Wordless Wednesday #502: June/July Progress - Middletown/Cromwell Backdrop, yard track painting/ballasting/dirting

 

Wordless Wednesday #376 - Mocking up Middletown

 

Wordless Wednesday #258 - Airline Local W/B at Middletown

From here

ProtoModeling Fun: Photo Forensics

If you're reading this blog, you're probably a model railroader. But what about being a "railroad modeler?" What's so attractive about modeling a prototype railroad and becoming a prototype modeler? I suspect, for most, the chance to build a time-machine of sorts is the strongest attraction. For others, it's the challenge of recreating a real-world scene in miniature, including all the research and detective work required.

As you may have guessed, for me it's a combination of all those things. I could sit and stare at some old railroad photographs for hours, noticing all the details and thinking of ways I can recreate the world captured in that photo. One of my favorite photos - and the one that provided the strongest inspiration to model the Valley Line - was a shot of the southbound Valley Local taken by Kent Cochrane from the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, May 1947.

This shot was actually the subject of my very first "Wordless Wednesday", and I talked about it some more in a subsequent post (and here, and here). I'm not alone in my admiration either. None other than Tony Koester "unpacked" this photo in the May, 1980 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. His power of observation and his ability to convey the essence of the scene through his writing really puts you right there as the local pulls into town. I highly recommend you read his essay - it's the sort of thing that could inspire many a modeler. The fact that he (unwittingly, preceding my interest by about 30 years) wrote about a scene from my chosen prototype is a huge bonus.

It's all very right-brained and evocative. What he didn't do is provide much in the way of prototype information. As an admitted left-brainer (just look at my layout - the wiring and track is great. The scenery is mostly done by others...) and prototype modeler, I see a hopper. And wonder how to model it.

Thus the journey begins . . .

The NYC hopper right behind the engine is a 908000-909499 series 39' 3 bay steel self clearing hopper, #908255 to be exact.  These cars were built in 1923 with shallow type middle hoppers but later rebuilt with sawtooth hoppers when shopped for repairs (increasing capacity by 10 cu. ft.).  Originally numbered 425000-426499, they were renumbered into the 908000 series when rebuilt.  The original configuration lasted until 1948.  The rebuilds started in 1936 and lasted until 1961.

And according to my buddy Randy, these were USRA triple hoppers, lot 466-H. The rebuilding replaced the center clamshell hopper with a sawtooth hopper. There were originally about 20,000 of these cars owned by the NYC and the P&LE.

Here's a photo showing the hopper as-built:

And a plan showing the differences:

Some additional research revealed that Westerfield makes both the as-built and rebuilt versions.  The rebuilt version is the one I need - kit #2153.

Ok, admittedly, all that information isn't quite as enjoyable to read as Tony's piece. But if you want to model the Valley Local - at least as it appeared in the spring of 1947 - you're gonna want to include a NYC hopper. And if you want it to be prototypically correct, well, now you know what you need.

All I need now are "a half-dozen or so freight cars" to model the rest of the train, but at least I can be pretty certain they're "more than likely bedecked in nothing more spectacular than standard boxcar red paint accented with weathered white lettering." Maybe not enough information to model from, but most definitely enough brain-candy to want to try.

And maybe that's part of what makes this hobby so fascinating and satisfying. To do it well, you really need both the right and left sides of your brain fully engaged. The technical side of modeling isn't as much fun without the evocative side to inspire your efforts.

Thanks to Kent Cochrane for taking that beautiful photo so long ago, thanks to Tony Koester for helping me see all the fine detail that's there to recreate, and thanks to Westerfield models for producing a kit for the first freight car in my own recreation of the Valley Local in HO scale.

Wordless Wednesday #114

Tragic Day on the Valley Line - March 9, 1893

On this day in history, on the Valley Line . . .

1893

A Crazed Young Woman’s Suicide

Middletown, Conn., March 9.–Miss Julia Hall, of New Canaan, daughter of Russell Hall, the banker of that town, committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a locomotive on the Connecticut Valley division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford road. She was instantly killed and her body was frightfully mangled. Miss Hall was recently sent to the insane asylum here from New Canaan, and committed the act while out walking with an attendant, whom she eluded.

