Tolga's LEGO Train Buzz: Tampa Train Show Analysis: "Annually, so much money gets put in for a trip to a show to be able to see the selection of trains and pretty much most importantly the GFLU..."
This is my full scoop on the show and two cents. This trip was done last weekend.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Homestead Sub
My friend is contemplating modeling the Homestead Sub. This is a 31 mile line SW of Hialeah Yard on the Miami--- it is a historic and diverse stretch of track.
While my cash is on the Miami Sub north of Fort Lauderdale, I want to say at a close second came the Homestead for a decided layout.
The line has two spurs which go to separate limerock quarries. They hit the big time - no doubt - until 2008 when there was a slump real estate crash, but nonetheless they still produce rock. The video to the left is one of those jobs. Note the covered cylindrical hoppers with loaded cement. A positive sign for CYD.
I guess he is looking though into doing the manifest industries. There are about three dedicated customers, the rest sporadic.
The Orr Water Treatment plant does a two-in-one; they receive chlorine and soda ash. For the facilities within, the switching moves should be quite fascinating.
Seal-Tite Plastics receives pellets in covered hoppers and occasionally in boxcars.
AFEC, Atlantic Florida East Coast fertilizer, receives the commodity-sake in ACF covered hoppers.
The sporadic ones are Cemex, FPL, and ProBuild. ProBuild takes/took in lumber while Cemex takes an occasional open hopper and FPL occasionally dealt oversize flats for power equipment. I don't know if any of the three are fallen soldiers.
The Homestead side has a wye where the engines turn. Historically scrap and crush stone gons have been set out there recently, fostering more flexibility. There was a fallen soldier there, too so to say: Stock Builder Supply -- it took so much freight: practically everything, boxcars, bulkheads, and centerbeams, until its demise in July 2009. Tis a shame that they are no longer active but it would be a blessing to see a similar customer arise. I told him that he'd want to mix the olden era in just to add options. 2008 should be a fit year, as CSX didn't order much of anything then except for Gensets and more AC GEVOspam, both practically strangers to South Florida.
The Lehigh Spur has Cemex which takes in coal and makes Coal Ash as a byproduct of the burning process. This is much more frequent than the bird rd. customer ;) The above video confirms that they are current in the latter, having four hoppers leave with the smoky ash on March 15. You can also see the rock trains which go to Florida rock in that video, around once a week.
The lines hold a bit of hope. With CSX looking deep into direct Intermodal service to Miami who knows if the Lehigh can be the destination, with lots of acreage to be developed on its territory, in such a nice warehouse district. Also CSX laid some sort of track by Oleander which looks like a team track. Mixed use properties are for sale around the Oleander area (by Miami Airport) which can mean any industry, perhaps corn oil, ethanol, or even scrap can be prevalent there. I once had a dream at night, 10 minute apart intermodals and coals waiting to hold the NW 107 Avenue crossing on their way to the west end, on the Lehigh Spur. I also had a dream, that a secretly built intermodal ramp on the west end of the Lehigh took in its first train. Let's see if that can be a reality.
While my cash is on the Miami Sub north of Fort Lauderdale, I want to say at a close second came the Homestead for a decided layout.
The line has two spurs which go to separate limerock quarries. They hit the big time - no doubt - until 2008 when there was a slump real estate crash, but nonetheless they still produce rock. The video to the left is one of those jobs. Note the covered cylindrical hoppers with loaded cement. A positive sign for CYD.
I guess he is looking though into doing the manifest industries. There are about three dedicated customers, the rest sporadic.
The Orr Water Treatment plant does a two-in-one; they receive chlorine and soda ash. For the facilities within, the switching moves should be quite fascinating.
Seal-Tite Plastics receives pellets in covered hoppers and occasionally in boxcars.
AFEC, Atlantic Florida East Coast fertilizer, receives the commodity-sake in ACF covered hoppers.
The sporadic ones are Cemex, FPL, and ProBuild. ProBuild takes/took in lumber while Cemex takes an occasional open hopper and FPL occasionally dealt oversize flats for power equipment. I don't know if any of the three are fallen soldiers.
The Homestead side has a wye where the engines turn. Historically scrap and crush stone gons have been set out there recently, fostering more flexibility. There was a fallen soldier there, too so to say: Stock Builder Supply -- it took so much freight: practically everything, boxcars, bulkheads, and centerbeams, until its demise in July 2009. Tis a shame that they are no longer active but it would be a blessing to see a similar customer arise. I told him that he'd want to mix the olden era in just to add options. 2008 should be a fit year, as CSX didn't order much of anything then except for Gensets and more AC GEVOspam, both practically strangers to South Florida.
