Strasburg Ry. in Railpace Magazine

In the March 2013 issue of Railpace Magazine one can find an eight page feature on the Strasburg Ry. located in Pennsylvania. I was happy to see a photo I took last fall used on the lead off page. The same photo was used as Wordless Wednesday No. 1. The feature includes a nice map which can help one locate the best photo locations. The map marks the locations of the photos used in the article. Don and I did find most of the locations found on the map during our visit last fall  but there are a few interesting areas we missed that we will have to visit next time around.. Here are a few more photo from my visit to Strasburg....George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 19

RailroadKITS - Gleason Garage

Gleason Garage on display at the fall 2012 Expo. A structure with some appealing angles and sizes.

A garage based on a Jamaica, Vermont prototype

RailroadKITS new offering is a neat looking service garage once found in the area of the West River Ry., which became a narrow gauge subsidiary of the Central Vermont Ry. I saw this structure at the fall 2012 Expo in Lancaster, Pa. I liked the lines of the structure and took a photo of it at that time. I did not know it at the time but it was based on a Vermont structure that stood near the CV. At last falls Expo I had purchased way to many kits by the point I came across the garage to consider it, but I may take a second look at it next fall as I really do like the garage's appearance. Check out RailroadKITS website below...George Dutka

Railroad Kits!, HO Scale Structures and Details

Along the Central Vermont No.1 - Randolph Coal & Ice Co.

This is the main line view of the structure. Some trackage can be seen still in place near the structure.

 A past industry still stands in Randolph, Vt.

During my fall 2012 visit to Vermont I stopped by the station area of Randolph, Vermont as I had not been there since 1992. I was very surprised to see the old coal shed still standing and still in not bad shape for the age. I had covered this structure with a group of detailed photos in the CVRHS Ambassador Vol. 10, No. 1 (2000). I am not sure when it was built but an easement map from the Stearns Jenkins collection dates it back to at least 1919 in a reduced size. At that time the structure was used by R.B. Osha Coal Sheds. Warren Dodgson's 1929 fire insurance maps shows the coal sheds as see today. The small lettering under the Randolph Coal and Ice Co. reads A.C. Wells Prop. who must have been the operator when last used.  The following photos details how the coal shed looks in 2012...George Dutka

Looking north along the main line one can see the overall view of  Randolph Coal. The station and frt. house are behind me at the crossing as I take this photo.

Chronology of Randolph, Vt. Weather
It was noted that there was a coal shortage during 1917-18. Many of the residence were cutting firewood to replace the non existent coal supply. The winter of 1917-18 turned out to be the coldest recorded winter in 50 years in Vermont.  Records indicate that the coldest day was on December 30th and 31st  with the temperature at 50 degrees below zero. Aren't you glad for global warming...This factor alone may have been enough for such a large coal storage shed to be built shorty after.

This is the opposite side of the building from the photos above.

There are many interesting angles to this structure which would make a great modelling project. Seems all the bands are still on the silo's although some have slipped down.

White River Junction Sandhouse - Installed

I finally got around to taking some more photos around the layout...I will explain the layout status in another post. One of the scenes I updated back in the fall was the area around the coal tower. At that time the tower just sat over the end of WRJ's scenic area. My hidden staging yard is without any ballast or scenery. When I decided to add the sandhouse I thought I best add some ground details for any photos I will take. More on the sandhouse can be found in an Oct 2012 post. These few photos give you an idea how the area looks like today. The area is actually only visible when standing on my footstool or if you are really tall, but I wanted to add it for photo ops. For photos I have to use my Canon point and shoot camera resting it on the track or a small wood block. There is no room to get my tripod and Canon Rebel in there...so enjoy the view from there...George Dutka

This photo has been cropped to the edge of the finished scenery in the staging area. The WRJ station can be partly seen way off to the left.

The sandhouse can be seen though the coal tower opening.

A CV steam engine and diesel can be seen around the engine facilities.

