Along the Right of Way ...

EnterTRAINMent -- The Transition Era, Part II

Milepost 712

During the transition era, engine facilities became a large part of railroad operations and there is a working turntable and roundhouse at EnterTRAINMent.  One of the many interactive features of the layout allows you to press a button and watch as the turntable lines up with a roundhouse stall, an engine backs out onto the table, gets turned and goes back into its stall.  Another touch of realism on display.

The coaling station allowed locomotives to be spotted under it for quick loading of coal.  The coal hopper on the right track would be typically dumping coal into a conveyor that would take the coal into the bins over the tracks.  A locomotive would pull under the coaling tower on along side of it as the loco on the left and coal would be dumped into the tender to refuel the loco for the long trip ahead.

Those of you who are regulars here know that I have a fascination with interlocking and switch towers, and there were plenty of them on the layout at EnterTRAINMent.

Again, note the incredible detail in all of these structures.

Next up is a look at the modern part of the layout and I'll give you some idea as to the size of the trains & models that we have seen so far...

dlm 

EnterTRAINMent -- The Transition Era

Milepost 711

Leaving the older section of EnterTRAINMent by way of a realistic-looking tunnel portal takes you to the Transition era of the layout set in the 1950s.  The trains are longer and diesel engines start to make an appearance.  The cars are more colorful and there is a wider variety of rolling stock on display as well.

Everything is bigger and more modern looking in the Transition era.  Streetcars make their debute as does the automobile.

Probably about every fifteen minutes or so, the lights begin to dim ever so slowly and the layout is transformed into a really interesting night scene.  Blue lights add illmmination and set the mood for the night time hours.  This allows all of the lighting detalis... both inside and out... to be nicely displayed.

I hate to keep beating the same drum but the level of detail is just amazing.  Note the sign here next to the fire escape; it was complete with LED chase lights.  The stores on the streets were also well detailed with many of them having complete interior details.  Really amazing work!

Next up will be more of the Transition era at EnterTRAINMent and one of my favorite parts of the entire layout.

dlm

EnterTRAINMent

Milepost 710

Located approximately six miles north of the Cincinnati outerbelt just off of Exit 22 on I-75, EnterTRAINMent is indeed fun for the entire family.  The complex houses what is billed as the world's largest indoor model train layout, an outdoor train ride (open seasonally), a snack counter, a well-stocked hobby shop and a gift shop.

The entryway immediately gives you the feeling of an old town setting with small shops along lighted brick streets.  Things were very clean and appeard to be well kept so our visit was a very pleasant one.  We were there during the week and the gift shop attendant told me that attendance definitely picks up on the weekends and during the Thanksgiving - Christmas season.  While I enjoyed strolling through the gift shop and my visit to the hobby shop was indeed worthwhile, it is the very large G scale layout that is the main attraction that brings everyone here.

The layout is divided into three sections; old time railroading around the Civil War era, "Transition" time which would be in the 1950s and a modern day world featuring current railroading scenes.  I was fascinated with the level of detail that went into each and every structure... there were little things all over the place that one had to look for to see and they all added to the extremely high level of realism that the layout displayed.

These company houses at the coal mine were typical of the kind of detail that I'm talking about.  While you can't see them in the pictures, there were things like swings and tires hanging under some of the cabins, dogs & cats, kids playing... just little things that made the scenes look more real.

The facility is maintained by many volunteers who work on both the scenery and the equipment.  Some of them must be real bridge builders as there are bridges all over the layout as depicted in these two scenes.  One bridge in particular, the first one pictured here, took two volunteers over a year to complete... talk about dedication and loving your work!

Water, water everywhere... the layout has running water streams throughout.  Two 1,500 gallon tanks hold it all and it is pumped all over the layout.  Streams are laid out with just a little drop so that the water does flow naturally back to the holding tanks to start its journey all over again.

There are numerous towns & cities all over the layout.  And, as was typical in the early days, the railroad station was often at the middle of town and the center of attention to townfolks.  The latest arriving train brought much needed supplies, new people and of course, the latest news from the rest of the world.

Next up, we will take a look at the Transition era at EnterTRAINMent...

dlm 

NKP 765 Rides Again!

