Benson Arkansas

[Broadoak]

No Dan this is the real Bill Gates, he of Alameda Fame. I don't know the other one, something to do with computers I think.

 

Seriously poor Bill had a stroke some years ago so I don't think he models anymore. He was a very talented guy.

 

Peter M

[Broadoak]

 

Another important industry served by the railroad is lumber,  here we see a CF7 in AD&N livery rolling over the grade crossing and the small creek at Colonel's Crossing with a cut of box cars.

 

 

A RI chop nosed geep seen at the same location as the photo above coming in to Colonel's crossing to collect a cut of pulpwood flat cars. The back scene is supposed to represent the rolling hills covered in lush forests found in south west Arkansas. I painted it using artist's acrylics in tubes, they give a more dense colour not dissimilar to oil paints.

 

Peter M

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

 

An SP SW1500 hustles a short train of covered hoppers out of Benson on its way to Colonel's Crossing.

 

 

Later that same day we see two views of the immaculate SP SW1500 during a break for beans outside the Farmer's Co-op elevator at Colonel's Crossing.
The stake truck belongs to a local farmer who is collecting some fertiliser and seeds.

The flat concrete area is grey board (used by printers for making pads) several layers glued down and painted with a light grey emulsion. Magnolia is the base colour with a little black and a touch of green mixed in. When dry it was given several very thin washes of grey to vary the colour. Cracks in the concrete were added with a fine black marker.

 

Peter M

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

A couple of shots showing TVRR #8 a chop nosed geep she too is an Athearn blue box that I have chopped the nose on, added a GE cab, removed the dynamic brake blister and added a Paducah type yoke. She is seen working in the yard at Colonel's Crossing and then rolling over Colonel's Creek.

These pictures were taken against the original back scene which Colonel's Crossing had when it was exhibited before I re-painted it to look like forest covered hills it has now.

 

 

Some years later we see TVRR #8 working in the yard with a load of empty pulpwood flat cars. She is now running on GE trucks which are not so popular with the crews as the original Blomberg ones.

 

Peter M

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

The Rockville Building Supply Company make roof trusses, window frames and other general architectural wood work using locally sourced lumber. The finished products are shipped out in excess height box cars for the roof trusses and ordinary box or flat cars for the rest.
This is the bog standard Atlas kit with added details and figures.

 

 

 

A Rock Island SW1500 #942, one of ten, in the livery it carried when first purchased from EMD is seen switching an ATSF covered hopper in the back siding at Colonel's Crossing.
These locomotives had the optional Flexicoil trucks and due to their high tractive effort made then useful as transfer power and ultimately as slug control units.

 

 

A dark blue pick up truck takes a chance and nips across the grade Crossing while a switching move is in progress.

It would seem you get idiots on models as well as in real life.

 

Peter M
 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

 

A Boston & Maine geep is setting back with a cut of pulpwood flat cars in the siding next to the Midas Cement facility in Benson east yard.
The model is another of Andy's who always brings some locomotives from eastern road for a run, as at this time he didn't have a layout at home.

A farmer's truck being loaded with cut lumber for use on his own farm.

 

Peter M

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

 

I have found a better picture to show the ore cars being worked through the loader and the two F7 road switchers waiting on the team track.
When exhibiting I liked using the two F units but my other helpers did not, they always ran conventional road switchers like an SP SD45 or an SP SD7 Cadillac.
The blue box Athearn Cadillac growled from new and it still does some twenty odd years and many hours of trouble free running later.

 

Peter M

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

A selection of pictures showing RI #947 an EMD SW1500 switcher wearing the bankruptcy blue livery she wore in the later part of the 1970's. She is seen arriving with two RI empty covered hoppers to be loaded at the Western Grain Co elevator at Colonel's Crossing.
In the foreground is the premises of KAP lumber, who manage much of the forestry in the area.
In the background is the depot and a water tower. The latter belongs to a local preservation society who run the occasional train. Although I have never seen a steam loco on the layout.

 

Peter M
 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[Broadoak]

 

A couple of pictures of an interesting yard switcher seen trundling about the west yard at Benson.
It is an SP Baldwin S12 with extra lights at both ends to permit switching 24 hours a day in San Francisco.
In reality the locomotive was traded in against more modern motive power.
In my model world though it has been sent to Arkansas to help out a motive power shortage on the SP.
This too is a much modified Athearn blue box model with a Mashima motor.

