Introduction - Part Two

I've been in model railroading over 60+ years. During that time I've had large O scale layouts and HO scale layouts when I lived in Massachusetts over 35 years. When I retired to Florida in 1994, both layouts were dismantled because my home in Florida didn't have a basement. For six years I had no layout and then decided to model N scale in an air conditioner and heated third garage which was separated from the two car garage by a finished wall. That's how the "Original" JJJ&E was born. The "original" JJJ&E was a multi-level "U" shaped layout. The entire  mainline was graded utilizing a 2% grade, It was a giant nolix. The high point on the "original" JJJ&E was 7 1/2 inches above the lowest point on the mainline.  It takes forty feet to rise the 7 1/2 inches and forty feet to get back down to bench top level. The maximum train size on the layout was limited to 28 cars plus four "F" units. This was due to the five reversing loops that I had on the layout. The smallest reversing loop could hold 28 cars and the four "F'" units. This layout was in full operation for over nine years. It was run by DCC powered by a Lenz 100 command station for one power district and a Lenz 01 Professional for a second power district.

 I used speakers under the bench work for sound in those early days.Soundtraxx DSX sound only decoders were consisted to individual locomotives for sound. The DSX sound only decoders acted like a locomotive when consisted to locomotives. It reacted to every change in the throttle. The DSX Sound decoders were wired to four inch Radio Shack speakers under the bench work. The sound was very convincing and you couldn't tell that the sound wasn't coming from the locomotives. I had 25 individual DSX sound only decoders for different steam and diesel sounds.

Below are several photo's of the "original" JJJ&E:

                                      ATSF 2-6-6-2 High In The Monterrey Mountains

                              Southern Mikado #4910 On Upper Level Of The "Original" JJJ&E

                              Rio Grande "Challenger" On Upper Level Of The "Original" JJJ&E

ATSF Mikado #4016  On Upper Level Of The "Original" JJJ&E

 CB&Q E-8's High In The Monterrey Mountains On Upper Level Of The "Original" JJJ&E

In 2009 we moved to Frisco Texas and the entire "Original" JJJ&E was completely dismantled. The track, buildings and some foliage was salvaged for the new layout. It took nine years to build and one week to dismantle.

The "New" JJJ&E was started at the end of February 2009 in a 21x12' completely finished train room that is part of my new home.