Category Archives: The Trains

Starting to assemble parts for a large stone wall behind the town

Been coloring these Motrack stone wall castings made of Hydrocal.

Stack of stone wall castings

These are colored, or really stained with many layers of sprayed dilute india ink and dilute woodland scenics burnt umber scenery color. They will be put up end to end with concrete buttresses at the joints of the separate pieces. Actual length of wall about 44 inches long total

Famous Designers and Railroads

Another post about designers and railroads. A few posts back, talking about Raymond Loewy’s design for the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Famous GG1. Here we have the iconic Logo for the New Haven Railway.

New Haven Railroad Logo

Herbert Matter’s NH Logo. This a page from my Type book studying Graphic Design in college.

In 1954 Patrick McGinnis took over the financially strapped New Haven Railroad. His wife Lucille convinced him to come up with a new visual look, to compete with Car and Air travel. Herbert Matter’s fresh clean and modern designs are still seen in some stations and occasionally on a metro-north locomotive as a tribute to the great design. It still lives on even as the New Haven was absorbed into Penn Central about 50 years ago.

The Mammoth Amherst Railroad Society’s Railroad Show

Just returned from W. Springfield MA from the biggest model train show in the nation. Quite an experience. Over 400,000 square ft of dealers, manufacturers, modular layouts, etc.

Car in the parking lot right where I pulled in. No doubt I was in train land!

The show is in 4 buildings. this is the entrance to one of the four (Mallary Complex)

Mallary Complex

They have some canvas covered walkways between buildings

covered walkway

This is inside showing less than half of the largest building (Better Living Center)

Partial BLC Hall photo

Some of the manufacturers show a model in progress-undecorated.This is a Rapido Pre-production model at their booth

Pre-Production Alco RS11

They also have some special things like this Real 1895 Baldwin steam engine, built for SD Warren Paper Co, that has been restored to full steam operation.

SD Warren-No-2-2Ft gauge

All in all , a very enjoyable weekend

Working on my layout aisle being a river or bay

I have a concept of the walk-in aisle of my layout being a river or small bay, so I am making my scenery (rocky banks etc.) all come down to a common level as it would be meeting a bay.

Series of shots, showing rocky banks coming to a common level.

Bank by the concrete arch bridge

Continuation of banks at bay level

Further along the bank

This showing my suspended edge, not yet fully built up with scenery

This shot from a low level showing the way the edge is built

My thought is to build a rolling cart with an area of bay level water that can be raised into position anywhere along the walk in aisle, for photography of the layout, with extended water.

Burlington Vermont Yard- Vermont Rail System

Continuing about my visit to the Vermont rail yard. It certainly has a nice view from Vermont rail Headquarters.

Lake Champlain

Right on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Turntable at the Yard

Was able to see the old turntable (still used), and then did get to ride along on a switching move.

Engineer of GP16 No 802

Going to pick up some rolling stock arriving.

Freight agent handing off paperwork

Russell snowplow ready to handle Vermont winters.

A very enjoyable and unexpected day in Vermont.