Greenbrier & Elk River Rail Road, WV

[2996 Victor]

He has just, or is just, starting out on the circuit.

Abbey Street will be at the London Festival of Railway Modelling.

 

Sadly, I don't think I'll make it to the London show, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for it in the press.....

[2996 Victor]

Over the weekend, among other little jobs such as fitting the remaining brake bracket, staff and wheel to the second ore hopper and completing a 40' flat in pseudo-G&ERRR configuration, I also made a start on one of my Bitter Creek 36' Truss-rod Box Car kits (#K-23), which I plan to finish as the box car in the photo in post #13 above.

 

As I think I mentioned previously, while I've been building injection-moulded kits more-or-less successfully since I was a nipper, the Bitter Creek kits are laser-cut wood with a selection of injection-moulded plastic and cast whitemetal detail parts. The method of construction differs signficantly in many ways from an entirely injection-moulded kit and it needs to be approached from a different perspective, but it definitely has structural advantages. Here are a few photos of progress so far.

 

1. The laser-cut underframe glued to the underside of the floor:

 

 

2. The end blocks glued to the top of the floor:

 

 

3 and 4. Roof beams being added:

 

 

 

5. The pedestal bars, body bolsters and brake gear support brackets fitted to the underframe:

 

 

Since the fifth picture, the brake air reservoir and train air line have been added.

 

I've really rather enjoyed it so far, although I would say that the very comprehensive instructions could do with slight amendment insofar as it would be much easier to fit the brake rigging before adding the body bolsters!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

A bit more progress with the 36' Box Car:

 

 

The brake rigging is almost complete, the final couple of rods will be added when the brake staff/bracket/wheel have been added to the car's 'B' end (top right in the photo).

 

Truss rods are the next job.....

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

A little more progress with the 36' Box Car - the truss rods are completed!

 

 

 

The truss rods are formed from 20lb fishing line, which is threaded through pre-drilled holes in the car's floor and held taught and secured with a drop of CA. The turnbuckles are Grandt Line, and threading them onto the fishing line was an interesting challenge for my ever-lengthening eyesight  However, I got there in the end.....

 

The car ends and one side are in place. Don't be fooled - the other side isn't fitted yet as I need to fix some weights inside first.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Here are a few of photos of my first two attempts at the Tichy 40' Flat Cars:

 

 

 

 

The black car is straight from the box, so-to-speak, and will be finished in Chesapeake & Ohio livery, and is running on the kit's Athearn Bettendorf trucks.

 

The red car is built as a representation of the G&ERRR's 40' Flat Cars as recommended by Prof Klyzlr in an earlier post. The car itself is built from the box as a steel-framed car rather than a wood-framed car as would have been original, although I've replaced the kit's Bettendorf trucks with a pair of Tichy's arch-bar trucks to help with the illusion. As the good Prof so eloquently put it, the end result is a good representation of the Cass/Mower logging cars.

 

For comparison purposes, I still intend to try building one or two truss-rod cars based around the Tichy kit with evergreen styrene strip to represent the straight wood frames. It'll interesting to see not only how they compare visually but also in time taken in construction.....

 

The two cars exhibit my first attempts at a wooden deck! I think they look reasonably convincing as they are, and hopefully will look more so when the cars are weathered. Plus the red car needs a pair of Barnhart Loader rails!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Barnhart Loader rails are now added to the red car above, and also to the three other 40-footers currently under construction. A typically-mediocre photograph will follow as soon as I've painted the loader rails.....

[2996 Victor]

Weight added to the 36' Box Car:

 

 

   

 

The weight of the finished car less trucks will be just over 100 grammes, which is what I aim for, and should be about right for it to run nicely.

 

Meanwhile, the red 40' Flat Car has had its' Barnhart rails painted - a bit more work to blend in the colour of the rails with the deck and a burnish with graphite to simulate grease, and it'll be ready to letter and weather!

 

Cheers for now,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Two weeks since my last update! Not much to report as I've been otherwise engaged, firstly in the garage doing car stuff, and latterly having a few days away with the better half.

 

The Bitter Creek box car now has a full complement of side and ends. Still a few small jobs to do on the underframe with regard to brake gear, and I need to add the roof external detailing before I can think about paint.

 

The second 40' flat car remains partially complete, too, although the first one is now approaching being finished.

 

The parts from Tichy Train Group that I ordered to help with my comparison experiment backdating of the flat cars to truss rod underframes arrived last week - sadly a packing error occurred and I'm now awaiting the arrival of the queenposts.....

