Model Railroading on the Cheap

   Here is a photo of daily work at the Yardley engine terminal.  We see an engine leaving the turntable, a caboose ready to leave and a mainline train crew in conversation outside the engine hostler’s office. In the background is the new black diesel switcher (a Varney cast metal body with extra weight on a LifeLike drive) sorting some freight cars. The calendar says about 1950.

   The steam loco is a Bachmann Spectrum 4-8-2 with custom decals. The cabooses are kit bashed with custom decals and herald. The coal and water facilities seem to take up a lot of room and are an obstacle to visibility during switching and classification operations in the yard, but they were important facilities in the days of steam operation. I felt I should include them. The yellow refrigerator car sides were home made with the computer and printed on card paper then glued to the plastic car side after removing all the raised detail; the grass is just green paint.

Both of these locomotives are smooth & quiet runners and will pull about 10 cars up my 2.3% grade.