DME down under

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad - prototype and model

Back from Minnesota trip

I returned to Australia last Friday from my two week trip to Minnesota. I am now catching up with work, family and friends (and sleep). I hopefully will be able to post a full report in the next few days.
 
However, I can say that the trip was really great. I visited four terrific layouts and met a great bunch of people at the MinnRail event in Minneapolis. As luck would have it, there was a model railroad "swap meet" on the Saturday of MinnRail not far from our morning's layout visit. With the South Dakota blokes (of which I was an honorary member), we had a quick hour to spend a a school to check out what the swap meet had to offer.
 
The swap meet was held in two large halls at a school. Inside the halls were a bevy of dealers and trade stands with merchandise spread out across trestle tables. There were no layouts at this type of event. The traders included both second-hand and new goods for sale. Naturally, I picked up a few items to bring back home. The event was interesting because the sole focus is on buying and selling model railway products at a single venue for a few hours on one particular day.
 
It was great to catch up with Alan (and Eric) who I had met two years previously, and the rest of the South Dakota crew. I also enjoyed visiting layouts and railway-served industries in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the couple of days I was there. 
 
Finally, I had fun taking photos of the DME and BNSF trains, the railway infrastructure, and lineside industries during the trip.
 
Finally, I was lucky to arrive back home prior to the reckless grounding of QANTAS by (I'll take a 71% wage increase) CEO, Alan Joyce. Thanks to the QANTAS crew, we also arrived back in Sydney earlier than scheduled to avoid the Customs four-hour strike on Friday morning. Having been critical of QANTAS in the past, I can say that on this trip the service was both efficient and friendly.
 
That's it for now, folks....
 
 

The main game

I fly out tomorrow (Wednesday 12th October) for Minneapolis in the US. For me, the main reason for the trip is to participate at MinnRail this weekend. I want to see how this type of model railroad event compares with other types of model railroading events such as conventions and seminars. The plan is to write an article about these different types of events.
 
At the same time, I will also be keen on learning more about the operation side of model railroading - US style that is. As part of an operating group in the NMRA here in Canberra, I really love those Monday nights at different layouts using card systems, working DCC throttles, and running trains to particular destinations. I am looking forward to this weekend where operation will be quite intensive across a number of different model railroad layouts.
 
I will also be interested in trying out the different DCC systems because soon I will need to make my decision on which DCC system to purchase for my DME model railroad.
 
The weekend also brings together a bunch of model railroaders from different parts of the country. I am looking forward to meeting them and hearing their stories.
 
 
 
 

It's all in the detail

I have two weeks to go before I fly out of Sydney for Minneapolis. I will be attending MinnRail 2011. After that, I have a couple of days in which to spend time with modellers in Sioux Falls (SD) before driving around south-western and central Minnesota for a few days taking photographs.
 
Naturally, I will be spending much of this photography time looking at the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern (DME). I will follow the long-ago abandoned CNW line between Evan and Marshall, since this forms the basis of my proposed model railroad. I will also spend some time along the BNSF line (formerly Burlington Northern line) from Sioux Falls to Marshall checking out the trains en route since I will have a fictitious interchange at Marshall with the DME for the model railroad. I need to see what traffic goes through Marshall and to see where I might position a DME interchange based on the prototype location. The ADM facility at Marshall is also on my list of industries to see.
 
When I did my last trip to South Dakota and Minnesota in 2009, the focus was definitely on driving the west-east DME rail route between Rapid City (SD) and Winona (MN) and back again. On that trip I took hundreds of photos but as I look at these photos now I realise I should have taken hundreds more.
 
The digital photos I have from the 2009 trip are a good representation of what I saw along the DME main line. I managed to take photos of DME trains when I came across them, and I took lots of photos of the yards and industries at many of the towns along the way. I have the usual bevy of photos of DME trains and locos in the standard full frame 3/4 view but not enough photos highlighting specific details. I need more photos showing the detail elements of DME locomotives, rolling stock and industries. Whilst it is true that there is an essential similarity with all SD40-2's and GP9's for example, I want to see what the detail elements are on these locos in the DME roster.
 
Similarly, whilst the bulk (if not all?) of the DME rolling stock nowadays won't have CNW liveried freight cars as it was in 1995-96 (the period I am modelling), I can still learn about the type of freight traffic the DME carries. For example, I remember seeing lumber packaged on centrebeam flat cars but I didn't pay enough attention to the brand of wrapping around the load. The recent article in Model Railroader (October 2011) by Pelle Soeborg about centrebeam lumber loads was a good reminder for me to pay more attention on this trip. And since I'd like to have some sort of lumber traffic on my DME model railroad, I also need to find out where the lumber originates from and where it is going. More generally, I will also give greater attention to freight car weathering; something that should equally be as apparant as it was in 1995-96.
 