 

While away, having had some time to mull over some aspects of the revised (read: completely changed) track plan for the layout, I've been thinking of how I can replicate this and incorporate it:

 

 

Of course, the gradients are far too severe for a model to negotiate, but its an archetypal view. I'm not sure its really possible within the confines of a smallish layout, but it's something I'll keep on thinking about, perhaps as an adjunct to the main layout or as a cameo. We'll see!

 

Anyway, back to work!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

And then there were two!

 

 

Another dismal photograph, of course, thanks to poor lighting and a poor camera, but you get the idea!

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Today, there arrived a small envelope that yielded a small piece of corrugated cardboard to which was taped a sprue of parts and upon which was written "Replacement parts - no charge".

 

"Very gracious", thought I, except that instead of the sprue of 10" queenposts I expected to find, it was a sprue of brake stand brackets and handwheels for the 22' ore cars. Which was indeed a very gracious response to an e-mail request I sent to the maker some time since, although in the meantime I had ordered a replacement, which arrived and was fitted as noted in post #77 above.

 

Hopefully, the queenposts will be on their way soon.....

[2996 Victor]

The next 40' Flat Car almost finished - just the brake staff and wheel to add, the wooden deck to wet sand and it's ready for lettering and weathering:

 

 

 

And the brake staff and wheel (along with two intended for my Ashover Light ex-War Department Bogie Wagons!):

 

 

Rather than mount the brake wheels on the wire supplied with the Tichy Train Group kits, they are mounted on brass pins as the pin head gives a better register and helps to keep the wheel "square". The pins are also stiffer than the wire, so hopefully they'll be more resilient over time!

 

Cheers for now,

 

Mark

Edited April 29, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

No progress to report, other than to have re-linked the majority of photographs! Slightly annoying, it's not like they were even on Photobucket

Edited April 30, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear Mark,

 

Not that I want to put a fire under you, but....

 

 

 

 

 

For your inspiration to "git along wid it"...

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

[2996 Victor]

Dear Mark,

 

Not that I want to put a fire under you, but....

 

DSC_1314.jpg

 

DSC_1318.jpg

 

DSC_1313.jpg

 

DSC_1322.jpg

 

For your inspiration to "git along wid it"...

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

 

Hi Prof,

 

thanks for your encouragement - it's certainly welcome at the moment, although lack of time is the issue! I'm still mulling over my track layout, my earlier "design" has been pretty much consigned to history.....

 

Could we have a little more background detail on your project? That water tower - are modelling Cass Depot?

 

Incidentally, the Cass & Mower Logging Trains video has been taken off YouTube - I think Green Frog caught wind of it..... But I got a nice new copy on DVD from Steam Powered Video http://www.spv.co.uk/railroading.shtml and it's had several viewings in the last month or two! SPV's website has got some interesting stuff - it's well worth a look.

 

Finally for now - and please don't laugh or say "I told you so!" - but having now built several of the Tichy 40' Flat Cars out of the box, I can only agree with what you said somewhere above that they make excellent representations of the Cass/Mower cars straight from the box..... 

 

Best regards,

 

Mark

Edited May 7, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

Finally, flat car #3 is finished to the pre-lettering/pre-full-weathering stage! It's taken a bit longer than it should have, but hey ho!

 

I won't bore everyone with a photograph because, let's face it, until it's completely finished and with a load, it looks exactly like the previous two do and all the subsequent ones will.....

 

An interesting photo turned up on t'interweb the other day, of what purports to be a Cass ballast car:

 

 

It shows not only the "M LBR Co" for the Mower Lumber Co, but also the faded "WV P P Co" of the preceding West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co, while the font of the running number looks very similar to that found on the 40' flat cars in Greenbrier & Elk River RR days.....

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Edited May 7, 2018 by 2996 Victor

[2996 Victor]

No tangible progress, as I've been engaged on other things, although the layout design continues through its' umpteenth iteration.

 

Perhaps someone more learned then I (Prof?) could tell me whether logging railroads ever used, in their "more permanent" trackage, a diamond crossing in restriced areas? I would have thought not, but it would be interesting to know if it were a possibility even if a rarity.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark 

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear Mark,

 

It's been a while, and I hope you're still working-your-way along the mission of a G&ER layout,
but know that things don't stand still.... ;-)

 

In no particular order of preference, some-order of time...

