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Plant City Florida Potato Spur


fulton
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Back to my very first question as to the purpose of the fenced in compound, I've just done what I should have done at first, checked the Google Earth time line, which shows, up to 2014 Triest Irrigation was regularly full of tank cars five number with another five tank cars in the compound with the gates shut, they seem to have stopped receiving tank cars after that year. Also showed up Incyro Services building was built in 2008. So my model will be dated between 2008 and 2014. Photo of the entrance to the compound.

PC 13.jpg

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Just finished the chain link fencing, around 18' of it, I used the Alkem Scale Models etched stainless steel, with 0.8 mm brass posts soldered on, using Carrs brown label flux this worked very well. have fitted Perspex protection 2" high, I do not really like this but I just know the fencing at the edge WILL get damaged by me most probably!IMG_0356.JPG.96bc8b025f99e0f94651afd108f0cacc.JPG

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Boards back together now and running trains, want to test everything before adding scenery, have used Blocksignalling servos to open and shut the three pairs of gates, a learning curve for me, they work but need the linkages sorted, when the boards are apart again, have learnt a lot.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Scenery has been progressing, using the Green Scenes static applicator and various 1mm, 4mm, and 6mm fibres from Green Scene, Peco and Nock. Palm trees from Reality in Scale, other trees and bushes saved from my previous layout. Realized I am short of correct freight cars, particularly mechanical reefers and centre beams. Next layout items are utility poles some 18 of them, plan to use brass tube as plastic one always seem to get broken or bow.  

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This is looking fantasic - the spread out nature of the layouts really helps create a realsitic scene. 

 

Perhaps the "unofficial security guard" at Cook Construction could be moved from the pond and deployed closer to the fencing to deter damage!

 

Nick 

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Having visited Plant City in 2016, I can say that you're really capturing the essence of the area extremely well.

 

If it helps any, GP35 #4420 was on switching duties for the various industries along the route the Potato Spur is on when we were there.

 

It also had a shoving platform on the end of its train. Might help with operational interest.

Edited by DanielB
Correcting a date.
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12 minutes ago, fulton said:

Thank you, attached dated 1/2016, switching the spur with shoving platform on main, which class of loco is this?

shoving platform12016.jpg

From the three fans and boxy dynamic blister possibly a GP60?

 

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1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

From the three fans and boxy dynamic blister possibly a GP60?

 

 

CSX doesn't appear to have had GP60's, so likely a GP40-2 though something 6-axle could always be a rare possibility.

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There is room in the "head shunt" for a loco plus 4 cars, in my playing trains the layout seems to work well with 4-5 cars spotted at the industries, the train arrives with 4-5 cars plus shoving platform, switches then departs with 4-5 cars pushing the train back. My staging has room for three trains, I find my layouts work better, more fluid, with less rather than more cars.

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When I was at Plant City in 2017 I saw the 'shoving platform' (old bay window caboose) in action.

It was a GP40 on the train. Can't recall the number as I lost the video I took of it when my last phone went pop, & I hadn't backed up the file. :fool: :banghead:

 

Edit: re the CSX GP60s - they were also a 'one off' design with rounded cab corners, an experiment apparently with some mild streamlining. Looked quite odd, really, but also meant the Atlas O Scale GP60 in CSX livery was inaccurate. :rolleyes:

Edited by F-UnitMad
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When GP 35 4420 was mentioned, it seemed familiar and yes I have the KATO model, one of my first US locos bought second hand at the Folkestone exhibition, some twenty years ago. Very nice model, I fitted DCC but the loco went out of favour on my, now gone, garage layout as there was NO play in the bogies to allow for change of gradient. Plant City is flat so I will look to see about fitting sound and giving the model new life, even if it has the earlier livery.

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17 hours ago, fulton said:

What a great video. The shoving platform was not the one I was expecting to see, another modelling project.

 

I've got a few more from Plant City on that old channel, but I only got to spend a few hours there.

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