Into the next room

The White River Division is coming into a new area. My On30" diorama is stored for now in this area.

This weekend has flew by with little time for any posts...yesterday I can blame my wife and today it was Peter Mumby's turn. I was his helper today at the Woodstock train show. I did have a good time there and Peter and I both picked up some really nice plaster casting...will leave that for another post.

Since I showed you the track curving around and entering the wall this week...I thought I should show you the other side. I took a few photos of that room...the Bellows Falls yard end of my point to point operation....George Dutka

This is the area my new yard and the end of the White River Division will be. Currently my On30" diorama is stored here along with a work area on wheels. The diorama is 6 ft. long...so one can get a feel for the area. The diorama will be stored on a shelf under the layout and my extra work area will roll out from underneath.

Snapshot - April 2014

UP 4797 was the first train we encountered. She is leading a westbound Stack Train waiting for a meet West of Maricopa.

by Don Janes

     On April 1 Jane and I set out to do some railfanning on the Union Pacific line from LA to New Orleans, The former owner, Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route.  Most days had been a little hot to be in the middle of the desert in the afternoon but on the 1st the temperature dropped to about 75 F and sunny (it’s sunny every day here) so it was a great day for the trip.  The spot I like is about 1 ½ hours southwest from our house in Apache Junction just west of the town of Maricopa at a siding called Shawmut.  As we got closer to Shawmut I noticed that several sidings were full of work trains or fleets of track equipment.  I thought this might be trouble because if there was a work block there would be no train watching today.  My mind was eased when I saw that all the equipment was parked and not a sole around.  They must be on their downtime.  Shortly after we saw a westbound stack train waiting for a meet.  There were no less than six work trains parked along the line including entire trains of concrete ties, welded rail and under cutting equipment.  A major maintenance program indeed, and they were on their day off. 

    

 UP 4797  again after the meet after we set up at Shawmut

UP 7391 heads up a Westbound auto train at Shawmut

ex CB&Q Silver Horizon Maricopa, AZ

 Within the next three hours we saw no less than 7 freight trains.  Out in the desert in the middle of nowhere 
 is really a peaceful spot to do some rail fanning.  When there are no trains all you can hear is the wind blowing across the desert and a few birds flipping from cactus to cactus.  A very calming place, especially when the sun starts dipping in the west.

This is the DPU on the rear of 7391 snaking downgrade through

UP 7962 an eastbound auto train with the second unit still in SP colours n S curve

Another shot  of the ex SP unit

UP 8340 slugs uphill through the S curve with an eastbound stack train

The DPU on the rear of 8340 still shoving hard

UP 9495 heads up one of several work trains along the line.  This is a train of concrete ties

Another work train with a welded rail related machine still in SP lettering.

500th Post

If you ever had eaten at the Polka Dot dinner in White River Jct. Vermont and wondered who was doing the cooking...here he is out back having a break.

Well here I am once again...another milestone. This is the 500th post on this blog. Seems I have a lot to say even when you don't want to hear it...just kidding. I added a "Search this Blog" feature in the right hand column of this blog some months ago at the request of Marty...I hope this is helping everyone...it sure has for me when backtracking. I hope you have found enough of interest to keep coming back for more...Oh by the way I have no idea what I will be covering next...George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 72

B&M Section House Model - Westboro

My finished Westboro section house on the White River Division.

Using my photos and measurements I drew up a set of drawing to work from while building my B&M section house. The walls are all wood from my stock (leftovers) plus windows and door I have in my structure parts box. This building was a free-bee to construct. Once the main walls are all glued together and 1X8" trim is added I gave the walls a coat of Hunterline weathering mix, inside and out. This was followed by a wash of Floquil grime and some dry brushed reefer white. On the prototype it appears there has been limited paint applied for many years on the walls...and what appeared as paint was a gray. I went for the almost no paint left approach to the whole structure. For the windows I airbrushed mine Floquil grime. One could do these as green, or maybe just green trim.

The roof was made from leftover Campbell's roof stock painted grimy black. I covered the roofing with MinuteMan Scale Models black tar paper. I added a few patches to the roof. A chimney from my parts box was painted and weathered. Before weathering I added a few signs.  Bragdon powders was added to the roof and walls to finish things off...George Dutka

The walls of the main building are together with some bracing added. The side shed still needs to be attached. The window and door can be seen at the rear.

