D&RGW narrow gauge: Back to scenics.

[JZ]

On 01/01/2023 at 19:52, pH said:

I remember being quite surprised when I first saw that some of the narrow-gauge ‘Mikes’ had a higher tractive effort than an 8F.

And the K-28s were similar to rebuilt WC & BoBs.

 

After chatting to Andy Y, I am hoping he will be adding a section on building laser cut wood kits to the Skills & Knowledge Centre section. If he does, I can show more detailed pictures of some of my builds, not just structures, but rolling stock as well, as I have a D&RGW sleeper coach and a, SP 28' boxcar on the way from Leadville Designs and a 40' flat from Narrow gauge Colorado to build.

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by JZ

[CameronL]

On 01/01/2023 at 16:22, JZ said:

Referring to picture of the month, here is a size comparison of an 8F and K-36.

Of course, maybe the LMS chaps are only 5'.

Comparative figures    

8F                                                                      K-36  

Driver dia.               4 ft 8+1⁄2 in                    3'8"

Loco weight            72.10 long tons            84.9 

Boiler pressure      225lb                             195lb

Cylinders                 18½x28                         20x24

Tractive effort         32440                           36200

 

It's true, the K-36s are lovely and amazingly powerful engines for 3' gauge (first time I looked up the details I was impressed), but if you want a real narrow gauge beast you have to look at - 

 

 

The  South African railways GMA Garratt. 3'6" gauge, 137 feet long, 237 long tons, 60,700 lbf tractive effort. That's extreme narrow gauge. There's a preserved SAR Class GL at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, which at 90 feet and 211 tons isn't as big or heavy as the GMA but has a tractive effort of 78.650 lbf. I always stand and gaze at it in an open-mouthed kind of way when I go there. 

 

Love this thread.

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

[didcot]

I was lucky enough to stand on the footplate of K27 463 at Osier for about 10 minutes back in 1995 I think. The fireman saw us looking in the cab and on seeing my GWS T shirt invited us up. I find the narrow gauge Mikados strangely good looking.

 

[JZ]

Just ordered this book.

If only I could get my hands on an HOn3 version.

[pH]

36 minutes ago, JZ said:

Just ordered this book.

If only I could get my hands on an HOn3 version.

A narrow-gauge book? 🤨

 

There are several K-28s currently available on E-bay (as I’m sure you know). Remortgage the house - no problem!

[JZ]

23 minutes ago, pH said:

A narrow-gauge book? 🤨

 

There are several K-28s currently available on E-bay (as I’m sure you know). Remortgage the house - no problem!

They are tempting, but it's the GSP which puts me off, $204, whereas, if I get stung with customs charges, they are only $150, by my calculation. Then there is the sound and lighting to be fitted, not my forte, so another £200+ when I get it.

NG Colorado have a nice Westside C-25 for little more than half what is being asked for these, so that would add variety to the fleet. maybe I'll ring Craig later.

[JZ]

Given up on Blackstone ever producing their K-28, or anything else for that matter. And with the price of brass ones in the £600-£700 range, + maybe £200+ for sound and lighting, my thoughts are turning to this, Westside C-25.

Built by Baldwin in 1903 for the Crystal River RR, it was a one off. Purchased by the D&RG, number 432, it became 375 in 1924. It was scrapped in 1948. Brand new and not much more than half the price of a used K-28.

[JZ]

My Chama Depot kit has arrived and boy, is it big.

Edited January 9, 2023 by JZ

[JZ]

I've held back on the C-25 at the moment, almost in the hope that someone else might buy it and solve my dilemma. I have ten steam loco's at the moment, more than enough really.

 At the moment I am building the Woodland Scenics Tie & Plank Mill. Probably the worst instruction sheet I have ever come across, but getting there. It will be rail served for the outgoing product. Promise I will get some pictures up, but at the moment I am without my desk PC. New one arrived this morning, after 18 months of umming and ahing, only to find after disconnecting everything, that I need a new monitor, as the old one of 18 years has no HDMI socket. New one ordered and should be up and running some time tomorrow.

[JZ]

It was with some trepidation I started the gauge conversion of the Wuiske Models loco. In the end, it was a relatively easy job and done in 45 minutes. Will get it on the rolling road in the morning and maybe out on the layout in the afternoon. Then it will be into the paintshop. It's going to be plain black, but undecided on the number yet. Probably 3 digit like the rest of the NG stock. Couplings is the other thing to look at. The box needs to be lower, s o it will probably be a case of fitting some spacers.