Milepost 709

I spent several hours today (May 9) with my friend Mike chasing Nickel Plate 765 across northern Hancock County.  We first caught her northwest of Findlay about a mile or two west of I-75.  After a bit of a mad dash east, we caught her again just east of Fostoria on her way to Bellevue.

I wanted to share these images with you ASAP.

CORRECTION: In my previous post about the steel mill modeler, I incorrectly said that the models were the work of my friend John from Michigan.  His name is actually Jim, and for the mistake, I do sincerely apologize.

dlm

A Steel Mill Modeler from Michigan...

Milepost 708

One of the things that makes writing here the most fun is when I hear from readers just like you who tell me about things that you are modeling, things you are doing or other items that are on your mind model railroad-wise.  So I received a message a few weeks ago from John up in Michigan and he attached the pictures that ppear in this post.

John says he is a long-time reader and that he models a specific section of eastern Ohio which includes the old Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel mill in Mingo Junction.  I say "old" because that mill has pretty much closed down today.  It's sad since both my father and my brother worked there through the years and I have that mill to thank as a place where Dad could work and provide a very nice living for the rest of us.  But in 2007 which is the era that John models, the mill is still thriving and is one of the featured spots on his pike.  I believe he told me that his mill occupies a section of the layout that is 12' x 3'.  It is not his intention to duplicate the mill but this is his representation of it and the supporting rail facilities.

My only criticism of the nice job that John has done here is that his buildings & cars are way too clean!  There are few places where equipment is rustier and the workers get dirtier than in a steel mill. :)   Otherwise, I think he has done a fine job with his representation of the mill and its surroundings.

This final picture shows the entire mill area and how it fits into the rest of the layout. 

Should you have anything that you wish to share with the rest of us about what you are modeling, please feel free to contact me at danmerkel@sbcglobal.net and let me know what you are up to.  With your permission, I'll share it with the rest of the readers here.

dlm

 

Small Layout Design Meet in Findlay

Milepost 707

Let's face it... houses aren't as big as they used to be.  Not all of them have basements.  And, with other changing factors, many of us find that we no longer have the luxury of a "train room" in that spare bedroom, in the attic or elsewhere in our house.  Oftentimes, that hobby space is shared with other family members or is just some temporary space we can only use once in a while.

That's why the Small Layout Design group was formed.  These are people who want to find out more about model railroad layouts in smaller spaces and share that knowledge with others.  The first annual meet is scheduled for June 1st and it's going to be here in Findlay at the NW Ohio Railroad Preservation Society's museum building out on County Road 99.  While the final agenda hasn't yet taken shape, tentative plans call for an all-day event running from 8:00am to 4:00pm.

Participants are encouraged to bring something to share with others.  But if you are just getting started, fear not, there will be others there to share their experiences with you.

There is no registration fee per se, but participants are being asked to make a $5 donation which goes to the NWORP for hosting the event.  If you are interested in attending, you are being asked to register by May 10th so that they can adequately plan for the people who expect to attend.

More information including a contact person can be found in the flyer for the meet which is here: Download SLDM_2013   Or you can go to their web site located at: https://sites.google.com/site/smalllayoutdesignmeet2013/

As additional information is made available to me, I'll be sure to pass it along here.

dlm

Old Wheeling & Lake Erie Stock Cars

Milepost 706

Quite some time ago, I got an email with this picture in it from a modeling friend.  We had been discussing older cars and in particular, the Wheeling & Lake Erie so he passed it along thinking that I'd be interested in seeing it.  As I do with many old photographs I find of interest, I filed it away for "some other day."

Recently, I was going through some of my files, looking for another old photo when I ran across this one.  That coincided with my purchasing a group of older Model Die Cast/Roundhouse freight cars that included three stock car kits that looked very similar to this photo.  The wheels got to spinning and the gears meshed... I could simply paint a couple of the stock cars black and print some decals... BOOM!  I'd have some "reasonable" realistic-looking W&LE stock cars.

