Lineas Cubanas

Thanks Andy...... I have to be honest.....the hardstanding area is Concrete Wall paper by Scale Scenes but I guess its done a good job of creating the illusion I wanted.....

Thanks Tom Thats a massive compliment....... Although I am starting to feel under pressure here......

Hi Tom Yes, two of the tracks are dummy tracks. Here's a photo of the area on my layout: Its early days and there is still a lot of work to do on this area, adding details and blending the hard standing in with the surrounding scenery etc. Even though Cienaga has a hardstanding railcar and coach servicing area, I have based the one on my layout on Luyano: It will be servicing some of the following rolling stock accessed by the newly laid and ballasted track as shown on the track plan: Ex East German Railbus Ferrocarriles de Cuba Taino Coach I may also add the following to one of the dummy tracks as it is quite a common sight at Locomotive Works in Cuba : USSR M62K

Hi Tom I used Peco Code 75 with Medium Radius Electrofrog Points

Thanks for your encouraging words, its very kind. Cienaga in the real world is not a big facility but specializes in working on the Chinese DF locomotives these days. Although, there is a railcar depot as well which works on new CB-10 Russian DMUs being assembled in Cuba. Beside the railcar area, there are two or three tracks to set out loco-hauled local passenger consists in between turns and service them. This prevents the transfer of them all the way to the main Coach Works located at Luyano on the other side of Havana. I'm not aware of Cienaga having its own switcher but they use any available loco to switch around the yard and works. The hard standing area is the railcar depot and passenger stock servicing point.

Here is the track plan I used as a guide while building the layout. It needs updating as the diesel sanding buildings and the oil tanks shown in the photos are not shown. A few other details have changed as well but essentially it reflects the correct track arrangements The more eagle eyed amongst you will notice it has been adapted from a Paul Lunn design for Radstock Wagon Works that appeared in BRM December 2015. I mean as far as I am concerned why spend valuable time trying to re invent the wheel? Prototypically, there is no resident shunter/s at Cienaga, all movements are carried out by incoming diesels. So I have a couple of shunters in the absence of a run-round loop, each working from opposite ends of the layout. The key part of the design is the four sidings to shunt, C to B D E and G or without B or G if other activity is taking place on A to B or F to G G acts as a headshunt to C and F and B similarly to A and C The operating plan is as follows and I am paraphrasing Paul here: Inbound/Outbound Off-stage beyond B is the fiddle yard. Trains reverse into A so that a mainline loco would occupy the space between the security gate and point right without blocking the point. With shunters placed at the end of C and G it should be possible to pull out wagons from tracks D, E and F to form a train to be attached to the end of the mainline loco which by now would have moved to B ready for departure. Once departed, this would allow access for shunters to retrieve incoming stock from track A, to be placed in the various sidings and sheds and the process starts all over again. Shunting The Talleres at Cienaga, Havana serviced locos, passenger stock and railcars. This included fitting new wheels and bearings, general maintenance, cleaning, re-painting (including signage) welding and so on. On my layout it will also include a freight car works for variety and operational interest. Therefore, it would be justified to have wagons delivering components and those for service, in different stages of completion.

Some more progress........... Any constructive criticism is welcome!

Hi there Thanks for the heads up re the programme. I will definitely seek it out And thanks for the kind comments re the layout Regards

This is the inspiration for my switching layout loosely based on the Talleres at Cienaga, Havana which services locos, passenger stock and railcars. On my layout it will also include a freight car works for variety and operational interest

Some quick photos of the progress on my switching layout

Freight Cars and Motive Power from Canada Storage & Tool Car – Ex GTW Box Car This model is based on a prototype photo that was taken of a grounded Grand Trunk Western steel boxcar which is used for MOW storage in Santa Clara today. Obviously, since I am modelling the 1990s-2000s the boxcar has been back dated to being in actual MOW service. It started life as a Branchline Blueprint Series kit. It has been weathered and the existing lettering faded to reflect years of running in the Cuban sun. Kadee brake hoses, Kadee #58 couplers and FC decals have been added. Cisterna ECASA The ECASA Services usually run between Camaguey and Havana although they have been seen before around Cacocum in Holguin and around Santiago Old station yard. On the left of the car, it reads JET-A1 which is a type of fuel oil for aircraft engines. I understand these tank cars carry the fuel to storage facilities at airports in Cuba, primarily Havana. This is one of the few special FCC freight assignments. Another one is ACINOX which is it’s own entity with its own locos and cars. The ECASA tank cars are of Canadian origin. The model is an undecorated Atlas 20,700 gallon tank car painted and weathered using prototype photos. All other markings are related to capacity, weight, A or B end and the number of the car. ACINOX RSC-14 Loco

