Completed Mineral Range Caboose

Painting and weathering is completed.  I intended for the model to represent a caboose which is three or four years old and in good repair.  When the Mineral Range standard gauged in 1898 it was necessary to purchase new equipment, cabooses, rock cars, flat cars etc.  It seems reasonable that the caboose body would be washed periodically as clean locomotives and I suppose cabooses would reflect on the prosperity of the railroad. 

Mineral Range Four Wheel Caboose

Have been working on the caboose.  I have only one photo of the prototype to work from, it shows the side but end detail is missing, therefore the end is an estimation.  It may or may not have had a window.

 

Four Wheel Bobber, Future Project

This caboose is located at the Houghton County Historical Society.  I was not able to find out what prototype used this four wheel bobber.  Many upper peninsula railroads used this style of caboose.  It is not a Mineral Range cab as they appear to have only one end window the top of which is even with the door header.  The end platforms on the MR car do not span the entire width of the car leaving room for end stairs.   I am currently building a pilot model of this caboose to get a feel for how it needs to be assembled.  My plan is to use this experience and build three bobbers more closely following the Mineral Range prototype.  I will use the dimensions of this prototype as the basis for the MR model.  This will be a build I will be documenting later this fall. 

I have been posting additional information on the Schusters building build.  The build is catching up with the current status of the model.

Coach Yard Car Washer At NAPM

This weeks project at NAPM was to build and install the coach yard car washer.  No one knows who manufactured the model.  It is comprised of white metal castings.  They are not the finest castings when compared to current manufacturing standards but do represent a facility that no manufactures currently produce.  In the back are the detergent storage tanks, pumphouse and control box.  In the right foreground are the washers themselves. There base is made from 1/8" thick styrene sheet and some scrape window material was used as the between track drain cover.

Update to Schusters Build

I have started to post updates to the Schusters build. 

Finished LaBelle Cars

This took a while to get completed.  I added Cal Scale air hoses to each car.  I also fabricated sets of outside brake beams adding each pair to the trucks.

New Build NAPM Schusters Service Buiding

I have started a build on a structure for use on the NAPM layout.  I will be updating the page regularly.  Page updated on July 10.

Progress on the NAPM Layout

Work continues on the tower at the coach yard throat.  Added ground cover, underbrush and some advertising signs on the retaining walls. 

Updated the LaBelle Build Page

The nice weather continues and I have been busy working on the gardens around my house.  I have done a few additional steps in the construction of the LaBelle kit and have updated the build page.

Spoke to soon, winter is back

Well the weather fell back to March like temperatures so I had some time to get back to model building.  I have add some new information to the Labelle build. 

Spring Has Finally Arrived

Well we finally got some nice weather.  It has been a long winter and I got quite a few models completed.  I will be spending a lot less time on model building so my posts will slow down a bit until next fall.

Have a great spring and summer!

American Repaint

I finally got the locomotive lettered.  As stated in a prior post I decided to letter the locomotive for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul.  A friend had a copy of the Railroad Historical Preservation Bulletin 136 published in 1977.  It has the complete roster of the Milwaukee Road including all locomotives acquired with predecessor lines.  Engine 209 was purchased by the Milwaukee and St Paul in 1877 from the Schenectady Locomotive Works.  It was retired in 1917.  There was a picture of the engine in the bulletin.  The domes and proportions of the engine looked very similar to the model.  Since it was active in the 1890's it seemed a great choice.  Next I need to add some coal and a little light weathering on the running gear and it is done.   

Added some more info to the Labelle Car build, painting and lettering. 

Freight Car Progress

Here is a photo of the Soo and D&M boxcars.  I have added additional information on my DSS&A build page. 

Painted and Lettered the Soo Line car

Spent the morning painting and lettering the Soo car.  The afternoon was spent at the NAPM layout working on the background buildings.  I glued down the street and alley material as well as some ground cover.  The ground plane is mostly hidden from view so a lot of detail work was not needed.  