 

"Depot #2" , mid-kitbash. Tis is the 2nd Cass Depot I've bashed from a Blair Line kit, 
and yes, I almost had to tear apart the first one to re-learn the mods I'd made the firs-time that I'd since forgotten.
The key reason for "doing it again" was the errant peaked-roof over the bay window
(Evident in the 1st C&O-era Cass Depot, omitted in the 2nd Mower-era Depot, and kludged in the 3rd Cass-Scenic-era Depot)

but the keen-eyed observer will see at least 3 errors in this model "as stands"...
(some are "acceptable model compromises" and "selective squzz-iness" IMHO,
but one major one was not found until a significant time after this pic was taken...)

 

 

"Company Store + Depot Scene Mockup"

 

This was a test to confirm that the relative positions of the Company Store and Depot were "working" in the available space.
The "whoops, shoulda seen that earlier" mistake(s) on the Depot have now been rectified.
(no prizes for spotting them, but Kudos ahoy),

 

and both buildings have LED + Acrylic "Fibre-optic" external lighting.
(The Company Store verandah handrails and suchlike are still pending...)

 

 

As a quick aside, the Train-Order signal is animated, c/o a pair of servos and a TVD Servo driver board. The hope is that we'll end up with:
- Manual push-button "trigger on demand"
- Auto-trigger based on state of the layout operation (a useful "tell" for operators at shows, so they know "what should be happening" at a glance)
- Manual "trigger via DCC on-demand"

 

 

The Mower Lumber loco roster circa 1958-60, Shays #1, #4 and #5 in various states of progress thru the paint and DCC shop.
(Have I ever mentioned how much I hate painting?). Ring-in Cass-Scenic era GE-45 #20 "Little Henry" not-shown,
but will be the "save the show" loco if all of the Mower locos fail... (DCC + sound installed with zero visible cab inpingment).

 

 

...and somewhat later, Shay #1 rolled out of the paintshop with it's circa 1958 "Clown Shay" base paint scheme.
(Again, have I ever said how much I hate painting!?!?!?!)
Weathering to tie the colours together is pending decalling
(another task I despise, barely less than painting...)
which is pending re-confirming of a working "how to create decals using inkjet decal paper and our new Epson printer" procedure.

 

 

Meanwhile, back on the layout, a backdrop starts making things "make more sense"...

 

 

...and a set of "Company Houses" up on the hill start taking shape...
(Whether the 3rd house will have it's rear enclosed-landing "under construction" as-shown, or "complete like it's neighboours" is still under debate...
...Yes, I'd appreciate feedback on which option would be better, esp for Exhibition purposes...!)

 

 

...and, for wrap-up laughs, a mockup of Mower #5 shoving a rake of MT flats back up the hill for another load,
while C&O Brill #9055 arrives at Cass, on it's way south to Ronceverte... (#9055 has been thru the DCC shop, pending weathering...)

 

BTW, spot the "out of Mower era" mistake on the Company Store...
(seriously, after the number of hours spent pouring over reference pics,
I nearly caused myself a concussion slapping-myself in the forehead,...
...unfortunately there's no way to patch the problem without destroying the model,
and I'm not in the position to build-it-again, so some strategic scene-composition-subterfuge and "Only those who have spent as many hours researching as I have will notice" cold-comfort will have to pick up the slack... :-( ;-)  ).

 

 

Now, Mark, I don't want to be hanging out modelling Cass on my own,
so look forward to seeing your progress soonish... :-)

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by Prof Klyzlr
.

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear RMWebbers,

 

Darn, it would appear we've lost Mark.... :-(

 

...anyone else modelling G&ER, Cass Lumber, Mower Lumber, or C&O Greenbrier Sub?

(or am I just "whistlin' dixie" down here?) 

 

EDIT: just saw news reports of major flooding in parts of England, hope this finds everyone OK!!! (totally understand if the need to survive flooding is taking precedence over browsing RMWeb... ;-)  ) 

 

Happy modelling, 

Aiming to Improve, 

Prof Klyzlr 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Prof Klyzlr
Flood understanding

[mdvle]

Maybe there will be more interest if KR Models produces the Shay that have indicated they are considering (and if they get enough crowd funders considering the struggle of Prototype Junction).

[mdvle]

Maybe there will be more interest if KR Models produces the Shay that have indicated they are considering (and if they get enough crowd funders considering the struggle of Prototype Junction).