 

Peter M
 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

Here we see the AD&N no 1513 at the back of the Trisco Flour mill, a view you can’t normally see as it is taken from the back of the layout with the camera on the track.

She is now dirtier than in some earlier pictures she had taken. I often do this, a little work staining at first then after a while I add a little more weathering with thin washes of acrylic colour. It looks more natural that way I think.

I must admit I rather like the CF7 and so did many real short lines.
I was told that in reality that they were not very popular with their crews being draughty and uncomfortable. That is the thing with a model we are able to run what ever suits us.

Photo by Andy Knott

 

I regret this photo no longer exists in my files.

 

Peter M

Edited April 30, 2018 by Broadoak

[MikeHohn]

 

I have found a better picture to show the ore cars being worked through the loader and the two F7 road switchers waiting on the team track.

When exhibiting I liked using the two F units but my other helpers did not, they always ran conventional road switchers like an SP SD45 or an SP SD7 Cadillac.

The blue box Athearn Cadillac growled from new and it still does some twenty odd years and many hours of trouble free running later.

 

Peter M

I have an MDC Alco RS-3 that I've been running on our club layout for a couple of decades. It has an Athearn drive, but I replaced the wheel sets and installed a decoder. It runs nice and slow on almost any condition of track. Old reliable. But it makes so much noise with all that knashing of gears that one member asked if it had a sound unit. I should have replied in the affirmative, that he was hearing authentic Alco sound. I'm a truthful guy though.

Mike

[Broadoak]

 

 

A couple of pictures taken by Andy Knott of the TVRR Alco S2, another Bill Gates special rolling over the grade crossing at Benson. One was taken in daylight and the other, well actually that was taken in daylight as well, but photo-shopped by Andy.

 

Peter M

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

 

 

Another one of Andy Knott’s locos this one is brand new and not fitted for DCC unlike most of his other locos. (It was at a price he couldn’t resist, about £20.) It is the latest version of the Bachmann 44 tonner with a central motor instead of the two separate powered trucks that they used to have.

The plain yellow livery is perfect for an industrial or fictitious short line.

The 44 tonner is seen switching cars at Colonel’s Crossing. The structure on the left is scratch built in plasticard and thin card from a plan (probably Chris Ellis) in Scale Model Trains many years ago. The building next to the UP box car is a freelance structure that I made to fit the site. The buildings in the back ground are actually pen and wash drawings on cartridge paper glued to the back scene.

 

Peter M

Edited April 30, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

Later that same day we find that she has trundled round to Benson with a CNW covered hopper of cement for the Medusa cement co.

 

Peter M

Edited February 2, 2019 by Broadoak
missing pics

[DanielB]

I have an MDC Alco RS-3 that I've been running on our club layout for a couple of decades. It has an Athearn drive, but I replaced the wheel sets and installed a decoder. It runs nice and slow on almost any condition of track. Old reliable. But it makes so much noise with all that knashing of gears that one member asked if it had a sound unit. I should have replied in the affirmative, that he was hearing authentic Alco sound. I'm a truthful guy though.

Mike

 

I've got an old Atlas RS3 in N scale that is pretty much the same, by the sounds of things!

[MikeHohn]

I hear ya!

[DanielB]

I'm pretty sure if you listen carefully the next time I run my RS3, you'll hear that too.

[Broadoak]

My old friend Andy Knott, the guy who took these photographs comes up from time to time to play trains. He has only a small layout at home so it is a good way of giving his locos a bit of a gallop.
He is the owner of this all singing and dancing Conrail GE B23-7 road switcher. Two wires connected by crocodile clips to my DC set up and we had the benefits of full sounds etc.

 

 

Firstly we see No 2810 about to rumble over Colonel’s Creek with a small pulpwood train.

 

 

Conrail #2810 a GE 23-7 four axle switcher spotting cars at Benson.
The large building (Redwing Milling) is a scratch built grain elevator complex made from a plasticard shell covered with corrugated iron sheeting. I re-scaled an N scale drawing in a magazine of an actual prototype in Montana. I painted it white originally but it looked a bit too stark, I think it looks better in this more muted shade.

