D&RGW Model Railroad

Maintenance of Way Cars

2010-02-17T23:41:00.021-07:00

This is the photo that started it all. I saw this and said, "I got to have these, I can do this". That was back in October 2009.

Alamosa, CO - Work train

I started collecting the 3 box cars, 2 flat cars and a passenger car. I was going to attempt 6 cars at once. I finished my Tool Car about a year ago and remember that going pretty fast/easy. So why not 6 more?

I was in Denver in November so I was able to get most of the materials from Caboose Hobbies. They have every part imaginable and a very helpful staff. I showed them my picture and said I want to build these.

I started working on the Wheel & Tie Car first. I used a Bachmann On30 flat car as my base and scratch built the rest. I used a few sizes of Evergreen styrene for all the pieces. My rotary tool became my best friend.

Starting with the posts.

Building the tie enclosure.

Adding the ends.

Wire detail and wheel holders installed.

28 hand drilled holes for the grab irons, plus bolt details added.

Once I finished construction on the Wheel & Tie car, I started the Rail & Tie Car.

Rail and Tie Car might look simple, but it had some tricky points to it.

Here is the lot awaiting decals on decal day. I forgot to take more pictures, but here are two box cars with new paint. Behind it is the sleeper car. I made some major modifications to that (see below). And then the Kitchen/Diner car.

One down, five to go! Once again I used San Juan decals (which are amazing) along with HO scale Roman Railroad Alphabet and Number set from MicroScale.

After the decals, I worked on some extras for the Wheel & Rail car and the Rail & Tie Car. On the far left is a pile of HO rails cut to fit the length of the Rail & Tie Car painted to look rusty . Then the extra wheels for the Wheel & tie car, again painted rusty. On the far right, hand cut and hand painted ties. I used a coat of Rail Brown and the a second coat of Grimy Black to give them a nice oily look to them.

Here are all the new cars lined up waiting for a new assignment.

Originally I planned for this car to be a Kitchen car, but because of limited passenger car options (see below) I went with the Sleeper Car. 04944 had some major modifications which started out as a normal box car, and cutting out the existing door. I replaced the hole with styrene and a door frame from Grandt Lines. The windows and stove pipe are Grandt Lines as well. I originally had the step in front of the door hanging down a little ways suspended by small strips of styrene, but they were to fragile and kept breaking off during painting. So I just glued it to the side of the car, which made it very durable. The prototype of 04944 is at the Colorado Railroad Museum, which I saw and liked. That's why I chose to number it 04944.

D&RGW 04988

Block Car 04444 was pretty staight forward. Paint and decals.

Cable Car 04426 - Paint and decals.

Rail & Tie Car 06051

Wheel & Tie Car 06092

Kitchen & Diner Car 0252 was a last minute addition. I was searching for a MOW car to model out of a passenger car and 0252 was my best option. The prototype looks just like the passenger cars I could buy. With 0252 taking on the role of the kitchen car I was free to make the sleeper car. As you can see I knocked out three windows and put up curtains. I wasn't sure what the B&B meant so I asked the Narrow Gauge Forum and learned that it stood for "Bridge & Building Department".

#473 Leading the Work Train

Colorado Railroad Muesum

2009-12-17T23:00:00.007-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted something about my layout. I have some projects that I completed that I will be sharing shortly, along with some projects in the works. In the mean time I'll share some pictures of a trip to the Colorado Railroad Museum. It was nice to be in the land of the Narrow Gauge.

As close as we could get to 346

Looks like another restoration project...or spare parts

Looks like a fire got a hold of this sleeper

Visiting Pile Driver OB

I have a ton more pictures, but these were some of my favorite.

Knott's Berry Farm

2009-09-19T16:08:00.011-06:00

Our family recently ventured down to southern California for an end of summer vacation. We visited Knott's Berry Farm, which happens to have a nice collection of ex-Rio Grande equipment. I received a "behinds the scenes" tour and a cab ride from a fellow Narrow Gauge Railroad Discussion Forum member. A big thanks to Jeff T. for letting me tag along and making it possible.

