I hope you'll make plans now to join us for this year's New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association Reunion & Train Show! Don't let the "Reunion" name fool you - it's open to ALL and only a couple of things are Members Only.
In addition to the train show, featuring a wide-variety of vendors, there will be a number of clinics & presentations, as well as never-before-seen footage of the New Haven RR. And for the first time in years, there will also be a dinner that evening, featuring our own J.W. "Jack" Swanberg, author of "New Haven Power", who will be giving a slideshow of historic NHRR images.
But you'll need to make the dinner reservation in advance, by clicking here.
In addition to all this, NHRHTA members will also be able to participate in two new events this year - a Rare Mileage Special Train (which departs at 9:45a, so get there early) and a tour of the shop area, including behind-the-scenes information on the Valley RR and its equipment - including the most steam engines you'll see in one place in all of New England.
If you're not a member, it only costs $40 to join - that's only $20 per special event and you'll get 4 Shoreliner magazines for free :^) Memberships can be purchased here.
Finally, if you want to make a weekend of it, there will be NHRR-themed layout tours on Sunday - including an open house here on the Valley Local! More layouts TBD. And if you DO decide to make a weekend of it, we've provided a list of local hotels here (scroll down to the bottom).
Be sure to check out our Reunion website at www.nhrhta.org/reunion for additional details - as well as the latest up-to-date information.
So I hope you'll make plans now to join us! The special train leaves the station at 9:45am Saturday September 14, and the Train Show, clinics, presentations, and model displays go from 10-3. Shop Tour is after that, and Cocktail Hour and dinner follows. So LOTS to do and see!
Southbound at Middlesex Turnpike/Old Main Street - Goff Brook, Rocky Hill, CT
Ever since discovering this photo, I've toyed with the idea of getting a Budd RDC for fantrips on the Valley Line. Passenger service on my line ended by 1933, so having an occasional "extra" passenger train, in the form of a special run/fantrip, would add some operational interest to an otherwise freight-only line. Only "problem" is that the New Haven didn't get its first RDCs until spring of 1952 - and I model 1947-49 (focusing on 1948).
We start our journey by the Saybrook Tower where the RDC (# TBD) has just left the famed Shore Line and is paused, waiting for orders to head up the Valley Branch.
At Essex, CT - Max Miller collection
Our first stop is in Essex, where the Witch Hazel factory is still shipping out product via rail - note the barrels on the platform of the warehouse in the background.
As the 'fans got back on board, but before the trip continued north, we see that the local freight finished spotting a reefer at the warehouse - and somebody just pulled their truck in to pick up some goods at the freight house.
As we continue north over Shailerville Bridge and past the famous Shad Shack, we find out from another 'fan that the trip will divert off of the Valley Line and go up the super-rare trackage of the Berlin Branch. There hasn't been a passenger train up there since 1932!
The Berlin Branch goes through some pretty densely wooded areas, so it was hard to get a good shot, but thankfully we were able to get to the station in time to see the RDC arrive.
The trip didn't stay in East Berlin for long - as soon as the engineer could take his controls to the other end of the car, the RDC headed back south. We got this going-away shot as it crossed the Mattabesset River, just south of the station. Note the lit-up red markers.
There wasn't much to see in Middletown, so we got a late lunch at O'Rourke's diner and headed up to Wethersfield afterwards.
Wethersfield was the northern-most point the fantrip would go today - and lunch lasted a bit long - but we were still able to catch the RDC just as it departed the station, heading back south.
While the Valley Line is picturesque, we were only able to get ahead of the RDC a couple of times on the return trip. Apparently, the crew was eager to get home. But we did get this shot of the trip southbound at Rocky Hill. This is one of the few passenger stations left on the line (most were razed to save on property taxes after passenger service ended during the Depression).
Southbound at Middlesex Turnpike, Main Street, Cromwell, CT
The RDC had to stop & protect before crossing Main Street in Cromwell, so that gave us time to jump out of the car and get two shots of it here. That's the Sunset Diner on the left - where, during a spring day in 1938, Glenn Miller was persuaded to give his band another chance . . . (read that story here).
Since we had already got the shots we really wanted to get - and we knew the train wouldn't be making any more stops southbound - we decided to high-tail it back to Saybrook and wait for for the RDC there.
And here it is, letting the passengers off - weary but happy after a fun day on the Valley Line.
Hope you enjoyed the trip!
Southbound crossing Goff Brook - this is the going-away shot that goes with the photo at the beginning of our story...
After spending an inordinate amount of time ogling this model, it's time to bite the bullet and paint it. The first step is to disassemble it as far as you can . . .
First, I removed the couplers & coupler boxes, then the truck bolster screws.
After the trucks were removed, I could remove the two screws holding the floor in and remove the floor.
