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.

Special Video Post – July 2011

Follow along as we chase Milwaukee Road train #901 from Geraldine to Lewistown, Montana.

Following Milwaukee Road Train #901 from Geraldine to Lewistown

Bloopers from the video above

Oops!

Layout Construction – June 2011

Major Changes in Denton
June has been a busy month. I added dirt as the first layer of scenery to this area. Grass, brush and trees will be added in consecutive layers to complete the scenery.

Creating Wolf Creek
The biggest challenge was to add water to the creek. Time to try a new technique, at least new to me. This began with gathering very small rocks for the creek bed. I then added larger rocks for the sides of the creek along with sand to represent the bank. I then painted the the creek bed with a dark green paint wash to give it some depth and color. Finally came time to pour the water. I used EnviroTex purchased from Michaels.  EnviroTex is a two part epoxy that you mix and pour. After about 72 hours it dries to a hard, smooth, glossy surface. To simulate moving water, I painted the surface with acrylic gloss medium which dries clear and will give you the appearance of ripples. to emphasize the ripples you then use white paint to give it the appearance of frothing water. Overall, I am very happy with my first attempt at this technique.

Static grass
To create a more realistic grass, I built a static grass machine from a battery operated fly swatter and a metal sifter. The “Grass-a-nator” contains an ion generator that creates a static charge between it and wet surface of the layout. To use the “Grass-a-nator” you apply paint or a water/glue mixture to the layout surface. A small metal pin that is connected to the “Grass-a-nator” is pushed into the wet surface. The “Grass-a-nator’s” screen is then loaded with small colored fibers called static grass. You hold the “Grass-a-nator” close to the surface and shake gently. The fibers fall to the wet surface and stand up because of the static created by the “Grass-a-nator”. The effect is very realistic.

New Building Construction
Two new building were built for the Denton area. These are wood craftsman kits. The first is a chicken coop for the farm scene. The other building is a small house that is common for farm communities. On the house, I created curtains on the computer and added them to the windows.

Dirt Roads
I tried a new (again, new to me) technique for making dirt roads. After gluing down a layer dirt for the main scenery layer, you rube the dirt with a stiff brush or as I found out, a finger to smooth the dirt layer. Repeatedly rubbing the dirt changes the color and the surface of the dirt. Wow, just like in real life. Now that really is art imitating life.

Layout Construction - May 2011

More Work on Denton
This month included more work in the Denton area of  the layout. Work completed included painting the ground with an earth colored paint, ballasting the tracks and adding roads with crossings.

New Buildings and Weathering
The newest structure for Denton is “Design Preservation Models Shultz’s Garage” that I purchased at the train show in January.  I added a metal roof for variety. This structure will be an automotive/farm implement repair business. Additional details like old cars and junk will be added after the scenery is completed. The stock yards received a paint job to simulate weathered wood. I tested a technique using chalk to simulate rust on one of the silos. The same technique was used on the barn.