Snapshot - February 2017

A look away from the station looking east. Two sets of power are idling away. The green building is the shop were some repairs are made when needed. Although there are stop blocks in town none are installed at the end of the track. June 14, 2013.

I took this shot back during the spring of 2013 in Goderich, Ontario. Goderich is about a ten minute drive away from my boat along Lake Huron. I don't venture away from the lake much but when in need of supplies or a visit to the Saturday market in town I do slip by the GEXR yard and station. On this occasion I spent a few minutes taking a shot that included the station sign under the platform overhang. I tried to include as much of the yard as possible. Not much was happening at that time with two sets of power laying over...George Dutka

Cattails - a JTT Product

My pond with cattails and lily pads added.

On the WRD I have a pond near the Bellows Crossing diamond. This fall I picked up some JTT lily pads and Cattails. There are a good amount of cattails in the package but they went fast...think I need a second package. The lily pads are a bit bright so they will need to be toned down a bit with Bragdon soot. Earlier this month we had our monthly "The Railroaders" club visit to Leo Johansen layout. I commented on his nice looking cattails. He makes his own using an old quality hair or similar brush...wish I had my camera along...George Dutka

24 cattails in a package seems like a lot but they go fast.

The lily pads are at the left of the photo...guess I best get a better view for you in another post or check out my narrow gauge blog for more on this topic.

These HO scale cattails are really good looking.

Windows and Brick Structure

My new addition to the Bellows Falls scene.

This is the other of the four structures I had mentioned in past posts. I think I like this one the best. Not sure the heritage but it appears to be a resin kit. The windows are big and has a large roll-up end door. I guess it is kind of a garage as once one pulls anything big in...that needs such a large door there is not a lot of room left inside. The photo captions tells one what I did...George Dutka

This is how the structure looked when I got it home. Although it looks pretty good it got a coat of Floquil jade on the roof and concrete above and below the windows and doors.

Model Master Gun Metal Buffing Metalizer followed by Stainless Steel  Buffing Metalizer is applied to the roll doorway. The roof has a coat of Floquil Jade.

A coat of India ink is applied to the roof and walls then the roof got a coat of PanPastels. The walls got a coating of raw umber shade PanPastels. Some junk is laid around the base for more interest.

The chimney I added is I think from BEST. The window exhaust fan in a Bar Mills detail.

This large door turned out good. After the two coats of Model Master paint dried a light coat of neutral gray shade PanPastels was applied. I added an unloading sign above. The concrete trim on the roof line was repainted using Floquil paint.

The doors and windows colour stayed the same. I added flat finish plastic glazing once completed. A few signs, weeds and it all ready to go.

Brick Shed for WRJ Yard

My newest addition to the WRJ yard, a brick storage shed.

I finished this little shed last week that is really just an upgrade to a built structure I picked up recently. I plan on using it in the background of my White River Junction yard. It will just be peeking out between cuts of cars tight up against the backdrop....George Dutka

This is how it looked when I got it home. Note the corners have a big gap. I just filled this with canopy glue before repainting the walls.

The gap does not show now. The walls are repainted with a mix of red and brown dollar store paint. The roof was painted PC green and the base concrete by Floquil.

Everything got a coat of India ink before weathering powders. The roof got some gray and brown PanPastels. For the walls I began with a coat of Burnt Sieana Shade followed by Raw Umber Shade. Lastly a few dabs of PanPastel white are applied and dragged down.

The dock was not glued on level. I was lucky pulling it off. I painted it using Acryl wood by Model Master. All the painting on this model was done with a brush. The dock then got a coat of India ink and Bragdon powders. The box on the dock is one of the smaller F&C box details I picked up at the Coco Beach show.

The details are glued around the sides of the dock and walls as it would be too hard to reach into the scene to do.

Wordless Wednesday No. 220

More Buildings Needing Detailing

The structure on the left if N scale and probably will be used on my N scale diorama. I believe it is a craftsman wooden kit. The structure on the right I have seen included in a Walthers coaling kit.

At the last train show I attended I purchased four structures from the gentleman at the next table. They all seemed fairly well built and interesting to view. These two still need to be detailed but the two I liked the best are done and on the layout. I will be covering them later in the week once I do a write-up...George Dutka

The other side of the structures.

Boston Incident

Oops

My friend Andy passed along these interesting photos from an incident that happened in Boston many years ago...hope the B&M could explain this one to the CPR...George Dutka

FT's meet E-8

Note the bracing that is holding up the B unit.