Unfortunately, other than disassembling the trucks (just one screw each, allowing you to separate the sideframes), this is as far as this model will disassemble. I wish the end platforms, railings, and steps were separate too since that would make painting easier. But I'll just have to do a good job of masking.
Since the roof panels were so smooth - and since I wasn't planning on media blasting the model - I took some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and roughed them up a bit.
Now, as I mentioned, this is the first time I've painted a brass model and there are many folks that suggest media blasting, vinegar wash, etc. But since there was no tarnishing & the brass was in great condition, all I did was wash the model in an ultrasonic cleaner with water and a few squirts of Dawn dish soap.
Once that was dry (I shook it dry, then blew any remaining excess water out with my airbrush - then let it sit overnight), I hit it with a rattle can of Tamiya spray primer. Note that the trucks have been disassembled. This is all there is to this model.
I'm actually very happy with how the Tamiya rattle can primer worked. Just spray lightly and evenly, building up the color until the brass color is gone.
Next comes the controversial part . . . Figuring out what paint & colors to use to paint this B&M caboose. But that'll have to wait until next time - stay tuned!
You may have noticed that I often try to tell a story with my modeling - but sometimes, my modeling derives from a story - and those stories often lead me down some pretty interesting rabbit holes tangents. First case in point: Why I - a devoted New Haven RR modeler - decided to model a Boston & Maine SW-1 (for that fun story, click here).
Second case in point:
Now, you may just assume that I need a B&M caboose (aka "buggy") to go along with my SW-1. And you'd be right. But, as you might guess, there's more to the story (with apologies to Paul Harvey).
That photo above was one of my earliest railfan shots, taken with my then-new Pentax K1000 35mm camera probably winter of either 1986 or 1987 (shortly after getting my drivers license). I'd trekked north, stopping at East Deerfield Yard and ended up at White River Junction, VT where I saw an ancient B&M 4-4-0 and this caboose displayed outside the station (which you can see in the background).
Similar in design to the New Haven's "NE" class caboose (a model of which was the first resin kit I ever built), these B&M Laconia wood buggies are a real favorite of mine - the epitome of the "little red caboose." Most of them were traded in for new/rebuilt steel cabooses in the 1950s, but during my late-1940s era, there were still a few in service. So, in that sense, it was a no-brainer that one of these would be perfect behind my SW-1.
But it was the car number that really got me - 104610. These buggies were all in the 104000 series, but "610" is special. Not only is it the number of the caboose in the photo I shot so many years ago, but it - coincidentally - would be the same number as my wedding anniversary less than 10 years later: 6/10/1995.
Once I put all that together, the lightbulb popped and I was on the hunt for an HO scale model version. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that such models have become pretty rare - and very pricey. Fortunately, friend Dave Hutchinson (who'd been so helpful during my SW-1 project) had one he was willing to sell at a very generous price.
I couldn't get my money to him fast enough . . . And - as "luck" would have it, it arrived June 5 - just 5 days before our 29th anniversary.
Dave even included the correct decals!
The only difference I can perceive between the B&M "NE" and the NHRR "NE" cabooses is that the B&M doesn't have a window behind the stove where the NH version does.
It's so gorgeous in it's undec/brass state, I'm loathe to even paint it. It's like model railroad jewelry. So pretty. So shiny.
Despite how awesome the gold color looks - and, believe me, I'm sorely tempted to just put it on display and admire it - it has to be painted and (gasp!) weathered in order to be placed in service where it belongs . . .
. . . at the end of a train pulled by the 1109.
I hope you'll follow along as I transform this beautiful Overland Models brass caboose into a late-1940s workaday version of B&M buggy #104610. It'll be the first time I've ever painted a brass model, so I'm looking forward to learning a few new things along the way.
But, for now, I think I'll just sit here and look at it . . .
One of the coolest (and, as in this case, mildly irritating - but in a good way :^) things about having a blog is the feedback and questions you get. It's even better when the blog reaches such a wide-ranging audience.
When I went to the Scale Systems page to find the part# for that speaker, I discovered "something new had been added..."
Apparently, since I converted my loco to DCC and sound - using a LokSound v5 micro and separate Power Pack (which I had to solder to the decoder) . . .
. . . Scale Sound Systems has produced a shorter speaker that will allow you to use the LokSound 58921 Direct w/PowerPacks built in(!)
Snipped from the Scale Sound Systems website
You can find this speaker on the same page, but it's part number LLPR-S13S-RC1. Beware how close the part numbers are to each other.
This is a MUCH easier and more elegant solution for DCC/Sound in the P2k Alco S-1 - provided
you don't actually enjoy soldering 3 tiny 30 gauge wires from a PowerPack to the decoder PC board - and trying to find someplace to stuff the PowerPack under the hood. . .
