Model - D&H 50' Boxcar

My finished model sitting on the Morning Sun boxcar view I used for decal placement.

Here we see a model I just finished which I started about 20 years ago. I don't have many of these projects still laying around although Peter and I started scratch turn kitbash  CNR 48'6" gondolas about that time that still could use some of our efforts. The car was painted then set aside to collect dust till this winter. I had the decal so I am not sure why I never finished it.

I am glad I waited as back then I only had the data on the decal package to work from. I borrowed Peter's Morning Sun book of D&H rolling stock which had some nice shots of the car. I found that the car had the tall ladders shortened and brake wheel lowered. So the ladders are cut and brake wheel and end platforms are added. The decal used is Herald King B-341. I then dulcoted the car and weathered it using Pan Pastel white on the body and some Bragdon powders on the ends, trucks and underframe. Now it is ready for service when my modern fleet comes out.

My Robin's Rail model is in service. Floquil reefer yellow and black ends are used. I bent cut levers, added brake chain and bleed rod to my model.

I normally put all my engines and rolling stock away for boating season (May-Oct)...keeps the dust off while I am away. The layout looks kind of bare during these months if I am home and someone stops by. I think I may pull out my modern fleet for the summer season just for a change of pace and for a different look...George Dutka

I photocopied the pages from Peter Mumby's Morning Sun book I needed for this project. There actually was a few different lettering versions for this car over the years. I found all the photos had the ladders cut down on the sides and ends. I had to trim these off and touch up the paint before beginning the lettering. It would have been nice to know this before I added them 20 years ago. Most of the weathering is white Pan Pastel. I did use some Bragdon dust and rust on the lower body, trucks and underframe.

A tag is added to the tack board and some light Bragdon powder is added to the roof and on and around the doors.

Windsor, Vermont - Station

Here is how the Windsor station looked during my visit, May 15, 1992. The station is in extremely good shape.

There has been talk lately on the CV Yahoo site about the Windsor, Vermont station colour. I had to dig into my photo to actually remember how it looks. The brick is unpainted and a lighter colour than used on many other structures in New England. Here are some photos I took in the past of the station. For a 1971 view check out Morning Sun's Central Vermont in Color, page 125. At that time the roofing was tar paper on the rail side and new asphalt on the south side...George Dutka

On another visit, June 12 1994 I am looking down from the main street (route #5) in Windsor, Vt.

Following Glory Days 2012 I stopped by Windsor, Vt. on Sept. 9 2012. Don Valentine notes this could be refractory brick.

Looking north on Sept. 9 2012

One can see the chimney is the same brick as the station. Looking south on June 11 1994.

The Vermonter stops at Windsor daily. Sept. 9 2012

Sept. 9 2012

Wordless Wednesday No. 126

Hamilton Model Works - N Scale Coal Shed

The coal shed is done and open for business. The blue sign was included in the kit. The figure is a Model Power detail.

Here is the finished diorama of my new N scale coal shed. I added some additional details such as a wood fence, lumber and a tire on the roofing. Some signs are leaning here and there. Some of the skids are by Osborne Models. I used some static grass and a roadway made of beach sand. Bits of Super Trees are used as brush...George Dutka

Overall view of the tiny diorama.

The coal sold in bags sign is a copy of a photo I took of a shed in Adams, Mass. a couple of years ago.

This is the trackside view of the shed.

I added some junk to the roof and a lot around the walls...think the crew better get at cleaning it all up.

The N Scale Coal Shed

My finished coal shed diorama. It will become a part of a small N scale portable module Peter and I each plan on building during my next modeling season this fall.

Once the door track is glued on I began to finish the coal shed. I gave it a coat of Hunterline stain which soaking in giving it a gray appearance. I thought I could just add the powder at this time. Not so...it did not cover well. I guess it should be sealed which I did not do. This has been a learning experience with cast plaster, a material other then stone walls I have not worked much with. Don Janes mentioned the other day he uses car paint spray bomb primers for this...that's good to know for future projects. I used Floquil grime on three walls and boxcar red on the front wall. The roof is painted with a wash of Floquil rust. I then began with my powders again which worked well. The whole project was completed and detailed on a base in one afternoon...George Dutka

I began by giving the cast plaster a coating of Hunterline stain.

