2017 Project - the Lewiston Branch of the Grand Trunk (New England Lines)

1 Grand Trunk Depot 2 Swift Meat Packing 3 Freight shed 4 Canal Street 5 Max Millar Scrap Company 6 Coal track (this track was elevated going into the enginehouse so crews would have an easier time hand loading the tender) 7 Locomotive Track 8 Armour Meat Packing (and a few other industries (actually 2-3 sidings) 9 Hall & Knight Hardware Company (and a few other industries) 10 US Bobbin Company (and a few other industries) 11 Littlefields Crossing of the Little Androscoggin River - 120' Trestle. 12 Not sure if Hotel Rd was present in the 1950s. If not there was certainly a stone arch bridge left over from the abandoned Portland Interurban that remains to this day carrying pipes. Background So I have a number of MILS modules that are dedicated to the Crawford Notch station and siding of the Maine Central (present day Conway Scenic) I haven't been highly motivated to complete them. My original interest was that the Mountain Division of the MEC has some highly iconic scenes easily recognizable to railfans and casual New England tourists. However, I don't model any MEC equipment and my motivation to do so quickly fades simply because I'm in love with the aesthetics of the Canadian National and it's US-based subsidiaries the Central Vermont, Grand Trunk (New Engalnd Lines,) and Grand Trunk Western. This coupled with the realization that I'm only going to be doing 1-2 shows a year due to other obligations means that if I'm going to commit any resources to a layout, it should be something I can readily operate at home with my own equipment. I'm a huge fan of Trevor Marshall's Port Rowan in 'S' and I've sought out an achievable branchline I could model on US soil. I was initially drawn to the Burlington and Lamoille branch of the Central Vermont Railroad, but it was abandoned in 1939 and getting information on 1930s CV equipment and operating practices, as well as simple things like decals, proved to be too much of a challenge. I did however find the Lewiston Branch of the Grand Trunk (New England) and it's 5 mile run from Danville Jct. with the MEC to the industrial heart of Maine's second largest city. Benchwork I have a standard 30x96" banquet table for the yard and a 30x48 card table with adjustable height for the Littlefields Crossing segment. I'll drop the card table height down low to get some vertical elevation changes. The track is standard Lego geometry. This may prevent me from running 713 which has 12 studs between flanged drive wheels. It's quite finicky on the standard switches. Here's hoping BrickTracks can come through with ABS 104s switches. There are some R88s on the North end. The yard doesn't have the standard ballast profile and the rails seem to run at ground level in some places. The MILS modules will probably be non-standard to save brick and have MILS compatible modules on either end to join to a larger layout. Motive Power Much like Port Rowan most of it's modern steam operation until early 1956 was a single daily mixed train served by a stalwart little Mogul, number 713. However, after 713 left to pull the CN museum train in 1954 (as well as when 713 was in the shops at Deering) the line was served by a variety of power including N-4-a Consolidations, big S-1-f and S-3-a Mikados, and even Central Vermont 470 when it was on lease to the GT. I could even take it past the end of steam and operate ex-CV Alco S3s or GP9s on the Freight Extra if I wanted to roll the clock forward and could probably even get away with running one of the GTs 0-6-0 switchers. Equipment The train ran a single wood sheathed, truss rod combine, and when handling freight, a caboose. Most of the boxcars were standard steel or wood-sheathed. Two meet packing plants used to run their own distinctive refrigerator cars and I imagine I could also sub in CN refers (good parts and decal availability.) Coal moved in 55-ton hoppers to the coal trestle on a northern siding as well as the enginehouse. Gondolas served the scrap yard on the southwestern end of the yard. Oil tankers served oil storage tanks on the west and northwest parts of the yard. On occasion, passenger traffic seemed to warrant a full coach and full baggage car. Operation At it's simplest, I can run this like a Timesaver with an adjacent Inglenook. I'm sure this will keep me content initially until I can model actual GT operations (waybills and switching practices) or close representations from the CN. The layout is distinct for no runaround. The prototype solved this by executing a flying switch. I'll likely use the 0-5-0 switcher (5x fingers for those not familiar) to represent the momentum of the cars. The headshunt/lead track to the yard will be a bit short accomodating only a Mikado and 2 cars at the extreme, but probably a 4 or 2 and the combine in front of the yard proper. Other considerations The yard is selectively compressed to about 50% on the X-Axis and 33% on the Y axis. Littlefields is about 1 mile west of Lewiston, but the bridge at 120' is way more achievable than the 400' bridge at the west end of the yard that crosses the Androscoggin. It simultaneously serves as a similar visual break and compresses the line. So we'll see. I may run a proper blog to post my updates.