Cab Ride!

Not much room in the cab of a C-19

The Durango

Close up of table from above picture. Awesome.

Kitchen on the Durango

Other side of the Kitchen

The Edna (with massive lettering)

Original chair from the 1800's

Only way to travel in the 1800's

Bathroom on the Edna

Specially made D&RG axe & sledgehammer

Close up of D&RG sledgehammer with logo

Box Car 3350

Rio Grande 5371

2009-08-26T00:00:00.009-06:00

The last unpatched Rio Grande tunnel motor has a new home....Ogden, UT. It seems as though UP has made a deal with the Ogden Union Station to keep it as part of their railroad collection. Click on the photos to zoom.

Can you see the UP logo in the chair?

Looks like new number boards (I like the reflection of Union Station in this one)

5371's Bell

Train Related Items

2009-07-25T10:19:00.006-06:00

I wanted to show a few items that I have that might be of interest.

First is my train pin collection. I recently made a pin board for my collection. I took some cork board and glued some fabric to it and then used a picture frame it without the glass. Some of the pins I have had since I was little and others are brand new.

Pin Collection (Click picture to zoom)

Next is a poster that I really like. As you can see it has all the Durango engines. I have seen this in the Durango gift shop, but it wasn't for sale.

A nice addition to any train room

Next is a purchase I made recently. This is a Ford 'C' Boxvan. Unfortunately this is HO scale, but the 1:50 scale that would work nicely with my layout was discontinued. I though I could use this in the background for some forced perspective.

"Ready to Roll"

Rio Grande...without the rails

#223 and #844

2009-05-31T21:12:00.003-06:00

Some pictures from UP #844 trip through Ogden, UT. I got some shots of #844 and Rio Grande #223 next to each other. (Click on a picture to zoom in)

Rio Grande and Union Pacific

Panoramic shot

#223 is so small in comparison

Yesterday meets today

From Evanston to Ogden

844 headed out to the main line

844

844 stamped into Side Rod (Click to zoom)

844 and Commuter Train "Frontrunner"

K-36 Video

2009-05-31T21:01:00.004-06:00

Here are some videos of the K-36 on the layout.

Union Pacific 844

2009-04-09T11:58:00.005-06:00

Starting Saturday April 11th Union Pacific 844 is taking a month long journey to California from its headquarters in Wyoming, visiting 4 states. Here is a link to the schedule.

844 Daily Schedule

Western Heritage Tour Page

A fun thing on the Western Heritage page is you can track the 844 online through GPS and you can follow the 844 on Twitter.

Photo from UP Media kit on 844

Another Tractor

2009-03-30T20:15:00.004-06:00

I got another John Deere GP tractor for Christmas. It adds a lot and looks good.

Ready for delivery

Farmer Joe's order is on its way

K-36 #481

2009-03-24T22:46:00.009-06:00

One reason I haven't had many projects was because I drained my train funds (the wife even let me have a small loan) to make a big purchase. Model Mountain Import On30 K-36 #481.

The box arrives

Snug fit

K-36, 2-8-2, Flying Rio Grande, Black Boiler, Road #481

Oiling instructions and wiring diagrams

Lots of foam

More packing, here comes the engine.

Nice.....

Survived UPS

Tender Packing

Tender

Needs some coal and water

First look together

The K-36 is bigger than my K-28 and requires a minimum turning radius of 28-30 inches to run smoothly (current layout curves 26 inches). Instead of redoing my whole layout, I simply removed the trailing truck and it works pretty good (now it's a 2-8-0, but nobody will know...oh wait, its the internet...dang)

#481

K-36 and K-28

Rio Grande K-36

Difference in size

Tenders

Narrow Gauge at its finest

Photo & Model Contest

2009-03-24T21:49:00.011-06:00

As part of the Holsters train show they invite people to enter the photo contest and the model contest. Last year I only entered photos and came away with a first and third place finish.

