Schomberg Narrow Gauge Show 2017

Maple Leaf Mafia - On3 modular RGS Dolores 10' long diorama

On Saturday I drove up to Schomberg, Ontario to attend the annual narrow gauge show. A great time with a good crowd. The clinics are a nice part of the day and with one being hands-on, it made the day for me...more photos to come shortly...George Dutka

Bruce Leckie's new module

A narrow gauge barge display. On30"

Mt Albert's table. A lot of great deals on off cut wood. Great for all us scratch-builder's in attendance.

The PanPastel hands on clinic

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This was one of the bargain's to be had at this years show. A G scale logging truck kit-built and well detailed and weathered...check out the price sticker.

Chris Creighton little diorama using one of his silo kits.

Wordless Wednesday No. 48

Wordless Wednesday No. 47

My Old HOn30" Equipment

My first model railroad kit that I purchased and built back in the 1980's. Till yesterday this car has not been out of the box in at least a decade.

Back in the 1980's I spent a lot of time modeling in HOn30". I did not really have a lot available to work with. Our local hobby shop back then did not stock Maine models but they did get in Bob Jones SR&RL volumes when it first was published...which I quickly acquired. Most of what I could purchase for modeling Maine Two Footer I had to order by mail.

I originally purchased a Sandy River Car Shops, SR&RL boxcar no. 85. Using this car for measurements I scratch-build a few more. I had only been modeling for a few years at this point and really did not know were to look for details other than through RMC and MR. I used a lot of electrical wire bent to suit my needs and balsa wood found at our model plane store. Our local hobby shop did have a good stock of O scale detail parts for scratch-building but almost nothing in HO scale.

These views are of my model built way back then. Maybe a little crude to today's standard but nice to still have. Wordless Wednesday this week (and also next week) views some of my early scratch-building attempts. Looking back it is hard to believe some of my very first models constructed were actually scratch-built and in narrow gauge...George Dutka

This model when built did not come with decals. I used dry transfers lettering that I purchased at our local stationary store. This store is long gone and I am not sure if one can still get dry transfer lettering sheets in town.

Before I took this photo I have added a bit of PanPastels to the roof and to the sides. The top photo shows the car before any pastels are added. I thought the car was too red.

It is time consuming work loading a tender

Bridgton Jct. Maine. Here we see the B&H Ry. loading its tenders right from the standard gauge car on the interchange track around 1930.

As in the last post we look at the chore of coaling a locomotive on the Maine Two Footers. This photo hangs on the wall of the museum up in Portland, Maine. If it is not all that clear it is because I took a shot of it on the wall. I wonder if this car was just set off as the MEC caboose is seen in the background. Does not look like a lot of coal has been unloaded by this point. A really nice scene to model...George Dutka

SR&RL No. 18

Kind of a neat scene to model. The boys are filling the tender with coal the hard way or the only way they can. Note the one side was removed from the flat making it easier to unload. Looks like the whole crew is at work with this chore.

The next couple of posts we will view crews loading coal the hard way. Most of the larger railroads had coal towers but not these  little two footers.  This is a photo I have recently acquired. SR&RL engine no. 18 at Strong, Maine. This engine was SRR no. 2 built by Baldwin in 1893...George Dutka

Wordless Wednesday No. 46