Sights in the City

After making a bit of progress on my Vancouver Waterfront Station, I decided to snap a few photos. I really don't like shots of incomplete scenes, so I framed a West Coast Express (custom-painted by Jeff Sohn) K-Line F59PHI and Bombardier bi-level commuter cars in an area adjacent to the subject of my recent modeling efforts.
I was inspired to snap this image after viewing several photos on flickr.com. Some old and some new, but both helped me get a better take on the station's architecture.

New year, new projects

From a partially finished Vancouver Waterfront Station to a North Vancouver lumber mill and wharf to a key junction at the center of the layout, I've got no less than a half-dozen projects to finish in 2011. But for each unfinished project, there’s bound to be another completed area that also requires my attention.

The first such area to come to light in 2011 is this Ross Custom Switches curved 0-72/0-54 turnout on the main line. I’m a fan of RCS products, but I was frustrated to find that the semi-fixed pilot on my Lionel ES44 Hybrid won’t clear the DZ-1000 switch machine that came with the turnout. I’ve got a replacement DZ-2500 motor that I could use, but I’m considering if I’d rather install a slow-motion under layout switch motor.