Columbia Train Show

The New Brookland model train store in West Columbia/Cayce said they would have several tables at the Columbia, SC, train show last weekend.  So, I decided to make the trip and check it out.

Not too disappointed, except that the only Bay Line piece I could find was a badge, and the couple of guys I asked about DCC-- Keep Alive didn't have much to offer.  Still, along with the badge, I picked up a 1950 Rocket 88 Oldsmobile and a few trees.

The Oldsmobile may need to be "aged" a bit since it would be six years old.  Maybe we can claim that it belongs to the Shift Supervisor at the Cotton Mill:

Don't know exactly where to put the three trees, yet.  I was pleased with their realism, but not quite as much as the manufacturer!

Besides, I think WE have made trees a little better than this, but they are much easier to purchase than to make.

Maybe they need to go near the Mill Village; I'll have to check with the Grands.

Since I couldn't find a DCC expert, I decided to go back through  my store of loose parts.  I thought I had another sugar cube speaker which might give me room for a Keep Alive capacitor.  When I opened the "spare parts" box I found the small speaker AND a capacitor AND a Tsunami AT1000 decoder.  I couldn't tell what the sound chip was good for, so contacted Soundtraxx.  The model was coded on the sound chip!  Turns out to be an EMD 567 which works for both Southern locomotives that I have, but not for the SCL GP35 -- it has an EMD 567D turbo.  Not sure if anyone would realize it if I did use it in the GP35.  But first, I'll try to add the smaller speaker and capacitor to the F3 so it doesn't hesitate on the dirty track so much.