D&RGW narrow gauge: Back to scenics.

[JZ]

Well, my package left LAX for the 7th time last night and has finally arrived and departed Heathrow.

 

In the meantime, I finally made some abutments for the bridge.

Made a single one with odd bits of Wills random stone and made a latex mould from it. Then castings were made using Herculite2. This is much harder than normal plaster of Paris and takes paint best when not completely dried out, well I find it so anyway. This bridge will go on the Creede-like layout I will build for exhibiting. I'll be getting a custom made board for this with a 40mm dropped centre section.

Edited February 20, 2022 by JZ

[2996 Victor]

Great work on the bridge abutments, it's looking really good and the bridge will make a great feature on the exhibition layout.

 

Incidentally, not sure if you knew but there's a very interesting article on the Creede branch in Colorado Rail Annual No.14.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[JZ]

1 hour ago, 2996 Victor said:

Incidentally, not sure if you knew but there's a very interesting article on the Creede branch in Colorado Rail Annual No.14.

 

Cheers,

Mark

I will look that up. Thanks.

[JZ]

13 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Incidentally, not sure if you knew but there's a very interesting article on the Creede branch in Colorado Rail Annual No.14.

 

Cheers,

Mark

Managed to track down a copy at a reasonable price.. Thanks Mark

[JZ]

Just won a Blackstone supply car on eBay. These are very rare and usually fetch in the high 70s over here. I got it for a reasonable £36.80, whereas a Micro-Trains reefer went 20 minutes earlier for almost £50. Usually in the 20-30 region.

Also picked up a Jordan Models 1925 Ford Roadster. While it may be out of period, I will be doing it up like this Buick (?) I came across in Silverton.

The white flecks in the picture is snow. It was June after all.

[BernardTPM]

 

Well, with cars having something older than usual is possible*; it's having them warp back from a future date that's 'wrong'.

 

* There's a Mk3 Cortina estate locally on the school run.

[2996 Victor]

11 hours ago, JZ said:

Managed to track down a copy at a reasonable price.. Thanks Mark

Excellent! There's also an interesting article on the Lake City branch as well.

6 hours ago, JZ said:

Just won a Blackstone supply car on eBay. These are very rare and usually fetch in the high 70s over here. I got it for a reasonable £36.80, whereas a Micro-Trains reefer went 20 minutes earlier for almost £50. Usually in the 20-30 region.

Also picked up a Jordan Models 1925 Ford Roadster. While it may be out of period, I will be doing it up like this Buick (?) I came across in Silverton.

The white flecks in the picture is snow. It was June after all.

Well done with the supply car, I saw it but it's too late for my period.

The Ford could be hot-rodded as was popular after the war.

Cheers,

Mark

[JZ]

The supply car is a welcome addition the the work train.

L-R. Long caboose(E&B Valley) 43' fishbelly flat car(Western Rails, 3D printed) Tool car(Rail-Line) Water Service car(Alamosa Car Shops) Section Men Bunk Car(Leadville designs)

 

 

C-19 342 never had a later style headlight, but others in the class did, so I will be updating this with a replacement from Shapeways.

Here she is, already in the scrap line at Alamosa in 1935.

 

3 years later and dismantling has begun.

343 sits behind, the next to be dismantled.

343 was loaned to the Colorado & Southern for a while. Here she is in Denver, September 1936.

As can be seen, it did have the later headlight. Also fitted with a signature C&S 'beartrap' spark arrester. As I must get spark arresters for the whole fleet, I might just add one of these to the order.

Whatever I choose to do, it needs a damn good weathering.

Flying Grande herald?

To me, the placing on 345 looks odd, so I think I'll leave that.

Edited February 21, 2022 by JZ

[2996 Victor]

Work train looks great!

[JZ]

1 hour ago, 2996 Victor said:

Work train looks great!

Need to find a suitable dozer or shovel to sit on the flatcar.

[JZ]

My bits from Shapeways arrived today. Sort of. Email to say they would be here between 9 and 12. At 9:30 another email to say they would be with me shortly. It seems UPS and I have a different interpretation of shortly. At 1 I get another email saying the driver has been delayed and now it's 'end of day'. At 2:30 I hear a van pull up outside, so I go to look out and see the driver walking down my neighbours path and get into his van. I run down stairs but he pulls away. An hour or so later I get another email to say it's ready to pick up from my local Costcutter. Jump in the car and head down there to be told that they haven't got it. Owner checks his list and it's definitely not there. Now fuming, I had just had another problem with Amazon, I get home to contact UPS customer service. What a waste of time. All automated until they finally put you through to a 'real' person. The phone cuts off and goes dead. Try ringing Costcutter. Give them the details. Yes, they have it. Why didn't they say when I went there then. Oh, we didn't realise it was UPS. This was despite showing you the email which said UPS?. Now collcting them on the way to work tomorrow.

As for my package from Colorado? Well, that been sat in customs since Saturday.

 

Oh well. I got some wheels regauged for the OM rotary.

