Bob Hannah's Power on the WRD

In this scene the CV train approaching the Bellows Crossing diamond is being handled by CN power modeled by our friend Bob Hannah.

Back in 2015 Peter Mumby showed up on one of our Monday Workshops with Bob Hannah's engines to pose as we wish. Peter had acquired them a number of years ago. I set them up at the diamond and placed my camera right on the track. Of course, the angle made the views backlit but still neat to shoot and view. Bob did a wonderful job on his power, and he is one of those guys that likes all the small details on his models to follow the prototype...George Dutka

Train time at the Bellows Crossing diamond with CN power dominating the scene. These engines were custom done by Bob Hannah back in the 1980's when one needed to find the right details, cabs and decals to model a CN engine correctly.

Peeking out from behind - WRJ

B&M road power is ready to roll.

B&M power is peeking out from behind the WRJ station before heading out of town. The crew will have their new train orders shortly but till then a trip to the Polka Dot diner for coffee to go for the crew is a good thing...George Dutka

GTW - Durand, Mi.

It was a cold overcast day on Nov. 6, 2019 when I visited Durand.

Don Janes and I traveled to Trainfest on November 6, 2019. Our goal was to spend two days railfanning and hitting hobby shops on the way to Milwaukee. We made a short stop at Durand to check out the station which is a museum and see if any action was in town...George Dutka  

While touring the station a train approached which I took this photo through the second-floor window.

It was a whole consist of flats I believe for blade loading.

October 2022 - "This and That"

A staged scene at Peterburg I added a mill to the foreground which makes the whole scene appear bigger than it is.

Not a lot going on at the work bench, but I have received a few interesting photos lately that you might like to see.

Hindsight 20/20 will be held once again on December 10, 2022 and March 4, 2023...George Dutka 

EMD switchers on CN 396 heading to Stelco. Seen at Haslett Mi. Sept 30, 2022. Ken Borg photo.

A Rutland Ry view taken by John Gardner found in an assembled 100 best views by Phil Jordan.

I found this interesting in an Exact Rail ad...Canada Sauce?

The Hedley Junction blog has some interesting posts lately. One post viewed this B&M boxcar around 1900 in Cambridge, Ma.

Ken Borg passed along this view of  CP_Lagrange_Maine_Train_Derailment   At approximately 0400 on October 19, 2022, a train derailment occurred one mile west of Lagrange, Maine, on Highway 16. One of the eleven derailed Canadian Pacific Railway freight cars contains asphalt and is submerged in Dead stream.

Kevin Smith took in the Upper Valley Train Show in WRJ and got a few views of NECR.

Throwback Thursday - Rubbing Shoulders

On February 01, 2005, UP 9198 and STER 3582 are sharing the CN yard at St. Thomas, Ontario.

 By Peter Mumby.

I am sure that there were very few locations on the railway map of North America where Union Pacific power could have rubbed shoulders with a Bombardier HR412(W) locomotive.  Certainly the CN St. Thomas North yard would have been near the top of this rather short list.  As pointed out in last week's post, UP units periodically arrived in St. Thomas on NS 327.  This power would then repose in the yard until it was needed for number 328 of the following day.  The North yard was also the main interchange point for the St. Thomas and Eastern Railway, a component of Trillium Railway.  In today's photo, STER 3582 is performing its interchange tasks, while UP 9198 takes time out on an adjacent track.  NS withdrew from the area at the end of December, 2006, while STER continued to call at the yard until 2013.

Wordless Wednesday No. 499

 

Talbotville 1994

   

Snapshot - October 2022

CN 381 wb is about to pass under the Hyde Park overpass in London, Ontario on Oct 5, 1992. The farm on the hill is selling pumpkins which is probably hard for you to see but still is there today. The area were the red sumac is seen is so overgrown with trees today that a shot like this is not possible anymore.

I scanned a group of slides a few weeks back and thought these fall scenes might be nice to group into a Snapshot for this month. I was out a couple of times this fall taking photos and the colours this year are the best in many years. I wish I had more time for railfanning...George Dutka

CN eb 148 appoaches Komoka on Sept 23, 1998. This tree is another thing gone from the scene along Oxbow Road.

