Layout Progress; 0-6-0 Coal to Oil Conversion

The photos, in descending order:

1. The yard area and, in the back corner, the depot site, with the freight house siding at the rear. All track has been laid and tested in the "left" half of the layout (please refer to track plan in much earlier post), which is all I'm planning to construct for now.

2. I've begun weathering the track with a mix of rust and brown paint, applied to the sides of the rails with a small brush, and to switch guard rails, wing rails and flangeways.

3. I essentially dismantled my old roundhouse, which had suffered some damage moving from Idaho, and am completely rebuilding the sides. The roundhouse floor will get a coat of patching plaster, which will then be sanded and colored to represent weathered and stained concrete.

4., 5., 6. I decided to have some fun with the freight house track and depict one of those battered, neglected sidings we've all seen. My favorite example is the track on Snake River Avenue in Lewiston, Idaho, which I saw when it was part of the Camas Prairie Railroad. It appeared as if every length of rail was at a different height, giving the track a roller-coaster appearance. It was about as crooked, uneven, mud-and-weed covered as track could be and still function which, strangely enough, it did! It served the Lewiston Grain Growers elevators and a couple of other minor industries. I actually saw a switcher with a boxcar running on that track one day, and running very slowly, bouncing along as if it would derail any moment.

Anyway, on my siding I deliberately used some short pieces of rail and spiked them in such a way as to add a little crookedness. Not so much, of course, as to compromise gauge. I tested both my engines on it without any problems. With the addition of dirt (ballast on this type of siding is a technicality), weeds and debris, it should look about right.

7., 8. My 0-6-0 now represents an oil-burner. The oil bunker was made out of styrene; the fittings were miscellaneous items from my scrap box. The bunker design was based on that on a UP 0-6-0 in the December 1958 Model Railroader and a Texas & Pacific 0-6-0 in the magazine's March 1986 issue.

I'm Back

Due to a number of things, primarily an unexpected medical problem, I haven't posted here in some time. I also haven't been able to work on my layout. However, things are settled down now and I will soon be posting again and catching up.

Layout Progress Reflections Part 1

I still plan to post photos of my 0-6-0 converstion to an oil-burner. But for now, a few quick thoughts about what I've accomplished so far and where I plan to go.

Work has been slowed by the time demands (and fun) of getting our new puppy settled in, but I have laid some more track. My plan, as I mentioned previously, is to finish this section of the layout, including scenery, before moving on to the rest, which includes the port and industry areas, etc. Briefly, my reasons are:

1. I like scenery work (including structures) and would like to get to it.

2. It would be nice to get all of my rolling stock on the rails and operate it, even for some (at this point) limited switching.

3. I'd like to put up my backdrop.

4. There is a possibility that we will move to an "age 55 plus" or similar patio home community in the next year to year and a half. The move would be short, within 10 miles or so. We are in a nice neighborhood but really think we'd enjoy more being among people our own age. We will want to do something like this eventually, anyway. A move would doubtless entail adapting my layout plans to a different room configuration. My layout is in "modular" 28 inch and 48 inch sections, and at its current size would be an easy fit in just about any spare bedroom, so I think it's best for now to completely finish the segments I've built so far; by the time that's accomplished, it may be time to move.

Happy New Year!

Now that Christmas is over, I'm getting back into model railroading again. The coal-to-oil conversion on my 0-6-0 is complete and I will include a photo in an upcoming post, along with a listing of the reference materials I used.

I've also completed testing the track laid so far. The 0-6-0 is my "severest critic" in smoking out any problems with gauge or alignment, and thus far there have been few corrections required, and those have been made. In this phase of the layout I still have a couple of sidings to lay; the ties are down, just need rail. I hope to complete this in the next few days. Once that's done it's time to start putting freight cars on the track, after any damage from packing and moving is corrected, along with any extra detailing I feel moved to add.

At that point the track on the "left" and two-thirds of the "top" of the layout will be done (see track plan in a previous post). I'm going to stop there and begin scenery and structure work on that portion before I go further in the track plan. More about that, and the rationale behind it, in a future post.

A non-railroad aside: Two weeks ago we acquired another dog, a cocker spaniel/poodle puppy. She's now two months old and is already partly housebroken and is learning to play fetch. Her name is Molly and we're delighted to have her.

Tender Oil Tank II

I will stop by Mike's Hobby Shop here in Kingwood this week to order some Grimy Black water-based paint for finishing the tender oil tank; the shop only carries the oil-based variety, but they're great about ordering items. Grimy Black is useful not only for touchup on my 0-6-0 (especially when I remove the old lettering) and, of course, the oil tank, but is effective, when mixed when Concrete color, in coloring "asphalt" roads.

Tender Oil Tank

I've started work on the oil tank for the 0-6-0 tender, using styrene. The tank is essentially a box that will cover the tender's coal bunker. I made the box out of styrene and have filed the corners to round them. All that's left to add is the filling spout and vent pipe, and paint.

Also, while I'm doing this, I'll probably take the opportunity to reletter the tender for "Gulf Harbor Terminal" rather than the current "Idaho & Palouse", which definitely won't fit on a Texas railroad! As before, I will use dry transfer white lettering, which has proved very durable; the current lettering has been on since 1991 with no problems.

Subtropical Weather

Our back yard in Kingwood, Texas. We thought we'd left this kind of weather back in Idaho.