As with most everything that the Wheeling did, car markings were simple.  No fancy logos or anything else.  Just what was required by law in plain black and white.  The decals were easy to lay out although that "&" symbol was unlike any that I had in a wide range of fonts so I had to "customize" it a bit in my trusty graphics program.  Otherwies, I added a few serifs to the main letters and that was it.  Printing was a snap and I took the lazy man's approach to the painting process by using a simple can of satin finish black spray paint.

The cars I bought were the "old" MDC cars tht still had the cast metal floors in the kits.  More recent kits had plastic floors which were much better detail-wise and easier to work with but that's what I ended up with.  I spent quite some time trimming and filing off extra flash and reaming out partial or non-existant holes that were to accommodate the underside of the car's details.  Again, I grabbed a can of flat black spray paint and painted the floors once all of the clean-up work was done.

Assembly of the cars was easy in that the body is a one-piece casting.  The modeler adds the door guides, the doors themsselves and the brake wheel.  The underside of the car is a little more dificult in that one must thread their own truss rods.  I made this even more difficult by adding Tichy turnbuckles on the truss rods.  They are a pain to put in place but do make a nice finishing touch.  The rest of the assembly process was pretty simple; I was ready for the decals.

I'm not sure why, but I simply DON'T LIKE doing decal work.  So I put it off much longer than I should have before finally just kicking myself and got going on the project.  Actually, the decals went on rather easily since there were only four decals for each car side.  Once complete, I let them dry thoroughly then added some decal setting solution to get them to really snuggle down to the car's painted surface.  Again, after plenty of drying time, I gave each body three or four light coatings of clear sealer and the project was done.  The only thing that remained was to spot the cars on my layout for their unofficial portrait.

In the end, the project wasn't all that difficult and I'm pleased to have a couple of cars that do resemble the prototype.  Probably the hardest part of the project was finding the cars thenselves; Model Die Casting no longer makes car kits and I simply don't know how difficult it would be to take apart cars that were assembled as RTR models.  If I want to do any more, I'll just have to keep my eye on Ebay.

When I was growing up, my mom always cautioned me about who I hung around with... "Some of those people might be a bad influence on you," she would say.  Now I know that she was right... several of my model railroad friends are interested in modeling older freight cars from the 1910-1935 era and maybe some of that HAS rubbed off on me.  These cars really don't "fit" my era but they will be on my layout anyway.  All I can say is, watch what your "friends" talk you into doing...

dlm

A Few Other Things About Brewster...

Milepost 705

Before our tour of the Brewster shop, we met at the Wandle House.  Later, we returned there for lunch.  I was particularly interested in the Wandle House for several reasons, but the biggest two were that I'm almost positive that several of my relatives would have stayed there when they worked for the Wheeling & Lake Erie and because of my having worked for the YMCA for twelve years.

The structure was originally built as primarily a dormitory YMCA.  The Y and the railroads worked together in the early half of last century to provide train crews adequate overnight facilities in areas where other hotels may not consider building.  After a long day on the road, train crews knew that they could get cleande up, get a good night's sleep and a good meal at the local railroad YMCA.

The building was eventually taken over by the railroad and operated until it closed when times changed and crews didn't need those types of overnight accommodations.  Today, the Wandle House is the local headquarters of Brewster's historical society.  Most of the building is closed off to the public but there are a few display areas in the main lobby which feature plenty of examples of the community's railroad heritage.  The Station Restaurant is located off the main lobby and serves good food for a good price; I speak from experience on this one. :)

Also on the grounds of the Wandle House is this preserved Wheeling & Lake Erie caboose.

The main street in Brewster is Ohio Route 93.  Since it cuts the Wheeling & Lake Erie yard in two, an underpass was built to separate highway and railroad traffic.  It is funny that there seems to be so much complaining about the state spending money to "assist" private enterprise; this particular project happened quite some time ago.

Just as it was back in the early part of the last century, the headquarters of today's Wheeling & Lake Erie is located in Brewster across the street from the Wandle House.  The building was built back in 1914 to the Wheeling's rather Spartan standards.  It was a "no frills" building and reminded many of either a local high school building or a college dormitory.  Although window air-conditioners now dot the front & sides of the building, not much else has changed over the past 100 years.