CN 238 eb is seen approaching the Komoka diamond on Oct. 23, 1993.

CN eb 380 is in Komoka on the Chatham Sub. on Oct. 25, 1993. This was a job London crews manned to Windsor and back.

 

B&M Derailed Milk Cars

On B&M at Ipswich. Leslie Jones photo March 17, 1938

A few weeks back there was a post of derailed equipment on the B&M Yahoo site. I found these two photos of milk cars that took a flip...George Dutka     

B&M wreck Woburn Ma. 1924.  Looks like a milk train.

Flat Finish Options

Two boxcars waiting for a coat of flat finish. My go to these days are spray can options.

I normally use spray cans for applying flat finish to my models. Here is a photo of the two I like using. Testors Dulcote and Tamiya flat clear are my choices. In the last few years, the Tamiya is my go-to product which has a nice dead flat appearance. If I have my airbrush out, I still have a good stock of Floquil flat also...George Dutka      

White River Jct. on the WRD

The B&M are handling the yard switching today while two road freights are ready to roll.

A few views of my layout as it originally looked back when built. Looks like the station is a busy place today...George Dutka

All green and gold power this day.

Short Hi-Cube Boxcar

AZER 77023 is an ex SP 40' HyCube. I always thought these were odd, with no practical use when Athearn came out with them. Originally built for appliance loading, Arizona Central (AZER, not ARZC) made good use of them hauling copper ingots.

The following information regarding handling short hi-cube cars in New England came my way following a Kevin Smith Freight Car Friday e-mail. I though you might find interesting. Lets hear what Scott J. Whitney had to say and thank Scott for sharing...George Dutka 

One day while working Keene, NH we had one short hi-cube come in from the B&M at Brattleboro bound for Keene. The only thing was that we picked it up at night and because it was a miserable foggy night we did not see that it was a tall car. We got to Keene just fine but the next day it was a bit of a surprise and a head scratching as to how it had cleared the lowest bridge, a road overpass in West Swanzey. It got unloaded and of course the springs expanded and suddenly we had an even taller car. On the return we got to West Swanzey and if it hadn't been for the muddy sunken track, we would have been badly screwed. The car cleared by less than 1" on the way through at a dead slow crawl I might add...Scott 

Throwback Thursday - Foreign Power

On December 3, 2000 NS 8928 and Ontario Northland 1721 lead NS freight 328 off the Talbot Subdivision towards the Dundas Subdivision connection at London Junction.

By Peter Mumby. 

I always enjoyed catching Norfolk Southern trains 327 and 328 as they hauled their strings of auto parts cars to and from the St. Thomas Ford plant.  Default power was a pair of GE 6-axle units, and this was interesting enough in the 1990s before CN and CP started ordering similar power in large quantities.  Throw in the occasional older GM locomotive with a high short hood and variety became the order of the day.  Leased units and run-through power only made these consists more interesting.  Lease power bearing reporting marks like CRIX, FURX, and GMTX appeared regularly, often wearing ex-UP or ex-BN paint work.  Run-through locomotives from UP, BNSF, and CR were often in evidence.  For a couple of years, CP power was pretty well standard on these trains.  Even CN power showed up on occasion, but the Ontario Northland unit featured in today's photo  only passed my camera once. 

Wordless Wednesday No. 498

 

   

What's in the Box No. 52

This kit came with wall stencils. I had thought it would have been decals or printed sheets. Stencils are great as there are lots of options for them in future projects.

A newer Monster Models laser kit that I ordered back during my summer ordering spree. It is a building flat and will fit nicely into another back alley scene I have planned...George Dutka    

There is a bit of 3D printed parts also.

A close look at the laser cut brickwork.

St Albans Shop area 2010

At St Albans Vermont roundhouse we found another two sets of power. One was in use while taking this view Oct. 1, 2010.

