Don Janes - General Store

This is the side that I plan to expand the store. A good size addition will be required.

A few more views of how Don's general store once looked. It is all scratch-built using styrene siding. That was what we used back in the 1980's. There was not that wide range of craftsman structures we enjoy today...George Dutka 

The rear wall of the store.

I will leave the window signs as is but may add some to the overhang which will be added.

Country General Stores

Internet find of general store in Connecticut.

I recently looked around the internet for views of country general stores that might inspire me to start a conversion of a model Don Janes built and gave me years ago. It had been on his layout for years until his current rebuild (which has been in the works for maybe 10 years). It is now on a shelf by my workbench. I have had it for the last 7 or 8 years waiting its turn to be revived. I want to turn it into a larger version, maybe double the size which possibly will find a home on our friend Bill Moore's B&M layout...George Dutka      

Don Janes general store from his old layout. I plan on adding an addition to each side, removing the lean-to shed. The roof maybe used on the addition or possibly the lean-to will be revised somewhere else. A covered porch will be worked into the mix. There might be some slate roofing and also metal roof seections.

This wonderful view of front door area of a general store in Vermont was taken by Ken Karlewicz and found on the internet. There is great looking signage over the door and on the windows.  

This general store is located in Maine.

Not sure were this country store is but a nice looking example of something we might model.

Back Alley Scene

 

The far left end of the diorama has the ice house backside in view, a bit of a Tichy fence and the auto body shop.

Here are a few more views of my back alley scene that did not make it into RMC...George Dutka  

There is a bit of an alley with a broken down car with tools around it and some trash against the walls. All this makes the scene come together with the other structures.

Not much to the auto body shop that is set into the rear of the diorama. Just a block front wall with a window, sign and awning. two short side walls and some roof details such as a huge roof vent for the paint shop. OK Auto Body once was across from the parking lot at the VIA-CN Brantford station. I used a photocopy of my photo took some years ago of the structure sign to add here.

Overall view of the left side of the diorama. The fence out front is also a Tichy product. The telephone pole Brian Smith gave me some years ago. It is a wood kit that has spikes as steps. The base is a piece of Gatorfoam.

Track Ballast - CN Oakville Subdivision

Looking down onto the CN Oakville sub looking west one gets a good look at the ballasting, spillage and staining between the rails on Sept. 7, 2019.

I took a few views looking down onto the CN Oakville sub. at the west end of Aldershot back in 2019. If you are looking at track ballasting or weathering this is a good view with lots of differences along the way...George Dutka  

Throwback Thursday: GWWD by the Numbers -Part One.

GWWD 100 was sitting in the London, Ontario CP yard on February 05, 1994.

By Peter Mumby.

The Greater Winnipeg Water District rostered a small group of four GE 44-ton locomotives.  These were numbered in the 100 - 103 series.  Following several years in storage, the locomotives were loaded onto CP flat cars and shipped east in early 1994 to start working for new owners.  I caught up with these units in early February at CP Quebec St yard in London, Ontario.  Today we will take a look at numbers 100 and 101, both of which had been acquired new from the builder by GWWD.  Build dates were April 1946 and September 1949, respectively.  The pair had been sold to Ontario Southland Railway.  We will consider units 102 and 103 next week in Part Two of this discussion.  

GWWD 101 made for an interesting load aboard CP company service flat car 421739.

Wordless Wednesday No. 474

 
      

Paint Job

Sept 6, 2019

Now that is a paint job. I saw this car pass me by on my way to an old timers basketball tournament in Burlington, Ont. I was playing in. Not sure if I want a copy of this car on my layout...George Dutka 

Weathering - Lower area of Structures

On the side wall one can see some lifted board up higher but a few worn boards down lower. I used a hobby knife to trim into the boards edges...a very simple trim job.

I took a few closer up views of my BEST section shed that views the lower area of the structure. I cut back on some of the siding giving it a jagged edge and added a bit more weathering stains to the lower few rows of boards. It all make a difference in the final appearance...George Dutka  

The lower front wall has some wear to be seen also. 

The rear wall has a lot more wear to see. Some weeds will hide a bit of it so no worries if you get heavy handed with this process. I also applied some AK wash for wood along the lower areas.

Contoocook Section Shed - BEST Models

The completed B&M section shed. I used construction paper to make the tarpaper roof. The seams are weathered using Bragdon dark rust and PanPastel raw umber shade.

A look at how my model turned out, the captions tell the story...George Dutka  

Upper walls are Floquil depot buff then grime all brushed on. When dry Bragdon dust bowl brown is applied. The lower area and trim is Floquil tuscan red then when dry Bragdon dark rust. The plastic parts (Tichy) are spray painted Tru-color matte dark red brick with Bragdon dark rust applied.

The underside of the roof is painted Ammo Rail Center dark grey. The stack is painted AK winter streaking grime.

The roof was all one piece that I first taped together then glued from the underside. The tape was then removed.

Front wall has a few pulled up boards. with some PanPastel raw umber shade weathering steaked down.

Snapshot - April 2024

BN 2098 is finally working. Throwing up some mean looking smoke it is working at the top end of London CN yard, April 4, 2024.

