D&P Railroad

Finally! A new post

2008-05-19T21:49:00.003-04:00

Finally, it’s time for the huge update I promised.

First off, my apologies for not having consistent updates, but to be quite honest, I was running out of new material and the local sports scene has really been keeping me busy. I hope out new project can produce at least four or five new posts. After that, we may be limited to one or two a month until we tackle another big project.

This new project came on the heals of our total makeover of the layout, but it’s something we’ve been talking about for quite a while.

It also came out of necessity as our track needed a massive cleaning. In order to take all the track off, we had to take all the scenery off, as well. It was at that point, Dave and I seriously started discussing the possibility of adding more lines and revamping our city and industrial areas.

The solution was to combine the buildings that made up Souva City and Adamsville on the Adamsville side.

We replaced Souva City with our truck stop, grain elevator and industrial area. Both Adamsville and the new side, which has yet to be named, were designed to have a less congested look, making it more pleasing to the eyes while allowing us to get to different areas in the layout much easier.

Today, I’ll give you a teaser with a few photos of the new layout under construction. I’m sorry for the quality of some of these shots. I was using a new camera and did not have the settings right. I have also provided just a couple of shots of the finished layout.

Next week, I’ll go into more detail about the new lines we added and why we did it.

In future updates, I’ll explain the new design of Adamsville, along with the material used to construct the roads and sidewalks. If you go back to past posts and compare, you’ll see a drastic difference.

Until next week.

Project Update

2008-05-08T10:18:00.004-04:00

I anticipate the new drastic change to the D&P Railroad to be completed as soon as today. I will be taking plenty of photos, and may have a two or three part series explaining the changes beginning some time next week. I have provided just one teaser photo of the project as it nears completion.

Huge Update Coming...

2008-04-20T00:53:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, but I promise in the next week or so, I will have a huge update on a new project Dave and I are working on. We are completely changing the layout of our railroad, and trying some new things we haven't done before. It may be at least another week until I'm able to provide an update.

Go West

2008-03-13T22:37:00.003-04:00

When Dave and I were salvaging and cleaning what was left of my grandfather's model railroad, we discovered there were many items that had an Old West theme to them. In fact, there were enough to at least fill one half of one side of our layout.

During one of our early designs, we decided to do just that. The result was a pleasant surprise and even though our skills were pretty raw at the time, the design turned out very well.

Dave named the town Tuco, after a character from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Tuco comes complete with a couple of saloons, a doctor's office, a general store, a gun shop, a dentist’s office, sheriff’s office, cemetery and saw mill.

Our goal in the future is to dedicate one whole side of our layout to an Old West theme. It's going to take some time before we collect enough items to do that. We are hoping to have enough in about two years.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Going Hollywood

2008-03-06T20:54:00.008-05:00

As you have noticed by now, the D&P Railroad has a lot of vehicles. Dave and I believe this helps with the realism of our layout. We just about every make of car you can think of, but I'll go into that in a future post.

Today, I want focus on five unique cars. They are cars that will take you back to some of your favorite movies. These cars are brought to us by Reel Rides.

Perhaps our favorite car is the 1981 Cadillac from the movie Casino. For those that have seen the movie, this is the car that saved Sam "Ace" Rothstein towards the end of the film. In this photo, you can see Ace getting into his car.

Another recognizable auto would be the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am featured in Smokey and The Bandit. You can see The Bandit following closely behind old Snowman now.

Next we have the 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX as featured in the classic Tommy Boy. Ours is in a little better shape than the one in the movie. It's the blue car.

Our next Reel Ride is one of my personal favorites. It's the 1970 Pontiac GTO the Judge from the film Dazed and Confused. You may remember this as the car Matthew McConaughey's character David Wooderson drives. He has one of the best lines ever in a movie. "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age." The the orange car driving down the street.

Sticking with Dazed and Confused, next up is the 1972 Chevy C10 Pickup Truck the seniors use to terrorize the freshmen.

We also have the 1958 356A Porsche Speedster Convertible featured in Top Gun, but we have so many Porsche's, it was difficult to find the right one. I think it's somewhere in Souva City. It's a lot like the one next to the Chevy truck, but it's black.

Dave and I are waiting for Reel Riders to come out with the best movie car ever, the De Lorean DMC-12 as featured in our favorite movie back to the Future.

