Everyone has made such positive statements for the era of narrow gauge. When things were slower and more challenging; as far as grades to climb, springtime floods tearing up the tracks because the trains would follow the rivers through the canyons, or wintertime blizzards that blocked the tracks and made them impassable. And Mike, your layout is really nice. The mine that is in Red Mountain Town, the National Belle, is that a Campbell model or did you make that yourself? Regardless, it sure looks good.You know the interesting thing about centering a layout around “Silverton” is that one can legitimately claim that five railroad names were used in and around Silverton. You had “The Silverton Railroad,” the “Silverton, Gladstone and Northerly,”the “Silverton Northern,” the “Denver and Rio Grande,” and Mears was always leasing equipment from the “Rio Grande Southern.” Not to bad for one layout. Everyone keep up the good work, and that C-19 really looks good. What manufacturer would you recommend that makes the least expensive but yet the highest quality early Baldwin type steam locomotive?
SilvertonRR,
The National Belle is the Campbell kit, modified with the extension down to the loading dock at the siding. It was custom made to fit, based on the various forms it took over the years. There were at least 4 different versions of it from what I recall.
You hit the nail on the head of why I chose Silverton to model. I will add that mashing them together provides lots of prototypical operational complexity, which ups the fun factor.
Not sure about cheapest, best, but Blackstone does have "turn of the century" versions of the C-19 scheduled for the next run.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Here are some pics of my latest structure. It's based on the freighthouse at Durango, for my version of Durango where it also serves as the transfer station for freight from the standard gauge to narrowgauge. It had to be shortened about 20' to fit my space, the platform was reconfigured, and the roof extended on one side to provide better cover when the weather turns inclement.
This is the narrowgauge side, where there is space for four 30' cars at the dock.
This is the south end of the dock. I'll be adding some figures, cargo and a forklift to enliven the area.
The dual-gauge siding will three SG cars or four NG cars.
This pic shows the doors, which are arranged to serve either SG or NG cars on this side of the building.
A long pic of the NG loading dock, taken from the roof of the roundhouse.
Another long shot that shows most of the Durango facilities. Behind the freighthouse if the icehouse. In the background if the station and the dual-gauge yard next to it, with the SG and dual-gauge mainlines on the far left in front of the station itself.
You did a great job on that freight house, Mike.... 'nice looking operation.
Bob
Bob,
Thanks for the compliments. I just got tired of looking at the big hole and trying to imagine the freight depot being there. When the train comes to Durango, there's a whole string of various buildings you pass by, just like on a real train going through a fair sized town. It really completed the last of major elements of Durango, although I still have the refinery and smelter to finish.
Operating session coming up in two weeks, too, so wanted to finish one more thing to the many new projects on the layout since the last one 6 months ago. I have two PSC short cabooses to finish, too. Shouldn't be a problem, as it's down to the final assembly steps; they're already painted because of all the windows and grabs, so just need decals to finish once assembly is complete.
Then I decided to take a crack at the snow shed...
I think that's the last new project before the op session or I will drive myself crazy.
One thing about the narrow gauge railroads......The more you read, the more you learn. These roads have a lot of terminology that came new to me after years in class 1 HO railroading. There are things that just sort of never happened on the big roads that were often common place in narrow gauge.
One example was "running light" (engine returning from, or going to, helper/rescue duty alone over a significant distance.)
Another is being forced to "run for water". (engine is low on water with a train in tow or while on a remote siding, switching. It has to stop its duties immediately, uncouple and run to what is hopefully a relatively nearby tank for water and then come all the way back to return to its duties.) This happened a lot where time was consumed in switching at a siding or taking too long for a task that went wrong such as rerailing a tender, car or front pilot wheel.
Another interesting aspect of NG railroading is that on the D&RGW and especially the RGS where the engines were of such low pulling capacity, they could not afford the overhead of hauling their provider with them, (water calf, coal gondola), instead, they would have "rescue sidings". These were often at tiny stops along the road where there would be a business or shipper, but no facilities for the engine should it run critically short of water or coal while there. They would park a water tank car and a gondola of coal on the siding and let it sleep there. Often, a small way-station agent or maintenance crew shack on this siding might also use some of the coal as needed for winter heating and water for bathing or, if boiled, drinking or cooking.
Cool stuff like the above endears the NG to the heart of the railroader the way a big class 1 road just never offered. On a big SG road, crack limiteds and giant 100+ car coal drags virutally never ran short of water. Many double and triple headers with articulateds ran water calves in tow, just another 1 of 100+ consists. Everything was calculated, prefigured and almost all runs were "milk runs". On the narrow gauge, the individual train crews were effectively isolated, self regulating bodies in a single track wilderness. They could go off schedule for hours due to any numer of dilemas peculiar to narrow gauge operartions.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
Mike...
I've thought about a snowshed later down the road, but that's a long way off yet... and I doubt if I would even have the room for one on my elfin empire, but I'll keet that option open. Good luck on your Op Session...
Richard... That's really "on target" regarding a modellers narrow gauge education ! There are so many more facets to NG than with standard RR operations and equipment. I bought a book at our last train show (Colorado Memories of the Narrow Gauge Circle). It's about 90% B&W photographs, with a few narrative passages of information... but there's a wealth of details in those old photos.
It's just all part of the journey, I guess...
Narrow gauge model railroading is as much of a study as a hobby. It is a place where real, tough, hands-on modeling is almost demanded. One can't just lay down track and purchase any engine or rail car that ever existed on any NG road as in the SG modeling. There is much kit bashing and scratch building demanded if one is modeling a rare NG road.
If one seeks to build a model railroad as fast as possible for the least possible expenditure with the widest range of available materials, motive power and rolling stock then SG is the way to go.
Narrow gauge is not quite the backwater it once was. NG is finally blossoming out of the "few good old boys" club that it used to be, yet it still retains a well respected exclusivity.
An interesting fact and noteworthy commentary is that almost all NG model rails have all had one or more SG roads. They tend to come to NG as experienced and often expert modelers looking for the perceived extra cache' and more challenging work afforded to NG modeling.
This is not talking down the SG modeler or their efforts or work. All of us in NG have been there in SG and have done creditable efforts as peers in the SG effort. Most of us now feel that we have moved on in a special sense to grab the smaller, more comfortable feeling of the little narrow gauge roads with all their idiosyncrosies and special opeartional opportunities and challenges.
It is fun. It is engaging. It is challenging...........It is Narrow gauge.
Narrow guage is ALWAYS looking good !