Brad Update

They still need some touch-up, a few details and decoders but I now have a couple new locomotives on the Southern Adirondack RR. The 1234 is an SW-9 in a B&M/MEC inspired scheme while the 2319 is a B23-7 in the D&H like lightning stripe scheme. These photos were all taken around the Round Lake Paper mill in Mechanicville.

I finally 'finished' Rotterdam Jct staging. There are 4 tracks and although they are short, they should work out since my B&M trains are generally short. Worst case, we can always double trains out of the yard. Tracks are numbered from the front of the layout in both the Rotterdam Jct and Mohawk yards. If/when I come across some more plywood and flextrack, I'll probably run the tracks out to the same length as the D&H staging.

Enjoy, Brad Peterson

Trio Of SOO!

SOO LINE SD 60s have been frequent visitors to the D&H for as long as I have been shooting trains at night over there. They seem to be favored as leaders, that is where I usually see them when in the locomotive consist, on the point. With the entire engine class amounting to 63 units, I rarely saw the SD 60s paired up working together. Only one instance comes to mind where I saw THREE working alone powering a train...................until the last two nights, when CP ethanol train 642 passed through the area enroute to and from Kenwood Yard in Albany! While the previous nights efforts failed to produce a photo on the southbound run, I patiently waited, hoping to catch the returning empties with the same power northbound the following night. My plans were dashed when the job was called for 5 am! It was a predictable situation eh? Rare power lash-up, and suddenly the unloading operation has speeded up to enable an entire trainset to be unloaded in less than a day when it took longer in the past. 5 am was not really promising for night photos LOL! I woke up early twice that morning/afternoon anyway, to find the train was indeed out on the road meeting 696 and 931 at Fort Edward. It didn’t look promising. After a couple hours sleep I got up and went about starting my nightly schedule, scanner on to monitor the D&H, “just in case” 642 was still out there. The talking detectors gave away the presence of AMTRAK and 931 going up along Lake Champlain, but no 642 with its higher than normal axle count! I was beginning to get my hopes up they had gotten delayed some where. Then an e-mail from Richard Wingler arrived. He was taking wife Bonnie out to eat and at her suggestion, took the scenic route to the restaurant................along Lake Champlain...........and the D&H............eventually into Whitehall where they saw 642 sitting on the passing siding, crewless! Oh My Gawd! It was going to happen! I would get another chance at shooting THREE SOO’s working together! It’s a one hour drive at night over to Port Henry from the compound, longer during the day when VIPs are on the highways. Running time for 642 from Whitehall I guessed to be around ninety minutes. The only warning provided of their being nearby is the detector ten miles away at Fort Ticonderoga, so the drama was built-in again as I finished the happy drive over to Port Henry, waiting for the detector to broadcast the 642 train approaching. So what happens? I pull to a stop at the station, and jump out to start putting the lighting together..................and the North End Dispatcher comes on the air.............he is talking to the new crew for 642.............they are still in Whitehall Yard! I was amazed! I never can hear the Whitehall Tower from Port Henry! Educated with this bit of info, I relaxed and went uptown to look for a resemblance of breakfast knowing I had plenty of time on my hands. Several minutes later I went about setting up the lights, in the fading daylight. It seemed very odd, out of sequence! Many early mornings I am taking the lighting down as daylight moves in! Walking in front of the station on the platform got the the attention of several retired folks socializing inside. “Hey! There’s somebody with a light on his head out there!” A woman came out to politely ask what I was up to. “Oh, you’re the guy!” was her reply when I explained. She kindly moved her four by four pickup from the corner of the building improving the scene immensely. She will get a copy of this photo emailed to her. With the lighting set up smoothly and functioning, test shots taken, I had the luxury of doing nothing.........but enjoying the moment, knowing what was coming! And counting my blessings! I was extremely lucky 642 had to be recrewed further south. Announcing their presence, 642 could be heard whistling for crossings to the south, and smiling, I noted they were early according to my prediction, again it goes along with a rare power move! LOL! By now darkness had fallen, temps were pleasant in the low forties as a guess, and the stations inside lights gave the building a very nice “active” look I NEVER had seen before! The group of retirees don’t know how much their presence added to the photo. You hear the familiar sound, slowly building in intensity, becoming apart from the background noise of the town, that of a train coming into Port Henry from the south. The sound carries as the tracks are built along the waters edge of Lake Champlain. As 642 closes in the sound changes, first you notice the rumble that proclaims EMD, GE’s enter town silently by comparison, then the distinctive exhaust of SD 60s reaches the ear. The SD 60 sounds lower in tone than its brethren the SD 40-2, more throaty in its exhaust to me. Appreciating my situation, I conclude that, yes, this is a great way to start my night! With a trio of SOO SD 60’s working alone. Past the last crossing, up around the sweeping curve comes leader 6055 whom I saw last down on Rogers Island leading 451. The engineer throttles back a touch and the three of them glide up past the station into position where in the blink of an eye, the moment is captured! What a sight appears on the lcd monitor! My night is a success already! With Canadian Pacifics rebuilding program for the SOO SD 60s underway, which includes repainting into CP engine red, I can appreciate this opportunity to catch this group together here, on the D&H. Shot on February 14, 2012 at 19:18 with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 28/2 lens set at f2. Special thanks to Richard and Bonnie Wingler! Good idea Richard, letting Bonnie choose the scenic route! Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.