Brickworld Chicago Bound

Well, not me anyway. My New Haven Coach-Smoker is finally lettered up and on the way to Illinois to join a New Haven passenger consist. I look forward to seeing photos of the full train. I must say the New Haven heralds over the trucks seem a tad small for 1:48...

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

Double Heading a fast freight with CN 5288 and GT 3406

Steam at BFNE '16

GT Locomotive Lineup

Steam at BFNE '16

GT Locomotive Lineup

NELTC at BFNE '16

MEC 401 Was a solid performer. Looking forward to seeing it run with twin 400.

Steam at BFNE '16

The little engine that could. Powered by a single M-motor at 3:1 gear ratio, this thing could haul anything I threw at it except Train 17 up the corner grade.

Steam at BFNE '16

GT 3406 and CN 5288 side by side. Despite two very different classes and wheel arrangements they share a remarkably similar appearance.

Double Header on the 491

And completely prototypical. I've seen two separate instances of CN pacifics double headed with GT Mikados.

573 works the RY-2 up the Notch

GT 3406 on the 490 Manifest Freight to Portland

First time running. Had to rebuild the transmission (and thus the entire model) at the show this morning. 10V power supply, XL motor in the engine at 3:5.

713 Working a freight extra

Train 17 Underway

Brickfair New England

Nominated

Two weeks to Brickfair

3406 is still on the workbench. Should be good to go in time. Runs nice on the test track.

Modified Switches

Three shots of how I've modified switches to hopefully help others to do the same.

Modified Switches

Three shots of how I've modified switches to hopefully help others to do the same.

Modified Switches

Three shots of how I've modified switches to hopefully help others to do the same.

Brickfair NE D-24

While it's starting to look quite nice, it has some disappointing structural flaws. The cab sags and this is probably my explodiest design to date, even after I spent the morning rebuilding the boiler. It will probably need a complete redesign of the boiler after the Bartlett show in June. Also 24 days to show, this isn't finished, 3406 (my primary freight) is half-built, and I still have some layout modules to attend to. For those just tuning in: Canadian National #5288, J-7-b class pacific. Frequently ran cross-border trains on the CV and GT-NE. Now lives at the Tenessee Valley RR Museum.

Canadian National MB-63-A Mail Express 7810

The class of MB-63-A lightweight mail express cars were Canadian built with half destined for service on US Subsidiaries. The 15' Mail Apartment was specially fitted to meet the requirements of the US Postal Service. CN 7810 was a signature car of Train 16/17 running between Portland, Maine and Montreal, Quebec and the postal contracts it served were a large if not majority source of the revenue for its run. Unlike the other cars I've built. This one retains the pre-1954 single tone green. While the car did eventually receive the sharp 3-tone scheme, it wasn't until after the line had been dieselized. Also of note in this class is Central Vermont 35, which I'd partially built once before. There's some minor differences including the single window in the mail apartment, 3 vs 4 windows on the large doors, and some underside details. All lettering on this one is printed by Tommy Armstrong. With that my cars for Train 16/17 are done AND Brickfair, NE D-28.

Canadian National PB-79-A Lightweight Coach-Smoker

Done except lighting and pinstripes. Roadname and Car Number printed by Tommy Armstrong. Special thanks to Sam who had more yellow 6x8 plates in his bricklink store than anyone else in North America. Cool when you can buy from a Flickr contact. I'll be looking to do more professional photos of this consist soon.

GT Train 16/17

Cleaning up my disastrous work area this morning and in a fleeting moment of distraction, decided to line up my progress so far on the Crawford Notch modules. Just waiting on some more printed bricks from Tommy Armstrong for the baggage -RPO and underside details on the coach-smoker. Oh and black tiles for everything.

GT N-4-a

85% Complete Borrows heavily from my E-7-a design since the real thing did as well. Oh, and I love consolidations.

CN 5288 WIP

It's getting there. Still plenty more to be done including wiring up the headlight and firebox.

Love me tender...

Love me sweet...as the Elvis song goes. Funny thing, everywhere I went in Finland in 2008, people assumed my sister and I would love Elvis because we were American. This has nothing to do with the above photo.

3-part dry transfers...

Are the most painful thing since 2-part dry transfers. Though in this case I think the extra A-- pain to apply the .05mm black outlines was worth it.

Power on the Lewiston Branch mixed

So if you read the description for GT 713, I mentioned the little mogul that could was the primary power for the Lewiston Branch mixed train until 1954 when it left to pull the CN museum train across Canada. In it's place until the end of steam were the larger N-4-a consolidations and the even bigger S-1-f and S-3-a Mikados. Well, in my mail today is the first CVRHS Ambassador of the year and on the cover is CV 470 pulling the CN combine on the Lewiston Branch. I knew CV 470 spent some time on the Grand Trunk New England and was well photographed pulling train 16/17, but had no idea it ran the mixed train too. Totally exciting for me and yet another modelling opportunity. Photo by John Ames at Danville Jct. ME.

