B&M Conn. Sub

Well I don't have much to contribute but the B&M deluxe box car by Marx in 1952,1955,& 1957 was one of his very best and it is indeed handsome.

@FIREMANCHRIS - much enjoying your pictures of the layout in progress.  Thanks for posting.

Happy Labor Day

Don

Chris, the roadside and trackside detail is really shaping up nicely!  I have seen Mike’s Cass layout photographs.  He is doing a nice job, and so are you.

Let’s roll with updates!!Still needs more landscaping (trees)Coming along nicely!  Need more green!Berms and some resurfacing is needed.satisfied with cable guard rails!  Just needs berm and weeds!  All I  do time!!!

The scenery and track looks great, Chris!  I like the cable guard rails’ detail.  I haven’t seen those in real life for years!

Chris,

Nice, nice and more nice! I love the painted rails and roadbed! Excellent job and great pics. Your scenery is heaven-sent. The guard rails look great! If you want a few of those posts in real life, I'll gladly fill your truck with them.

I had the B&M Blues when I was a kid trying to get into Boston from Ipswich. The RDCs then were so mechanically decrepit that they began to pull them with the Blues. Guessing GP 7s or 9s. And even they would break down. Got stuck on the Salem bridge with those more than once. It wasn't long after and the T (or somebody in authority)  cut ties with B&M as operators of commuter rail.

My attraction of B&M started when I was 7 years old. (Summer of 77’) I was in Portland and seeing a Low hood diesel (GP18 or a 38)  street running south bound by itself.  The rest is history.

Chris it looks really great. What I like about it is that there are not too many Structures. Out in the country and very rural. Same with Mike’s Cass layout. Great job keep up the good work.

Slight update.

I put some serious time into the layout and with little progress. Don’t get me wrong, it has been totally relaxing and fun for me!

I’m waiting on signals and crossing gates to arrive on the front porch!

Can’t wait to start the static grass application, hoping it will pull scenes together.  I need more trees!!!!!

I reconstructed the sanding tower and added Keil-line sanding hoses that I found in a box I won at an auction.  Unexpected find!  I think they look awesome!!lAirbrushed rust on the Pratt bridge.  I give myself a C+.  It takes some serious experience!  
River still needs water. I used magic water on my first layout with great results!  Unfortunately they are out of business.  Researching the best epoxy for this application.

A Geep and her girl on a date to pick up a local freight.  Heading south on the Sub.

Roads still need striping and still researching the best options for berm material.

And a gratuitous pic of Mr. Mikko!

Enjoy the week!

All I see is this.

Hope this made it right?  It’s like my first time every time.

I see all the photographs, Chris!  The layout looks great.  Your preliminary scenery looks very nice.

Slight updates.

I started adding vegetation with a Static applicator with mixed results.  I need to experiment more.  The gray gravel that you see in the foreground intermingled with the vegetation will most likey be picked up; just not satisfied.  I need trees and more trees!SW1 is picking up a boxcar full of paper at Sully’s.This is a nice angle of my buried spur, which is useable.  Still needs a lot of vegetation.  I have ordered more and a wide range of landscaping.The rough lawn is in.  I need crossing gates and that utility pole needs a transformer.Still need to figure out what I want to do with the back wall.Route 12!   The crossing needs to be wired up and the road lines painted in!Have a great week!

Looks great!  Thanks for posting! 

Things are looking good. I like what you are doing with the groundwork, which looks very natural. I would just add sporadically over what you have already done, which presents a good foundation. Layers, layers, layers. Static grass can be tricky. I found it's all about holding the applicator closer with quick shakes to the area. Also, making sure the anchor is planted nearby, which promotes the grass "standing".

Dave

Looks great, Chris!!  You have made so much progress!

