Railfanning Springfield, Mass.

Power shuffled around the west end of the yard on January 24, 2025

Prior to the train show beginning...I was at the show to drop off my stuff on Thursday and again on Friday to check out how the layouts were going together. One enters through gate 1 which was a very short drive to a street which ends at the west end entrance of CSXT and an open view of that area. This is the West end of the yard and all is in full view. There was a number of railfans there on each stop I made...George Dutka  

Looking east from the roadway layover power is seen on the right while a WB train road power is getting ready to head over to its train.

A couple of the railfans that gather there on a regular basis.

A local switcher arrives on the scene. One could see more power down around the middle of the yard.

Lined up for a moment one could get a group shot.

A WB train was leaving as I arrived at the west end of the yard. This photo and the one below are from that train.

At the east end of the yard a short train of maybe 10 cars heads east just as I was heading to my hotel room. There is a bit of a pull off along the river where I tucked my car into.

Crossing the Connecticut River.

ITLA Back Alley Kit

There might be some extra details added on the roof later on and I have yet to decide if this structure will get a fire escape. It is a block building with a few rows of bricks up top.

I finally finished the second structure of 5 included in the ITLA test back alley kit. I began it in Springfield and got most of it done. Talking at the show really slowed me down. I have been sick since I got home (talking to Nick he and Steve also caught something). Sunday was the first time I felt well enough to work on the model once again...George Dutka

An overall view yesterday.

There are a lot of detail options that one can add.

ITLA at Springfield 2025

RMC editor Otto stopped by the ITLA booth and took this photo of me. I was working on the back alley test build kit. From the sign up sheet the kit might do well.

If you did not go to Springfield this year or missed the ITLA booth I thought I would share a few views I took of my time there. This year was the largest booth they ever setup. It was a full square with lots of finished models and three of us showing how you assemble kits and finish the models. There was a lot of questions directed at us. I think sales where good as most of the stock was gone by late Sunday with orders being taken for shipping once home.

I was surprised how many of the WRD blog followers stopped by the booth to say hello. It was great to meet you all and hear from you...those visits made my trip to Springfield special...thanks...George Dutka  

Above and below is another new test kit which is a city block scene. The back wall is the same one that will become the back alley flat. This model was built by Bryan Schilling  who also explained modeling building and weathering techniques. A fine modeler for sure.

Steve shows some of the painting techniques he uses on his builds.

Nick manning the sales area.

This was a huge display with lots for modelers to look at.

Sunday morning getting ready for the day.

CN 1233

By Keith MacCauley   

Some additional background on yours truly. I grew up in the hamlet of Hannon. Hannon, while not a locality ever identified on any map, is situated above the escarpment on Hamilton Mountain (as referred to by ‘Hamiltonians’). A new housing development has somewhat put Hannon ‘on the map’, so to speak.

What became known as Canadian National’s Hagersville subdivision bisected Hannon south westerly, less than a mile from my parent’s house on Glover road. If the wind was in the right direction, I could distinguish the twelve cylinder 567 chant in a SW1200RS from the sixteen cylinder 567 drum of a GP9. The branchline was the former Hamilton and Northwestern Railway (H&NW) right of way linking Hamilton with the Lake Erie community of Port Dover. Descending the escarpment, the line crossed over the former T, H & B main line in the lower city swinging on to Ferguson Avenue to do some street running prior to entering Stuart Street yard on the Hamilton waterfront. Fate of the branchline? From daily except weekend service (Extra’s occasionally on Saturday’s), the former H&NW line experienced increasingly diminished usage into the early 1990’s and would eventually be lifted in 1993. Service south from Hamilton would be suspended in the late 1980’s following the lateral displacement of the Stone Church road overpass (in both directions!) by transport truck collision. Today, portions of the ROW between Hamilton and Caledonia remain as the ‘STONE CHURCH ROAD RAIL TRAIL’, to the north, and the ‘CHIPPEWA TRAIL’ to the south.

The attached photo (taken by my younger sister) is among my all-time favourite. Unfortunately, I did not record the date; most likely 1976. I recall that we rode our bikes to the adjacent St. George’s cemetery. My sister had my parent’s Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, while I manned a Radio Shack (remember them?) CTR cassette tape recorder. The cassette tape? Long gone. So too, SW1200RS CN1233; built 1956, retired 1990. She is shown delivering a CP bulkhead flatcar load of lumber to Penn Lumber. To access the Penn Lumber siding CN 1233 and a sister would have detached from their consist and used the RYMAL siding as a run around. Sobering to realize that this took place almost half a century ago!

New Haven Station

I spent one evening taking a few views of my Rutland and VTR power on the WRD. Thought this one looked good.    

Throwback Thursday - Roof Details

 

DUPX 38318 was displaying an unusual profile at Belleville, Ontario on July 18, 1995.

By Peter Mumby. 

I have always appreciated opportunities to take down-on photographs of railway equipment.  Shooting from overpasses or embankments adjacent to the right of way allows us to document roof details and study weathering effects and differences in colouration.  Today’s photo illustrates a less typical way to go about recording roof details - but it still gets the job done!

Wordless Wednesday No. 612

 

      

Switching Marmora

It's the 1950's and the conductor stays behind aboard the True Line Trains CNR caboose which is parked out front of the Marmora station while the crew runs a boxcar up the branch into town.

Marmora CNR station was actually located about 3 miles outside of town. A spur ran into town from Marmora Jct. The branch was abandoned in the late 1950's...George Dutka    

Marmora

An overall look at the roof prior to me building the order board. I used three tones of acrylic gray's then overcoated with PanPastels. It makes the roof much more interesting than it once was.

A couple more views of Marmora station model as work continued on it before Christmas...George Dutka  

An end view of the station. I overcoated the sides with PanPastel red iron oxide extra dark. I did not touch the windows as they looked good as-is. They are 12 panel Campbell's with styrene trim cut to match the prototype. I originally painted the structure using Floquil paints. I did build a new platform for the station. A few new signs are added to the structure as seen in prototype photos.

At the Springfield Show

At the Bethlehem booth the 3-D printed train was operating.

Just a few views from the Springfield train show yesterday. It was a good day with a lot of you stopping by to say hello...thanks, it was great to talk to you all...George Dutka

Gator Dave out front of his Gatorfoam booth. He has a great product for using as a base. Dave had an order for both Don and I.

Dave sold all his built structures except for this one which he scratch-built of a round barn structure near Morrisville, Vt.

The gang at the CVRHS booth including long time members Harvey Allen who is now in his 90's and Glen Annis.

I was told the B&M milk car 1908 at North Walpole NH is going to be moved to Troy, NH once funding is in place.

A Mount Blue Modeling Co. offering.

Stopped by Onondaga booth but left saying hello till tomorrow as there was a lot of people there.

The Day Before Springfield Show

It appears the Ft. Erie, Ontario station will be offered as a model shortly.

I spent some of yesterday railfanning, checking out how the setup was going at the train show and out to dinner at the Outback in Springfield West with the gang...George Dutka 

Lots of layouts being assembled.

Scenic Express. Lot of work to assemble their display.

Rapido booth is coming together well mid day.

The gang at the Outback.

Thst's Ian Stronach next to me.

Oh that is Robin on the right all the way over from England. At the end of the night he made a toast to the King.