Railroad Item of the Month

Randy Jones Layout. Pictures @ the 2019 Convention

Paul Marsden

View from the Cab

With the leaves dropping and morning frost appearing, Winter will be here before we know it. Usually, that means we will have more indoor time for modeling compared to long Summer days with their usual lawn and outdoor projects. Funny thing is, this pandemic makes it feel like it's already been Winter for the last few months! I don't think I've ever done so much on my layout during a Summer. Sadly, most of my modeling activity is solo and I miss hanging out with my fellow Black Swamp Division members. I still don't know when we can start holding live meetings again, but while we wait, your leaders are experimenting with some options to connect online. Hopefully, we can establish a web meeting format soon and share what we've been learning and doing. Stay tuned!

Speaking of learning, I have been. Recently I needed a dark brown paint for a structure I'm building and did not have anything suitable on hand in any of the usual model railroad paints I use. I stopped at the local hobby shop and grabbed a bottle of Tamiya acrylic. I had heard good things about this line from the plastic model and war game crowds, and the price was right. I must say that I am really impressed by what I see so far. The consistency right out of the bottle was perfect for airbrushing and it shot beautifully. It is a flat brown that dried very fast and covered my parts evenly. Cleanup was a breeze using my home-brew solution (see the current NCR Hot Box for the recipe). Tamiya offers a wide array of colors, and I suspect I will be using more and more of this paint line!

Another new lesson in modeling came while working on the aforementioned structure. I need 21 freight doors with framing around 5 panels, each of which has boards running in a different direction! Plus, the frame is a different color from the 5 panels. The idea of cutting and fitting 13 pieces x 21 doors was not appealing. Enter the craft cutter. I had been hearing about these cutters that are used by scrapbookers and a variety of other craft hobbyists and learned that fellow member Jim Donovan has one. We got our heads together and I soon had some parts drawings on the way to Jim. In very short order, he produced a set of scribed sheets that included all 5 background sections as well as perfectly cut overlays for the framing. After a simple spray painting of the two parts and a touch of glue, I now have 21 beautiful doors that look like they are precision moldings! I can't tell you how pleased I am with this result and for sure I've got to get one of these machines (Dear Santa......). I will put together some photos of these doors along with info on craft cutters and submit them to Paul Marsden for the next Train Order.

So, lockdown, quarantine, cancellations, whatever, you can't keep a model railroader down. What are you working on? What have you discovered lately? Inquiring minds want to know and Paul is your friend, so get some pics and texts to him so we can all learn together. It's great to see the recent surge in submissions for the Train Order, and we will continue to add pages if you will keep your projects coming. Until we meet again, online or live, stay well and stay in touch.

Stay well friends, see ya on down the line,

Dave McMullian,
Superintendent

From the Editors Desk

I hope that you are doing well. You will see in this months issue we have another spread of pictures/articles from Division One members. Please make my life easier, and keep your stuff coming

After the last issue, I got this message from Gary Chudzinski, and I wanted to pass it along, Just a quick note to let you know I no longer live in Fremont. My wife and I have recently moved to Wisconsin making it impossible to ever attend group meetings or activities. I've enjoyed meeting many of the members and visiting home layouts over the past few years. He sent his regards to the members.

Paul Marsden,
Editor

Clinic Corner

Please take a moment and vote on subjects you would like to see in the near future! You can also suggest subjects you would like to see. Use our on-line form to provide the feedback we need!

Zoom Meetings?

Several of us have been using Zoom for meetings (work and pleasure) and feel we should be able to do the same for the Black Swamp Division. Tests are in process to make sure we can bring everyone together in a true interactive on-line meeting. We do not want to just put on a show. We know that people come to our meetings to interact and find friendship. We want any virtual meetings to allow the same interaction.

At this point if all goes well we will have a meeting via Zoom on November 20th in place of our in-person meetings. Some of you may be put off by using technology like this and we understand that. To make things as easy as we can, we are offering free tutoring on how to use zoom. A few of us have volunteered to setup individual one-on-one meetings to let you try the software and get comfortable. Zoom is very easy and works on almost any computer or device.

More info will be forth coming soon so stay tuned!!!