If I'd known about this new SSS speaker, I would have most definitely used it and the 58921 decoder with built-in PowerPacks instead.
But isn't that the way it ALWAYS goes?? You scratchbuild a long-coveted model, and - just as soon as you finish it - a manufacturer offers it? You build a scene with your best guess as to the look of a certain structure you have no photos of, and as soon as you're done, somebody shows you a photo of the structure - and it's totally different?
Well, chalk this up as another example of this weird "rule" in model railroading.
If you've been considering converting a Proto 2000 Alco S-1/3 to DCC & sound, hopefully I've warned you in time! :^) Just don't forget to isolate that motor . . .
It's been a long week CHOCK FULL of blog posts, for a huge change from the once-or-less per month :^) but now we've arrived at the final post of this DEY-3 build. We'll take this "brand new" 0967 and make it look like it's been doing some actual work.
And that means weathering!
Now, I'm not going to go step-by-step through the process I used, but will certainly publicly thank Ralph Renzetti again for being my weathering mentor, guide, and guardrails. For a more detailed description of the weathering process, be sure to check out the January issue of Railroad Model Craftsman where I weathered a B&M SW-1. If you don't have access to that issue, you can get much of the same content (in a more rambling and less edited format :^) here and here). But here are the highlights:
The first step is an overall white acrylic fade (10:1 thinner to paint) airbrushed over the model, focused on the top and built up gradually. Next is an "oil dot" fade where you apply alternate dots of black, white, and gray oil paint to the top of the hood and cab . . .
. . . and then "pull" it down with a soft brush just barely dampened with mineral spirits (dip it in, then wipe on a cloth or paper towel), mixing the colors together at the same time.
For rust effects on the truck sideframes and stack, I use burnt and raw umber gouache, applied with a sponge that's been ripped into a random pattern, as above. Dip a barely damp sponge into the gouache, daub the excess off on a piece of scrap paper/newspaper, then daub on your model.
The stack was first painted with flat aluminum paint (Tamiya XF-16), then the "rusty" sponge was daubed on the stack - heavier at the top, lighter on the bottom.
Here's the final effect - and don't forget to blacken the inside of the stack.
How's that for a brief overview?! As you might imagine, weathering is actually a much more involved process, involving multiple layers, clear coats to seal between layers, and all the time it takes to let things dry in between. For additional process details, be sure to click on the links at the beginning of this post.
Once the weathering is done (actually, I still have a little bit of final weathering to do - but I ran out of time before the NERPM where I really wanted to finish this loco enough to display), it's time for final assembly. THAT ended up being close to the most stressful part of this entire build - both because I didn't want to mess anything up, and because I was literally putting everything back together with only hours to spare before my self-imposed NERPM deadline (BTW - the most stressful part of the build was having to solder not one, but TWO, 30 gauge wires that had broken off of the PC board end of the PowerPack - with only a few hours left to go...).
Reassembly really deserves its own post, but I was so stressed out and in a hurry that I forgot to take any pictures. Suffice it to say that the Cricut cut window glass that Mike supplies with his cab is great - but it's a bear to glue the panes into a one-piece cab without glue getting on the windows - or the windows not actually adhering (window installation is the only advantage the 5-piece cab kit has over the 1-piece cab - you can put the glass in before assembly). I used MicroClear as an adhesive, but Aleen's clear gel tacky glue or canopy glue would work as well.
The railings are just press fit - and may need to come off for additional/final weathering at some point. The handbrake chains to the brake pistons on the rear truck sideframes were reattached and glued with a bit of thick CA.
PROTIP: There are no air hoses supplied with the P2k model and no good - or prototypical - place to install them on the end sills. So, I just CA'd Hi Tech Details rubber air hoses to the side of the KD coupler boxes. Be sure the front one is glued to the "wrong" side - remember: air hoses on both ends of a locomotive are on the engineer's side. For the couplers themselves, I used KD #158s.
I used a tiny bit of MicroClear around the edges of the numberboard openings before press-fitting the numberboards themselves into the shell. I didn't want them falling out. Since daytime headlight use didn't start on the New Haven RR until the 1950s - and the Valley Local is daytime only - I didn't bother with lighting the lights and used MV lenses instead (P/N 21), with MicroClear applied around the openings again. Honestly, the MVs looks MUCH better than unlit wired headlights IMO.
And here's the (semi)final result . . .
At first, I thought Mike had shorted me a window pane - but then I realized: since he added an armrest to the engineer's window frame, he must've decided to leave that window "open."
Turns out, I'm mighty glad he did. Makes that cool cab interior & gauges actually visible!