All The Best in 2012;

Gary Knapp

696 Oil Trains

Like I was telling you...I chased this train from Rouses Point all the way to Kenwood and these are the only pics I got. February 3, 2012

Brad Peterson

CP 7310 waits near Coons Crossing near Mechanicville. A relic from the B&M days of the hump yard still stands tall.

Rob Dennis is the conductor on a empty ethanol train at Ushers Road in Halfmoon, NY.

Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show 2012

Tina and I went early Saturday morning to the show, had a great time found a few deals. I love the sights and sounds of this show, the best train show I have ever been to. Sent along a few photos...over 22,000 people this year a record! Rob D

The newly tooled Athearn Trains Genesis HO scale Electro- Motive Division GP38-2.

 HO “Executive Line” MLW C-630M Locomotives from Bowser.

Athearn Genesis GP-9's in B&M "Sweet!"

XO Tower from our friends at CH&R Structures .

Had lunch with Armand at Plamer at the Steam & Tender it was awesome!

2011 Holiday Train

Shot on Rogers Island in Fort Edward, NY on November 26, 2011 at 04:17 with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 28/2 lens set at f2.

Down the tangent track comes the Holiday Train, then..........9624 clears the marsh, and the perfect reflection pops out! Holy Cow! Elwyn and I watch, transfixed at the sight as the lit up train consist continues to be revealed while 9624 progresses toward me. Only now do I get behind the camera, find my mark, and watch 9624 in............the flashes, on full power, silently fire, the resulting light on the scene reflects back, enabling the image to be captured! Wow! This image gives you the viewer a good feel for what it is like following along in the car with the Holiday Train as it cruises along Lake Champlain. Shot on November 26, 2011 at 02:10 with the 5D and Zeiss 35/2 lens set at f2.

