July Train Day

Me and Timothy Towle working on grading the roadbed at Meghans crossing.

The short bridge all decked and ready to be installed. We just need to sink some pilings and retaining walls.

Rick Towle, his son Timothy and Bill Bibby visiting at the end of track. We got a few more feet of track built a little later when Bill asked how I go about getting the rail to curve, how I get the right gauge, how I figure tie spacing and how to line up the ties crosswise.

Leased GE 70 ton switcher (temp SAR #1) in the Mechanicville engine terminal before heading to the Round Lake Paper Mill to work as a plant switcher.

B&M 309 working the north end of Mechanicville yard with 37 coming up the main to DB cabin.

MBTA 1012 pullung #37 the Adirondack through XO.

Enjoy, Brad Peterson

FE tower

I don't have a FA Tower but I have a FE.

Jim LaFayette

Still Some Pride Left.....

The Saratoga Car Dept used to have a full time staff 24 hours a day, but that was before CP Rail cuts. Now just a few men left for running repairs. D&H 35799 is SC-1's caboose in Kenwood, it was sent to Saratoga for inspection and to fix the stove for the coming winter. Looks like the boys got the paint out and did what they could for an old friend. The script is a vinyl decal.

Rob D

Old Railroad Men

Larry LaFarr engineer (deceased), Roland Gebo, clerk (deceased), Jimmy Martucci, Yard Cond (ret), Me (ret), Dave Gosselin trainman (quit), Mark Terry trainman (quit now prison guard, Ron Guard Trainman (now engineer)

Going by the ex Long Island Alco and long sleve shirts, I'd say it was fall of 1977 in Fort Edward.

Jim Lafayette

Nielsen Ready Mix

The prototype for my next addition to the layout: The ruins of the Nielsen Ready Mix Concrete plant. (Kingston/Town of Ulster, NY) I remember when this was a going concern but, that had to be over 30 years ago. It was neat then but, still picturesque. I real challenge to model in this state. I've done the drawings and have started to cast plaster sections for the walls. (ten pieces per pour in three sizes) It seemed a logical modeling technique since the original buildings followed that construction approach using form cast concrete. Getting the colors, the staining, overburden and overgrowth is intimidating.

It actually took a couple days to assenble the 45 to 50 castings I made. I couldn't help thinking it was like building with one of the block sets I had in my childhood. All came out OK and today I got an initial coating of acrylic stain mixed and worked in. Next come the styrene details I want to add and the work on the setting. I'm feeling pretty confident now that it will turn out.

The old trailer started as a CMW. I altered it to look like one that was used for storage at a quarry I frequent when visiting in CO. Figured it'd be a nice scenic accessory at the concrete plant.

I got the area of the bins finished for scenery. I made it removable from the layour but, it blends in well. There are still a lot of details in sah-reen mthat need to be added to the other section. No question anymore about whether I'm modeling it as a ruin. For those who were corious about the plastaar castings I made, here are a few leftovers. The sizes I made were: 6X20X2', 7X20X2' and 7X25X2' (HO).

Thanks for bearing with me and sharing your comments throughout this project. Living in "Waterworld" for the past few days gave me the time and inclination to paint and install the background. Because the area around the plant was so overgrown when I was researching, I couldn't get any overall shots of the setting. The background is done from memory but, I assure you, it's pretty close.

Have a great weekend,

Wayne Sittner

 

ALCO Plant Going Going....

The former ALCO Locomotive Works in Schenectady in the process of being taken down.

Bill Kozel

A Day Amsterdam

Long ago we used to railfan out in Amsterdam and eat at Russo's, Armand found an oldy, but a goody!

