a caboose, seeing the conductors wave at us kids. Cabooses were no longer required by law in the US since 1982! I still miss them.
Lastly we have a gondola and two-bay coal hopper. The gondola load may get changed out as I want to keep the coal and/or gravel in the shorter 2-bay hoppers.
Guess I got to dedicate sometime time to getting the layout wired up so I can start running some trians!
I’ve got a diorama 90% ready and my last MCP figure that just needs a couple of Saturday hours to finish, so putting some time into the railroad should be something I work on with the Winter Break upcoming.
candore et labore 
Some nice models there Eric! 🙂 I do like that loco!
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I agree with John. Everything you showed off looks really cool and I agree that weathering on your train will look awesome. There are plenty of great modeling products that make weathering easy so I think you can get some great results there.
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