I do not know how I missed this thread when it was originally posted, nor how I have continued to overlook it right along. Today, however, I caught up, including the reference to my book on Southern Railway passenger trains. Man. that was written a long time ago, and was, in fact, the second book I authored for Morning Sun (there have been lots more since then). At any rate, a belated thanks for the shout-out, and congratulations on what appears to be an exceptional layout. Hope some day I might get to see it. GS
This is an inspiring layout. Mike Corley and I have a lot to do to add the Frisco to the TWMRC in as good representation. I see I will have to do much more super detailing to my Frisco passenger fleet. The series of photos is excellent, thanks mktjames in Fort Worth , Texas.
Talk about really capturing the look and feel of an era, Ken. The accordion-style gate on the back of the SBD sleeper is nice - who is the manufacturer? The only ones I have are from old Walthers' passenger car detailing kits and they look rather clunky and unrealistic when compared to the prototype - or the one you have on the sleeper. I also noticed a couple of items that I hadn't noticed before. The dentist's office name amused me. I also wondered if there's a "Hogan's Heroes" reference with the butcher shop? Best Regards,
I (pretend to) model a mythical area in Oklahoma in the 1954-1958 period. Frisco and the other neighboring railroads. I've been scheming, trying to figure a way to run one of those big streamstyled Kansas City-Florida Special diners (Like Ken McElreath's) on my Oklahoma Frisco Lines! I just might have to invoke the rule: "It's my railroad and I'll do whatever I want!" Tom G.
The great looking passenger tail gates are probably the Cal-Scale TG-309 gates, which are cast in brass. Very nice. Ken? Ken W.
As a native resident of Alabama, I don't know how I've missed a thread with "Alabama" in the title for over 3 years now. Thankfully the title finally caught my eye. I've looked at every picture in the thread. All I can say is... WOW!!! The modeling and photography are amazing!
I also noticed a couple of items that I hadn't noticed before. The dentist's office name amused me. I also wondered if there's a "Hogan's Heroes" reference with the butcher shop? Chris, Yes, Dick likes to inject some humor into our modeling. Actually it sparks interest as people look for those little touches. If you blow up the photo of the last building up the hill adjoining Our Own Hardware, you will see the law offices of Dewy, Cheatum and Howe, Attorneys. In the 1960s and 70s when he and I were getting addicted to model railroading, it was much more common to have caricatures in our modeling, whether in the fictional railroads we created or the scenes themselves. Just look at the old magazines of that era. I think it was a function of the state of the art then, when our models were somewhat crude by today's super detailed and ultra realistic standards. Actually, I like to mix and include some aspects of that spirit into my modeling, such as building old wooden kits occasionally. Today the community is way too serious and critical of every tiny misstep. It's the model railroading version of political correctness. I can say honestly that I have never built a "perfect" model, one in which I didn't afterward discover some "fatal flaw." Instead of fretting about it, the Lord has taught me to lighten up and laugh at my mistakes. Ken McElreath
Here's a sequence of #4303 moving through Camellia Park with a freight out of East Thomas for Memphis in 1950. The three big 4300s assigned to the Southern Division are about to be retired (but not on my layout), so I wanted to shoot them in action. Enjoy Ken McElreath
Right after the Frisco freight, I also shot this sequence of an IC perishable block leaving for Chicago, using the Frisco trackage rights to Jasper AL. Ken McElreath
And for a little final spice, here is #1522 moving light to Birmingham Terminal Station to pick up #108, the evening "Sunnyland" for Memphis. Ken McElreath
Ken, you have one of the best layouts that I have ever seen, fantastic!!! Keep up the good work and please continue to post photos. Joe
Seeing the recent addition to the Frisco Archives of Arthur Johnson's photo of baggage-express car #446, which was converted about 1960 from a Pullman sleeper, I thought I would post a couple of photos of my NW2 switching #446 after its arrival at Camellia Park on the Kansas City-Florida Special. It is my favorite model of a baggage-express car. About 1960, the Frisco needed additional and replacement baggage-express/mail storage cars for the strong mail and express traffic on the Special, so they first converted RPO-baggage cars #224 and 225 (I think) from the terminated Wichita trains into baggage cars 444 and 445, rather than buying new cars like the MoPac and KCS did. Then they tried a conversion of a surplus Pullman sleeper into 446, and that was the last one. I will try to expand this discussion further in the prototype passenger trains threads. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
For my double tracked through truss bridges over the Black Warrior River, I used two Lionel O Scale bridges that I acquired for the purpose many years ago. I had planned to add significant detail to make them more realistic, but the farthest I got was to build the track supporting girder structure. The superstructures lift off, and I finally decided that I would not superdetail them because I didn't want them to detract from the sight of watching the trains rumble across the bridges. So now I just finished painting them and they are complete. I think I am happy with the results, so here are some photos. What I am learning in so many ways is that it is possible to excessively clutter a scene with wonderful detail so that it doesn't focus on the trains, which are what I am mostly interested in. The scenery should be secondary to the main event. Ken McElreath
You said it, brother. I think you have found a very nice balance. I'm especially glad to see a model version of a 4300 as the main event, Scullin disc drivers and all. Best Regards,
The Camellia Park Union Depot separates the city and Main Street areas into two parts, uptown and downtown. Uptown is literally "up the hill," as you can see earlier in this thread. The downtown structures have been the last to be completed, but I now have one full block of downtown done, with one more to go. I just finished the Magic City Freight Forwarding Co, the last building on the first block, so here are some photos of that structure and the complete block of Main Street. Since the Southern Ry owns the depot and trackage through downtown, and the Frisco is just a tenant, all of the commercial freight switching is done by the Southern's downtown switcher. I really don't mind because I love 0-8-0 switchers, and the Frisco didn't have any. Isn't it great? Enjoy. Ken McElreath
Yesterday the Illinois Central brought in a special train from St. Louis for the opening day of the thoroughbred racing season at the Camellia Park Downs. I photographed its arrival and noticed the "Thomas Hart Benton," a Frisco 14-4 sleeper, in the consist. Also, Frisco Business car #4 was in the station set out track. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
