Living so close to Gettysburg, I did not realize how much of a National Destination it is, until i visited the Eisenhower home and the ranger asked where people were from.
Sickles whose leg resides in a museum, was an incompetent politician/general who was not a hero, but earlier, the first, to be acquited of murder of the son of Francis Scott Key by reason of insanity, while a congressman.
There were other heros Joshua Chamberlain and "Paddy" O'Rourke and probably dozens more who will never be remembered.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
richhotrain John-NYBW Harper's Ferry is one of the historical sites on my bucket list. It is of course where a contingent of Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee captured John Brown. The final assault was led by JEB Stuart. Ahh, good ole J.E.B. Stuart. Things didn't work out so well for him at Gettysburg. Rich
John-NYBW Harper's Ferry is one of the historical sites on my bucket list. It is of course where a contingent of Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee captured John Brown. The final assault was led by JEB Stuart.
Harper's Ferry is one of the historical sites on my bucket list. It is of course where a contingent of Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee captured John Brown. The final assault was led by JEB Stuart.
Ahh, good ole J.E.B. Stuart. Things didn't work out so well for him at Gettysburg.
Rich
During those three days, the cavalry star was on the other side, John Buford, who's actions are likely what turned the tide of the war. Buford, and a school teacher from Maine the next day, two of the post pivotal moments of that war.
Sheldon
BigDaddy Harpers Ferry is almost a shortcut for me, traveling between my old home in Annapolis and the Shenandoah Valley. I am noticing all sorts of walking paths next to the tracks, that I didn't know were there. I did not know of the connection to the deposed statue people. The second marine in was killed. I remember a lot of gnats when I toured the armory.
Harpers Ferry is almost a shortcut for me, traveling between my old home in Annapolis and the Shenandoah Valley. I am noticing all sorts of walking paths next to the tracks, that I didn't know were there.
I did not know of the connection to the deposed statue people. The second marine in was killed.
I remember a lot of gnats when I toured the armory.
I was just reading up on the assault and that Marine was shot in the face almost immediately. The man who shot him was immediately skewered with several bayonets. John Brown was hacked three times with a sword which left him bloodied but the wounds were not considered life threatening. He begged for medical attention but Robert E. Lee was very much unsympathetic to his plight.
Robert E. Lee was in Arlington on leave from his Texas command when he was ordered to take a train to Harper's Ferry to take command of the situation. That's why the troops who stormed the firehouse where Brown was holed up were Marines and not Army. He first wanted a militia force to take Brown but their commander refused to order them to make the assault.
Alton Junction
John-NYBW Harrison Enjoying all the photos and info, . Although I'm sure coal traffic is declining, last Wednesday and Thursday when I was railfanning on the CSX Cumberland Subdivison I caught 4 coal trains (2 in each direction). To me, that seems like a lot. Although you can't see the cars, here's a loaded coal train crossing the Potomac river in Harpers Ferry, WV. Harper's Ferry is one of the historical sites on my bucket list. It is of course where a contingent of Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee captured John Brown. The final assault was led by JEB Stuart. I'm curious as to what New Yorkers consider upstate New York. Is the southern tier in western New York considered upstate?
Harrison Enjoying all the photos and info, . Although I'm sure coal traffic is declining, last Wednesday and Thursday when I was railfanning on the CSX Cumberland Subdivison I caught 4 coal trains (2 in each direction). To me, that seems like a lot. Although you can't see the cars, here's a loaded coal train crossing the Potomac river in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Enjoying all the photos and info, . Although I'm sure coal traffic is declining, last Wednesday and Thursday when I was railfanning on the CSX Cumberland Subdivison I caught 4 coal trains (2 in each direction). To me, that seems like a lot.
Although you can't see the cars, here's a loaded coal train crossing the Potomac river in Harpers Ferry, WV.
I'm curious as to what New Yorkers consider upstate New York. Is the southern tier in western New York considered upstate?
I spent a whole summer in Harpers Ferry as a teen, running a hobby shop, and helping build an HO diorama depicting the events of Jonh Brown's raid.
That was 1972......
Been there many times before and since, spent the honeymoon with the first wife there.....
During that stay in 1972, there was a derailment on the bridge and in front of the passenger station one night. Just 20 minutes before the derailment, my coworker and I had been sitting on the station platform bench, watching trains........
