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(Whistle) Music Spencer: Hi, I'm Spencer Christian.
On this episode of Tracks Ahead, we'll visit northern Michigan, where a husband and wife have built an impressive 16 inch gauge layout on their property.
We'll see what a Missouri art teacher has built in his basement, and visit with an award winning railroad photographer.
There's a revolution in model railroading.
It's the ability to use computer technology to control trains.
It's now possible to independently operate multiple trains on the same track, and it's something model railroaders have longed to do since day one.
Let's see how.
Ancr: Model trains have been around for a long time.
If you didn't have one as a child, you undoubtedly knew someone who did; probably a Lionel or American Flyer.
But what you may not be familiar with is the quiet revolution that has taken place in model railroading over the last decade.
This shifting paradigm is best designated by three simple letters: DCC.
Norm Stenzel is with the Digitrax Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of DCC technology.
Norm: The original command control was a pull string.
Pulling a toy train around you had one operator who was independently operating a train, could do anything he wanted regardless of what another train around him was doing.
Then from an electric train standpoint, we had a system called ASTRAC that came out, I believe it was in the mid 50's, that was limited to two trains running independently.
It was cutting edge technology for the time.
Then in the early 90's, we came out with what we called digital command control or DCC, which is what we're using today.
And what that is, is a digital signal sent through the track that is also the power that is operating the locomotive.
So we essentially just have power and signal combined as one entity.
So if you have enough power to run the train, you also have control of the train.
Ancr: DCC really enhances the model railroading experience.
This technology enables the model world to more closely resemble the world of full sized trains.
Norm: It basically puts you in the cab of the locomotive.
You're able to do anything with the locomotive, regardless of where it is on the railroad, when you want to do it.
You don't have to spend time throwing toggle switches and rotary switches and controls like that to redirect power to a specific locomotive.
Essentially you can concentrate on running the train and not the layout.
You can control many other things.
You can control turnouts, one of the newest things that's becoming very popular now is sound.
It's added a whole new dimension to model railroading and you control that from your throttle.
And in most cases it's a hand held.
It's like carrying your control panel in your hand.
Ancr: Mike Polsgrove is a model railroader with an extensive knowledge of this new technology.
Mike writes a monthly column about Digital Command Control for Model Railroader magazine.
Mike: DCC creates a different world for the model railroader by allowing him to run his trains in many places at the same time.
It allows two trains to be in very close proximity to one another.
There's a number of different hings that can be programmed into an individual locomotive to help control the speed.
There are things called back EMF that allows you to go up and down grades at a constant speed.
You can also match the speed so that different locomotives, say you have a locomotive built by one manufacturer and a locomotive built by another manufacturer that don't necessarily run well together under DC.
With DCC you can fine tune the operations so that the two locomotives will run together at matched speeds.
Ancr: You may be wondering what it takes to implement DCC technology in an existing conventional model train layout.
Mike: The basics of a DCC system is a command station which this box right here is, and then at least one booster.
This is a large layout so its got several boosters to it.
The boosters provide power to the locomotives and the command station is the brains of the outfit.
And then you have to have a throttle to control, the locomotive.
The throttles themselves are not interchangeable.
When you buy a particular manufacturer of DCC system, you need to stick with that manufacturer's throttles.
There are a number of different throttles offered by each manufacturer, so you do have some choice.
And the last thing you need for your DCC system is a decoder in your locomotive.
The cost to get into DCC can vary with the complexity that you want to use.
The beginning sets can go for two to three hundred dollars, the more advanced sets are in the five hundred dollar plus area.
The thing model railroaders should watch out for when they purchase a DCC system is make sure they get the system that's right for them.
Not only now but in the future.
You can get systems that aren't expandable, which would be fine if you don't plan on doing anything more in the future.
But if you are planning to operate your accessories, or run quite a number of locomotives, maybe not now but in the future, you might consider getting a system that has expandable capabilities.
Ancr: Conversion of existing layouts to DCC control is not as complex as one might imagine.
Mike: In a lot of cases you can use the existing transformer that you have for your DC powered layout.
You can connect that into the power booster and the command station.
To install a locomotive decoder you start with a locomotive like this with no electronics inside of it.
Then you put a decoder inside here and wire it up to the motor and to the headlight.
To hold the locomotive decoder in you use double sided sticky tape like this.
Or you can simply buy locomotives that have decoders already installed.
Ancr: If you currently know someone who has a model railroad layout, chances are they are using DCC technology.
Ask them to demonstrate it for you.
Because, after all, the absolute best thing about DCC is how much it amplifies the fun of model railroading.
