Visiting George Sellios Franklin & South Manchester Ry.

There is so much to take in that one can miss the little stuff like this car being worked on, or is that a dead body.  Note the bullet holes from the gangsters. My car fared better parked outside George's Peabody, Ma. layout location.

It was a year ago today that Peter Mumby and I visited George Sellios F&SM layout during the Fine Scale Expo. I  have yet to covered our visit on this blog, not because we did not get any photos but because I took too many and had no idea how to begin. George's layout has been covered many times and I know everyone has seen all of the overall scenes in MR and RMC. I can tell you George's layout is very impressive and better seen in person, and don't be in a rush. It is easy to miss a lot of what George offers up-close in his scenes and mini scenes. Peter and I may have overstayed our time but after about two hours I think we got a good look at most of it. The Expo offered a shuttle, but we chose to drive and spent the extra time.

Originally the Expo handout information said no cameras, but when we walked in Peter and I found everyone taking photos with phones and cameras. George was allowing his F&SM to be photographed. We hustled  back to the car and got ours out.

So back to the question, "what do I show you from our visit". I decided to show you what I enjoyed the most, the smaller details and scenes found around the buildings and on the roofing. So here goes part one...enjoy...George Dutka.

This is a great little scene. I love the idea of the worker on the roofing and all the clutter around the doorway.

A close-up of the roof being fixed. A really neat detail that makes one have a second look at a structure. It seems as every building is telling one a story.

On the station platform canopy is a low spot that George models puddles and pigeons drinking from it.

A zoom in on the platform roof.

Not many people would think to model a bridge that looks like this. We all want cars going over ours. I think this one looks great and am considering such a structure on the WRD.

Two views of a rooftop access which is littered with odds and ends. Note the pigeons. George uses a lot of pigeons for details on most of his structures.

A simple roof detail on one of George's buildings is some loose rubble that has collected in the angles.

This was an interesting scene worth modeling. An old unused loading platform is getting overgrown along with the tracks in the foreground.

And lastly the two George's. Peter Mumby photo.

Unloading a Bulkhead on the WRD

Here is how the Petersburg sceane looks now. The B&M Westminster Centre tool house in dropped in place and the creamery is lifted off and the bulkhead unloading area is set in place.

I finished off this little scene for my summer season. The WRD rolling stock will be converted over shortly to a 1980's scene...George Dutka

I got an e-mail from Bob Hannah the other day about the Pettibone loader lifting machinery. It appears this unit was built by our mutual friend Chris Martin as a Christmas gift for Bob years ago. When Bob got out of Model Railroading recently he passed it along to me knowing it will have a good home.

The loads are added but the scene still needs some workers and detailing.

I added three workers, a few pieces of lumber leaning here and there. A shed is also placed into the scene.

B&M Tool Car

My tool car has a wooden roof...something that this car never had, it was steel. I like the looks of a worn out wooden walk on my out of service cars.

This week I pulled another one of my older new cars out from my storage drawers (I actually need room in there to put in the cars I purchased this winter and will not finish). This time it is a B&M lettered Front Range boxcar that I probably purchased 20 years ago. I decided to turn it into a tool car for my summer contemporary set up. It will be a drop in to replace the Petersburg station. The creamery across the track will become a lumber unloading area. The tool house looks different on both sides so I can turn it around for another version...George Dutka

I added a Grandt work car window, Black Cat CN caboose door, Bar Mills awnings, some signs, smoke stack and a Westminster Centre station sign over the door. Some grabs and ladders are attached, but most of the details are left off. I added a bill or mail box to each side of the building.

This is the other side. I modeled the door open so one can get a look at some additional details. PanPastels was the main go to for weathering of this car. I am really liking the looks of PanPastels and after a few dozen attempts I think I have figured it out.

A Visit to Bellows Falls

Bellows Falls Tunnel South portal January 2016.

