The Gravel Pit

Making some scenery in the gravel pit. Built a storage bin from scratch and ballasted the track.

B Fasth Warehouse 2...

... is the name on building adjacent to the teamtrack.

I´ll guess that the contractor´s name was Potemkin... Front and back together

A new picture with the name on the building.

More Piles...

... for the scrapyard. Both small and bigger made of Sculptamold.

The big with a core of wood and backside of Styren to fit the edge of the module.

With som paint it looks like this. Still missing a lot of small pieces of scrap...

 

(Update) 

A picture of the background "photopile" that will be used on module meetings.

Piles of Junk...

... in the corner of the scrap yard. Some railroad wheels and other parts from freightcar boggies. Painted with brown primer and rust, black and yellow wheathering powder.

Kowal Mfg...

... are an new industry on the home layout. A big manufacturer of Barbed wire sending it westward by train. I'm using a Walthers "Allied Rail Rebuilder" and a Faller "Gantry Crane". There will also be propane unloading equipment and a storage tank on the other side of the track at the "old facility"

A rerouted coaltrain...

...passes through Crawford Junction.

A small test run after changing to MTL-boggies and Weighting. The most of the coal hoppers are far to light (10-12g instead of 25-30g pro NMRA). Still some work with weathering the cars inside and out...

SwitchControl

To make it some easier for an operator at Crawford Valley the switches at the entries will get powered, and all that lays in main will have its position shown.

Further Expansion...

Crawford Valley are going to be a bit larger. A new approach from "Galesburg" has been built which connects in a better way with the gravel pit.

A excavators have done their job ;)

The new end rebuild from an old shelf connection

And beyond with switchmotor.

A look from the bridge

Some wheathering...

...with paint and acrylics

An Erie-hopper

One from Colorado

And a row from the "Q"

Operation tip

A way to make the operation session a lot easier for the guests are to pu small photos of the freight customers onthe cardboxes

Crawford northwest

Southeast

 

Further there will be the name on the front of the box.

Ma Baker's Juice & Soda...

... is a small industry along the railway in Crawford.

The building and factory is totally freelance :)

First sketches:

A first wiew

Shelf and Industries...

... some mixed building ;)

The module meeting gave a lot of inspiration... One project was a small shelf for the paperwork together with FRED and cardholders.

Next project is to build some more industries that use the teamtrack. Ma Bakers has earlier been located "of layout". A small bridge will connect to the roadcrossing right.

More background

Next step on the background work are to make Crawford deeper. Here first the skypainted start with only som sketches of the details.

After a morning with som paint and brushes but still a lot to make. A small height with some trees behind the elevator.

A wiew across the yard along the Chicago road. Almost hidden behind Valley Growers Shed are Jensen Motor with it's small garage.

Friday in August, part two.

A brief wiew of the handles i use to run the trains with. Fred, FredI and Daisy

The River Zephyr, train no 11, passing the gravel pit.

Stopped at Crawford.

Picking up speed around the pond.

Passing Crawford Junction Tower

Train 302 ready to depart staging (Savannah). Two old boxcars for the feedmill.

Train 51 awaits the local in Crawford

Train 302 switching the feedmill.

Train 51 departure directly when 302 arrives.

Train 302 pick up the ready cars.

Train 12, the southbound River Zephyr arriving.

At last makes the Doodlebug a trip west and home again.

That was some train running an ordinary friday somewhere West.

A Friday in August, part 1

Some photos from a day of operation.

At first, the real simple Timetable, a few lines and numbers on a paper

Preparation, the blue tab is a reminder of cars that will be moved to other customers in Crawford.

On the staging, from left train no 52, 11 (the River Zephyr) and 301, the local freight.

First to roll, train 191, a Doodlebug that will run westwards...

At the depot

Turned  far far west ;) and renumbered to 192 at the junction.

Back at Crawford hidden by train 52, the morning school and work train

Back at the turntable

Train 301, the local freight has arrived an uncoupled some cars.

Sort out the cars for the east and west side customers.

Teamtrack at the West side of the yard.

Putting the LCL at the freighthouse. Switching place with the green which will be picked up at the return trip.

Switching the east side, "Kowal Steel Mfg", "Mars Textile" and the Scrapyard

Passing the Feed Mill that will be worked on the return.

To be continued by the afternoon session...