A view of the front of the structure.

The door still needs to be added. I had a few B&M signs on hand that I applied. The chimney still needs to be added.

Some boards are pulled up on the rear wall. The roof and walls are now weathered.

I added two patches to the add on roofing. The weathering has yet to be added to the roofing.

Era Update

What's this a non 1950's engine on the White River Division. I have been debating what to do with this DCC-sound engine...I think I have figured it out.

This past Monday during our weekly work session I showed Peter my Bachmann DCC-Sound CPR S-2 that I purchased last summer with a thought of repainting it as B&M 1265. I had held off painting it as I kind of liked the looks of it in CPR paint. This particular engine has become part of a display in Toronto next to the old CPR roundhouse downtown. While having still a good 20-25 rail cars for the 1960 through 1980's era Peter suggested running the engine with a few cars and a caboose from time to time. I do have a couple of CV engines and a caboose that would work for that era plus the B&M bluebird geep that hung around in that scheme for a long time. I think it might just work. I do have a good number of rolling stock pieces that I just can not part with even though they do not fit into the 1950's era that I model. Maybe I might just try that...detail the CPR engine as painted and from time to time change the era. Not much would have to be changed on the layout other than some cars and trucks. Peter and I did just that last spring for a photo session...something to think about through the summer I would say....George Dutka

Here one sees a portion of my contemporary fleet of boxcars. These might look good behind my CPR engine. I might have to look for a yellow CPR caboose.

Yesterday - Moving Forward

The hole is cut to the next room and a new yard location. You are looking into the room that the White River Division is located. The area were the scenery ends is the old duck under location. I have put temporary bracing up to get the curve right from the layout to the hole in the wall.

Yesterday I had about a two hour gap between house work at my daughters and when her sister showed up to learn how to do her taxes. I decided to do something with the piece of flex track that was dangling were the duck under once was. I planned to continue into the next room this winter...that did not happen. I had marked the spot for the hole recently...so why not cut it out and curve the track through it. That would give me all summer to think about what will be done in regards to scenery, hiding the wall opening and track planning in the next room.

The hole was an easy cut with no wires or studs to deal with. I used some left over lumber, plywood and cork road bed to place a few temporary supports for the track. All was levelled out and in less than the time allotted....George Dutka.

A different angle looking away from the layout.

Walpole, NH - Station

Here we have a postcard view of the station that once stood in Walpole, NH....George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 71

Another Modelers Season is about to end

The Westboro local heads towards the shop track and freight house. This underpass is my dividing line between Westboro and White River Jct. as I did not have room to model a river scene.

I just realised once I looked at April on our calendar...my modeling season is officially over...or at least after today`s model workday with Peter. I could not find two days together that I was free next month. With a large family, 5 children owning 5 homes....one is about to put their house on the market meaning I have been over helping on projects over the weekend hence no posts. We also have four grand children that also have dates posted on our calender....I am asking my wife about the two cans of paint in the laundry room...you don`t want to know...and my boat...not sure how that will fit in as I want to launch by the end of April.

Anyhow I did have a great modeling season. This past Wednesday I did spend the whole day downstairs finishing off Westboro yard. The Westboro section house is now built and in place. The face board is all painted and the track to the next room is partially attached. The only structure that I had hoped to build this past winter was the B&M WRJ yard office...guess that might happen over those extra hot days of summer. Peter and I had a really productive group of Monday winter work sessions. We will cover some of our other projects in detail over the summer season. Posts will be off and on but I do have a lot of material to share...stay tuned...George Dutka

Osborn Model Kits

Instructions are found on the back of packaging.

Last week Dean Splittgerber asked me if I  had used or was aware of Osborn Model Kits. I had been giving a cross buck kit as a give away a few years back. It was at the local Copetown train show...but never did anything with it. I decided to take it out of the package and take a look. The cross buck looks like an easy build. I did checking their web site that Dean sent along and was surprised  that they offer a lot more...you might want to check it out...George Dutka

http://www.osbornmodelkits.com/HO_scale_railroad.htm

Smart Phone Model Photography

Nathan took this photo of about a third of my layout at the Bellows Crossing end. The shot is panned 180 degrees. The photo does not show how the layout curves around.

