June 2025 - Update

I am building an O scale flag stop which was on the Sandy River 2 foot gauge line up in Maine. I am using leftovers I have from other projects. More on this structure is found on my narrow gauge blog.

A bit of modeling happening lately as I am building two flag stops to add to my collection. There might be a RMC article in there somewhere. 

This weeks Wordless Wednesday is a print I scanned of a visit I made to Essex Jct. Vermont in 1994. I caught the St. Albans local working the industries there before it headed to Burlington, Vt. on the branch...George Dutka 

GT 2-8-2 no. 3432 at Danville Jct., no date. This is a Phil Hasting view from the Bob Bowes Collection.

I don't have many color views of the Amherst Ma. station but the trim was at one time green. I used chalkboard green from the dollar store for this. The windows are a cream color but I don't know the door colors. This is an ITLA kit of the CV station.

Couple of weekends ago I was at St. Thomas, working the NMRA-WOD craftsman corner workshop booth. I began working on a BEST flagstop kit.

The kit is very basic and went together quickly making a nice model. The kit also had a bench and supports.

Last week this view of the NH south Boston yard had the wrong date applied on it when posted. I have corrected it. It should read 1969.

Wordless Wednesday No. 630

1994 George Dutka photo 

 

NERPM 2025

A visit to Neil's layout after the 2024 RPM.

I just saw some photos on-line of this years NERPM which was just held on the weekend. Also some of our friends in New England reached out to us...filling us in of the event (or what we missed, thanks guys). Don Janes and I did attended last years NERPM in Springfield, Ma. This year Don is in Europe on a river boat cruise and I just did not feel comfortable traveling to the the U.S. alone with all that is going on at the borders and changing policies day by day. Better days ahead I hope, and we hope to make it back next year.

I thought I would post a few views of Neil Schofield's layout that we visited at last years RPM. It was interesting to see that instead of running trains around the layout Neil staged his trains in photo op locations which really made railfanning his layout very easy. A great idea that going forward I will do on my own layout...George Dutka

Don Jane, Neil and Ian Stornach discuss everything model railroading at last years visit. Neil suggested that we stop by a bit early to beat the rush and have a nice visit.

Scanning Bob Bowes Slides

2-48 in London Ont. Don McQueen collection, Bob Bowes copy.

Here are a few of Bob Bowes slide collection that I scanned a few weeks ago. Bob purchased views that he could model from...many were rolling stock. This slide collection is now part of the Peter-Keith MacCauley collection. Peter has acquired a good portion of Peter Mumby's slides and other collections he had purchased over the years. He will be receiving the rest later this year once I do a few more scans and our model club views some of the trays Peter had setup as railfan clinics...George Dutka

11-22-93 Jacksonville, PA. Bob Bowes collection

Allentown PA. 12-7-75 Bob Bowes Collection.

D&H 2156 hopper at Rutland, Vermont 5-1-65. C&P 500 is the power for this run. Houser - Bob Bowes collection. 

B&M at WRJ

A busy looking scene of the B&M at WRJ in 1963. No other data on the slide.

I scanned this slide from my collection...not sure it might have been from the George Melvin slides I purchased...enjoy the view...George Dutka  

Building with Leftovers

I was at the St Thomas, Ontario train show last Sunday. Gary Shurgold a NMRA MMR and one of our division directors was selling some of his odds and ends. He brought along a structure he built from leftover bits and pieces in his parts bin. I thought he did a fine job with this structure...thought I would share it with you...George Dutka  

NH South Boston Yard

While scanning Peter's slides I did a number of mine. This view does not have much information other than it says NH South Boston yard, 1969. I don't recall where I got this one from but it maybe from the George Melvin slides I purchase a number of years ago...George Dutka   

GTW Covered Hopper - Limestone service

In service the sides of the limestone service covered hopper is only lightly weathered. It is on the move over the WRD.

I finally finished this GTW hopper this spring that is a copy of one used in Vermont by the CV to service a limestone loading facility in Milton, Vt...George Dutka 

The car sides was lightly weathered but the roof got a bit more weathering. 

Wordless Wednesday No. 629

 

     

CV Green Boxcars

 I came across this boxcar in a string of work equipment at East Alburg, Vt. in the spur at the north end of the trestle on June 10 1994

These two CV green 40' boxcars are ones that had come over from the GTW to fill the gap in their fleet. Once surplus they moved to company service...George Dutka     

A year later on June 10, 1995 CV 54515 I came across this one at Millers Falls, Ma.

Rutland Ry. Models

A Rutland Ry. van hop is seen arriving in Bellows Falls. I only modeled the platform that was across the street for the station. I did add the B&M order board and the ball signal in town.

I don't show you much Rutland Ry models that I have or run. The layout is more CV and B&M but I do like pulling out some of my Rutland stuff at times. I thought I would take some photos of them out on the White River Division...George Dutka  

My brass Rutland caboose passes a Rutland Ry section shed once offered as a resin kit by Rutland Car Shops. This is a drop-in diorama I use at times. I have a few more Rutland Ry caboose kits still to be built.

Hooping up Orders at Wells River, Vt.

The Wells River Vt. operator in 1963 is hooping up orders to the B&M crew. Note he has a shorter hoop for the tail end crew. No other details are on the slide. Photographer unknown. George Dutka Collection.