Wordless Wednesday No. 18

Bachmann Alco S-2 - Central Vermont



CV #7919 handles a caboose out front of the White River Junction station.



  Another Alco switching my White River Jct. yard

Central Vermont # 7919
Q-6-a

I liked my Bachmann S-4 so much I purchased a Bachmann S-2 just before Christmas. It has DCC and sound included and runs smooth and sounds great. My S-4 is CV 8027 which I covered in my post of Oct. 10, 2012. The S-2 switcher I also detailed as a CV switcher but this time in an earlier scheme. I really wanted to try a lettering scheme I had not yet tried.


The Prototype 
CV 7919 came to the Central Vermont along with #7918 in 1941. CV 7917 arrived later in 1948 from the GTW. Engine 7917 and 7918 had a brand new paint job on them by 1955 with a square herald on the cab and the long Central Vermont herald on the engine housing with a stripe along the running boards. Engine 7919 may have remained as delivered till it was refurbished and renumbered in 1956. I have not been able to find a photo of this engines after 1951 and before 1956. In 1956, 7919 became 8095. The engines scheme when delivered had a metal square placard attached to the cab on each side with smaller numbering on the front of the hood and on the rear of the cab. Larger numbers were found on the engine body sides with a wide gold strip along the running board and a finer strip on the top edge of the engine body. The two stripes lasted till just before 1950 when they either faded out or were painting out. I found a 1951 photo on page 54 of Central Vermont in Color, Morning Sun Books. This photo was taken at WRJ with no stripping top or bottom. The engine had orange handrails at that time. I thought the engine looked interesting in that view so I used it for my project's inspiration. All photo's of  #7919 I have seen are at White River Junction also. Since WRJ is the location I am modelling this was a good engine to include on my roster. One can find a good 1947 photo of CV #7919 in the Feb. 2000 issue of Model Railroader showing the original stripes. That article was done by CV fan and friend Marty McGuirk. All three original S-2, 7900s were sent to the GTW in 1967.

CV 7918 in WRJ during the summer of 1952. Note the top and running board stripe has been removed. The engineman's awning is squared off and extremely narrow. The glass wind deflectors on both side of the engineman's window are folded flat on this day.

Details added
I did add a good amount of details to my model before repainting. I began by adding to the cab, wiper blades, 4 are needed, styrene arm rests are added on each side were the crewman would be sitting, styrene sun shades, a formed wire door handle, and a filler valve on the end of the cab by Details West, #FF-167 fuel filler. On the cab sides I also added brass wind deflectors #CB 2304 Detail Associates. Two painted figures are added to the cab interior once the engine is completed.

I added Kadee #58 couplers that needed to have the brass metal insert trimmed somewhat to fit the Bachmann pocket. Juneco Alco re-railers are used. On the top of the body I added Detail Associates lift hoops #6214, Precision Scale #31334 markers and Juneco jewels, Cal-Scale #190-529  curved corner grabs and Tichy grabs on the hood front and fireman's side.

On the cab I have added a styrene arm rest and awning. A new metal filler pipe is also added. A wire door handle is also  applied. The lettering is off the cab but still needs a little more scrubbing on the engine hood.

My Alco S-2 is seen next to the photo I used as inspiration to complete my model.

Paint and Lettering
The engine was scrubbed clean of lettering followed by a coat of Floquil engine black and a coat of gloss. I used the large numbering from Micro Scale CV #87-990. For the number boards, front and rear small numbers I used leftover Accu-Cal #5808 H numbering. The metal herald on the cab sides was made by photocopying the Micro Scale herald then trimming and gluing it to the sides. I used a pencil on the edges to hide the white surface after the trimming. The Engine got a coat of Floquil flat finish, an over spray of grimy black and some chalk weathering. The end handrails I bush painted Floquil CN #11 orange to match the photograph.

My two Alco switchers are seen out front of the WRJ station. One is about to depart with a cut of propane tanks destined for a local customer.

