Broadoak

Peter M

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my day at Wrec-rail an event that I have not attended before. I was on my own with Two Sisters but was offered help to unload as soon as I arrived. This is how all exhibitions should be run, what a superb relaxed atmosphere there was. So here are a few random pictures in no particular order I managed to take during the day. Special thanks to Bev who kept us fed and watered all day. Peter M

The layout and its motive power and stock have all been checked over and are now loaded in the car ready for an early start tomorrow morning. It is a show I have never done before so I am looking forward to doing it. Regards Peter M

I did a small local show recently with my regular helper Andy Knott who was in David Baily mode and took a few pictures. A touch more arty than the usual fare I think. Peter M

Having spotted the covered hoppers the crew of the SW1500 head back to the yardmaster’s grounded caboose to have a break for some beans and await their next assignment. Peter M

As the loading of the pulpwood is being completed the yard goat, a Rock Island SW1500 wearing a coat of bankruptcy blue spots the grain cars at the flour mill. While the SW1500 spots the incoming grain cars the chop nosed jeep leaves with the loaded pulpwood cars for Louisiana and the Continental Can Mill. Peter M

Thank you for the information Dave it is most interesting. You are perfectly right I have never seen a loaded pulpwood car. In fact I have never seen any sort of American freight car of any sort, having never been to the States. I have relied for information by reading articles in the American press about real and modelled railroads and watching videos. Therefor my information is very limited from the bits and pieces I have found over the years. So any shortcomings you will have to put down to ignorance on my part. I am pleased that you have looked at the thread. Once again thank you for your interest. Kind regards Peter M

A Rock Island chop nose GP 9 arrives with a small train of loaded hoppers full of grain. The CRP as a whole did not approve of chopped noses which were deemed to be an unnecessary expense even in 1975. She leaves the cars in the loop and runs round the train then backs into the pulp wood loading siding and couples up to pulp wood cars that are still being loaded. Peter M

While the crew of the RI U-boat have a break and a meal in a local diner the switcher crew make up a train for the U-boat to return to the RI main line with. Peter M

In the area surrounding Benson in south west Arkansas one of the most important source of revenue for the railroad is the lumber industry. When the open cast bauxite mine at Colonel’s Crossing became exhausted the overburden was replaced and the whole area planted with Pine and Aspen. These trees are fast growing, reaching maturity in three to five years and are a renewable resource that provides much of the lumber shipped out on the Rock Island via the I&W main line. A RI U33B arrives with a train of empty pulpwood flats which it spots in the loop and runs down to the loco servicing area. The yard goat that day, a RI SW1500 pushes the cars into the pulp loading track. Peter M

# 382 sorts out cars to be removed to make up an outbound train and inbound loads to be spotted at their respective customers. #382 GP38-2 has made up its outbound train in the loop at Benson. Runs round its train then heads out of town for the I&W main line to Hope. Peter M

The Rock Island covered hopper is cut out of the train and pushed into the Trisco flour mill siding for unloading. Peter M

I bought a selection of second hand model railway magazines for a few pence each the other day from a local charity shop. When I got them home I was surprised to find they were all fairly recent and in the May 2018 issue of Model Rail on page 77, I found part of a photograph taken by Chris Nevard of Two Sister’s Farm. It was in a section of the magazine under the heading of Cameo ideas for your layout. There were three in total, each consisting of a small photograph and a caption. The picture is on page 7 of this thread and the caption is as follows. Clucking about: This innovative layout features countless cameos, but we love the free-range hens, pottering happily about the undergrowth. It must admit finding it was a very pleasant surprise. Regards Peter M

This session features the second I&W GP 38-2 # 382 the one without dynamic brakes, I don’t know why but I prefer the clean lines on the long hood on this one. She is seen arriving with a cut of mixed cars that will be loaded at Benson later. The first job on arrival is to spot the RI covered hopper of wheat at the Trisco flour mill. Peter M

Daniel, When I still worked doing a normal if somewhat stressful job, I found that thirty minutes or so spent switching the yard a good way to set yourself up for the horrors of the real world. I still do find shuffling a few cars round the layout relaxing. It’s a benefit I had never thought of, having a model railroad at home so it can be operated whenever the mood takes. Kind regards Peter M

Having got the box car of feed out and returned all the cars back in their original positions, the Alco makes up it small train. The box car of feed to the chicken farm and the empty fuel tank car back to Rosston Peter M

Here we see the Alco clearing the long siding next to the Redwing Milling elevator to collect the box car of feed from Arkansas Feeds. Peter M

The crew of the Alco are told to pick up a boxcar loaded with bagged chicken feed for a farm some distance away. The farm is situated on a trailing spur from the I&W main line to Rosston, so it won’t take long to uncouple the car and back it into the spur. They can also return the now empty fuel oil car at the same time to save another working. Arkansas Feeds is situated at the end of a long track at the back that has other industries on it, so it means extra work clearing the headshunt to enable the removing of the box car full of feed. This adds a little operational interest. Peter M

Sorry about the previous post, I’m still getting used to Flickr. When the I&W geep leaves to make up its train for the pulp mill at Hodge LA, the Alco backs out with the fuel car and runs around it in the loop. It is now in a position to push the car back next to the tank for the transfer of fuel to take place. While the fuel is being transferred from the car to the tank the Alco heads down to the east yard to get details of his next job from the yardmaster. Peter M

While the I&W geep crew are having a break that morning TVRR Alco S2 arrives with a car of fuel oil to fill up the tank at the basic facilities found at Benson. She spots the car in the flour mill headshunt temporarily because the I&W geep that brought in the pulpwood cars earlier in the day is standing on the fuel track next to the tank. Peter M

A little something for the Alco-holics to enjoy, something familiar maybe. Three films that are worth a look. Regards Peter M

The I&W geep is seen tied up at the rear of the west yard master’s grounded caboose. The crew, having shut the engine down have to loose themselves in town for a few hours while their train is loaded with pulp wood brought in by trucks. The crew return and re-start the geep then head down to the pulpwood loading track. They find their train is loaded and ready to go. So they couple onto it and pull the train to the loop, park the cars and run round the train. When they have coupled onto the front of the train after a brake test they set off for the mill at Hodge LA picking up more loads on the way. Peter M

#381 backs her train of pulp wood cars into the west yard loading track and leaves them to be loaded. The geep then runs up to the servicing area and ties up while the crew head for a nearby diner. Peter M

I&W geep with empty pulp wood racks. Peter M

I have now replaced well over 1100 photographs on this and my Two Sister’s Farm thread. However there are still some missing due to a pc crash I suffered some years ago. As most of these were not taken by me I really have no idea what they were other than the general subject. I intend to replace some of these missing photographs with new ones which I will take myself. I will post these photos here so everyone can see them, they are ones that will feature my own locos and stock. Regards Peter M