Although not too clear it is a neat view of a B&M crew having their orders hooped up while on the fly...George Dutka  

May 2025 - Update

No information is found on the slide of B&M 205 at White River Jct. George Dutka collection.

I have another sailboat after a five year absence from sailing on Lake Huron. I am looking forward to the summer and next week when the boat goes in. I may not post as much this summer while up at the lake but we will see...there is internet at my dock, so if I turn on the computer posts might happen before I head out onto the lake.

Not much modeling happening lately too with all the yard work and getting the boat ready. I also have spent sometime sorting out some of Peter Mumby's prints and slides for scanning. There is a lot to do that has kept me away from the workbench. I still have the Amherst station about half done to work on when I do get there. Nothing has been happening to the layout as it is stacked with rolling stock I acquired from Peter's collection.

Well this is an interesting view below of a B&M Budd at Davis Square via the freight cutoff.  The date is July 1976 after heavy rains have forced the re-routing of commuter trains from the Fichburg main line. What I really like is to look at the structures near the tracks...George Dutka

Steve Myers collection posted on the B&M Facebook site.

CV RS-11 is in St. Albans Fall 1987 waiting it final fate. Note the new green paint covering the number. The Larson Green paint has really faded out over the years. The CV used three different shades of green during the years. The paint seemed to be of inferior quality as it began fading very quickly. George Dutka photo.

CN 2559 is approaching St. Catherines, Ont. station in an undated photo either taken or from the Peter Mumby collection. There is an overhead bridge just east of the station were this photo was taken from. A new bridge is going up in this location when I visited last fall. No information on the print.

The windows are in with some painted a cream tone on the Amherst CV station. I don't have enough color photos to actually commit to what color all the windows and doors were so as time and views become available I will correct my model. 

The three modules that Peter Mumby contributed to the Thames Valley Modular RR Club back in the early 1980's. He had two straight sections and two corners. One corner is in view. The club is marking their 60th year this year.

A look at the two modules that were 2' by 4' in size.

The modules may end up at a local flea market where a model railroad dealer is setup each week as display space.

Throwback Thursday - CV Blue Boxcars

A very rusty roof on CV 600171 at Kitchener, Ont. Sept 14, 2004 Peter Mumby photo.

I thought I would do a few Throwbacks using Peter's photos and slides...so here we go!  

Peter Mumby's elevated photos show you how these CV boxcar roof have rusted with time. I never actually noticed how much these car roof were effected by the weather. I believe Athearn has come out with a model for these cars already painted and lettered that might be fun to rust up...George Dutka 

CV 600177 at Stanley Rd. CN Westleyville Feb 14, 2003 Peter Mumby photo.

CV 600178 Guelph, Ont. 1996 Photo by Peter Mumby

Wordless Wednesday No. 628

 

Peter Mumby photo, Keith MacCauley collection.   

O Scale - DT&I Boxcar

When I began this project I gave the car a couple of coats of Tamiya flat clear. Surprising enough the color faded down a few tones of green which was a nice effect on its own. The car was quite dark when taken out of the package.

I weathered this Atlas boxcar for White River Productions "O Scale Train Annual". More of this will be seen in this years issue that should be out shortly. I kept the weathering simple so those that want to try the effects I applied can do so without running into problems. There are other things added to the car such as chalk marks as seen on the prototype, placards and ACI label...George Dutka   

Most of the weathering is done using two shades of PanPastels with a bit of AK rust streaking.

The Iconic CN Logo

Allan Fleming (1929–1977), a Canadian graphic designer, created the iconic Canadian National Railway (CN) logo in 1960. Sketched on a napkin, the minimalist design merged “C” and “N” into a flowing line symbolizing motion, replacing an outdated maple-leaf logo. Bilingual and versatile, it suited CN’s rail and non-rail ventures. Hailed as modernist brilliance, the logo has endured over 60 years. Fleming also redesigned Maclean’s and logos for Ontario Hydro and others, shaping Canadian design. 

When a tank car is not a tank car.

By Keith MacCauley 

The freight car shown in the above photo is not a tank car. It is actually a specialized two compartment covered hopper used to transport a specialized salt. Explanation is as follows.

The payload is loaded as a slurry with the liquid drained prior to transport. If the liquid remained, the car would have classified as a tank car. At destination an internal sparger system is used to introduce water to offload the commodity again as a slurry using bottom outlet valves. Between 1982 and 2000 Procor Oakville built some thirty-four salt slurry cars for Dow Chemical and BC Chemical.

Amherst Ma Station Model

I have the main structure together and coated with Home Hardware Oxide red primer. I am modeling the station as it looked in the late 1950's early 1960's.

I am currently working on the ITLA kit of the Amherst, Ma. Central Vermont Ry station. This is an old kit prior to Nick taking over ITLA. So far the kit is going together well although the plans suck and would be a hard build without photos of the station which I have. If one has not built a laser kit in the past stay away from this one...more to come as I get further along...George Dutka

I assembled the walls in sections. Note two windows are blocked out as seen in prototype photos from the 1950's. A roll up door will be added made from styrene. 

Squaring out the walls and gluing. 

The bay area needed some strip wood trim at the corners to clean them up a bit.

I made some wall supports using leftovers from the kit. One is attached while the other one is just cut.