Wordless Wednesday No. 337

Snapshot - July 2019

VIA #72 departs London station on time, June 22, 2019. The wraps from last years 40th are still in good shape and seen regularly in my area.

This months snapshot is VIA 72 just east of the station in London, Ontario. I was in the downtown area at about the time 72 was due so here it is...George Dutka

The coaches also still have the 40th logos.

Just east of London station is a set of crossovers called McLeod. The station switch is also located here. At one time a switchtender handled these switches which was called Maitland. I worked it many times.

Weathering an ATSF Boxcar

A new addition to the WRD fleet.

I tried some new AK products weathering a boxcar I picked up at the NERPM meet. This is my second attempt with some AK products and a first with others and the AK thinner. The boxcar came without a box and a couple of broken stirrups but at a great deal which made me feel OK weathering it up with some new products and not sure how it might turn out. I am not sure the manufacturer of this car, but I think it is an Intermountain model. It has many fine details although the grabs are a bit oversized. The captions tell the story...George Dutka

My newest boxcar before weathering with AK thinner and rust streaks.

AK rust steak has been applied and let dry for 5 minutes. I then applied AK thinner on the spots letting it run down. It actually removed a lot of the colouring. I may have added too much thinner. I also added some AK crusted rust deposits which drys to a really bright rust colour, almost too bright. This was used mainly on the roof. AK thinner was once again applied.

I also added some white PanPastel to the lettering which gives a streaking appearance. Once done the car sides are over-sprayed with Floquil boxcar red which was thinned.

The roof also got a thinned over spray of Floquil grimy black. The roof walk is coloured with a wash of Floquil grime and between the boards I ran a lead pencil along the seam. The roof ribs got a bit of silver pen highlights.

The silver pen was also dabbed on the hose bag end, valve and the end of the coupler.

I feel these AK products worked well on my second attempt at weathering a boxcar.

Royal Hudson - Rapido

Peter gives his new engine a run around the WRD.

A couple of weeks ago Peter showed up with his new purchase from the Rapido dealers open house. Peter had this on order for sometime. We tried it out on the WRD and it runs extremely well, although we changed the whistle tone. We should have got my CPR coaches out but that will be for another visit.

Two post today, check back later...George Dutka

The engine is a great running engine...maybe the best one Peter has.

Just leaving Bellows Crossing for Bellows Falls...guess we should have dug out a couple of coaches.

Rust Bucket No. 4

CNW 173245 at Leaside

This is a photo from the Dave Chalmers collection taken at CP Leaside June 14, 1991. Another of my winter scans...George Dutka

Utica, NY Visit

Utica, NY May 30 2019 Don Janes photo

Don and I stayed in Utica, NY on our way to NERPM meet this spring. We decided to take another look down by the tracks before heading out onto the freeway. To our surprise we found MA&N 805 in a great location to photograph. We had seen it switching in the past but a long way from our access point. This time it was right along the roadside. Wordless Wednesday was a lead in photo.

I was really happy to have been able to photograph this engine up close until I looked at my views on the camera. The camera card was missing. I then realized the card was still in my laptop from the nights before download...that sucks. Lucky Don got the shots and shared them with me...lesson learned...George Dutka

Although we did not get that big puff of smoke that usually happens when the throttle is opened but 805 did a good job. Don Janes photo.

Wordless Wednesday No. 336

Don Janes photo

B&M 1100, One Of A Kind

B&M 1100, an early GE diesel switcher paid a visit to the Green Mountain Division recently

Tom Oxnard's Scratchbuilt General Electric Diesel...by Don Janes

     On Monday my friend and fellow B&M modeller Tom Oxnard stopped by for a visit on his way to Michigan. I have known Tom for several years now and a couple of years ago George and I stopped into see Tom's layout in New Hampshire when we were on our way to the National Narrow gauge Convention in Maine.  Tom is an accomplished modeller and has produced some beautiful scatchbuilt structures, some of which have been published in the various model railroad publications. This time Tom brought his scratchbuilt General Electric, Ingersoll Rand center cab diesel switcher. The prototype was built in 1935.  It was a one of a kind unit for the Boston and Maine but similar to units delivered to the DL&W.  It was retired in Oct. 1950.

    Tom used a Proto 2000 SW  9, 1200 chassis for the drive but that is where any similarity to the model ends.  The rest was all scratchbuilt following plans and drawings of the prototype.  The model features a Tsunami 2 sound decoder with keep alive unit and working headlight and rear light. The truck sideframes were all individually scratchbuilt including each tiny journal box and hinge. The amount of detail Tom added is incredible.  The engine also runs as good as it looks.  I was extremely impressed with this model and was really hoping Tom was going to tell me to add it to my locomotive roster but alas he packed it up and took it with him when he left.

     I just thought I would do a short post on this great looking model to show the amazing work that some modellers do and what most of us only wish we could accomplish. A full write-up of the model is in the latest B&M Historical Society "Modellers Notes". Check it out.