Last year my daughters live in boyfriend was showing some photos he took at a local hockey game. One was a panoramic view that took in most of the arena...a really cool shot. Seems the Apple smart phone has a setting that you push the photo button then pan your camera around...one can get a 360 degree photo once finished. You have to be steady and fast to get all you want in the photo.

Well I got him downstairs to try it on my layout. My layout is one you can stand in the middle and follow it around by just turning around slowly. Nathan took the first view at one end getting about a third of the layout in. I gave it a try and got maybe half of the layout in but not quite as steady. I guess if we spent more time practicing we might have got the whole layout in. Here are the two photos we did. It is hard to post a good size file on this blog but it give one the general idea of what these phones can do....George Dutka

I took this photo looking towards the duckunder which is now gone. One can figure out the curve a bit better than in the other photo. The 90 degree corner at the duckunder is better seen also. I got about half the layout in my photo by panning faster.

Wordless Wednesday No. 70

VTR 50th Anniversary Locomotive - Highball Graphics

It seems the model railroad industry does keeps up with the trends and changes in the real life railway industry. One such addition is the new VTR 50th Anniversary locomotive found in service this year. I recently noted a new decals for this unit offered by Highball Graphics...congratulations....George Dutka

CV - State Line Station

CV State Line station as it looks in 2011. I first visited this structure in 1999 and it has not changed at all since then. The double door is an change the golf course has made at some point.

I covered the CV flag stop which once stood at State Line...or at the crossing which is at the line dividing Connecticut and Massachusetts in the CVRHS Ambassador, Volume 10 No. 1, published in 2000. The station was moved to the Quaboag Country Club on Route 32 in Monson, Mass. sometime before 1950. I decided to stop by and take a few more detailed photos plus get some basic measurements so at some point I could build a model....George Dutka

This is the roadside view of the ex-station. This would have been the trackside view.

A postcard view of the CV State Line station when in use. This particular crossing today is a good place to get photos of NECR trains. The crossing is at a good angle to the tracks.

A look under the eves.

Roof line.

Two CPR Boxcars

Here we find the two CPR boxcars that we weathered to different degrees. Peter's car is on the right. Photos by Peter Mumby.

Even though I do not model a more contemporary era I do have a few of these pieces of rolling stock in my collection. In a past post I showed you my PanPastel lightly weathered CPR boxcar. Last Monday Peter Mumby brought along his version of a similar CPR boxcar that he gave a good dose of weathering. I thought it looked really good and very realistic. The cars really stand out once placed on a layout. We decided to photograph the two together in a string of cars. These two photos are taken by Peter...George Dutka

This view shows the other side of Peter's boxcar.

Brookside Milk Cars at the Diamond

The local Rutland switcher is heading back into Bellows Crossing. It will have to wait till the B&M passes through town.

I took this photo some years ago for a feature on the Brookside milk cars. Well I have yet to finish it but thought I would share a photo from that file. The Rutland 0-8-0 switcher is a Proto model which sounds and runs great...maybe my favourite steam engine. I have a second one on hand to convert into a CV model. The three 40' Brooksdie milk cars are a few of my favourite milk cars. The middle one is a Train Miniatures model from many years ago that I improved on. The other two are also Train Miniatures-Walthers models that have had some work done to them too. At some point I will do a post featuring these Brookside milk cars. The B&M caboose is a brass model I purchased from Don Janes a few years back....thanks Don....George Dutka

Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday

Peter Mumby's photo of Westboro, NH on the WRD. Peter angled his shot to include the backdrop behind my WRJ yard.

This past week Peter and I had our work day at my house. We played around taking a few photos of projects we are working on. Once done Peter decided to take a few additional views of my Westboro yard. He wanted to get an angle which included the backdrop behind the WRJ yard scene. His photo is seen in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday with a second view above....George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 69

Colouring Castings with PanPastels

Here we have three O scale stumps for the W&Q modules that Peter Mumby and I built. Starting from the right one sees a stump primered, one with Hunterline stain and a finished stump using the four PanPastels seen in the photo.

 PanPastels and O Scale Castings

Peter Mumby and I get together each Monday through the winter to work on modeling projects that are of common interests. We have been playing around lately with PanPastels. Last Monday we spent part of the afternoon colouring some of our O scale castings. We had some mixed results...Check out my "Modeling Maine in Narrow Gauge" blog for the details....George Dutka

Modeling Maine in Narrow Gauge