So there you have it - New Haven Railroad DEY-3 class #0967, flagship diesel on the Valley Local c. 1949. As I mentioned, I still have some minor weathering left to do (handrails & couplers primarily, and maybe some more oil spill on the truck journals and fuel spill around the fuel filler), but it was done "enough" in time to be displayed at the NERPM this year - which was the main goal. Maybe some of you saw it there?
Getting the 0967 finished for NERPM was the main reason I kept plugging away so regularly and fast on it, despite the stress. But BEWARE: You run a high risk of killing this hobby for yourself if you try to do it to a deadline! I won't do that again if I can help it. Better to be more leisurely and actually enjoy the process.
Thanks to all of you that have been "with" me during this process via this blog and/or on Facebook. I hope you've enjoyed this build and maybe even taken away some helpful tips - or at least advice on what NOT to do!
And so, as we close out this build and until next time, enjoy the 0967's maiden voyage (with my apologies for the bounciness - I'll use a tripod next time %^) . . .
Decaling is one of my favorite parts of a project - and often the most harrowing. But it's a pretty straightforward process (which I go into detail about here) and really makes your model unique.
For the 0967, I used custom-made decals from Highball Graphics (which are now available to everyone here), and builder's plate decals from Microscale.
Since decaling IS pretty straightforward, I'll just make a few special notes and give a few tips here. . .
I mentioned that I used Badger's black Stynylrez as my primer AND topcoat for the frame. Well, the only downside of that is that it dries flat - not idea for decal application. Frankly, I'd forgotten about the lettering on the end sills until I started decaling. Thankfully, there's an easy workaround: Apply Future floor polish with a brush to where you're going to apply the decal, let it dry, then decal as usual. You can see the difference in the sheen above, but the difference disappears with subsequent clear coats and weathering. Easy peasy.
The numbers on the side of the cab were relatively easy to locate since Mike used precisely the same rivet pattern as on the prototype. So, I'm literally a rivet counter - I counted the number of rivets down the side to figure the height of the number - and then I just centered the number below the split window. The "New Haven" on the side of the hood is located just ahead of the 2nd hood door and just covers the 2nd door from the right.
As for the proper height? Here's your first ProTip: Don't do as I did . . . The good news is that I was able to use enough MicroSol to finally get the decal to snug down over the door handles. The bad news is that the decal should have been placed just below the door handles - then they wouldn't have been a problem. Thankfully, it's not that noticeable. Of course, now that I told you, you'll notice it . . .%^)
The fireman's side is better, as you can see above. Since the 0967 is always pointed south on the Valley Line, you always see the fireman's side. So that's good. Of course, all the cool details (air whistle, cab signal box) are on the Engineer's side. Oh well. Pick your poison dessert. Now both sides have good & bad points. :^\
These are the number boards - and here's your next ProTip: If your number decals are clear numbers on a black background - and your numberboards aren't lit (mine aren't), you will never see the numbers(!) Thankfully, there's an easy fix: Paint the clear numberboards gloss white! "Gloss" to make decal application easy, "white" so that the numbers show up. I applied the paint with a toothpick.
The last decals I did were on the front of the hood and the back of the cab, positioned as you see here. And note the numberboards - taped to hold them in place for painting and decaling.
I'll end with something super cool - at least to me. In the pic above, you'll see that my masking of the gauges worked well. And before I go any further - NO! - the cab interior is NOT "too dark." I have it on indisputable authority (Jack Swanberg, if you must know, who literally wrote the book on "New Haven Power") that DEY-3 cab interiors (at least before the November, 1947 batch were delivered) were initially painted "dark green" (see Shoreliner Vol. 35, #1, p.5). Later deliveries were painted the gray (or light "institutional" green) we're more familiar with.
ANYway, back to the gauges . . . I wanted to paint green around the gauges themselves, and didn't want to try to do it by hand using a brush - even a teeny tiny one. Somebody on the Valley Local Facebook Group (if it's you, say so in the comments here :^) mentioned offhand using MicroMask to cover the gauges. I accepted the challenge - and in the photo above, you can barely make out the fact that the gauges are covered with a blue fluid. . . That's MicroMask, applied with a toothpick to each guage.
I shot another coat of green over the cab interior, and then used the tip of a toothpick to just start to peel off the MicroMask - and used a tweezer to peel it off. See the result above. In hindsight, I shouldn't have bothered masking that center area - which I suspect now should have an "Alco/GE" emblem. Ah well - "next time"
I've used MicroMask on headlight lenses before, but never on anything this small - and now that I've discovered it works, I think that's a pretty good tip!
Once I got the builder's plates on (you can just make them out on the lower left corner of the cab), I couldn't help dry-fitting everything together to see how it looked. Pretty good! Now we're ready for weathering - but that'll have to wait until next time . . .