I finished off with Bragdon powders.

This is the trackside view of the structure. At this point even though I thought I might be finished I decided to give the roof a wash of Floquil rust to darken the rusty look.

Reading Boxcars on the B&M Local

Northfield Falls, Vermont sees a B&M local passing by.

Here we have a B&M local headed to White River Junction. Not far from the engine one can find two Reading  X-29 boxcars Peter and I built during our winter modeling get-together's and covered in a recent post...George Dutka

Snapshot - April 2015

The Montrealer #60 just north of Montpelier Jct., Vermont May 15, 1994.

I scanned some slides I took of the Montealer for the Ambassador recently. This view I thought I would share with you. I don't recall all the details of this chase but I do know I tried to stay ahead of the train as best I could stopping at stations along the line. Checking my old slides I did get a shot at Montpelier Jct. leaving well before the train. I was off to Waterbury hoping to beat the train there. I would then head straight to St. Albans station for another shot and then off to the Alburg trestle. As I got on the freeway at Montpelier I noted the train coming up behind me. At one point the tracks are close to the freeway. Since my camera was on my lap and I was traveling alone, I just aimed my camera at the mirror and snapped a shot. I would never know how the slide turned out till it got processed once my trip was over. To my surprise it looked a lot better than I thought it would. Could not find a view from Waterbury...guess the train won that race...George Dutka

A Visit to the Green Mountain Route

One of the finished scenes on Don Janes  Green Mountain Route.

On Wednesday I headed over for a visit with Don Janes and plan our trip to Collinsville, Connecticut. The Railway Prototype Modelers Meet is coming up next month. Our room got booked and checks in the mail. This past week Don got his layout's final rail section in. The Green Mountain Route is now a continuous loop. Don will fill you in on that shortly. We watched a few of his trains and engines loop around the layout and finally getting broke in. Mostly we spent the day catching up  and swapping modeling material we had collected for each other. Part way through the day his mail arrived with his new Rapido passenger engine with a number that regularly ran through New England. It is a great engine and has me thinking about one. Don's layout runs great now and the duck-under added is very simple in style and to remove...wish I had thought of that when I had mine....George Dutka

The unfinished area of Don's layout was his workshop not long ago. Don also uses the same IKEA storage units I do. Most of  his detail parts are found in there along with engine storage. Engines store well in the drawers.

Looking into the peninsula from the end. Part of the scene is now completed.

FPA-4 is a new arrival from Rapido to the Green Mountain Route. It sounds great.

Bar Mills Barn on the WRD

A CV freight passes the Northfield Falls bridge with my new barn set in place on the WRD.

I recently replaced my farm scene with a new home which did not fit with the large barn in the old scene. I decided to replace the barn with the smaller Bar Mills barn-shed covered in a recent post. The size seems to work well once a few large Super Trees are added nearby. Here are a few photos for you to view...what do you think...George Dutka

I removed the house so I could work on the new barn scene. A new Gatorfoam base will be made for the home being added to the scene. The fence in the background is by Bar Mills and a variety of colours are used in the Super Trees added to the scene.

A close-up view using my Canon pocket camera set on the site of the new home.

Northfield Falls covered bridge is in background along with a B&M E-7.

Wordless Wednesday No. 125

Trackage to Nowhere

I am planning on modeling a siding similar to this one on my yard addition...track to nowhere.

I was at Woodstock, Ont. on Sunday for a local train show. I stopped by the CPR station on the way home and found the Ontario Southland switching the yard. One photo I took included a track that runs into the dirt roadway...something I am planning on modeling in my Bellows Falls yard...George Dutka

What's in the box No. 16

This is about the simplest kit I ever purchased.

Hamilton Model Works one of the dealers at this years Schomberg Narrow Gauge Show had a N scale kit that was of interest to me. The coal dealer is a really simplistic kit. Two parts, a one piece structure casting and a door track. There is two grades of coal and signage included. The kit is so simple the instructions are only a half page long. I actually built the kit, painted and weathered it in a one afternoon. Not very often do I have a structure built, painted and weathered 24 hours after it was purchased. In that afternoon a new base with ground details was also added. I will post the finished model shortly...George Dutka

Hamilton Model Works offer this kit in HO scale also but I believe it is all wood with a few more parts.