First Place 2008-Rolling Stock

Blue Ribbon

Third Place 2008-Steam

The photos are all spectator judged, meaning you vote for your favorite in each category. I was lucky to get anything. The stock car is the one on display in Antonito, CO at the station, and the K-28 is up at Cascade Wye near Silverton, CO. I picked to model my stock car after the one in my picture since I had good luck with number 5747.

This year for the contests I entered six pictures and two models. There was a lot of good competition, but I didn't leave empty handed. For pictures I got a third place in the Model Railroad category. The background is actually a big rock in our front yard. Since I don't have scenery on my layout I was trying to figure out how to make a picture of my K-28 look interesting. I Photoshoped the lights in to give it the apperance that is was on.

Mixed freight on the move

Third place 2009-Model Railroad
(Fancy 20th Anniversary ribbons)

For the model contest I entered my D&RGW Stock Car and my D&RGW Tool Car. For the models they do a spectator vote and they also have judges judging the models. There was a lot of good entries, but I was able to get a second place judges ribbon for my D&RGW Stock car 5747.

D&RGW Stock Car 5747

The Holsters' web site mistakenly identified my box car as the winner for a couple of days and had this picture on display.

Waiting to be jugded.
(Freight cars was a large category, it took up two shelves)

Second Place Judges Choice-2009 Frieght Cars

Rio Grande Tool Car 04549

2009-03-24T21:08:00.005-06:00

This is one of the projects I have planning for awhile, but finally got around to it. This was straight forward and was not difficult. I started with an unlettered Bachmann On30 box car.

Out of the box

I airbrushed two coats of ghost ship gray and a lot of touch up paint to get a nice even coating.

First Coat

Second Coat

I purchased D&RGW Maintenance of Way decals from San Juan Decals. This allowed me to get the basics, but still needed the decals for the word "Tool Car" and the 04549. I actually looked around a bunch and then found the perfect decals online at Microscale Decals. The only draw back is they require you to have a minimum order of $20.00, so I ordered other items I really didn't need. Anyway I purchased the HO number and letter decals that would let me proceed with my Tool Car.

Decal Placement

I used a picture of the proto type for placement of decals

For this project I used Micro Set (used for 'gluing' the decals down) and Micro Sol (used for softening the decals so they conform to uneven surfaces). This was the first time I used Micro Sol and it worked great.

Good team work

After the decals where dry I finished it off with a flat clear coat. This helps secure the decals and gives it a nice finishing touch.

Decals still drying

Finished Product

Hostlers Model Railroad Show

2009-03-06T08:10:00.002-07:00

One of the best train shows in Utah is this weekend. See below for details or visit their web site.
www.hostlers.info

Jackson & Sharp Passenger Cars

2008-09-09T20:21:00.007-06:00

Growing up riding the Durango & Silverton railroad, I have become quite accustom to the "Golden" paint scheme that the passenger cars have. I was excited when I learned that I could get models of these. Some History of the Jackson & Sharp Car Company.

Jackson & Sharp had its beginning in April 1863 at Wilmington, Delaware as a partnership of Job H. Jackson (1833-1901) and Jacob F. Sharp (ca. 1815-1888). Jackson had quit school at an early age and worked as a tinsmith and mechanic. Sharp had worked as a carpenter and bridge-builder before taking a job in 1840 at the Halan & Hollingsworth car plant.

Jackson & Sharp built the first narrow gauge cars in this country for the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1871. In the following years, Jackson & Sharp were to build a good many cars for this railroad. They would produce more than 400 narrow gauge passenger cars by 1876.

Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge Coach Denver built 1871 by Jackson & Sharp. Too narrow (7' wide) for the usual two seats on each side of a center aisle, this car had two seats on one side and one on the other. The arrangement was switched at the middle of the car to “maintain balance.”

Information from http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/builders/jacksonsharp1.htm

Bachmann has done a good job recreating these cars. They come ready to roll out of the package and have lights inside.