Don and I spent a bit of time at the roundhouse-shop area seeing what is in town. I have not been back to St. Albans since this trip. It seems like it was yesterday but that was 12 years ago. I better plan on another trip through Vermont. I am thinking about what I might find there and I doubt one can walk around this area anymore like we used to...George Dutka    

The shop track area in St. Albans Vermont was full of power not all being used though. Oct. 1 2022.

FOS Diner - Atlas Gorge Kit

My finished kit posed on the WRD for a photo shoot.

Back late spring early summer I completed the diner which is included in the Atlas Gorge kit. I started with the two smaller building which helped me locate were parts can be found. The instructions are OK but not great...George Dutka

This model was a nice build. The hardest part was locating all the pieces in the big box of pieces.

          

On the Way to CVRHS Convention 2010

A stop at Swanton was good timing as the CN SB from Montreal passed by while we checked out the Swanton station museum which is now near the area were the ST. J engine house once stood. You can see the pits still in the ground. There was a good group of guys here also catching the action...all here to attend the CVRHS convention. October 1, 2010

I was going through some of my views looking for something to keep posts going since I have had very little time for modeling lately. I looked at a trip Don Janes and I took to St. Albans for 2010 CVRHS convention. We actually met up with Alan Irwin as he graciously offered us the use of his lakeside cabin. It was a nice trip and great convention...George Dutka  

Don took a photos of me out front of Alan's camp.

The Friday evening prior to the convention Don took this view of me taking a low down shot of the CN power that had just brought a train down from Montreal on Oct. 1 2010.

Throwback Thursday - Crew Familiarization.

New CP SD90MAC number 9130 was being used to familiarize local crews with the new technology at London, Ontario on March 20, 1999.

By Peter Mumby.

CP SD90MAC locomotives 9100-9160 were built between October 1998 and December 1999.  GMD built numbers 9100-9111, while the balance were assembled by CP at its Ogden Shops in Calgary.  In today's photos, taken at London, Ontario on March 20, 1999, the new locomotive was engaged in a crew-familiarization exercise as it moved back and forth along its assigned yard track.  While I was enjoying my cab ride, the engineer was explaining the operation of the GM-style desk top controls to another CP employee.

Regular yard switching continued as the new unit was put through its paces.

Coming or going, this was a hefty-looking locomotive.

 

Wordless Wednesday No. 497

  

A Full Load - GMRC Flat

GMRC 2640 Phil Jordan photo

Kevin Smith passed along this photo taken by Phil Jordan of a loaded flat with ties GMRC 2640, ex-Rutland. The photo was taken at Chester, Vt. The flat was sold in 1987 to a gent from Manchester, Vt. for use as a bridge...George Dutka 

Adding Cinders - The Real Stuff!

Back at the end of the summer I did a simple project that adds a bit of interest to the inside of a CV hopper car. I had found a trail of fine cinders in the CASO yard in St. Thomas during a visit to the museum which I scooped up into a Tim Horton's cup. 

Once home I screened the larger pieces out. It was then ready for any use on the layout. I added some to my hopper first. Some maybe placed near the engine house shortly...George Dutka 

Dab a bit of white glue in the bottom of the hopper bays. One side is completed.

The fine cinders are seen in the bowl that is dropped into the glue. I then just turned the hopper over so the excess falls back into the bowl.

Weathered Roofs

A quick upgrade to these two car roofs was done back in the summer over an hour. I used dollar store acrylic paint on the roof and added a new Kadee running board that had a neat looking weathering effect added...more on these cars later.

I did a quick update to a couple of my Branchline Yardmaster series NH cars roofs. Here is a photo of what I was working on...more details of the upgrade will wait till I have more time...George Dutka 

The Kadee running board is coated with a shot of black followed by a light coating of cast iron gray. I was amazed how realistic the walkway looked.

Station For Sale - Ossipee, NH

The B&M Ossipee, NH station as it looks in 2022 

On the Yahoo Group site a few weeks back there was a link to a B&M station for sale. It was noted later in another post that they have been trying to sell the station for years if not decades. I think it might need more work than most wish to do...George Dutka