Thanks for your kind words, Kevin. I didn't attempt to run the train at all, as a derailment would have created a real mess. Had I used more locomotives, spaced strategically throughout the train, it might have been okay, but I opted not to take the risk.
SeeYou190The picture was inside a cardboard box with light diffusers built into the sides to prevent shadows in the scene. All the results were sub-par, and other ideas were explored.
I'd have to disagree, Kevin: I think that photo's rather nicely-done, and the backdrop helps to supplement that controlled lighting.
Wayne
Wayne... that was an impressive series of pictures!
I have 6 of these Kadee two bay hoppers loaded with coal that I painted for my railroad, but it seems I only have this poor picture of one of them. I have lots of pictures of my 3 bay hoppers, but I guess I never got my old ones out of the box when I was taking all those pictures.
This is one of the first pictures I took after dismantling the Spare Bedroom Layout. I was experimenting with ideas for a small photo booth that eventually became my 30 by 30 photo diorama project.
The picture was inside a cardboard box with light diffusers built into the sides to prevent shadows in the scene.
All the results were sub-par, and other ideas were explored.
I guess that after this picture was taken, the two bay hoppers were packed away, and have not been out since.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Some more coal on the move...
...and the pusher...
...70 hoppers, at 8oz. each...35lbs., not counting the three locomotives and two cabooses. I have lots more coal, but that's it for hoppers.
Scene at Clarence Dock. on on Leeds Sovereign Street & Clarence Dock layout.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
This scene is on the Country Roads portable HO scale sectional layout:
John-NYBW richhotrain Track fiddler I remember that day at Terry's beautiful home off the lake in rural Wisconsin. Yes, a basement completely filled with an HO train layout. I remember running them both. The loaded coal drag and the empty one. The layout was continuous around the whole perimeter of the basement with separate sections and bays of railroad activity modeled after different towns in his area. What was so cool about Terry's layout was how the train would go into a tunnel and then go under the layout to a separate staging room just off the bottom of the stairs. Then another train could be started under the layout to suddenly appear out of a tunnel on the other side. Or vice-versa depending on which way the trains were faced. That's how I remember it. He had a whole separate room dedicated to staging. There was enough trains lined up in there to sink a battleship. I have never had true staging on any of my layouts. Instead, I just line up completed trains in the yard ready to run. But, lately, I have thought a lot about staging, hidden staging. To me, it makes a lot of sense to include hidden staging on the layout - - lots of it. By the way, I took a YouTube tour of Terry's layout. Wow, quite a ride. Beautiful layout and quite realistic. Rich Staging yards are like storage space. Nobody ever said they had too much of either. The more staging you have, the more trains you can run. As I was constructing my basement sized layout, I was accumulating and building freight cars. I thought I had plenty of staging in addition to a very large classification yard but when I commenced operations, I realized all those freight cars I had accumulated were exceeding the capacity of my layout. I find I have to rotate freight cars on and off the layout in order to use them all and only one of my two staging yards has easy enough access to do that. When I finish construction of my branchline, I am giving serious thought to completely revamping the two staging yard to increase capacity but it's going to require some major surgery that will shut down the layout for months (if it goes well). Getting back to coal trains, I've tried to steer clear of the political discussions regarding coal vs. green energy. My layout set in 1956 is a respite from our politically correct world. I can happily run as many coal trains as I like and not worry about upsetting anyone. Plenty of gas guzzling cars too.
richhotrain Track fiddler I remember that day at Terry's beautiful home off the lake in rural Wisconsin. Yes, a basement completely filled with an HO train layout. I remember running them both. The loaded coal drag and the empty one. The layout was continuous around the whole perimeter of the basement with separate sections and bays of railroad activity modeled after different towns in his area. What was so cool about Terry's layout was how the train would go into a tunnel and then go under the layout to a separate staging room just off the bottom of the stairs. Then another train could be started under the layout to suddenly appear out of a tunnel on the other side. Or vice-versa depending on which way the trains were faced. That's how I remember it. He had a whole separate room dedicated to staging. There was enough trains lined up in there to sink a battleship. I have never had true staging on any of my layouts. Instead, I just line up completed trains in the yard ready to run. But, lately, I have thought a lot about staging, hidden staging. To me, it makes a lot of sense to include hidden staging on the layout - - lots of it. By the way, I took a YouTube tour of Terry's layout. Wow, quite a ride. Beautiful layout and quite realistic. Rich
Track fiddler I remember that day at Terry's beautiful home off the lake in rural Wisconsin. Yes, a basement completely filled with an HO train layout. I remember running them both. The loaded coal drag and the empty one. The layout was continuous around the whole perimeter of the basement with separate sections and bays of railroad activity modeled after different towns in his area. What was so cool about Terry's layout was how the train would go into a tunnel and then go under the layout to a separate staging room just off the bottom of the stairs. Then another train could be started under the layout to suddenly appear out of a tunnel on the other side. Or vice-versa depending on which way the trains were faced. That's how I remember it. He had a whole separate room dedicated to staging. There was enough trains lined up in there to sink a battleship.