This shot of the rear of the units shows all the screening on the end and the many louvers Tom added to the sides. You can also see a lot of the roof details that were added.

This side view of the engine really shows off the great looking truck sideframes Tom fabricated from styrene.

A couple more shots of the engine on the green Mountain Division

D&H

D&H Laurentian at Port Henry, NY area c. 1950. Kieth Sirman collection.

One of my photos that is seen framed on my desk at times. I have an 8 by 10 frame that I can switch photos easily and over the span of a year a half dozen are seen in there. I really like this scene and decided to add it to my scan pile last winter. Now to get the winter scanned photos posted...George Dutka

Quick FIx - Air Flow Hopper Weathering

Another air slide hopper added to the WRD fleet.

With the 40c plus weather here the last couple of days I decided to do a quick afternoon project. Actually it took my only about half of the afternoon giving me time to work on a FOS kit....more on that shortly. I still have a few Bob Bowes cars that are nicely built and well detailed, they just need a bit of weathering to fit into my fleet...George Dutka

The car as the update begins, the coupler trip pins will be cut off. The car  has steel wheels that are nicely painted. I just added some Bragdon rust to them. The trucks got a coat of Princess Auto  Cast Iron.

All the products used. I used acrylic burnt umber and burnt sienna followed by Bragdon rust streaks. The entire car then got a coat of PanPastel blender with white highlights. The roof ribs got a dab of silver from my pen along with the end of the couplers.

Bob had added a lot of nice details such as cut levers, wire grabs, replacement brake wheel and air lines.

The roof got most of the weathering with a few rust spots on each roof panel.

FOS Lunch Stand

A small lunch stand is included in the new FOS Scale offering.

FOS new offering included a neat looking tiny lunch stand that I think I my replicate. I could just purchase the kit as it is really neat with a variety of structure, the only issue I don't have anywhere to use it on the layout and at a price of almost $400.00 US with the add on kit, do I want it added to my shelf full of extra structures...George Dutka

I have an sample piece of passenger car roofing that was handed out at a past Model Railroad Expo. I think I might give it a try as a lunch stand.

I just got my copy of this years Walthers catalog which always includes a page of signage. They usually send a catalog when they use one of your photos as a thank-you, this year it was really late coming. I really like the look of this logo found on one of the billboards. I may use this on the lunch stand.

The page of signs included in the 2019 catalog.

Modeling Inspiration - Kerwood, Ont.

An old structure that has seen better days a stone throw away from the CN  Strathroy Sub. mainline in Kerwood, Ontario.

On my recent drive to Sarnia I made a few stops along the tracks to check and see if anything was coming or in the sidings. One such stop at Kerwood, Ontario gave me some modeling inspiration. This structure I had seen a number of times but never actually looked that closely. One can see it from the tracks as there are no other structures between it and the crossing. It caught my eye due to the way the sun struck its side walls and also the for sale sign posted.

It is a tear down I would think but has a lot of interesting characteristics. No features that a would-be purchaser would like but us modeler love this sort of thing. What one sees are features found on a Jason Jensen model. As I drove away I thought how often do you find a prototype these days for such a structure...they do exist for today's era. Should we be modeling them...George Dutka

On the one end the white washed wood planking is uncovered part way. This wall was shingled at one point. A neat modeling effect.

The metal roof is totally rusted but was applied decades ago over cedar shake shingles. Another neat modeling effect viewing part exposure.

One can see there are other areas that the metal roof is missing. The windows are gone with many covered with plywood.

The brick chimney is crumbling which would also make a nice modeling effect. Most castings are as new...but could be altered to reflect a portion missing.

The backside and other end of the structure has some neat looking add-ons that could also be modeled. I stopped by on my way home to get a good view in the sunlight. The backside was shadowed on my first stop.Some new steel roofing was applied on this side at some point. Also note the wall shingles not it great shape. I am thinking the whole structure was shingled at one point.

The shingles have seen better days.

A closer look at the chimney.

The back add-on is metal clad but as one sees the end area has only half the metal siding still attached.

St J. Trailers

Bruce Douglas has been working on a couple of trailers lately. He makes his own decals.

Bruce Douglas sent me this grab photo of his most recent project. He has made the decals himself and is in the process of turning the one trailer into a weathered model. He faded the lettering and is making the logo look tattered and worn...George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 335

Orangeville, Ontario

The new power assigned to the Orangeville - Brampton Ry., April 26 2019 seen plugged in on the shop track near the station once used by the Credit Valley Explorer.

On my trip to the Ontario Narrow Gauge in Schomberg I stayed in Orangeville the evening before. It gave me a chance to see what is new by the tracks...George Dutka

The GO bus does drop offs and pickups at the replica station next to the stored engine.

The lines ex-CN caboose.

Once this CN caboose would have had batteries in here now they use generators.

Rust Bucket No. 3

I found this car in a string while visiting the Lawrence, Ma. area back on April 2, 2016.