Spencer: Digital command control has become a mainstay of model railroading.
it's easy, and it enhances the fun of the hobby.
Next we'll visit with Eric Brooman, a high school art teacher who uses his creative skills to craft beautiful and realistic scenery for his HO Utah Belt layout.
Ancr: Sometimes you need a deadline to get a job done.
For Eric Brooman, his deadline was the Gateway 2003 National Model Railroad Association Convention in St. Louis.
He wanted to open his new train room to visitors from all over the world.
Brooman: Last time it had been here was in 1970, I believe, almost 30 years, so it doesn't come around that often and I wanted to have something ready for it.
And we moved a year and a half before the convention was supposed to be here, so it really gave me an incentive to get to work and get things done.
I worked pretty much like a man processed to get the thing built and up and running in a year and half basically.
Ancr: Eric was no stranger to working hard on his HO scale Utah Belt layout.
He had already spent 25 years working on it in his former home.
Moving to a larger home was both a blessing and a curse.
Brooman: I felt like I wanted to try to keep as much as I could of the old layout to speed the construction of the new layout.
So we took out large parts of the old layout, the main yard, and several big chunks of scenery, and moved it over here with a lot of difficulty.
It was hard getting out of the old house and it was tough getting it here.
And then when we got it here, nothing fit the new track plan, so I had to pretty much scrap everything that was there and start from scratch.
A lot of people told me not to do it, but I went ahead and did it anyway.
It was true that you really shouldn't try to move a layout unless it's a design to be moved to begin with.
Ancr: With the new layout, Eric was able to accommodate a working interchange with a short line.
The Southern San Pedro, which didn't run on his old layout, now makes runs to the town of El Vado, which has several industries.
The new Utah Belt runs a North/South route through the dramatic scenery of New Mexico.
Eric likes to keep his line up-to-date and retires older engines and cars just as the working railroads do.
And he purchases new additions based on what real railroads are adding to their rosters now.
When it came time to recreate the classic New Mexico rockwork, Eric discovered something in his new backyard that would lead to an invention, something he calls "Hydroclay."
Brooman: Having a new construction home, the lot to the north of us was actually eroding into our yard, so we had a lot of the clay that is around here in our yard.
I dug up a bucket of it and was using it for ground cover and then by accident mixed some of it with the Hydrocal.
As a result the Hydrocal doesn't set as fast, it has a decent color to it now instead of just pure white, and it takes longer to set up and it makes it easier to carve and lasts longer.
You'd think that putting something like dirt into the Hydrocal would ruin it, but about a 50 50 percent mix of this particular clay, I don't think it's anything special it's just local Missouri clay.
Ancr: One of Eric's favorite activities is creating breathtaking scenery.
Brooman: The backdrops on the layout are all hand painted.
My training's in art.
I'm an art teacher so I have an advantage in that area.
I'm able to paint whatever I need to for a backdrop.
And with a narrow shelf like type of layout like this, backdrops are pretty important.
So most of them are done with oil paint because it dries slower and it's easier to manipulate.
I'd rather paint with that than acrylics.
Ancr: Eric's career as a high school art teacher not only shows in his scenery, but in the tools he uses to create the layout's scenery.
He's added many new pine trees to the Utah Belt layout and makes them out of handles from discarded paintbrushes.
His eye for detail has led him to develop unique techniques for creating both still and moving water scenes throughout the Utah belt layout.
Brooman: Well, there's three different ways that I do water on the layout.
The smooth water, the fairly still water, is done by painting different colors of blues and greens to indicate depth and then covering it with a material called Envirotex.
It's a two part epoxy that hardens very clear and very smooth.
For the rougher water I use a material that's called polymer medium, a clear gloss polymer medium that dries clear.
And then for the rapids what I do is take a clear acrylic varnish and cotton.
The cotton stays white and you an rough it up and make it look like rapids and waterfalls and things like that.
Ancr: Right now, Eric is working on completing his hand-painted backdrops.
An 8-foot section was saved from the old layout, and there are still yards of backdrop still to go.
But, he did make his deadline for the Gateway convention in 2003.
Brooman: There were 8 over the road buses that came, so there was upwards of over 400 people that came through the house during the convention.
So it was really interesting.
There was people from all over the world.
There were people from Japan and Australia and Germany and England.
It was just really a once in a lifetime experience.
Spencer: In a moment, we'll meet Stan Kistler, a well-known professional photographer and spectator to the railroad history of southern California.
On the limited income of a teenager, he started photographing trains in the 1940's and his passion has become a profession.