I remember that day at Terry's beautiful home off the lake in rural Wisconsin. Yes, a basement completely filled with an HO train layout. I remember running them both. The loaded coal drag and the empty one.
The layout was continuous around the whole perimeter of the basement with separate sections and bays of railroad activity modeled after different towns in his area.
What was so cool about Terry's layout was how the train would go into a tunnel and then go under the layout to a separate staging room just off the bottom of the stairs. Then another train could be started under the layout to suddenly appear out of a tunnel on the other side. Or vice-versa depending on which way the trains were faced. That's how I remember it.
He had a whole separate room dedicated to staging. There was enough trains lined up in there to sink a battleship.
I have never had true staging on any of my layouts. Instead, I just line up completed trains in the yard ready to run. But, lately, I have thought a lot about staging, hidden staging. To me, it makes a lot of sense to include hidden staging on the layout - - lots of it.
By the way, I took a YouTube tour of Terry's layout. Wow, quite a ride. Beautiful layout and quite realistic.
Staging yards are like storage space. Nobody ever said they had too much of either. The more staging you have, the more trains you can run. As I was constructing my basement sized layout, I was accumulating and building freight cars. I thought I had plenty of staging in addition to a very large classification yard but when I commenced operations, I realized all those freight cars I had accumulated were exceeding the capacity of my layout. I find I have to rotate freight cars on and off the layout in order to use them all and only one of my two staging yards has easy enough access to do that. When I finish construction of my branchline, I am giving serious thought to completely revamping the two staging yard to increase capacity but it's going to require some major surgery that will shut down the layout for months (if it goes well).
Getting back to coal trains, I've tried to steer clear of the political discussions regarding coal vs. green energy. My layout set in 1956 is a respite from our politically correct world. I can happily run as many coal trains as I like and not worry about upsetting anyone. Plenty of gas guzzling cars too.
Same here, modeling 1954..... Steam locomotives, smokey ALCO diesels, long coal trains.
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
The tail end of a B&O coal drag clears the diamonds:
Holding at the Diamond by NAPM Model Railroad Club, on Flickr
Later, a set of Baldwin helpers are added:
Shark Attack by NAPM Model Railroad Club, on Flickr
Cool Coal Stuff! From the North American Prototype Modelers.
Cheers, Ed
SeeYou190 Again, this thread is about Sharing Pictures of how you model coal hauling freight cars and coal operations on model railroads. Per the opening post: If you would like to add pictures of hauling coal on your layout, feel free to do that.
Again, this thread is about Sharing Pictures of how you model coal hauling freight cars and coal operations on model railroads.
Per the opening post:
If you would like to add pictures of hauling coal on your layout, feel free to do that.
Happy to oblige . . .
Here's a photo from quite a while ago when the landforms and scenery of the layout were in their very early embryonic stage . . . nevertheless, a 24-car coal drag. N scale.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
riogrande5761Keven, you know the deal here at MR forums - veering off topic is modus operandi - just saying whats good for the gander is good for the goose.
In the case of this thread, the OP was very specific about what the purpose was for this thread, and he has made appeals for it to stay on topic.
It is only right to respect the wishes of the OP, especially when they have made it clear that they want their thread to stay on topic.
If the OP participates in the conversational drift, that is a different circumstance.
This is a unique STRATTON AND GILLETTE coal hopper:
LastspikemikeI'm a Limey. British logic you know. You study and use "mathematics" so the abbreviation needs to be plural. Nobody does "mathematic". But then Americans use the lazy man's spelling for aluminium, but oddly not for uranum. Using the singular for mathematics is very French.
