Workshop Wednesday

Steve, would you please post the photos of your friends background, Andre isn't the only one who is interested in seeing your photos.

Joe

 

Got missing parts for my Bowser K4 kit. Worked on siderods and valve gear:

 

No problem joe I can post some tonight.

 

Been "modeling"... so to speak, buy mainly just some organizing and inventory stuff. Been up in the attic digging out some Floquil paints I knew I had up there, also going through my stash out in the hobby house taking inventory. Got it all listed on hard copy, but not entered into digital form as yet. Looks like I'm going to have over 100 bottles of Floquil that appears to be usable, or save-able. Dreading the day I'm going to have to leave Floquil and find a substitute.

Also watching/acquiring some needed "key" structures via eBay for track planning purposes.

Spent all day Tuesday out tromping. Had a fantastic time with my long time friend that is also a retired railroader (he bad ordered quite a few years ago) as well as a model railroader. We first met at a model railroad club meeting back in 1974 (I think). He was about 2 years into his railroading career at the time, an employee of the Frisco. We hit it off immediately and have been friends since.

He lives over in a small town in Arkansas called "Pencil Bluff". After looking at his latest model RR projects (he's pretty much strictly diesel era), we headed out into the mountains to find some remnants of the old Caddo & Choctaw RR, as well as viewing the artifacts on part of the old Gurdon & Fort Smith/Missouri Pacific branch to Norman, AR. We did some hiking of the C&C roadbeds, and looked over several sawmill ruins, a huge in-service sawmill at Glenwood, AR, along with all sorts of other stuff.

Here's some scenes from the actual Pencil Bluff area:



Origins of the community date back to at least 1882, when a church was organized for the those living in the area at the time. It was not called Pencil Bluff at the time, and didn't really have an "official" name. Over the decades, two names became common: "Whitetown" and "Sock City" (long story on that one!). It wasn't until the late 1940s that it officially became "Pencil Bluff".

The town's name was based on a slate bluff area. Seems back in 19th century, when that area was wildcat wild, people didn't have much money. So, apparently a Schoolmarm learned of the slate bluffs, and sure enough, one could literally pick up a piece that was about an 1/8" thick, and flat and perfect, you could break it off into a piece about the size of a tablet. Using these pieces of slate, and a shard of slate to write with, one could write on it like chalk, even erase it. So, the school used it for the blackboard, and the kids used slate tablets w/slate shards for writing instruments. The name "Pencil Bluff" hearkens to that history!

A view of the Ouachita River with a fish hatchery truck in the background:



I needn't have wondered about what we were going to do for lunch in these backwoods. (There are few places to eat!) We ended up stopping at a little "hole in the wall" aging "convenience" store. Inside was a cement floor, old shelves with equally old (non perishable) stock thereon, and several well worn tables and chairs, and lots of old pictures and such. I ordered what my friend ordered and when they set that plate of steaming food in front of me, I knew it was going to be some gooooood eatin'! (IF you like "down home" style cooking, which I do!) The special for today was fried potatoes with sliced (dinner) sausage, with boiled cabbage, cornbread and sweet tea. I'm telling you it was spoon lickin' good. Here's a pic of it in all its glory:



In our wanderings, we stopped at an old town where a railroad ran through. The town was named "Caddo Gap". I didn't realize there was such recorded history of the area, but sure 'nuf, my friend took me to see a statue of a Caddo tribe (or Ouachita tribe) warrior.

Seems the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto had met the Caddo (or Ouachita) tribe and the result was engraved at a memorial to the tribe. Below is a picture of the memorial showing one of four such plaques. (Each plaque contained a different factoid thereon.)



In case the photo of the plaque isn't legible, here's how it reads:

DE SOTO AT CADDO GAP

"In this area in 1541 a Spanish expedition from Florida commanded by Hernando De Soto encountered fierce resistance from the Indians, whom they described as the best fighting men they had met. De Soto then turned to the southeast and descended the Caddo and Ouachita Rivers into what is now Louisiana, where he died."