Back to work tomorrow for a return to sanity.

Edited February 22, 2022 by JZ

[JZ]

Apologies for my rant yesterday, just something I wanted to get off my chest. Now on my way to collect my Shapeways and the Colorado NG stuff has now left customs.

[2996 Victor]

Frustrating beyond measure  Hope you've managed to collect the stuff successfully!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Keith Addenbrooke]

17 hours ago, JZ said:

My bits from Shapeways arrived today. Sort of. Email to say they would be here between 9 and 12. At 9:30 another email to say they would be with me shortly. It seems UPS and I have a different interpretation of shortly. At 1 I get another email saying the driver has been delayed and now it's 'end of day'. At 2:30 I hear a van pull up outside, so I go to look out and see the driver walking down my neighbours path and get into his van. I run down stairs but he pulls away. An hour or so later I get another email to say it's ready to pick up from my local Costcutter. Jump in the car and head down there to be told that they haven't got it. Owner checks his list and it's definitely not there. Now fuming, I had just had another problem with Amazon, I get home to contact UPS customer service. What a waste of time. All automated until they finally put you through to a 'real' person. The phone cuts off and goes dead. Try ringing Costcutter. Give them the details. Yes, they have it. Why didn't they say when I went there then. Oh, we didn't realise it was UPS. This was despite showing you the email which said UPS?. Now collcting them on the way to work tomorrow.

As for my package from Colorado? Well, that been sat in customs since Saturday.

 

Oh well. I got some wheels regauged for the OM rotary.

Back to work tomorrow for a return to sanity.

 

Not the worst rant I’ve ever seen (though I think I’ve only read the edited version ).  While this was a particularly bad day, it’s a reminder that the cost and associated trials of mail order deliveries form an inescapable part of a lot of modelling - particularly when it comes to Overseas Prototypes and ‘non-mainstream’ interests: it is part of the story, something which “finished layout” articles in magazines aren’t set up to share.  As @2996 Victor says, I hope you’ve now got the stuff.

[JZ]

Looking rather ghostly is the MoW vehicle from Shapeways.

 

Probably paint the chassis black and the body MoW gray, actually Ford dove grey, with wood coloured stakeside.

 

[JZ]

New headlamp fitted. It will need another couple of coats of black to stop light seepage, but it does illuminate the number.

[JZ]

The supply car is here.

Sat next to the Rail-Line one I did. It shows my choice of grey was pretty close to Blackstone's.

[JZ]

A bit more detail shows with a coat of primer.

Body not attached to chassis yet. With this, you buy a chassis, then there are 3 body styles, stakeside, this, tanker and flatbed. Each of these is available winter, with engine bay closed and doors on body, Summer, with door and engine bay panels removed, and undergoing maintenance, with engine bay panels raised. But as it's always summer on our layouts.......

Edited February 23, 2022 by JZ

[pH]

1 hour ago, JZ said:

A bit more detail shows with a coat of primer.

Body not attached to chassis yet. With this, you buy a chassis, then there are 3 body styles, stakeside, this, tanker and flatbed. Each of these is available winter, with engine bay closed and doors on body, Summer, with door and engine bay panels removed, and undergoing maintenance, with engine bay panels raised. But as it's always summer on our layouts.......

Is that a gosling?

[JZ]

After posting this in one of the HOn3 groups, I picked up some information on these. While this one is generic, several 3ft lines built similar vehicles. I questioned the retention of the steering wheel, but was told that not only were there still some hand controls, the steering could be unlocked and they were sometimes driven to the nearest gas station to fill up.

[JZ]

Ready for some weathering.

[JZ]

Should I number it? Maybe 8? It follows on from the Geese, although this isn't RGS, or even D&RGW for that matter. Maybe find some suitable, nondescript MoW decals and put them on. Rooting around in the bits and bobs box, I have found an oil drum, toolbox and pickaxes, spades, forks and hammers for the back.

[JZ]

In other news, I've bought a pub!

Actually, I'm a shareholder in a community purchase. It's at Limpley Stoke, close to the former station(more or less behind the telegraph pole) and start of the Camerton branch. Loads of work to do before it gets reopened, as it has been closed for a couple of years and much of the pub fitting have been removed. We are planning to get it done before Christmas.

[JZ]

A day late, but here's 'picture of the month'.

492 with an empty pipe train from Farmington at Oxford. CO. March 5th 1958.

There are few earthworks at Oxford, but the route can still be made out more than 50 years since abandonment.

Edited March 2, 2022 by JZ
More info

[JZ]

Tempted by this magnificent beast.

Sumpter Valley Railway 2-6-6-2. Maybe if the D&RGW bought them when the Uintah Railway closed.

The model itself is by PFM/United and dates from 1966. Apparently very little run and has sat in a box for most of those years. It will definitely need re-motoring and maybe new gearboxes and drive. Articulated like the real thing, with fixed rear bogie and swinging front. Mmmmmmm............