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear MDVLE,

 

Um, "KR models"? Have to say I've never heard of them,

(is there a link to the model or the crowd-fund project?),

 

but I've got a complete 1958-1960 Mower Lumber Shay roster now as shown above,

(Sans the obvious "C&O 150ton Shay cab narrowed and gothic-arched onto Shay #1" mod to the near-correct-as-is PFM 3-trucker, and readily achievable using an MDC 3 trucker),

 

using only patience, hobby budgeting, and the knowledge of what's already available,

 

so I'm not sure "waiting for another model to be produced" is really a showstopper to modelling the Cass area/operation right-now... ;-)

 

EDIT: Just saw the KR Models rendering... Looks like a gorgeous "Pacific Coast Shay" 2-trucker, imminently suitable for a Canadian (BC) or Washington / Oregon logger...

(a HO Gumstump with a small fleet of Kadee disconnects or skels on the nose? ;-) ) 

 

...but as the only "standard format" (not "Pacific Coast" design) 2trucker "First #1" was sold off early as not-suitable for the climb from Cass to Bald Knob, replaced with the MDC/PFM-esque "Second #1"

(a la the re-cabbed red+green+black "clown Shay" circa 1958, as per above),

 

And with everything else on-roster being either 3 or 4-truck in format,

I'm not sure I see the KR Model as being either hindrance or encouragement to the keen "Cass logging" modeller....

 

...that said, I _could_ see it being a dandy donor mech for a "modernised" On30 shay, with the PCS plate trucks and a steel cab a la Wisemans Models or the Blackwood Miniatures kits of yore...

(certainly something different to the no-longer-available IIRC B'mann Class A 2-trucker... ;-)  ) 

 

Happy Modelling, 

Aiming to Improve, 

Prof Klyzlr 

[mdvle]

Despite being based out of Alberta, KR Models started out with 2 UK crowd-funded models - the GT3 Turbine (tooled up and close to production) and the recently announced possible Fell (threads in the Smaller Suppliers section of RMweb for anyone interested).

 

And while the teased Shay may not be accurate for what you are doing, like a lot of things it may be good enough as a RTR plastic model to get people interested in shay locomotives again, even for a layout based around the east coast where any model may be viewed as better than no model for those who don't want to go down the brass or other older model route.

 

 

[2996 Victor]

On 11/02/2020 at 00:30, Prof Klyzlr said:

Dear RMWebbers,

 

Darn, it would appear we've lost Mark.... :-(

 

...anyone else modelling G&ER, Cass Lumber, Mower Lumber, or C&O Greenbrier Sub?

(or am I just "whistlin' dixie" down here?) 

 

EDIT: just saw news reports of major flooding in parts of England, hope this finds everyone OK!!! (totally understand if the need to survive flooding is taking precedence over browsing RMWeb... ;-)  ) 

 

Happy modelling, 

Aiming to Improve, 

Prof Klyzlr 

 

Hi Prof!

 

It's great to see the fantastic progress you've been making on your layout - it's going to be a stunner when it's finished!

 

Apologies for not having posted anything for an absolute age, and I only happened to stumble on your post accidentally when I was thinning out some of the threads I've been following.

 

I'd like to be able to say that I've made progress, but sadly, stagnation set in to a great degree, due largely to my inability to arrive at a layout design that I'm happy with! In the meantime, I've been building stock for UK-outline layouts, designed but not under way yet, and WV has slipped off the radar to a great extent. A short period of being "between jobs" has found me selling a few treasured possessions, among which was my Bachmann Shay, which for all its faults was a sad moment. Not irreversible, though! I've also relocated, within the UK, so that's been a massive upheaval.

 

As far as a layout is concerned, I've been leaning more and more toward a representation of a switchback as, if I read OBL correctly, some degree switching would occur on both upward and downward runs depending on what cars were in the consist. This would allow, I think, a fair degree of interest operationally, but has the downside of needing to be quite long - if I remember correctly, the switchback loops on the G&ERRR could handle thirteen 40ft cars? Any idea of how the switchbacks were arranged would be welcome.....

 

Interesting news about the KR models Shay - I've seen their adverts for their GT03 and Fell in the UK modelling press - shame it doesn't sound more versatile, but I'll have a look anyway!

 

With kindest regards,

 

Mark

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear Mark, RMWebbers,

 

Well, I just received the debut Invite to Exhibit for the not-yet-finished "Cass" layout...
(due date : 6th - 8th June)

 

...wish me luck!

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

[NickBrad]

Best of luck Prof, (not that you need luck, I'm sure it will be a great success).