New layout; Bonanza & Western Railroad

Discussion in 'Freelance' started by skyraider, Jan 21, 2018.

  1. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    The "contraption" that's been in progress for over a month is drawing to a close. It's not quite complete, but close. A friend said he wanted his DNA on my layout, so he built the cylinders, crosshead and valve gear out of some junk he had and sent it to me. Of course I had to make something to incorporate it. So here it is. It's supposed to be a stationary industrial steam engine.

    Originally, I was going to be the power source for a 75' long incline railway that took supplies from the railhead up to the mine. But it's too big. So I don't know where it will go. Maybe next to the roundhouse. Maybe it will power an overhead crane and have it lifting a boiler off of a steam locomotive that needs heavy repairs.

    Paul Moore
     

    Attached Files:

  2. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    It's been just about a year since this layout was started. Progress has slowed a little, but it's still moving forward. The latest work has been on the "north" end of the railroad: getting the stream ready for water; trees on the mountain; preparing the area the cattle pen will be in; etc.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Got the stream nearly done over the weekend. There will be lots more details: scree / talus; a canoe or two; some people on inner tubes; etc.

    paul IMG_4264 copy.jpg IMG_4265 copy.jpg IMG_4266 copy.jpg IMG_4269 copy.jpg Untitled-1 copy.jpg Untitled-2.jpg Untitled-3 copy.jpg
     
  4. Ozarktraveler

    Ozarktraveler Member

    Looks really nice.

    Just realized you are in Colorado Springs. Wish my uncle, Doyle Williams, could've met up with you. He lived out his retirement years in Colorado Springs. He was a Frisco fan.
     
    geep07 and Joe Lovett like this.
  5. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    I would love to have met him, too.

    paul
     
    Joe Lovett and Ozarktraveler like this.
  6. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Really good scenery, Paul - enjoying watching this come together. Thanks for sharing and keep the updates coming,
     
    Ozarktraveler and Joe Lovett like this.
  7. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Thanks, Chris. My wife has helped tons because my color vision is terrible. It's been fun so far. The mainline is nearly done, so a train will go all the way around soon.

    Paul
     
  8. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    The abandoned head tower at the mine is just about complete. Today I finished the ore bucket. It's nothing but the bottom cut off of a CO2 cartridge; holes drilled in the sides for attaching the hanger; hanger is made by bending a piece of brass rod. The "cable" is some thread supplied by my wife. The hook was a Tichy hook from the parts box. Real cables through the eye of a real hook have sort of a wrapped crimp fitting to hold the hook on the cable. I don't know the exact terminology. I took a piece of short wiring insulation, slit one side open, wrapped it a round the cable that was bent up through the eye of the hook, and super glued it in place. IMG_4277 copy.jpg IMG_4278 copy.jpg victor with greg and dogs 021.jpg rusty-cable.jpg p1010187.jpg
     
  9. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    The SLSF obviously never went to Colorado Springs. The Mopac came into Puebl0 from the East and then up to Colo Springs. The Rock Island came into Colorado from the East at Limon, where the Rocky Mtn Rocket was split in two, part going to Colorado Springs and the rest going to Denver. If the Frisco had come to Colorado Springs, I figure it would have come in from the East along highway 24 into the downtown depot and yard. It could have shared trackage with the UP from Ellsworth, KS, and then split off and gone into Colorado Springs. It could also have used the Mopac from south of Ellsworth and split off to the north East of Colorado Springs somewhere around Ordway or even east of there.

    There's a tiny unincorporated hole-in-the-wall east of Colorado Springs named Bovina along highway 24. As a result, my country depot is named Bovina, and is across the tracks from what will be my stock pens. A few photos attached.

    The stone viaduct bridge behind and above the depot is a temporary bridge that I made out of foam. It will eventually be replaced with a timber trestle.

    Paul

    IMG_2301.JPG IMG_2302.JPG IMG_2303.JPG
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2018
  10. klrwhizkid

    klrwhizkid Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Paul, how appropriate that stock pens would be at Bovina...
     
  11. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Hi Keith,

    My thoughts exactly, and why I chose the location and story for the fictitious Frisco using that route into Colorado Springs.

    Thanks!!

    Paul
     
  12. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    The stock pens are done; the band stand in the city park is finished and has live music playing; and today my wife ran the first train around the layout. The back side needs a guard rail (will eventually have a painted back drop that will be about 3' high) to prevent a derailment from dumping a locomotive or car several feet down onto a stone fireplace hearth. So I was the guard rail and she ran the first train.

