CV - State Line

This photo was taken in 1983 by Theodore W. Bossert.

This view is of State Line Ct. at the Massachusetts and Connecticut border. CV caboose is on the main line while a cut of cars and engine are in the siding. Looks like new ballast is down...George Dutka   

CV Rapido Hoppers

I added some cinders that I crushed to a smaller size found locally in the St Thomas CASO yard between the rails.

I finally got around to finishing my Rapido CV hoppers. They needed the brake wheel housing changed and also the platform. Some flat finish and weathering is also done...George Dutka   

The brake wheel and housing has been changed out and a new platform was constructed from styrene using photos I have seen. 

Off to work on the White River Division.

I kept the weathering light on this model.

CV Woodchip Car

The brake wheel platforms, wheel and housing are attached and ready for paint. I just touched these up with appropriate paints using a brush. Floquil paint was used for the brown.

The CV woodchip car I purchased at Springfield this winter was made from a Rapido model. The brake wheel needed to be changed to resemble the CV hoppers. The platforms on the CV cars are a bit longer than on a normal hopper. I worked on this model the same time as I did my CV hoppers. The photos tell the story...George Dutka   

The new pieces are painted MIG black followed with a bit of PanPastel powder on the wheel and platform.

B&M Gondola Stenciling

Steve Myers photo

Steve Myers took this photo at the shop well over a decade ago. He comments the gondola came through the car shop for repairs so the shop crew made a stencil for it...George Dutka    

Wordless Wednesday No. 623

 

Peter Mumby's Engine

  

Green Mountain Division - Don Janes

A rural scene on Don Janes layout. Don Janes photo.

Another nice view of Don Janes Green Mountain Division. He posted this one a couple of weeks ago on a Canadian modeling groups Facebook page as a Front End Friday (FEF) contribution...George Dutka  

Buffalo Creek Boxcar

Buffalo Creek had a large size fleet of boxcars for flour loading which were seen on a regular basis on the Central Vermont Ry. I have modeled one already but this one is a bit different looking with the running boards removed ladders shortened and herald missing. No information was included with the image.

Here is a view of a Buffalo Creek 40' boxcar that one does not normally see of this fleet of rolling stock. Lots of flour can be seen around the lower area of the door. I think a neat model of this car could be built...George Dutka  

Ancaster Ont. Train Show

Some of Peter Mumby's engines

Last weekend was the Ancaster, Ont. train show near Hamilton. A lot of Peter Mumby's models were there for sale and lots sold. Here are some photos I took of  his models before the show began...George Dutka  

Steve Bratina was looking after selling Peter's engines. He checked them all out prior to the show...making sure everything worked well. Most or maybe all seen here are DC. They date back years, some to when he first got into the hobby.

Gary looked after selling Peter Mumby's rolling stock for his wife Ann.

A small portion of Peter's rolling stock that he either built or weathered.

Peter's collection of Geep's

FOS - Martin's Garage

Some PanPastels and signage has been applied to the garage. I used construction paper for the roofing. 

I finished my little garage model kit offered by FOS. It was not a hard build but I was distracted by a number of things lately. Here is a look at how it went together and the finishes used...George Dutka 

The walls are colored with India ink and alcohol followed by Floquil grime. When the roof was painted and before the tarpaper was added it warped a bit. I added supports underneath made from scraps of wood. 

The doors are split in two so I can model them open. Some lower boards are pulled up.

I added a roof vent as a chimney. The tarpaper was colored green for this structure.

All done.

Snapshot - April 2025

Aldershot April 5, 2025 Keith MacCauley photo

This months snapshot is prepared by Keith MacCauley...enjoy...George Dutka  

Good evening George,

Today my wife and I travelled to Exhibition Place by GO Train to go to the Vintage Clothing show at the Queen Elizabeth building. We have been attending the show since before Covid. While we waited to depart, eastbound VIA No. 70 arrived at a parallel platform, pulled by rebuilt F40 6440.

This caused me to think about the significance of VIA 6440. Built in April of 1989 by GMDD in London Ontario as an F40PH-2D, the venerable unit would later be rebuilt by CAD Railway Services with separate by head end power and reclassified F40PH-3. The London built F40's represent the last ever to be constructed Canadian passenger locomotives. Subsequent VIA locomotive purchases have included the Erie built P42's and newly arrived California origin Siemens train sets. I believe that the F40's are earmarked for another round of rebuilding. Long may they live! Keith MacCauley

MY CV Milk Train - 40 Years Ago

I took this photo of my diorama back in the early 1990's or late 1980's. I built it to try some scenery techniques I was learning at the time. Sorry about the quality of the photo from back then. I did not have a camera that was great at that time. I still have all these rolling stock and engine models. Some of the buildings made it onto the WRD also. I spent most of these early years of my modeling building rolling stock kits and detailing engines.