The Lehigh Spur has Cemex which takes in coal and makes Coal Ash as a byproduct of the burning process. This is much more frequent than the bird rd. customer ;) The above video confirms that they are current in the latter, having four hoppers leave with the smoky ash on March 15. You can also see the rock trains which go to Florida rock in that video, around once a week.
The lines hold a bit of hope. With CSX looking deep into direct Intermodal service to Miami who knows if the Lehigh can be the destination, with lots of acreage to be developed on its territory, in such a nice warehouse district. Also CSX laid some sort of track by Oleander which looks like a team track. Mixed use properties are for sale around the Oleander area (by Miami Airport) which can mean any industry, perhaps corn oil, ethanol, or even scrap can be prevalent there. I once had a dream at night, 10 minute apart intermodals and coals waiting to hold the NW 107 Avenue crossing on their way to the west end, on the Lehigh Spur. I also had a dream, that a secretly built intermodal ramp on the west end of the Lehigh took in its first train. Let's see if that can be a reality.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
CSX Florida Business Unit in Trainz: Potential Trip to Central Florida
CSX Florida Business Unit in Trainz: Potential Trip to Central Florida: "I may be headed to the Orlando Sub area as well as the Lakeland and Tampa Terminal Subs to railfan on March 18-19. The main event is actuall..."
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Homasote vs. Plywood: The Modeler's Debate
When making a layout you want to pick the table surface that best suits you.
I for one was hugging the plywood I had, so to say. I thought I could do with plywood, but the Miami Sub has ballast ridges, ditches, and other neat gizmos.
Hence I want to go with homasote.
Per say, there is nothing wrong with plywood, it's a very adhesive table and widely used. They best suit a flat layout though, say an industrial spur. Sure, you can terraform with clay, foam, or putty, but all that can be considerably extra.
Homasote is easy to cut and you can form rivers, terrain, and others. It is a consistent material and great for subtle terrain, however you still need the above or similar material to make a mountain or a steep ridge.
It's all at the discretion of the modeler. However, I have my money willing to be saved for homasote.
I for one was hugging the plywood I had, so to say. I thought I could do with plywood, but the Miami Sub has ballast ridges, ditches, and other neat gizmos.
Hence I want to go with homasote.
Per say, there is nothing wrong with plywood, it's a very adhesive table and widely used. They best suit a flat layout though, say an industrial spur. Sure, you can terraform with clay, foam, or putty, but all that can be considerably extra.
Homasote is easy to cut and you can form rivers, terrain, and others. It is a consistent material and great for subtle terrain, however you still need the above or similar material to make a mountain or a steep ridge.
It's all at the discretion of the modeler. However, I have my money willing to be saved for homasote.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Miami Sub Freight Train Fact sheet
For the knowing of the reader, here are the trains that run through here:
General Manifest (2) - Daily
V150 - Kentucky-Miami
V157 - Blanton, KY-Miami
Feel free to orient to this with the later blog posts.
I'll be posting one about being skunked by a rock train, per se, tomorrow.
General Manifest (2) - Daily
- Q453 Waycross-Miami
- Q452 Miami-Waycross
- O717 Fort Lauderdale Switcher - Between Hallandale and Boca Raton (this is the flagship local of the layout)
- O718 Fort Lauderdale Night Switcher - Fort Lauderdale Yard, rarely transfer runs to Hialeah (another flagship)
- O720 Miami-Boca - Main Transfer Run to Fort Lauderdale and rock for two points (not modeled on layout)
- O721 Homestead Switcher - Well this is south of Hialeah, but the Homestead Sub's main train
- K790 Miami-Davenport
- K791 Davenport-Miami
- K916 Miami-Ocala
- K915 Ocala-Miami
- K950 Miami-Orlando
- K951 Orlando-Miami
- K962 Miami-Gainesville
- K961 Gainesville-Miami
- K974 Miami-Jacksonville
- K973 Jacksonville-Miami
- K978 Miami-Taft
- K977 Taft-Miami
- K996 Miami-Tampa
- K995 Tampa-Miami
V150 - Kentucky-Miami
V157 - Blanton, KY-Miami
E109 - Miami-Erwin
E202 - Miami-Corbin (if the hoppers are needed there)Feel free to orient to this with the later blog posts.
I'll be posting one about being skunked by a rock train, per se, tomorrow.
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