Back Alley Views

An overall view of the scene.

A few more views of the ITLA back alley scene...George Dutka   

I modeled the brick on the structures as very old. Some of the windows and freight doors are closed up with block inserts.

There are some nice security bars for the windows. I used them all, two small and two large.

From this view one can see the details included to be added to the roofs.

Throwback Thursday

 

CV 8081 in St. Albans, Vermont 1973 Theodore Bossert photo. CVRHS Collection

Peter Mumby is very sick and currently in the hospital so there will not be any Throwback Thursday's going forward. I talked to him last week when he had a bad cold, but that has progressed into something else. Please say a prayer for Peter...George Dutka 

Wordless Wednesday No. 616

 

     

CV 8095

CV Alco switcher 8095 cab is framed with the Buffalo Creek flour boxcar logo. Note the black ends on the car. Fall of 1963 in St. Albans. John Misiaszek photo.

I did some scanning back in January for the CVRHS collection. I thought this view was interesting. I thought I would share it with you...enjoy...George Dutka  

Sometimes Easy Things get Complicated!

 

I can relate to this one very well. It seems life is getting complicated when it should not be...George Dutka       

Adding Curtains

After popping out the windows I used the ITLA window sheeting as a guide to get the curtains painted in the right location on the clear plastic.

Working on the back alley scene I used a new technique for the curtains and blinds on some windows. I really liked how Bryan Schilling curtains looked on his ITLA block scene. He just painted the curtains on the backs of the clear film being added as glass. Any color acrylic paint will work.   

It turned out to be an easy process. I used the ITLA sheeting for windows once the windows were popped out. I placed the plastic film under the opening so I could see how the curtains looked as I painted them. I first sprayed flat finish to take the gloss away...as dirty windows. I used acrylic paint Crafters milky white for the curtains...George Dutka

The window blinds and curtains are painted on the windows of these two structures which took no time at all.  

Rotterdam Junction 2025

On my way to Springfield this January I stopped by Rotterdam Jct. for a peek. There was no engines or jobs working when I stopped by but I found a new sign on the signal box...George Dutka  

Lots of rolling stock in the yard on Jan 23 2025.

Note the camera on the signal box...big brother is watching you.

Weathering Freight Cars - Don Janes

Don Janes has been working on building a fleet of engines and rolling stock to set a 1980's or later era on his layout. 

Don has been doing some experimenting with weathering while out in Arizona for the winter. He mentioned using water soluble oils, AK washes and acrylic paints and very limited PanPastels. He is very pleased with his results as these are his first attempt using these products and methods...George Dutka

Throwback Thursday - My Best Guess

This possible scratch-building project was photographed on February 03/91 in the CN yard at Brantford, Ontario.

By Peter Mumby.  

This interesting trackside structure was photographed in the CN Brantford yard in early 1991.  I don’t recall ever being informed of its specific use;  my best guess is it was used to hold heating oil for caboose furnaces.  There are no signs of an electrical connection, so it must dispense the fuel by gravity.  The roadway access is probably used by tank trucks employed to fill the high-mounted tank.

Wordless Wednesday No. 615

 

    

Snapshot - Feb 2025

Another missed opportunity...just a few minutes late arriving town to catch an eastbound freight in Chatham, NY.

This months snapshot is from another stop I made on my way to Springfield on Jan. 23 2025. I decided to see if I could catch a train through Chatham NY at the station and the town block with the tower and clock. I have been here a number of times with Don Janes and we never caught a peek of a train through town. We did arrive once passing a train on the freeway just before we turned into town., but that was the closest we have been to seeing a train.

Well this time was no different. As I arrived in town the tail end of a eastbound was passing the station...so what the heck, lets get a shot of the tail end passing the station. I planned to hang around town for a bit so I headed over to the coffee shop on the main street in town. As I was ordering I could hear the rumble of a westbound train whistling a crossing, another chance missed. What I did not know till I followed the tracks east in town was there is a siding and control point just east of were I was. It appears there was a train waiting for the EB to pass before departing. Next time I will be checking arriving in town. I hung around for maybe 45 minutes hoping something else would pass. No luck it was off to Palmer, Mass. next...George Dutka  

Magor Corporation

by Keith MacCauley. 