Marty McFly: "Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"
Dr. Emmett Brown: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"

Trust me, if they come out with a 1:87 DeLorean, we'll be one of the first to have it.

Next week, we'll take at look back at the Old West layout we had early on. In the coming weeks, we'll feature all the different vehicles that make the D&P Railroad come to life. We'll also show you how to put more detail into a layout. That and much more will be coming in the next few weeks.

The Name Game

2008-02-27T15:53:00.007-05:00

My grandfather was a family man and when it came to his model railroad, he believed including others to make the experience better for them. He was known for naming buildings and other things after people, past and present.

Dave and I decided we would carry on that tradition. Out of the many things we salvaged from my grandfather's pieces, only two were named. There was of course the Adamsville sign and the Ruth Adams Airport, which we renamed the Ruth Adams Memorial Airport.

Most of the named items in our current layout reside in Adamsville, where the people make their homes. When we recreated Adamsville, Dave and I modeled it after a town you may find in the Thumb. We have a nice main street, with plenty of businesses and action going.

Since Adamsville is where many of the surviving buildings from the Lack of Money & Sufferin' Railroad (that was the name of my grandfather's railroad) are located, it has an "older" feeling too it, but that's fine - it's what separates Adamsville from Souva City.

The signature piece in Adamsville is the James W. Adams Memorial Field. This was the creation that Dave and Steve put a few days into. When they began it, I wasn't sure what it would look like, but it surpassed all expectations. As I mentioned last week, we finally have a team playing there.

The newest addition to Adamsville is Ray's Campground - named after my father-in-law Ray Chumbler who passed away earlier this month. Last week, my mother-in-law Donna had a chance to see it and was very surprised and happy that we made it.

Going West out of Adamsville, there is a Pabst Blue Ribbon refinery. It doesn't have a name, but it means something to Dave and I since this was something my grandfather actually created it.

The factory was just an ordinary factory, but he slapped a few Pabst decals on - and it's a cool refinery.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink in Adamsville as we have a KFC, Baskin Robbins and a 7-11. The 7-11 is owned and operated by my good friend Chris Ogryski. Also, you’ll see the Eagles’ Club, the Adamsville Fire Dept. and Joe’s Diner, which may be some of the oldest items currently on display.

Finally, there is a Shell Gas Refinery located near the trackside area in Adamsville. It doesn't have a name, but is one of the most prominent features of Adamsville. It began with an oil drum we salvaged and we purchased the rest.

The other side of our layout is called Souva City. It's named after my best friend Steve Souva and his dad Bob, who did all the wood work. Again, without their help, we would have been lost.

It's also named Souva City because Steve put together and painted many of the buildings from a city kit we purchased. Souva City has a lot of features of its own as it had a theatre, Ace Hardware, Barber Shop and Sof's Saloon - and that's just the downtown area.

Sof's Saloon is painted specific colors, they are the colors of the Detroit Tigers.

Also in Souva City are Dave's Dinner while Pat's Place (named after my dad), which are two passenger cars Dave repainted. Pat's Place is painted with the actual paints we saved. Green and orange were the colors of his railroad. Our colors are red, black and silver.

Edna's Eatery is the newest addition to Souva City; it's named after my mom.

The industrial area, including the switch yard are all part of the Peter Karle Sr. Industrial Park, named after my other grandfather of whom I shared the same birthday with.

That's all for now, enjoy the photo. Next week, the D&P Railroad goes Hollywood.

The New Project 5 - Changes

2008-02-21T15:18:00.011-05:00

Model railroading is all about improving and tweaking your layout. Dave and I knew once we started the new layout, things would be changing quickly. However, we couldn't have predicted how quickly.

It's been a little over a month since the new project was declared finished. Dave and I both thought we were going to take it easy after that and just enjoy running the train. That was until we discovered Junction Valley Railroad. JVR is everything we've been looking for from a train shop. It has all the buildings, scenery, people, cars, engines and detailed pieces we've been looking for. Did I mention it's cheaper than any shop we've previously been too?

In the past month alone, Dave and I have been to JVR three times.

The biggest and most important change I want to talk about first is the addition of Ray's Campground. As you all know, my father-in-law Ray Chumbler recently passed away. Shortly after his passing, Dave came up with the idea of a way to honor his memory. Since Ray was an outdoors’ man and loved to camp, we decided we would create a campground with his name attached to it. Most of the campground items were purchased from JVR.