Baggage Car (Needs more decals)

Combine Car #211

Passenger Car #284

Passenger Car #290

Passenger Car #307

Ready to roll

Bachmann only sells #284 as a single passenger car. I wanted more passenger cars but different numbered cars. I was able to find #290 and #307 on eBay that come from set that Bachmann sells. (This is also how I got my D&RGW engine #138)

The Jackson & Sharp cars are a classic sign of the D&RGW and a great addtion for a Rio Grande model railroad.

John Deere Tractor

2008-09-09T20:00:00.002-06:00

I was wanting something to haul on my D&RGW flat car, so I bought a 1:50 scale John Deere GP (General Purpose) Tractor. I could not find an exact date that this tractor was built, but I know it was in the late 20's or early 30's. I think it looks great, but I think one more would add the perfect touch.

John Deere GP Tractor

Ready for some "General Purpose" work

Rio Grande #223

2008-08-01T21:42:00.007-06:00

Even though I live in Utah I get to see a piece of Rio Grande narrow gauge history every day as I come home from work. #223, a C-16 2-8-0 has been parked behind Ogden Union Station for a while, under going restoration. The engine is not in good shape and needs a lot of work.

#223 in the good old days

#223 looking good

#223 in 2008

Lot of work needs to be done.

A completely new tender is under construction. This one is shot.

Front number plate.

Basically needs new everything.

Info from drgw.org-To Utah Historical Society 1979 To the Golden Spike Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society (by the Utah Hisorical Society) and is currently under restoration (dismantled) in Ogden, Utah, at the Utah State Railroad Museum. 223 was moved in 1990 or 1991. So far, the restoration team has concentrated on the tender only. The trucks have been completely rebuilt, and the wood on the tender frame has been renewed. The original tender tank is so far gone that a new one is being constructed, at a great cost. The locomotive itself has not yet been started on, save for removing the asbestos. The boiler is in very poor shape after having been on display outdoors since 1941 with wet asbestos under the boiler jacket. There is also a problem in that the city of Salt Lake construction crews that moved 223 from Liberty Park to the Utah State Historical Society in 1979 bent the frame and rods (so badly that the drive wheels will no longer turn - even with the rods disconnected). http://www.drgw.org/data/steam/history/drg223.htm

The group that is currently restoring #223 has a web site with information and pictures of their efforts. Go to http://www.trainweb.org/GoldenSpikeLRHS/ to see what they have done and some of the challenges they face.

A recent success of restoration has been #315 a DRGW C-18 2-8-0. The group that restored the engine has well documented the steps of the restoration on their web site. http://www.drhs315.org/

Photo John B. West 2008
#315 on the Cumbers and Toltec, 2008

One main advantage the #315 group had was they actually were able to do their restoration work in Durango. They had access to the Durango and Silverton RR shops and tools. They also had help from the shops in Chama.

Work on #315 continues in the Durango shop.

Restoring a 1881 steam engine is a huge task. You just can't buy parts anymore you have to make them. Rust is your enemy and money will always be an issue.

Thanks to the #223 group for their efforts in restoring this great piece of railroad history.

Logo is still visible...but not for long.

Font view.

Not holding any water any time soon.

Firebox.

2-8-0

Mixed Freight.

Steaming up for the day.

Bachmann vs San Juan Car Company

2008-07-16T23:19:00.006-06:00

All the rolling stock I have are from Bachmann which labels their On30 line as Spectrum. I have collected each piece of Rio Grande rolling stock that they sell. My collection did not feel incomplete though, because I knew that San Jaun Car Company sold a great Rio Grande stock car. The San Juan cars are the best On30 rolling stock you can buy, and you know it because of how much they cost. I have always admired their stock car. A local hobby store actual had one on sale so I got one.

San Juan Rio Grande Stock Car

I was so excited....until I got home. I learned a lot about coupler height and On30 standards that day. The problem was that Bachmann for some reason decided to build their On30 cars with HO coupler height. See pictures below.