Many years ago the Oakville, Ont. RIP track had a thriving business with several foreign car owners as customers. Incredibly, over the years a number of cars built by Magor were repaired, owned by Dupont and Norfolk Southern.

The following information was gleaned from the Edward S. Kaminski book 'THE MAGOR CAR CORPORATION' (published 2000). A fabulous documentary. 

Among smaller niche freight car builders was Magor Corporation, located in Clifton New Jersey. Dating from 1899, Magor initially focused on export railcar production. With its Eastern Seaboard location Magor took advantage of New York port facilities to serve the overseas market. Prior to World War I domestic production was added and the builder would be included in the United States Railroad Administration supply control plan. Continuing their export activities Magor would supply freight cars for military use in World War II, the Korean conflict and later for use in Europe under the Marshall plan.

Among the more entrepreneurial of builders, Magor was a pioneer in adopting aluminum as a construction material. Following construction of their first conventional covered hopper car in 1952, the builder would introduce an aluminum version in 1959. Promoting the aluminum material benefits of reduced weight, corrosion resistance and absence of paint, Magor employed the combination of steel underframe, aluminum carbody on some five thousand follow up freight cars. Key to the success of combining the two materials was the use of an insulating compound where the two are joined, so as to avoid galvanic corrosion. Aluminum covered hopper construction would continue until 1970.

In 1964 Magor would be acquired by transport trailer maker Fruehauf Corporation. Despite a couple of late thousand car orders for gondolas and boxcars, declining sales through the 1960’s and 1970’s led to Magor being shuttered in early 1973. As a testament to the talent of the builder, most of the aluminum covered hoppers served owners to their forty year AAR life limit. Perhaps some even qualified for Extended Service Status (so called ‘EXS’) and made it to the half century.

DUPX 38370 was built in 1970.  Car series DUPX 38306 – 38375; the last aluminum covered hopper cars to be built by Magor.

SOU 8759 was 5325 cu. ft. covered hopper car built in 1965. Car series was SOU 7925 - 7999 and SOU 8575 - 8999. Note the faded 'Big John' graphic.

Back Alley Scene Completed!

A CN switcher passes the back alley block. The engine is a Rapido offering that I purchased partly weathered...I added my own touches.

I finally finished the ITLA test kit build of an upcoming back alley scene using five structures plus an add-on. All the signs and details are included in the kit. I did not use anything extra during construction and detailing of the scene. More views coming up shortly...George Dutka  

A cab is parked out front of City Taxi. Taxi companies use whatever location gives them a good deal and is a central location. Normally back alley scene such as this are near the center of town.  

The structures can be staggered with the option to cut them down in size. Two had their depth reduced.

 Although most of the structures are brick there are two block structures that one can see in this view.

There are a nice amount of fire escapes included in the kit so each level can have one added. I did not use them all in the scene. 3-D printed garbage cans, bags and barrels are also included. A two piece skid which looks very realistic is also found in the kit.

CV/B&M Pool Train

 

CV 4927 leads three B&M geep's at Brattleboro, Vt. during April 1979. Photo by Bruce Nelson, Courtesy of Bruce Nelson   

Do you Remember these Kits?

National Car Cast a company from Waterloo in the 1970's offering resin gondola sides and ends to make a CN model. They suggest some parts to use and also cardboard for finishing the kit. There are no decal included or suggested.

Peter recently gave me a few model kits conversion from the early 1970's. It is interesting to see what one got back then when ordering a kit. It appears that National Car Cast maybe had three kits out at the time Peter purchased his kits in the mid 1970's...he never got around to building them...will see what I can do with them...George Dutka

This kit is for a PC gondola which you need to pickup  decals and parts supplies. Kits from this era were simplistic...for instance this kit's instructions  tells one to use Bristol board for the flooring. Reading through the instructions are very crude compared to todays standards. I would think using an Athearn blue box gondola would move the process along much more quickly. No decal are mentioned in this kit also.