Bar Mills Shack Pack - Last One

I added a lot of details to this tiny shed. I glued the details using Canopy cement to the walls making it easier to just drop into the background.

This is the third of the shacks offered by Bar Mills in their Shack-Pack kit. Two out of the three are in the background scene at Bellows Falls while the first one I built is the small barn-shed in my farm scene...I covered that one about a year ago...George Dutka

The walls got a coat of Hunterline weathering mix followed by a coating of Floquil grime. Some Bragdon powders finish it off.

 

On the roof tarpaper is added with one torn corner. A coat of Floquil grime is applied to the bare wood prior to adding the paper. Gloss coat is applied for tar seams. A patch is also used. Some wood, a tire and sign (it is actually a reduced copy of the Glory Days poster from WRJ a few years back) is added for additional interest.

A couple of posters are added to a plain wall.

The coal box got some Grime and powders and is really a nice addition to this kit. The light and stack are also included. I added a couple of BEST blocks, newspapers and a few signs. The windows got dulcote to give it a dirty look. I normally model the doors open but this kit's design made it easier to model it closed.

Upgrading a Brick Boiler House

The finished model.

I picked up this model along with a few others in a box last fall. I have been working away on different models that might fit into my Bellows Falls scene. This one showed some prospect as a background structure. After finishing a few I decided this one just could not find a home on the layout and has been sold...George Dutka

This is how it looked when I pulled it out of the box. Seems the modeler was using orange stickers as wall signs. Before beginning I needed to better secure it all with Walthers Goo.

The roof and cupola was painted Floquil concrete. It then got a dusting of PanPastels. The corner posts columns are also painted concrete. The walls are the original plastic colour but covered first with PanPastel Burnt Sienna Shade followed by Raw Umber Shade. Some Bragdon soot is also applied.

The door and windows are coloured with PanPastel Natural Gray Shade. The windows got dulcoted plastic windows with blinds. Some weeds are also applied near the doors.

There was a hole on this sidewall. I added some wire as conduit and added a power meter out of styrene. Some signs and trash is added around the base for added interest. I also dabbed some PanPastel white to the walls to finish off.

The stacks are straws painted black with wire supports. More trash and details are added at the rear. A pigeon from BEST is added to the roof.

February 2017 - Update

Two of my new additions are an Atlas D&H hopper which got cut levers, Kadee's and PanPastel weathering. The caboose is a Juneco, F&C and Roundhouse mix...more on this one later.

After a few comments over the last few months regarding the WRD being hard to read I made a couple of changes to the text. I decided to change the white lettering and dark gray background to black text and a lighter gray background...I hope this helps.


I have finished the background area of Bellows Falls and also updated or built a few new structures. These I hope to cover once I take some photos. I also have been busy constructing more cabooses for the WRD. A CV noodle version is done and a B&M Bowser kit is in the works. Peter and I have picked up a big group of rolling stock this winter at the last two shows...not that we need more kits and finished cars, but for two kits for $5 and later in the day 3 for $5...we are talking Tichy kits and so on it is hard to pass up. The finished models went for $5 each and we stocked up on these also. So now my desk is full of kits which I want to at least finish a few...because as you know once they get put into my stockpile drawers they are there for a really long time. These cars and kits were part of an estate sale that the Hamilton railroad group was looking after and one of four estates up for grabs at the last show we attended. Needless to say the regular vendors did not make many sales.

Looking through the kits offered I found two USRA Altas un-decorated models. Peter and I each worked on one adding the details included. While I painted the cars Peter went through his decal stockpile for appropriate lettering. Last week our Monday workday was lettered day. Mine is decaled with a DT&I logo while Peter did his Frisco. This past Monday we weathered these cars and took a few photos before starting on our next project Tichy boxcar models. I have a lot to cover over the next few months as there has been a lot happening this winter on the WRD...George Dutka

Our USRA Atlas models on display on the WRD. These are really nice cars that the only extra detail we added was Kadee's. Peter's car is the Frisco while mine is the DT&I.

One of my $2.50 finds an Accurail kit that I added cut levers, Kadees and a lot of weathering. I also  added some rubbish to the interior.

My Bowser $2.50 offering I did a bit more work to. I added cut levers, stirrups, Kadees and wire grabs before a bit of touch up painting and Bragdon weathering. I added a placard to the tack board to finish it off.

Another look at my Atlas USRA boxcar in service on the WRD...another $2.50 find.

