Train show in Lynchburg, VA over the weekend

Got up very early on Saturday and drove down to a yearly train show I attend every year.  My oldest son, Cameron also went down with me.  It's a smaller show but always turns up so good bargains for me and I do sell a lot of my excess items.  While my selling was OK, I did pick up a 65' gondola, a book and a Bachmann 70 tonner painted in the attractive M&ET scheme.  I actually ran upon them on my honeymoon in 2004 while passing through Modesto, CA.  It was really neat to see 3 70 tonners moving a long string of reefers.

Very well done 70 tonner in M&ET paint

On the way home, I wanted to bypass the unfortunate craziness in Charlottesville and decided to go another way home and see the original Buckingham Branch and photograph the large chip mill they have. I also grabbed some shots of two other types of loaders they have in town.  These are both not in operation but would be neat to model.

This looks as if it was a hopper loader at one time.  Probably sand trucked in.

A closer view of the loading area

This loader was on the same spur as the possible sand loader.  Maybe aggregate?

Loading shoot

The dump end

A very old Y&S boxcar rusts away

The original BB's largest customer and probably newest one: Rock Tenn wood yard.

These Westvaco wood chip hoppers are ready to be loaded.

One full hopper!

This is a massive operation.  Look at all the logs stacked in the distance.  That's only about fifth of them.

Our final stop was in the town of Orange to see if we could catch a train.  No luck on the train, but a great display on the railroad history of the town.

Lots of railroad history here in Orange, VA.  Orange is the terminus of my Virginia Midland model railroad.

This was a scary wreck back in 1965.

Some of those towns sound familiar!  This is the station list from Fredericksburg to Orange.

County map of Orange

Some more history on the Virginia Central

The wreck of the Fat Nancy Trestle just south of town

The Virginia Central rail bus.  It also had a trailer it towed.

Summer modeling has begun!

Had some time this past week to get some modeling done.  Nothing on the layout but some side-jobs like locomotive painting, decoder installs and running some trains.  My oldest son, Cameron has really took an interest in trains this last few weeks and he's been wanting to go into the train room more than me!  This has came out of nowhere!  So, since I was at the train show last weekend, I decided to get him a locomotive.  I did this because he passed all of his SOL tests this year on the first try.  He really likes Amtrak, so he decided he wanted a P42 locomotive.  I could not get him to settle on the F40 that would have been time wise correct for my layout.  If you know anything about the Kato P42's, they are not DCC ready and required some work to install a decoder.

Kato P42 #66 in special paint

The board has a few changes to be made.  All per Kato's reference guide

Kato is so far a head of their time.  The motors and flywheels on each truck saves room for decoders in the middle of the locomotive.

 Besides working on some custom weathering for a client, I also finally got some details and paint on Virginia Central's newest loco, a GP7.

VC #107 with all the details added.  With freelancing, you can add whatever details you want.

Yellow paint like the RS36 #106.  Can't wait to dirty it up!

Virginia Central Boxcars

I had some custom made Virginia Central boxcar decals made a few years ago and sell them occasionally. I do have the VC running on my layout and it is a real short line that ran in the Fredericksburg area until the mid 1980's.  My entire Virginia Midland line is actually the real VC line from the 1930's!  In the last 10 years, Atlas and Athearn have run green VC schemes on boxcars. Many years ago, Details West even did a VC green boxcar.  I sold a set of my VC decals to Jon Alaniva back a few years ago and he sent me a pic of the complete VC boxcar recently.

Here's his description of what boxcar he used and what he did from emails:

September 2014:

The decals arrived in today's mail. They look good.
 
I think I mentioned that the Exact Rail Evans-USRE 5277 appears to be the correct car for these. I plan on getting one at the end of the month; unfortunately there are no undecs available, so I'll strip one. The newer water based paints peel off pretty well in a bath of 90% isopropyl alcohol. 
 
If I remember correctly #1275 has a Superior door, which will save me some work. If I'm wrong, I have a pair of doors left over from an Atlas 5077 that I scratch-built Superior doors for to use for a "standard" sliding door.
 
I will send you pictures when it's done.

This past January 2017

Quite a while ago I got a set of decals from you for a Virginia Central boxcar. Just thought I'd share with you that I did finish it over the Christmas holidays. It came out quite well.

 

Removing the door from the ER model was a real pain - the plastic is .096" thick so I quite literally had to cut it out. Doors are from an Atlas 5077. The other modification is to remove the door stiffener on the sill. Other than that I'd say that the ER model was the best starting point for doing the model.

Here is Jon's completed #1275

Here the real VC #1275 ( Sam Beck photo)

These are the Atlas/Athearn/Details West cars that were done.  I've never seen a VC picture of one of these types.

