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Post by rockisland652 on Jun 6, 2015 13:26:47 GMT -8
Sorry to start this one early, I had to squeeze this one in between activities. I have a friend who is temporarily layout-less, so I decided that, after rebuilding and detailing Tinley Park and Joliet, it was time to tackle the track and bridges over the Cal Sag Channel. This project would sever my main line and render me similarly layout less in a sense. Mind you, I have never built a bridge before. Fortunately, the actual bridges at this spot are still there, although modified with modern safety appliances and walkways. These would also be about 6 feet long on my layout. This looked like a job for Selective Compression Man... The Walthers single track bridge looked ok. However, the Walthers double track bridge did not come across quite so nicely: the two tracks are way too far apart and it just didn't look beefy enough. I tried chopping up a DT swing bridge, but there was no family resemblance between the two, as there is on the prototype. Then I tried two Walthers single track bridges cobbled together with some parts from the swing bridge to make one DT bridge with proper track spacing and a nice, beefy appearance, all in the little space I have for them. You guys will have to be the judge, though I think they look ok, as they will be behind the Western Avenue Bridge and embankment. I guess now my attention has swung to Blue Island and the old Burr Oak Yard located therein. Enjoy. So, we find ourselves at Blue Island, Western Avenue Junction to be exact. It's a Saturday, and the usual commuter rush is just a small, boring three car bilevel train running hourly. This morning, trailers head west behind three E units...  Not sure where the Peorian is, but the Quad Cities train has an E7 on the point. The IHB transfer drags its caboose back home in the background...  Next, an empty produce train heads west.  Ah, here is this hour's dummy, shoved by an F7. I wanted to shoot an E unit on this train, but who likes taking dummy pictures anyway, right?  In our last photo, the Bureau Turn rolls past a returning transfer...  Have a great week! |
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Post by mrsocal on Jun 6, 2015 14:02:10 GMT -8
I love any road with a lot of traffic!
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Post by dti406 on Jun 6, 2015 16:14:41 GMT -8
Thanks Tom for starting and more of your great pictures and modeling. I managed to finish a couple of cars this week along with a new motive power purchase.  Atlas 17,600 Gal Corn Syrup Tank Car kit, painted with Scalecoat II Black and lettered with Islington Station Products Decals.  Atlas 17,600 Gal (ADM Style) Corn Syrup Tank Car kit, painted with Scalecoat II Black and lettered with Herald King Decals.   I had missed these when they first came out, and when I got Klein's notice for 20% off on Athearn, I checked their offering's and they had 8 of these in stock, so I got one at a good price. I reaaly like some of the the Bi-Centennial engines and have one more to get that Athearn is doing this year the DT&I version, along with a couple I am painting. See you all later! Rick J |
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Post by riogrande on Jun 6, 2015 17:34:00 GMT -8
Tom, is that the RI of mid/late 1960's? I have Colorful Colorado Railroads in the 1960's which has lots of pictures of the RI - colorful RR and a connection with the D&RGW! I have a 2-pack of those RI Fruehauf trailers since they traveled west of Denver too as did some of the RI traffic. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by peoriaman on Jun 6, 2015 20:50:07 GMT -8
Quickie kitbash of an Athearn tank car. Decals are Microscale.  |
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Post by mlehman on Jun 7, 2015 7:36:14 GMT -8
Tom, Rick and peoriaman, Nice pics. Tom, The bridge looks quite plausible to me. It's got the proper hefty look. Finished up some big projects in anticipation of our divisional meet and ops session here next week. :Longer term, found some more incentive, as the layout may make the official layout tours for next year's NMRA National in Indianapolis. Though it would be one of the On your way or the way back tours before or after, but they now are considering it for one of the regular tours via bus during the convention. Depends on whether they can make it part of a loop out and back (I'm about 2 hours east of Indy) but that would be a bit of a thrill. If you'd like to tour sometime, drop me a PM and we can make arrangements. Parts arrived and I built the loading rack for the GRAMPS terminal in Snowden. Here it is before paint, along with the other facilities.  Detail of the pump house  Painted and at work (almost, because it still needs the siding serving it laid)  Up above Snowden is the Merry Widow Mine. Since they mine uranium there, think of all the widow's benefits that will be paid to those gents as they drop like flies from breathing all that radon   |
