Champion Oils Sterling Fuels - Tankcars

 

HJMX 6002 is part of the PSTR collection, seen here in Pt. Stanley. Peter Mumby photo.

by Keith MacCauley 

As noted, the green tank cars were very old. You can pinpoint the build era by some tank details. I couldn't tell from the photos, but I believe that the larger diameter tank cars have a single row of rivets joining the tank head whereas the smaller diameter have a double row at the head. The single rivet row identifies the tank car as a 'Type II', manufactured between 1903 and 1917. Tank cars with a double row of rivets, known as 'Type II', were manufactured after 1917. As fusion welding (no rivets) was not adopted until 1941, the Type II HJMX tank cars could have been built from the 1920's through the 1940's. In a WRD post (11/28/2019), Peter Mumby indicates that HJMX 6002 was built 8/1920. While wartime demands extended the life of already old rolling stock, my understanding is that the AAR did not adopt freight car age limits until the 1960's. The current age limit is fifty years for freight cars manufactured after July 1, 1974. There is also a mechanism to extend the life of certain car types (not including tank cars) to sixty-five years.

RailroadKITS - Kitbash

A RailroadKITS model was used to come up with this structure.

MMR Gary Shurgold sent me these photos of his completed structures build during our November WOD-NMRA laser kit-build held in Sarnia, Ont. Gary used two kits to construct these structure. Of course he has added additional lumber to come up with this creative building. Interesting looking builds for sure...George Dutka 

The second kit was turned into this interesting looking model.

Champion Oil Tank Cars

Champion Oil 6006 Aug 1977 Pt. Stanley. Peter Mumby photo.

There was a day one would see Champion Oil tank cars traveling between Pt. Stanley and London, Ontario. The L&PS Ry and later CN handled the traffic. For years once retired they were stored in the Pt. Stanley area. One still survives in Pt. Stanley. Others maybe in museums that I have not visited. 

These views are by Peter Mumby that I scanned of his slides. I built a model of one of these cars back in the 1980's. It was in RMC back then...George Dutka  

Champion Oil 6012, 1985 Peter Mumby photo.

A string of Champion Oil tank cars in 1985. Peter Mumby photo.

Champion Oil 6015, 6005 and 6022 in 1985. Peter Mumby photo.

Trains at Petersburg - White River Division

My Bachmann factory painted B&M RS-3 passes the station at Petersburg with a string of tank cars. The engine got a few coats of Rapido Proto Paint flat haze and some powders.

I recently went through my photos from a few years ago (2014) that I took around my Atlas kit-bashed station that emulates a Rutland Ry structure. It is mainly the roof that was changed. Enjoy...George Dutka  

In this view a Rutland Ry. RS-1 is seen passing Petersburg with a flat loaded with new tractors. I painted and decaled this unit back in the 1990's. Since then it had received a DCC sound decoder and new LED's.

Throwback Thursday - Long Gone Dispatchers Boxes

 

by Keith MacCauley

While no longer standing line side, I do recall seeing the little black pole mounted boxes with a phone symbol. Over the years I never gave them much thought. Who could one call? When did they disappear? No doubt they were connected to the line side pole mounted wires, now also gone (of course the poles and wires have been replaced by buried fiber optic cable, albeit for a different purpose). 

Some help from George filled me in; ‘one would go down to the phone and call the dispatcher to get permission  (a rule 564) by the signal when it was red and the dispatcher could also not set the switch route properly. There was 564 or 566 forms in the box to fill and take back to the engineman once completed or read back to him. At that time the radios were not used to contact dispatchers to take these forms. Almost every control point had a dispatcher boxes.’ So who did one contact by radio? Again, some help from George; ‘ radios are used for talking to train crews, section crews, yardmaster, car control and for the dispatcher to call. Things have changed most of the guys use their cell phones to make a lot of the calls required. I did not have a cell to use till after I retired although many of the conductors did. Not a lot of paper work to do also by the time I left...everything was on the computer including booking on and off duty which once was done on a paper ticket. The phone boxes were later used to hold bills and journals at locations lifts were made or setoff such as Paris Jct. BIT yard and Aldershot.

What about GP40-2L(W) CN 9427? The venerable ‘Safety’ cab equipped unit left GMDD London in May of 1974 and is still active on the railway; now equipped with remote control gear, ditch light and ‘Peeling Paint’ dress. While high priority intermodals and hot shot freights were early assignments, current duties appear to be mostly locals. Another long gone? The generous smoke cloud generated by the turbocharged 645 prime mover! 

The phone box in a cropped view.

Wordless Wednesday No. 662

 

   

Auto Parts DD Boxcar

Ready to roll on the WRD. 

This is one of the cars I took from Peter Mumby's collection that I am not sure if he assembled and weathered or was a show find. It was missing a coupler and the shell needed to be attached better. The weathering is nice but I added a bit of my touch to the roof and very little to the sides...George Dutka        

The roof recieved a bit of a medium gray PanPastel treatment on the raised panels. Some raw umber shade is used on the walks and edges of the roof.