Phoebe Heise, Richard Heise, Richard Heise II, Richard's Friend, Armand Choiniere, Justin Couture, Rob Dennis and Bill Ensinger

 

 

 

 

Sunny Monday

Last Monday I Spent most of the day working on the yard. Nice day to do it as it wasn't to hot. Around 11:00 I ran down to the post office to pick up some packages and shoot the breeze with co-workers from the park. Before exiting #4211's cab I could hear the North End Dispatcher giving #252 with a SOO leader permission onto the siding at 35. Ah ha! So I went home and finished up the lawn and went down to Delanson around 4:00 to check the signals at CPF 499. If there lit then there is a southbound coming from Mohawk Yard in Glenville. They were..So I decided to relocate to Gage Road and by 6:30 I could hear the distinctive horn of a SOO unit blowing for Cole Road north of me. Around that same time Northbound counterpart #253 could be heard also blowing for Youngs Road south of me. For a second I thought I was going to get skunked but with a 10 MPH speed restriction for the Controlled Siding I figured I would be okay otherwise I might be blocked by the NB passing the SB. Luckily #252 showed first and was on the Main. The Dispatcher held them short of Gage Road so the #253 could pass. With a long train you can block Youngs Road if you hold a Southbound at CPF 503. ("Correct me if I am wrong Rob"). After I grabbed #252 I decided to relocate to Central Bridge. After about a 20 min wait #252 came through on a 10 MPH speed restriction for work being done by the Schoharie Creek bridge. After #252 passed I called it quits and headed home.

Dean J. Splittgerber
Duanesburg, NY

Old D&H Photos

D&H slides I'm sending to Mike Confalone for a book he may publish. These were samples I sent to see if he liked what I was thinking of including on a CD. Coverage in Pennsylvania is apparently sparse and I've got a bit. These are all from the Hudson Yards by Wilkes-Barre. (1980-83) Maybe you'll enjoy them.

Wayne Sittner

Pan Am OCS

Pan Am ran an OCS from Ayer over to Mechanicville today for a tour of the West End and work progress at the new yard being built in Mechanicville. This was the first time for me to see the F's in operation. Last time I went looking for them I got skunked at Pownal, VT by being twenty minutes late, I showed up this time with only minuets to spare. These things were flying when they passed. I haven't shot here in years and I am going to make it a point to do it more often. It was nice to sneak out from our business for a break today.


Dean J. Splittgerber
Duanesburg, NY

Trains & BBQ

Had to make a run down to Oneonta Saturday afternoon for the Annual LRHS Banquet (Cooperstown Railway Folks). Before I left the shop the phone rang with a hot tip from a friend about a northbound heading out of Binghamton that had Standard Cab leading instead of the normal beat to hell GE's that were accustomed to seeing around here. You guys at CSX think your power is filthy CP has CSX beat any day in that department. There power is just Gross. After gratefully thanking the person that tipped me off. I headed out the door and down I-88. I arrived at a location just outside of Oneonta that was also conveniently close to Brooks where the Banquet was being held. After a three and half our wait train #253 came north a 10 MPH clip (See Attachment) Its been one of those shots that I have been trying to do for awhile. I have always been fascinated with the D&H between Binghamton and Schenectady. Neat towns. Cool Scenery all within a close vicinity of my home. This shot has always been a favorite since I first discovered this area riding on the back of my fathers motorcycle. Back in the early 90's during the fall my father would lead about fifty fellow motorcyclists from our business in Colonie down to Fly Creek and then around Cooperstown with eventual arrival at Brooks and then the ride home. We always would ride along Route 7. Some of the scenes have changed. The trains are different. Newer signals have been installed leaving the old masts to just rot, Just think these old masts have been in the place probably since 1900's. Some have moved, some are in there same place. They have had everything from Semaphore Blades that were controlled by towers only to be replaced with Searchlight style lights controlled by CTC control in Albany and I think Oneonta but I might be wrong to now be removed or upstaged by new signals and new masts completely. But the area still has its charm and classic rural ness and that is what matters to me.

Dean J. Splittgerber
Duanesburg, NY

Where Do Old Railroaders Go?

I was very happy to have a couple of my old railroad crew join us for train night. It is hard to compare model railroading with real railroading but I thought JJ and Al fit right in last night.

