Wordless Wednesday No. 349

Updating a Garage Roof

I updated my garage roof with some extra weathering effects. I think it looks a bit better today.

This past summer I took on a small project that took no time at all but really updated my small garage roofing...George Dutka

This is how the roof looked on my garage used on the WRD up till a couple of months ago. When I first assembled the garage I just airbrushed the roof using Floquil rust which look good at the time. The roofing is FOS paper corrugated siding.

I used these three products plus some sponged on dollar store silver. The Vallejo rust texture I applied by brush. This is a product Jim Sloan had mentioned to me last fall. I do use it a lot. The AK slimy Grime Dark and wood wash was sponged onto the roof, walls and doors to weather things up a bit more.

Roomettes almost completed

The almost completed DPM kit. The interior rooms and lighting has been installed. It went a lot easier than I thought.

I took some photos of the jewelers Roomettes. The only thing that needs to be completed is the sign which I am reducing down on a colour copier and applying above the door...more on this kit shortly...George Dutka

For the rear I made it as another buisness. The fire escape and ladder are from ITLA and fits really well without any extra work.

Two figures are added to the main floor Roomette. One is hidden behind the side portion of the door. in this view.

The upper floor Roomette. Adding figures are a good idea.

O H Wright & Co. -Shop or Storage Structure

The storage shed when I got it was assembled and spray-bombed a grimy colour. The signs used are from an old MR article.

I refurbished a storage shed recently and will be taking it to Woodstock Train Show tomorrow...someone will be going home with a nice addition to their layout...George Dutka

All the doors are modeled open so some interior details are added.

More on what I did to this structure in another post. These end signs including the Tim Horton's are from a photo I took of a tobacco shed near my home. I colour photocopied the print and cut out what I needed.

This roof was my work surface for two hands on clinics I have done "rusting it up".

Walthers Tank Car

The finished Walthers tank car ready for use on the WRD.

Don Janes gave me three tank car a couple of years ago. They were plaque models that may have been given to employee's or customers in Sarnia. Don wanted the plaque bases but had no use for the modern tank cars. I finally finished the last one which needed more attention than the other two...George Dutka

After gluing on missing details and adding trucks some touch-up painting was done with Floquil engine black. I then taped a few areas that would show as new paint prior to coating the entire model with Proto Paint flat haze. The patching idea I copied from Jim Sloan's model.

The car is complete with two coats of flat haze and some Bragdon powders dark and medium rust.

Although the car looks great it probably will not get much running time on the layout since I don't have anywhere for large size tanks to be delivered and trying to keep train lengths shorter they just take up too much space.

Throwback Thursday - A CP International Service Van

CP 434956 follows its eastbound train onto the Winchester Subdivision at Smiths Falls East on August 21, 1993.  The red marker light and its attendant electrical conduits are apparent at roof level.  The small lettering above the car number says

ASSIGNED - WINNIPEG

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE, although by this date the word "International" has been painted out.  To the right of the car number, the words SOO ONLY appear.

By Peter Mumby

Cabooses on the Canadian Pacific were numbered according to their specific assigned service.  If the assignment of a particular car was altered, the number was patched out and changed.  So, if you are modelling a CP van, chances are that this patching should be apparent.  Sometimes the whole number would be patched and changed.  On other examples, only the final three digits would show signs of having been replaced.  Check available photos in your chosen era to see how your model should be numbered!

When American rules regarding higher grade window glazing for cabooses were introduced, CP decided to alter (and renumber) a group of 40 cars for International Service.  Such vans were numbered in the 434900-434931 and 434950-434957 series.  This new glazing would not be obvious on a model, but the appropriate patched number should appear. On some cars, smaller lettering in the vicinity of the number would refer to a specific assignment. All such cars also had a single red marker light installed at roof level at each end.  CP 434956, pictured here in Smiths Falls, Ontario, was the only such car I could locate in my slide collection.

Wordless Wednesday No. 348

Snapshot - October 2019

March 28 1999 near St. Mary's, Ontario by CN Guelph Sub.

For this months snapshot we see a slide I scanned recently of a barn burn I drove by. It was totally engulfed...I thought it was worth taking a photo. Not sure how one would model it...George Dutka

CV Milk Cars - White or Aluminum?

The milk car in the foreground is a Roundhouse offering while the white car is a F&C kit.

At the NER Convention I walked up to the hospitality room with Steve from F&C kits. We talked a bit about his CV models and in particular the CV milk car fleet. We discussed if the milk cars are aluminum or white in the early era.

Back then aluminum colouring referred to aluminum oxide a very bright white gray colour. Steve mentioned he found a very old can of what was called aluminum in a barn that he thought dated back to late 1930's or early 1940's. What he found when he opened the can and mixed it up was a more white-gray shade of paint not a aluminum colouring...George Dutka

Here we see a comparison of two models in my fleet...aluminum and white. I think I may have the colours covered.

DPM Kit Warnings

This photo is off the Roomettes Facebook page. Barry mentioned I should check my model out to see if this note is included.

While at the NER convention Barry Silverthorn mentioned some early DPM kits have a warning on them. I had to check my packaging when I got home...George Dutka

Yep, mine can not be eaten either.

