Year Six Begins

White River Junction has been transformed back to the 1950's for the winter season.

Today is the beginning of year six for the White River Division blog. At present there are 1250 posts which you can referenced through the search feature on the sidebar. Although most of the layout is finished, I have a lot to do this winter with the layout and will be posting the progress. I have only touched on the trips I did this years so more layout visits and modelers tips I picked up along the way will be passed along over the winter.

 I have been posting Gord Taylor's photos regularly. This is a modelers blog so I try not to overdo it with the proto photo's. I have scanned about 100 slides this summer that you will see at some point. Peter is still sorting out the best from the 1,000's he got back in the spring. Gord's estate just dropped off at Peter's another group of slides which is as large as the first load. He also received boxes and boxes of prints and negatives...I know what Peter will be doing for most of the winter. We will be posting the more interesting views...stay tuned and thanks for following along with my ramblings...George Dutka

The yard at WRJ is looking like a trains needs to be made up soon. Some of my power is out but the road units still need to be hauled out for the season. As with most of us, I have way too many engines. I need to pick which ones will see daylight this operating season.

The yard in Bellows Falls is filling up once again this fall. I still need some backdrop structures that I hope will be built this winter.

I built this creamery back in the 1980's for my Randolph yard which was featured in the early 1990's RMC. It was a stand-in for a number of years on the WRD. I have a mill to build for it's location. The mill is still in the box so I decided to spend an afternoon and weather up the structure and continue using it as a filler...more on this structure shortly.

Bruce Douglas passed along this creamery photo, an early era at Hardwick Vt., 1940. Many more historical photos to follow.

Weathered Boxcars - Credit Valley Railway Co.

A nice weathering job to a Walthers-Train Minitures car.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped in at Credit Valley near Toronto, Ont. for a couple of things. They have a really nice layout with some interesting equipment along the line. Some of the filler cars (no details added, some even without couplers) for the yard are weathered up nicely. I took a few photos for future reference...thought you might like to take a look also...George Dutka

Not sure what was used but it may have been Pan Pastels as weathering.

This car did get some details, new stirrups and one wire grab.

Snapshot - October 2016

A group of CN cabooses are seen at the walkway to the St. Albans, Vt. yard office on June 12, 1992.

This months Snapshot feature is a group of  three CN cabooses I viewed on a visit to St. Albans, Vermont a couple of decades ago. These yellow cupola vans are used in international service running from Montreal to St. Albans and return. I don't recall seeing any of these south of there but I am sure they did run through at times. I do recall seeing the standard CN cabooses south of town...maybe someone out there can fill us in regarding CN vans south of St. A...George Dutka

Another CN van at St. Albans, Vermont on June 12 1992.

Not sure why there was three CN caboose in town that day. Two are together looking like they maybe heading NB in the near future on a train. The third was on an outside track part way down the yard. This caboose is second from the rear on June 12, 1992.

True Line Trains - CN International Cabooses

Right out of the box, we see two True Line Trains on the service track on the WRD.

Back in the summer True Line Trains released their Pointe Ste. Charles CN cabooses painted in the international service scheme, which had a yellow cupola or yellow cupola with a white band. I decided to pick up one of each. The yellow cupola was seen in New England so fits in with my modeling. The one with the white band we used regularly here in London for trains to Flat Rock, Mi. which traveled over the Caso sub. and through the Windsor-Detroit tunnel. This one will find a home on my desk for now and when needed in service on the WRD during the summer months...George Dutka

Overhead view on the WRD.

At Bellows Falls on the WRD this van would have been seen in St. Albans on a regular basis back in the 1980's. These cabooses were built between 1970 and 1977 using 472000 series boxcar frames and trucks. The CN built 548 vans.

This van with the white stripe on the cupola would have come through London, Ont heading for Flat Rock, Mi. Similar vans could be seen on Sarnia bound trains that ran through to Pt. Huron, Michigan and Chicago.

CV Steam Booster Truck

Bruce Douglas recently sent me this photo of CV 2-8-0 with a booster truck. The photo was taken during 1948 at Brattleboro, Vermont....George Dutka

General Store - East Kingston

The General Store in East Kingston, NH has a lot of nice roof angles and lines that really make this a neat structure to model especially if one back dates it.

