Along the Right of Way ...

Be careful what you wish for...

Milepost 169

Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it!  How many times have you heard that?  Well, in at least one case I can tell you about, it is way too true.

The Wheeling & Lake Erie needed additional locomotives during the first World War.  At that time, the government was deciding who got what based on their needs.  The United States Railroad Administration had also developed a series of "standard" locomotives to save time & effort on the part of the individual railroad companies in designing & developing their own.  These locos ranged from the smallest switchers to giants like the one pictured here.

When the Wheeling & Lake Erie was leased by the Nickel Plate Road, these engines became the largest engines to operate on that line.  And, since I'm a NKP modeler, I needed one... : )

There were no mass produced USRA 2-6-6-2s available at that time, I really wished that someone would produce an affordable one.  But it seemed that the odds were against me as there were only 30 of these built in real life so I figured that other more popluar locomotives would be produced before a 2-6-6-2.  So I decided that I'd really splurge and buy a brass version.  I did.  I'd never owned a brass engine and knew little about the various manufacturers.  As it turned out, the engine I bought was not made by one of the better manufacturers.  It didn't even have power in the front engine!  Instead, the second engine pushed the first one along as it was simply free rolling.  I was proud of my engine nonetheless, even though it couldn't pull anything and was a shiny brass color prior to my painting it.

By the way, when you are talking about articulated engines like this one, the term "engine" refers to each set of drive wheels.  Most articulateds had two sets, each with its own set of cylinders, etc.  Just wanted to try to clarify the terminology a bit here.  Each of the locomotives pictured here had two wheels in front, then two sets of six drive wheels eacn and two wheels in back laid out like this:  o OOO OOO o.  Each set of OOO makes up an engine as I'm using the word here.

Well, I only had my brass engine for about three months when Bachmann made a major announcement:  They would be producing a USRA 2-6-6-2 as part of their Spectrum line of locomotives.  And they would be available in both Nickel Plate and the Wheeling & Lake Erie.  All along, I had been wishing for a nicer model and three months after I nearly broke the bank to get one, my wish came true!

The new model arrived around Christmas time and I immediately took some pictures of it to share with others.  While it isn't the best pulling loco, it is head & shoulders above the brass one that I originally bought.  And since the loco is about 40 years newer, the detail is a lot nicer as well.

So, like I said, be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.  This story does have somewhat of a happy ending.  I did locate a guy who was interested in collecting the older brass model just like the one that I had.  I was able to sell it to him for only about $75 less than what I had paid for it.  That still left me with enough money buy the engine pictured here.  But still, I felt kind of jinxed.  So now, the joke is that if I really want a particular locomotive in a nice high-end plastic version, all I need to do is to buy the brass one and someone will produce one soon after!  Hmmm... and I almost got that EM-1!

Until next time...

dlm

Happy Thanksgiving...

Milepost 168

I just wanted to take a moment from the regular railroad banter of my usual posts to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.  While we all have very different situations and circumstances that we live in, we are indeed fortunate to live in a country that few want to leave but many die trying to enter.  While the economy is not the strongest right now, we still have so much going for us.

So between family dinners, football games and even that little modeling project you will be working on, please take a moment to pause and reflect on all of the positives in your life.  I know I will.

Take care... God bless... and again, Happy Thanksgiving!

dlm

Helping out...

Milepost 167

Shortly after the NKP Convention, I got an email from one of the Society members about a train show that was being held in the Dayton area.  The Society had secured a table for the two-day show and I was asked if I would like to spend some time at the table meeting other railroad fans and talking about the NKP Society.

So, after checking with "higher authority" (I needed a ride), I agreed to spend some time at the show.  So, a couple of weeks ago, bright & early on a Sunday morning, Janet & I headed to Dayton.  Once there, we found the show's site but had a little trouble finding the Society's table.  The show was at Hara Arena and it was pretty big.  The hall was divided into three main sections, and of course, the Society's table was in the last section we checked.

We finally found Roger Esker & John Fryar, both long time Society members and went to "work" promoting the NKP Society and talking about our favorite railroad.  Between speaking to people who stopped by and some pretty intense "bull sessions" amongst ourselves, the time at the table sped by.  Before long, it was 4:00 and time to pack up and head for home.