The patching and rust steaking was already on the car when it arrived home.

Away for a Bit

The next building in the trio of builds using a ITLA kit. Once the windows are in the back wall will be added and the roof, both made from styrene. 

I'm off to somewhere warm today so no posts for a bit...see you shortly. This morning an extra post to fill in while I am gone...George Dutka

The front wall is completed. The loading door is part open with some details showing through. The building is emulating the back of a grocery store with a variety of signs.

Wordless Wednesday No. 661

 

  

WRJ - B&M Yard Office

WRJ B&M yard office 1975 courtesy of  Steve Myers.

There was a post on B&M Facebook recently about the B&M yard office in WRJ. Here are some of the comments about the structure. I had asked a couple of questions...George Dutka

When I worked the 2nd shift operator the yardmaster was a guy named Red ( nick name I guess)conductors would come in to get paper work, Joe Murphy was one who I remember well....Joseph Burnham. Joseph worked there as an operator in 1968.

" 'JS'; the telegrapher's office in the yard office at B&M's New Yard in White River Junction, Vt. If you lived up that way and had a regular job, it was a pretty good place to work. But for a Fitchburg Division spare operator, it was the end of the world." -- Alden Dreyer.  John Alan Roderick 

This one had been a residence, the whole railroad yard had been a farmers field from what the old timers I worked with at WR Jct told me, the railroad saved the house, moved it there and used it as the yard office. Operaters left here and moved to the station in the early 70's I believe. The old "bull pen" yard office was in use to the mid 70's and then as operations slowed the yard clerks moved to the station with the operators. One of the fellows I worked with Harry Johnson's father was killed one winter going in to the yard office. Snowy winter, high snow banks, the southbound passenger train went by before he got to work but on this day the train (the Flying Yankee /Tin Fish) was late, he walked through the opening in the snow bank and right in front of the passenger train. Someday would like to find the accident report or the local newspaper account of the accident...Bruce Penttinen

Courtesy of Steve Myers.

The Finished Tool House

I recently took a few more views of the tool house with my backdrop. A better look up close also of what one sees through the open door...George Dutka   

Tarpaper roof is a grayish green. Roof stack is a Juneco detail. Roof got some patching on both sides.

Some boards against the wall, tie plates from Monster Modelworks a Tichy barrel, new papers and sacks from F&C.

Rutland Ry. Slate Roofing

Views of Bill’s roof with Summit station slate used.

 While building my Rutland Ry. station I discussed the color of Rutland Ry. roof slate with Bill Badger that would help with my model. The following information and photos are by Bill Badger from our e-mail discussions combined into a short article…George Dutka

Along the Vermont/New York border is a rich high quality slate area (D&H served) and I suspect material came from whoever bid lowest. The industry really didn’t take off until the latter 19th century. Interestingly, unlike farmers, the railroad wouldn’t put slate roofs on older buildings that were not strong enough to handle it. The slate on part of my house came from the old Summit depot that was being dismantled. It is quite brown/orange from iron oxide and is very thin, which was the style at the time. Other examples are greyer.

Many of the quarries are still active so new slate is going on roofs, however, it ages and weathers over time and old slate looks different than new. I think acidic coal smoke accelerated the weathering process. One advantage to slate is that acid doesn’t eat holes in it like steel. And it doesn’t burn like wood. Until asphalt roofing, it was the best choice for railroad roofing. It’s just heavy. My structural engineer would always ask if there were going to be rocks on the roof. 

As mentioned, my home used some of the roofing that was saved from the Rutland Ry. summit station. Slate used on Rutland Ry. structure would have come from around the Vermont-New York border serviced by the D&H. Granville, NY in particular was a location a lot of slate roofing was produced. Slate is heavy so it would be cut as thin as possible to reduce the weight on the roof. The roof supports had to be engineered to support the weight.

Many of the Rutland Ry. structures have slate shingles that can range from a lighter gray to very dark gray and an iron oxide reddish-orange tone. The slate singles when new appeared as a tone of gray. Many of the shingles had a high iron oxide content which turned the shingles to a red-orange tone. When roofing my place with the repurposed slate shingles I noted those that were broken and chipped revealed the original gray tones.

Slate found in areas north of my place in Roxbury, Vermont seem to have a higher content of iron and would develop pin holes from rust and then leak. Not a great product for roofing...Bill Badger.

A typical slate roof on a small barn. Same size slate, some orange rust coloring and rust streaking from the metal cap.

Scrap slate in Middle Granville, NY showing raw color when new. Some greens and purple are seen from this quarry. Other quarries had more gray. All tended to weather toward gray.