Final Thoughts
My favourite pass time is not switching (as I spent too many years doing this on the prototype) but now that I have two Bachmann Alco switchers that do everything but belch out smoke, I am finding it fun spending some time working the yard. I also love that this engine has added a bit more prototype history to my WRJ scene...George Dutka

I adjusted this DCC equipped unit to allow for a slower operating pace with more throttling up sounds and  longer stop times which adds to the switching fun.

The CV engineman seems comfortable on a warm fall day with his window open.

Atlas S-2's

Recently Atlas has announced that they will be releasing  a re-tooled S-2 which can be purchased with DCC or DCC with sound. This got me looking at my own S-2 collection. I do have a Bachmann S-2 with sound that I will cover shortly...it is CV 7919. The other is a Atlas B&M factory painted S-2 that I have added additional details to many years ago. This unit is still DC only and is used only for display and photo-ops. I also have a few photos and comments from Bruce Douglas covering his S-2's projects from the same Atlas Alco era.

B&M 1264 is headed to Westminster Centre on the White River Division

B&M S-2 #1264
My unit is a factory painted unit offered a long time ago. I did scrape off the molded on grab irons on the nose and replaced them with wire grab steps. I also added the row of grabs on the fireman's side. Other additions include Precision Scale class lights with Juneco jewels, and Detail Associate # 6214 lift rings on the roof. On the cab I added a Details West #FF-167 fuel filler pipe, a wire door handle and wire handrails on each side of the door. I touched up all the additions with Floquil engine black. The engine got a engineman in the cab and some light Floquil grime, grimy black and chalk weathering.

Bruce Douglas painted and decaled Alco.

Bruce Douglas MEC S-2, #302
Recently Bruce had gone through his HO scale collection that has been boxed for years. He decided to take a few photos sending them along to me with a few comments regarding his S-2's. Here is what Bruce did to his engines.

Bruce used a MEC prototype photo to begin his conversion of a undecorated S-2. This MEC engine had a larger size herald than most on the cab. The engine was painted Floquil engine black and Herald King decals are applied. I don't think the decals are available any more. The pilot ends are painted orange to resemble the prototype while the handrails are painted yellow.  An engineman was also added to bring the engine to life. Bruce also modeled a CPR Alco switcher as seen below.  This engine got a little more weathering than the MEC unit and an engineman was also placed at the controls. Since Bruce's St.J&LC was modelled around St. Johnsbury, Vt. both the MEC and CPR engine fits in nicely...George Dutka

Bruce's inspiration photo from the 1980's. Bruce's collection.

Bruce Douglas CPR Alco.

A last look at my B&M Alco switcher...seems some instructions are being issued before the switch is turned.

Wordless Wednesday No. 17

WRD - Update

The main line is currently shut down. Guess I should get the red flags out at both ends. My Rockingham, Vermont underpass has been removed to allow me to add a new New England Brown Stone underpass. Some of the roadbed still needs to be cut off.

I am going to be away to some warmer weather for a bit, so don't be alarmed if my posts are hit and miss. I have a couple of post almost ready to go that I might be able to post later this week from down south. Since I will be in the Keys I am not sure if I will have Internet access. Posts will be back to normal  next weekend...got to run...George Dutka

Northeastern Scale Lumber - Shingles

Two packages of slate shingles I purchased in the fall along with the RMC ad found in the Oct 2012 issue. Note the other colours and styles they carry. Also viewed is the MEC section house that I built a couple of years ago which had these great shingles included with the kit.

Slate shingles are now back in stock

This fall I was surprised to see at the Northeastern Scale Lumber booth their shingles back on display. For the past year they have not had any shingles in stock. It seems the machine they use to make them broke down and they could not find anyone to fix it. From correspondences it appeared the slate shingles they make and I love using would not be available for a lengthy period. As it turned out they found someone that got the machine back on line and their whole selection of shingles are now available again. You can find their ads in RMC or by checking their web site. These shingles may cost one a bit more that other available shingle products, but are really easy to work with and look great. You may want to take a closer look at their products...they also have a neat gray fish scale shingle I would love to try next...George Dutka.