In beautiful northern Michigan, forty acres of jackpine forest proved to be the perfect location for visitors to experience the beauty and spirit of the up north.
And during the summer months, what better way to do so, than on the Michigan Au Sable Valley Railroad.
(Steam whistle) Ancr: If you've taken small children on a train ride and they simply don't want to leave the train when it's time to disembark, you may have the makings of lifelong railroaders.
That's what happened to Howard Schrader when he was just a toddler.
Howard: My Dad took me over to Ann Arbor, and there was a little 0-6-0 switcher.
He put me up in the cab, he knew the fireman, put me up in the cab, put me in the fireman's seat, and we ran up and down the track a couple of times.
He wanted to put me off and I didn't want to get off.
I wanted to hang on, never wanted to leave the cab.
(Horn) Ancr: And just look at Howard now!
He and his wife Joanne operate the Michigan Au Sable Valley line located on 40 wooded acres in the Huron National Forest in Northern Michigan.a 16" railroad that's open to the public in the summer.
Construction of the tracks, tunnel and trestles was a family project.
Luckily, Joanne supports Howard's passion for trains.
Joanne: I really enjoy it.
I have all kinds of people who come up to ride - train enthusiasts, there are some people who just want to ride a train, the children, and grandparents who just want them to ride the train to get the experience because there really aren't a lot of times and opportunities for them to ride a train.
A lot of people who come up here used to ride the train back in the 60s and 70s now they are bringing their children and grandchildren because it was a great experience for them.
They want the same experience for their children.
Ancr: Rail fans may already be familiar with the Schrader name because they operate a mail order train gift catalog during the winter.
That leaves them time to enjoy their 16" gauge railroad all summer long.
The Schrader's run excursions with two engines: a sleek diesel hydraulic and a newly restored Hudson steam locomotive originally built by train enthusiast Carrington Eddy.
Howard and a friend did the entire restoration.
The boiler has a unique design: both the firebox and smoke boxes are longer than usual.
It requires a lot of cleaning and maintenance, but it's worth the trouble.
Howard: It's enjoyable building.
It's like a big model railroad.
Instead of being in the basement, it's just outside.
Because I've modeled with Lionel and HO and the thing is the hobby just gets bigger.
Outside you can model for real.
The thing with this size railroad, which is 16 inch, is that it's big enough that it looks like a railroad and feels like a railroad; but yet it's not to big that you can't work on it.
Because big railroads are really hard to work on.
The tools are bigger everything is bigger and the money's bigger.
So, this is a manageable size for one person, one family.
That's what we do here.
Ancr: The journey through the scenic Michigan countryside passes sites that were named after friends or the plants and animals that were spotted while the tracks were being laid.
Along the route, passengers enjoy many elements that the Schrader's installed for visual interest.
There's Howard's restored classic antique Ford.and even a realistic-looking cabin equipped with animated figures and familiar voices.
Voice: Good morning and welcome to the Michigan Au Sable Valley Railroad.
We're hoping you're having a good trip.
We hope you see a lot of wild animals out here.
We've got some bear, we got some deer, a lot of wild critters out here.
Ancr: One of the highlights of the trip is the impressive 220-foot-long Black Bear Trestle.
Howard: Well the trestle that was a project that we did in the third year of construction.
And then the tunnel is 115 feet long and it took us an entire year.
We started in April laying it out and finished in December when the snow started flying.
We completed it the following year but we had it all closed in.
It was a big project.
There are 66 piers in the big trestle.
There is a great deal of lumber in it and it was all sawn in this area.
Ancr: The 100-foot long Red Squirrel Trestle is the lowest point of the railroad, then it's a long uphill chug to Blueberry Hill.
Operating this line takes just as much finesse and skill as it would for a full sized passenger train, something you can appreciate as the trains comes to a smooth stop at the station.
The station's classic design was influenced by the Stanley facility at the Riverside and Great Northern Railroad in the Wisconsin Dells.
The Schrader's also built a large shop, which doubles as their mail order warehouse when the rolling stock is stored in the winter.
Howard: It's a fun hobby.
A lot of guys around the country have come up.
They are always welcome to come up if they're railroad enthusiasts.
I know we are a little bit out in the boondocks.
We live on a peninsula in the upper part to Michigan, but the thing is, they are always welcome to come over.
Give us a call we'll be glad to give them a ride on the trains and talk railroading, any kind of railroading.
If it's got rails under it I love it.
Music Ancr: Echoes from a distant past.
(Distant train whistle) Wondrous images from another time.
To find the source of these visual records of the past, we traveled to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City, California to visit with a man who has spent most of his life photographing trains.
