Model Railroading on the Cheap

     Modernizations at Yardley mean removal of the coal dock and water tank used for steam engines. The absence of those giant space hogging structures will mean a better view of classification operations. And of course I should also remove the round house as they don’t seem to last long now days. I had to find shelf space for storing the roundhouse, something I had never thought about. I used a temporary board fastened across the bottom of the overhead floor Joist! Just the right size up in the rafters along with the coal dock and water tower! Now we should be able to get a better view of the twin approach tracks curving past in front of the Yardmaster’s tower, consisting of the yard drill track and the engine service lead. Those two tracks combine to serve as a train length runaround track, a really nice train handling feature in any yard.

   Razing the round house is something most model railroaders never do. Just look at what can be found at a flea market where the craftwork of some old gray head is for sale, really a sad sight. I am glad that I won’t be selling my work of over 100 hours. After deciding where to hide it I will be able to use it again when the spirit moves me. Really once you get used to it, you already know what is on that track behind the roundhouse, just look at the car cards of the train on the drill track. After trying this a few weeks, I restored things back the normal way.  Although things are crowded it looks better with the roundhouse, coal dock and water tank in the engine facilities.

Re-fueling a diesel locomotive.

    Today for serving small railroads with diesel fuel we may see the fuel truck come right to the locomotive. Is that called curb service? Even small railroads enjoy modern day conveniences. After finding a nice small tank truck by Classic Mini Metals, all I had to do was to come up with some sort of black hose between the truck and the locomotive. I used a 4 inch piece of 18 gauge insulated wire and arranged the elements so as not to show the ends of the wire.  Just call the local fuel oil dealer and he will be happy to deliver a thousand gallons. I think having a fire extinguisher easily accessible on the out-side of the truck is a thoughtful touch, but prone to road grime.

     The caboose is what you get after removing one window from each end of a LifeLike formerly (Varney) north eastern caboose. The loco is a Varney cast metal cover onto a LifeLike drive for extra weight. The red stripe is a decal sealed with dullcoat then individulal letter flimless decals (by Virnex) and a second coat of dull varnish. The aluminum paint is a spray can, the black was done with a brush, the yellow is another decal stripe. Paint scheme inspiration is from the defunct Beaver Creek Valley Railroad (Youngstown & Southern) in  Eastern Ohio.