We visit Port Henry, NY tonight on Canadian Pacifics Canadian Main Line, originally the Delaware and Hudson. This pair of night photos depicts the scene six years apart as the Holiday Train makes its annual visit. In the earlier photo from 2005 TWO decorated trains are featured! The RS-18 (ex-CP 1801) was donated by CP for the display train commemorating home town iron ore railroad Lake Champlain & Moria, which interchanged here with the D&H. Judge Brian Venne, who painted and decorated the locomotiveand train w/christmas lights, told me of the time he was directly involved with CP in obtaining a donated engine for the display train: they had talked with the proper people and in time word came back that their request had been approved! Brians group was asked by CP what engine did they have in mind, in so many words. They asked for (as most of us would have.....) the...........8921! In a few days the request came back...........approved! The 8921, for out of towners, was Canada’s only MLW RSD-17 model, and very popular with railroaders and fans! The 8921 made it as far as Rouses Point, NY before someone at CP noticed the 8921 had disappeared. This is how it came to be when the 8921 spent the day in Rouses Point of all places! Brian tells me the historic engine was quickly retrieved back across the border and CP inquired if there might be another locomotive the group would like! LOL! The night photo from 2005 shows a big turnout, probably eight hundred people or more. You can see my spot I would shoot from six years later in front of the engineers window of the RS-18. Switching to last nights view from 2011, what a change!Proving that “owls” come out during the day, in a rare daytime move for me, I drove over here, appearing at 4 pm for the 5:30 Holiday Train! After unloading the lights from the Civic parked beside the display train, Judge Venne, who did’nt recognize me, pointed at me and said........”You.......the cars gotta go!” I complied, keeping a straight face, then asked for permission to shoot from the RS-18 of Judge Venne, he then recognized me and gave me the okay. With the lights set up and tested, I watched as the scene was nearly empty of people at 4:45, then hundreds walked in! Wow! What a scene was before me! A steady stream of parents brought their little kids over to climb up on “the engine” as I looked on, trying to appear unconcerned. What can go wrong!? The organizers of this event provide a couple campfires each year to help people keep warm, that is the smoke seen wafting above the crowd. It is usually a fine idea, but this year it is 54 degrees at train time! Unheard of for late November. You can see the people are dressed lightly in the 2011 scene versus the 2005 scene. Suddenly I noticed lots of cars stopped up on the road beyond the station to the right, in a couple minutes an air horn is heard as the 9824 whistles for the crossing just to the south, and the Holiday Train comes creeping up around the curve past adoring onlookers at the station. For my part, I was singing to myself “Row,row,row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily. Life, is but, a dream!” Ha,ha,ha! There’s little kids at my feet, kids behind me on the long hood! LOL! I was concentrating on the 9824 as it neared my spot, not noticing the young couple walking into the bottom center of the 28mm view with their kids. Just before the 9824 reaches my spot, the little boy waves! You could’nt make this up! For my part, I never noticed the kid waving until I was back at the computer inside the compound! LOL! The Holiday Train had captured my admiration. What an improvement over the six years in the decorations! This years train just glows! Also, ALL the lights are still working this far north, unlike years past! The lights that appear to be off in the photo are really blinking. You can spot the engineer inside the cab looking straight ahead, responding to placement commands from (hopefully only one) person to spot the “stage car” before the crowd. With the train stopped, a rock group performed christmas songs for the crowd, CP personnel appeared with a check from the area for the Holiday Train, more christmas songs as Santa himself joined the festivities on stage, Mrs. Claus rode the deadhead move south but we did’nt see her tonight, then the band said goodbye with the drummer up front singing Silent Night solo. All the while I was shooting with a 35mm from this spot. What a superb scene as Port Henry station hosts the town and the Holiday Train! Yes indeed, capturing this scene was worth getting up on three hours sleep, (of course...........I was out late shooting last night on the NECR......) skipping breakfast, but making two thermoses of dark tea, and driving with the many VIPs out on the highway. LOL! Shot in Port Henry, NY on December 2, 2005 at 6:57 pm(9714) and November 28, 2011 at 5:34 pm (9824) both with the 5D, the 9824 photo was taken with the Zeiss ZF 28/2 lens set at f2. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.

All The Best In 2011;

Gary Knapp

Beltrami Enterprises

I haven't done one of these since August 1st! It's really only in the last couple weeks that I've gotten back to do a little modeling. Thanks to Irene and Lee I've been "enjoying" outdoor mode since Aug 28th.

