JWB

I'm not an eBay addict, but I've had results searching for things like "1:87 diecast" or whatever other scale.

3000 Toys has about 5 pages of 1:87 cars, good prices, no "collector" items http://www.3000toys.com/catalog/products.asp?start=1&TYPE=CARS&SCALE=1/87&ORDER=M&setup= Nobody mentioned Model Power above, I don't think, nor Woodland Scenics, which has some late 50s that would certainly still be running in the early 70s.

I think in earlier years, some were painted black, probably availability and durability of the paint -- it might have been tar, in fact. In more recent times, the PR value of a lighter shade probably made a difference.

For the color of the mine buildings, I would go for silver or light gray, and pretty clean. http://wvcoalhistory.com/tipples.html

BNSF also uses BN style wide vision cabooses as shoving platforms in the LA area:

It's worth considering that the only time you actually hear multiple locos on the prototype -- especially more than, say, two consists of locos -- is at an engine facility or maybe a major terminal throat at rush hour. At Pepper Avenue on a good day, you might see/hear three consists at once, though at least one of these might be at idle, none would have bells ringing, and the one on the main would pass by quickly. Cajon Pass, same thing, you might have two trains passing, but it would be fairly quick for the locos to go by, and the sound of the cars is much less common on a layout. Yet I read fairly frequently that guys think sound on a layout is OK until you have 6 or 7 locos/consists at once! I would also think that having a couple dozen layouts together at a UK style exhibition is, from the US point of view, completely artificial and not likely to produce a prototypical environment in general. I find that the politics involved in getting a group of 6-12 operators together to run a layout is a bit too much for me, so I don't have that problem. I designed my layout to have sound based on layout ideas when PFM sound was around, but leaving aside the few steam locos I equipped with PFM analog sound in the 1970s and 80s, I only began to get DCC sound fairly recently. I have a home layout, I don't feel compelled to have an entourage to run it (and tolerate their whistles and bells so as not to give offense), so I can suit myself listening to a single Alco switcher rev up. This may be the best place to have sound.

So are the cops finally there to bust David Fink as he's about to make off with all those junk locos, or what???

An updated version of Charles Freericks's Southern California Local Freights is now out: http://www.amazon.com/Southern-California-Local-Freight-Trains/dp/1490504133/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377113913&sr=8-2&keywords=southern+california+local+freight As it happens, I thought this was such a good idea last year that I gave him additional info and am listed in this edition's acknowledgements. While it covers Southern California (and the territory, at my urging, is slowly working its way north), it provides a great deal of general information on how local freights actually work in North America and should really be digested as part of small layout design overall.

Here are a few more photos -- railroad vehicles are pretty common in my neck of the woods and good things to photograph between trains. I'm getting more and more interested in modeling them -- they don't necessarily have to be powered or hi-rail, although Bachmann makes a powered hi-rail pickup as well -- apparently not DCC, and I think it's an old model that may not be up to their more recent quality. Based on Dave H's remarks, it looks like the one just above is a welding truck, but not like the earlier one shown here.

Nope, it's gone, I'm gone from there, and I have a feeling that if I got too close, they'd call security. . .

The more I look at these trucks -- on just the UP, I almost get more and more of a feeling that no two are alike -- the more I see various kitbash and detail opportunities. Here's a UP truck with an Altec auger like the one on the Boley city power truck -- the rest of the UP truck isn't like the Bachmann, but it's one more possibility:

The mirrors and wheels are a big improvement -- this inspires me to get working on mine, and I may order a UP version as well, since I see so many UPs out here. An additional detail you may wish to consider, which I need to add to mine, is the pair of wires or whatever you call them that stick up from the front corners of the hi-rail extended bumper. I'm using a Metrolink hi-rail here because they're easiest to see in this photo, but nearly all hi-rails with this sort of extended bumper have them: It's worth pointing out that these trucks are a great additional photo opportunity when used with figures and other lineside incidentals -- I would think that they'd add a lot on UK style small layouts:

3000 Toys is a good source http://www.3000toys.com/catalog/products.asp?start=61&MFG=BOLEY&SCALE=1/87&ORDER=M&setup=

A kitbash and detail possibility would be to add the angle iron framework over the cab and hood that appears on some trucks like this: On the UP truck, notice the orange traffic cones on the rear bumper. Bachmann and JLL Innovative make these, and they are very common on both railroad and ordinary commercial utility trucks. Now that I think of it, the SJVR truck has deployed its cone!

We have a big bucket of fireplace ash (though the ash is from prestologs). Do you do anything to grind the ash before you lay it?