Rick ran the afternoon yard while Kip was engineer on the Podunk Mine Job. Kip sure gets serious don't he?

Poor Don, he always gets stuck with the tough jobs. He smiles anyway.

All in all I had a ball except I wanted to eat more of Ann Key's cookies. Dieting ain't no fun at all.

Thanks Guys,

Jim LaFayette

Inch At A Time

I got the idea after a trip back through my magazine collection. Ideas for this type of detail enhancement were common during the "Wonder Years" of MR when Paul Larson was editor and the magazine had a connection to the prototype. Paul's inclusion of "Closeup Prototype Ideas For Your Layout" always had neat stuff like this. My prototypes came from my own slide collection. D&H Hudson yard and NYC/PC/CR Kingston, NY engine house area.

All you see is scratchbuilt except the chain. Getting the MU cables to sit at the right attitude was loads of fun. Both racks can only be handled with a tweezers. Do not attempt anything like this with ANY caffine in your system.

Hope you enjoy,

Wayne Sittner



Railfanning?!

I took a little time after lunch to railfan along the newly detailed section of r.o.w. at Lehigh Junct. Like the correct mix of rolling stock and vehicles, you need a "right" mix of faux vegetation. Textures, colors, shades , etc. (you know all this). I'm trying for Late summer (September). Big difference now that I'm down to doing a square inch at a time! I guess we get our "fun" where we can.


A great weekend to all,

Wayne

On The Milky Way Railroad

I had just turned on the scanner at the compound, and in so doing, picked up the last part of a conversation between dispatcher Gordy Smith and local train DS-11 switching the paper mill at Fort Ticonderoga. DS-11s crew was looking to head south, but were informed that 253 was just out of Whitehall with leader SOO 6057 and they would have to wait until 253 passed by. Now, I did'nt have time to take more than a step away from the scanner when I froze, listening to this conversation. I instantly knew what I needed to do. Get on the road and head for Plattsburgh! I had read of this trains power consist earlier in the afternoon in emails. A colorful Iowa, Chicago and Eastern SD 40-2 was one of the trailing units. Now I'm not a big believer in coincidences, so when an opportunity such as this pops up, I take the event seriously and try to take advantage of it. But, it's a two hour drive up around the north end of Lake CHamplain and down into Plattsburgh, and with 253 running north of Whitehall already the train may beat me to my spot! So.....overlooking breakfast for the time being, I make two thermoses of tea and head out. Enroute in Champlain, NY I break down and go all out for a quick breakfast, pre-packaged potato salad at the 24 hr. Price Chopper! Hey! At this point, you don't browse for cryin' out loud! You see something that resembles healthy.........you buy it and go. Thankfully there was no one at the register trying to decide which lotterry tickets they wanted! LOL! All the way over the D&H frequency is silent on the car scanner, and I'm thinking I've got 'em until.........maybe ten miles north of town I hear the Port Kent equipment detector go off, announcing the passing of 253. The detector is located perhaps eleven miles south of my spot at the station. This is not welcome news! LOL! I'm surely screwed at this point unless.........its not all that uncommon for 253 to pick up or set out cars at Bluff Point Yard on the south side of town, as they are the only northbound CP road freight. I hold out hope some of this time consuming switching is in the game plan for tonight! A few minutes Iater I arrive at the station to a wonderful sight, a dark approach lit signal! When 253 is north of Bluff Point Yard, that signal will be green. SO far so good! As I'm setting up the majority of the lights on the far side of the fence which runs down the left side of the scene, I can hear the crew making switching moves! Now I'm thinking......."you know Gary, this might work out after all!" With the recent addition of "the fence" separating the sidewalk running the length of the r.o.w. from Dock St. on the east, to the end of the new parking lot well out on the west side of the station, the appeal of shooting here increased with the extra hurdles involved with the seemingly convoluted move of driving down out of sight around the block and back up to the station side to get around the fence! All of this takes time, with a stop light governing a three way intersection to deal with, (always on, never blinking yellow of course.......) at 1 a.m. I consider just ignoring the red display, then I realize its friday, and I look down the street to my right and see a cruiser a couple blocks away watching the college kids around the bars. I settle back into my seat........yeah, I guess I can wait! LOL! And wait I would! After setting up the last of the lights, getting the stepladder and camera all set, it would be forty five minutes before the crossing signals lit up at Dock St. and SOO 6057 swung around the sharp curve over the crossing and towards me. This moment is when it is all worth it! I glimpse the ICE unit swinging into view third back, then I concentrate on the pilot of 6057 as it passes my spot, a silent "click", and the lighting comes through again! What a backdrop to shoot a train against eh? The last group of conventional cab equipped SOO SD 60s, painted in the "all red" scheme are a favorite model for me, so it is easy to overlook the lube oil spraying out from the hood doors and on the walkway! The surprise is the fourth unit back, representing the D&H in this family of CP owned railroads, here comes GP 38-2 7304 picked up at Bluff Point Yard off the DS-13 local job. 7304 last year sufferred bent connecting rods, and went off line out west to be appraised as we on the D&H held out hope for her return. To their credit, CP replaced the prime mover from a stored GP-38-2 and returned 7304 to service! SO here we have a cross section of CP Rail in the midwest and east represented, with only the DM&E missing! Am I glad I turned that scanner on! Ha,ha,ha! Shot in Plattsburgh, NY on APril 16, 2011 at 02:06 with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 28/2 lens. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.

