The Old Main Line Subdivision:: "The 50th Post... Time to review, assess, decide."

Saturday, September 5, 2015

"The 50th Post... Time to review, assess, decide."

"Who'd a thunk it?" My golden anniversary! Fifty posts since the introduction of this blog April 1, 2015. With that in mind, here's a brief end-of-summer summary of this effort. Keep in mind, I'm learning as I go... hopefully.

I'm not quite sure how Google measures views, but I am curious about the total number of views, as well as the number of views by post. I can understand when a viewer clicks on a post, but what about once that reader starts scrolling, reading other posts? I also don't understand the benefits of membership to any blog, so I haven't provided that side-bar feature for followers... that, and the fear of embarrassment of not getting anyone!

Anyway, some highlights follow below, with never-before-seen photos!

MVP (MOST VIEWED POST): Jim Dufour's beautiful B&M Cheshire Branch takes top honors as the most popular post. It continues to hold off all challengers comfortably, even most other layout features which, other than the first one, have been widely viewed also.

LEAST VIEWED: At the other end of the spectrum is the least viewed post entitled, 'Practice Makes Perfect... Really?' from April 26th about my preliminary kitbashing efforts of the Ilchester depot. So to recap succinctly, the most viewed posts on my blog are those of other modelers' work and the least viewed is that of mine. Ouch, but I can actually see that.

PERSONAL FAVORITE: The April 17th feature on Art Curren is very popular with readers, but it really holds a special place for me. It's personal, it's nostalgic and the writing captures some moments through the eyes of an awkward, star-struck 21 year old.

HONORABLE MENTION: The post from May 31st embodied exactly what I would like all of my construction posts to embody... clear writing, detailed photos and a consistent theme. Architects understand 'Firmness, Commodity and Delight' to be the three ingredients necessary for sturdy, useful and attractive design. It's applicable to model railroaders, too.

MOST IMPROVED: The recent post on modeling the key elements of Ellicott City's structures using 'Selective Representation' started slowly with readers, but is really gaining steam... climbing with a bullet, as they say on the pop charts. It's the type of post that I hope will engage readers and spark some dialog.

UNSUNG HERO: Somewhat unexpectedly, the June 16th post about Sam Posey's 'Playing with Trains' generated considerable viewing and comments from readers. It's just outside the top five all-time and obviously everyone has thoughts about why we do what we do.

PARTICIPATION TROPHY: April 24th's 'Road Trip' post earns inclusion here for having the best 'Rhetorical Question of the Day,' whose answers I rehearsed prior to returning home when my wife would inevitably inquire about my dietary decision making. Alas, despite the prepared answers, she was only interested in knowing if I had had a good time.

So a word of thanks to readers and to fellow bloggers for their help and support. Props to those who have offered comments. And a special shout out to those who have included the Old Main Line on their own blog listings. The blogs of Trevor Marshall and Marty McGuirk especially seem to direct many readers here. I appreciate that very much.

The blog itself has been fun, overall. It's been a creative work of self expression, much as a layout itself is. My interest in building dialog and engagement with readers is probably the equivalent of a layout achieving the point of operations.

Maybe this isn't the format for such engagement or maybe it just takes time. In any case, I'll be back in some fashion after Labor Day, but whatever time and energy I have left after life's mounting daily requirements will most likely be directed to the layout itself. In all honestly, it remains to be seen how motivated I will be to update this blog as regularly as I have been. Have a great Labor Day.

-30-

BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY...

Exactly whom is photo-bombing whom in this canine-only picture?

5 comments:

George DutkaSeptember 9, 2015 at 5:15 PM
Hi Jim:
Congratulations on your 50th post. I have been following The Old Main Line for a bit now...you have a nice looking blog...will add a link to your blog on the White River Division...George Dutka
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Steve BoykoSeptember 11, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Congratulations on post 50! Here's to many more.

I recently stumbled onto your blog and I'm adding it to modeltraingeek.com's blogroll.
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UnknownNovember 21, 2017 at 9:06 PM
Hey Jim,
First off I gotta say i love seeing someone interested in the old main line as much as I am. I grew up around there and while I am young (only turning 20 this year) I have an old soul, or so I have been told! I have a few questions, were you able to find any official line maps? I find it is hard to find images or maps over this section of line, though it could just be my era (1940's war time). Anyways, I would love to hear how you found some of this hidden information, and to see some of the progress on the layout!
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Long Story Short: Circa 1960...