Sticking with the name theme, we have added Edna's Eatery, named after my mom and we have officially added Ogryski's 7-11.

You'll also notice that a team finally showed up to play at James W. Adams Memorial Field. They're just having a practice, but we're hoping to have enough players for a full game.

Also, I have provided a full view of our truck stop. It's still one of the coolest features we have as it lets us display a good number of our many trucks.

In the Peter Karle Industrial Park, Dave has put the finishing touches around the factory he built. There are more fork-lifts, pallets, boxes, cars, people and a nice fence to box in the factory. I think it turned out real well.

In the Park, we have added a memorial monument. It's hard to see, but it's actually a Vietnam Memorial. There are also some more benches and sitting people in the park.

When I went through the initial photos, I noticed I didn't have very good shots of a couple of our churches. The big church in Souva City features a wedding scene while the one in Adamsville has a hearse, which should make Rick happy.

In the city shot of Adamsville, you'll noticed that the buildings on the right side are all pushed back off the street to create more space and let the area flow a little better. Also, behind Ruth Adams Memorial Airport, there is a nice build up of brush. The same can be seen under the Adamsville sign.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Coming next week, we'll play the name game as I will begin a two-part series on everything that is named after someone. We'll start with Adamsville and conclude with Souva City. After that, the D&P Railroad will go Hollywood.

The New Project - Part 4 - Souva City

2008-02-15T15:09:00.012-05:00

Finally, things are starting to settle down around here following my father-in-law Ray's passing. Now that I have a little time, it's time to finish the posts on our new project.

Today, we'll get a look at the more "modern" side of the layout - Souva City/Peter Karle Industrial Area.

The history behind Souva City is pretty simple. Back when we were putting this layout together, we were looking for buildings to fill our tables. I decided to purchase a city building set from Woodland Scenics. Although the buildings were nice, they needed to be assembled and painted. I had no experience at this, but my brother and especially Steve did. Steve did a lot of the very fine work - and to thank him for his effort, we named the city with out a name - Souva City.

As I've said before, Souva City is where the people of Adamsville make their living. There are plenty of places to work, including the many factories that make up the Peter Karle Industrial Area. In Souva City, there is a theatre, an Ace Hardware, barber shop, toy store, hotdog stand, a city hall, Dave's Dinner, a motel and even the printing shop.

Souva City also features a huge park.

For anyone wondering who Peter Karle is, he was my other grandfather and we felt naming a section as big as our industrial area after him was appropriate.

There are many features of the industrial area, including a very large truck stop, many factories, a huge concentration of the semi-trucks we have collected, and the factory Dave put together.

We also have a nice freight yard to display the old engines we saved.

All in all, the Souva City side of our layout is the perfect contrast to our layout, both sides help the other. Without one side, the other wouldn't be complete. Like the previous post on Adamsville, I have plenty of photos to show the many features I discussed in this post.

I hope you enjoyed the series on the new project. But it's not quite done. Since we completed it, Dave and I have tweaked certain areas to make them even better. I will have photos and descriptions of what we have done to improve the layout next week.

Until then, please enjoy the photos.

No update today...

2008-02-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

Wednesday's are the day for posts about the train, but I'm really not into it today. My father-inlaw passed away today. I will be spending the next few days with the family. Hopefully, I can wrap up the new project later this week, or perhaps next Wednesday.

The New Project - Part 3 - Adamsville

2008-01-30T17:11:00.000-05:00

When we began our model railroad over a year ago, Dave and I really didn't know what direction we would go. After the long process of sorting through and cleaning all that we salvaged from my grandfather's collection, our direction became more obvious.

Many of the buildings we saved had a rural feel to them, so we decided one side of our layout would serve as a place where the people live while the other side would be where they work.

We didn't know what the name of either side would be until we discovered a homemade sign with the words "Adamsville City Limits." Adamsville has always had an "older" type feel to it. Perhaps that's because it's where most of my grandfather's buildings reside.

The new project focused on the side of Adamsville, which meant when it was over, Adamsville would have a different - and hopefully, better look to it. The results were better than we hoped. Now, Adamsville is one section, instead of jetting out like it did in the past. This allowed us to make longer roads and allowed the layout to flow better.

It also allowed us more space to display buildings and scenery. Nearly every person that's seen the new layout in person has commented on how the Adamsville area flows better than it did in the past.