From the Harrisburg Star-Independent (Harrisburg, Pa.), March 9, 1893 - reprinted at this cool website.

Coming & Going: Photo Serendipity & Stockcars for Brickyards

A little while back, a friend sent along the photo above - not having seen this week's Wordless Wednesday. But as you can see, it just so happens to be the "going away"companion photo to WW#105 - what a find!

So, yes, there were at least two stockcars behind the 517. Can't really tell if they're loaded or not, but assuming they're heading towards the packing plant, they are.

But if these cars are actually empty, it could be that this train will continue south past the quadrant switch, back up the Valley Line, cross the diamond, and head northwest toward the brickyards of East Berlin. I've heard that a common load for otherwise idle stockcars is brick, of all things. . . .

Can anybody else share some thoughts/speculations on this little storyboard?

A few more words about Wordless Wednesday #106

We have here the Airline Local passing eastbound under Main Street, Middletown, CT. You can just make out the back side of O'Rourke's diner (favorite lunchtime stop for Valley and Airline crews) which had "just" been built in 1941.

Best guess as to the date of this photo is that it's about 10 years later - c. 1951. Alco RS-3 #517 is the class engine for the New Haven's DERS-2c class and was delivered in 1950. And according to NHRR records, it would be assigned to the Cedar Hill (New Haven) to Old Saybrook local by April 27, 1952.

The local has at least one (or is it two?) stock cars in tow, and it's heading down the southwest quadrant track most likely on its way to the Middletown Meat Packing Co. about a mile or so south of town. Meat "on the hoof" is something that was fairly common on the Airline and Valley Lines, due to the big packing plant here. And I even heard somewhere that Middlefield, CT (about a dozen or so miles west of here on the Airline) had one of the biggest cattle auction venues in the region at one time. But stock cars on the New Haven were pretty rare, generally.

The Airline Local is still a 6-day-a-week job these days, and depending on which day this is, it'll be headed for East Berlin, Colchester, or even Chestnut Hill (outside of Willimantic) after it gets done with its work in Middletown.

While I won't be going this late on my railroad (despite accusations - and admissions - of Era Creep), it's always neat to see an Alco on the lines I'm modeling. Having a rare stock car in tow (not to mention an old-time view of my favorite restaurant) is just a bonus.

Wordless Wednesday #106

Wordless Wednesday #90

Air Line Local with R-1b #3339 on the Valley Line backing into Middletown Yard.

On the Valley Line Today

The Valley Local - 2015 edition . . .

I'm pretty lucky that I get to drive "on my layout" every day on my way to & from work. Going through Middletown is my favorite, not only because of the cool bridges (including going under the Air Line railroad bridge over the CT River), but because - occasionally - you can see the present-day version of the Valley Local. It may run under a different flag from the old New Haven RR (today it's Providence & Worcester) but it's still the same train - and line - I model, just 68 years later.

Here are a couple of views from a recent morning:

View looking northwest - Air Line bridge crosses the Connecticut River left to right, west to east. You can barely make out the locomotive through the trees - it's headed south on the Valley Line just south of the diamond.

Better view of the local, with the landmark Catholic church steeple in the background.

Not the greatest of photos, admittedly, but taken from a stationary vehicle (lest you worry) - at least heavy traffic has some consolation - and the only way you can get shots 

Having your layout confront you every day is a mixed-bag: there's constant modeling inspiration, but also constant reminders of all you can't model (or have room to model). But no worries - if I do my modeling right, I'll at least be able to convey the flavor of the area. And in the meantime, as my skills and abilities continue to develop, I'll still be able to enjoy my full size prototype layout every morning on my way to work. That pretty much makes it worth the trip!

Wordless Wednesday #59

Wordless Wednesday #48

Wordless Wednesday #44

Carl Weber/John Wallace collection

Modeling Motivation Monday: Middletown Freighthouse

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have friends in the hobby to help you get over your modeling doldrums. Bonus if one of those friend just happens to be a professional modelmaker.

