What`s in the box - No. 2

The Maine water tank has many great looking parts.

Portland Locomotive Works -White Birch Tank

I picked up my O scale version at Expo 2013 in Pittsfield this year. The kit has a good number of cleanly cut parts. The siding looks really nice also. I normally don't use the shingles supplied with most kits but these look really good and will use. Once I took the photo above I decided to put together the sub-assembly. This process went together very well and I was done in less than an hour. I used "Canopy Glue" for this process which dries quickly and has some flexibility. My kit did not have any instructions or plans but I did have a copy of the Maine Two Foot Digest, Summer 2013, that had a great review of the kit. That is really all I needed anyway. It appears to be a simple structure to build and a possibly great kit for a beginner to start with.

A little bit of history...the prototype tank was located on the SR&RL between Carrabasset and Kingfield Maine at White Birch Cut...George Dutka

The basic framing of the water tank went together very well and quickly. This is less than an hour into the project. I waited a day before taking the bands off and gluing on the siding. I used Walther Goo for attaching the siding which fit extremely well. To this point I am really impressed with the kit. I used the kit's review seen in the background as a guide to this project.

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas to all and more Narrow Gauge modeling in the New Year....George Dutka

Gilmore Fuels

Full Steam Ahead Kit - Gilmore Fuels

I posted my finished model and how I built Gilmore Fuels on my blog White River Division. Since I am thinking of using the fuel station on one of my Hon30 modules I thought I would mention it also on this blog. The kit is a 1940's style gas station that could be updated by the use of more modern fuel pumps and signs, but I really liked the 1940's looks of the kit....enjoy....George Dutka.

The station walls painted and roof under construction.

The finished model. I did add a smoke stack since my model will be in cooler climates.

The coke cooler does not come with the kit but all else does. It is a BEST Models detail part.

HOn30 Forney

Sandy River No. 5 looks at home with its crew hard at work. A N-scale Bachmann dockside was the driving force of this engine for many years.

I built this tiny little engine back in the 1980`s using a N-scale Bachmann dockside plus a set of Sloan brass etchings. There are numerous detailed parts that I also added that I don`t recall were I obtained them from. This engine spent most of the past two decades in a box. Now out of the box I was not surprised that it does not run...it was running rough when I put it away many years ago. Instead of getting rid of it I decided to give it an update a few years ago and use it as a static display on my work bench. I added two figures to the cab and touched up the paint were missing. I then decided to give the whole engine a light overcoat of Floquil grimy black. The tiny Forney also got some chalk weathering. These two photos of the engine I took yesterday as I sat at my workbench enjoying a moment between projects. Although it will never run again, it still looks great sitting on my diorama and I can now enjoy it as it currently looks...as if still in service...George Dutka

My little engine is being turned on a small diorama that sits to the left of my workspace on my workbench. It got a cosmetic update a few years back that keeps it current.

Barn Model

The roofing effects are what attracted me to this model.

One of the contest models that impressed me at this years Expo was a simple barn. If you follow my White River Division blog you might have guessed I like the looks of barns on layouts. There is nothing overly special about the barn other than the degree of skill in construction and weathering of the model. I love the looks of this roof...it is so well worn....George Dutka

The addition of signs add a lot of character to the finished model.

Just a great overall weathering job.

Coastal Views

This is a great looking diorama that needs a narrow gauge train in it.

These are a few photos I took of contest models at this years November Structures Expo in Pittsfield, Mass. They depict seacoast elements that I thought looked good which could fit in well with those of us that are narrow minded...George Dutka

Another one of the coastal diorama contestants.

All of us that attended the Expo did have a chance to vote on our favorites...it was tough to choose.