My version of a Rutland Phone Box

Here we have a photo from a few years back in my layout room. That is my Gimli jacket that I got when I finished my locomotive training there. That is also my railroad grip that has done me well for over 30 years of service. An engineman made it for me shortly after I hired on. Bill Porter was a very good leather craftsman having made many saddles over the years. He made a lot of these bags for the guys from my era. Mine has sat there since I retired. I don't think I have looked in there since I put it down...hope none of my lunch was left in there.

The Rutland Ry style phone box I made once housed our basement home phone. Today with portable phones it has been converted to housing my CD collection another blast from the past...George Dutka

BEST - General Store

The completed Elwell general store is seen on my workbench.

A look at BEST general store which was a Fine Scale Model Railroad Expo feature kit about a decade ago. It was a tribute to Dick Elwell who's layout was featured on the railroad layout tour portion of the event. I hope this event will be coming back now that Covid is winding down (I hope)...George Dutka

I added a lot of details to the porch from many different sources.

The general store in use on the WRD.

Throwback Thursday - STER 3582

On May 07, 2004,  STER 3582 is about to leave St Thomas and wend its way towards Tillsonburg.  The handsome stone yard office in the background has subsequently been razed.

By Peter Mumby.

From 1998 until 2013 the CN Cayuga Spur was operated by Trillium Rail as their St. Thomas and Eastern Railway.  With headquarters at the small yard in Tillsonburg, their principal interchange was with CN in St Thomas.  Over the years about five different locomotives operated on the line at various times.  STER 3582, model HR 412(W), was constructed by Bombardier in 1981 as CN 2582.  It later became CN 3582 before being sold to Railink as their RLK 3582.  Still wearing Railink colours, it subsequently was operated by Mattawa Temiscaming Excursion Co. as their "Timber Train" locomotive.  At the time this photo was made in early 2004, the only indication that the unit's ownership had changed to Trillium Rail was the STER notation on the cab side.  By early 2006 a yellow panel with a "Trillium Railway" inscription had replaced the Timber Train logo.

Trillium ceased STER operations in December of 2013, with Ontario Southland assuming control of the Cayuga Spur for the 2014 - 2020 time period.  Just recently a new entity called GIO Rail has started running on this marginal line.

Wordless Wednesday No. 477

 

 

Signal Box

Liverpool, NY next to Heid's Hot Dog parking lot. Sept. 20, 2019.

I took this photos of a signal box that I came across while attending a NMRA NER convention in Syracuse, NY back in 2019. The tracks run behind Heid's hot dog joint where one can get a great hot dog...if you are a hot dog guy. Anyhow the signal box was really rusted up expect for a few paint outs which I think hides graffiti that is not appropriate. I really like the idea of a really rusty signal box in a contemporary scene instead of a nice and shiny silver box. I may try this for the next section of my back alley scene...George Dutka     

Weathering Trackage

The final coating to the center area of the tracks is done with MIG pigments. These are two tones that my friend Gary Pembleton gave me a few years ago.

Here we see a view of my back alley foreground trackage that is actually a small diorama. I played around with some of my weathering materials to come up with this effect...George Dutka 

The tracks diorama set in the foreground of the back alley scene.

Variety Store by CP Yard London

I pass this store most days when heading to my mother in laws. The CP yard is within sight of this location. What I find interesting is the billboard right up tight against the store wall. Also some of the old 1950's or 1960's raised lettering still partly in place on one wall. This could make an interesting build...George Dutka

Throwback Thursday - On the Ground

On May 04, 2004, NS 9353 and UP 4343 are shoving a covered hopper in to Cargill Elevators at Paynes Mills, Ontario.

By Peter Mumby. 

By the early 2000s, Norfolk Southern freight number 327 was consisting primarily of loaded auto parts boxes headed for the St Thomas Ford plant.  The auto rack traffic it used to carry was now being handled by CN.  Periodically the train would handle a few frame flats and covered hoppers as well.  If the consist stopped at the CN St Thomas North yard and remarshalled the train with the covered hoppers at the head end, this was a pretty good indication that the power would be heading west from Talbotville after dropping the boxcars at Southwold Yard.  The covered hoppers would be delivered to Cargill Elevators at Paynes Mills.  At this location a light rail spur snaked through an S curve off the mainline.  It was quite something to hear the rails creak and groan as the pair of big 6-axle units backed in to make their set-out.  On the day when these photos were taken, the delivery had been successfully made and the units were on their way back off the property when there was a loud "thump!" as the rear truck of the 9353 came off the rails.  Not surprisingly, the rails had spread under the weight of the locomotives.  Two days later, I photographed the NS unit at CN's London yard waiting to be forwarded to Toronto for traction motor repairs.  As for subsequent deliveries to Paynes Mills, they were handled by a pair of rebuilt CN GP9s.  Someone made a good decision.

The return trip to the mainline of the Paynes Subdivision didn't go as smoothly.  The crew member in the photo has just verified that the rear truck of the 9353 was on the ground.
 

Wordless Wednesday No. 476

 

 

Snapshot - May 2022

In this view the CN EB is crossing Komoka Rd in Komoka. Note the sign to the right. Why not add this sign too your layout were one does not want a lot of engine noise. You might have an operator that is heavy on the horn when switching near a crossing on your layout. Just add the sign there. Hey it works well if your engines are not sound equipped too as you would be conforming to the rules.