You study and use "mathematics" so the abbreviation needs to be plural. Nobody does "mathematic". But then Americans use the lazy man's spelling for aluminium, but oddly not for uranum. Using the singular for mathematics is very French.
I thought you were a hoser aka Canadian Kanuk, not a Brit. That said, my wife of 10 years is a Brit so I hear her say maths, and aluminium. I also not on the BBC they call it sport rather than sports. Go figure.
Not sure where the French got in; maybe up the Mississippi river?
Anyway, no Bob's your uncle and we are done and dusted, aye?
Staging is an interesting idea. In a hobby with insufficient space to represent prototype convincingly some prefer to hide the lack of space completely. Certainly saves on scenery work!
Well, the idea of staging in many of the Model Railroader articles is you are representing regions off stage with staging. You can stage scheduled trains in staging and during an operating session, the appear from off your division and run across it and back off again into staging, thus representing trains running through the visible part of your layout representing a portion of a RR.
Some trains may simply run east to west or visa versa. Some may drop off blocks of freight cars in a division yard to service local industries. etc.
With sufficient staging capacity, you might be able to run a realistic representation of a real RR day. For example, the D&RGW was a bridge route, so x number of freight trains may cross the system in a given day. I am planning to loosely model Grand Junction CO. TOFC trains would drop blocks of trailers there to service some local companies, like for example City Market grocery stores. Also passenger trains would make a stop at the passenger station in Grand Junction. Some trains may just pass through east to west or visa versa.
Keven, you know the deal here at MR forums - veering off topic is modus operandi - just saying whats good for the gander is good for the goose.
But, for topic content - the D&RGW ran coal trains east from the Sunny Side coal mine or off of the branchline. Another coal train ran west and was handed off to the Union Pacific to service Kaiser in CA. There were any other operations that operated down the Front Range and to customers in Texas, Indiana as well as "local" Colorado customers.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
gmpullman Heartland Division CB&Q Please be careful ..... Stay on topic, please. Thank you, Garry.
Heartland Division CB&Q Please be careful ..... Stay on topic, please.
Thank you, Garry.
It is not for discussing energy, mathmatics, or anything else.
Heartland Division CB&QIf you would like to add pictures of hauling coal on your layout, feel free to do that.
Please Stay On Topic, and share pictures of your coal cars.
Here is another of mine. This one was built from a Funaro And Camerlengo resin kit. This specific hopper car was obsolete by 1954, but I modeled it with AB air brakes and updated appliances to represent a car that might have been updated.
I would love to see modeling examples from those who seem to only post words.
richhotrainI have never had true staging on any of my layouts. Instead, I just line up completed trains in the yard ready to run. But, lately, I have thought a lot about staging, hidden staging. To me, it makes a lot of sense to include hidden staging on the layout - - lots of it.
Me too. I have too many trains and that's one way to get most of them (hopefully) on the rails. I managed to squeeze in 11 tracks ranging from 17' to 24' in length.
LastspikemikeThey evidently haven't done the maths.
Or the math.
Heartland Division CB&QPlease be careful ..... Stay on topic, please.
Some "clean-up" work being done around the breaker:
Bucket1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Downtown Albuquerque in the early 50s. For those who model downtowns, notice the large amount of signage and canopys
Coal Hoppers UK style 1979 built locomotive with 1910 style Private Owner hoppers. Really I should run my steam locomotives to be correct, but 'a daft half hour' anything goes.
Most of the hoppers have real coal in them.
Lastspikemike rrebell Haven't you heard, greenies now hate natural gas, in new construction you can't use it for stoves etc. in some comunitys in California. I have. They evidently haven't done the maths.
rrebell Haven't you heard, greenies now hate natural gas, in new construction you can't use it for stoves etc. in some comunitys in California.
Haven't you heard, greenies now hate natural gas, in new construction you can't use it for stoves etc. in some comunitys in California.
I have. They evidently haven't done the maths.
Please be careful ..... Stay on topic, please.
Last Spike Mike ...... Of course, your comment "Coal and trains are going to be together for a very long time yet. " is on topic and certainly appreciated. Also it does make sense to model unit trains in N scale. Thank you.
Kevin ... Thanks for your pictures of coal hoppers.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
LastspikemikeNot changing anytime soon.
You are being very disrespectful to the OP, and his guidance for this thread.
I hope that you do change.
I am not going to comment any more out of respect for my friend Garry.
Please do share pictures of your coal cars. Here is another of mine.