Canadian National Baggage Express car

Completed for Train 16/17 Portland-Montreal. CN heralds are CDS dry transfers. Roadname and car info by Tommy Armstrong

Grand Trunk 713 Finished

Technically, I need to do some custom decorations on the glass for the windows to get the four-pane effect, but am otherwise ready to run. While this is my sixth steam locomotive build, this is the first I've completed. I'll get some more professional looking photos when I have a decent lighting setup.

713 with decals

Starting to come together.

Grand Trunk 713 - WIP

Almost done. Needs rails, piping, and dry transfers.

DRG&W Color Test

What do you think of this? It's Bright Light Orange, a hint closer to yellow than Medium Orange, but I think it's Lego's new Medium Orange. DRG&W Caboose in 1978 with Aspen Gold Trying to get the signature color of this railroad just right.

41-BNO-11 Trucks

For my PB-79-A, but potentially other lightweight passenger equipment. Used Matt C's excellent Osgood-Bradley Truck design and updated the frame and façade to look more like this prototype. Subtle differences, I know. Not sure if the nomenclature is a CN thing, a broader railroading one, or simply a part code used by Rapido's model trains. Anyone have more info? Also, if anyone else has attempted this prototype, I'd love to see your MOC.

Canadian National PB-79-A Air-conditioned Coach-Smoker

Second in a series of lightweight coaches built by CC&F in 1954, these cars quickly became signature cars of the Central Vermont Ambassador and Grand Trunk (New England) Train 16/17. Needs more accurate trucks than the Osgood-Bradley stand-ins, but otherwise ready for build. Full interior and underside.

CN 5288 WIP

After some debate over whether or not to do a MEC Pacific, I've decided to stay the course with CN 5288. She'll replace the CV #601 model at the head of the Ambassador and GT Train 16/17. Still some work to do around the pilot truck and tender. Q: Vinnie, it looks like you took your S-1-f model and slapped it on a Pacific chassis. Surely you're not that unoriginal? A: I think Montreal Locomotive Works had the same idea over a century ago. In fact, the first time I saw a photo of a J-7-b double heading with an S-1-f, I thought it was two Mikados. There's some minor differences, but the two designs seem to share a lot of common features.

Another Rare Tome

Research for the next locomotive project.

Crawford's Station WIP

The station at Crawford's in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire. 1:48 scale from plans in the August 1983 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Present day Conway Scenic Railway colors. I just wanted to get a feel for the footprint and architectural elements.

Montrealler/Washingtonian

From left to right: A NYHNH Stainless steel sleeper, a PRR sleeper, and a CN sleeper. This train ran from Washington D.C. to Montreal across the PRR, NYHNH, B&M, CV, and CN.

Now Available

Printed by Tommy Armstrong Brick Engraving. These custom bricks have the Canadian National roadname used on their massive fleet of passenger cars from the early 1930s up to the adoption of the familiar CN wet-noodle logo we know today in 1960. The font is from the Canadian National Railways Historical Association, and printed across 22 studs of olive green bricks, it is approximately 1:48 scale or 8-wide. If anyone would like to order, I'll have some available. They're $9 a single set or $16 a pair plus shipping worldwide. Just contact me by Flickr Mail.

New Single-Sheath Boxcar Design

I wasn't entirely happy with my original single-sheath box design like on CV 40122. It was just too tall. However getting the wood panel effect on a 7-stud tall wall was quite a bit of a challenge and has stumped me for over a year. Inspiration hit me last night, and here's what I've come up with. This particular design is for a Great Northern 31000 series Pratt-Truss boxcar, which was challenging because of the black ends, but would be easily adapted to CV40122 and Rutland 7999 (ex-CN.) One big benefit is this design has a fraction of the internal structure of my previous designs which ended up weighing close to 1.3 lb.

rough3dXL2

Rough XL Driver in 3D

Making some progress. Might have this in a 3D printer by the end of the week.

XL WIP

Getting the principle dimensions of the XL Driver down. Once I can go from design to 3D printer with a known good model. I can scale up the radius for an XXL.

Single axle rear truck

For GT3604 and CN5288

713 handles switches

There's 12 studs between the flanged drivers, so the question came up about how it handled switches. It works pulling from both ends and pushing from the tender. Pushing from the pilot truck seems to give it just the right amount of force to cause the front mains to catch the guard rail and derail as one would expect.

GT 713 WIP

With GT 3406 in the background. I think the tilted wafer logo looks sharp on the tender.