Although Adamsville is where the people make their homes, it's still a busy area.

Some of the features include James W. Adams Memorial Field, a grain elevator, Ogryski's 7-11, a Baskin Robins, Union Station, the Adamsville Fire Dept., the Ruth Adams Memorial Airport, City Hall, a pair of churches, a school house, a drug store, a plumbing supply shop, a cemetery, a bar, a bus stop, a housing construction project, numerous houses, and much, much more.

We also have countless cars, trucks, people and other details to add to the realism.

I have a number of photos to go along with this post, I hope you enjoy.

Next week, I'll wrap up the new project with the other side of our layout, the "Souva City" - "Peter Karle Industrial Area" section. Until then, happy model railroading.

New Project Part 2

2008-01-23T15:30:00.000-05:00

The new project gave Dave and I an opportunity to improve on a few areas that needed attention. Along with making our control area easier to access, we wanted to make the room look better.

Doing this was really simple as we covered our exposed shelving with the same black cloth we use to cover the exposed area around the bottom of train tables. This change is pictured today and has been received well by everyone who has seen the new layout in person.

As I said in the very first thread of this blog, any new layout we begin starts with the ball park. Steve and Dave get the credit for coming up with the idea of how to incorporate it into this layout.

They selected place the ball park with the newly constructed section. Instead of just laying it on top of the wood, they decided to cut a hole in the table in order to have the field at table level. Since the field is made with the old green, which is quite a bit darker than the new green, it produces a nice contrast. The track loops around the ball park in this layout and is on a slight grade. Watching the train go around this section is a highlight for Dave and me.

For a moment, we thought about running the train through the field (Brewster's Millions style), but decided not to. Perhaps, we'll do that in a future layout.

Today, you'll see photos of the areas I just covered, along with how the field fits into the new configured Adamsville. Also, there is a nice shot of our new control area.

Next week, I'll take you on the full tour of Adamsville. The week after that, we'll take a look at the new layout for Souva City and the Peter Karle Industrial Area.

Weekend Update

2008-01-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

Rick has been asking for some more photos (because he's still finding time to stop in), so I thought since I had an extra minute, I would post a few from the new setup. I don't want to give too much away, but I thought I would share a few.

These are just some random shots, during the next two or three posts, I'll have a full update on the project and plenty of phots. I'll say this, though, it came out better than even Dave thought it would, so that's saying something.

The New Project

2008-01-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

This is the first in a series on our Winter Project.

Sometimes, the best plans need a little tweaking. Shortly after we put the finishing touches on our first layout, Dave and I discovered a problem.

When we built the tables for the railroad, it was our intention to incorporate the hinged door so that we could access our operation area. After laying down the green and building up the scenery, it became clear that was never going to be the case. Instead of using the hinged door, we were forced to go under it. Along with this slight problem, was the fact that the layout didn't flow well the way we had it.

Around September of 2007, Dave and I began discussing what could be done to correct our problems. We decided we would add a section while subtracting another. Luckily for us, the way we designed the tables, we could accomplish this without too much trouble. The tables were designed in sections, which allowed them to be taken apart easily (like a puzzle). The section we planned to add was above an area that we may need access to in the future, if the basement floods. Instead of bolting it down, it sits on its supports and if needed, we could have the area cleared and ready to work on in about 10 minutes.

The area we decided to take away would allow us to have a new operating platform. When this area was originally designed, it was done so in order to be a turnout. It served its purpose well, but by taking it down, it would allow us a comfortable place to run the railroad.

Another reason we wanted to do this project was to completely replace the green (grass) we were using. The old grass that my grandfather used was like painted sand paper. The problem with that as we quickly discovered was it would shed all over. The new grass we decided to use was from Woodland Scenics and is called Spring Grass. It's a vinyl mat and much easier to work with - and above all else, doesn't shed. The old green that we used was about $12 per roll. The new green ran about $25 per roll. Although the cost was higher, the results were much better.

I have a lot more to share on this. Next week, I'll show you the idea Dave came up with for incorporating the ballpark into the new layout. It was simple, but turned out very nice.

For now, I'll show you the photos from the start of the project. The photos above show the old green and the mess it left behind. The photos below show the major sections we worked on.