Finally, I'd be totally remiss if I didn't tell you about the Shearer Potato Chip factory located on the north side of Brewster.  No, there aren't any tours but they do have a company store located there and you can pick up any of the many snack foods that Shearer's makes, including some 3-pound bags of "seconds" or surplus chips for as little as a dollar a bag!  I speak from experience on this one too. :)

dlm

A Quick Look Around the Brewster Yard

Milepost 704

After our shop tour, we had a few minutes to look around the yard provided that we stayed within the designated area where we would be safe.

The Wheeling & Lake Erie was kind enough to spot a loco near the shops for our inspection.  Superintendent Clapper opened the cab so we could see inside as well as outside.  From the looks of the limestone dust, he speculated that the loco last saw service in the Carey area at the National Lime & Stone quarry there.

Like most of the others, I chose to have my photo taken in the cab window.  This is probably the closest I'll ever get to actually sitting in the engineer's seat of one of these beasts.

Operations take place 24/7 so we weren't allowed really close to the engines sitting on the ready track.  But as we milled around, there were several of them ready to roll, moving their next assignment to other points on the system.

When the traction gets tough, locomotives can spray sand onto the rails under their wheels for a little extra bite.  These towers are used to fill the bins with clean and very dry sand for that purpose.  It won't do much good if the sand is frozen in the bins when the engineer needs some on the rails so it must be very dry... and kept that way.

At first, I thought this might be some kind of fuel storage tank but then decided that if it was, it would be in much better condition and there would be a retaining wall/moat around it.  Instead, the red sign on the left indicates that this tank is used to hold waste water for eventual treatment prior to disposal.  Now that's something that I'll bet few of us have ever thought of modeling on our railroad layouts.

The turntable is still in use today to turn locomotives.  While it is not as important as it was with steam engines, there is still a preference as to the direction of travel, mainly for visibility sake.

Finally, a reminder from the past... these bricks are the only remnants of the roundhouse which once stood at Brewster.  The turntable turned engines towards their designated stalls for all kinds of routine maintenance back in the day of the roundhouse.  But those days are gone and these bricks serve only as a reminder of the days when steam was king.

That concludes our tour of the engine shops at Brewster and the surrounding yards.  I'll have one more entry about the company headquarters and the Wandle House in my next and final installment about my trip to Brewster.  Thanks goes out to the Wheeling & Lake Erie for giving us access to their shops & facilities.  And a special thank you to the Iron Cross Chapter of the Nickel Plate Road Historical & Technical Society for inviting me to tag along.  I had a great time.

dlm

A Final Look Around Inside the Brewster Shops

Milepost 703

For this last post about our shop tour, I thought I'd just offer up several photos that didn't really seem to fit anywhere else in the previous offerings.  So, here they are in no particular order...

I mentioned that once a truck was dropped from under a locomotive, that truck could be moved elsewhere for necessary repairs.  Here we see one that has been dropped out and awaiting proper attention.

This locomotive truck frame has been pretty much stripped of its vital components.  Gone are the traction motors and the wheels themselves.  A few other details remain but this is a pretty unusual sight.

I'm not absolutely sure but I'm guessing that the gear on this wheel is used to engage the traction motor.

I've never seen locomotive brakes from the inside like this, have you?

This is one of the hi-rail trucks that we saw in for some repairs.  And the ever present wheelsets in the foreground.  It seemed that they were everywhere.

These are just some of the various sized nuts & bolts used in the repair & maintenance of the equipment at Brewster.

This track maintenance equipment is in for some maintenance of its own.  Soon, once the weather breaks, it will be put back to work for the summer track maintenance season.

The shops at Brewster need to have the capacity to make a lot of parts that simply may not be readily available elsewhere.  This lathe was pretty big and could be used to turn some obscure part to keep the trains on the roll.

This sign says it all.  There were signs of the company's commitment to safety everywhere.  From designated walk ways, chains, railings and/or fences to restrict access... the company emphasizes safety at every step of the way.  The shop super was proud to tell us that they had gone something like 535 days without a lost-time accident.  Considering the heavy equipment involved and the inherent dangers in working around it, that is pretty impressive!  Congratulations on a fine record.

Next up, we'll take a look around outside at the present and the past of the Brewster yards.

dlm