B&M at WRJ - 1975

B&M 4266 leading southbound from WRJ. Ken Patton photo.

B&M Springfield-WRJ job with a really worn looking B&M 4266 on the lead for the return run to Springfield, Mass. during May 1975. Ken has taken many wonderful views in Northern New England during that time. He currently is modeling the CP in northern Vermont thanks to the release of Rapido models for his era and location...George Dutka  

Brookside Creamery - Bellows Falls

A down low view with my pocket digital camera of how the scene was coming together.

A few more views of my creamery in the Bellows Falls scene. The concrete add-on is similar to what stands in Bellows Falls. This structure is a very large complex that has had additions over the years. I just added some of what I thought gives my smaller model an appearance of the prototype...George Dutka   

The block portion of the creamery is set in place prior to me digging into my bits and pieces that add the larger concrete structure.

The add-on to the creamery is not finished but being test fit.

Throwback Thursday - EMD Lease

NS 327 was operating as EMDX 9049 South at London, Ontario on Nov. 02/05.

By Peter Mumby.

EMDX 9049 was leading NS freight number 327 onto the Talbot Subdivision at CN Walton in London, Ontario.  This image was exposed on November 02, 2005, nineteen years after the SD 60 was assembled at the EMD plant as Oakway 9049.   

Today it is CN 5473

Wordless Wednesday No. 564

 
     

Retired Caboose

CN 77355 near Ridgeway, Ontario along highway 3. One of a group of slides Peter Mumby passed along, Lots of weathering on this one to model.

I scanned a few slides recently and this one I thought I would post. The view was taken on May 18, 1994...George Dutka   

Palmer Station Stop?

NECR at Palmer Jan 27 2023 or the Springfield train show weekend. Looking at these photos reminded me of what might Amtrak be up to.

Railpace mentioned in the May 2023 that Palmer maybe on the list for a Amtrak station stop in the near future. I had not heard any more about that...George Dutka   

A transfer run on the way.

Building the Brookside Creamery

The section on the left is a leftover part wall from a Walthers kit I had. There are some bit and piece styrene added before it is hit with some gray spray bomb primer. The windows are set to be applied. The area on the left is built from styrene sheeting and strip wood supports.

I have shown you the block section of the creamery in the past. Here is a bit about the add-on concrete structure which was a mix of additions over the years. The structure was more of a project that became using up kit-bits and scrap styrene. Once I can get back down stairs I will take a few photos of how the scene looks today...George Dutka  

The concrete wall is tested next to the completed block structure. 

BEST Basics - West Hopkinton

West Hopkinton flag station is a small structure that can fit anywhere on the layout.

One of the BEST "Basic's" that I built late fall early winter is a flag stop that has this impressive size chimney considering the size of the structure. It can be seen in the prototype photo. I did omit adding the flag station sign. More on this structure once I heal enough to go down to the basement for my notes...George Dutka

I added a red tar paper roof and basic B&M colors. The signs are included in the kit. It was quite simple to construct but I did add a bit of interior bracing to walls and roofing. Some trim on the side walls were the roof meets tis applied but not supplied o keep things clean and trim.

New England Barns

A barn that has seen better days here in Southwestern Ontario. This barn is by no means as old as the ones I have seen in New England but caught my eye as something that one could model. We don't need to have our barns looking new. It is located between Sarnia and Strathroy on Confederation Rd. The CN mainline is about a half mile behind the barn.

I recently watched a show about pulling apart heritage barns and rebuilding them in Vermont. There was a few interesting facts I like to pass along to you.  

Barns in New England up till the 1790's were built mostly without windows. Glass was very expensive at that time. Also boards on these old barns prior to 1800 commonly could have board widths up to 25". Wire nails began to be used about 1850 and commonly used by the 1890's. The barn on the show was dated to prior to 1800.

Cut nails that are hand forged were used prior to the 1850's which were hard to get and expensive. It was common for settlers heading west in the early years to burn their barns so they could recover their nails prior to leaving for a new build. A law did come into effect that stopped this practice.

Also noted was the slate shingles found on the barn. Most were a tone of gray but many were a purple tone. It seems New England slate really varied from area to area. Some areas had more red in the mix.

I doubt any of us will model the nails but it is nice to have this information so we can date a barn we see in the future...George Dutka 

I usually like to photograph one or two barns on my trips to New England. This one was a grab shot on a gloomy morning on my way home. I like having photos on files which show different grades around a barn for modeling purposes. You don't want them all planted on flat soil. This one the ground drops down on one end which gives one a chance to model a foundation if so desired. The small add-on seen on the end adds to the look of the scene. 

Not sure I would ever model this paint finish on the side of my barns. I saw this one across from the New York Throughway service center I stopped at not far out of Albany, NY on my way back from Springfield 2023. Maybe would work for a Christmas gift wrap project.

Throwback Thursday - Railcar Mover

CP 5601-12 was photographed at Lobo on March 29, 2008.