Ex-VC boxcars still running the rails (Curt Beal photo)

Another Ex-VC now MQT 1025 still earning it's keep (Roberto Alaniz photo)

Other types/schemes of VC boxcars

Another number in the red scheme

VC in the early days!

TBT: October 8th 2015

Been a while since I've done one of these so here we go:  From 2009

Believe I finally have the trackage correct for Fredericksburg Flats.  Took me a while to figure out exact industries.

The Virginia Central has had some locomotive changes since 2009 and this pic is not different.  Used the older boxcar scheme on the MP15 and I think it looks good.  

End of the week update: July 26th 2015

Not a whole lot going on on the layout this week.  Most of the things I have gotten done were earlier in the week.  The layout has not had much progress on it since the redoing of the track to the helix.  I need to get that scenery back complete.  This week has been devoted to installing laminate flooring to the living room.  300 plus square feet of it.  Hard work but it looks great.  We are just about finished. One section of shoe moulding and a little paint is it.



I did get some motive power updated with some Tsunamis in the last two weeks.  Here they are:

Finally got MP15 #284 back in service.  It was a QSI sound chassis at one time but sold it because it sounded terrible.  Picked up a non-sound chassis to have Tsunami but on it like her sister #285.  Finally got it installed.  Not an easy task at all.

GP40 #299 finally go a Tsunami installed in her.  I even put an operating beacon in also.  I used a tiny LED and installed into the beacon.  These LED's are perfect for this.  Just cannot remember who makes them.  

New VC power #105 SW1200 got weathered up a bit.  No sound yet.

Hey who's layout room is that?  That would be yours truely from MRH discussion this week about small layout rooms.

    

Happy Fourth of July and update on trackwork and motive power

Wanted wish everyone a happy 4th!  Be safe this holiday weekend!  I've been pretty busy on the layout this week and even today, as we aren't doing much except a cookout and checking out the fireworks display in town.  This is also my 150th post on the blog!

  Here's some projects I've worked on this week:

Mine Run Branch:
Trackwork is complete but still need to add several feeder wires

View looking north.  The entrance to the scene is in the upper right corner.  Track splits into a double track.  The spur on the left is the wood chip loader.  The track also crosses a river.

Looking the opposite direction.  The track goes back to one and the spur to the sand mine is on the left.  

The spur to the sand mine.  The mine is not featured on the layout.  The main reason for the rearrangement is to allow for longer trains.

The bridge over the canal/river had to be widened.  This canal will be filled with trees and a weeds.  It will also have where the canal sides have given way to time.

Another view of the bridge.

New motive power is also in the works:

This is new power for the Virginia Midland: an Atlas GP40W that will have Tsunami sound.  It's been detailed now time for some green and gray paint.

This is new Virginia Central power: Proto 2000 SW1200.  She will be painted yellow and will not have sound at this time.

Wow! This new track arrangement makes sense!

Someone actually commented that this track arrangement makes so much more sense.  Well, the track has been ripped out and the new arrangement has been put in.  I really like it and why didn't think of this before?  What was I thinking of adding another diamond and creating a weird and unprototypical track arrangement?  This new arrangement really flows and makes sense. Now all I need to do is add feeder wires and I'm done!

The Virginia Midland trackage is on the left, now serving the elevator at Mid-Atlantic Feeds.  The Virginia Central trackage is on the right serving the sand unloading facility. 

The trackage towards the door is just about the same.

The sand facility now holds 8 hoppers instead of 4 as before.

Bench work on extension is almost done and bigger horsepower

Well this expansion has turn into more work than I hoped but should improve the look and operation.
I have totally revamped the trackage in this area that was once complete.
Major changes:

1. Gotten rid of a bunch of trackage at the aggregate facility including a run-around track. 
2. I have also bent the VMID trackage that once went across the bridge to a cassette.  
3. I have configured the track below without the use of a cassette there.
4. Opened the layout up for more scenery.

Horsepower update at the very bottom.

Pretty much starting from scratch with this area.  

Had to add a smaller board up front to aid in accessing the lower level.

Mocking up the track work.  I use sectional 22 degree curves to plan curvage.  The 22 degrees is not to sharp and is usually my smallest radius.  This works well for layouts with 4 axle power and no passenger trains.  

The look towards the door.  The trackage on the left is the VMID.  I have to move the signal to the mark on the benchwork.

The aggregate unloading facility base.  It should hold 5-6 cars across the diamond.

Glad Walthers finally made one of these. I was close to making my own silos.

After today's work.  Bench work is just about complete.  Got to install the lights underneath for the lower level before I attach the subroadbed.  

Another view

Final view from the door.

And finally some bigger horsepower for the VMID.  She will be patched and put into service soon.