The time was well spent for several reasons:  first, it was fun meeting other show attendees and listening to what they had to say about the event.  Those who stopped by with an interest in the NKP often had neat stories to tell about how they became interested.  It was especially fun to see the excitement on the kids' faces as they watched the NKP video playing at our table.  I'm sure that many of them had probably never seen a steam engine in person but watching one on video certainly caught their attention.  Finally, I got to know two of the Society's members much better.

We did sell some calendars & other NKP materials so the day really turned out well for us.  I mention this simply because many of us don't want to take the time to assist in a venture like this because we are afraid that our time will be wasted or not put to good use.  On the contrary, at least in my case, I had a great time and am looking forward to additional opportunities where I can spread the word about the Nickel Plate Road.

Until next time...

dlm

A New Roof for an Old Standby...

Milepost 166

The Atlas Signal Tower has been a mainstay of HO scale kits for many years.  I'm not sure when the kit first appeared, but I had on on my first layout, "way back when."  But perhaps its familiarity is one of its biggest problems; it seems that everyone has one and they all look the same.  Atlas has done a little bit about that in recent years as the kit is now available in a few different color schemes, but it is still the same basic kit.  I decided to be a little different.

There is a company that sells a modification kit on Ebay from time to time to convert the "same old, same old" Atlas kit into something that looks more than a little different.  Yes, it's still the Signal Tower but the modification kit gives you new windows, a new set of stairs and, perhaps the most visible feature, a new roof.

A while back, I told you about how I was able to build the model of ALTO Tower by first using my computer to generate the different walls then transferring those drawings to plastic and cutting them out.  More recently, I showed you a simple paper model of another signal tower made from modified photos.  This time, I combined both of these techniques and created a new roof line for my Atlas tower.

This job was made very easy because I have a scanner hooked up to my computer.  It was s simple task to lay one side of the roof casting on the scanner bed and make a good, hi-res scan of it.  Turning the casting a quarter turn, I got the other side of the roof and had two very good images to work with.  As before, I don't want to turn this into a computer lesson, but I will say that I was able to use my drawing software to stretch a portion of the roof images to create a unique looking roof line which will make the kit look different.

It was a simple task to cut out the pieces then glue them together to make the new roof.  On the left, you can see the original and on the right, you can see the new one.  Oh yes, did I mention that the new one is printed on heavy card stock and isn't even plastic?  I'm thinking that I might just set the new piece on top of the old one.  Then from time to time, I can remove it and have two different Signal Towers in my photos.  The kit itself isn't built yet, but when it is, I'll be sure to post a picture of it for your consideration.

Once again, this was a very simple project that took little time but will yield a rather unique new look to an old favorite.

Until next time...

dlm 

Simple Paper Model of Deshler Tower

Milepost 165

A while back, I talked about train watching at Deshler, Ohio, and the really interesting B&O tower that was there.  On a trip over there, I carefully photographed each side of the tower from approximately the same distance.  Then, upon returning home, I edited each of the photos to make them all exactly the same relative size, squared them up then took out any imperfections.  Finally, I printed them, cut out the pieces then assembled them to make a "quick & dirty" HO scale model of the Deshler Tower.

Keep in mind that this is not a contest quality model... it is relatively flat and made of paper.  But if you have a space on your layout for a background model of an interesting tower, this could very well fit the bill.  Construction is simple enough since there are only a handful of pieces.  All of the cuts are straight cuts so that will simplify things as well.  You may want to bet a bit creative and add a few details.  Probably the single most important detail that you could add would be a stoop on the front & rear of the structure at the doors.  A few pieces of Evergreen Plastic strips cut to the the proper length should do the trick.  You could also add some Plastruct railing stock if you wanted to.

OK, let's get started.  First, download all of the files at the bottom of this post.  You will find four walls labeled east, north, south & west.  There are two roof sections; you will need two of each of these.  There is a bay window and a chimney piece; I added this later and didn't include it on my model pictured above.  There is also a roof liner and another piece that I used for strengthening and to keep things square.  You will need two of these as well.

