Weekend Photo Fun 4-30-21-??

If you’ve been in this hobby a long time as I have, I’m sure that you recognize this structure:

It’s a classic Lionel engine house kit. This is one I purchased during my college years in the early-mid 70’s as I recall, and consistent with my skills at the time, I assembled it with glue. Nothing was painted or weathered. I used it on some layouts of my younger years. I have always kept it for sentimental reasons, though it has been sitting in a box for years.

Fast forward to today when I was looking to model the Pennsylvania Glass Sand Plant (now US Silica) near Mapleton, PA. Lots of trips to the prototype as well as on line aerial images revealed that the core building in the plant looked almost exactly like the Lionel engine house, albeit, about twice as long. I wasn’t about to try painting my original now assembled engine house from my youth, but instead located an unassembled version from more recent years on eBay. I assembled it using my current skills, painting and weathering the structure, and making other modifications. Here is a picture of that structure now finished and sitting in its intended location:

The next two shots show the major modifications I made to the building. I did not want the old fashioned hinged wooden doors on the ends. Rather than installing them on the one end, I used corrugated material and Plastruct channel to recreate a corrugated metal roll up door. The other end comes without doors, so I cut out the plastic wooden panels and windows, and installed another roll up door at that end. Brick material was used to thicken the end walls so they did not look like thin plastic. Here’s two pictures showing that modification:

Finally, here’s a shot of the prototype plant that I took (one of many!) as well as a couple more showing the overall scene on the layout. There’s a long way to go, including installation of the conveyor system, roads, ground cover,  and lots of sand piles, but I’ll post those in future posts as I complete them:

Well, that's it for this week. Back to work on the layout!

@PRRMiddleDivision

Very nice work, well done.

The REA driver waits patiently for the two clerks to finish weighing and labeling a shipment. He’s got lots of deliveries today!

Another 2020 Christmas Layout memory

Sticking again this week showing the plateau area.

- walt

THE LEFT SIDE

THE MIDDLE

THE RIGHT SIDE

Another temp 7’x9’ layout built out of boredom.  I’ve been showing images of the 1^st one the last several weeks (Easter) and decided I enjoyed that enough to do another.  This was built back in mid-February.  As I’ve mentioned before with my Easter temp layout, I have so many beautiful Christmas pieces that I could never use them all on my 11’x14’ Christmas layout and I dislike having them just sit in boxes where I don’t get to enjoy seeing them, so I did this temp Christmas layout.

Showing the 3 ferris wheels

- walt

Great pics everyone!  Scott - thanks for hosting this delightful thread each week!  My photos of the fun kind for this fine weekend include the classic GG1, GP 9, and " Waiting at the Station."  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Be safe = Be well!  

GG1# 4876 will not be stopping in the baggage room of Union Station DC today.

B&O GP9 being serviced.

Waiting at the station.

Our side room.

n

Folks,

This is the Lionel Coastal Freight Set which I think was the last Lionel Service Station Set to be issued. Always a favorite of mine and such a colorful looking combo of rolling stock.

@jim sutter posted:

Our side room.

Are you sure you don't want to come out of retirement?

Scott Smith

Scott,

Thank you for the invitation. However, its not going to happen. I no longer have the strength or stamina.

Jim, is that picture current? Dave

A shot down lonely ROWs...and how even 3-rail track can look "neat" and better with ballast.

@trumpettrain posted:

Waiting at the station.

@trumpettrain

Pat:

I don't remember your commuter station stop having a station structure.

Dave Nichols, Sorry, There are no trains in our old store. There hasn't been any since 2010.

Scenes from a Christmas, 2004 version of our layout.

The village on the mountain.

A freight train rounds the bend with the city zoo in the background.

A long string of boxcars round the bend behind the farm.

The second year for the harbor scene. A submarine has surfaced in the harbor.

@jim sutter posted:

Dave Nichols, Sorry, There are no trains in our old store. There hasn't been any since 2010.

Jim

I cannot believe that many years has passed.....its seems like you retired just yesterday!

I know you are enjoying your retirement......but, we do miss you!

Peter

Peter, Thank you for your kind words. Hope you are doing fine. Please take care and stay safe.

The ultimate track cleaning train.......Centerline, two North East Trains cars and an MNP car.....the D&H LionChief engine is great for pulling it.

Rufus, my Grand Dog, also was visiting for the week.

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Forgot to add one other good video.....

Peter

@Randy Harrison posted:

@trumpettrain

Pat:

I don't remember your commuter station stop having a station structure.

This photo was taken before the new commuter stop was built.  

Peter, where's Winnie?

@coach joe posted:

Peter, where's Winnie?

She'll get a visit in today!

Peter

                          CNJ...

A NH PA pulls a B&M passenger train up to the platform while a NH GP9 pulls a mixed freight. Happy saturday!

We went on a trip.

We had our shots for 10 days, and then flew out to Las Vegas last week, spent some time there, then visited our son in Utah, then visited some beautiful parks in Utah: Red Rock, Escalante, Petrified Forest, and finally the U-Dig trilobite quarry. Went out on Friday and returned last Sunday a little more than a week.

This was our first vacation and our first nights spent out of our home in over a year, it felt great to get away.

Vegas was packed, our hotel was 100% occupied, the strip was overflowing with people. Planes were immaculate, they have done a great job cleaning them, they look brand new. Hotels and restaurants too. I never felt Covid uncomfortable the whole time we were away.


Of course I found a Vegas mint car on EBay to commemorate our trip:

A few sightseeing pics:

A couple of federal agents are discussing reports of UFO’s in front of the diner, but there’s something troubling that just peeked out from behind the phone booth.

Guys, what a great set of pics for this weekend, thank you all for a very enlightening morning.  Wonderful pictures, videos and some great stories.  I've been working on some of my locomotives doing maintenance, I'm trying to get them ready for some run time down at the club (Lone Star High Railers), some of them I don't think have ever been touched.  Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe and stay healthy.