A HO Box Car aligns perfectly with larger On30 box cars

Close up view of the matching couplers

So if you ever get the urge to run you HO cars with your On30 cars you are set. Otherwise it is kind of pointless, and frustrating if you want to purchase On30 cars outside of Bachmann. The San Juan cars are high quality and therefore are also to scale....even the couplers. The San Juan car did not match up with my bachmann cars. It looked so good, I didn't want to give it up.

My options were to buy a couple of converter kits for the Bachmann cars and run the San Juan car in the same place (boring). Or take it back and try to build my own. I deiced to take it back. I was able to get three new Bachmann cars for the price of the San Juan car.

I started off with a Bachmann unlettered stock car and airbrushed it "Engine Black".

Bachmann unlettered stock car

In the mean time I ordered some decals from San Juan Decals (Actual a different company than San Juan Car Company, but shares a web site to save money...that's what they told me). These are actually the same decals that go on the San Juan cars. They are high quality decals, and to throw in some authenticity they are based in Durango, Co.

http://www.sanjuancarco.com/sanjuandecals/index.html

To fit the large "Rio Grande" logo I need to add some more thin plastic to accommodate the size of the logo and add another piece for the number board. I added another coat of paint to cover the added plastic and let it dry. I let it dry for about a week and then started with the decals.

Working on the decals

Two down, lots to go

Putting on the decals was pretty easy. If you follow the instructions they will turn out great. When I was younger I built a model car with all kinds of decals and eventually they peeled off. I didn't want that to happed so I used "decal setting solution", the instructions actually tell you to use it, and it works wonders for "gluing" the decal down.

Once the decals had a chance to dry I applied a clear flat finish to make sure those decals were not going anywhere. The finish also helps blend in the decals to the model and makes it look nice.

Finished Product

Fits right in place, coupler height and all

I know it is not true prototype, but it will do.

Rio Grande

It was really fun to make this stock car. I thought about doing another one, or even making them and selling them to those who own all Bachmann, and want a stock car. It is my favorite piece of rolling stock that I have. I chose to number the car 5747 for a special reason, which I will get to in a later post.

Next on my wish list is a Rio Grande Long Caboose.

Rio Grande Memories

2008-07-14T23:50:00.002-06:00

I found a great web site. www.narrowgaugememories.com. Every Rio Grande scene you can think of is presented here. John West has been taking pictures for a long time on the Rio Grande. I have added a few from his collection. The great thing is his copyright notice: "For the record: Copyright 2007, 2008 John B. West, all rights reserved. However I encourage your reproduction of the photographs for personal use, and photographs may be used in the electronic or print media so long as credit is given to the photographer." Thanks for sharing John.

Five engines in numeric order.

Alamosa roundhouse

#490 used for spare parts.

The future meets yesterday.

On30 #138

2008-06-19T22:50:00.004-06:00

Here is my other On30 engine. It is a Bachmann 2-6-0 that is numbered 138. As far as I can tell it is not a prototype, but I am still looking. The closes thing that it matches is a early D&RGW T-12 4-6-0.This engine is actual part of a set that Bachmann sells for around $200. I did not buy the set but pieces of the set off ebay. I was more interested in the passenger cars that came with the set, but after biding and winning those, I was in the "zone" and started bidding on the engine. The engine is not very powerful but it is fast. It can pull about five cars without any trouble, but any more than that and you will see it start to struggle. It has a working headlight and is ready to run out of the box. The Bumble Bee paint scheme is classic and looks great pulling the passenger cars. This is a great addition to the D&RGW model railroad and will see its share of action.

#138 Bumble Bee Paint

Much smaller compared to the K-28

Denver & Rio Grande Western

Ready for some main line work

2-6-0

#473

2008-06-04T23:28:00.007-06:00

This is a Mountain Model Import (MMI) On30 Rio Grande K-28 road number 473. These models are a combination of brass and die-cast, which makes them very affordable compared to an all brass engine. Here are some pictures of my K-28.