Wordless Wednesday No. 219

A Structure in Bellows Falls

This is how it looked the last time I saw it standing, Oct 14 2014.

Not sure what this structure was used for but it lasted on the island at Bellows Falls for a long time. Unfortunately it was gone on my last visit in the spring of 2016. I really like the lines to it and it could make a nice addition to my Bellows Falls scene...George Dutka

Another angle during my visit on June 12, 1994

My friend Warren Dodgson took this view on May 16 1992.

Westboro, NH

William Monypeny photo C. 1930.

This photo is once again from my fall collection. It views the station and coal tower at Westboro, NH. Years later when the coal tower came down the diesel fuel track was located here. The sand house is just behind the tower and still stands today. The station remains, but has been moved a short distance from the tracks...George Dutka

B&M N-5 Caboose

My N-5 B&M caboose is in service on the WRD. I built this caboose maybe a decade or so ago. The Bowser kit makes a really good starting point for this model.

Concord Shops 30' Steel PRR N-5 Clones

The N-5's were built as 104700 - 104724 in 1932.  The cabooses were renumbered  falling in the C-11 through C-34 series in 1942 with some still hanging around during the Guilford era. These caboose were originally used in helper service followed by a long service life in through freight service.

 Painted boxcar red-caboose red they eventually received the post-McGinnis blue scheme with red ends. None of these cabooses had the common horizontal black stripe seen on other style of cabooses. In the 1980's the C was dropped in caboose numbering and the number 4 was added. So C-34 would become 434.


Modeling the N-5
Although one can look for a nicely detailed brass model for various style B&M cabooses, Bowser has a plastic kit that can be turned into a really nice B&M caboose for a reasonable price. I have already built one in the brown-red scheme but have since picked up a second kit that will be turned into a blue - red version for my contemporary fleet.

Bob Bennett had an article published in the Sept. 1995 issue of Mainline Modeler. In this issue he builds a blue and red version. Prototype photos of 433 and C-30 are also included...George Dutka

I picked up this caboose second hand at a show which has the ends already painted in red. With mine being the blue and red era, the ends will have to be repainted a brighter red. I have Tichy trucks and a few other detail parts on hand...so this project is  well on its way

Jim Dufour's B&M Cheshire Branch, Part 2....by Don Janes

B&M 2-10-2 #2901 hauls a drag freight through Webb.

One more look at the Cheshire Branch

     After chasing the Cheshire along the Cheshire Branch I thought I would do another post with various scenes around Jim's layout.  Jim's layout depicts typical railroading in New England in the late 1940's.  No glitter or show, just the way it would have looked if we could step back in time and watch the B&M trains that traversed this line.  For me, Jim's work has inspired me to raise the bar on my own layout.  I have looked at photos of Jim's layout many times when planning a scene and tried to adapt some of his techniques in my modelling.  I hope you will able to take something away from these two posts that will help you also.

     I must admit the quality of some of the photos is not that good due to taking them at Jim's open house where lots of people were enjoying the layout. I didn't want to get in their way with a cumbersome tripod so had to shoot hand held with high ISO and aperture wide open. Jim has installed overhead LED lighting balanced for daylight and this makes picture taking a breeze as far as getting a correct white balance.  Jim says they are a little pricey but well worth the investment and I agree.

    So, enjoy the tour.  I am heading to Arizona on Sat. for a couple of months and will be shooting trains on the BNSF (formerly the Santa Fe trans continental route) and the UP on the old Sunset Route through Arizona.  Hopefully I can do a post with some of those trains when I get home. 

Here is a closer look at the Feldspar load-out at Swanzey, NH.

Another view of 2901 at Webb.  The truck in the foreground is an asphalt truck that Jim kitbashed.

2901 holds the main at Troy while 2-8-0 2717 simmers in the siding waiting to follow.

Troy is home to a small oil and coal dealer which is located on the siding next to the freight house. All of the structures are faithfully modeled after the prototype.

Here at Fitzwilliam the 2901 is blowing for the crossing

This is Jim's model of the J.M Parker feed mill located at Fitzwilliam.  There is a very nice assortment of period vehicles parked around the structure.

A view from the other end of the feed mill.  I love Jim's scenery work around the mill, so simple and natural looking.

There are several of these prototypically accurate B&M semaphore signals on the layout. Although not lit Jim says they can be once he takes the time to wire them.  These beautifully detailed signals were built by the late Terry Wegmann

This is a very nicely detailed scene of the portable coal unloading convetor located on the siding at Webb.

Jim Dufour