Running from Baltimore to Point of Rocks, through the wooded hills of the Patapsco River valley and the undulating Monocacy River plain, this 130 year old B&O sub-division was struggling to survive. The historic 65 mile OML, once a bustling double-track operation, had been reduced to single track. It relied on diminishing business from local mills and building materials suppliers. Sporadic through-traffic hauled coal, iron ore and quarried stone from points west over the serpentine route.

Passenger operation had been discontinued in 1949 and the long-rumored 'merger' with the C&O created paralyzing uncertainty. It was this inevitable partnership in 1963, combined with increasing reliance on the B&O's Washington and Metropolitan branches that made the 'Old Main' irrelevant to most. But ultimately it would be the 1972 devastation of the Patapsco River valley from Tropical Storm Agnes that would most clearly define the line's modest future.

So join us for this bumpy and irreverent ride and please share your thoughts, questions and comments with everyone. Thanks.

Layout at a Glance...

Name: Old Main Line Subdivision
Scale: HO (1:87.1)
Size: 15' x 21' plus 2' x 18' staging
Prototype: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Locale: Northeast Maryland
Period: March 1960
Style: Walk-in single-deck around walls w/ peninsula
Mainline Run: 90'
Minimum Radius: 30" main; 27" spurs; 24" staging
Minimum Turnout: #6 main; #5 staging
Maximum Grade: 1% main; 2% spurs
Staging: (2) 4-track stub ended yards
Benchwork: Open grid 1" x 3" clear pine
Track Height: 50" - 53"
Aisle Width: 30" - 44"
Roadbed: Midwest Products cork on 1" Gatorboard
Track: ME code 83 main/spurs/staging
Scenery: Carved rigid foam and ground goop
Backdrop: Painted sheetrock and .040 styrene
Control: NCE Digital Command Control (DCC)

The Backstory...

Like most model railroaders, my introduction came at Christmas when I was about five years old with the traditional starter set. I was hooked, especially a couple of years later when every present from Santa was a Bachman Plasticville kit. The basement ping pong table became my 'set up.'

Unlike many modelers, my dad was not a train guy... something about working two jobs to support his family. But he and my mom did indulge me in driving to club layouts and riding trains whenever we could. Trips to my grandparents in Maryland put me over the moon as I knew we'd pass the Baltimore yards.

But as is often the case, college, career, family and the time-draining reality of coaching youth soccer and allegedly competing as a bicycle racer took me away from the hobby.

Fast forward many more years than I care to acknowledge and it's time to re-create some of my childhood memories in a new basement, minus the ping pong table... and the 'set up' shall henceforth be only referred to as 'the layout.'

A Comment on 'Comments'...

All readers may enter a comment at the end of any post. You do not need to sign in, register or become a member of this blog. Here's why you should contribute...

The objective of my uncomfortably-public endeavor is for the thoughtful presentation of ideas, opinions and activities related to model railroading to like-minded hobbyists.

But more importantly, the goal is for the healthy exchange with readers through their feedback to that which has been presented via constructive criticism, opposing viewpoints and/or supplemental information for the topic at hand... and of course a little kidding around is mandatory.

So please don't be shy. I do not enjoy talking to myself, nor am I in need of the proverbial 'attaboy.' But in the interest of learning, it is for everyone's benefit that there is dialog surrounding each post. All comments will be 'moderated,' and then acknowledged with a timely reply and a dry wit.

Free Email Subscription...

An email subscription is easy, convenient and free. Simply type in your address and click 'submit' below. You're then good to go.

But be forewarned about a few disadvantages to this method of receiving each post. You will only receive the post, not a link to the entire blog, and it seems to operate on a delayed basis of about 12 hours on average. Aesthetically, the email notification is not as pleasing as the blog's layout, nor does it provide any sidebars which I am continually updating. Also, it appears that while photos are included, video links are not.

Best bet is to use this notification as a timely convenience, but please check the actual blog for a complete array of features, announcements and listings. As always, thanks for your interest.

Photo Attribution...

The b/w photos on this sidebar were published in the B&O Historical Society's magazine, The Sentinel, Vol. 14 No. 1, in January 1992. They ran in an article entitled, "The Old Main Line Way Freight." Written as a day in the life of the railroad in 1952, the following excerpt beautifully captures the line's spirit during simpler times:

"Ride the 'Capitol Limited' if you want speed and efficiency! Ride the 'way freight' if you desire a folksy trip through some of the prettiest countryside in the East; land steeped in history half forgotten. You'll get a close-up view of what a multi-million dollar railroad means even to the smallest community. There, you'll see a big business looking after the small fellow."

The photos were made available to the Society by member John R. King, Jr. who got a collection of B&O negatives from the late Leonard Rice.