Over the past week I have been communicating back and forth with Ian Stronach. Ian models the CPR in urban Montreal and has sent me some of his railfan photos from the past. His two pictures seen here are taken in Bellows Falls. The one above is from January 2016 on his annual pilgrimage to Springfield. Ian mentions that he cannot drive by Bellows Falls without a stop to check things out. It is only a little detour off I-91 and he hopes that a shot is to be had at the tunnel.  Last year did not disappoint him.

 

The picture below was taken on his first trip to Bellows Falls during October 1966, when Steamtown was still alive. Ian was 12 years old then and had no idea of the tunnel being under the city centre. On that trip he arrived after dark. That night he stayed in the Windham Hotel right above the tunnel for $3.00 a night.  It is now the new block in town as the old block burned down in a huge fire in the 1970’s which killed a firefighter.  The Windham was not exactly a Hilton hotel, but was the only room available that night.  At 3:00am the hotel started to shake while the 14-L whistle from the southbound B&M freight woke him up.  Out his window he saw the headlight just before it disappears under the hotel.  Needless to say as the sun rose he made sure to check out the town, tunnel and a walk across the bridge to North Walpole where he took this shot using his Yashica twin lens reflex camera, his first using 127 slide film. 

We will have some more goodies from Ian shortly...George Dutka

  

North Walpole Oct. 1966.

Wordless Wednesday No. 225

Gilman, Vt. May 25, 1989 Gord Taylor

Don Janes out West

Late in the day, Don Janes photo

Don Janes sent me these two photos that I though I should share with you. It appear a downturn in traffic has turned into a surplus of motive power, and guess what happens to them.  

The photo above shows a string of stored UP engines, likely well over 100, maybe close to 200.  They are stored on an old UP mainline that was a horseshoe curve, likely about two miles long filled with locomotives. This location is about 30 minutes east of Tucson.

The view below is the Sunset Ltd cresting the grade at Mescal, east of Tucson.  It was almost dark so focus was a little off, but still an interesting view...enjoy...George Dutka

Gord Taylor

May 23, 1977 Whitehall, NY. A young Gord Taylor

Bruce Douglas a good friend and traveling buddy of Gord's sent me this photo after seeing the view from last week of Gord. Bruce took this photos 40 years ago in Whitehall, NY...boy how time fly's...George Dutka

Bulkhead Flat Mini-Scene

My latest train show acquisition.

I picked up a few contemporary cars for my summer fleet. I don't recall the gentleman's name but I have talked to him many times about New England as he is a New England modeler living in the St. Catherines area. I decided to get an early start at changing the layout over to summer time operations...my winter time modeling season ends in less than two weeks when the boat cover comes off.

Since this bulkhead I purchased has nice loads and are not strapped in, I decided to model them as being unloaded. I made bands a bit over scale out of electrical tape, and took some of the loads off the bulkhead. I have a few lumber loads given to me just lately by Chris Martin and a heavy piece of equipment that could be used as an un-loader that was given to me years ago by Bob Hannah. More on this mini-scene shortly...George Dutka.

The machinery that will be used in my mini scene is built by Bob Hannah. The lumber loads to the left are made by Chris Martin.

London & Port Stanley Ry.

L&PS spray car #204 at London, Ontario. April 23, 1955, photographer unknown.

One of the railroads from the past that operated out of London, Ontario was the L&PS. Here we have a few rolling stock photos from my collection that I hope some of you might enjoy...George Dutka

L&PS# B1 London, Ontario. August 24, 1947.

L&PS B2 South Pinafore, St. Thomas, Ontario. November 1, 1953.

A Walthers Coal Yard Office

Once the weathering was done I added a few weeds along the edges.

I purchased this structure earlier this winter. The structure is part of the Walthers coal yard scene and when I got it, it had been assembled and painted. What I did was add a few more details and weathered it with powders and PanPastels...George Dutka

I added some details to the interior and signs on the walls.

Some signs and newspapers are found inside the throughway.

The roof had a green look to it when I got it but I changed the colouring a bit with a wash of Floquil PC green. There was no chimney on the structure. I added a BEST casting painted Floquil boxcar red and weathered.

B&M #114 - A Real Weathered Job

B&M 44 tonner #114 is about to switch the creamery on the WRD.