Look at the price of postage in the early 1970's...8 cents. 

This would be a year or two later...note the increase for his second kit...an additional 6 cents although it is noted to be first class. Looking at the address Peter had moved to London by then from Brampton.  

Throwback Thursday - Diesel Fuel Tank

This photo was taken near the Chatham St roundhouse on August 01, 1990.  Demolition of the roundhouse would begin in 1992.

By Peter Mumby.

The diesel fuel tank at the Chatham St service area in Hamilton was photographed in the summer of 1990, some three and a half years after the TH&B had been fully merged into the Canadian Pacific system.  The TH&B logo still looks good on the tank.  Note the fuel nozzle in the lower right foreground of the photo.  

Wordless Wednesday No. 614

 

     

February 2025 - This and That

Don Janes is now running some more modern models around his Green Mountain Division. On the lead are two new Rapido offering. Don Janes photo.

Some photos that I grouped together for you to see this month...George Dutka  

A post card view of the station which once stood in Dutton, Ontario. My son lives there now and no tracks run through town now.

I came across a BC Rail unit on Feb 8 2025 here in London, Ont. This view is on track 24 along Pine St.

The engine came into town on train 509 from Sarnia. It is in the process of adding a multi level on a cut of cars.

City Taxi which is located in the back alley has the brick wall painted at one time green then white washed white some years later, What I wanted to show you are the two bottles on the loading dock which is now blocked in. When I was cleaning the 3-D dumpster from its mold all these little plastic pieces broke off the sprue which looked like milk and pop bottles. So I decided to use them on the structures. There are a lot of them attached to the sprue.

The back alley scene is getting near complete. 4 of the 5 buildings are now done.

An early morning view of a EB Amtrak departing Amsterdam, NY on Jan 23, 2025.

EB Amtrak passed the old freight house in Amsterdam, NY on Jan 23, 2025

The stone freight house is a very long structure with 19 freight doors on the roadside wall.

Some Extra Information!

Here is a bit of a follow-up on Peter's Throwback Thursday last week. This photo is from my son's Peter collection of PBLX 20145.  

This is a 4650 cu. ft. covered hopper car built by MIL 5/1979. Note that this is 100 cu. ft. larger than the similar appearing Canadian Wheat Board car. I have read that in order to entice US customers Canadian freight cars builders increased the volume of their designs. MIL made the car body longer, while NSC added a bump out section at the ends. Note how the trucks are also painted blue...Keith MacCauley. 

There was some questions regarding the roof arrangement on Keith's last post of UNPX 121700 series cars. Here is the drawings that were asked for...George

Custom Painted Models - Perkins Road Depot

This year at Springfield I did not buy much and nothing that required construction. I have so many kits at home that probably will never get built in my lifetime. I always stop by David Barlow's table of custom painted or built rolling stock (Perkins Road Depot) which look really good. The prices are high but the work looks really nice. I decided to purchase two of his cars this year...I could build these myself but with so many kits already, I really never will, so acquiring the cars was a good option.

The first is a MEC pulpwood car which has a realistic looking load. There is a styrene backing added to the car before painting to help hold the load. The car is not really a show stopper...an older model with molded on grabs, but the load, paint, decaling and weathering is what makes it realistic. This model shows one you don't actually need all your cars to be top of the line kits.

The second car is a model of one of the three CV woodchip cars. I had seen his visions of these in the past using Tichy and Accurail cars. This one was done using a new Rapido model. There is no decals available for CV hoppers, David had the decals made for him by Highball Graphics. These woodchip cars were converted in 1969 and were in use till 1972 and 1976, so for only a short time. On my layout the lifespan will be a lot longer...George Dutka

This car was used by the Cascade Paper Company in Berlin NH. That is a five foot extension added to the hopper.