What's in the Box No. 32

Kind of a neat old garage.

FOS Scale free kit that was included with my order earlier this year. This is my next build...George Dutka

These kits come without instructions but are easy to build. That is why FOS can give them away.

The doors and windows are laser cut and a neat gas sign is included for the roof. The signage is also included. One wall is missing while inspecting the kit but a very simple addition from my parts box...hey what do you want for free.

Wordless Wednesday No. 293

1955

CPR Caboose

Don Janes photo of a newly finished CPR caboose.

Don finished this caboose, one of three he is working on that I think turned out great. The caboose was actually lettered for a another modelers home road, but was easy to rework into a proper model...enjoy...George Dutka

New England Fire Houses

Grafton, Vermont

While working on my fire house project some nice looking New England fire hall's came to mind, I looked through the internet for more photo inspiration...here are some I thought are interesting...George Dutka

This small fire station located in Milton, Vt. I thought could be made from the AHM fire hall side-building.

Maine

Maine

Rear of Fire house seen above.

An simple wood shake structure located on Great Cranberry Island Maine. Might be neat for a waterfront town scene.

AHM Fire House - Finished Model

Most of the weathering was done with PanPastels.

Here is how my fire house turned out...captions tell the story...George Dutka

The windows and rear door are painted with a spray bomb, camo olive from Home Hardware. The roof trim is painted Floquil Jade. Signs and details come from my drawers of parts and details.

The walls are coloured using PanPastels over Floquil grime. The ramp and awning that came with the kit worked well on the side. On the kit it was to be added to the rear. The rear door is a Tichy detail.

The roof is painted acrylic black. Using a pencil I added tar paper lines. The vent came from my parts box along with the chimney.

The fire call box is a Mount Blue Model Co. detail part. I added some small signs near the door. The awning is rusted up using acrylic paints and Bragdon Powders. The downspouts on each side are made from waste material in a past build ITLA kit.

Floquil Caboose Red is used on the doors. The fire house numbering is dry transfer on black paper.

The axe is a Tichy detail.

AHM Fire House - Part Two

The skylight and tower is brush painted with Floquil Grime. The sidewalls are coated with Hunterline creosote then Floquil grime. The roof and trim is added.

A couple more photos while I work away on the fire house...George Dutka

The roof details are placed to have a look at how the final structure might look like. I added a chimney from my parts box.

Painting and Lettering Boxcars - 1939

One end of this car is almost finished.

Here is a neat group of photos that shows one how a boxcar was painted and lettered during 1939. Interesting to see they did it all outside...enjoy...George Dutka

Note the track next to the car being painted is left open to allow a cart loaded with compressor and paint tank to roll along the string of cars waiting painting.

Amazing this paint wand gives the painter the ability to reach to the top of the car. I wonder if they painted the roof.

Lettering being applied.

Looks like one car is completed along with the right side of this car. Modeling this view would make a really neat scene on a foreground track on ones layout.

All done.

AHM Fire House

This is what I found in the box. All the details for the fire house is there but  I could only find the front walls for the main and side structures. Will see what I can make from it all. The two walls on the right are from who knows what. When you buy a box full of old kits one never knows what one finds. I know I will have a lot of extra parts for future projects.

I picked up this kit which turned out to be mainly parts for a AHM fire hall and not sure what the extra wall came from. In later years Tyco offered this kit. I always wondered about that side building as I have picked up two at trains shows and modeled them as garages and workshops. I will show you how it all came together shortly...George Dutka

I split the doors as I will model them open. The cupola is all there and also the skylight.

I decided to built the side walls from Mt. Albert scribed wood. This I stained with Hunterline weathering mix then Floquil grime. The wooden walls will get a coat of powders as faded red. I also am going to use the rear ramp and doorway, but on the side of the structure. At far right is a piece of Imagine That Laser Design roofing I did not use in a build. It turns out to be a perfect fit for this project.

The brick got a coat of spray bomb primer red followed by a coat of Roberts brick mortar mix. Three walls are done with the rear wall needing a doorway cut out.

I believe this station is in Scarborough,Ont. I liked the colouring of the green windows and trim and red doors. I will use this photo for colouring inspiration for my model.

Wordless Wednesday No. 292

CPR - Blyth

The CPR Blyth station is in great looking condition located (moved) to the site of Blyth leather works. Aug 19 2018.

Earlier this month my wife and I took a run up to Blyth, Ont. to visit the new Cowbell brewery which is quite the place. After lunch and brew tasting we headed over to the the leather works which is the current location of the old CPR station. The station had been moved many years ago to a location south of town on Hwy 4. From there we took a look at the old water tank which is still in place along the old ROW...George Dutka

Along the ROW and now a bike trail the old water tank still remains. One cannot see it from Hwy 4 this time of year. Located at the north end of town the last side street to the east takes you by it or just look for the trail signs.

The weathering is not all that bad for a structure as old as this.

Silverwoods Park - London 1949

Note the CNR yard in the background

Here is a photo I found of Silverwoods park and pool which is along the CNR yard in East London, Ontario, June 29, 1949. That is a pretty good size gang of kids that one would have to add to a scene for that era if this scene was modeled. I grew up close by and this pool was the nearest one to my home. As a kid during the 1960's I would walk down for a swim. I don't recall that many kids though...George Dutka

Snapshot - August 2018

Using my phones editing tools I turned a photo of Don's Green Mountain Route New Haven station into a colouring.

For this months snapshot I visited Don Janes to deliver three CPR cabooses, paint and an engine on a loop type trip. I also stopping at my sons trailer to deliver a ceiling fan, did some railfanning along the way and up to my boat the final destination in a U shaped run. I decided to play around with my phone's camera at Don's which appears to take some pretty good photos. I had not experimented with it on layouts. The photos actually turned out well although the depth of field is limited. Once at the lake I tried some of the editing tools on my phone to see what I could do. The phone is a Samsung Edge model from a few years ago...George Dutka

The original of the photo above.

I am really pleased how well this phone takes photos. Will have to try photographing the WRD now.

Another watercolour sketch of the Central Vermont freight house in Waterbury, Vt.

I cropped this photo below and turned it into a colouring below.

Berlin Mills Railroad - Bruce Nelson Photos

Berlin Mills 70 tonner No. 16 is seen on July 23, 1974 Bruce Nelson photo.

Here we have a nice group of photos taken in Berlin, NH by Bruce Nelson back in 1974. Enjoy...George Dutka

The Berlin Mills engine house is on the left. The track running to the right is the wye and the lead to the former B&M engine house. Note the ball signal. By this time it most likely was not being used. July 23, 1974 Bruce Nelson photo

Ready to run south to the Cascade Mills. The engine house is seen in the rear of the photo. July23,1974 Bruce Nelson photo

In Berlin, NH No. 16 is ready to run south to the Brown Mill Complex. July 23, 1974 Bruce Nelson photo