Yes after years of missing, seeing them pull coal trains, I finally managed to get a picture of one of my favorite diesels. The SD80MAC. I caught it over the winter sitting on the Portage Branch Line that leads to the Coal Cleaning Plant here in town. The locomotive was occupied by the conductor and engineer and they left me get close enough to get a picture of it. Now here is the kicker. I took this with my cell phone and look how great it turned out!!!!!!!!

I want to create a reasonable representation of this building for the structure challenge:




I was considering either DPM or Walthers modular systems, but the DPM seem to cost too much. Or, I was considering scratchbuilding. I am not too familiar with the walthers modular system or how the parts go together, or if creating a structure that resembles this would even be reasonable. I understand the wondow arrangement would be somewhat different, and that I would have to substitute brick for stone. So, for those familiar with the walthers system, what parts/kits would work best to represent this building? I am thinking about a space of 6" by 14" on my layout. Again, I am not looking for an exact replica, but something that captures the feel. That includes - the peaked roof visible from the front, the loading area on the lower level, and the best way of representing the window arrangement.

Thanks,

Yup! it's my annual "disappear off the face of the Earth week". Be back Monday June 8. (or sooner if the money runs out too quickly )

I read some where that the frame, lead, trailing and tender trucks were painted black and the rest of the locomotive was painted Brunswick Green. I have a Bowser kit loco that has entered the painting stage and was just wondering if some one else painted their locomotives this way? Also is the cab roof red and the smoke box painted metalic? I would appreciate the info.

Thanks Leon

Although my track is all ballasted and I am happy with the results,I do have a question. I have seen many pictures of rail yards both prototype and model and have noticed that in some cases the yard tracks are either in good shape or there is a lot of dirt between the rails covering the ties.Is this condition something that is up to the railroad? How many modelers do this with their yard tracks? The reason I am asking is this-my layout is a switching layout and I'm not sure how much of a plus it would be to the overall look.Also if I chose to do this effect to my two yard tracks and industrial spurs,is there something commercially available that I could use or should I use real dirt? Thanks for any help/suggestions.
Bob

Later this week, during the wee hours, the CNR Northern is scheduled to be transported from its current location at the CNE Grounds to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the John Street CP Roundhouse.

Here is an article on engineering the move and the planned route. I suspect other papers will run similar stories over the next few days?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/midnight-train-across-toronto/article1161443/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le1161443/</a><!-- m -->

At any rate, the Toronto Railway Heritage Center will be an awesome place once it's completed. It already looks great with the restored turntable, Don Station, Cabin D interlocking tower, other buildings and miniature steam railway.

Rob

Anyone using this program for photos.
I am have a few problems and can not find the anwser.
Looking for some help.
Thanks in advance.

   
By The Naugatuck Railroad....

   
And........Abraham Lincoln????

I live only a few hundred feet from the Torrington train station. Trains in town are very......Very...rare.
So, when I heard that diesel horn close by this morning, I grabbed my camera, and headed for the tracks.


The Naugy was there, and so were a bunch of Civil war era reenactors. Apparently, it was some sort of reenactment of President Lincoln's visit to Torrington(I have to read the paper more) whether it was true or not. He gave a speech from the vestibule, went and shook some hands, and climbed aboard a "handsome cab", then headed downtown in a "period" parade.

   


Samuel Clements(Mark Twain) was also in attendance.
   

   
A few "finely dressed fair maidens."

Though the Naugatuck Railroad was around, actually only a few years old, during the time of Lincoln, I don't think GE U-Boat came til a few years later.
   

OK, I had been working on this for quite some time. Just had it holding on the RIP track, until the what I thought was the start date. Then Trucklover pulled a fast one on all of us, and posted a finished project. So..... After checking with the judge, found out it was ok to post early.
With out further stammering I present you:

88Fans 2009 Summer Structure Scrtachbuild Challenge.

On the last scratchbuild challenge, I built a station (Ore Hill)that actually was used by the real Central New England in the mid 1800's to the early 1920's, until the Barnum-Richardson iron ore mine closed.

This challenge, I'm again going to scratch build another Central New England station.

   
History:
This is Stratton Brook, a flag stop station, which was on the Tarriffville Branch(Avon, CT to Tarriffville, CT) during the late 1800's. Stratton Brook was no more than a collection of small houses, and a farm, which shipped milk from the station. There was also a small leather company nearby, which would pick up its raw materials and ship finished products from here. They were brought here by horse and buckboard. When The New Haven gained control of the CNE, The Central New England tracks were removed in favor of the Canal Route's Right Of Way(Which are behind the photographer) and the station was closed because of the close proximity to Simsbury(Only two and a half miles up the road) and the station was ripped down at the same time.
There's a story that goes, on one cold wintry day, the mail bag was thrown of the train "on The Fly". This was standard when there was no one waiting at the station to be picked up. Well, a search for the bag ensued, with no luck. That next spring, the mail bag was found in the brook by a couple kids who found it while fishing.


Modeling Stratton Brook
As with Ore Hill, I'm going to have to use my modelers licence and guess the dimensions. But I thought, that since at the time I only hadthe first picture to go on, I was going to have to guess what was trackside. Since there's a shelter, I was assuming, as with all flag stops at the time on the CNE, that the trackside of the shelter was open. Then, while searching the net, I found this picture.
   

This picture was going to make modeling this depot easy. Also, on the same site, was the same picture as the first one with the date '82. Obvisously, 1882.
Then, I neat idea hit. I'm going to model two of the same stations, one that is a copy of the one in the pictures, and a modern, renovation of Stratton Brook, as it was preserved and is used as a commuter station today. I will design the base and scenery so I can change eras by just changing out the stations.