My name is Brent Hutchinson, and I'm an architect residing in MD. I'm interested in creating a model railroad set in late 19-teens West Virginia. I'm thinking of a historically-based "what-if" freelanced railroad based on the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh and Western Maryland route between Thomas and Hendricks WV. I'm envisioning heavy coal trains hauled by multiple Consolidations, Mallets, and Decapods up steep 3%+ Blackwater Canyon grades with plenty of curves and mountainous scenery. Sidings serving local businesses, coke ovens, coal mines and tanneries. A rail yard with a turntable and engine house to serve as the home base for the operation. Pacific's and 4-4-0's and 4-6-0's providing some local freight, daily light passenger, and seasonal tourist service. Logging operations with more steep creek-side grades with switchbacks and curving track operated by a couple of Shays, a Climax and maybe a Heisler to bring the virgin timber out of the woods to the saw mill. Small towns, company housing, and logging camps. Interesting locomotives, interesting industries, and interesting geography and history. Lots of opportunities for creating a miniature world with a purpose.
I had a plywood express when I was a teenager, with brass flex track, cork road bed, and a diagonal reversing loop, so I have some experience with constructing and wiring a layout and cleaning track. About 10-15 years ago I purchased 16 or so Bachmann Spectrum engines over a few months, to include the models mentioned above. Some are DCC On-board, but I think most are not. The intention was to start on a layout at that time, but then life got in the way. I test drove a few of them on a Bachmann EZ track oval I put together for my son for Christmas one year when he was young. Other than that, the engines have remained in their boxes.
I've been thinking about beginning to construct a layout, and started doing some online research over the past month or so to see what's out there now - how things have changed... I figured if I want to have multiple engines pulling coal trains, I would need to have a DCC system. So, I thought the first place to start would be to determine which system I wanted to go with. After researching options online including Digitrax and NCE, I wasn't too impressed with the throttles or the CV programming. I discovered Dead Rail and am interested in that to reduce the amount of wiring needed and eliminate relying on clean track track to deliver the power - if it can be done without starting a fire. I decided that I would purchase a Digitrax Zephyr just to get started with something, not spend a lot of money doing it, and see if I could get a DCC engine to run on that oval and experience the benefits of DCC; but when I went to my local hobby store to buy it, the store was closed (despite the hours listed on their website that indicated they should have been open).
That turned out to be a good thing, because afterwards I came across KPack and his videos on YouTube demonstrating this RailPro radio system and how easy it is to set up and operate. The controller looks to be comfortably-sized with a digital screen that's easy to read and a real knob to control the train and make selections. Programming CV's is not required. I especially like the consisting features and the way the engines communicate real time to work together - without having to program anything other than specifying the engines in the consist. It looks like my dream of having multiple 2-8-0's at the front of the train, a couple of mid-train helpers, and a Mallet pushing the hoppers from the rear may not only be possible, but easy to do. Apparently, I can even try RailPro without having to purchase a handheld controller which will reduce the cost of getting started and allow me to experiment to see if it's right for me. I haven't even mentioned all of the realistic operation and sound options that the system offers. So here I am at the RPUG forum.
I've purchased thousands of acres of untouched valuable forest and coal lands for next to nothing; I ran for and was elected to the state legislature to ensure that I was granted a charter to build the road, mine the coal and cut the timber; I've talked my political cronies into investing in the venture, organized my corporation and issued stock; I've surveyed the first miles of the road from the Potomac River into the previously inaccessible heart of the Appalachian Mountains; I've hired the companies to build the bridge across the Potomac to make the connection with the B&O; I've purchased the materials and equipment and have hired the foremen and crews to start grading the road and laying the track; I've placed my orders and negotiated with the various engine building companies to manufacture 16 steam locomotives. I am now ready to start building my railroad empire to exploit the natural resources of early 20-century West Virginia and become fabulously wealthy! Errrrrr, what I mean to say is that I am now ready to bring the previously inaccessible communities of rural West Virginia into the 20th Century by providing transportation, industry, and jobs!
Where do I start?