By Peter Mumby.  

CP 5601-12 is a Brandt Railcar Mover which the company, headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, bills as "the only highway-capable switching unit in the world."  This particular example was parked in the backtrack at Lobo, the first siding west of London, Ontario on the Windsor Subdivision.  The date was March 29, 2008.

Wordless Wednesday No. 563

     

Binghamton, NY - Station

A view of the station on May 31, 1990.       

 

This and That - January 2024

VIA 911 is seen just west of Komoka diamond on Oct. 3, 2022. I was standing way back taking a telephoto shot from the CP trackage. 

I had not done a mix of topics since November 2023 so here we have some extra views that I thought I would share with you...happy winter modeling or railfanning. I also included a few views from last years Springfield visit...kind of wish I could go again this year...George Dutka  

It is well after dark as I took this view of the tail end of the WB or return trip of the CN plow train I was working on as the brakeman. It was Jan 20, 1985 and ones vision was not all that great with whiteouts. Normally when we stop when weather is bad even though it is yard limits and trains have to watch I put a lighted fusee in the knuckle. I was riding the van and Stratford had a number of locals working the area. I had my camera along on this trip but no tripod. Actually did not have time for that anyhow. We were just getting our train orders before we where on our way home to London, Ont. 

There is a gentleman at Springfield that has a nice selection of built kits for sale. He has done a wonderful job on this project. I like the looks of the passenger car being used as an extension to this building.

I always like checking out the BarMills kits. I seem to come away with something from their booth on my visits.

The CPKC yard office here in London Ontario has the new sign applied. Not sure when but I did not see it during the fall on visits by here. Jan 12, 2024. Also of interest I took this view with my telephoto lens from a distance of about a third of a mile (or should I say from the street). Note the brick tones. I thought it was all red brick but when viewed this way there is a lot of dark coloring. Also the mortar appears also. There is a lot of talk about us modelers adding mortar to a brick wall. I feel if it a backdrop structure you could leave it out but in the foreground it does show. Just look at structures as you walk a street...even the ones on the other side of the street we can see some mortar.

BAR Geep #70 handles a local on the WRD. That CN hopper car is a Rapido model that I added a bit of weathering to...by the looks of the engine leading it needs a lot more for this particular scene.

Winter is here in Southwestern Ontario finally. This is Jan 9. 2024 and the first real snow has arrived. This is CN layover power at London East. I will show you some other views later on of this unit. It might be a great weathering project. This is the best looking side.

Now that winter is here work on the underpass at the west end of CPKC yard here in London is slowing down.

Rockingham, NH - Freight House

One of my books viewed a station sign over one of the doors that I thought would be nice to model.

I finally got around to adding a sign to the Rockingham NH freight house I built from a BEST kit a few years back. I used a CN blue file folder, adding dry transfers and reducing it by 50%. It works good for blue porcelain signs...George Dutka   

I just applied my dry transfers on a CN blue file folder and reduced on a color copier.

Wordless Wednesday No. 562

 

   

CP Plow Train Woodstock, Ontario

 

CP plow train with 8766-1821 at the Woodstock CP station during 1986. This was a scan from last year. No other information was recorded. The developing date was March 1986 but it could have been any month before that.  

Milton, Vermont - Limestone loading

I recently scanned my print viewing three GTW hoppers in designated service that will be loaded with limestone. June 13, 1990.

Kevin Smith brought up the topic of GTW covered hoppers being loaded at Milton, Vermont last month. Kevin has actually modeled a couple of these cars. He also mentioned my B&W photo that was in the last issue of the Bob Jones series of CV books showing the loader. I spent sometime digging through my photos from that day and another visit to the location. More on this topic later but here is a color print I took at the same time I took the B&W view...George Dutka     

Matt Flynn took this view that I cropped of a GTW covered hopper in Palmer, Ma. on Sept 30, 1994. What I wanted to show you is the "when empty return to Milton, Vt." found on both sides of the car. All the cars in limestone service had this applied including at least one DT&I car. A decal of this detail can be purchased from Highball Graphics. This car number is GTW 111122.

Rouses Point, NY - Station

No other details other than the date for this view of the D&H station in Rouses Point, NY. June 1987. One of a group of scanned slides.   

 

A Closer Look at the Creamery

The Bellows Falls Creamery is now finished with the building flat making up a portion of the structure.

I had this extra view that I took down low by setting my pocket Canon camera on the tracks...George Dutka        

Before and After Creamery

I placed the creamery once completed into my Petersburg scene as I made the structure to be able to be used in other locations.

I few years back I took a building flat I purchased very cheaply at a train show and changing it into my version of the Bellows Falls Co-Operative creamery. The rest of the creamery is scratch-built to emulate what stands in Bellows Falls...George Dutka     

The structure as it looked when I got it onto my workbench.

The building flat is set in place as I build up the Bellows Falls scene.