We both had a lot of fun out tromping old roadbeds in the pine covered mountains, seeing the rushing creeks and rivers, seeing old railroad locations... all of it. It was a super day!

Andre

 

Really nice Andre, course I was in that area, "big area" with KCS. I had the territory, thru Poteau toward Rich Mountain to Mena. The Ft. Smith and Waldren Branch. Tried to fish the Ouachita River, lots of fish, must have been poor fisherman. But that's a fishing story.

 

Waldron branch...

You mean this one?


(The above during my employment with Watco.)

Lots of good memories on that branch over the decades. I really enjoyed it back in the F unit days.



Andre

 

Yes that's it, really bad, maybe some of the worst I have seen. That bridge without the guard rails should be out of service. The ribbon without any anchors is pitiful. Course it's excepted track 10 mph but a embarrassment to the industry.

 

Want your mind blown about the Waldron Branch?

Back in the early 1990s, I've been over the Waldron Branch at the maximum allowable (at the time) 25 MPH. This was after it had been rehabbed in the mid-1980s. Those GP38's were rockin' and rollin'! The tangents were straight as a string, the curves smooth, life was good. Cattle were a bit worse for the wear, though.

Speaking of which...

One night while running an eastbound on the AW (Waldron Branch), I hit one so hard that she rolled up under the right front step and her hard head DENTED the first step tread. (Bowed it upward by quite a bit.) The utility truck met me at Coaldale, and I used a sledge hammer to knock the tread back down to where it could be used. I figured that was one less cow to be concerned with.

Once underway again, imagine my surprise when the radio crackled, and upon answering, the utility man informed me she (cow) was up and grazing... skinned up some... but apparently fine! (No doubt had a headache!)

Other encounters of the bovine kind didn't turn out so good for the bovine. (One got her revenge though, but that's another story best told another time.)

Andre

 

Great stuff Andre!

Here is a few pics of backgrounds that you guys mentioned. Keep in mind he was an art teacher for 30 years so... But they look good and could be replicated for sure. Yes, I did ask if he ever made his students paint backdrops for his trains. HA










Another layout. These are rocks made from ceiling tile. They would look good for a lot of Ozark layouts. I used them for my photo diorama as well.



Hope they help. I have lots more but this gives you the idea at least, Steve

 

Utah Belt, eh? If so, that's Eric Brooman's layout, right? Nice stuff!

Ceiling tile strata rock:

Looks very good. I'll need to model strata rock now that I've migrated back to The Fatherland.

Andre

 

Steve, thank you for posting the photos of your friend's background. They are fantastic and like you said it would be easy to replicate. I will show the photos to my wife since she is going to paint my background. The ceiling tiles for rock strata is a great idea, thank you.

Joe

 

I must be very artistically challenged, 'cause I don't see Eric's backdrop as easy to replicate! In my eyes, I see lots of talent on that wall!

 

I think you can do it Andre. In person looking at them they look very nice. But much of it is “ implied” in the painting. The rock paintings are detailed. But the trees etc are a lot of maybe sponge spots then some trunks. Not individual trees. If you look at just one thing it’s nothing special but when you look at a stretch of layout it’s impressive. Make sense?
Like I said too above, in fairness to the rest of us he was an art teacher his whole career.


Steve

 

Bud McCarey who did most of the scenery work on the Shawnee Mission Club made the strata rock by wired together 8-10 single edge razor blades which he would scratch along the built up plaster. The colored results are amazing!

 

That’s a great idea Sherrel. Thanks for the info.

 

At the workbench as of about 30 minutes ago:

Oldies rock station playin' in the background, feet toasty warm... and just a piddlin' and enjoying the view...

 

Spotted old Frisco car, fair shape, Bill

 

Second Barge now complete.

 

Nice work on the Barge, Sir William!

Andre

 

Looks great Bill! Looks like a fun layout. Good to see old covered hoppers still around. Probably headed to Kansas, isn't that where beater covered hoppers go to die?