Print the pieces on a heavy stock paper.  I used something about as stiff as a manila folder, then cut out each piece.  Leave the black pieces on the ends of the two wall sections; these will be your gluing tabs.  Using an Xacto knife, score the wall pieces where the black tabs start.  This will make them much easier to fold at that point.  Easy does it here... just a slight score mark will be enough.  Glue the four wall pieces together using the tabs provided.  You may want to line them up using a straight edge to keep the structure nice and square.

Next, score the lines on the two liner pieces and glue them inside the top and bottom of the structure assembly.  You should now have a box with the basic shape of the tower.  The bay window is next; after cutting it out, score it where it is to be folded and then glue it in place over the one on the west wall.  This will give a 3D effect.

The roof takes a little doing... first, I didn't leave any tabs on the roof pieces but I strongly suggest that you leave some gluing space when you cut them out.  Score the roof sections where the gray framing meets the tile sections as these are folded down.  Next, cut a few scrap strips of your card stock material the same width as the gray on the roof sections.  Use these to glue the corners together.  Finally, fold the roof sections in to form the basic shape of the roof and glue with the tabs that you left for yourself when cutting them out.

The roof liner can now be glued inside of the roof.  This allows the roof to set at the proper height on the building.  Add the chimney; it goes on the northeast corner of the building and then attach the roof assembly to the structure assembly.  Center the roof over the building, ignoring the bay window.  Add whatever other details you might want to include, like the steps and you are done.

I know that these aren't the most specific & detailed instructions but this shouldn't be that hard to figure out.  And, after all, it is made of paper so if you have to start over, you will be out about 10¢ worth of paper and ink.  The building seems to photograph well and like I said, will make a nice background model on your HO railroad.

To build the tower in O scale, each piece would have to be enlarged by about 180%; N scalers will need to shrink it down to about 55%.  I've not tried printing the pieces in those sizes but they should be about right.

Please let me know how your model turns out if you try it.  You can email me at danmerkel@sbcglobal.net with questions or photos of your finished project.

Until next time...

dlm

Download BayWin.pdf    Download Chimney.pdf    Download East.pdf    Download Floor.pdf   Download North.pdf    Download RoofEW.pdf    Download RoofLiner.pdf    Download RoofNS.pdf     Download South.pdf    Download West.pdf

What is it?

Milepost 164

One of the more interesting things that we saw while on our tour of the Huron docks was this spindly structure that was located trackside.  No one knew for sure what its purpose was but there are a couple of things that gave rise to speculation.

First, the shelter at the top appears to provide very little shelter from the elements.  That might suggest that it wasn't manned all of the time.  That would probably rule out a gate tower, watchman's tower or some kind of control tower for the trains.

Second, the arm has what appears to be several nozzles and a hose on it and it looks like it can be swung out over the train cars as they pass underneath it.

Based on this, my best guess is that it was some kind of spray booth that sprayed the iron ore down before it left the yards.  Iron ore tends to be rather dusty.  Perhaps spraying the top layer would at least cut down some on the dust as it was hauled to the mills in eastern Ohio.

Pure speculation on my part though... I don't remember hearing anyone at the site with a better explanation.  Just goes to show you that you never know what you will see... along the right of way.

Until next time...

dlm

2009 NKPH&TS Convention -- The Dock Tour

Milepost 163

The highlight of this year's Convention was a boat & bus tour of the Huron Docks.  The docks played an important role in one of the Nickel Plate's subsidiary roads, the Wheeling & Lake Erie.  The Wheeling chose Huron as a port to transfer freight to & from the lake freighters.  Iron ore from Minnesota and other areas of the western Great Lakes was unloaded from lake freighters and sent by hopper to the steel mills in the Ohio Valley.  In turn, coal from the eastern Ohio coal fields was loaded onto the freighters for other destinations on the Great Lakes.  Grain and limestone also were important commodities at the port in Huron.

The group was too large to be taken at one time on the boat so some of us went by bus to the docks.  Along the way, we stopped & toured a restored Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad station.  The station has been turned into a meeting house owned by the local park district.  A couple of nearby freight cars have been modified to include bunks for overnight events.  We all agreed that this was a great use for a piece of railroad history and as can bee seen from the photo, it seems to be well cared for.

