D&H #4075 and 44-tonner (1980)

Here is an interesting shot taken in October 1980 in Colonie Yard. The two blue dip engines (RS3 #4075, and C424 #415) aren't anything remarkable. However, the GE 44-tonner is a big deal. I don't know where it came from, but perhaps it was an engine that worked at the nearby Army plant and was sent here for service? Who knows. But, I love 44-tonners saw when I saw this slide I had to buy it. I don't think any of the B&M or Maine Central 44-tonners ever made it onto D&H rails during the Guilford time, so this might be one of the only instances when a 44-tonner was at Colonie.

MMR - Chief Dispatcher completed!

Over the weekend I participated in our area's "OpToberfest" prototypical layout operation sessions. While I always enjoy operating on other layouts (especially since my own layout has limited operating potential), this one was special because I had made arrangements with my friend John V. to Dispatch his layout over several sessions. His layout, the N-scale "Raquette Lake Railway", models the prototypical RLR in the Adirondacks in the 1920s. A great layout in its own right, and with a fantastic Facebook page, I always enjoy going there to run trains. Here are a few pictures I took of his layout in 2021 to give you an idea what he models. I can't believe I didn't take a single picture when I was there recently.

In addition to some paperwork including coming up with various time tables and operating schemes (which I based on the layout at the Adirondack Live Steamers), since 2017 I have accrued 50 hours of layout operating time on a dozen or more area railroads. I needed a minimum of 10 hours of Dispatching, which is tough if you don't have your own layout needing a dispatcher, as someone else has to trust you enough to successful run their layout without wrecking it! John V needed a dispatcher, I needed the hours, and several sessions later... I have submitted my paperwork.

If approved (and it better well should be) I only need one certificate to obtain my Master Model Railroader award.

Adirondack Live Steamers 40th Anniversary Meet

The Adirondack Live Steamers in Saratoga Springs, NY, recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. The event slipped away from me, despite the fact that in 2013 I had an article published in Live Steam and Outdoor Railroading magazine in 2009 about the 25th anniversary meet in 2008. In any event, I sadly cannot make it up to ALS as much as I used to but Sarah and Harrison joined me for a Saturday afternoon there. 

There were more steam engines operational than any event I can think of, in part because a huge group of people from the Montreal Live Steamers joined us for the weekend. Two engines I was very happy to see was a three-truck shay engine designed by the Kozo which was featured in an article I wrote for Live Steam magazine in 2011, and Charlie Chermak's magnificent Chessie pacific engine which the largest reason I fell in love with the live steam hobby as a boy.

In no particular order, here are some pictures I took.

Layout redesign

Change has come to the D&H Colonie Main layout.

For a long time now I have been dissatisfied with my layout. It ran good, and it looked good, but I rarely operated on it. There was too much junk from scenery construction on part of it, and that made it unenjoyable to look at. Plus, as I have mentioned previously, my heart just isn't in HO at the moment. It started before Harrison came along, but now that we have so much fun playing with his Brio and Thomas trains I really want a small O scale layout that we can run together. My wife says I am jumping the gun (he is only 17 months old), but as our basement is currently configured there really isn't a good place for an O scale layout. 

And, I haven't wanted to work on my layout because I feel like I am throwing money at a project that will ultimately get torn down. One saving grace, though, was that I had enough with scenery already completed to make a serious run at the MMR scenery certificate.

So, I was stuck. I had a plan from an old Model Railroader special issue from the 1980s for a 4x8 Lionel train layout board that could fold up and roll around, and that seemed like a good idea for us. But even that wouldn't fit in my layout area with the HO benchwork in place. So something had to give. And in a fit of stupidity calculated reasoning, I came up with a plan.

The fourth side of my layout featuring Mohawk Paper isn't designed well. In reality, I would probably have rebuilt it before adding scenery. But it is the farthest area of my layout from construction and would get worked on last. So, I disconnected the benchwork and the wiring and in about 30 minutes I had removed 1/4 of the layout. But that wasn't all. My plan was to rotate everything that remained 90-degees which would create a much open floor space... where even a small Lionel layout could go.

Most decisions I think on for a long time. Sometimes too long a time. Not here. When I explained it to my wife after the fact, she was in disbelief. Even she admitted "You love working on track and scenery, and they are done", but she also countered "you finally got it running, and you never get your layouts that far". I probably should have discussed it with her. She could have talked some sense into me. But oh well. (By the way, the removed layout sections are in the garage at least temporarily though the L-girder benchwork that supported them is now in small pieces).

Then I went to sleep. It wasn't a great stopping point, as I didn't sleep well wondering if I could pull off my plan. But I didn't have regrets, which was a good thing. I woke up early the next morning and disassembled the remainder some more. Next, slid things around until the layout just barely turned 90-degrees. I had literally a half-inch inch of clearance by a support column (otherwise, I would have had to separate the scenery-finished sections which I was loathe to do). My says I overbuild stuff, which is true, though model magazines over-promote benchwork that overkill for most layouts. Either way, my layout wiring with the wing nuts and hockey pucks made for quick disassembly, reassembly, and leveling. I had it all back together in its new configuration in about an hou. My back and leg muscles are sore now though. At 40+ this hurts... what will it be like at 60?