All The Best In 2011;
Gary Knapp

Remember Conrail?

A few of us got to remembering that April 1st was the 35th anniversary of the formation of Conrail. We were swapping stories of what we rememberd from that time. It got pretty involved and interesting when we also started emailing slide scans from the 70's. I think I sent you some scans of old Mech'ville B&M slides that were from that digression. The Caboose model came about from a few of us taking things even further. We each agreed to build a model of a piece of CR equipment. My choice was this N5c caboose. The basis for my model was the Bowser kit for the classic Pennsy port hole N5c. I got one that was pre-dec so paint and decaling was avoided but, I did have to make a few changes for the sake of accuracy. Notably: The trucks had to be switched to rollerbearing leaf spring, the steps were different, the roof walk was eliminated and the window by the toilet was blocked and the vent added. The other changes were for personal preference, those changes being the wire handrails and cut levers. The first image shows the modifications I made clearly.

Hope you enjoy,


Wayne Sittner

Bad Day On The Battenkill

605 and 4116 (both short hood forward) derailed just short of MP 1 eastbound at Greenwich on Tuesday March 8th while pulling the flanger. Leading truck of the 605 skewed badly towards the (north) hillside due to the accumulated ice. After many attempts to jack/block/crib during the next two days finally the decision was made to bring in RJ Corman. They arrived on Sunday morning and two hours later both locos and the flanger were tucked away successfully at the engine house back in Greenwich.

Earlier on late Friday afternoon "borrowed" Pan Am 352 powered five hot cars north from Eagle Bridge to the mill and returned that same evening to EB several hours later.

Cully

Brad's Op-Session

These are some shots of our operating session the other night (2/27). We started around 3:30 and went til around 11:30 with an hour lunch. Except for sore feet, we really don't realize how long we've been going. In the pictures are Lianne and JR Stevens, Tim Stockwell, Bill Bibby and my wife Katherine (keeping Bill entertained). A shot of my train sheet from the days running. We had 17 trains show on the main which includes the trains off the SAR and locals that only OS at one or two Cabins. If we ever run more mainline trains, I'll have to do something about all those locals or I'll run out of room fast.

Lianne is the conductor on SC-2 spotting a hopper at Norlite with the 453 and 2311.

In the Crew Room is JR at the throttle of SC-2 while Bill and Katherine chat by the fire.

In Mechanicville, # 37 has just arrived at the station with Lianne at the throttle while Tim is getting ready for a return trip up the SAR with SM16. Bill is at his post on the B&M side where he can see all that's happening in the yard.