Labelle Build

I have finished four Labelle boxcars.  I think I now have a good idea of how they go together and will do a build page on the construction of the next one.  It is a 34 foot car lettered for the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic. 

Here is a progress photo of the turntable.  The pit walls are attached.  The next step will be adding cinders to the pit floor and addition of the bridge rails.  From past experience I have found that attaching the bridge rails is best done when the turntable lead tracks are in place.  It is imperative that the rails on both ends of the bridge align with the lead!

Additional Labelle Cars

I purchased some silicon seal and have continued on building the turntable.  While waiting to purchase the silicon I started working on two more Labelle models.

The car on the left is the Soo Line 34 foot car.  The one on the right is the Detroit and Mackinac 34 foot car.  Since these are coming along so well I have started another two. 

LaBelle Boxcar Kit

I received some LaBelle boxcar kits last Wednesday and assembled one.  It went together well.  The decals have a very thin film so you need to be very light handed when working with them.  A Little weathering and some couplers and it will be ready to run.

Update on Turntable

Here is a progress photo on the turntable project.  There is still a way to go but I am sure I am past the half way point. 

Turntable for the Engine Facility

Over the years I have built a few turntables both from scratch and from kits.  I actually preferred to scratch build as the kits always seemed to require a lot of "adjustments" to get them to work.  I am going to work from information in the C&NW Facilities book.  There are drawings for 50 foot and larger turntables.  I am going to build a 56 foot version as it can accommodate the larger Bachmann Americans.  You will be able to follow along with the build on it's own build page.

Pump House for the engine terminal

Pump house build is completed.  This is what the finished model looks like.  You can see the entire build on the Pump House Build page. 

Pump House Underway

I decided to build the pump house.  You can follow along on the Pump House Build page.

Clinker Pit Finished

I completed the assembly of the clinker pit today, see the Clinker Pit Build page.  I will post addition steps when I mount it into the layout surface.  I have not decide If I will build the turntable or the pump house as my next project.  I will know tomorrow.

Sand House for the Facility

Here is the latest structure for my engine service facility.  It is a sand storage and dryer building.  It depicts a building built from an obsoleted twenty eight foot boxcar.  To follow along with it's construction see the page titled Sand House Build in this blog.  Next is the ash pit.

Engine Facilities

Now that I have the engine underway I needed to build some support structures to go with it.

This engine house is based upon C&NW prototype practices.  I used information from the book "Locomotive Facilities C&NW and CStPM&O" by A. Joseph Follmar.  The model is constructed from basswood b&b siding, the windows are modified Grandt castings.  The interior is lined with brick between the studs as was the prototype practice.  Doors are built up from styrene.  Now that I have a place for the engine to be protected from the elements I needed a way to load the tender with coal.

This coal loader is patterned after the DSS&A loader at Michigamme Michigan.  Plans and a photo were presented in "The Soo" Fall 2011 issue (Vol 35, No 4).  I need to find the right materials to build the buckets and of course it needs to be heavily weathered with coal dust.  Little did I realize 51 years ago when I took apart a watch and saved the parts that they would find there way to this model!

Painting of the American

Here is the model after the first painting and weathering attempt.  I was not satisfied with the effect as it was quite a bit more aged than I had intended.  This would be great for a 1920's lumbering operation but not for what I have in mind for a late 1890's engine.

I used some Testors stripper to remove the paint and took another shot at it.  I brush painted Polly Scale Engine black.  Two lightly thinned coats of black followed by two coats of Future floor wax.  This is how it looks at this point.  I had it down at the club yesterday and put in four hours of break in time on it.  It ran okay at moderate speed but is a little sluggish at slow speed, maybe I will need to replace the motor with a more efficient one. 

As you can see I have not lettered the engine.  I have no idea of what to name my railroad.  I intend it to be an imaginary Wisconsin branch line in the late 1890's interchanging with the C&NW and CM&StP but a name truly eludes me.  Maybe the best bet is to letter it for the CM&StP and then I won't have to spend any more time not building a railroad because I cannot think of a name!