My layout is now a purely switching layout, but I don't ever operate it anyway. The "staging yard" is a scenic example of a railyard being torn up, two of the sidings in North Menands aren't useful for operations anyway (one has building clearance issues, the other never received a freight car in the time period I model), etc. This is a layout to let me build stuff, which I enjoy more than operating. 

So, the future is open for something new. I am looking forward to building a small layout for Harrison that we can share. And, I still have one section of my layout (Keis and Norlite) that I can work on to scratch my buildnig itch. Who knows... in a couple of years maybe I will keep my HO layout and expand it further after all? 

Favorite Engines - G.E. 44-tonners

My favorite engine of all time is the General Electric 44-tonner. Not only were they ubiquitous on shortline railroads, but they are also just plain cute. The fact that my favorite railroad had two of them (plus two other, larger G.E. centercab switchers) means that my love for them is pretty much an obsession. Though they generally look alike, there are many differences over their long production run. The September 1978 issue of Model Railroader magazine has scale drawings, though the best resource is Extra 2200 South magazine (issues 51 and 52). Can you believe that only 386 total engines were built? Yet so many survive today!

The Arcade and Attica Railroad purchased two of them, #110 (in 1941) and #111 (in 1947). They ran for decades and both are still on the property, and #111 is occasionally still is used in revenue service! Below is a shot from August 18, 1990 showing the two 44-tonners (the black/orange engines) and one 65-tonner. Engine #110 is on the very left, and #111 is on the very right.

This is engine #111 taken on August 10, 1976. I prefer this paint scheme because it is what I remember as a kid. However, in 2001, the A&A has reverted back to the older "retro" scheme on all of its engines. 

This is close to what they looked like when originally delivered from G.E., though this shot is from May 26, 2008 when it had just been repainted for display. It is a sharp paint scheme.

The purchase of the first diesel was so impactful on the A&A that it allowed the mechanical department to retire all of its steam engines. The financial savings from this allowed the railroad to carry through some lean years. General Electric heard about this and even featured A&A #110 in one of their advertisement campaigns!

The diesel locommotives came with reliable Caterpillar diesel engines, and Caterpillar also decided to feature A&A #110 in their advertisement too!

The very last 44-tonner ordered from G.E. was sent to the Dansville and Mt. Morris Railroad in western New York. The line is also near and dear to me because my wife is from Mt. Morris and I have spent a bit of time railfanning it. Now it is now part of the Genessee & Wyoming system. In fact, it was their first railroad aquisition way back when. Anyway, D&MM's engine #1 was ordered from the factory in 1956 and it served on the D&MM until 1986, when it was sold to the Bay Colony Railroad. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of it.

However, the railroad also purchased another 44-tonner engine used from the Bath and Hammondsport Railroad. This became D&MM #2, and it is shown here on May 29, 1980. In this shot it has yellow painted handrails, but earlier pictures have them painted black. It was finally scrapped in 2012. An excellent website on the D&MM can be found here.

Being from Rochester, I have an interest in all western NY railroads. Another 44-tonner owner was owned by the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad (which I featured on my blog previously). This shortline was formed in 1964 and the 44-tonner were used for excursion trains as well as freight movement. This shot was taken July 1973 and was photographed by Alco legend and shortline guru George Hockaday. I purchased the slide online once I saw who the photographer was because I am friends with his son Warren.

Here is an undated shot of Maine Central 44-tonner #15, painted in the sharp red and black "Minuteman" scheme which was also used by the Boston and Maine Railroad when they shared corporate ownership. Note the marker lights on the front corners (but not the rear ones!)

One final engine, Adirondack Scenic Railroad #105, was previously featured on my blog here.

As you can see, even in the small geographical area of western New York State there were many 44-tonners roaming about. They might not have been large but they did they jobs well and they certainly helped keep freight lines profitable. Thankfully, you can still see a few running today if you know where to look.

D&H #752 in Watervliet (1969)

Here is a shot of D&H U33C #752 leading a train south through Watervliet on August 25, 1969. If you are wondering about the unual paint scheme, there is a story behind it. 

The D&H normally purchased diesels only from Alco and General Electric, but in 1967 EMD tested three SD45 demonstrator locomotives on the D&H. Apparently, the D&H needed engines and EMD offered them a great deal... perhaps to attempt to lure the D&H into buying more EMDs. It worked, and the three engines were acquired.