A few views of the WRD

My B&M Rapido RDC crossing the diamond at Bellows Crossing. Since I did not have a lot of room to move around with a large size group over the RDC worked well running point to point.

I couple days after my open house for the Railroaders group last Wednesday I decided to take a few photos of my equipment still out on the main line....George Dutka

At the end of the evenings event the train must have stopped just short of a flag stop. I thought this might make for a good photo. Here I am taking a photo a few days later before moving the RDC back to WRJ. I am thinking the lady waiting at the flag stop might be pretty annoyed with me by now.

Since there was a few CPR fans coming over I setup a small CPR transfer job using a Rapido 1200 switcher two tank cars and my CP International of Maine True Line trains caboose.

B&M Work Equipment - W511

A car loaded with trucks ready to go when required on the East Deerifield wreck train.

A view of the wreck train East Deerfield during February 1973...George Dutka

Throwback Thursday - A Rare Bird

Everyone else in the group was fixated on the 4726 when I photographed CP 437451 at Windsor in August of 1978.  I knew there was something different about this van, but didn't realize how rare it was until I read Manny Jacob's book in 2019.

By Peter Mumby.

I recently finished reading the Morning Sun book "Canadian Pacific Caboose Color Guide" by Manny Jacob.  This is a veritable treasure trove of photos and data for anyone who has ever evinced an interest in the tail end of CP freight trains.  In one section of the book Manny describes the 50 streamlined cabooses built in 1953.  Three of these vans were scrapped by 1966, and 45 were rebuilt in 1968/69 with wide vision cupolas.  This left only two cars, specifically 437442 and 437451, to be repainted in the multimark scheme with their streamlined cupolas intact.  437451 was in transfer service in Windsor, Ontario when I encountered it in August of 1978.

It is not often that you get to photograph both sides of a particular piece of rolling stock, so both these photos have pride of place in my slide collection.

Wordless Wednesday No. 347

WW&F Ry. Maine

A Store by the Tracks

Fort Hunter, NY 1941. The store has some nice side garages which add to the look.

I have seen many scenes such as this modeled on layouts...George Dutka

A side view in the rain of the scene above 1941 also. A nice amount of signs added to the structure which we should also include on our models.

My Favourite Roomettes

The four LED exterior lights are N scale and available from Woodland Scenics. Check the price also way below what Barry's first offerings were. He has found ways to produce the kits more economically without going offshore.

Barry Silverthorn has a few new Roomettes that he brought along. I really love the looks of this one and is currently my favourite. The interior is very detailed and signage is great. I purchased this one before heading for home. Now to find the RIX kit that will work with it...George Dutka.

I really liked the looks of this interior. The addition of figures really add to the scene.

This is what comes in the Roomettes package.

The signage and upper floor.

There is a lot on the first floor making the view inside very interesting.

Last Saturday

Don Janes explains his roof weathering technique. This was a hands-on clinic. Peter Mumby photo.

The Western Ontario Division of the NFR-NMRA had their first meeting of the season. I currently am the program director and enlisted the help of both Peter and Don for the day. A group of well over 20 attended. Three clinics scheduled for the morning went well with the last one being a hands-on rust-it-up which was shown using two methods. Don and I both showed how we do it and the guys did a pretty good job following along...George Dutka

Peter Mumby photo.

Was no time to sit down during this work session. Peter Mumby photo.

I took the group through the steps I use to rust-up a piece of rolling stock or structure. I had sample pieces for the guys to practice on first...Peter Mumby photo.

Don works away.

Ed Haydon has a few cars he wanted to rust up.

MMR Gary Shurgold works away weathering his covered hopper.

Prototype Corner - Will the Real ONT Box Car Please Stand Up!

George photographed ONT 7726, an NSC graduate of the class of 1981, at CP's Quebec St. Yard in London, Ontario on Sept. 17, 2019.

By Peter Mumby.

Thinking of decaling a model of an ONT box car?  Choose your prototype reference photo carefully!  The two cars pictured here are from series 7700-7799, built by National Steel Car in 1981, but time and other factors have conspired to make them look quite dissimilar.

On Aug. 03, ONT 7779 was sitting in basically the same location as the car in George's photo, but the resemblance ends there.

Ready for use on the layout

It is neat to add fall signs to fences and posts. This one was near my home 20 years ago.

Jim Sloan squared up my signs making them useful on the layout...thanks Jim

WRD Layout Visit

Since my layout is New England themed Peter Mumby decided to wear his CV shirt. That is Terry in the foreground a retired CN conductor I work with for years.

On Wednesday evening it was my turn to host our local modelers group called the Railroaders. We each take a turn on the first Wednesday of the month to open our layouts to the group. There currently is over 20 in our group although not all make it each month...George Dutka

An overall look at the yard area of Bellows Falls. Terry Nixon photo. I had a nice group of photos sent to my by both Peter and Terry that I am sharing with you.

Checking out Westboro. Peter Mumby photo.

Peter Mumby photo

Peter Mumby photo.

Checking out the narrow gauge. Peter Mumby photo.

Overall view of the BF mill scene. Terry Nixon photo.

Terry Nixon photo

It does not take long for the layout room to fill up when the main area is only about 12 by 14.