Some of you are wondering what this is all about? If you're new, it's because you're new to my contacts list. If you received other chapters only sporadically, it's because you responded to earlier emails sporadically. I misplaced my original list of who I've been sending these to so Chap. 9 is a restart...
The idea of sending the "Chapters" began when I was getting progress reports from Mike Confalone, Randy Laframboise, Jim Dufour and Mike Rose as they were making progress several linear feet at a time on their layouts. My progress is in inches, hence.....

 

This little scene was inspired by the "office" at the stone quarry in Gunnison, CO. It's named Quinn's Quarry for my oldest grand-daughter. I started picking at the models that are in the scene back in July when I did the trailer using one by CMW as a beginning point. The VW camper bus was next. This required major rebuilding to the VW Samba bus by High Speed. The prototype is the one my daughter and son-in-law still use. Notice the National Parks stickers on the rear. The third piece was the Portable. That model came back from the NMRA National in CA, thanks to Blair Davies sharp eye. Finally I built up the little bits of detritus for the front of the storage/office trailer yesterday AM. I'm using the model in an era change to my Wanamie Mine scene of the 50's. I (temporarilty) removed the loading conveyor from my 50's scenario. That's the structure that transfers coal from the narrow gauge 4 and 6 ton mine jimmies to standard gauge 50T twins. The new model scene represents the area after the narrow gauge operation shut down in 1968 and the property was taken over by Beltrami Enterprises (a strip mining operation). As with the entire layout everything is interchangable as to railroad depicted and era represented.

Regards to you all,

Wayne Sittner

Fall on the Battenkill!

Once upon a time there was foliage on the trees
Enjoy!!

Cully

Dirty Dirt and the Dome

 On October 13, 2011, D&H train 629 with 57 empty dirt gons with CSX 116 and 7320 waiting on the siding at CPC33 for Amtrak train 69 with the 145 and dome car in tow passing 629 at track speed headed to Saratoga.

Amtrak 145 and CSX 116 side by side at Saratoga.

My conductor Robert Gould pops his head out for a look at all the commotion.

Enjoy, Brad!

Summer's End...

UP power on 629 in Fort Edward waiting to bring a loaded sludge train to Selkirk.

 All Vermont Railway power on a detour train in Elnora.

 VTR detour in Whitehall  waiting for a crew. We ran the trains as 690/691, Whitehall to Elnora and back and interchanged trains with Pan Am. 9/15/11.

John Camerota caught Pan Am's MOED heading east across the Hudson River.


Enjoy, Rob D

Saratoga and North Creek "Hudson Express"