The total time for the project from planning, purchasing the necessary materials took about three weeks to complete

The Finishing Touches

2008-01-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

Last week, I showed you the beginning of the transformation, which included finishing the table and putting paneling on the walls. This week, we'll take a look at one side of the D&P Railroad in a very detailed before and after look. The section that you will see today is the Souva City/Peter Karle Industrial Area. What started as just a workbench turned into something that Dave and I are both very proud of.

This area a stark contrast between the Adamsville section. Adamsville is where the people make their homes, but Souva City and the Peter Karle Industrial Area are where they make their living. In future posts, I'll go in-depth on the evolution of Adamsville from just a few houses to what it is today.

For now, I hope you enjoy today's photos.

Also, I have included a few other recent shots (below) just before we began our new project.

Speaking of the new project, it should be done this week, so I hope to start a four or five part series on that perhaps starting next week.

The Transformation Continues

2008-01-02T13:42:00.000-05:00

When we started this project, the spare room in my basement needed a lot of work. There was a lot of space, but the room itself was pretty raw. It had only one dim light, just a workbench and no paneling on the walls. We took care of the lighting (sorry no photos) with four nice overhead lights. They are strategically placed to reduce on the shadows.

Around the same time we were installing the lights, the tables were completed. Before we could do anything else, paneling must be placed so we could not only finish the room, but place scenery paper on the walls. You've already seen what a difference the paper means and I'll show you some nice shots of when we got the green laid down, along with the paper on the walls in a future post.

Today, you'll see some nice before and after shots of the paneling going up. If only it was as easy as the photos make it look. This project took about a day and half, again, with the help of Steve.

Also, now that I have this blog up and running, I will update once a week on Wednesday's.

The First Layout

2007-12-28T12:15:00.000-05:00

There was still plenty of work once we got the tables completed, but Dave and I decided we would make our first official layout. It doesn't look like much, but at the time, it was really special. For the first time in over 20 years, cars and buildings that my grandfather used were in action again. We only had the layout up for a day or two as we had more to complete, but I was sure to take plenty of photos to remember the time.

The photos serve as a reminder of where we started and where we are now. Right now, we're going through a similar change as we are making a massive renovation. I'll have plenty of photos to go along with the future posts. As I write this, I am expecting a shipment of wood later today. We have hopes of having the new project completed within the next two weeks.

Until then, here are some photos from the first layout.

Photo descriptions:

59 - The Union Pacific set was our first locomotive and still our best.

131 - A shot from trackside of our first layout.

136 - Going under a tower that is currently in storage.

106 - The turn in this photo is very similar to the one in use today.

147 - A barn and farm animals that will one day be used for an Old West themed layout we have played. The tower from 136 will also be used for this. In later posts, I'll have some photos of the Old West town we call Tuco that we had up for a little while.

Holiday Update

2007-12-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

As I learn how to navigate this site better each day, I discover more new features. To your right are a couple of permanent photos that will be displayed. The photo descriptions pretty much say it all. I want to add that they serve as reminder of the history behind what we are doing.

Also, I have a nice photo to go along with the site header. The photos will change from time to time, but this is the most recent one of the freight yard, industrial area and a portion of Souva City.

Later this week, I will continue with humble beginnings of the D&P Railroad. Until then, I have the most recent photos taken as of Saturday.

Photo descriptions, just run your mouse of a photo and you will see the coinciding number at the bottom of your screen. I tried to do these from the top to bottom of the screen.

799 – A view of Souva City.
880 – A view of Adamsville behind the operation platform.
869 – Union Station on the outskirts of Souva City.
842 – The Eagles Club and Adamsville Fire Dept. in downtown Adamsville.
847 – A full view of the James W. Adams Memorial Field.
889 – Pat’s Place and the Adamsville City Limits sign.
814 – The redesigned industrial area.
832 – A trackside look at Adamsville and James W. Adams Memorial Field.
841 – Yes, we have a KFC, to go along with a 7-11 and a Baskin Robbins in Adamsville.
802 – The bridge we salvaged and refurbished.

Starting from scratch

2007-12-21T16:53:00.000-05:00

I always knew the spare room in my basement had potential. It was just a matter having the right project to work on to bring it to life. What was once a cluttered room with four years of junk crammed in it was transformed into the proper place to display our model railroad.

Basically, we gutted the room and even removed the workbench, which was where most of the junk was located.