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday was of the general store at East Kingston, NH across the road from the station that was covered in a past post. It could make a good backdrop for a railfan's photo or for a business if one was modeling a town similar to East Kingston, NH...George Dutka

If it was not raining I would have taken more detailed photos. Sept. 2016

Wordless Wednesday No. 203

Pt Huron & Detroit Ry.

No. 62 on May 28, 1975 at Port Huron, Mi.

Gord Taylor collection has a couple of view of PH&D Alco's...which I remember seeing many times on my runs through the tunnel from Sarnia to the GT yard in Pt. Huron. The PH&D shop was right across from the GT yard. In the late 1970's when I was laid off in London I used to bump into Sarnia and worked the spareboard. One of the jobs I seemed to regularly get was the tunnel motors. This job spent the day, or afternoon running cuts of cars back and forth from Sarnia to the GT yard in Pt. Huron. Pt. Huron was a busy place back then and there was always a lot to see....George Dutka

No. 60 in Pt. Huron once again in Pt. Huron on April 30, 1975.

Postcard - Station Richford, Vermont

Bruce Douglas passed along this postcard of the Central Vermont station at Richford, Vermont...enjoy...George Dutka

C&C Locomotives

C&C 104 Claremont Jct. NH Jan. 31, 2003 Louis Beaudoin photo

Here is a group of C&C photos taken in Vermont. These are from the Gord Taylor collection, enjoy...George Dutka

C&C 1 ex Springfield Terminal 1 at Claremont NH yard, Friday May 31, 1993  Gord Taylor photo.

C&C 105 S-4 Ex CN at Claremont Jct. NH Jan 31 2009 Louis Beaudoin photo

C&C 119 ex-B&M at Claremont Jct. NH. Jan 31, 2009 Louis Beaudoin photo.

Fall Track Maintenance on the WRD

While waiting for permission to cross the diamond at Bellows Crossing, the tamper operator spends a few minutes getting caught up with the local track crew.

Commentary by Peter Mumby, with
Photos by George Dutka

This past Monday I visited George for the inaugural session of our 2016/2017 modelling season.  The layout was totally devoid of rolling stock; all the summertime "modern era" equipment had retreated to storage shelves, while the more numerous 1950s cars had yet to put in an appearance.  Before this could happen, the track foreman would have to do a thorough track cleaning job.  As well, given the high heat and humidity of this recent summer, the layout had experienced a bit of pitching and yawing, so a complete inspection of both trackwork and benchwork would be required.  With a few track spikes here and a touch of the soldering iron there, George will soon have things ship-shape, and once again the railway equipment of the 1950s will be populating this small corner of New England in a London basement.

This is the type of MOW model I can really appreciate.  Since it says "tamper" on the side, I can actually understand what it is supposed to represent!  This particular model was liberated from my friend Luc's collection at the recent Woodstock Model Train Show.

D&H Covered Hopper

D&H silver at an unknown location during July 1973.

Another Gord Taylor photo that Peter just passed along. This one appears to be a silver, freshly painted covered hopper...anyone have more details about this car...George Dutka

Wabash Coal Hoppers on the WRD

Three loaded Wabash open-top hoppers roll North from  Bellows Falls yard on the WRD.

Commentary by Peter Mumby
Photos by George Dutka
 
Back in early September I took part in a local CARM (Canadian Association of Railway Modellers) get-together.  Attendance was low, but the over-all quality of the meet was high.  The purchase of a few raffle tickets yielded a nice prize for myself; a 6-pack of very nice Broadway Limited hopper cars decorated in Wabash colours.  I decided to keep two and donate a third car to augment the growing fleet on the White River Division; the remaining three cars will be used as trade bait.

When we got together for our first weekly modelling session of the new season, we decided that weathering these cars would be an easy initial project.  As an added inducement, on his latest foray into New England, George had picked up a recent addition to the PanPastel line which was designed to simulate the "black diamond" appearance of recently-mined coal.  This we had to try! 