Upcoming Clinics

We have a couple possible clinics for our virtual November meeting (if all goes well). These include modeling snow and a sneak peak at a Christmas layout I am working on. With Zoom meetings we will need new content that fits the platform. Zoom creates new possibilities with Show and Tell, virtual layout tours and live presentations of "What is on your workbench". I currently have a moderatly sized Christmas layout I am trying to complete by Thanksgiving. I will be showing my progress via zoom in November. The insperation for this layout was this Youtube video (https://youtu.be/GEnHZ8z6kkU).

Black Swamp Hands-On Group Sign-up

So far we have a small group for Airbrush 101. We will be contacting those who have signed up soon for possible meeting dates. To join in, or see what other work groups are available, click here.

If you have idea for a group, please feel free to add it. If you want to host a group/subject please let us know on the form.

As always, feel free to drop an email to me with suggestions and comments to mstull@marshallstull.com

Marshall Stull,
Assistant Superintendent

Azzie's Apples

Hi and hope all is well.

This summer I completed the last corner on the Left side of the 1912 Diorama/Layout of NW Ohio I have been building. Called Azzie's Apples, it is a cider processing plant and apple orchard. At that time hard cider was the drink of choice for the area. Azzie is the nick name of a granddaughter that loves apples. I take her over to McQueens every year. It was there, talking to one of the family members I learned the history and importance of apples/ hard cider for the Ohio.

Major Surgery

As most member know I like to build and rebuild locomotives. Over the years I have amassed a huge stash of parts and pieces with the intent to build a few engines. Along came the Wuhan Virus. So I started, one became two and as of now it has become the Wuhan 12 . I started with 4 junkers which need parts and pieces . I have since sold these 4 to fund the remainder. My goal is to make nice good running example that I can run on my layout. I follow prototype drawing and photos as much as possible.

I am a Pennsy guy but also have a fascination for NJC Camelbacks. I saw some of the last ones running 70 years ago.

The camelbacks where all built using a boiler shell from a 1950 AHM model . These engines where great models, unfortunately the die cast is junk and most of them have disintegrated. All you start with is maybe a boiler and drive wheels and side rods.

When complete they end up being a combination of the AHM boiler, repaired with extra detail added. A Mantua 2-8-0 mechanism with a can motor and new gearbox. The tenders are made from a cut down Bachmann std tender.

The Pennsy 2-8-2 was made from a boiler shell from Bachmann K4 mounted on a Bowser mechanism. It has a can motor with a special gear box.

2 of the 2-8-0 s where made from Brass H10 boilers that I found on Ebay. They are powered by a mechanism from a Bachmann 2-8-0 . The mechanism has a can motor but requires major surgery to fit in side the new shell. The tenders are the std Bachmann pennsyised with a dog house and repositioned trucks.

The third 2-8-0 was a basket case Bowser H9 kit . A new prototype cab was added along with extra detail. A can motor was also added with a new worm drive.

All of these engines have DCC and sound.

I have had a lot of fun doing theses engines and I filled up a lot of down time at home.

I have cleaned up all my back log so I may start working on my layout.

Sand Towers

Here is my own, "What I did over the summer". The attached photo is the finished product. if you remember in a prior Train Order we had a photo of this "under construction". Well i finally finished it and here it is on the layout. The model is of the triple sand towers that are located in Brewster OH. The middle tower is from a Walthers kit while the two outer towers and the platforms were kitbashed from kits, 3D printed items and scratch built components.

Faery Garden

No room for a layout at Swan Creek so I built a faery garden with a railroad short line. Who knows it may continue into the garage.

Fairy Layout

Our fairy layout has always been low. And then we had some edging come up, and there was no easy way to fix that. So we removed all the mulch took up all the stone from The trenches that's what the pile of stone is. Had dirt brought in, rolled it and tamped it down. Then instead of retrenching we laid turf down and put the track back down. It was a lot easier said than done. This was project 103 we had going on simultaneously.

Classifieds

Marshall Stull

I will sell to anyone in the division for $15. It is an On3 craftsman kit for two ore cars, less trucks and couplers. The box has been opened but all pieces are there. To purchase send an e-mail to mstull@marshallstull.com and a hand-off will be worked out.