Chris,

Your layout/scenery is terrific! I think your grass mixed with the gray looks very lifelike, and the buildings are remarkable! There was a powdered milk plant in North Andover, MA, that looked a lot like the concrete mill you have, so I was quite drawn to that photo, not knowing where the Conn Sub is

If you'd like a little B&M lore, my Dad was a daily commuter north out of Boston on the Newburyport line, which I also rode occasionally. When the train got to the North Beverly, MA, depot, the old-timer conductors would announce "Top of the Hill". I never gave it a lot of thought since it was not my stop. My father had a close friend who was a bridge engineer for B&M. He explained to us that North Beverly Depot, at ~ 70 feet above sea level, was the highest point on the B&M the entire ~110 miles from Portland, ~ elev. 25' to Boston, ~ elev. 30'. Thus North Beverly became known as "Top of the Hill!"

He further went on to say that when roller-bearing freight cars replaced babbitt "hot boxes", old-time railroaders bet that a freight car with Timken bearings, given a good shove south from North Beverly would roll the entire 25 or 30 miles to Boston. It was never attempted that he knew of.

As for the photo attached, it was in my Dad's collection but we had a multi-generational family home 1/4 mile from that depot.

Update…… Sort of……  I have spent a lot of time working and little to show again.  It’s been quite therapeutic!  Most of it is just staring at it and staring at it.  Working on improving the landscape.   So here are some pics!  Enjoy!Still contemplating how to put in lines on the road🤔I added a dark stone as contrast and it makes the green pop!  Still not finished.Throwing around the idea of a block and tackle winch to the engine facility.  I have this old Lionel signal bridge, which I think will do nicely somewhere.  It adds interests.  Engine facility building needs more, but in due time.The biggest add is roughing in this scene.  I like low bridges, I think it pulls your attention.Adding guards, still need painted and glued.The tractor is to big, but it adds interest to this pic.

Chris, love your layout and your photos! I also love the ties along the the sides. Old ties is what the B&M did best.  If the real B&M looked that good, they might still be an entity.

I drove just yesterday along the former B&M Hillsboro branch which has had spots of new ballast added and every 5th or so tie replaced. That's just so they can continue to support 10 MPH from Nashua out to the Hendrix Wire plant in Milford and make it back in the same day. Keep up the good work and the updates. Love to see them!!

Nice work going on here Chris. Staring and imagining are part of the process, so if you have doing that you're on the right track. What did you make your guard rails from?

Dave

The guard rails are code 100. Here’s the other bridge with them installed from a previous pic.  

Very nice work, Chris -- both your scenery details and ground coverage, but also the lighting in your photos.

I've had good luck using a fine tip white or yellow paint pen to put in road lines. For a straight section, I just measure to the center and use a ruler to guide the lines. For curved roads, you can cut some thin cardboard to the correct radius and use the edge to draw the lines - also works for the edges of the roadway.

For a pole transformer, I've used a large capacitor, like 160v, 68uf, and painted and weathered it. It has two wires sticking out on which you can glue small green/maroon glass beads to resemble insulators. You can also use the small, barrel-shaped dessicant cannisters that come in a variety of products to keep the m moisture-proof.

Rich, I like that route.  Looking for a faded line wear and tear look.  (Paint pens).  Utility poles are Keil line.

Your scenic details look great, Chris

Well, it’s been 2 and a half months since I posted!  Wha-what????

Updates on all levels. I have a couple of projects going!  1. Layout extension!  2. Repaint and decaling a GP40.   But I will save that for another post!
So let’s get going!

Preliminary track plan going in!  I ended up laying track just to see how it would fit!  Not done yet!!!!  All could change!!!

Above is epoxy for water!  Never used this product.  Will run a test to see how it goes.  Also, whether it melts foam???

cheers!

Chris

Chris, what a great job!! Your framing looks like it would hold a real GP40!!

Bob

Nice work and additions. Can't wait to see how the water pour goes.

Dave

That's going to be a great industrial area Chris. Lot's of switching action. What industries are you planning?

Good luck with the epoxy.