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Post by mlehman on Jun 7, 2015 7:51:34 GMT -8
Figured a two-parter would make this easier on Spikre's reception  The GRAMPS tanks shuttle between the original field at Chama and the new field at Snowden on my layout, dropping their crude at the Oriental Refinery in Durango (relocated from Alamosa). Here, the tank cars are being picked at the refinery for Snowden.  Passing Rockwood  The new turntable allows the consist to be rearranged to change direction and travel up the Cascade Branch.  Passing through Purgatory  At Black Cat Junction  Climbing past Summit  For now, pending completion of the sidings at Snowden, the loco runsaround the train at Crater Lake Junction, turns on the wye at Crater Lake, then backs the train into Snowden.  A final pic of the tank cars at the rack in Snowden, with the switchback to the Merry Widow Mine climbing above the GRAMPS facilities.  |
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Post by keystonecrossings on Jun 7, 2015 13:32:58 GMT -8
 With quarterly goals met well in advance, the crew of the PRR Middle Division in HO Scale turned its attention to the expansion of Harrisburg/Enola and Altoona staging. Four through tracks were previously installed, leaving 16. Each of these requires six pieces of flex track. Do the math. That's 96 pieces of track... all but a case! There's no deadline for completion, but my intent is too keep the crew at it. Third quarter's goal is the helix on the Milroy Secondary, which will require slow but sure progress as each segment is glued into place and track applied. I would expect the staging build out to be completed by the year's end. Sometime between now and then I will schedule one or two main line "burn in" sessions where I will have a few people over to run trains for quality assurance. We certainly don't want to make the news like Amtrak did when their regional derailed at Frankfort Junction outside of Philadelphia. The railroad will be open November 7th for the SVMR National Model Railroad Month Open House. Watch for tour details at svmr.pennsyrr.com. There are already 10 railroads in the area that have committed to opening. |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Jun 7, 2015 17:07:23 GMT -8
The Walthers single track bridge looked ok. However, the Walthers double track bridge did not come across quite so nicely: the two tracks are way too far apart and it just didn't look beefy enough. I tried chopping up a DT swing bridge, but there was no family resemblance between the two, as there is on the prototype. Then I tried two Walthers single track bridges cobbled together with some parts from the swing bridge to make one DT bridge with proper track spacing and a nice, beefy appearance, Clara Peller  would have no complaints.... |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Jun 7, 2015 17:10:48 GMT -8
Four through tracks were previously installed, leaving 16. Each of these requires six pieces of flex track. Do the math. That's 96 pieces of track... all but a case! Having just purchased a case of C-100 flex I can only imagine $$ plus the, How many?, switches. |
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Post by tangentsm on Jun 7, 2015 20:44:07 GMT -8
Guys, It has been more than a decade since I have been able to call a personal model finished, but I recently completed a batch of 5 cars. The first is an Exactrail "early ribside" in original MILW paint, restenciled and detailed for 1973. Model includes trucks from Tahoe Model Works, code 88 wheels from Tangent Scale Models, "plate" ACI labels from Tangent Scale Models, and rubber air hoses from Moloco. David Lehlbach Tangent Scale Models Attachments:
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Post by mlehman on Jun 8, 2015 0:51:50 GMT -8
David,
Good looking car. I have a soft spot for rib-sided MILW cars.
