AZL

A knock on the door today brought me the Nickel Plate trio I ordered last week. Here are the pictures:

They are beautiful little...might I even say, tiny...models, just as detailed as the N scale offerings, far outshining the Marklins that I had been buying as donors for Nn3. I had made this purchase with the nefarious scheme of converting one, maybe both, locomotives into Nn3 locos but the Geep is a bit too short to be used for the M1 and, as can be seen in the following photo, the Mikado drivers are too small to be used for an EBT locomotive although it may be suitable for another prototype.

Besides, they are just too nice to be cut up as donors, so it looks like I may be building a small freight type layout in Z scale instead.

Motivation

Yes, it's been a while.

No, I ain't dead yet.

Plans this year are to finally get off my 5th point of contact and disassemble the table I've been threatening to disassemble for a while, then I will have the room I need to bring both standard gauge modules into the "train room" (and maybe finish the scenery on them) and finish the narrow gauge module. For now I'll keep them separate but eventually I may try to link at least one standard gauge to the narrow gauge with a bridge.

To that end I've been assembling completed FastTrack narrow gauge turnouts and throws to basswood bases in preparation for mounting to the module. I'm using Caboose Industries ground throws with the integral electrical contacts for this purpose, and I've pared the module needs down to four (three left and a right) for this purpose.

I've also ordered some new motive power, this time from AZL. They are running a special right now, a Mikado and a GP7 with a caboose, at a very attractive price. My plan is to compare the Marklin 8827 chassis to the AZL and see if the AZL will be a good stand-in to build EBT Mikes on. I have no idea what I'll use the Geep for, maybe it will be a good start for an M7.

They should be here Wednesday, so I'll do a review and write-up on both of them then.