He is Stan Kistler, award winning photographer and lifelong railroading enthusiast.
We asked Stan to reminisce a bit.
Kistler: I'm trying to think back a bit.
As a young boy in the 30's I was interested in, I kinda got hooked on all kinds of transportation.
What started me on the railroad end of it was the fact that my father and mother took me down to see the Santa Fe Super Chief on display in San Diego in 1937.
And from there I progressed into liking locomotives and trains.
I was living in San Diego, between San Diego and Pasadena where my grandparents were, why I got to see quite a few of them.
Now this is beginning into World War 2 and railroad photography was pretty much restricted.
And I started taking pictures in San Diego in 1944 after I saw a copy of Trains Magazine that happened to have an article on the Santa Fe.
So the upshot of that was that I started taking more pictures with the permission of the local Santa Fe police officer who was also the station master.
One comment that I remember from him is, I said, "Could I take pictures here?"
and he says, "Just as long as you don't point your camera toward the harbor."
Because the headquarters of the 11th Navel District was right down the street and all the broadway piers where all the troop ships were coming in and out.
Ancr: And did the distractions of adolescence derail Stan's interest in trains?
Kistler: Well, the best part of my teen years was when the family moved to Pasadena in 1945.
My grandparents had bought a lot in the east section of Pasadena, put two houses on it and rented one of them to us and one to my aunt and uncle.
This house was within a hundred yards of the Santa Fe mainline.
And I, for two years, witnessed quite a parade of Santa Fe trains right in my front yard.
And also I spent a lot of time at the Santa Fe depot in Pasadena because it was a good place to meet other railfans and to stop and talk to the locomotive crews because the trains all stopped there, all the passenger trains.
There were 11 or 12 passenger trains a day on average in 1946.
And the crews were always very friendly, wanted to talk to you, and that's how I got to know a lot of locomotive engineers and firemen.
Ancr: One wonders if there was anyone in particular who encouraged Stan during those teenage years.
Kistler: John Ferris was like a second father to me.
He had started an organization called the Railway Club of Southern California.
And it was an organization that would make chartered train trips all over Southern California and as far away as Arizona in the later years.
I made my first trip with John Ferris in May of 1947 with $20 that I borrowed from my parents.
We made a trip up into the San Joaquin Valley, an overnight trip that left Pasadena on a Saturday and got back on a Monday morning in time for me to go back to school.
And I took a lot of photographs on that trip with a camera that I had at that time which was better than the one I had in San Diego.
And John used, he liked the pictures, and he used them in his next advertising brochure for his next trip.
He actually had a big clientele and it was people who were not just nuts and bolts railfans.
They just liked to get together and take a train.
We had mystery trips where you'd tell them, "The fare is $6, you don't know where you're going to go, but you'll be leaving at such and such and you'll get back."
And filled up the train with 500 people.
Ancr: And just when did Stan's hobby first take on professional status?
Kistler: Ah that, I was trying to think back as to when that happened and I recall I had submitted some box camera pictures to Railroad Magazine back in the 40's and had them rejected.
Then I got better and learning the darkroom aspects of it and how to make good prints.
Why I think I submitted some things to Trains back probably in the early 50s, 49 or 50.
And sometime around in there, 48 or 49 was the first time I had been published in Trains.
Ancr: How does a photographer's artistry evolve over time?
Kistler: Well, I started off just mainly interested in locomotive portraits, roster shots as we call them, engine pictures, where you'd get a standing locomotive in good light and get a photograph of it.
Then I went into the action type of photography when I got a better camera, living there in East Pasadena.
The trains that were right across the street from me, I got into the Lucius Beebe style of photography called the "Wedge of Pie" shot with the locomotive looming up boldly in the front and then the train just kind of trailing off.
Well that was fine and it worked well where I was but after I met Frank Peterson then I got to learn about composition and getting the train in with it's surroundings and angles and light and all this kind of stuff.
And then I said, "Well this is really what I want to do."
So as I got a better camera and had more spendable income to go out and take trips like this to places like Cajon Pass and Tehachapi, that's what I evolved into was more action photography than the locomotive pictures.
Ancr: And so, thanks to a young boy's simple love of photography and trains, a love that has persisted his whole life, we are still able to hear the echoes and experience the wonders that may otherwise have been lost to us.
(Train whistle under) Spencer: Stan says that it was an exciting period to be trackside and that he considers himself privileged to have witnessed railroad history.
Well, that's it for this episode.
Please join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead Music Ancr: Tracks Ahead.
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(Whistle) Music