Updated Oct 2022. It's been 2 plus years now and I continue to expand and advance. I completed the O Scale layout mentioned below to honor my Dad (after his passing). That is a simple DC controlled layout but with lots of cool scenery.
Now I'm moving on to HO using DCC...and creating a much more complex layout with several automated reversing loops and a freight yard ladder. HO scale, Backmann EZ Track, Digitrax electronics/LocoNet.
I also recently retired from IBM and jumping into a this major project. I'm modeling my hometown that was a key stop along the old Manasas Gap Railway in Virginia. The town had one of the nicest train Depots in the early 1900;s and a block away is the oldest standing courthouse in the south...dating back to the 1700's
Original Profile:
In 2020 I was brand new to trains really. My Dad was an avid collector for as long as I remember. It's been many years since I spent time with his trains. He was very ill and this past Christmas all he wanted was this train he had been looking for over a period of months. We found it together and I bought it for him for Christmas. He passed shortly after, and while he enjoyed looking at the train on his shelf every day, he never got the chance to run it.
Well, I've taken over his trains. I have set up the track and worked on displays. I kept his 4 favorite engines, and will I've gotten all of the other engines running without issue, I cannot get this one going. Update: I took the Loco to a model train shop and got help testing. Turns out I had to return the Engine to the MTH for repair and now it's running great.