Layout Update - #29

Stock Car Weathering

Photo from http://nickelwiki.pbworks.com/w/page/13276519/Modeling%20NKP%20Stock%20Cars

I have been working on building up the stock car fleet for the layout. There is not much offered in the way of prototypical versions of Milwaukee Road stock cars. The best versions available in kit form are the Westerfield Models 8200 series. These are perfect versions of the 36’ cars the Milwaukee used. In later years a newer 40’ version was constructed. I have one of these kits purchased from somewhere that is waiting for a time I can begin construction. That list never seems to get any shorter!

I have considered scratch building the cars from plans I found in the February 1983 Mainline Modeler article by Al Armitage. The time required to build a decent fleet of these cars would be exhausting. So the alternative is find what else maybe out there to help speed up the process. Walthers Mainline currently offers a nice version of a standard stock in Milwaukee lettering. One of these will be purchased to add to the collection. Even though it is not prototypical.

I was lucky enough to find someone who was selling a set of three Accurail Milwaukee Road stock cars including renumbering decals on the old Yahoo HO yard sale group. I also found a set of three undecorated kits at a train show. These cars are close to the Milwaukee version, but again are based on a standard design. The three Milwaukee decorated kits have been built and decaled with different numbers.

The next challenge is weathering these cars appropriately for the time I’m modeling (1969 -1970). My research shows that the Milwaukee had dropped stock car shipments dramatically between 1966 and 1971. No new cars had been constructed for quite a few years. The cars I do recall seeing in the Harlowton area were very aged and in need of repair. Most of the paint had faded and roof walks were broken and/or missing. With this in mind, I will be giving these cars a very aged, ready for retirement look. Below is an example of my first in the series. Looks like it is ready for the scrap yard, but still able to complete its assignment.

Snapshot Sunday - #25

A scan of a Polaroid from my second layout in 1974. The Montana Central & Southern.
This was my first 4’x8’ HO layout. That would be 40 years ago. Wow, how time disappears!

Snapshot Sunday - # 24

Milwaukee Road passenger train at the Great Falls Depot during May 1939

Layout Update - #28

Denton Homesteads
One area in Denton that hasn’t received much attention is between the tracks and the backdrop. In these small agricultural towns, residential homes were often found close to the railroad tracks. While the distance on my layout have been shortened for convenience.

We’ll start with an older photo of the area I am working on. As you can see at this time two structures have been placed. The bar on the left is a Woodland Scenics kit from a previous layout. All of these small towns had least one social center that survived the years. The other building is Tommy Knocker’s Cabin from Wild West Scale Model Builders.

Now let’s fast forward from June 2011 to the present. The photo below shows the amount of progress that has been made over several weeks. While it looks like a lot has been done. The progress of constructing building has happen slowly over several years. The recent additions have been in planting grass, hedges, flowering bushes, adding fences and other small details that pull the scene in one completed view. I say “completed” with caveat that no scene is ever really completed. There are always small additional details to be added and the opportunity to change ones mind once you have the chance to see it as a whole. The backdrop has now gone on this list to be updated with new colors that will more closely match the foreground.

Below are additional close-up photos of the individual buildings.

Snapshot Sunday - #23

Scan of a Polaroid from my second layout in 1974. The Montana Central & Southern.

Snapshot Sunday - #22

The Lewistown“Bulldog”
Engine No. 5900 and its twin, No. 5901, are unique among all the diesels operated by the Milwaukee Road. These two engines were the only completely railroad-built diesels to serve on the Milwaukee. Both engines were designed as combination engine-baggage cars. Approximately 85 feet long, the front 35 feet were used for the operators' cab, power equipment, and steam boilers; the rear portion of the engine was for baggage. No. 5900 and No. 5901 were rated at 1,000 horsepower and each was capable of pulling up to five passenger cars at a maximum speed of 75 mph. Both engines were retired in January 1961.

Photo from MILWAUKEE ROAD IN MONTANA Facebook page: Bill Abel

By mid-June 1948, 5901 was out of the shops, and for a while it pulled the Milwaukee – Berlin trains, 30 and 35. 5901 was soon transferred to trains 117 and 118 between Harlowtown and Great Falls, Montana remaining on that job until the trains were discontinued in August 1954. When the northern Montana passenger service ceased, 5901 returned to the Midwest for duty on trains 157 and 158 between La Crosse, WI. and Austin, MN.

Layout Update - #27

“The Hottest Brand Going”… in Denton anyway!
For a long time I have had a blank spot along the front of the layout in Denton. I placed a concrete pad with the intention of building a gas station sometime in the future. Well, I guess the future finally arrived. I purchased a J.L. Innovative McLeod Super Service kit years ago with idea of using it in Denton. I guess the thing that has always held me back was the fact that is considered a “craftsman” kit. I was never sure if my skill level was up to the task. So with some trepidation I jumped into it hoping that I would not screw it up to bad. Well after several weeks of work the project is finally done. Some mistakes were made along the way, but nothing that couldn’t be covered up with paint, glue or weathering. There was one major booboo that I could not correct. The back wall of the garage that faces completely away from the viewer was installed upside down. Do’h! Thankfully it is in an area that would require the viewer to insert their head into the layout at an odd position to see it. So as long as I keep my mouth shut no one will know!

In the bottom right photo “Old Bill” had better watch what he does with that pipe or Clyde will finally need to buy a new car!

Snapshot Sunday - #21

A view of the Belt Creek Trestle

This photo and some upcoming photo are from the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library posted on Flickr. This collection contains thousands of photos from over 70 railroads from across the United States. It is an amazing collection! Visit the Barriger Collection @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/sets/

Snapshot Sunday - #20 (Actually more than a snapshot)

Could it be? A rusted old hulk of a streamlined Hiawatha steam engine left in some farmers field only to be recently discovered?

Unfortunately the answer is NO.

While searching the internet for images related to the Milwaukee Road, I came across this photo. I had the same thoughts as above. Why hasn’t someone started a preservation project for this? How could such an important engine in Milwaukee Road history be left in a field to rot? After some further investigation, I discovered the following information:

It was built in the Milwaukee Shops as a parade truck in 1941 for the American Legion Convention in Milwaukee, using the styling of the class A Atlantics.

It is still sad that it will probably never be resurrected, but a fascinating find just the same. To learn more about this piece of history you can click on the links below.

http://www.coffeedrome.com/hiawatha2.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MILW/conversations/topics/28357

Sunday Snapshot - #19

A pair of ”Little Joes” in the Harlowton shop tracks.