Last month I got around to weathering up my Bachmann 44 tonner. The B&M had a 44 tonner stationed at Bellows Falls for a number of years and that is the location mine will reside. A sneak peak of this engine at Westboro was on this weeks Wordless Wednesday.

I did not do much as far as changes, but did change out the couplers with Kadee true scale #158's. I wanted this engine to look well used so the Bragdon and PanPastel powders went on heavy. I also used gloss coat along the walkways by the engine compartment doors to simulate some leaking oil. When done it looked like I dropped it into a dirty vacuum cleaner bag. Not to worry this is when the engine weathering gets toned down with a light overspray of Floquil grimy black...I think it turned out well. For a more detailed explanation of what I did to my unit watch for an upcoming B&MRRHS Modelers Notes...George Dutka

How the Bachmann locomotive looked like right out of the box. Shiny with the engineman not standing out well.

Builders photos 1941. B&MRRHS

The colours used to weather this engine are two PanPastels and Bragdon Soot and Dark Rust.

This is how it looked before air brushing with Floquil grimy black. Looks like I dropped it in the vacuum dust bag. The key to getting this engine to look dirty but not overly gross is a light coat of black paint. Check the difference in the photos below. I added some gloss coat along the running boards and stacks as oil leaks prior to overspraying.

A canvas grill cover is made out of paper a simple addition. Wiper tips are painted silver.

Repainting the engineman makes him stand out more. The handrails are painted Floquil DRG&W yellow before weathering and painting.

LVRC - Modeling

John's nice looking Atlas model at his engine house.

Following my post last week of Gord Taylor photos from the LVRC John Hajnosz sent me the following photos and note...he is also happy to share them with you...enjoy...George Dutka

" Hello George, After seeing your latest post, I dug out one of my early Atlas RS jobs, here are some photos, one at the engine shed, another switching the Swanton mill and the last in front of Brigham Gelatin  scratch built from your photos that you and Marty posted, which were of great help...John"

Switching the Swanton, Vermont mill.

Brigham Gelatin along the CV.

An up close look.

Wordless Wednesday No. 224

Tichy Hand Cars

This is a great deal for some additional details around a layout. They are very simple to build. Peter and I each built two in in about a hour at the end of one of our work day Monday's.

A few years back at Springfield I purchased a boxed group of Tichy hand cars. I built one of each when I got home. This past winter I decided to build the rest. On one of the work day Monday's (that Peter and I have over the winter) was to build an additional set of hand cars. Later in the same week I thought I best finish off the rest before moving on to other projects. These are a really easy build and I think look pretty good...George Dutka

When done I added some details to these trailers. They are now scattered around the WRD.

This is the first one I built. I painted it flat black then weathered it with powders.

These are painted Floquil CN yellow.

The last group of hand cars I painted Floquil CN orange.

Traffic Movement and Interchanging - B&M Railroad

Part of starting this blog other than modeling was to share as much prototype material and photos I can with you. This winter I began cleaning out some of my files drawer keeping what I still need and getting ready to unload stuff that needs a new home. I have a good box full to take to the Palmer, Ma. Library the next time I head out that way...they have a really nice railroad room. Other photos and material are set to go to historical societies and Sig groups. The following information I had copied down many years ago and don't have the name of the person I noted it from or the date. Not sure why but it was a B&M dispatcher...George Dutka

Interchange from other railroads to the B&M is as follows:

"Mentioned before during the 1940's, any day that 1,000 loads eastbound did not move through the Hoosic Tunnel  was a dark day. During the time I dispatched trains in Greenfield from the mid to late 1960's 600 cars eastbound was considered a good day with the average being 500 cars. The cars in my era are a lot bigger and heavier than then. Currently (2004) Guilford interchanged with CSX just under 80 loads at Rotterdam Jct. and 32 at Worcester. Of these 27 are auto racks. D&H (CP) delivered just under 50 cars. Nowhere else on Guilford did railroads interchanged reach double digits. If one takes in the eastbound coal traffic passing through the tunnel, another 200 cars a day are handled. The coal traffic is now four times it was a dozen years ago."