This trip, therefore, will be seeking to fill in the missing details that my first trip overlooked.
 
In addition, I will also be focused on model railroading. I am looking forward to MinnRail and to spending time with fellow modellers in Sioux Falls who I spent time with in 2009. I also hope to check out a few hobby shops on the trip - hopefully the Aussie dollar will hold up close to parity with the US dollar so I can get full value from any purchases.
 
The journey starts in a fortnight. I really can't wait!
 

MinnRail 2011

In a few weeks time I will be heading off from Canberra, Australia, to Minnesota in the US; two years almost to the day when I was last there. Hopefully, the snow and freezing weather I experienced in South Dakota at that time will not be repeated on this trip!

I will be attending the invitation-only MinnRail event in Minneapolis in mid-October. I feel privileged to have been invited and look forward to the weekend with much interest. It will be good to catch up with Alan and others who I met on my last trip and who showed me such excellent hospitality. The hobby of model railroading is a great opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

I am also hoping the trip will re-ignite my enthusiasm for the layout. The DME layout will be based on a fictional history as already outlined in previous DME Down Under blog posts. I will be renting a car and driving around western and central Minnesota, paying particular attention to the long ago abandoned ex-CNW line between Marshall and Evan. On this trip I should have some  more time to spend at individual locations; not seeking to drive the full length of the DME line and back from Rapid City (SD) to Winona (MN) as I did in 2009.

The other aspect of the trip I will be looking out for is to spend some time, when possible, with people knowledgeable about the prototype operational characteristics of the DME prior to the Canadian Pacific ownership. My layout will be set around the 1996 era and I am hoping to learn more about the train operation of the line back then.

I look forward to meeting modellers and DME railroad fans in October 2011.

The frustrations of a DME modeller

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog about modelling the Dakota, Minnesota and Easter (DME). Thanks to Allen for a prompt to put something down.

I can give a litany of excuses/reasons as to why progress has stalled, but suffice to say, the garage (and location for the model railway) is still not ready. Whenever some internal change to the inside of the house occurs (and this has been common in the last few months), pieces of furniture, appliances, or just plain junk (well, to me anyway) has to be moved to the garage!

But at least least the interest and intent still remain.

I have also been working with a friend on producing the Australian Journal of Railway Modelling. This has taken some time and thinking space over the past four months and the magazine was finally released in early June. The magazine focuses on quality modelling of Australian prototype railways but the techniques and thinking apply to model railways everywhere.

On the model railroad front, I recently purchased a couple of undecorated Kato SD40-2's (mid-production) models from Tom's in Connecticut. They add to my DME fleet of GP9's and other SD40-2's. They have been fitted with DCC and sound but I haven't had the chance to run them yet on my friend's Australian DCC layout to try them out. I also really need to find out how different the DME SD40-2's are compared to the SD40-3s that were on the DME roster in 1995-96, the period I am modelling.

I acquired some CNW grain hoppers from a friend in Texas, who I saw when I was in Austin a couple of months ago, as well as an assortment of other rollingstock I bought from a hobby store in Dallas and in Los Angeles. In addition, track and other accessories for the model railroad are gradually being acquired as well.

But the big news is that I will be heading to Minnesota again in October this year; two years after my first trip (which was well reported here on DME Down Under). I have been invited to attend MinnRail in the Twin Cities for a weekend of layout visits and operating sessions. I will also be hiring a rental car for a drive around Minnesota, paying close attention to the former (and long-abandoned) CNW line from Sleepy Eye to Evan and on to Marshall. I hope to also visit Redwood Falls as well. The model railroad still plans to use my fictionalised account of the Evan to Marchall line, with a branch extending from Evan to Redwood Falls. It remains ambitious and an ambition, but I need to have that vision in my head to give my model railroad some context.

Well, that's about it for now. My progress seems to be about as fast as that of the DME acquiring permission and obtaining funding for the Powder River Basin extension into Wyoming!

Good times in the US

My work trip to the US is almost over. I have spent the last twelve days here, mainly in Los Angeles and in Austin (Texas). I'll be flying back to Australia this evening from Los Angeles.
 