This months snapshot is a look at a BN unit on lease or loan to the CN. Through the past month when I have passed the yard the BN unit has been worked on. Yesterday, April 4, 2024 when I passed the yard it actually was working and also throwing up some heavy smoke...George Dutka   

March 30, 2024 the shop staff is working away on BN 2098. It is once again needing attention while the train crew stand around at the crossing switch. Other power is blocked in by this set.

March 16 2024 three shop men work away to see if they can get BN 2098 running properly.

Throwback Thursday - Establishing an Era

 

TCSZ 461577, one of the newer, lighter, trailers was on CP train 528 at London yard on October 16, 1994.  The Conrail logo is visible on this unit.

By Peter Mumby 

Vehicles, structures, rolling stock - there are many details that can be included or manipulated to establish the era of your model railroad.  Today, for those interested in the “modern” era, I’m going to reference a signature train set, specifically the Triple Crown roadrailer trains.

Triple Crown Service was established as a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern in 1986.  Conrail became a partner in 1993.  A number of dedicated routes were established, but I will refer specifically to the Detroit/Toronto trains that travelled through Southwestern Ontario, my primary region of interest.  CP originally handled these trains, starting in the early 1990s.  This arrangement continued until late 2002, when CN took over the contract.  Triple Crown trains operated on CN for another dozen years or so.  Thus, between CN and CP, we have already established two distinct decades for operational purposes.  The CP decade can be further subdivided, because the original trains operated with the earlier trailers that had the attached rail wheelsets.  After 1993 the lighter trailers which travelled on railway trucks were substituted.  This was also about the time that small Conrail logos started appearing on many of the trailers.  That should narrow things down a bit, so take your pick!

The smaller Triple Crown lettering is present on TCSZ 463972.

CSRZ 914040 is the last trailer on a westbound CP train at London in the early evening of July 27, 1993.  The low sun nicely illuminates the attached rail wheelsets visible between the trailer tires.

Wordless Wednesday No. 473

 

   

What's in the Box No. 58

I guess I built this structure longer ago than I thought. It is a year now since I finished the model. Took some looking to find my files. Anyhow the BEST "Just the Basic's" has a nice group of B&M structures included in this line of kits. This one the Contoocook section shed was a fun and quick build. More on it shortly...George Dutka  

The basic kit does not have a lot included but enough to come up with a interesting and prototypical little structure.

The walls have extra bracing applied which are not included. I had also pulled up a few of the boards with a razor blade. The roof is cardstock that is simple to assemble. Some Tichy windows are to be applied. Note the nice laser cut wood door which is a two part peel and stick detail. 

Montpelier Jct.

Behind the station June 12, 1990

I stopped at Montpelier Jct regularly during the 1990's to catch the morning Montrealer when in Vermont. One could find some additional equipment stored here back then such as this CV outside braced boxcar...George Dutka 

Dawn at Montpelier Jct. - 1990

I took this photo at dawn June 12, 1990. In just over an hour the morning NB Montrealer would be stopping at the Montpelier Jct. station. Normally I would visit with the Amtrak agent who is a friend of mine, Bill Brigham. We would have a chance to catch up before the train arrived. He actually stays over at the station as he needs to be there for the evening SB. At times I have woke him up when I arrive so early. I was then in my 30's and could do these type of things, but today I don't remember the last time I took night shots....George Dutka

 

CV 7919 - Bachmann Model

 

I took this photo of my CV Bachmann DCC-Sound Alco switcher when I had a barn and pumpkin patch scene included on the layout. Date is April 2013 prior to me changing the layout to point to point operations.  I have a few newer builds from last summer to show you next week.

  

BAR - Boxcar

 

BAR 11099 is seen at Hawthorne, NJ in 1928. This car was built 6-11 and is from the Sirman collection, Bob Bowes copy.

Chalk marks near and on the door.

I enlarged the lower left side of the car which as some chalk marks also.  

Throwback Thursday - Rusty Red

AA 1276 was photographed at Owosso, Michigan on September05, 1993.

By Peter Mumby.  

Back in September of 1993 I travelled with a group of local railfans to see Pere Marquette 2-8-4 number 1225 under steam at Owosso, Michigan.  (See the post “PM 1225” of April 16, 2020 for more on this locomotive.) Viewing live steam is always an event, but I had almost as much interest in checking the back lots for old examples of rolling stock.  Today’s photo illustrates one of those finds.  Although the car number is somewhat indistinct, it appears to be 1276, which would make it part of the 1200-1399 series, a PS-built product of 1958.  These cars, with their 8’ 6-panel doors, were in service until 1983, so apparently this example had been gathering rust for at least ten years before I caught up with it.

Wordless Wednesday No. 472

 

   

Hopper Line - Stone Shed

My version of the Hopper Line stone structure set into my HOn30" scene. Most of the coloring was done with Floquil stains and paints that I was using back in the 1980's. 

I had mentioned a Hopper Line kit (manufactured in Sarnia in the 1980's) that Geoff Southwood was going to build...wonder if he finished it yet. Anyhow I found a slide that I scanned of my model taken in 1984. It was a nice cast plaster and wood kit. I sold it decades ago but now wish I held onto it...George Dutka  

Geoff's kit out of the packaging.