I used a lot of the loose slate shingles as leftover piles from repairs to my structures. One can see my pile next to the West Barre station.  I had noted  loose shingles lying around some of the New England structures I visited recently. It appears they may like to have a few left for future repairs.

I am adding the Gray Slate HOSNG1B1 to the roof of West Barre station. One can see the sheet size in reference to the roof size. I cut the sheets with a steel straight edge and a sharp blade.

Barns Near the O&LC

One detail I like to model is the wind vanes found on many of the barns. This one was near Lisbon, NY.

Last March I followed a portion of the Rutland's Ry. O&LC line in upstate New York. The view in this weeks Wordless Wednesday is of a long dairy barn viewed near the O&LC. During this early evening visit I crisscrossed the old Rutland Ry. ROW  a few times and made a few stops to photo some of the larger barns I found interesting. I find barns make great photo subjects and can be interesting structures along a layout's ROW.  It is interesting to see the amount of weathering these buildings get. Maybe one can find some inspiration from my views...George Dutka

Fisher Fuels in White River Junction

This is an overall view of the nearly completed  Fisher Fuels oil dealer that sits behind the roundhouse at White River Jct. ....photos by Don Janes

Fitting an Oil Dealer into a Vacant Lot on Railroad Property

by Don Janes

    Once freight traffic levels started to drop after WW2 on the Green Mountain Route, the Central Vermont Ry. found that it didn't need so many tracks off the turntable in White River Jct. so several  unused ones were pulled up leaving an empty lot.  With oil fast becoming the new fuel for home heating and industry a local fuel oil dealer worked out a lease agreement with the railroad and built an office, garage and oil tank on the vacant site.  The CV agreed to let them use one of the tracks for unloading tank cars of oil to be stored in the large steel tank.  On any given day there are one or two tank cars spotted for unloading.  Tank trucks from several different companies fill up here and head out to fill oil tanks throughout the area.

 
    I ordered the Fisher Fuels kit from Railroad Kits several months ago after seeing George's kit that he purchased at the MR EXPO in Lancaster, PA last fall.  It was the perfect size to fit in this spot and added another industry to be served by my railroad.

Here the completed structure and tank are placed in the scene to determine the best positioning for the structures.

    I followed much the same process as George did to construct the kit, first bracing everything well, distressing the wood then staining, painting and weathering it.  I used tar paper supplied with the kit for the garage roof and green three tab shingles from BEST for the roof on the main office.  Once the structure was complete I cut out and painted a piece of Gatorfoam a concrete colour to represent a cement floor and glued the building to it.  By using Gatorfoam I know it wouldn't warp from any moisture added during the scenery process. Gatorfoam was also used for the concrete unloading platform and tank base.  I added a couple of metal stove stacks and vent pipes to the roof of the office and garage for extra detail.

Once the final location was decided I installed the building, tank and unloading platform.  After that I added a layer of Sculptamold to level the area and added a layer of fine sand for an initial scenery base.   

The final scenery was then added to the area.

Extra details such as the old gas pump, oil tanks in for repair, various barrels and boxes and figures were added to complete the scene.

A tank car full of fuel oil has been spotted for unloading as a tank truck fills up with oil for for home delivery.

Here is a look at the office from the opposite side.  Notice the added details around the lot and distressed siding on the building.  

   The oil dealer scene is just about complete now.  I still need to add some signs but I'm not sure what I want to call this establishment yet so I will try to figure out how to make some custom signs on my computer once I have decided on a name.  One other detail I need to add is pipes and valves on the unloading platform and some sort of loading platform beside the tank for the trucks.  I will have to sort through my detail and scrap boxes to find the necessary pieces for these details.
     I am very happy with the way the Fisher Fuels kit turned out and how it filled an empty space on the layout.  Have a look at the Railroad Kits web site and check out all their kits and you might just find one that will suite your needs.