Newfane, Vt. Station - Banta Modelworks

If you are a New England Modeler this might be something for you. Banta Modelworks has a new structure out of the CV Newfane, Vt. station in HO scale. It appears to be a nice structure which uses all wood for construction. Newfane still stands today too if you want to check out the prototype...George Dutka  

Throwback Thursday - Early OSR Power

OSR 501 was resting at CP Quebec St yard in London before being delivered to its new owner.

By Peter Mumby.  

Ontario Southland Railway began its existence in 1994 as a provider of industrial switching on a contract basis.  It originally owned two General Motors yard locomotives which it operated at a Petro Canada refinery in Clarkson, Ontario.  When the company later won the contract to operate the Guelph Junction Railway, additional locomotives were required.  MLW S-13 number 501 was one such unit.  Built in January 1959 as PGE 1001, it later operated as BCOL 501 and GWWD 501 before heading east to work for OSR. 

This portrait of OSR 501 was exposed on April 29, 1995.

WRD Rebuild - 2016

Under construction. The WRD got a facelift and change to point to point operations. Some locations can be seen were drop in dioramas will fit.

During my WRD rebuild I took a few photos along the way. This one shows the plaster work done on the peninsula and the WRJ yard area that was changed...George Dutka       

Worn Out or just Worn?

 

 The local power here in London, Ontario is not always the best looking units in the fleet but do get the job done. April 4 2024. Many of these units are ones that would make great weathered models that sure would get visitors attention...George Dutka    

West Hopkinton Station Update

The chimney was pushed into the structure so most of the brick is hidden. 

I did not like the height of the chimney when I first built this small station. The chimney is large and showing too much brick and height, it just did not look right to me for such a small structure...George Dutka  

The chimney height when first built.

Pillsbury Covered Hopper

 

A good looking view of GACX 43322  built 3-61 leased to Pillsbury. It is in Calgary, Alberta. The photo was taken on Nov 11, 1968.  Bob Bowes collection...George Dutka   

Throwback Thursday: Promotional Survivor - Part Two

CN 283032 was photographed at Belleville, Ontario on July 25, 1993.

By Peter Mumby.

On July 03, 1971, four specially decorated freight cars were on public display at the CN yard in Belleville, Ontario.  Each of these cars had one side painted and lettered to represent the type of load it was designed to carry.  The opposite side and ends were finished in the normal fashion.  The prototype photos in today’s post were also taken at Belleville, although this time insulated boxcar CN 283032 displays its appearance following 22 years on the road.

The original “Promotional Survivor” post appeared on December 10, 2020.  I decided to do a brief update after I realized that an HO decal set for this car had been produced.  This set, Prototype Model Industries H-3, included instructions to paint one car side white, but neglected to indicate specifically which side.  That is where the photo of the”A” end of the car comes in to play, making it clear that the large apple logo was painted towards the “B” (brake wheel) end of the car.  

This photo illustrates the “A” end of the insulated boxcar.

Yes, there was a decal set produced for this car!

Wordless Wednesday No. 477 - Weathered

 

    

Sheffield Farms Milk Car

 

Milk car SFCX 1049 seen here in the 1930's. From the Bob Bowes Collection. At one time F&C offered this car as a resin kit. I had built one years ago. If you search the blog you will find photos of it...George Dutka  

Weathered Walls

 

The walls are first coated with MIG rail center white followed with dry brushing of dollar store acylic white which highlighted the edges of the clapboard siding.

Here is a close-up look at how the walls turned out on Big Lou's...George Dutka  

The highlighted white paint plus the AK wash for wood applied to the lower areas. Note the worn boards down low.

Diner and Dives...Maybe?

 

Are you getting hungry this is my version of Diner and Dives that I built last summer...all offered by FOS one as free kit, a kit-of-the-month and one from their regular stock. Thought I would group a few for a fun view...George Dutka  

 

New Posts

Some of you may already know but my wife passed on Saturday after a two year battle with cancer. I need some time at the moment...so I will not be posting anything till maybe the weekend or early next week. We were married for 48 years. Life will get back to a new normal I hope at some point....George  

Red's - Wiscasset, Maine

The era has been moved ahead and the train crew has stopped at Red's pulling the caboose clear of the crossing.

Two views of my small drop-in diorama of Red's found in Wiscasset Maine. A favorite of many that venture up that way...George Dutka 

On the WRD it is standard practice for train crews to stop at Red's for a bite to eat. During my time on the CN we had our regular stops too.

April - Update

 

Don’s article in RMC is excellent and it prompted me to look back for some old pictures of the RS-2.  Here’s a shot of #8404 from the late sixties heading north through Newport VT,...Geoff Southwood

Here is a bit of this and that I hope you enjoy...George Dutka  

Brian Smith dropped off these two nicely modeled open top hoppers this week that just does not fit into his era. Brian was a local modeler, but in the last year moved to New Brunswick to live. I now have a reason to travel to the east coast. Brian is in the area for a visit with friends and doctor appointments.

My new addition awhile back having a test run on the WRD. This chop nose Rapido model is a nice replica of the CP prototype. It will be used when the era is moved forward. 

An overall view of my Hoods creamery diorama that I built almost a year ago.

Awhile back Peter Mumby had a friend scan many of his negatives. When Peter and I ran through his scans we selected a few for Throwback Thursdays and other posts. Here is one I found interesting of a work car that has a roll-up silver door that one might want to model.

