Jim Dufour's Layout - B&M Cheshire Branch

A B&M local is seen in the siding at Webb, NH.

On the way to this years Springfield, Mass. train show Andy and I dropped by to see Jim Dufour's B&M Cheshire Branch . He occasionally has an open house the Friday before the Springfield show. Jim's layout has been documented through youtube videos in the past and more recently on TrainMaster.TV.

Jim's layout is a slice of the Cheshire Branch, Circa 1947-1951. He models 5 consecutive stations. They are State Line, Fitzwilliam, Troy, Webb and Joslin. In a recent B&M Bulletin, Volume XXIX, No. 1 has two really nice article on the Cheshire that might be worth reading if interested in this line. The Cheshire Branch running from South Ashburnham, Mass. to Bellows Falls, Vt. just after WWII was a very busy single track line. Here are a few views from our visit to Jim's layout I took with my pocket Canon camera...George Dutka

Bill Badger is in control of the lone freight train this January day. I don't see any paperwork in his hands...I am glad he had the main track all to himself.

On our visit Barry Silverthron of TrainMaster.TV was filming Jim's open house. Jim has his back to both of us...I wonder why. As you can see I was filming Barry also. No hiding from the camera's that day...I think there are views of Andy and I in that segment.

Andy checks "the Troy ledges"out, a newly finished location.

B&M 2730 is at Webb, NH on the Cheshire Branch. I really love the great job Jim has done with his static grass.

A view of Golding-Keene a local company that mined feldspar, the main ingredient in Bon Ami cleaner.

The feldspar was trucked to this siding in dump trucks and stored in these two silos. One silo loaded boxcars while the other was setup for loading hoppers. Interesting how Jim can model such a scene and not crowd the others in a smaller basement.

A early era pickup truck is being loaded at the J M Parker mill.