It seems to me that you have reduced the operational features of the original.   Will you have enough space for a turntable large enough to turn large articulateds?  If you are going to get a Rivarossi Big Boy, make sure it's a new one. 
Gene

He's already said.  Not in the plans.
Gene

I'm not Canadian and would probably not buy one, but the Royal Hudson is a beauty of a locomotive.  If there were any way the VT&P management would buy one, when the railroad already has three Hudsons and the C&O frequently sends one over VT&P trackage.
There are abviously a lot of Canadian model railroaders, so there is a market.
Gene

Curently there are two G D Line 40' wood boxcar kits for sale on the NMRA site.  You do not have to be an NMRA member to purchase them and proceeds benefit a railroad museum.  All oxther information you might need is on the site. 
It's an Accurail model and makes up nice.
Gene

I obviously had it and didn't look low enough.  I also need to remember to add my name. 

Gene

Let's see, do the math.  If one inch equals 87 inches, then 0.? inch equals 52 inches and 0.?+inch equals 56 inches.  Is there a micrometer calibrated fine enough to measure the difference?
Gene

But the amount of chatroom/text messaging pseudo-English has multiplied!  Oh, if their language arts/English teachers could just give them grades based on their posts!

I have four tenders made for the heavy Mountain/light Mallet, two USRA and two 16V Vanderbilt. The USRA have a screw and two prongs and the shell comes off the floor completely.  I've forgotten how the Vanderbilt comes apart, but I can check.   I understand you can get an adaptor plug for the Tsunami.  Put the speaker in the coal bunker, under the load.  Drill a hole in the rear slope sheet of the bunker and thread the speaker wires through it.  Drill a large number of small holes (#70 or so bit) in the coal load. 

Mike,
I thought I'd done that.  Let's see if this works.

In addition, "DCC Ready" may mean it has an NMRA eight pin socket, or a nine pin socket, or it just has soldering pads. 
This should be cleared up and standardized. 
The other standardization needed, I think, is a common connector between loco and tender for steam, just like they used to have in the form of a conductive drawbar with the bar on the locomotive and the pin on the tender.
Gene

The benchwork is almost complete.  I have three areas to tie together everything.  I'm down to one folding table and I need to fold up the saw horses and figure out where I can place the table saw - it may have to go on the patio and get covered with a tarp. 
Suddenly, I have a couple of guys volunteering to help.   

Gene
(still trying to figure out how to add a signature block)

This is not a chat room.  Could we try Standard English?
Gene

"LHS" is Local Hobby Shop"
The N&W apparently did have some Pennsy Pacifics, but not the K-4.  But Virginian would know best.
Gene

Sorry,
'The only Vanderbilt or Hickens tender that will work with the Consolidation is the medium Vanderbilt, with the SP style hand rails.  The C&O 16V and Hickens oil tender for the heavy Mountain will need the circuit board swap. 
Gene

Hey Jim, the 4-8-2 began life as passenger engine.  Until the very end of steam on the C&O, they Mountains were used only as passenger engines.  N&W even streamlined a lot of theirs to resemble their 4-8-4 Class J. 
But I agree - a good 4-6-2 or 4-6-4 would be nice. 
Gene
P.S.  Anybody figured out how to add a signature tag?