Please guys, Garry asked for this thread not to be a discussion of coal or alternatives.
Heartland Division CB&QPlease, let's not digress into an off-topic converation about long term trends regarding coal vs. other energy sources.
Instead, please join in and share pictures of your trains hauling coal.
One from the vaults:
Lastspikemike Demand for coal began with iron production in the 1700's. Charcoal burners couldn't keep up with the demand. Turned out coal was handy stuff to fire steam engines which making iron and then steel made pretty easy. Coal's relationship with steel is permanent. When steel making declined in North America (well everywhere high labour costs inhibited cost reductions) so did coal consumption. Then the greenies really got going as natural gas became so cheap and coal for power generation also declined. But not everywhere. Western Canada runs huge coal trains from the Rockies to the Pacific terminal at Roberts Bank. We don't burn much coal ourselves, never have because we don't have the people using power. But we export the stuff to Asia where they do burn it both for steel making and power generation. Coal and trains are going to be together for a very long time yet. The more modern you get the more you'll be tempted by N scale to model coal trains. You'd think N scale was developed specifically for modelling modern unit trains.
Demand for coal began with iron production in the 1700's. Charcoal burners couldn't keep up with the demand.
Turned out coal was handy stuff to fire steam engines which making iron and then steel made pretty easy.
Coal's relationship with steel is permanent.
When steel making declined in North America (well everywhere high labour costs inhibited cost reductions) so did coal consumption. Then the greenies really got going as natural gas became so cheap and coal for power generation also declined.
But not everywhere.
Western Canada runs huge coal trains from the Rockies to the Pacific terminal at Roberts Bank.
We don't burn much coal ourselves, never have because we don't have the people using power. But we export the stuff to Asia where they do burn it both for steel making and power generation.
Coal and trains are going to be together for a very long time yet.
The more modern you get the more you'll be tempted by N scale to model coal trains. You'd think N scale was developed specifically for modelling modern unit trains.
saronaterry richhotrain John-NYBW My own coal operations are quite simple. I didn't have space for either a coal mine or a coal consuming industry, other than two coaling towers. I have matching sets of coal hoppers, one for empties and one for loads. 15 cars per train (HO). My schematic is loop-to-loop but I have bypass tracks for the coal trains so they are running on an oval in opposite directions. Loads in one direction, empties in the other. I run my coal trains as extras so whenever I feel like it, I can send a coal train onto the visible part of the layout. I like that - - a lot. Rich Plus one! I have one loaded 27 car unit coal train going South/ East and one empty 30 car unit train heading North/West, twice each way each session They run from staging to staging. TF probably ran them both! Ha! Terry
richhotrain John-NYBW My own coal operations are quite simple. I didn't have space for either a coal mine or a coal consuming industry, other than two coaling towers. I have matching sets of coal hoppers, one for empties and one for loads. 15 cars per train (HO). My schematic is loop-to-loop but I have bypass tracks for the coal trains so they are running on an oval in opposite directions. Loads in one direction, empties in the other. I run my coal trains as extras so whenever I feel like it, I can send a coal train onto the visible part of the layout. I like that - - a lot. Rich
John-NYBW My own coal operations are quite simple. I didn't have space for either a coal mine or a coal consuming industry, other than two coaling towers. I have matching sets of coal hoppers, one for empties and one for loads. 15 cars per train (HO). My schematic is loop-to-loop but I have bypass tracks for the coal trains so they are running on an oval in opposite directions. Loads in one direction, empties in the other. I run my coal trains as extras so whenever I feel like it, I can send a coal train onto the visible part of the layout.
My own coal operations are quite simple. I didn't have space for either a coal mine or a coal consuming industry, other than two coaling towers. I have matching sets of coal hoppers, one for empties and one for loads. 15 cars per train (HO). My schematic is loop-to-loop but I have bypass tracks for the coal trains so they are running on an oval in opposite directions. Loads in one direction, empties in the other. I run my coal trains as extras so whenever I feel like it, I can send a coal train onto the visible part of the layout.
I like that - - a lot.
Plus one!
I have one loaded 27 car unit coal train going South/ East and one empty 30 car unit train heading North/West, twice each way each session
They run from staging to staging. TF probably ran them both! Ha!
Terry
It looks like I somehow missed another one I came across today.
Yep! That was a day to remember as we certainly had a lot of fun
TF