Why would anyone model an obscure shortline with a name that sounds like it’s out of a Carl Fallberg drawing? The Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad was a poor 49-mile long line that probably should never have been built but it lasted for over one hundred years and it inspired me enough to try to reproduce it in my basement. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for July, 2009
Weekly Inspiration #2
On July - 12 - 2009
A weekly series of web and user inspiration. This will just be images and links to inspire you. If you have photos or links to share, pass them along.
Models and Photos by Jack Burgess
Sierra Railway’s Angels Branch
On July - 10 - 2009
Ambitions
California’s Gold Rush in 1849 saw fortune seekers from all around the world hoping to strike it rich. As the mines and timber mills in Toulumne and Calaveras Counties grew in numbers, so was the need to transport the material.
Seeing that need, Thomas S. Bullock, with the help of William Crocker and Prince Andre Poniatowski in 1897, began construction on a line that would branch off of the Southern Pacific in Oakdale to connect with these logging railroads and mines in the Sierras. In 1898, the Sierra Railway reached the town of Sonora. About the same time a major gold deposit was discovered in neighboring Calaveras County and mines were being built all over the area to capitalize on the wealth. A decision was made to build a branchline to Angels Camp in order for the Sierra Railway to capitalize as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Some Thoughts on Podcasting
On July - 4 - 2009
Podcasting is not a new idea. The technology has been around for sometime and ever since Apple’s iTunes was released, podcasting has been getting more popular and easier to access.
What is podcasting? Wikipedia defines it as a series of digital computer files, usually either digital audio or video, that is released periodically and made available for download by means of web syndication. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Wait?
On July - 2 - 2009
For some of us in the hobby, life is just to demanding to build a model railroad. There is just not enough time or space to create the layout of your dreams. Then there are those, like me, who just can’t decide what they want to build. Do I want a European “Troop Train” set in France in WWII? Yes. I love the Hetch Hetchy Railroad and would love to build a Proto48 layout based on it. Read the rest of this entry »
