Vacation Time - October 2011

October is traditionally the time of year we vacation at our time-share condo in Island Park, Idaho. This month is mostly taken up with planning and preparation for the trip, winterizing the yard and a little time left for layout work.

Vacation Photos
Yes I’m going to bore you with the tradition photos from our vacation. Fall came late during our visit this year. Usually the leaves have all fallen and the temperatures are very cool. We have had up to 12” of snow during our visit. This year was spectacular for photos.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

Layout Acquisitions
Part of the the vacation trip is a drive to Billings, Montana to visit a brother. No visit would be complete without a visit to one of the best micro breweries in the west. If you get a chance stop by the Montana Brewing Company for some good food and great beer. While in Billings a stop at Jims Junction Hobby Shop is a must. Visit their website here: Jims Junction. This a great shop, he carries a lot of Milwaukee Road and Great Northern merchandise and is very friendly. This year I acquired a few thing for the layout.

The toolshed will be used as a speeder shed for Denton. The Swift meat packing plant building will be modified to used a freight house for the Great Falls area.

Actual Layout Work
I did manage to get some layout work done during October. I completed the other bridge abutment on the Red Coulee bridge. Also managed to get scenery forms started to use as a guide for the bridge supports.

Layout Construction - September 2011

Background Painting
Before I complete any more scenery, the backdrops for the Geraldine and Lewistown areas need to be finished. Kind of a putting the cart before the horse as they say. Finishing the backdrops will be more difficult with delicate trees and building in the way. The first four photos below show the final results for the Geraldine area. It took a couple of tries to get the colors I was hoping for. They aren’t great, but I can’t spend forever redoing it. The bottom two photos show the changes in the Lewistown side of the layout. A before and after view. The addition of clouds give the scene a sense of distance.

Click on the photo for a larger view.

The Wheat Field
I finally completed the rows of wheat for this harvest scene. To finish the scene I added dirt and trimmed Woodland Scenic’s field grass to represent the cut stalks wheat. To complete this scene I will add a wire fence to create a border between the field and railroad property.

Bridge Construction
To finish the track to Great Falls yard I need to complete the bridge between the upper levels of the layout. The Milwaukee Road used unique bridge abutments on the Northern Montana Line. I am scratch-buildings the abutments from sheet styrene. These abutments will not be exact models of what they used, but will be a close representation. Once the bridge is finished, track laying to Great Falls will begin.

Switch Stands
In Lewistown yard I replaced most of the above ground switch levers (top-left photo) with Fast Track Bullfrog switch controllers under the layout (top-right photo). Why replace something that works just find? The bottom left  photo will show you why. Each switch will have a scale non-operating switch stand just like the real thing. I think this adds a great look to the layout and will be more reliable. The one pictured is a NJ International switch stand that I picked up at a local railroad show for a great discount. These are low target stands that were frequently used on yard tracks. I have tall switch stands that the Milwaukee Road used on mainlines (bottom-right photo), but will not add them until more of the scenery is complete.

Rail fanning the Nevada Northern - September 2011

How I spent my summer vacation
With me having a few vacation days to use up before they were lost, we decided to spend some time exploring a tourist railroad in Ely, Nevada. First a little history of the railroad.

The Northern Nevada Railroad
Ely was named in honor of Smith Ely, president of the Selby Copper Mining & Smelting Co.; which was founded on the site of the present Ely's City Hall in 1878. By 1902 extensive copper deposits were found in the area. Mark Requa, son of a wealthy Comstock silver magnate, owned the Eureka & Palisade Railroad, a narrow gauge in Eureka. Requa was interested in bolstering the sagging economy of the E&P and explored the local copper properties at Ely. He organized the White Pine Copper Company - constructing a route that would require 140 miles of track construction. In 1904 White Pine Copper Co. merged into other mining properties and organized as the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co.
In 1983, the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation was organized to receive, administer, and develop an operating railroad museum. Kennecott made substantial donations consisting of: over 32 miles of track, East Ely Complex of machine shops, roundhouse, yards, and rolling stock as well as the McGill Depot.
In September of 1986, Engine #40 was steamed up for the first time since 1964 and pronounced to be in perfect mechanical condition. A new era thus was born as the newly dubbed "Ghost Train of Old Ely" began chugging along once familiar rails to thrill generations.

The Train Ride
The ride from the station to Keystone and back lasts about 2 hours. You have a choice of riding in the coaches, caboose (extra charge), or the open air car with benches. The day we were there, they used SD-9 #204 to pull the train. A steam engine is used on the weekend runs.

Along the route they give you a narrative on the history of the area and the railroad. A conductor who walks the train also will point out some of the interesting sites along the line. This included pointing out the two active brothels in Ely. The ride is very interesting and fun.

When we returned to Ely, you can leave the train and take a tour thru the locomotive shops where they are restoring and doing maintenance work. Bob (pictured below in the blue vest), was a great tour guide.  He explained in detail the history of the locomotives they are currently working on. He explained a lot of the specialized machinery that they use to make repairs or build parts for the engines. A very interesting tour.

After the tour of the locomotive shops
When the tour had completed, you are encouraged to explore the rest of the museum grounds. They have many interesting examples of the types of equipment used during the railroads working days.

Layout Construction–July & August 2011

Scenery in the Denton Area
Now that I have done a little experimenting with the “Grass-a-nator”, it was time to cover a larger area. The photos below show the results of going grass crazy. I attempted to simulate a track that receives very little maintenance and has become over grown with grass.

Steven’s Repair Shop
Created a little scene around Steven’s repair shop in Denton. I added a few trees, some bushes, vehicles and a few figures. There is still a lot to do with some specific details, but you can get the general idea of finished scene.

Additional Structures for Lewistown
I completed the oil loading platform for the Conoco oil depot. There were oil fields north of Lewistown and a refinery was built there in the 1920’s. The refinery lasted until the 1950’s when production was moved Great Falls. A branch line from Lewistown to Winifred at one time saw multiple trains of oil per day. The oil tanks in the photo below have been printed on paper and will be attached to the backdrop. While not an exact representation of the original, it will work for a representation and an industry to switch cars for.

Original photographer unknown.

Lewistown Freight Depot
Modeling the Milwaukee’s freight depot in Lewistown was a challenge. I have not been able to find many photos of the original depot. It was time to get a little creative to build this structure. There was nothing commercially available that would work to recreate the depot. I used Walthers building sections to piece together an acceptable model. All that needs to be done is the final weathering and signage added to the building.

Original photographer John Jones from the MILW Yahoo Group.

Denton Grain Elevator
Finally completed some additional details to the Montana Elevator in Denton. Most grain bins have catwalks for workers to service the auger systems that move grain to additional bin storage. I scratch built the catwalk from wire and plastic channels. Now the last piece will be stairs coming from the side window down the roof for access to the catwalk. After that is completed the final weathering and signage will be added.

Ballasting Lewistown Yard
I decided it was time to complete all the track ballasting on the lower level. This really gives this area a more completed look. Ballasting is a long and tedious process, but the final result is very satisfying. Prior to ballasting the rails are painted a rusty brown color and the ties are painted various shades of gray to give a nice weathered look to the track.