The main point of the next ops session is to see how operators work around the buildings that I plan to have on the layout. Knowing how large those buildings are and where they need to go is critical in determining final structure placement and siding location. Mockups really are the way to go for this step - they're very quick, low/no cost, and easily replaceable. Click here for more about my process.

Usually - at least when I do them - mockups are no more than a 3D box. If I put on a peaked roof, that's gettin' fancy. During the recent worknight, Bill decided to tackle the freight house in Middletown. Good thing. Turns out the prototype is MUCH MUCH larger than I imagined and would need to be severely compressed. Bill's just the right guy for that sort of thing, having lots of experience modeling a prototype and having just the right 6th sense for conveying the impression of a prototype building without having to model it full size.

We start with a photo of the prototype.  This one's looking northwest:

Note that there is a flat-roofed wood office addition at the south end, a funky section, then a large peaked roof brick section. That brick section is the actual freighthouse and has an interesting history...

<begin quick sidebar>
Neither the Valley Line nor the Air Line were the first railroads to reach Middletown. The city had been bypassed by the Hartford & New Haven RR - one of the first railroads built in Connecticut. The town fathers raised such a fuss that the H&NH finally agreed to build a branchline from its main line in Berlin down to the shore of the CT River in Middletown, c. 1850. It was actually a fairly profitable branch - Middletown was full of mills that needed to ship product, and there were docks on the river for interchange with steamboats. One of the facilities the H&NH built in town - and which was still around in 1947 - was the freighthouse. Here's a better picture:

Original H&NH Freighthouse in Middletown, built c. 1850

<end sidebar>

As you can see, it's a huge building - even without the later additions to the south end. Fortunately, this is the non-trackside view and would be facing the wall. But we'd still need somehow to include it for the building to look at all like the prototype.

I only had a small triangular space in which to put this building - about 22" long total and tapering from 9" deep down to about 2".

The freighthouse has to go where that loading platform is temporarily placed.

Unfortunately, the prototype scaled out to almost 4 times that size!! So Bill took the measurements and photos home, said he'd "tinker with it a bit" and see what he could come up with.

A couple days later, I got a pdf which looked like this when I printed it out:

I've already started cutting - couldn't wait!

Not content with just a "box" of a mockup, Bill had basically produced a laser-printed kit! Way Beyond Fancy. All I had to do was laminate the printouts to some matboard, cut out the pieces, and hot glue them together.

Cutting everything out actually takes a while, and you need to be careful. I used a boxcutter with a metal straightedge on a piece of scrap masonite. When you're done cutting, you have your kit pieces as seen above.

If you have a large enough printer, you can print out multiple wall sections together. Then all you have to do is score them at the corners (on the front side of the wall) and bend. I prefer hot glue for assembly. Most of the assembly time was holding parts together while they set.

Assembly can get a little complicated when you can't work on a flat surface, as here with the loading dock. There's some freehand holding involved, but the glue sets up fairly quickly - and with a little creativity, you can figure out how to hold things still. You can see here I'm resting my hand on the table and resting the loading dock on my hand while it sets.

The result is nothing short of amazing. This is way beyond a mere mockup - I'd almost be tempted to let this be the final building. Almost (note Tichy part numbers in the windows :^) After the parts were cut and ready to go, total assembly time: 1 hr 10 mins(!!) - and that was mostly sitting & holding parts together while they set.

Here's how it looks in the space. You can't really tell from this photo, but it turned out we had a bit more space to the right we could work with - especially if we narrowed the loading dock. So we (Bill) actually lengthened the brick building a bit more. I'll post a photo of the final result later.

Compare this photo to the prototype photo at the top of this post - I think you'll agree that this building does a great job of conveying at least the impression of the actual Middletown freight house - especially for a mere mockup, albeit a very fancy mockup. And sure, it's nowhere near a scale replica, but I also had nowhere near the space for a scale replica.

But this is where the true Art of model railroad really comes into play, especially for prototype modelers. No matter how much money, time and space we have, there's really no practical way we can ever hope to duplicate the prototype perfectly and with absolute fidelity. Every model railroad, no matter how wonderful, is chock-full of compromises. But the best model railroads work around these limitations and convey the look and feel of the prototype very effectively in spite of them.