Two photos fresh from the camera taken less than eight hours ago at the time I wite this. I have to confess, I went out stalking last night. Stalking an E8! Ha,ha,ha! The AZER 6070 was working the Saratoga and North Creek "Hudson Express" which departs from Saratoga in darkness at 9:30 pm for North Creek. This is a friday only night run. I am grateful! My original location planned for tonight was the bridge at Hadley, NY and I arrived there with plenty of time to set up inspite of doing some wandering around town lost. I have to expect this when I arrive at a new location after dark. After driving around the bridge and then getting out and going for a walk across the one lane historic highway bridge alongside the railroad bridge, it became apparent to me............I was screwed! LOL! Almost getting run down on the narrow highway bridge had nothing to do with my conclusion. Sheesh! So I headed back north (after heading south to Cornish, NY by mistake) going out Rte. 9N to Lake George and up I87 to the Riparius exit. I found Lake George (around the I87 ramps) to be an embarrassing display of glitz. I ate my Veggie-Delite on the way in there at the busy intersection of Rte. 9L & 9N, with some kind of kids fun park lit up behind me, rv's going by disguised as full sized buses amid the heavy traffic and eating establishments trying to outdo each other in attracting your attention. Happily I avoided that area returning from Hadley by jumping on the interstate. I remembered the Riparius exit and after stopping a couple times to check my Delorme Atlas I was crossing the large bridge over the Hudson and had arrived at the station. To be honest, I was thinking I would be hard pressed to find a different, better spot to shoot here after wandering around last friday night. And I had prety much given up after driving down to eyeball the old freight shed, and was driving out to head for North Creek station when the caboose caught my eye as I drove past. At this point it's 10:30 pm, the train is due in an hour roughly and I pay attention to any indication there might be a photo here! Stopping, I back up the civic and step out to check out the caboose. The steps onto the rear platform have a chain across them attached to a ring by a latch, easily operable. No signs that say no trespassing, and the platform provides the always desirable elevation..............I undo the latch and go up the steps! I take a look........Oh My Gawd! Oh My Gawd! I turned and stepped down onto the ground, turned off the car and started setting up the lights! All set up forty five minutes later, it was tea time at Riparius, as there was no sign of the Hudson Express. That was fine with me, as I was sure they had not gotten by me. Up in the woods across the street to the right of the scene a deer was snorting at me, impatiently waiting for me to leave so it could come down to the river for a drink. You see, deer are wary and shy for a good reason, moose on the other hand, are not! A moose would just barge straight through enroute to the river no problem. Just before midnight the familiar sound of non-turbocharged 567s accompanied by the sight of the rotating roof top beacon reached me, and shortly afterwards the "Hudson Explorer" pulled in to a stop. The AZER 6070 stopped maybe twenty feet short of my mark, what a sight this engine presents at night! I waited for engineer Tom Carver to issue two short whistle blasts before he started moving towards me, eventually rolling into position as I crouched behind the camera. The flash lighting captures the moment as Tom passes by in the cab of 6070! The image on the lcd monitor presents evidence of another successful friday night on the Saratoga and North Creek! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself doing night photos of an ex-Chicago & North Western E8 wearing the Southern Pacific "Black Widow" paint scheme! Bring on the PA's! Ha,ha,ha! Afterwards I wandered around the manicured grounds along the nearby Hudson, not wanting to give up my seat on "cloud nine" don't you know! And I found an excuse to stay on board by shooting the second attached photo of a historical plaque commemorating the history of the location the current bridge occupies. It may be of interest to you. Shot in Riparius/Riverside, NY on September 3, 2011 at 00:07 with the 5D and Nikkor 14-24/2.8 lens set at 24mm and f2.8. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed. 

All The Best In 2011;

Gary

Amtraks 40th Anniversary

Amtraks 40th Anniversary exhibit train visited Vermont over the three day weekend. Coming and going over the New England Central. Arriving a day earlier than scheduled on Thursday night behind a Genesis engine, I was, of course........gone. Up camping along the SLR, confident on returning Friday night to shoot the train! Railroads, by their nature, make liars out of all of us railfans from time to time, in a helpless sort of way! Ha,ha,ha! SO when I read of the trains scheduled departure on Sunday night, involved backing up the eight or more miles from Burlington to the NECR main in Essex Jct. I monitored the NECR channel from the compound to see if they would actually do that! A quick check on the weather further south showed serious storm warnings, hail, high winds, etc. What a surprise? I was happy sitting this move with a Genesis engine out. Lo and behold, the crew calls the dispatcher for clearance to Essex Jct. with the F40 406 leading! They ran the power around the train somewhere. So I'm thinking, Holy Cow!, surely the crew will take the time to use the wye in Essex Jct. to turn the train and lead with the Genesis engine? Apparently, the dispatcher thought the same thing, as he had the signal on the north leg of the wye lined for them to use. Arriving in Essex Jct., the crew explained to the dispatcher they would like to go right out the south leg of the wye and onto the main, heading south with the 406 leading! Now it's confirmed! They are leading with the 406, oh my gawd! I'm on my way out to the Civic with the backpacks full of flashes. To me, this is the way they should operate this train, with the locomotive that saved Amtrak, EMDs F40 leading. But, no matter, at least they are doing it tonight. So I drive down to Randolph and no sooner position the lights before a heavy rain shower comes along, thankfully ending a few minutes later. My position to shoot from is up in the tree branches atop the stepladder, a place where the slightest movement generates a shower of water! LOL! My golf-size umbrella from La Grange proves to be a problem on its own here as I can't quite get it over the camera without snaring branches thus defeating itself, ha,ha,ha! The rain stops and I try a test exposure, the lcd monitor stays black! I try three more black exposures before I conceed although its not the lens or camera, maybe I have a problem with the lights. After a few minutes of replacing connecting cables and pocket wizards I'm getting an image of the coal shed on the lcd monitor, and with a few more adjustments the lighting falls into place. It must have been the humid air, because I never heard Amtrak blowing for any crossings north of town, suddenly, they are at the crossing maybe half a mile above me. I had been standing atop the stepladder for several minutes and was ready. Once the lighting was working, I was not going to touch a thing! Especially after all that rain. As the headlight glow got stonger, I was thinking this may be the last F40 I cross paths with. And........it's freshly painted, spotless! Rolling slowly past caught in a flash of light, the 406 completes this favorite Vermont scene. The trains you see at night! SHot on August 21, 2011 at 22:26 with a wet 5D and Nikkor 14-24/2.8 lens set at f2.8. A lens that has developed a "cult" following among Canon full frame camera users for its high quality! Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.

