MODELLER'S CORNER(Mike Pebesma) October 2011
London Model Railroad Group IncPhotos and text Walter E. Pfefferle
I visited the "O" scale Lake Erie & International Railroad run by the London Model Railroad Group Inc as part of the Open Doors London. The club was originally formed in 1938 and in 1970 moved to its present location. The layout is huge at 105 X 40 feet with over 5000 feet of track and represents a fictitious railroad that ran through Canada. Four main line trains can be run on layout at one time. The cab operators move the trains from one station to another under the orders of the dispatcher.
The locomotives and cars are a mix of kits, scratch built and ready to run with practically all the buildings scratch built. All construction and maintenance is done by club members. Three lift bridges are on the layout and are motor driven and operated by the dspatcher.
More information and many photos can be found on their web site www.LMRG.org They hold an open house once a month with dates posted on their web site. CRO MODELLERS CORNER is coming soon Facebook.
Announcements and Releases
Weaver Models is importing O scale brass models of Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 Pacific steam engine (class G5a and G5b). Paint schemes will include black with a graphite smoke box and CP imitation gold lettering and the Ohio Central Museum locomotive. Features will include constant headlight and backup lights, operating classification lights, illuminated cab, and firebox glow; with and without sound. weavermodels.com Athearn has announced a ready-to-run HO scale 50’ Superior door boxcar decorated for CN, amongst other paint schemes, scheduled for arrival in February 2012.
athearn.com
Atlas Model Railway Company has announced an HO scale ready-to-run version of a 50’ Berwick boxcar. This is the first ready-to-run model using tooling Atlas recently acquired from Branchline. Road names will include IC, and Canadian National (IC). Release is scheduled for December.
atlasrr.com
Walthers has set March 2012 as the delivery date for four new versions of a Proto 2000 SW900. Road names on the Walthers HO scale ready-to-run model will include CP (Phase 1, early to mid 1970s), and GTW (Phase 3, mid 1960s to the mid 1970s). The models will include road specific details include variations on battery box louvers, lift rings, headlights, stanchions and handrails, pilot or foot boards, and fuel tank size. They will be available in standard DC or with DCC and sound. Also announced for March is a run of Walthers Platinum series Thrall 89’ enclosed Tri-Level auto carriers with updated features such as separately molded side ladders, separate grab irons and trucks equipped with 28” metal wheels. Paint schemes with two numbers each include GTW (blue rack and flat) and CN-TTX (yellow rack and flat).
Bachmann has released an N scale model of a USRA light 2-10-2 Santa Fe class steam locomotive under their Spectrum series. The ready-to-run DCC-equipped model features die-cast construction and a double set of traction tires. Paint schemes include Canadian National.
InterMountain Railway has released N scale Bathtub coal gondolas equipped with Micro-Train trucks and couplers. Available road names include CP Rail-Ontario Hydro, Procor, CP Rail, and Sultran in horizontal or vertical lettered schemes.
intermountain-railway.com
Events
October 2: The 7th Annual Muskoka Model Railroad Layout Tour. Visit 20 home layouts from N to G scale in Alliston, Beeton, Stroud, Orillia, Severn Bridge, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, and Huntsville. Tour maps available September 1. Contact roger.berkeley@primus.ca or Al Crisp at beez_al@bell.net.
October 15-16: 2011, Railfair Ottawa, Algonquin College, Woodroffe Avenue south of Baseline Road. Info at railfair.ca.
Models
In previous Modellers Corners, I shared a “quick Canadian” project for a kitbashed CN gondola using the E&C Shops model. At the same time that I was working on that project, I also built some CN gondolas from scratch, which I was able to finish this summer.
CN 138064 is a 52’6” gondola built by Eastern Car Company in 1966-67. These cars feature a wood floor and fishbelly sides. The model was scratchbuilt from styrene sheet and strips using drawings that I made from photos and dimensional information from CN data sheets. It was finished with Polly Scale paint and Mircoscale decals and weathered to reflect the abuse most gondolas incur.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd145/rallyboy905/IMG_4260.jpg
CN 188301 is a similar car to the first, built by Eastern Car Company in 1966 with drop ends. In 1983, CN modified the cars by adding a two piece removable steel roof and welding the ends in place for transporting aluminum. The model was constructed similar to the open car, and the roof was made from a piece of PVC conduit which was wrapped with 0.005” styrene sheet. Individual ribs and details made from styrene were glued to this. Finish was Polly Scale paint and Microscale decals.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd145/rallyboy905/IMG_4261.jpg
CN 156153 is a model of a National Steel Car 65’-6” gondola built in 1965. (A reasonable stand in for this car is the Walthers 65’ gondola.) These cars are 5 feet deep and equipped with nailable steel floors and fixed ends. The model was again built from scratch using styrene strip and sheet using information gathered from CN data sheets and photos Polly Scale paints and Microscale decals completed the model.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd145/rallyboy905/IMG_4262.jpg
A D&H C424 leads a CP RAIL C630M and D&H RS11, D&H C420 through West Waterford on the Canada Central Railway. William Baird’s Alco/MLW models are by Atlas and Van Hobbies Brass custom painted. Photo by Yves Cloutier.
Mike Zolitch attached photos of an HO scale Atlas GP38 that starting life as a unnumbered Chessie System unit. I planned on making a stand-in GP39 model for myself, using a GP40 dynamic brake hatch. Instead, I completed the model and sold it to a friend in my push to sell of Chessie units in favor of buying decoders to equip the steadfast B&P fleet (which is constantly growing, it seems). I finally finished this one over the weekend. As with so many of my other Chessie units, I'm sad to see this one go, but I need to stay focused on the B&P... A few CSX-ized Chessie units will remain to be the St. Thomas, Ontario turn power for the Buffalo, NY interchange, plus a few others for run-through or short-term lease power. From a fleet once almost at 50 units, I'm down to less than half that and still trimming…
A new home made photo-etched HO SCALE MLW parts source: Orders: Paul Trudel gumpaul@bell.net See photos online: http://gumpaul.quebectrain.com/MLW/
Train Shows October
A complete list of train shows and events can be found at http://home.eol.ca/~ianmc/2011shows.htm
© CRO Oct 2011 |
