Sunday, October 19, 2025
Progress On The Small N Layout
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Very Short Amtrak Train
I read via Wikipedia that CSX also uses the Amtrak Post Road Branch via trackage rights. I asked Chrome AI mode about this, and it replied,
CSX has rerouted its freight trains traveling between Albany and the east via its Hudson Subdivision and Berkshire Subdivision. The freight would travel south from Albany to Castleton-on-Hudson on the Hudson Subdivision and then reverse direction to continue east on the Berkshire Subdivision.
So my surmise is this is an Amtrak extra movement that replaces 448-449 to ferry equipment back and forth to Boston for the Downeaster and other New England trains, but so far, I haven't been able to confirm this. But if it is, it must be following a similar route to the CSX freight detour. Normally 448-449 seem to run with as many as four diesel units, plus cabbages on occasion, to perform this function. Whatever it is, it's a prototype for a very short Amtrak train.
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Small N Layout
Given my age and stage, I've declared myself retired from going underneath any more baseboards. As a result, terminal strips and switch machine decoders are mounted on top of the layout, along the edges as needed. As it happens, there are strange rabbets along the bottom edges of the plywood as it came to me, and they can be used to run all wiring underneath. I'll find a way to mask the terminal strips and so forth with scenery but keep them accessible.
I weathered the single-track, wood-tie Unitrack to conceal the shiny Unitrack look. I've left the double-track concrete-tie sections alone for now.