 

 

 

An unusual view taken from the grade crossing at Benson looking towards Arkansas Feed Co. GE # 2810 is switching a cut of cars in the loop. Andy took this picture using a good quality Canon compact camera. There isn’t room for an SLR.
 

Peter M

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[MikeHohn]

Very effective photography. I especially like the head-on photo. Railroad cops were probably not very happy about your blatant trespassing.

 

Mike

Edited December 2, 2014 by MikeHohn

[Broadoak]

Thanks Mike, Andy took the photo actually.

 

Shots taken at a low level look more realistic I think. 

 

 

Peter M

[Broadoak]

Another of Andy’s DCC equipped locomotives this time an Alco RS-36 in Delaware & Hudson colours. I weathered the trucks and lower sections for him to match a photo of the locomotive in a book he has. It is the only one with this colour scheme on the
roster.

 

D&H #5015 pulling a cut of cars out of the farmer's co-op siding at Colonel's Crossing.

 

 

 

 

 

Three pictures of the Alco working in the sidings at Benson east yard.

It's interesting that like many people Andy is a big fan of Alco diesels.

The guy who used to run the post office in a village near to where I live, when a young man worked for Canadian Pacific as a mechanic. He detested Alcos (MLW), he said they were awful to work on and he much preferred EMD products.

 

 

Peter M

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

 

I bought the Athearn EMD GP40x UP #95 when doing a local show with my narrow gauge exhibition layout. They are very similar looking to a GP 40-2 but with different trucks and flared radiators. It was at a bargain price and as the Union Pacific were all over Arkansas it seemed a good idea. It looked good and ran very well.
I didn't notice the handrail that needed glueing back in place until I loaded the photos on the pc. Modern models are much more delicate than the old blue box jobs.

 

 

Having got a GP40X what I needed now was a standard GP 40 -2 for a comparison. Luck was on my side when I visited an exhibition in Armitage and bought a UP version along with a couple of road tractor units at a very attractive price.
UP 1349 is seen here spotting a Rock Island covered hopper at the Farmer’s Coop elevator at CC. The elevator is a lightly modified Con-Cor plastic kit.

 

 

A view photographed from the flat roof on top of the flour mill at Benson showing the two UP geeps coming out of the flour mill head shunt track.
Between the house next to the crossing and the large grain mill can be seen a modified Ratio provender goods store. It now has much shorter legs and is painted to blend in with the grain mill. The back scene is painted with acrylics and has pen and wash drawings of suitable structures glued to it.

 

Peter M
 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[Broadoak]

 

Rock Island U33B rolls over the grade crossing at Benson. These were the heaviest four axle switchers the Rock ever owned and were intended for pool service with the UP at North Platte. I bought this model second hand very cheaply because it was in a very damaged and tatty condition and with a wide fly wheel less motor. I cleaned it up straightened the hand rails added more details and weathered it. I lastly fitted a conventional modern Athearn motor and it has performed perfectly ever since.

 

 

 

No 286 shows off part of its profile having spotted some cars in the flour mill head shunt at Benson. The tall cylindrical structure at the back seen behind the telegraph pole is a vertical tank store used for storing fertiliser at R E Lee farm supplies. Another concoction from the spares box, and an excuse to spot a tank car from time to time. It is another model that takes up very little room if you are a bit pushed for space and who isn't?.

 

Peter M
 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak

[DanielB]

That provender store conversion is brilliant, I'd have never spotted it's origin if you hadn't mentioned it. Might have to get one of those myself for a similar purpose.

 

I've been trying to find ways to Americanise model structure kits manufactured for the UK market for a while, and will be posting up some of my attempts as time goes on I guess.

[Broadoak]

 

 

A couple of pictures of an SW1500 no 1318 wearing the UP livery with Mopac lettering which it wore for a short time.
The switcher is seen working the yard at Colonel’s Crossing having brought in a train of covered hoppers from Hope AR.
I read somewhere that these locomotives could be very hot to work in during the Summer due to the large area of glass, a bit like a greenhouse I should think!

 

Peter M
 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Broadoak