ctulanko

I have been a model railroad fan since I was a very young boy. I vaguely remember my dad setting his
track up when I was young and then when I hit 10, they bought me my first Lionel Train set. I still have it and it goes under the Christmas tree every year. At 12 we rode our first real passenger train, which still ran often back in the 60's. When I hit my teens, I got into "N" gauge and wound up collecting quite a few locomotives and stock. All of this was boxed up though and it wasn't until my late twenties/early thirties when I began purchasing items for my favorite gauge, HO. I went with all PRR diesel for the HO, as the N gauge was all steam and I wanted a change. I decided back then that I would stick with those that ran during the 40's and 50's and as the years past, it wasn't until the last six months that I finally had the opportunity and time to actually build my very first layout.

I have spent the past many months designing, modifying and developing a working model of the old Track Plan #47 Cerro Azul and I have modified it to fit my little Pennsylvania Railroad. I have seen people in the past talk about this layout, but never found anyone that actually followed through or documented it, so now was a good time to get started. The track plan was first introduced in 1952 I believe...I actually found and purchased the original Model Railroader from that time which contained the article on TP #47 and I really began to do a bunch of research. Anyway, I changed it up to a PRR setting based around America's foundation elements, coal, iron and steel. It includes a Berwind-White coal mine serviced by miners from Windber and Johnstown, PA, A Bethlehem steel mill, iron ore mine, coke works and smelter...everything you need to make steel. It gets a bit personal for me though, as my relatives actually lived in these towns and worked these mines and mills, so I get to add some family history to the layout.

I am new to building layouts but not new to hobbies. I have built R/C jets planes and high powered rockets over the past 25 years and have been a ham radio operator for 43 years, so I do bring some skills to the table. I am looking forward though to the art of the hobby, where scenery and realistic weathering apply and I expect to learn a lot from all of you in this area, as well as many techniques and skills required to detail a layout than can be enjoyed for a long time. I have started a small sub website to keep track of construction/progress that you can visit and I look forward to talking with you all as time goes on.

Model Railroading, Amateur Radio, R/C Planes, Jets, and Cars, High Power Rocketry, Airsoft, Gaming