Ontario Narrow Gauge Show

On Saturday I headed up to Schomberg, Ont. for the 10th annual  Ontario narrow gauge show. I have never been to this show but being the 10th anniversary they were planning a good show. It was one of those things also on my bucket list to do that I can now check off. I was surprised how well the show ran and the amounts of exhibits. There was two floors of exhibits, models and vendors. I did bring along three of my own model displays to add to the show. Narrow gauge modelers are a different breed of modelers. Most either scratch build or convert models to their liking...nothing right out of the box onto the layout here. I was surprised at how many variations one can find of a Bachmann On30" model. For more on my visit to Schomberg, check out my Modeling Maine in Narrow Gauge blog later this week...George Dutka

This is a Bachmann On30 diesel engine converted to G scale narrow gauge. It is amazing that a G scale narrow gauge layout can be so small.

Here is my stash of goodies from the show. I got two SRCS kits at a great price. I have yet to try building one of these old releases from the past. Mt. Albert had a great deal on their lumber seconds and another vendor had free handouts of signs. The show organizers were well organized. For attendants that exhibited displays a name tags was awaiting at the door.

Schomberg is a neat little town which once had two feed mills...one is seen here. I actually spent some time before the show started walking through town taking photos of the various style buildings.

This is a view I took on the second floor of the show. The contest corner was located up here also. Both floors had a mix of vendors and displays.

A live steam model of the Huntsville Ry. was on display.

The narrow gauge railroad had a display also. Before this train was moved to Huntsville it ran for years near were I live in St. Thomas.

PanPastel Applications

I have three brushes or applicators that I use exclusively with my PanPastel. The N&W hopper is done using Pan Pastels only with these brushes.

Talking with Don Janes last week he asked how Peter and I have been applying our pastels. As it turns out all three of us have came to the same conclusion. Using smaller fine brushes for application give one better results. Originally we started with the foam pads that are suggested and sold for their use. The pads are good for large wide stroke applications, but for finer detailed weathering we found it best done a little at a time.

The brushes and pads used with my PanPastels are not used with my powders. The consistency of both products are different and don't appear to mix well on brushes while dipping into each other...George Dutka

CNR 1950's Piggy-back Trailer - N Scale

Not much needed to be done to this model other than some deck work.

Another second hand find was this Atlas N scale piggy-back flat with 1950's loads. The flat car deck is painted boxcar red. I decided to make it look more like weathered wood decking. I gave it a coat of Floquil grime which was done with a small brush. I followed up with some lighter coloured Bragdon powders. The trailers got a light coat of powders to tone down the shine...George Dutka

This loaded car is ready for the road. One detail I think is a bit out of scale are the stirrups. I am not sure if they make replacements in N Scale, but if they do they might get changed out.

Montrealer at St. Albans, Vt.

I found the Montrealer #60 at St. Albans, Vermont on Oct. 11, 1992. When I took the photo the crew was already aboard and the fueling is done. The hose is the process of being reeled in. The train will leave momentarily for Montreal.

The current CVRHS Ambassador has a really nice feature on the Montealer and Vermonter. One of the photos used was a photo I took. I just supplied the photos with date and locations. The caption are those of the author. There is a note that passengers on the Montrealer are bused from St. Albans, Vermont to Montreal. I did not experience this at all on any of my visits. During the era I photographed the Montrealer it made a station stop and continued on to Montreal. During the stop the engine was fueled and a crew change took place as seen below...George Dutka

Montrealer # 60 at St. Albans at 0745 on May 15 1994. Warren Dodgson photo. Here we see the crew change happening at the same time the unit is being fueled. The two man head end crew have a few minutes to catch up on events.

Microscale - New Offering

Microscale Industries April newsletter arrived yesterday with a new offering. They now have a rivet decal sheet that I thought might be really useful...you might want to check out their website under textures, item no. 87-1498...George Dutka

McCampbell Storage Building Flat - Monster Modelworks

Another e-mail arrived recently from Monster Modelworks featuring another new kit. Again a building flat that could be really useful in an industrial scene. Monster appears to really be pumping them out now...check out the web site below for more information...George Dutka

Welcome to Monster Modelworks

Great looking fire escapes are included.

The bars on the doors add greatly to the finished look.