[JZ]

Ne PC all up and running, so here are a few of pictures of the tie and plank mill. Still much to do, an office and creosote tank for starters. I have another basic sawing bed to add. Where this will go leaves about 18", which I will probably add a log storage area and maybe a shear legs for unloading truck and flat cars, or maybe search around for a suitable mobile crane.

[JZ]

First run of the Wuike Models loco was a disaster. It ran OK on the rolling road, but out on the layout it kept derailing. Turned out that I had left the outer axles a little tight to gauge. I had measured the b2b, but the flanges are slightly thicker than my other stock. So back onto the bench for a little fettling.

[JZ]

Came across this photo of K-27 461 on the Ophir loop. Note the trestle above 461 in the picture and the track below the main trestle in the photo.

Willian Reed collection of Dick Kindig & Richard Jackson photos.

[JZ]

Box of goodies arrived from the far side of the pond today. Took advantage of a brief respite in the exchange rate and picked up some trucks, including 3 sets of Blackstone reefer trucks. Also a couple of 40' flat car kits and a Blackstone switcher pilot assembly for 455, to replace the snowplow.

Edited January 27, 2023 by JZ

[JZ]

Came across this from The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec.

Roof walks were common on the D&RGW. This #tbt photo shows train crew walking on the roof walks of a freight train pulled by 483 and 484 in 1968 just west of Sublette, New Mexico. In 1966 the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) deemed roof walks unsafe and declared that new cars could not be built with a roof walk. The FRA said that by 1978 roof walks should be eliminated for all cars in interchange service. By the time the 1978 date came around this portion of the line had been sold by the D&RGW to the states of Colorado and New Mexico and become the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

This photo is part of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad’s historic photo collection. It was taken by Russell B. Sperry at 11:45 am on August 28, 1968. FCTS RBS01-015.

 

[JZ]

The woodyard needed a creosote tank and a water tank. The creosote tank came from Narrow Minded Rail Works and the water tank was scratch built.

The dozer needs a coat of matt and a bit more weathering.

Waiting for some PB strip to put some bands around the tank before fitting a ladder. Top centre is my granddaughter's picture of a class 800 IET. 

 

Of course, I needed some way to deliver the creosote to the yard.

This is/was a Tri-ang TT caustic soda tank car. Bolsters removed and set on Kadee trucks.

Edited January 28, 2023 by JZ

[JZ]

Painted the Wuiske Models class 1550 today.

Decided to leave the underframe grey for a bit of contrast. Kept the 3 digit number theme, as per the rest of the D&RGW narrow gauge loco's. Picked 795 as they were consecutive numbers on the decal sheet. The coupling boxes need a little more adjustment, but overall I am happy with looks of this.

The scenario for having his loco, is that the oil traffic from Farmington was limited to just 11 cars over the Cumbres pass, even with two K-36 or K-37 and with it increasing in the early 1960s, the Rio Grande approached Clyde Engineering in Australia to supply a number of loco's similar to the QR class 1550, as these could be supplied almost off the shelf, rather than waiting for a US builder. OK, we need to adjust the history of the 1550 class to make this work, but hey-ho, rule 1 applies.

[pH]

3 hours ago, JZ said:

Picked 795 as they were consecutive numbers on the decal sheet. 

I like it! 👍

[JZ]

Finishing touches to the tie and plank mill water tower.

The bands are PB strip, blackened with Carr's products and soldered. To get the shape for the tank, I used a short piece of 35mm dowel.

[JZ]

A day late, but here is February's icture of the month

484 was plowing out the sidings at Cumbres, when it derailed. February 20 1953. According to the photographer, the tender was also derailed. With the use of the 'frog' carried on the tender and the section and train crews, all was back on track in 30 minutes.

[JZ]

Trout Lake water tank on the Rio Grande Southern. 26 September 1951.

Colourized photo. Robert Richardson/Denver Library.

Edited February 3, 2023 by JZ

[JZ]

Crudely edited photo's to remove the background. The tie mill is ready to install on the layout, when the weather is a bit warmer.

When in place, there will be a lower level that will deal with household lumber. That too will have a saw bed and undercover storage for lumber, for which I have bought this Plastoy kit.

[TangoOscarMike]

On 04/02/2023 at 20:25, JZ said:

The tie mill is ready to install on the layout, when the weather is a bit warmer.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH37Dep0cvU

 

[JZ]

19 hours ago, TangoOscarMike said:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH37Dep0cvU

 

Glad it was subtitled.

 

[JZ]

Decided on a short break from railway modelling. I have built many 1:72 aircraft kits in the past, mostly WW2, but latterly 1960 jet fighters. It's now probably 40 years since I built one though and while getting some paint from Frome Model centre, decided to have a browse and ended up buying these two.