The switch pictured here was the cutoff to the docks from the Nickel Plate's main line that ran south of Huron.  From here, the track turning to the right headed straight to the dock area.

Most of the activities at the docks today are scaled down from what they once were.  Earlier, giant Hullett unloaders scooped tons of iron ore and other commodities from the lake freighters.  Today, self-unloading ships have rendered the Hulletts useless and they have all been removed.

This is one of the slips where the ore boats docked.  The concrete at the right served as the foundation for the track that supported the Hulletts as they did their work.  Immediately to the right of the concrete, there were four sets of railroad tracks that could accommodate rail hoppers so that the ore could be directly unloaded from the freighter and into the waiting railroad hopper.

If hopper cars weren't available or if the ones there were already filled to capacity, then the ore was simply piled onto the ground awaiting the next train for filling.  Today, the self-unloading ore boats generally pile the ore on the ground.  Very large front end loaders then transfer the ore into the railroad hoppers for the trip inland to the steel mills along the Ohio River.

We loaded back onto the bus at the docks and made the short trip to the downtown harbor area where we were to meet the other group who had taken the first half of the tour by boat.  The Huron Harbor area has been revitalized and is today a very picturesque center for cultural & lake-related activities in the area.

On the way back to the lodge & resort area, the Sawmill Explorer, pictured here, took us past other parts of the harbor area including the limestone plant, what was left of the coal unloading facilities, Nickel Plate Beach and the harbor light.  As you can see form the photos, the weatherman cooperated fully with the trip.  It was just a bit cool out on the lake but considering that it was the middle of October, no one was complaining.  And as you can also see, the fall colors were evident everywhere.

As I mentioned, this was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend Convention. It was a very pleasurable trip and laid the foundation for the presentation by the Huron historian later that evening at the annual banquet.  In a way, it was a real disappointment to see what is there today as compared to what was there several years ago.  But time marches on.  Thankfully, through the efforts of historical groups everywhere, parts of the past can and will be preserved for generations to come.

Until next time...

dlm

NKP Historical & Technical Society 2008 Convention

Milepost 162

Huron, Ohio, was the site of the 2008 NKPH&TS convention and what a convention it was!  The convention committee did an excellent job with all parts of the weekend and their efforts were appreciated by the convention attendees.  Sawmill Creek Resort was a great host and even the weatherman gave us two beautiful days.

Friday evening, my wife & I arrived at the Sawmill Creek resort on the shores of Lake Erie to be greeted by the layout pictured above.  It was set up by the Norwalk, Ohio, modular layout group and they ran NKP equipment most of the time for their hosts.  I didn't count the individual modules, but I'd guess that the "L shaped" layout was approximately 20'x30'.  It was nicely scenicked and reflected the overall modeling skills of the group's individual members.

The programs Friday evening tended to be informal slide presentations.  They were kind of "come & go" as a lot of the attendees wanted to catch up with old friends and make some new ones during the weekend.  But we were treated to plenty of NKP action as well as pictures & videos of other railroads on the big screen.  I got to catch up a little with some attendees that I hadn't seen for a year.  A few of them even commented about some posts that they had seen here.  : ) 

One of the highlights of the convention is the modeling contest.  This gives those who model the Nickel Plate and other related roads, a chance to show off their modeling skills as well as allows the rest of us to see & appreciate what can be done with the three "Ps" of model railroading... plastic, paint & patience.  I was particularly interested in the caboose models as I've been building some of them lately and wanted to see what others had been doing.  The Wheeling & Lake Erie engine pictured here compares very favorably to the one I shot a picture of for my recent post on R/C trains.

Pictured here, you will see some of the caboose models and the photo that was used as a guide for construction & lettering.  It doesn't show up in my photo, but the interiors of these HO scale models are also modeled.  Like I said, plastic, paint & patience!