This was the time where Steve and his dad Bob were most helpful. Dave and I don't have what you would call good skills when it comes to build wooden tables for trains. However, Steve and Bob do and they were happy to help out. It took two or three days for the project to be completed.

Dave knew what he wanted, which was very helpful for Steve and Bob. Me, I stayed out of the way and did what I could (I am not a very handy person). When the project was done, Dave and I were both very pleased.

Pictured above are some before and after photos from both sides of the room.

Coming up in the next few weeks, you'll see the complete transformation of the room, including paneling, wall paper and the other finishing touches. Also, I found a classic photo of our first train, along with our very first layout. Also, I may have an update on a new project Dave, Steve and I are working on. It's going to be a drastic change.

Again, special thanks to Steve and Bob, without their help, we wouldn't have been able to get this project off the ground.

In the beginning...

2007-12-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Shortly after Christmas last year, Dave, along with my mom and dad started the process of cleaning out my grandmother's house. Part of that process was salvaging what we could from the model railroad.

It was anything, but easy as we weren't exactly what or how much we would find. What began in early afternoon took us late into the evening before we were finished. Since my grandfather didn't have time to store everything properly due to his illness, buildings, scenery, train cars and locomotives were scattered throughout the basement.

When it was over, the back of my parents' truck was full of boxes, along with the trunks of both mine and Dave's cars. As it would turnout, this would be the easy part as cleaning up and sorting through everything took literally weeks. We used what seemed like endless amounts of cotton balls, Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. Keep in mind, we were cleaning things that hadn't been touched or used for over 20 years. I can remember spending an hour or more on one piece to get it clean. It wasn't fun, but it was rewarding to be restoring something my grandfather put so much time into.

The photos to go along with this post show how much we were able to save. Out of everything we brought back, I would say about 90% of it is in use in our current layout. What's not in use is nicely stored for future use. Also, you can see some of what the train room in my basement looked like before its renovation.

One item that has special meaning to us is the container with the cars in it. When we found it, it had a number of locomotives with my grandfather's familiar orange and green paint scheme. Today, it's used to store all of our track.

What we learned early is in model railroading, is everything has a use no matter what shape it's in. Dave and I have an understanding. We do not under any circumstances throw anything away from that belonged to my grandfather.

The next couple of posts will detail the transformation of my basement into the train room.

Welcome to the D&P Railroad

2007-12-19T16:33:00.000-05:00

A little history about this model railroad.

When my brother Dave and I were kids, my grandfather spent just about every waking moment on his model railroad. For us, getting a chance to see it was always a treat - and one day, we dreamed of having a chance to run it, or even build one of our own.

Unfortunately, my grandfather fell ill with Huntington’s disease, which attacks the nervous system. That came in the early 1980s, when Dave and I were still too young to learn about model railroading from my grand father. He passed away in 1996, but the railroad still sat in Bay City at my grandmother's house. She passed away just a little over a year ago and while cleaning out the house, Dave and I decided we would salvage what we could in order to preserve the memory of my grand parents.

Just after Christmas last year, we started the process of collecting every last piece of what my grandfather had, restoring it and displaying it in a special room in my basement. It's been a long process and I can't believe it's already been a year, but we have a pretty good setup for the D&P Railroad.Keep in mind, Dave and I knew nothing about model railroading when we started and still have much to learn, but we're pretty proud of what we've accomplished so far.

I wanted to start a blog on this for a while, so I figured the one year anniversary would be as good as time as ever. I have a ton of photos to share starting from the beginning until now. This blog is intended to be enjoyed by those who have a love for model railroading. Model railroading is how I get away from the sports world.

With that said, this is not a sports blog.I do have a couple of people that I would like to thank for making the D&P Railroad come to life. I want to thank my best friend Steve Souva and his dad Bob Souva. They helped transform the spare room in my basement into our train room. Without their skills, this would have never happened.

I have a few recent photos displayed; please click on them for a larger more detailed look. The ball park is without a doubt the coolest feature of the D&P Railroad. Steve and Dave made it and it's named after my grandfather Jim Adams. The design of our railroad will change through the years, but it will always start with the field. Naming buildings after people was something my grandfather started and it's a tradition Dave and I have carried on.

Some of the others include: Adamsville, Souva City, Sof's Saloon, Dave's Diner, Ruth Adams Memorial Air Port and Pat's Place.