Yes, I did consider modelling the Class 47 but my layout is HO scale and obviously Class 47s that are readily available tend to be OO scale. I do have a Budd for the layout but unfortunately am sticking to modelling the standard gauge railways of Cuba so we won't be seeing any narrow gauge locos (although the Brush engine would certainly make a very cool model)

I think one of the advantages (or disadvantages) of modelling Cuba is that even urban scenes can look fairly rural once you have put the 'green blanket' down My switching layout is loosely based on the Talleres at Cienaga, Havana which services locos, passenger stock and railcars (it will also include a freight car works for variety and operational interest) is looking pretty rural at the moment too! Let me know if you need any info regarding boxcars used in Cuba in the 1950s and suitable models. I even have some decals somewhere you can use

Having become disillusioned with the lack of variety in UK railways, I looked overseas for inspiration. Initially attracted to US prototypes, I still had a great interest in European Railways. A combination of both and more can found in Cuba. The Ferrocarriles de Cuba is a truly international railway Freight cars can be of USSR and Romanian style and make though again some old American cars remain. There are reefers and closed hoppers imported from Argentina. Secondhand boxcars and tank cars from Canada and motive power from USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, UK, France and US. Throw into this mix many home-made Cuban efforts from cabooses to crew cars to sugar cane cars. Freight Cars and Motive Power from USSR USSR Box Car in Grain Service USSR Silo Diesel Tolvas Tolvas are covered hoppers of USSR origin used for transporting bulk sugar by MINAZ. The base models are Walthers 40′ Ortner Hoppers (RTR) as these were the closest cars to the prototype that I found that could be easily kit-bashed and used as an effective base model. M62K Loco TEM 4K Loco

If you like me have been out of the hobby for a while…….well 30 years to be precise, reading as many articles and looking at photos of inspirational model railroads is a good way to get the creative juices flowing and focus the mind. However, it can also have the opposite effect: planning can suddenly become very daunting, let alone construction a distant dream. One question that continually returned me to my comfy armchair was how was I to achieve the standards set in the modelling press? The last time I built a model railway I was 12 years old. Did I say I built it? I meant my father who was the carpenter, electrician and scenery maker all in one. I did paint the road markings though and completely over scale. Now aged 44 with two young children and full-time career in London, I wasn’t sure if I had the skills and experience to build a convincing representation of the Ferrocarriles de Cuba in model form. Lets face it…….it was essentially going to be my first ever layout. This is the test module/diorama (Canta Rana) based on an abandoned Acopio, once part of the line to the now dismantled Siete de Noviembre Sugar Mill in Sancti Spiritus Province. I had made a list of all the things that I felt I would have to model well in order to convey the images and atmosphere of Cuba including the tropical scenery, the reddish brown soil and the run down weed infested track……After all, if you cannot do the basics what would be the point in investing time, energy and money in a larger layout that ultimately wouldn’t meet my standards and goals? The aim was to create a cohesive and operable scene that would convey the overall look and theme of my would be larger layout. I could also use this diorama to photograph and test Cuba’s unique blend of rolling stock. The diorama would feature an ordinary scene from Cuba: just gentle countryside with a few tracks running through it. Some trees including Cuban Palms. Telegraph poles. Just an everyday, almost mundane scene. No buildings. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Thanks John Yes, thats right Hitchcock. Just trying to help create an atmosphere and it looks like it's worked for you.......at least

Thanks..... Indeed, Rapido Trains did produce a GMD-1 for the Ferrocarriles de Cuba. Twenty GMD-1 locos entered service in Cuba between late 1999 and 2001 mostly still in Canadian National colours and with their CN numbers. They were gradually repainted into a “standard” blue/grey/black livery (although the shade of blue varies considerably). Some had numbers painted on the CN livery. It must have been realised early on that in B+B configuration exceeded the permitted axle load on many lines including the elevated tracks into Havana Central Station. It is believed a decision was made to standardise on A1A+B with the 2 axle truck under the cab. As is often the case in Cuba plans go awry and even today locos remain in CN colours and the truck configurations vary. The class has been very successful in Cuba, operating out of Moron, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos and Havana. They are rarely if ever seen East of Moron. They are used on secondary passenger services, station pilot duties, especially in Havana and on some freight turns. For the time period I am modelling, I have chosen to keep my GMD-1 in its original CN colours.........

'LINEAS CUBANAS' are a series of Proto-Freelanced HO Model Railroads Starting with a diorama (Canta Rana) then moving onto a switching layout (Escenas Habanas) and ultimately progressing to a room sized shelf layout They are set against a background of rundown sugar mills and tobacco farms in the extremely spartan living of Fidel Castro’s Socialist Republic of the 1990s-2000s. They attempt to recreate images and thoughts of Cuba – the coffee grove covered hills; the splendid colonial architecture; the Yank-Tanks of 1950s America; the sounds of Buena Vista Social Club echoing down the street; and the smell of thick Cuban cigars mixing with the sweet aroma of freshly cut cane. COMING SOON