ITLA Kit

The first of three building flats is complete. The kit had a number of return ends that work for side walls and the roof was cut to make the back wall for the first structure completed. Styrene was used to make the roof. 

I am building the ITLA Olympia Tool and Die kit as three separate building flats to add to my back alley scene. I had already built this model as a full structure in the past. The first building is done...off to the next...George Dutka 

Cole & Grace brick signage is a Dave's Decal. Some details are glued around the base of the structure.

CN Calendar 2026

CN Employees and pensioners get a CN calendar each year. Mine arrived just before Christmas. The pictures are always interesting but the one that stood out to me the most was the cover view. My favorite of the bunch...enjoy...George Dutka 

Throwback Thursday - Before and After

OSR 504

by Keith MacCauley 

RS-23 OSR 504 was built by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) for the Canadian Pacific Railway in August of 1960 as CP 8044. Ontario Southland would acquire the venerable unit in March of 1997 and decorate it in their attractive maroon and cream scheme shortly thereafter. Further to toiling away for almost a quarter century on Ontario Southland, the pension eligible (age 65!) unit was set aside and stored, reportedly pending sale to Sartigan Railway. Similar to other OSR MLW brethren, eventually on her way to La Belle Province’. Somewhat unhappily, Ontario Southland has become an all EMD powered railway.

Wordless Wednesday No. 660

 

     

NEB&W Layout

 This was recently posted about the NEB&W that I thought you would like to read...George Dutka

Update - Rensselaer Model Railroad Society / New England Berkshire & Western From: Benjamin Hom Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:18:36 PST All - Wanted to pass on an update on the status of the Rensselaer Model Railroad Society’s New England Berkshire & Western layout.  A copy of the Albany Times-Union article of Thursday, 8 January providing an overview of efforts to date is attached for those who were unable to get past the paywall when Tim O'Connor posted it a week or so ago..  All but one section of the layout has found homes. Three sections of the layout have been chosen to be preserved by the current Society (two being the main section of Troy and the other being State Line Tunnels); the South Troy sections are going for display at the Hudson Mohawk Gateway, and other local Capital District sections to the Saratoga Corinth and Hudson Railway. Other iconic sections are going to clubs or layout owners in the Capital District, some structures are going to the Boston Museum of Science yearly display layout, and other structures are going to distant locations as far as South Carolina. The best rolling stock has been retained for the club; remaining member equipment has been returned or donated to the Society for retention or sale.  The existing DCC system will be sold, with the proceeds going towards a new state-of-the-art LCC/DCC system.  The club’s new home is in the ’87 Gymnasium. Some materials, including kits and hobby supplies have been retained for the Society, along with archival materials related to the club itself and the Delaware & Hudson, Rutland, and New York Central prototype.  Remaining material, including miscellaneous books, railroad paper, mixed structure and rolling stock parts, and kits will be sold this weekend by the Northeast Region of the NMRA at the Amherst Railroad Society Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds (The Big “E”) in West Springfield, MA this upcoming weekend, Saturday and Sunday 24-25 January.  The last layout section will be raffled off at the show.  If you're going to the show, head to “RPI's New England Berkshire & Western Collection / NMRA-NER” in Better Living Center Booth 29a – more information on the show can be found here: https://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/index.php  A well-deserved “thank you” goes to project leader Stan Ames ’72, and members Doug Dederick, Greg Whittle, and Tom Amrine for weeks of effort getting layout sections ready, sorting through boxes of books and supplies, and everything ready for the show this weekend, and salvaging material and knowledge for the current club members.  This is not the fate that any of us wanted for the last incarnation of the NEB&W – it represents a time when RPI was at the forefront of the hobby, and pioneered concepts, including the Railroad Prototype Modelers movement, that continue to shape the hobby to this day.  The volunteers deserve much credit for making the most of a bad situation. Ben Hom '89

The Rutland!

This Rutland Ry. view was taken a number of years ago I think on his old layout. Always liked this scene and structure. I think I have the castings to build this structure or one similar...should get at it. Don Janes photo.

Don Janes Green Mountain Division view that he posts on Front End Friday's Facebook page. This photo actually won the MR 2008 digital award...George Dutka   

Rapido B&M Boxcar

Sides are done with PanPastels. I added a few placards to the sides and ends. Should have added some chalk marks before I put on the flat finish. Clipped the coupler pins also. 

I finished adding some weathering to my Rapido B&M boxcar. It is on the light side...George Dutka 

AK grime and old rust is on the wheels and couplers.

A bit of kickup spray is also applied. Roof got India ink and alcohol followed by some AK rust streaks. 

Snapshot - January 2026

Perry Sound 2010 a nice view with a car show going on when Don Janes captured both the show and a CN freight. Just good timing.

This months snapshot is a view taken by Don Janes a number of years ago and sent to me during his annual summer camping trips north of Toronto up into Muskoka.  He usually send me a few each year. This is one of the favorites he sent me...George Dutka