This end of year episode of Cody’s Office is packed with new products, a helpful modeling tip, and answers to viewer mail questions. Senior Editor Cody Grivno begins by showcasing the latest from Bachmann Trains–a Trinity 5161 cubic foot capacity, three bay covered hopper in HO scale, which retails for $59. Next, he spotlights the N scale Budd Rail Diesel Car from Rapido Trains, an RDC-1 body style model offered in Phase I and II versions. DC models are $149.95, and DCC/sound versions are $259.95. Finally, he reviews Jeff Wilson’s latest book, Modeling the Paper Industry, now available at shop.trains.com.
For the modeling tip, Cody details a simple but effective park scene on the East Troy Industrial Park HO scale project layout. In the viewer mail segment, he addresses questions about steam engine operation and sources for N scale graffiti decals.
Do you have questions you’d like us to consider for a future episode of Cody’s Office? You may leave them in the comments field below or contact us via e-mail at asktrains@trains.com.
Sorry about the kitty. Animals get into your life. Our kitty is lying in the window next to me while I type this. She was a little stray our precious little pug found and brought home just a week before he passed from cancer. It’s like he knew we were going to need her.
On a happier topic, looking forward to the book on paper. Pulpwood operations were big where I grew up. It would be wonderful if someone would do a similar book on cotton and textiles/fabric industry. I started with adding a simply cotton mill to my layout and have discovered it’s a deep and complex rabbit hole involving not just the obvious cotton mill, but everything from gins, oil mills which produced cottonseed oil, as well as livestock feed and fertilizer from the waste (nothing’s wasted), and on into the chemical industry too enormous synthetic fiber plants, and giant machinery foundries. Whole railroads that served as basically long conveyor lines moving materials and products between warehouses and mills just to put clothes on our backs.
It’s a whole history of not just an industry but a way of life that is disappearing faster than narrow gauge mining in Colorado.
Sorry to hear about Michi. She seemed to be a good railfanning cat. We lost our cat Labyrinth a couple months ago.
Hi Cody,
Do you have any updates about the Beer Line layout? I heard that during the office move, the foam used for the benchwork base in the modules changed shape and the modules didn’t connect well. David mentioned during a video that someone took the layout modules home to try and restore them. Any news? This project layout was always one of my favorites, and I watch the operations videos regularly! Thanks! Marcus
My condolences on your cat, Cody