"The Sports Model"

Was suppose to come with snow plow originally, but because of problems from the manufacturer the snow plows were not shipped with the engine. I emailed Precision Scale Co. about the snow plow and they sent me one free of charge.

I added the coal which I bought from Caboose Hobbies in Denver, CO. Glued the coal down with a 50/50 mixture of Elmer's Glue and water.

The engine does not come with a coupler. Because all my rolling stock is Bachmann I had to match their coupler height, which is actually HO height. (We'll talk more about that later)

Great detail

Great Detail

Narrow Gauge Dreaming

2008-05-30T10:11:00.003-06:00

Me: I had a cool dream last night.

Wife: Yeah? What about?

Me: I dreamed that I was riding the narrow gauge into Telluride Colorado and there where all kinds of trains. #473 was there, but there were no air pumps on the front. It looked weird. Like when somebody shaves their mustache.

Wife: Your a nerd.

My Layout

2008-05-21T23:06:00.018-06:00

Having my own layout didn't even cross my mind until early 2007. I went to a Model Railroad Show put on by Hoslters (Local club). That is when I saw it...a On30 K-28 #473. It was amazing. I grew up riding the trains in Durango and Chama and remember thinking that I would like to have a model that looked just like those trains. When ever I would go to a hobby store I would look for the any sort of a Mikado, but no luck. I was always disappointed when I would see train sets that would say, "Durango and Silverton set" and the locomotive was far from a true Mikado. In fact Durango's Gift shop sells a HO set that is a good example of what I'm talking about.

http://www.durangotrain.com/store/ModelTrains.htm

So when I saw my first real Mikado model I was so excited. I had earned some extra money doing some videography work and kept thinking about that Model Mountain Import K-28. When I bought it did not even have a layout yet, all I had was a piece of flex track that I could run it on. Our house has a mother in-law apartment so my wife agreed to let me build my layout in the kitchen.

Basic plans I drew

Before Construction

Before

Before

First Bench work piece

Bench work

Because space was limited and the required 26 inch radius needed for the K-28 I needed to build a duck-under.

Bench work

Always wear masks and goggles when cutting plywood!

Getting closer

I bought a bunch of flex track off eBay.

Track

When I first laid the track I thought I could get away with having a smaller radius for the curves...but I was wrong. When I ran the first test the locomotive would get stuck trying to go around the curves. So I tore it up and started again, but this time I made a cardboard template that was a little over 26 inches. The template worked like a charm and the locomotive had free reign of the layout.

Welcome

2008-05-21T11:52:00.006-06:00

I really enjoy the Rio Grande and model trains. I model the Rio Grande in On30. (Narrow Gauge for O scale that runs on HO track) My wife teases me because I am only 27 and am already into trains and model railroading. I admit there is a stereotype that model trains is for the "older generation". I read an interesting bit of information today:

Back in 1999/2000 Classic Toy Trains, conducted a survey and according to their survey the “typical” toy train hobbyist is:

*A 52-year-old married man with children. He enjoys toy trains in his childhood and became involved with them again about 20 years ago. He shares his interest with at least one relative or friend.

*He is enthusiastic about the hobby. He reads related books and magazines and may even use his computer to help him enjoy it. His interest has not diminished in the past year; in fact, it may have grown.

*His major focus is on the Lionel O gauge trains manufactured between 1945 and the present. He considers himself to be both a collector and an operator of those trains.

*His home layout contains approximately 213 square feet and is either of traditional design or combines traditional and hi-rail elements.

*His anual income is approximately $73,500, and he spends about $1,500 on toy trains and realted merchandise.

From http://modeltraindepot.net/blog/?p=11

I see myself as a "Model Railroad Outsider" because I do not match the demographics of your typical model railroad enthusiast. I have been to a couple of local model railroad clubs and am by far the youngest by about 30 years. Anyway I will use this blog to show my layout and other various train pictures. I am always interested in web sites that are about the Rio Grande or model railroading so let me know of your favorites. Here is an old video of my layout.