Just as he did for our HO Birmingham Terminal layout by building the union depot for Camellia Park, my friend and craftsman/artist Dick Schultz has outdone himself by providing the centerpiece attraction for our G-scale layout. It is a 1/32 model of the Rock Island interlocking tower that used to stand at Muscatine, Iowa. Called Culver Tower, station code DY, it was the subject of a several great articles in Trains Magazine in 1986. Marsha and I used to rail-fan there before it was torn down in 1978. It was my introduction to the Rock Island in its last days. I needed a tower at Bridge Junction between the RI and MP on the A&MRB&T Co, so we thought this would be a good one. It is a twin of the Rock Island tower at Saginaw, TX, just north of Fort Worth, TX. Dick began by making detailed plans of the tower from photographs. Then he proceeded to totally scratch build the structure and fully detailed and lighted interior from styrene. He actually had to make a special sharpened round tool to punch out the individual "fish scale" scalloping for the sides. The "stage presence," as they say in theater, of this piece is really impressive. We now have to move out smartly to build the layout so it can have a context. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
Love it! Here is my future G-scale project. It is going to be SL-SF/StL&G 388. Not exact but close enough. Maybe I can get trackage rights on the A&MRB&T Co!
You said it, brother. I have always had a soft spot for interlocking towers, perhaps because they could be so varied, and perhaps because of what they represent, e.g. one railroad's connection to the rest of the nationwide web of rails. At any rate, the modeling's pretty exceptional. I am intrigued by the gangway that leads from the tower stairway to roughly diesel locomotive walkway level. I do not think I have ever seen such a thing. Wonder what its purpose was for in the prototype world? Best Regards,
Since every Rock Island train passing this location received train orders, the gangway saved the operator's having to descend all the way to the ground each time to hand up orders to the engineer and the conductor. This tower was a very busy place where he had to really hustle to keep up with all of the manual operations, recording of train passage times and telephone calls from train crews, three dispatchers and other nearby locations. I loved the interlocking and on-line towers because I could go in and connect with a very human side of railroading that is no longer possible. Ken McElreath
Makes good sense, Ken. Thanks for the additional insight. I am surprised more roads did not add a similar treatment to their towers. Best Regards,
The power for the Cotton Belt's "Memphis Blue Streak Merchandise" is now done, and I have really enjoyed customizing the Aristo GP40-2 and U25B for the job. Although the track isn't yet in place in the West Memphis yard, I do have the backdrop painted, so I thought I'd post photos of the units, ready to depart for Pine Bluff and Corsicana Tx for a fast connection to the SP for El Paso and LA. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
For Tim Cannon, particularly, here is my Cotton Belt GP9 yard switcher. The prototype engine was assigned to the Illmo yard in the early 1970s, where I photographed it. It was a lot dirtier than this, though. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
An early 2020 update regarding progress on the A&MRB&T Co. G-scale layout. Although I am nominally modeling Memphis, TN circa 1965-1975, I have already corrupted that purity with the Rock Island interlocking tower and other items that are attractive to me. At this point in my 70 years of modeling, if I like something, I can incorporate it into the layout to improve its interest without pangs of guilt. The latest case in point is my Memphis Union Station. The prototype was a stub-ended affair, and the railroad side was very bland and uninteresting, compared to the street side. So Dick Schultz and I conferred what we should do. I love the Burlington Station in Omaha, NE seeing it every time we ride the California Zephyr to Denver, CO. So I approached Dick about modeling it, particularly since he is a Burlington Railroad modeler. Here is the result at present, since I could not wait to finish the ballasting to take photographs to share. Only half the building is modeled; a mirror doubles the symmetrical building and scene. The other new building Dick finished is in actuality the Memphis Union Station power plant, adjacent to the engine house. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
The first section of the A&MRB&T Co. layout that is now "finished" is the Rock Island's Fourth Street Yard in Memphis, TN. Here are some photographs I took to commemorate the event. Doing ballasting and ground cover in G-scale was quite intimidating at first, but I am actually looking forward to working on other sections after my first dive into this section. I am using two grades of kitty litter for ballast, plus some regular sand and Woodland Scenics foliage materials and lichen. I am hoping to establish the equivalent level of realism and detail that I have enjoyed in HO scale. So far it is a fun and interesting experiment. One has to be a scrounger to find appropriate stuff in unexpected places, just as in the earlier days of HO modeling, before everything became available "take and bake." Ken McElreath
At the stub end of the yard I have installed a Third Street overpass with a mirror underneath, to give the yard some depth instead of running into the wall. I am very pleased with the results. The scene opens up quite nicely, making my small yard seem much more extensive. I have salvaged an end of a gondola, that I cannibalized earlier, to deceive the eye, plus a 40 foot TOFC flat car to make a "smoke and mirrors" 86 foot car more appropriate for the 1970s time frame. You can see where the mirror is, if you look for the shadow line just beyond the first overpass. Ken McElreath
Here are some photographs showing the yard populated with rolling stock and locomotives in the servicing area. Just as with the prototype Fourth Street Yard, the yard switcher has to move the cars in cuts onto the main line to make up an outbound consist, then the engines and caboose are added for departure. Reverse for arrivals. Great model operation. There is a prototype for everything. Ken McElreath
Never saw anything on the Rock Island looking that good. You must have snuck into the yard the day they were delivered. I especially like the 1203. By the way, for those among us who are RI buffs, the attached may be of interest. GS https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/4/messages/AD4YAYUe5v_BXwDA0QWlUBOOieg?.src=fp
Just in case you are wondering what the young man walking home from school is looking at, this is it. The fire department has been called to put out an engine fire in the Pontiac. And is not that a gorgeous machine? One thing I am enjoying is working the forced perspectives of having various scale items in the scene. Like General U S Grant, you "do the best you can with what you're given". The vehicles in the background are 1:32 and the ones in the foreground are 1:24, while the trains are 1:29. It actually works, and the mind does not seem to "mind" the mixing of scales. G-scale is not as sensitive to these things as HO-scale. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
