The next shot is without a locomotive but a picture I like, as it seems to have a sort of atmosphere about it somehow. A close up showing the bodged provender store kit. The RI covered hopper is a rather crude early Bachmann model that I’ve had for years and weathered carefully to make it look more presentable.

An atmospheric shot of a Great Western Malting Co covered hopper catching the last of the evening sun. She is waiting to be loaded at the Continental Grain Mill’s elevator at Benson.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:25 am by Broadoak

A few pictures taken recently with my new camera.

The first three show a bog standard GP7 with a high hood and train heating equipment. The fiction is that she is used for diner trains in the holiday season. Though to be honest I’ve never seen one on the layout.

She spends most of her time doing straight road jobs and her regular crew like to keep her clean. She is seen here working in the yard at Benson. The model is actually a blue box Athearn that has been re-painted and detailed.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:29 am by Broadoak

The next group of pictures feature a very strange beast indeed. The prototype exists only in my imagination. It is a much modified blue box Athearn GP7 fitted with an SW7 switcher cab and a much lowered short hood. It is supposed to improve visibility for the crew when switching. It is unlettered and un weathered at the moment and is another job on my to do list.

The fiction is it was modified in the I&W own workshops and is now to GP18 specifications. The locomotive is seen working at both Benson and Colonel’s Crossing.

I got the idea from Conrail who did a similar thing to some of their Alco road switchers.

The photographs no longer exist and the model itself is now in the USA.

Last edited on Wed Feb 11th, 2015 09:46 am by Broadoak

Actually I have two more chop nosed geeps on my roster both based on blue box Athearns. The orange coloured no 6 was my first attempt at any sort of modification in fact. It was loosely based on a picture of a GP9 on the D&I railroad in South Dakota that I found in the 4th edition of “American Shortline Railway Guide”.

The first picture taken some ten years ago shows no 6 pushing a covered hopper into the Benson east yard team track. Note the awful deciduous trees now gone, just leaving their stumps. Also the green coloured elevator has been moved to a new location at Colonel’s Crossing. In the second picture the geep is seen spotting a car at the team track.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:32 am by Broadoak

The TVRR chop nosed geep no 8, I did some years ago as well. This isn’t based on anything really. It is another blue box Athearn concoction with a GE cab, chopped nose and Paducah style air filter yolk. Since the photos were taken some six years ago there has been a change and it now rides on GE trucks. It is assumed both locomotives were re-built in the I&W workshops at Rosston. This incidentally only exists in my imagination. I’d never get planning permission from the household authorities to build it! She is seen in the first picture pushing a Rock Island covered hopper at Benson. Then in the second she is pulling an SP covered hopper out of the yard at Colonel’s Crossing.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:34 am by Broadoak

You have an excellent memory Captain, Colonel’s Crossing was the layout of the month in CM in October 1992. The layout was exhibited at the NMRA convention at Stafford that year.

I must admit I’ve never had any regrets about going over to the dark side. In fact quite the opposite, I couldn’t have a freelance short line if I modelled British practice.

These rather poor quality photographs of the other grain loading auger may be of interest to anyone wanting a small unloading facility. Like the other one it is generic rather than a specific prototype and made from odds and ends in the scrap box.

Whilst taking the pictures I got in a few shots of an I&W GP7 that is used on the leasing fleet, hence the train heating equipment. It also gives some idea of the size of the little grain loading auger.

I very much regret all the photos have been lost and as this part of the layout no longer exists cannot be re-taken.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:35 am by Broadoak

I had a wander round Colonel’s Crossing the other evening and found a little I&W EMD end cab switcher shoving a cut of empty ore cars through the loader.

Taking advantage of the available light I took a picture of it with my wife’s compact camera.

Last edited on Thu Feb 12th, 2015 08:42 am by Broadoak