A visiting CF7 is seen tied up for the night in the east yard. She will depart for Hodge LA at first light with a train of pulp wood racks.

Thank you for your kind words Russell, they are much appreciated.

It is nice to think that the layout is acceptable to folks in the States.

Thanks for the kind words Herb.

What I meant was I have never been to the States so my impression of what the railroads are like come from reading books, looking videos and DVD’s and watching television. Most of my research was done 20 years ago before the advent of computers. I must admit I enjoyed finding out all I could as much fun as the actual modelling.

Now old age is creeping up on me and I enjoy operating as much as anything.

I bought a couple of second hand freight cars the other week at a show I was exhibiting at, an SP bulkhead flatcar and an IC box car. They were made up and fitted with KD’s. I thought they looked a bit too new and shiny so I weathered them both using simple acrylic washes. I then took a few photos of an operating session featuring these 2 new additions to my freight car fleet.

The locomotive featured is an old blue box Athearn that I have customised for my fictitious short line the Talbot Valley Railroad.

I have been playing with the layout using a pair of end cab switchers for a change. As usual the locos featured are all Athearn blue box jobs.

The assumption being that the company like to give locomotives that spend much of their working lives at slow speeds in the yard, a chance to stretch their legs on a run now and again.

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They leave the pulp wood car in the loop and run round their train. The orange low nose geep in the background will work an ore train later in the day. The crew are in a local diner having a meal break.

The two switchers spot the pulp wood car at the team track where it will be loaded directly from a truck.

I have posted the reasons for the demise of Colonel’s Crossing in a post about layout heights in the Diorama Section.

These two pictures show what the layout looks like now that CC is no more.

Peter M

I have now extended the Benson baseboard and laid the track. It has been thoroughly tested for good running and switching moves tested out. It was then painted and ballasted.

I have spent some time trying the structures in different places but now I think they look about right. I am trying to get a spacious feel that seems typical of North American yards.

This how it looks at the moment with the structures roughly in place.

More testing with regard to the operating potential needs to be done.

A few pictures to illustrate progress so far on the Benson extension.

Some more photos of a test session checking out some switching moves.

I am happy with the track formation now it makes for some interesting switching moves.

There is still much fine detailing work to do of course.

Risking life and limb standing in the four foot as I&W #1 rolls into Benson with a train of empty pulp wood flats.

A view looking towards the new extension.

The short train passes the east yard as it heads into the Benson West yard throat.

Peter M

Passing the original Midas Cement Company buildings and plant on the left of the picture.

#1 is seen shoving the cut of empty pulpwood cars into the team track siding.

When the cars are spotted they will be loaded directly from trucks who have brought in the lumber from a local forest.

Peter M