Saturday morning featured the annual membership meeting where we learned of the activities of the various parts of the Society.  As a member, you sometimes forget that there are other functions of a group like this other than what you are interested in.  I like to model, so sometimes lose sight of the efforts to preserve the NKP's history through various preservation efforts.  This may include helping to save certain railroad buildings, pieces of NKP railroad equipment or the collecting & archiving of books, records & photos of interest to the Nickel Plate's heritage.

Saturday afternoon featured a tour of the Huron Docks, one of the highlights of the Convention.  That will be covered in detail in my next post.

The annual banquet Saturday night featured a presentation by the local Huron historical group about the docks and the city's relationship with the railroads.  Iron ore, grain, coal & limestone were shipped through the harbor in large quantities during the port's heyday.

The banquet program also included the recognition of the various photography & modeling winners.  Of course, the Society's Founder's Award was also presented to a person who has played a significant role in the group's efforts.  This year's winner was John Fryar who is the webmaster for the NKP's web site, www.nkphts.org.  The society's web site has been recognized by many as one of the best railroad historical web sites on the Internet.  The evening's events concluded with the annual auction.

Sunday was time to have breakfast with friends, say farewell then head for home.  All in all, it was a great weekend... and as they like to say, "A good time was had by all."

My next post will be about the Huron Harbor tour.  Until then...

dlm

Polar Express at Dennison Depot

Milepost 161

The Dennison Depot located in Dennison, Ohio, is once again hosting The Polar Express on the first two weekends of December.  Trains depart from the depot Friday evenings and all day Saturday & Sunday.

The children are encouraged to come dressed in their pajamas (really!) for the ride and the trip lasts about an hour and a half.  Along the way, the story teller reads the Polar Express story and there are some special visitors during the trip as well.  The train arrives at The North Pole where the children (and adults) see the activities at this most busy time of the year.  The train picks up Santa and returns to the Dennison Station.

Last year, my cousin & her husband took their 4-year old granddaughter on the trip and it was very memorable for all.  Dennison is probably a three hour trip from Findlay but it does sound like a really neat Christmas experience.  In addition to the train trip, the depot and surrounding area are fully decorated for the Christmas season; the Museum is also open during this time.

For more information on The Polar Express including departure times and ticket prices, you may visit them on the web at www.dennisondepot.org or call them at 1-877 278-8020.  All aboard for a memorable Christmas experience that the entire family will enjoy.

Until next time...

dlm

Remote Controlled Trains...

Milepost 160

In late September, I travelled back home to Tiltonsville, Ohio, to see my mother.  While I was there, the railroad was "banging cars" over in the little yard that services the steel mill in Yorkville so I went over to see what was going on.

Imagine my surprise when the engine went past with no one in the cab!  Instead, there was a man on the ground with a rather large control box strapped to his chest.  I watched him as he switched the train while standing there on the ground.  From time to time, he would step in between cars to uncouple them or flip a track switch to send the train onto another track.  But otherwise, it was business as usual.

Watching that train move around unmanned kind of reminded me of what we do with our trains on our layouts.  The only difference is that ours are in a confined space and the chances are highly unlikely that an unsuspecting person would step onto the tracks into harm's way.

After he was finished switching for the day, the operator walked over to where I was taking pictures and we talked about the new unit.  He showed me the control unit pictured above.  it has everything that he needs to run the train; forward, reverse, the throttle, lights, horn & brakes.  He said that the only difficult thing was keeping yourself oriented with the train's direction of travel as if you got turned around, the train didn't turn around with you.

Safety is very important.  The system has some built in safety features.  It has a limited operating range and if the train should exceed that range, everything shuts down and goes into stop.  If he should fall, the control unit senses that it is not level and also sends out an "All Stop" signal.  And the operator has to provide commands every so often or it shuts itself off.

A few thoughts... it is scarey thinking about that train being unmanned.  The operator cannot see the track at all times, especially what is on the other side of the locomotive.  If you are EVER in an area where remote controlled locomotives are being used, be even more careful than usual.

It is also progress.  No doubt the railroads see the day where one man will control the entire train.  Today that crew is two; several years ago, it was four or even five.

Finally, and this is on the light side... once again, the railroads are mimicking what we have been doing for many, many years.  I think I'll offer my layout and my services to them for training purposes.  : )

Until next time...

dlm