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Jun 8, 2015 4:42:31 GMT -8
Sorry to start this one early, I had to squeeze this one in between activities. I have a friend who is temporarily layout-less, so I decided that, after rebuilding and detailing Tinley Park and Joliet, it was time to tackle the track and bridges over the Cal Sag Channel. This project would sever my main line and render me similarly layout less in a sense. Mind you, I have never built a bridge before. Fortunately, the actual bridges at this spot are still there, although modified with modern safety appliances and walkways. These would also be about 6 feet long on my layout. This looked like a job for Selective Compression Man... The Walthers single track bridge looked ok. However, the Walthers double track bridge did not come across quite so nicely: the two tracks are way too far apart and it just didn't look beefy enough. I tried chopping up a DT swing bridge, but there was no family resemblance between the two, as there is on the prototype. Then I tried two Walthers single track bridges cobbled together with some parts from the swing bridge to make one DT bridge with proper track spacing and a nice, beefy appearance, all in the little space I have for them. You guys will have to be the judge, though I think they look ok, as they will be behind the Western Avenue Bridge and embankment. I guess now my attention has swung to Blue Island and the old Burr Oak Yard located therein. Enjoy. So, we find ourselves at Blue Island, Western Avenue Junction to be exact. It's a Saturday, and the usual commuter rush is just a small, boring three car bilevel train running hourly. This morning, trailers head west behind three E units... Not sure where the Peorian is, but the Quad Cities train has an E7 on the point. The IHB transfer drags its caboose back home in the background... Next, an empty produce train heads west. Ah, here is this hour's dummy, shoved by an F7. I wanted to shoot an E unit on this train, but who likes taking dummy pictures anyway, right? In our last photo, the Bureau Turn rolls past a returning transfer... Have a great week! Some photos of the massive former Rock Island now Metra bridges over the Cal-Sag. bridgehunter.com/il/cook/bh50116/ |
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Post by riogrande on Jun 8, 2015 4:42:42 GMT -8
David,
Thanks for contributing. Nice weathering job on that ribbed Milwaukee 40' box car! Very nice! (I did see my way clear to a couple of your 50' PRR/PCC box cars!)
Jerry,
looks like you've got me beat and then some with 20 staging tracks! wow! I squeezed in 11 on my lower level of my small layout.
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Post by gtws00 on Jun 8, 2015 4:47:58 GMT -8
David,
Nice to see you are finding some personal time to finish up some great looking Milw Ribside Cars. Great Job!
George Toman
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Post by gtws00 on Jun 8, 2015 5:08:45 GMT -8
Here is my late Sunday contribution. A almost complete Milwaukee Road Switch Tower with Interior. Tower is all scratch built with windows from evergreen styrene. Desk and chair are from Shapeways 3d printed. Still need to add some details like Clock, Calendar, papers, figures and some more clutter. George Toman    |
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Post by mlehman on Jun 8, 2015 5:42:40 GMT -8
Beautiful work on the tower, George. Your use of lighting is especially effective.
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Post by rockisland652 on Jun 8, 2015 5:58:43 GMT -8
Yessir. Those are the twins as they are today. Massive. Way too big for the available space in that part of the layout. They also have new (post RI) walkways and safety railings. In my layout's time, there were the typical wooden walkways between the tracks and between the rails. Unsafe now, I guess. The water below has been interesting as well. It's usually opaque filthy green tinted brown. |
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Post by rockisland652 on Jun 8, 2015 6:38:26 GMT -8
For those not bored by my bridge posts, here are some photos of 'the twins' as they are today. Side by side. Photo taken from the Western Avenue bridge that crosses right in front of these two. It would be nice to have room for a proper model of them, as they are actually quite interesting structures. At least I got the 'face' sorta right.  Side by side with an IAIS freight, also taken from the Western Avenue bridge.  Here is a photo that clearly shows the Western Avenue bridge in front of the twins. The embankment in 1974 was overgrown grass, not tree covered as it is now. Who needs stainless steel bilevel cars, anyway?...  |
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Post by dtinut on Jun 8, 2015 17:02:25 GMT -8
Little late, but what I have been working on. This is being built for a friend, who has a late 50's GTW layout. He bought one of the DTRR NW2 switchers BLI released earlier this year, and needed a caboose to go with it for transfer runs, so I offered to build one for him.   Regards, Brian |
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Post by stevef45 on Jun 9, 2015 17:03:52 GMT -8
projects never seem to get done.....  |
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