Throwback Thursday - Sarnia Diesel Shop

CN 9491 is relaxing near the Sarnia Diesel Shop on September 04, 1993.

By Peter Mumby. 

Now, that’s a neat sign!  Certainly not a standard company issue - it must have been locally produced by a painter with a good eye for design.  Today CN doesn’t have many of these smaller diesel shops left.  This one in Sarnia is currently operated by Lambton Diesel Specialists, so there are usually several rebuilt GM locomotives nearby.

Wordless Wednesday No. 476

 

Feb 27, 2000 Copetown West, Ontario   

Patch, Rust and Weathered Hoppers

Lots of rust on this piece of rolling stock with a bit of a repaint, Sept 6 2019

Here are a few of covered hoppers I photographed a few years back while in the Burlington, Ontario area (behind the IKEA store)...George Dutka  

All photo are taken at Aldershot East from behind the IKEA parking lot. There is a bit of a grassy hill that one can park in front of and stand up high enough to shoot over the fence while the wife shops inside. The rust is just beginning on the upper side of the covered hopper. Sept 8, 2019

This covered hopper has a good amount of rust happening on the upper half of the car which also has some gray patching lower down. Sept 8 2019.

GT New England Plow

GT 55481 is seen in Coaitook, Que. March 26, 1983. Lee Labrecque Gord Taylor collection.

This is one of the slides I scanned a number of years ago from the Gord Taylor collection. Peter Mumby is the current owner of most of Gord's photo work...George Dutka 

1990's Diorama

A short CV milk train is seen on my 12' diorama that I was testing my modeling skills on back in the early 1990's. The structures were a mix of what I had built back then. Some I still have and use.

Prior to building the WRD I had a diorama which I was trying different ideas for scenery, trackage and structure placement. This would be early 1990's. This view I took as a slide which I recently found mixed in with other slides. I scanned the original and color adjusted it the best I could. Color shots back then were not the best for me...most of what I took at that time was in B&W...George Dutka      

NH Boxcar - Models

My NH boxcar fleet has been growing over the past few years. These cars could be found all around the continent at one time.

Here is a view of a group of my NH boxcars. I do have a few more that appear on the WRD layout at times. More on a couple of these cars in next month's RMC, check it out...George Dutka  

Throwback Thursday: GWWD by the Numbers - Part Two

 

GWWD 102 was sitting in front of the CASO station at CN St Thomas south on September 20, 1994.

By Peter Mumby.

In today’s post we will take a look at the second half of the roster of GWWD 44-ton locomotives, specifically numbers 102 and 103.  According to the “Canadian Trackside Guide,” both of these units were purchased second hand.  102 had been built in 1945 as Swift and Company 400.  As part of the 1994 transaction it was sold to Ontario Southland Railway.  103 was assembled in May of 1947 as CN 7751, and was subsequently renumbered as 7550, then number 1 before its transfer to GWWD.  Its 1994  buyer was Port Stanley Terminal Rail.  

GWWD 103 sits with its mates at CP Quebec St yard in London on February 05, 1994.

GWWD 103 had been moved to the CP shop track in London by the time this image was exposed on February 19, 1994.

Wordless Wednesday No. 475

  
   

Don Janes - General Store

This is the side that I plan to expand the store. A good size addition will be required.

A few more views of how Don's general store once looked. It is all scratch-built using styrene siding. That was what we used back in the 1980's. There was not that wide range of craftsman structures we enjoy today...George Dutka 

The rear wall of the store.

I will leave the window signs as is but may add some to the overhang which will be added.

Country General Stores

Internet find of general store in Connecticut.

I recently looked around the internet for views of country general stores that might inspire me to start a conversion of a model Don Janes built and gave me years ago. It had been on his layout for years until his current rebuild (which has been in the works for maybe 10 years). It is now on a shelf by my workbench. I have had it for the last 7 or 8 years waiting its turn to be revived. I want to turn it into a larger version, maybe double the size which possibly will find a home on our friend Bill Moore's B&M layout...George Dutka      

Don Janes general store from his old layout. I plan on adding an addition to each side, removing the lean-to shed. The roof maybe used on the addition or possibly the lean-to will be revised somewhere else. A covered porch will be worked into the mix. There might be some slate roofing and also metal roof seections.

This wonderful view of front door area of a general store in Vermont was taken by Ken Karlewicz and found on the internet. There is great looking signage over the door and on the windows.  

This general store is located in Maine.

Not sure were this country store is but a nice looking example of something we might model.

Back Alley Scene

 

The far left end of the diorama has the ice house backside in view, a bit of a Tichy fence and the auto body shop.

Here are a few more views of my back alley scene that did not make it into RMC...George Dutka  

There is a bit of an alley with a broken down car with tools around it and some trash against the walls. All this makes the scene come together with the other structures.

Not much to the auto body shop that is set into the rear of the diorama. Just a block front wall with a window, sign and awning. two short side walls and some roof details such as a huge roof vent for the paint shop. OK Auto Body once was across from the parking lot at the VIA-CN Brantford station. I used a photocopy of my photo took some years ago of the structure sign to add here.

Overall view of the left side of the diorama. The fence out front is also a Tichy product. The telephone pole Brian Smith gave me some years ago. It is a wood kit that has spikes as steps. The base is a piece of Gatorfoam.