Model Railroad Podcast

MRC Show # 18 Notes - Building your MRR World

• Crew Lounge: Sweet 16 DVD updates, Will's ATSF progress and all our great feedback on the MRC Unplugged show.
• Roundhouse: Part 1 of Designing a Model railroad you can enjoy and be proud of.
• Coaling Tower: Joe Fugate Op Session DVD1-3, Joe Fugate 'Modelling a Prototype Railroad' DVD.
• Archives: A quick look at Britain's railways
• TYRTH: 1932
• Branch Line: An interview with Leo Bicknell of Reality Reduced.
• Interchange: Various RH related Links.

Download the enhanced (better sounding) version of the show with chapters:  MRC Show 18 (AAC)

Crew Lounge
Will update: Recieved FT's, but have lost powerpack. Waiting on other stock.
Ryan Update: Close to finishing the sweet 16 DVD
Railway Post Office
Feedback and updates.

Roundhouse
The first part of a 4-part (or so) series on model your model railroad.  From a basic layout to a crafted master piece you can enjoy and be proud of.

This week, the basics of designing your RR world (not just your trackplan). Heck, sometimes its good for even seasoned Model Railroaders to cleanse their palette/mind. We're starting off from Episode 15's armchair modelling segment and building on it with some of our choices and the way we came to them to set our railroad in a place and time - as the first step towards designing your railroad.

We chose Ohio, and a freelanced railroad called  (as I'm sure our more astute listeners may have already guessed) the MRCR. Listen as we justify the place, time and setting of our railroad and explore some of the options.  Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

Coaling Tower
Our final thoughts Joe Fugate's Operating Session series of DVDs, and a short review on Volume 1 of the "Modelling a Prototype" disk. Ryan almost blows the cover on an excellent giveaway prize, too!

Archives
The history of British railways from 1830 to 1994. British Railways while arguably far smaller in scale than their American brethren played a significant part in the development of England, Scotland and Wales - and we touch on some of the more notable events in the history of the rail network of our green isle.

This Random Year in Train History - This week: 1849
Jay Smith: The first segment of the Pennsylvania Railroad, from Lewiston, Pennsylvania to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, opens for service.

Duncan: This Random Year in Railroad History, 1849, was of great significance to railroads in the Western United States in an indirect, but highly significant way. It is the year that the California Gold Rush really got going. Before the “49’ers” arrived, California had a population of about 15,000. In 1849, it is estimated that 90,000 miners and merchants arrived to seek their fortunes in the California gold fields. Several of these merchants went on in 1861 to found the Central Pacific company which on to build the western half of the transcontinental railroad. To give you an idea of how difficult the journey was in those days before the railroad was built, the ship that Mark Hopkins, one of the founders of the Central Pacific, arrived on, the Pacific, left New York on Jan 22, 1849 and didn’t arrive in San Francisco until Aug. 5. Hopkins and the three other merchants of the “Big Four”, Stanford, Hungtinton and Crocker, all made fortunes selling supplies to the 49’ers at a great profit. These profits allowed them to put up the bonds necessary to secure the rights from the US government for the western half of the transcontinental railroad. One wonders if the Gold Rush hadn’t happened if the first transcontinental railroad would have terminated in California. For one California might not have become a state and might still have belonged to Mexico in 1861. It seems likely that somewhere in Oregon or Washington would have been the terminus.

Douglas: The governments of India and England form the first agreements to provide land grants to English companies for railroad construction in India. Robert Stephenson's High Level Bridge for the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway at Newcastle upon Tyne, England is opened permanently for rail traffic. The Scioto and Hocking Valley Railroad (which eventually became the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad) is chartered in Ohio to build a railroad from Portsmouth through Piketon and Chillicothe to Lancaster.

Zonie: The Jenny Lind with a 100psi boiler was introduced.

Ryan: LMRR starts it climb to power.

Will: The Liggett's Gap Railroad is incorporated in Scranton. It later becomes the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad.
Waterloo Station opens, replaced Nine Elms as terminus for London & South Western Railway - 1848/49
The Michigan Central builds new shops in Detroit (between 1848 and 1851).  The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1837 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. Michigan Central became part of New York Central in 1867 and became part of Penn Central and Conrail. Ex Michigan Central trackage is in use by Norfolk Southern.

Next week: 1932 was the chosen year.  See what you can find or interest to you or others.

Branch Line
An interview with the indomitable Leo Bicknell of Reality Reduced Video Podcast fame where we talk about the Derby City Express convention, the problems with N scale manufacturers/distributor policy and some interesting information about the particulars of running Steamers in 1:160.

Interchange
Some information of Ohio via the B&O railroad history: http://www.american-rails.com/baltimore-and-ohio.html
First found in northern Ohio, gypsum is the foundation of a new plaster industry: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/7709/default.aspx
Rubber was another huge industry for Ohio, in fact, at one time Ohio was the leading Rubber manufacturing state: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1533
Ohio is home to Frigidaire: http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/manuscripts/ms262.html
Amish country and agriculture: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-78871/Ohio
Interesting paper on population percentages and growth in Ohio from 1950s to 1990s, covers urban and rural statistics: http://exurban.osu.edu/papers/ru1.pdf
 

Download the enhanced (better sounding) version of the show with chapters:  MRC Show 18 (AAC)