Bob

@FIREMANCHRIS posted:

Above is epoxy for water!  Never used this product.  Will run a test to see how it goes.  Also, whether it melts foam???

cheers!

Chris

@FIREMANCHRIS,

Chris,

Here are a few photos of the water scene on my 10'-by-5' layout. My layout scenery construction is similar to yours using stacked layers of extruded pink foam on top of plywood. I assume you will be making the "water" in a lower part of the layout surface - as I did. First, cover the low part of the surface (on my layout it's the plywood) with a thin layer of plaster - I used "Mold-A-Scene." Paint it various shades of brown (with acrylic paints) to seal the surface and look like a muddy riverbed. Cover the painted riverbed with yellow carpenter's glue and throw down real dirt and different colors of brown ballast to give it a realistic coarse texture. When that's dry, pour the mixed two-part epoxy onto the prepared riverbed and let it dry. And be sure to experiment first with mixing and pouring the epoxy so you know how to use it. I did that by preparing the surface of a paper plate and doing the steps described above. I hope this helps.

MELGAR

I decided to build this part a little different without risers that supported the roadbed on plywood.  Instead, I used more girders closer together to support 1inch foam.  We will see how that goes?  I going to fasten the track hopefully with longer screws into the girders and glue.  Just an idea.  The track work at the far end is pretty much set.  The near end is not.  I am not visually satisfied with the long spurs.  That is subject to change or debate.  I’m really, really looking to do the best realism I can make.

Epoxy is from a furniture company out of Calgary.  I did tell them what my purpose was and if it reacted with pink foam insulation.   Their response was… “Can you let us know…?”  So we will see.  I’m far from ready to do the pour.  I want the landscape to be just right.  I’ve used magic water in the past with great results, since they are no longer around, I need a substitute.

Industry:  I have few pictures of the Charlestown Redi-mix Cement plant in Charlestown NH. and looking for more pics.   Also, Funston lumber in Scotia NY.  is my other customer and of course limited on pics.  

I have a coworker who is getting back into trains (HO).  He is has been  awesome to get this section going and he is learning a lot about bench work.

Chris

Chris, the extension looks great!  How wide are your aisles?.  I’m just curious, they look wide enough to me.  How long are the proposed spurs?  
I have never done it, but I’m thinking epoxy and extruded styrofoam will have some kind of chemical reaction.  I would think you will have to do like Melgar did on his great looking stream.

Haven’t posted in 2 months, I have updates!! This is a so…. Called “work in progress.”

This a very loose interpretation of Funston Lumber in Scotia NY.  I never been there, nor do I have any great pics of it.  I’ve seen pics of B&M dropping off farm implements and lumber on an over grown-not maintained spur.  
I still need to add tons of detail and the asphalt still needs smoothing.  

Well done, I especially like the structure colors that you’ve chosen.

Peter

Nice work, Chris!  

Where did the time go??? (3 months)

Small update!  
I would like to finish ballasting the main loop.  I need to get the epoxy poured before I can do that. Mainly removing bridges for easier pour!  I selected as in above post; an epoxy resin out of Calgary Canada.  I was worried about an exothermic reaction and would melt foam board.  I did test pour and Good news!  No problems so far.  

I’ve kicked the idea of an open house via a group called Rte. 30 Express tour.  Basically modelers open their homes for the model train enthusiasts to check out some layouts.  I expressed if I could be added to that list.  It’s  November 23rd, so I’ve got work to do!!!  I need to get it there (viewing ready). Here’s a pic of my test.  Not dramatic lol!  We pour tomorrow!!!!

I mixed and I poured!!!!!!  See what you think? Don’t pay any attention to my coffer dam out of Masonite!🤣

Your river looks great, Chris!

Here is the final products.  Still needs more landscaping and background effect!  
Next. This other scene to develop. It’s on the master list!

Great work Chris. You really captured a New England rocky stream.

Bob

I’ve never been to New England, but I have certainly seen streams that look just like yours, Chris!  Well done.