Before I left home, I was naturally keen to try and meet up with any railroad modellers while I was in the US. Fortunately, a friend from my NMRA group in Canberra put me in touch with a modeller in Austin whom he'd met last year at the N scale Convention in Houston. That was a real lucky break because Kim proved to be a generous and friendly host for the day I spent with him last Sunday. I was shown a fine running N scale layout at Joe's place; the home of one of Kim's friends. In addition, Kim, Joe and I had a an operational session on Kim's layout which was really great. It was fun switching cars and working my way around the layout. To Kim and Joe, than you very much for your time and hospitality.
 
I was also lucky to meet Blair and Lance and see their respective layouts. Blair and Lance model in HO scale but their modelling prototype interests are New South Wales, very familiar territory to this Australian! Blair and Lance must be the only two US-based American modellers with a NSW prototype layout! It felt a bit odd being in Texas and watching such familiar locomotives and freight cars on their layouts! Blair's layout is a quality layout - you can read more on his blog called North of Narrabri. Lance is currently in the midst of selling his house but he was able to show me his extensive layout. Perhaps the new buyer will have an interest in the layout and scenic it through to completion!
 
Both Blair and Lance work for the BNSF and it was very interesting talking to them about BNSF operations and train control.
 
So, thanks again Blair and Lance. Hope to see you both in Australia next year!
 
The model railroading hobby is truly an international hobby and one that can generate meetings and friendships across the world. My trip to the US has been all the better for having some spare time to meet some wonderful people and see some well crafted model railroads, in both N scale and HO scale.
 
Thanks again one and all.
 
 

DME Waffle-sided box car

I just purchased three HO scale ExactRail 50' waffle-sided box cars on ebay. A photo of the model is embedded in this post. These box cars will see service on my HO scale model railroad based on the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern (DME)...(cough)...when the right of way actually gets started!

Eps-90311-dme-boxcar-01
I missed out on getting these waffle-sided box cars when they were first released so I was pleased to finally buy three online. The models should arrive in the next couple of weeks.

I really don't know too much about the prototype of this particular type of box car. I think they might be outside my 1995-96 time frame for the model railroad. However, I did see them in action in a later period on a DME railfan's DVD that my friend Alan Saatkamp sent me late last year. The box car is quite distinctive and I guess that's what appeals to me.

I wouldn't mind finding out some prototype information though; in particular, information about these types of box cars in use on the DME. Obviously, one of the first things I'd like to know (or would I?) is when they were first introduced on the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern!

A nice surprise

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I had a very nice surprise last Sunday when I found a couple of loose digital photo cards in a drawer in my desk. The cards were from my point-and-shoot Sony camera. I didn't know what images were on either of them.

The first card had some family-type snaps but the second card had a good collection of snaps from my trip to South Dakota and Minnesota in October 2009. Not only had I completely forgotten about these photos, I couldn't believe that I had so many shots of local infrastructure that I must have quickly snapped from the car. I even had some photos from a short tour of the DME loco depot in Huron, South Dakota, including the old roundhouse used nowadays for locomotive repairs (photo embedded in this post). Whilst my Sony usually plays second fiddle to my Nikon SLR, I obviously had used the point-and-shoot camera more often than I thought.

I am looking forward to returning to DME territory in October 2011. I just hope the weather is a tad milder than the sub-freezing temperatures I experienced for the most part on my last trip!

And, given the cold snap in the US at the moment, will I get to experience snow in Austin, Texas, on my visit there in a couple of weeks time?

Austin, Texas

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DME) never made it all the way down to Texas. However, I will be crossing the Pacific from Australia and visiting Austin, Texas in late February - early March for a work conference.

I will actually fly into Los Angeles and stay a couple of days before flying Los Angeles-Austin on the 26th February. I will be in Austin for a week. Funnily enough, our Australian airline QANTAS announced earlier this week that they will start flying into Dallas/Fort Worth (TX) from May!

While the trip is primarily for the conference, I hope to catch up with some of the local sites and any railroad action that might be around.

Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year to fellow model railroaders.
 
2011 is going to be a big year for the DME Down Under blog since this is the year that the model railroad gets built!
 
I have pretty much established the basic track plan, although detail for the particular yards is still to be worked through. I like to play around with the track formation of yards using the actual track pieces in situ on the baseboards. Not all the baseboards have been fitted in the garage yet.
 
I have shelf brackets along two walls at the moment with 520mm wide doors as baseboards. There is some wall insulation to complete along the longest west-facing wall before construction on the baseboard framing starts there. I have more brackets to put up along the other walls, although I may decide to use conventional L-girder framework on one wall and also across the back of the two garage doors.
 
I hope to have a sketch of the layout design up shortly but my home internet connection is down for a week and I'm not back at work until next Monday.
 
Until then...