I gave Bill a throttle and now he has to figure out what to do with it.

Tim working SM16 on the SAR at Towle and Son Sand and Gravel using borrowed D&H 7319 and the SAR 77.

Enjoy, Brad Peterson



MM&A At Newport Marina

I was out overnight celebrating the arrival of March 1st! This is the month where signs of spring start to appear around us in Vermont. MM&A train 710 with assigned B39-8 8569 seemed like an obvious night photo candidate, and I waited in Richford until I heard them departing from above the border in Farnham, Quebec before heading over to this spot in Newport to set up. Railfan rule number six: "Always make certain your train leaves its terminal before you do." Rolling into the city, the bank air temp display reads twenty two above, not bad for March 1st. Then I drove down to access the overlook I had in mind to shoot from, and problems begin to appear already concerning "signs of spring", LOL! The view from the overlook is spectacular! But......it features a full northern exposure along Lake Memphremagog which stretches many miles north across the border........and the wind is howling out of the north! Snow squalls come and go in bursts.......snowflakes flying by me horizontally. Its because of nights like this that my fleece pants resurface atop the debris field the back seat has become in June! Ha,ha,ha! They stay in the car for occassions such as this. Oh but the view here! Once I have added the extra layers of clothes and start setting up the lights along the tracks everything falls into place. A big part of the fun of night photography for me is just getting the lighting "set up" for me. And with this being my first visit here once I finsh setting up out comes the camera and tripod and the fine tuning begins. When I drove in here tonight I thought it odd that the sidewalk to the overlook was'nt opened up, plowed or something. The observation revealed a hint of what was to come! Ha,ha,ha! Oh but the view of a train passing by. So trying a test shot I see a couple adjustments to the lighting I want to make, I figure I have time and jump back into the civic to drive down below. While I finish moving a couple lights around, I hear a single blast of an air horn from up the lake! Not realizing the sound is being "carried well" by the north wind I drive back up to the camera to wait.........and wait. The camera strap is flapping horizontally, the snow has stopped, the wind has not. Ahhh, this is why I bought my new tripod which will support eighty pounds! Ha,ha,ha! I look down at the light stands, anchored with sand bags, the flash units atop them weaving in the wind. I remind myself, its amazing this system works at all in weather like this! Thank god its March or it would be really cold out! Ha,ha,ha! Two small city plow trucks go down over the crossing plowing, and they courteously avoid taking down the light stands along the street. Then the air horn again closer this time. From my perch I can look squinting across the end of the lake here and spot Newport Marina, and the outline of the open fill I shot 8569 on this past summer. With train speed of perhaps ten or twenty mph in places, there should be no surprise appearances here. A bucketloader starts moving snow around beyond the tracks, leaving me contemplating what next? This driver also avoids taking down the lights stands around the building, nice! But........I don't really want a bucketloader in my night photo eh? Then I notice it! The tracks in the distance across the lake and above Newport Marina are lit up. They made it down the hill! And silently 8569 appears then disappears behind the marina, emerging to cross the fill coming towards me. I fire off an awareness flash for the crew, not realizing they will have time at ten mph to count each light stand as they pass through the lighting setup! But only the building is lit up in the test shot! The flashes lighting up the train don't go off. A second try, same results. I think, well........at least we are not 2000 miles out tonight! Ha,ha,ha! Its no small wonder why, looking down at nearby flash units, the Pocket Wizard controllers bouncing around in the wind. Then out from behind the bluff comes 8569, snow all over the place, into position she arrives, I mentally remind myself that this would be a great time for the lighting to work! LOL! And press the shutter.............and the lighting does its thing! With a big smile I give the crew a wave as they pass by underneathe me, the engineer giving me a couple toots in return. I watch the short train pass by, thinking what a wonderful spot to catch 8569 at...........then head for the warmth of the civic to begin rescuing the light stands. Shot in Newport, VT on March 1, 2011 at 04:10 with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 35/2 lens. Please enjoy! Comments are welcome.




All The Best In 2011;

Gary