I built a 12 foot long diorama back 40 years ago to try some modeling techniques that I wanted to try. It never turned into a whole layout as I was working on call at that time and my kids were small and needed much of the basement. Actually some balls did hit the module at times...so I eventually took it apart. Bellows Falls on my WRD layout now owns this location...George Dutka 

Wordless Wednesday No. 622

 

  

UNPX marked Cadomin Cars

Keith MacCauley passed along these extra photo to go along with his post last week. He indicates that these are the post 1976 built cars that were made artificially longer to comply with E60 Cooper Loading rules...George Dutka   

Amherst Ma. Station - ITLA Kit

A number of years ago ITLA offered a replica of the current appearance of the CV Amherst station. It is a nice model that I actually have, but still need to build. This model was on a modular layout this winter I visited at the Springfield train show. Mine will be modeled as it looked in the 1950's and 60's...George Dutka 

CV - New London, Ct.

It is 1983 with CV engines 4548-4924 are handling a van hop train this day. Theodore W. Bossert.

A look down into the yard at New London, Ct. the end of the line for the Central Vermont at the south end...George Dutka 

My Structures - Base Paint collection

Home Hardware Camo Coat spray cans are a nice option to paint your models. I have used all four of these. From left to right are Kaki, black, dark brown and olive. Olive is a green shade which I now use to paint my milk cars as it is pretty close to Pullman green. I can change the shade a bit using PanPastel powders. 

I recently had a back and forth e-mail discussion with Bob Van Gelder of South River ModelWorks regarding the base colors I use on my structures. Here is a bit of what I use. I also have some flat black spray cans I purchased at Walmart in the US a number of years ago for 99 cents each which works great too on structures. I stocked up on it back then...probably it costs lot more now...George Dutka 

Home Hardware in Canada has two primers that have worked good from me. They are grey and Red Oxide. I think these are available at Home Depot also.

These four tru-color paint spray cans are great to use. I don't have any problems with thickness or plugged tips.

Highbury Ave over CPR - 1957

When I lived off Hale St. in the 1970's a short drive from this location I remember my father in law telling me then that this area was out in the country and rural less than 20 years ago.

A work crew is seen atop the Highbury Ave-Canadian Pacific Railway overpass, as demolition begins on the old wooden structure. This view is looking south toward Dundas Street. Highbury Ave had been a two lane dirt road, one lane southbound and one lane northbound, but with the expansion of the City of London in the 1950s and into 1960s, it was necessary to have a 4 lane road to handle the projected traffic increases.

Now, almost 70 years later this overpass will be expanded to handle 6 lanes of traffic, with 2 lanes each direction for vehicle traffic and one lane each direction for public transit vehicles.  

July 9, 1957

London Free Press Negative Collection, Western University Archives, courtesy of Mike Rice  

SI Group - Rotterdam Jct.

Steve Myers photo, thanks Steve.

I thought this is an interesting shot I found on Steve Myers Facebook who also posts on the B&M Facebook page. Here is what he had to say about the car and Oh the plant is still working....George Dutka

SI Group/Schenectady International/Schenectady Chemical Company/Schenectady Varnish Works is at 1000 Main St., Rotterdam Junction, NY served by the B&M. The B&M turntable was located inside the industry in the 1970's.

This is what I saw on January 23, 2025 of the industry at Rotterdam Junction. George Dutka photo.

Wordless Wednesday No. 621

 

      

Weathering!

Photo by Hunter Hughson

Hunter recently posted this nice article on Facebook. His Facebook group called "Hunter Hughson's Crosstown Pickup" is what he is now using in place of his blog ...George Dutka

by Hunter Hughson 

Wet sanding to degrade the factory lettering, then mostly airbrush work for the paint failure and rust effects on the sides and ends. For this project I used Tamiya colours with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner and fine tip on the airbrush. I worked with dark reds and dark greys to come up with three rusty oxide colours for that bit.

The roof (which you can't see well in this photo) started with thinned blue/grey airbrushed over the entire roof (masked off of course) to tone down the factory silver followed by a simple enamel wash: AK grime wash over the whole roof followed by a rust color along the edge where the roof meets the side.

Reweigh patch is gloss black airbrushed using a cue-card mask held just off the surface of the model so the edges are slightly feathered. Decals for the new weights added to the patch then a light brushing of gloss to seal them in. COTS and Kartrak decals applied gloss patches that were brushed on. All of the glossy bits were blended in at the end when the final coat of clear flat was applied. Very light weathering over the new weight data but none applied to the COTS and Kartrak decals. I wanted those to look like they've only been on the car for a short time.

Trucks are were airbrushed with a dark grey then dark oxide coloured enamel washes.

Peace