We started by removing the simulated coal loads, and treating them to a coat of the new PanPastel shade.  The balance of the cars were brushed with an assortment of PanPastel red, rust, and earth hues.  Another of George's new acquisitions, a lighter coal shade, represented a build-up of coal dust on the car sides.  George originally intended to supplement these colours with an application of Bragdon powders, but experience showed that these did not adhere well over the PanPastels.  On another occasion he will apply the powders ahead of the Pastels.

A simple project, indeed, but I think we were both pleased with the end results.  Watch for these cars on passing freights on the White River Division!

It is nice that we were able to grab a "drone" view of one of these cars!

This workbench view really gives you an appreciation for the "sparkle" in the coal loads provided by the new PanPastel colour.  George's car is at the front of this picture; you can see that he has recently decided to start removing the coupler trip pins on his rolling stock.

Wordless Wednesday No. 202

Another FOS Building Flat

A really nice building flat...I really liked it, but don't have room for this style of structure.

Here is another great looking FOS building flat...Don purchased a building flat also for his Waterbury scene...but I don't recall which one it was...George Dutka

Central Vermont Milk Car - Kitbashing

A CV milk car converted from an Athearn express reefer with new siding and detail parts.

One of the cars Bruce Douglas gave me this spring for the WRD is his beautiful looking CV milk car. Bruce built this car years before any of the milk car kits were ever offered using an Athearn express reefer as a beginning. The trucks, under frame and roof being the main components used from the Athearn kit. The siding and details came from his modeling stockpile.

Back in the 1980's Bruce showed me this neat looking milk car that he had recently finished. I was really surprised how well it turned out and reflected the prototype. I asked Bruce for more information regarding this car. He mailed me the Athearn exploded drawings with the changes he made. I then purchased a few express reefers for my own conversions. I still have the plans and the reefers which never got built. By the time I got around to it Steam Shack came out with the exact copy of the milk cars. Since then Roundhouse have a milk car out that can be easily converted to a CV milk car. Now having Bruce's milk car has me motivated once again to try my hand with these cars set aside almost 30 years ago....stay tuned...George Dutka

Bruce's notes for how the sill was made.

The Athearn's exploded drawings for the reefer with Bruce's notes.

A look at the end and door details.

CV milk car in Bellows Falls on the WRD.

The CV kit-bash fits in  nicely with a F&C and Roundhouse milk car.

In service on the White River Division.

Osgood-Bradley Building - Worcester, Ma.

Osgood-Bradley building in Worcester, Ma. The station is behind the building.

While visiting the station area in Worcester, Ma. Don noted Osgood-Bradley engraved on a building on the other side of tracks from the station. It then dawned on us that Worcester was the home of the car builder. The Osgood Bradley Car Company began business in 1822 manufacturing stagecoaches and sleighs. The company's first passenger cars were built in 1835. It was sold to the Pullman Company in 1930. This eight floor building built in 1914 is currently being converted to student housing....George Dutka

Main entrance is all cleaned up, Sept 11 2016.

On Sept. 11, 2016 Don and I walked back to the station from the state parking garage when Don noted the building sign. The station and Osgood-Bradley building are separated by this raised main line.

Many more views can be found on the Osgood-Bradley Building Facebook page. Station is to the right of the photo.

A view from the past looking out the building's window.

Some vintage pieces from the old days.

Station - Worcester, Ma.

I took this photo from the top floor of a parking garage across the tracks from the Worcester station on Sept. 11, 2016.

On our way home Don and I stopped by Worcester, Ma. to check out a station that we found to be very impressive. The station built in 1911 was once used by the B&A, B&M and NH. Today commuters to Boston are the main stay but Amtrak does make stops throughout the day also. I believe there is a N scale kit available for this structure...George Dutka

The railroads that once used the station are engraved into the front facade.

A commuter train arrives at Worcester mid afternoon. It will be here for a short time while the engineman changes ends. The CSX container yard is seen in the background. It was Sunday and not a lot happening.

In behind the station and across from the container yard is the holding track for layover trains. Being Sunday they are all here. I took this view through the wire fence from the platform. The station has a really long platform giving us access to both the CSX and holding tracks.

I have seen many shots taken from this side of the station. The photos all seem to be from up a bit as ground views are not all that great. I took a look into another parking garage located in site of most of the action one may find on the P&W side of the station. I am on the second floor. I may just park my car here the next time I am in town.