However, the D&H didn't like them. They were nicknamed "Hummingbirds" though I am not sure why. Part of their issue was because the maintenance crews needed separate inventories for three lone EMD engines in a roster of Alcos and GEs. So, in 1969 after only two years they were swapped with the Erie Lackawanna for three GE U33C engines. The Erie Lackawanna's maroon and gray scheme was retained, with D&H blue replacing the maroon. As D&H repaints go (and there were a lot when it aquiried a bunch of Geeps at the formation of Conrail), this was pretty tasteful. By 1972, the U33C engines were repainted into the more traditional D&H "Lightning Stripe" scheme. 

Ironically, the three initial SD45s were later returned to the D&H on Conrail's "Conveyance Day" in 1976 and all were then patch painted for the D&H, again with the EL's maroon repainted in blue. They lasted on the D&H for two more years before being sold to Mexico in 1978.

RIP Clover

Sadly, today was the day when Clover decided to leave us. She was a great dog, and a wonderful modeling companion. She kept my feet warm in the winter during our long basement modeling sessions at my workbench, and in the summer she loved going up to the Live Steam club and being around the trains and people. She lived 12+ fun filled years, 6 with us, and even yesterday when we were at the park people complimented us on her appearance and exuberance. 

She will definitely be missed. 

D&H train passing Albany Steel (1974)

Here is a neat shot of a southbound D&H train passing through North Albany in August 18, 1974. While the colors of the freight cars on the left are pretty muted, the last couple are really bright and that caboose stands out. Perhaps it was recently painted. Right behind and to the right of the caboose is Albany Steel, which I modeled on my layout. Sadly, I only had room for the piles of pipes that are evident here.

For those familiar with the area, this picture looks like it was shot from the roof of what is now Huck Finn's Warehouse.

Growing grass on the ridge in North Menands

I only realized recently that I hadn't worked on the background ridge in my North Menands section of the layout since December 2020! Wow, where did the time go? Admittedly, I am not very good at scenery I didn't want to mess it up so I left it alone and focused my attention on structures. However, it was time to move on with the process. This entire project was done over the course of a week, spending between 5-15 minutes a night after I put my son to bed. I much prefer working in larger chunks of time, but since I had to constantly wait for glue to dry along the way it worked out well.

Here is what I was hoping to model, albeit during a much greener time (May) then is shown in this late October 2012 photo. The ridge on the left runs behind the tracks, and just to the other side of the trees on that hill is a cemetary. A neat opportunity to model something different, but space probably won't allow it on my layout. 

I had done a lot of the scenery between the front of the layout and the ridge, so I didn't want to mess that up by reaching over it. But, the backdrop in this area is removable and access to the rear is easy from the laundry area. The ridge already had a coat of Ground Goop applied, along with several colors of ground foam. But it didn't look go, and static grass was the answer. So, I started by covering the track along the ridge with paper towels and spraying them with water to settle them in. They would serve as shields to capture errant static grass fibers.

Then, Woodland Scenics' Static Tac glue was drizzled onto the terrain and brushed around with a cheap 1" chip brush. One thing I noticed right away was that the Woodland Scenic's glue was a lot thinner than the Aleens tacky glue I had been using. Also, I didn't spray the entire area with rubbing alcohol first before applying glue. I had read that you needed to get everything wet (hence the alcohol) for the static charge to be fully transferred from the end of the probe to the layout area you are working on, but that didn't seem to be the case here. 

Then, a layer of mixed green 2mm grass was applied consistently along the ridge. The back area (facing the camera) didn't get as much because it wouldn't be seen from normal layout viewing angles. I used a shop vac with a stocking over the end to capture excess grass and help it stand up, but 2mm stuff usually comes out straight. 

This is really bright stuff... but it does reflect the fresh spring growth in the area. And, the colors will change as the scenery process continued.

The next day, I added more glue and then applied a layer of dark green 4mm grass over top.

When the glue dried it looked a bit better.

Finally, I went and applied four different shades of ground foam and other scenic materials to further break up the monotony of the color palette. 

It helps have a rolling cart filled with scenery supplies at the ready.

I also keep the nine scenery materials I use the most used colors in a separate container. They are: fine cinder ballast; fine gray blend ballast; fine screened real coal; super fine screened real dirt; fine brown ballast; fine dark green foam; fine mixed green/yellow foam; and medium light and dark green foam.

Once the foam was on, I sprayed it all with alcohol and applied more matte medium cement to lock it all in place.

And when I say "applied", I took no chances. Loose foam could easily roll down the hill onto the tracks and get into the engine's gears, so I made sure that stuff wasn't going anywhere. Because of the humidity, it took several days for the white appearance to disappear. I was getting pretty worried, actually.

With a train in front of it and from this high perspective, it doesn't look as massive as the prototype. From eye-level, though, it works okay. I didn't want it so high that it appeared like a mountain. Besides, I still need to add some large bushes and trees along the ridge and they will add to the overall height.

This is a step forward. And even though I hate making trees, I will try and not wait another 2.5 years before I work on this section again!