This month for snapshot we have a bit of prototype inspiration for a layout. I took these two photos of train 382 on Jan 7 2022 at the Komoka Road crossing in Komoka, Ontario...George Dutka 

Push Rod garage in Komoka does not have a sign on its mechanics shop but with this truck out front in the parking lot one knows were they are...could this work for your layout?

Spray Paints

Here is a look at my commonly used spray cans. From left to right is Walmart flat black, an auto body shop brown primer which I finally used up. The next two colors are are from Home Hardware, Camo coat olive and dark brown. The last color is cast iron a nice dark metallic tone from Princess Auto which I use on trucks on occasion and other metal parts...George Dutka  

C&O Boxcars

This C&O boxcar found at Fargo in 1955 was built in 5-1926. Bob Bowes copy from the Sirman collection. With the boards across the opened door I feel this might have been used in grain service. 

  
Two vintage views of a C&O outside braced boxcars with steel ends and a door and a half feature found here in Canada during the 1950's. A kit of this car was offered by Speedwitch Media resin as  Pere Marquette/C&O 88000-series. In a post dated Nov 18, 2020 Don Janes shows us how he built one..George Dutka 

At Leamington, Ontario during 1954. Bob Bowes copy from the Sirman collection.

Pickup Truck Details

Nice to dirty up an old workhorse and add a few details in the box.

Here is a view of two of my pickup trucks that regularly are found on the layout. Both have some weathering and a bit of details such as old lumber, Tichy barrel covers and a F&C cement block...George Dutka  

Wordless Wednesday No. 475

 

 

Is There Something Coming...says the Cow?

This is one of only a couple of times I have been out railfanning this year. I was hoping to meet up with Peter for an hour out west of London but unfortunately that could not be worked out that day. I am just west of the  CN-CP diamond near Komoka. There was a few cows in the field and one was more interested in what I was doing than grazing on the new grass.

I am looking at cutting back posts to maybe 4-5 per week for the time being as we have a lot of family and health issues that are currently overwhelming me. I don't want to get into the details but I have not been doing any modeling since early January or much of anything else. I still have a lot to cover on this blog but it will take time to get it out to you...George Dutka

And a few minutes later a EB arrived. Train 502 which does work in London passes while the cow is more interested in me than the noisy old train. I was only out for about an hour but caught 4 trains in that time period. A pretty good outing.

1951 Studebaker Business Coupe - Update

I corresponded with Clare Gilbert about the 1951 Studebaker business coupe. Here is some interesting facts about the car that I did not know. There is more about coloring for the car also...George Dutka

"The business coupe had no back seat. Just an area where traveling salesman could stow their sample cases.The roof on the Studebaker was much shorter than the regular coupe (which had a wrap around rear window) because there was no back seat. Most auto makers had a business coupe back in the day. They were usually the cheapest model in any line up. That sounds like something CN would buy.

Reading your blog about the Studebaker orange. The one on the label of the kit is actually yellow. While I can't remember where I saw it I had a pic of a yellow one when I painted the sample for the label.

I found this photo on line, for sale. It is  a '50 not a '51.

The 1951 Auto colour chips that I have seen do not show a bright yellow but the commercial paint chips do (called chrome yellow). Since the business coupe was a commercial model I think the yellow could be quite proper on it."

B&M and Rutland - 3D Details

 

Don dropped by and left me a package in my mailbox a few weeks back. He had made a few US orders while staying in Arizona. I split the shipping and orders on these 3D printed B&M track bumpers and Rutland and B&M call boxes offered by Scott J Whitney. Now to get them painted and added to the layout...George Dutka

Throwback Thursday - Automobile Double Deck Transporter

CN 730034 is sitting in the yard at London, Ontario on July 31, 1989.

By Peter Mumby.

Built in 1959 by Canadian Car and Foundry, CN 730034 belonged to series 730023-730073.  With their excess height and inside length of 74'5", these were the largest cars on CN at the time of their construction.  Due to these dimensions, the cars were not used for interchange, hence the notice on the cars sides "Do not load off CN lines in Canada."  Sporting loading/unloading doors at each end, these cars had the capacity to carry eight automobiles.  They very quickly became outmoded, as by 1962 National Steel Car was building open sided tri-level auto racks.  In early 1970 most of these cars were sold to Auto Train.

CN also had similar cars that were shorter and designed to handle  six automobiles.  A photo of one of these cars appeared in the post of May 21, 2020 entitled "CN London Reclamation Yard, Part Five."  An HO scale model of one of these 57' cars was produced by Sylvan Scale Models at one point.

Wordless Wednesday No. 474

 

    

New Underpass for London Shortly

The CNR underpass has stayed the same since this view in 1923. Interesting the billboard on the left is still there and it looks old today...maybe the same frame or parts of it from when this photo was taken.

The CN has an underpass new bridge and wide road planned for Wharncliffe Rd in London, Ontario. The photo above views the street railway which has been gone for years. Actually the tracks seen in the foreground which is Springbank Drive was unearthed a couple or three decades or so ago when the Horton St. extension was updated. It appears the city just paved over the tracks leaving them buried in asphalt for years...George Dutka

April 7, 2021 VIA 71 crosses the Wharnciffe Road bridge. Peter Mumby and I spent the morning catching two passenger trains at this location and checked out the bridge close up.

The billboard to the left of the underpass. At this time there actually was three close together. One has since been removed.

This one is clearly the oldest of the group of billboards and maybe parts of it date back to the first photo.