 

All The Best In 2011;

Gary Knapp

 

Lee's D&H Update

A few pics as to progress or lack of on my pike. Things got delayed due to building a new workbench and putting down some laminate floor under the new work area. Removal of the old Hadley section ( where the bench is now) and re doing the end of the line took a longer amount of time than anticipated. So for what it's worth here are the pictures.

Enjoy, Lee Schamberger

"The Gulliver Effect"

This chapter just has to be titled "The Gulliver Effect". Up to this point my "Chapters" have been based on detailing the R.O.W. and other scenic elements. This one may seem a little different but, it's really not. On our layouts the people are actually just scenery. They're inanimate unlike our trains and mute unlike the sound systems most have. Gotta have people though and to make them look like they actually represent someone and are doing something, well why not? Making them unique to our layouts, even better. You guys are all top shelf modelers it should be easy. Get out the Optivisor, #11 XActo and filler. Oh yea, tweezers and imagination.

I admit to developing some imagination for this and skill in the use of the tools and materials as long ago as the 70's. I had quite a long lasting adventure building up Historex kits in 54mm to represent all the regiments of French cavalry during the Napoleonic era. This amounted to over 100 figures that came at "Present Arms" and needed animation into more interesting and realistic poses. You do know the advantages of checking out other modeling areas like the automobile, aircraft, ship and military venues?
The workers I'm sending as examples are ones many of you have seen in previous emailed layout photos or saw when visiting but, maybe there are a few new "guys":
These figures represent Me with railfan companions of the 80's Doug Lezette and Bob Dennis. I had to make the cameras and camera bags, change the position of the arms bit. Rob on his bike is straight Preiser.

 Me in my typical Levi's, CPO jacket, O&W cap, Al wearing his gray jacket and brown pants and my Dad with his driver's cap and Mal Houck bow tie. See 1834 re. cameras etc.

My Father-in-law who worked as a dispatcher for Lehigh Cement in Cementon. Remove the original brim hat and in it's place add a hard hat made from epoxy resin cast in a clay press mold and reposition a reaching arm.

 "Hobo catching out" This pose was inspired by a photo Jeff Brouws shared in a NRHS Bulletin article. The original was taken in the 60's by Michael Mathers. There was a lot of arm and leg repositioning in addition to bending the upper body forward by slicing a chunk out of the abdomen. I gave him a blanket roll and wicker valise too.

Adjusting a side view mirror accomplished by extending the reaching arm.

"Break time at the cement plant" No Mods, just grouping figures appropriately.

I worked with only Preiser styrene figures. They have the best proportions of all model figures (in my estimation.)

In the future I intend to talk vehicles but, don't hold your breath. Hope you enjoy and can use some of this,

Wayne Sittner