I don't at all pretend that my model of the Valley Line is doing that as well as I'd like, but if the Middletown freighthouse is any indication, I think I may be well on my way.

Working on Middletown Freight House

Thanks to artwork from Bill Schneider, Middletown freight house should go together a LOT quicker than Middletown Tower. ..

Middletown Tower: Roof, Windows, Painting

Have you ever been hijacked? Hopefully, not in the usual, scary, sense - but have you ever had your plans hijacked?

After a wonderful (and rare) day of railfanning Friday, I'd planned to get the Middletown Tower done (or just about) Saturday afternoon, and do some airbrushing on some other projects. The Missus and I had a few errands to run that morning, and I'd been planning on getting another dehumidifier for a while anyway, so while we were out I got one.

That ended up being a very good idea. When we got home, I decided to empty dehumidifier #1 so I could start it and the new one at the same time (and see which one would collect more water). I've just been dumping the water outside, but for some reason this time decided to dump it in our sump hole back in the oil tank room. As I did, I noticed that the floor was already wet . . . then I looked around and noticed the walls were wet(!)... then I looked some more and realized that a pipe was spurting water up near the floorboards. ARGH! It had already soaked the wall sills and insulation on top of the foundation - in fact, the water was even dripping outside from underneath the clapboards!

So, already-long-story short - I turned off the supply to that pipe (fortunately, it's only the pipe going to the outside spigots), got out my wet vac and some box fans - and my handy dandy new dehumidifier. Vacuumed what I could, and put the fans onto the rest. As of this morning, everything is nicely dried out - thankfully. Next thing is to get that pipe fixed.

But I didn't get to much modeling - that plan had been thoroughly hijacked.

I have a very supportive Missus though, and she wouldn't let me end what turned out to be a crappy day without at least a little fun. So she helped me pick out some paint and I got to work on the tower for an hour or so.

The other night, I got a little impatient and glued on the roof - telling myself that it was "necessary to hold everything square." Only slightly true: I actually wanted to see how it would look. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to put in the window glazing first. So what should have been a very easy job became a bit less easy. Not quite like building a ship in a bottle. Let's just say I'll never put a roof on a structure before making sure interiors and glazing are done first.

The photo above shows the tower with the roof & glazing installed and everything ready for painting. We chose colors that I had on-hand that were close enough, if not a perfect match: Floquil Foundation for the walls and TruColor Oxide Brown for the trim. A couple of old contact lens packages for pallets, eye dropper to get paint from bottles to pallets, and trim pieces secured to wax paper by scotch tape.

While I have many different varieties of brushes, I decided to use a microbrush to paint since I've found they're not as apt to leave streaks - and you can get really close to the trim without accidentally painting it. Any unevenness you see in the wall above is the result of the white styrene showing through - but there's no streaking. Actually, I think the effect is pretty nice. The color isn't a perfect match, but I've decided to go ahead and over-paint the original color on the original wall sections - especially because, it turns out, that that color is no "color" at all, but just the original molded plastic color. So the walls will all match when I'm done. The TruColor paint I used on the trim dries glossy, so I'll have to apply some DullCoat before adding the trim to the structure.

That's where things sit as of now. I have to paint the original wall sections and add the trim, and then put the structure back on its foundation and shorten the staircase. Then it's just a matter of adding the tower to the layout - but since Middletown is still plywood-only, I may go ahead and scenic the area around the diamond so the tower will have a nice scene to be seen in.

Not bad for an hour's work on Saturday night. Certainly redeemed the day, at least a little. And also fortunately, Sunday was much better. Not only did I catch the Amtrak Exhibit Train going by my house, but I got to go to a picnic with a lot of other folks from the New Haven Railroad historical society (NHRHTA). I even came home with an authentic NHRR shanty stove to heat our photo library/railroad den during the winter months. But I'll post a pic and write up on that some other time.

All in all, not too bad a weekend - despite the hijacking!