Phase One of American Rebuild Complete

The addition of parts is complete.  Here are some pictures of the model at this point.  It is pretty easy to tell what has been changed and added before the model is painted. The majority of parts are from Precision Scale with a smattering from Cal Scale.

Fireman's side of engine.  Domes, stack, headlight, bell and check valve are PSC.  Whistle and globe valve are Cal Scale. The cab roof vent is also built up from styrene.  The tender has had the coal bunker sides extended (styrene) and re-railing frogs have been added to both sides.

Engineers side of engine.  The air pump, regulator and control valves are Cal Scale.  I added an air tank under the boiler between the cross heads.  I used the large tank from a Cal Scale express reefer casting set.

Front of engine.  The signal lamps are PSC castings and the air hose is a Cal Scale part. The pilot is built up from brass strip material.  The coupler is a Sargent.  I was an early adopter of this line of couplers.  Shortly after these hit the market I recall bringing some freight cars to the Naperville meet with the couplers installed.  Unfortunately, none of the attendees paid much attention to them or even seemed to appreciate there significance.  Oh well, that's what happens on the bleeding edge.  

Tender rear.  Built up pilot, Cal Scale brake hose and Sargent coupler.

Here are a couple of "rods down" three quarter views. 

Something For Me

I started this on Sunday Feb 10, as I had nothing to work on for NAPM.  This is a Bachmann American lettered for the B&O.  After disassembling the model I stripped off the domes, stack, light and bell and then removed the cast on piping.  I have a supply of brass details so over the last few days (between work on tenement) I added the details and plumbed up the engine.  I am working from some photos of some early DSS&A 4-4-0 engines.  One has a neat drop step pilot as would be seen in switching service, I think that is the direction I will head.  

NAPM Backdrop ELA Tenements

The next section of the backdrop, eight to ten feet, will be a series of tenements.  The inhabitants of East LaSalle need a place to live.  It seems appropriate to include them in this retail, light manufacturing environment.  To maintaining the consistency of the background these buildings will be angled to the backdrop with the side of the structures being the primary exposure.

Finding appropriate models will be a challenge.  On Monday I purchased a Scale Structures Victorian Townhouse kit as a starter.  I have found from past experience that building these kits is a challenge, nothing fits very well, and this one proved to be consistent with this experience.  I took the kit to the club on Tuesday and got an idea of how the angles would work out.  At home that afternoon I got started.

 I plotted the angle on the roof section and then sliced the two sections apart.

Next I cut the angle.  It does take some courage to attack an $80 model with a hack saw!

Next I tacked the three wall sections together with CA.  When the glue hardened I then added a substantial bead of five minute epoxy to the joints.

I added the second rear wall segment and then fitted the roof.  The roof is shorter than the side walls so I butted the front edges to keep the side wall step downs even.

These photos show the mismatch on the rear and slight gap in the front.

I filled the gap in the back with some 1/4 x 1/8 basswood strip material.  Luckily it was an exact fit.  I also used some of the same strips to continue the side walls.  An 1/8 sq strip was used to fill in the top of the right rear wall.

These are the other two sections assembled.

Again a filler strip was added at the rear to fill the gap in the roof.

 On Wednesday I spent some time painting the right hand building.  I spray the interior black in the event that someone at some time might want to install lighting.  That is not my bag, I just build models! The next step will be weathering.


 
 

NAPM East LaSalle Backdrop

 This is the block of buildings in there positions along the backdrop.  The yard seen in the foreground is the Seeboth St coach yard.

 The above photo is of the block east of the prior one.  

This is the east end of the above block. 

Today I worked on contouring the edge of the engine pocket track.  I cut back the Homasote to match the height of the pink foam.

This is how it worked out.

I found some wall casting in the storeroom.  I reduced their height to 2 1/4 inches and cut them for a matched fit.  It looks like they will work out so next week I will bond them in place.

Repositioned foreground buildings.