    The sheep came with a strange looking shepherd. Maybe a europeon. He was just too weird for a western USA layout. I repainted him, filed off his staff, and turned him into the pastor of the local church.

    The cowboy and cowgirl were modern in their original outfits. They had plastic Equestrian helmets instead of cowboy hats. I filed off the brim of the helmet, filed the sides and top to give them a shape more like a cowboy hat, and made brims and glued them on and painted them.

    Our two dogs at home are two Australian Shepherds. They are both older--one's 14 and the other is nearly 15. The 14 year old one used to compete in obedience, rally, herd sheep and cattle, and do agility. As a result, I turned two of the HO scale dogs into Aussies and painted them the best I could to represent our dogs doing the herding. IMG_2370 copy.jpg IMG_2374 copy.jpg IMG_2375 copy.jpg IMG_2379 copy.jpg

    A few photos of the completed stock pen and band stand.

    Paul
     
  13. WindsorSpring

    WindsorSpring Member

    ...and "the shepherd" leads a different flock!
     
    skyraider and Ozarktraveler like this.
  14. Looks good Pail. Nice job.
     
    Ozarktraveler likes this.
  15. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    That's right!!
     
  16. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Nearly completed the cemetery just south of the church today. One of the parishioners gave the pastor his retired Model T, which is parked north of the church. The front fence is just leaning up against the other three sides of the fence. I don't like the extra posts and the double gate--too busy looking. It may be time to scratch build an archway entryway for the cemetery with no gates.

    A shot of the recently completed overhead crane is also attached. It was covered in a question post in the structures area, but here's one shot just for kicks. IMG_4386 copy.jpg IMG_4387 copy.jpg IMG_4388 copy.jpg tombstones close up.jpg IMG_4378 copy.jpg

    Paul
     
  17. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Just a few photos of some detail work that has been added to the Bonanza & Western Railroad. The soft metal operator on the dozer was supposed to go on the Farmall tractor at the farm, but his gut is too big?? Good planning by the model manufacturer, huh?!

    Happy Thanksgiving,

    Paul Moore IMG_4414.JPG IMG_4416 copy.jpg Farm at Thanksgiving copy.jpg IMG_4357.JPG IMG_4421.JPG
     
  18. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    'Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. We did.

    A little progress has been made on the Bonanza & Western. Lately I've been in the mood to do smaller projects. I built a couple of soft metal kits (road grader and motorcar) week before last. The operator came in a Farmall tractor model, but he wouldn't fit in the tractor!! The grader and motor car need to be weathered, but other than that, they're done.

    Yesterday I started a motorcar shed. The model is actually a handcar shed, but handcars were mostly gone by the '40's. It has been modified from the plans a little. The real railroads didn't much care for windows in the trackside structures because it made burglary and theft easier. At least that's what I've been told. On this motorcar shed kit you have "the opportunity" to build all of the interior framing. Not much point in doing that unless you can see it. It also has a set of shelves, a potbellied stove, etc. So my shed will have the door open and have two extra windows. Hopefully, that will let in enough light so you can see the interior. I'm painting the inside a light gray and the exterior a light mustard color (Poly S TTX yellow).

    A friend who happens to be the most knowledgeable person I know regarding Japanese brass models also owns a machine shop. He designed a modeling tool years ago called the Calibre Cutter. Fortunately, I have one. It makes cutting repetitive lengths of stripwood much faster and easier. They're not available any more, but if you do lots of scratch building or build craftsman kits and find one of these cutters for sale online, buy it.

    Have a great week,

    Paul Moore
    Handcar Shed Plans full.jpg IMG_2401.JPG IMG_2402.JPG IMG_4437 copy.jpg IMG_4438 copy.jpg IMG_4450 copy.jpg Untitled-1 copy.jpg
     
  19. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Between Christmas and looking at property in West Central Texas, yesterday was the first day I've worked on the layout in nearly a month. A revelation hit me yesterday. It's probably a blessing in disguise that I have a small layout. Between the level of detail I want and the glacially slow pace at which I work, nothing larger than my 6 X 12 would ever be completed!!

    Made a tiny bit of progress on the handcar shed yesterday evening. Got the foundation and part of the floor done, and installed the rails and ties. It's difficult to believe that something this small can take this long!! IMG_4490.JPG
     

Share This Page