Portway Terminal US O scale.

shortliner2001 · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Posts: 492

Jordan - came across this if you feel the need for inspiration- Elevators up the Ying-yang! Shocked

Try here! ALL of the grain elevators served by BNSF elevators can found here, and most of them have at least one really great photo of each elevator. Click on one of the states to get started.
http://www.bnsf.com/markets/agricultural/elevator/index.html

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Ken · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 386 Location: East London

Thought these might be of interest:

Switching on the Middleton & New Jersey RR

http://www.mnjrhs.org/suess1.jpg

This article is worth reading and has some great pictures of highly modellable scenes

http://www.mnjrhs.org/freight_bills.html

Ken · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 386 Location: East London

Switching the elevator, on the Battenkill RR, a NY shortline

http://www.ginosrailpage.com/battenkill/BKRR3/BKRR3-Pages/Image34.html

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Love that last link Ken- must be one of the few pics I've seen of an elevator with a covered loading point on the rail side- that arrangement seems more common on the road side, especially at small installations. Prototype for everything!!!
The rest of the shots are nice too- very rural, not something I'd associate with New York State- biased by the name I suppose into thinking 'Big City'- I gather that actually most of that State is like these pics...?
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All it's got to have is flanged wheels...

Broadoak · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 281 Location: Northamptonshire

I notice that lovely SW1200 you’ve got is running on flexi coil trucks so she will be able to stretch her legs on the main line. Well in your imagination if not in reality, seriously she looks a picture.

Peter

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Well spotted Broadoak! The Flexicoil trucks are accurate to Prototype, as the #1200 was built as Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway #30, and they specced these trucks as they used their switchers for a lot of road work as well. MN&S was taken over by the Soo in 1982, all it's locos were repainted Soo Red/White by late '83, and sister loco #1204 (ex-MN&S#34) was actually the first Soo loco repainted into Candy Apple Red.

The mid-Eighties is rather later than the early '70s I mostly imagine the Portway to be set in, but an ideal era for Soo interest, when it just about still had a few F-units (albeit in store by '84), took over the Milwaukee Road in '85, and in '87 sold off the short-lived 'Lake States' Division which became Wisconsin Central...

Sorry, *Soo Line Bore Mode* OFF. Embarassed

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All it's got to have is flanged wheels...

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Due to all sorts of other distractions such as Withyn Reach and working on my Soo engines, Portway Terminal has been neglected somewhat recently... but as I put pics of my SW1200 on here last time, here's a couple of pics (from my "Soo Line locos" thread) of it now it's been 'breathed on' a bit...

One thing I like to do is weather just one side of my locos, thus they can represent two eras in their careers; the #1200 is no exception... seen here with my old Atlas Caboose...

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All it's got to have is flanged wheels...

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Although I have to admit I've hardly done anything to this layout (or even run it!) in recent months, it is due to appear in MTI soon, possibly #81...

To which end I did a bit of work on it (blowing dust off it mainly Rolling Eyes

) and took a few more pics...

The only feature that's now really finished is Portway Cold Store... (just reading back through this thread, it was March 1st 2008 I posted that this was nearly finished... almost exactly one year ago today! {and a bit...} Embarassed

)

It now has 4 loading bays, although the two green ones are meant to be "out of use", having their platforms and in one case the canopy "removed", as they're spaced for two old 40ft Ice Reefers, which are now out-of-date (early '70s), so to handle new 57ft Mechanical reefers the Cold Store has had to put in new docks (red doors) spaced accordingly- which has also entailed 'extending' the 'original' building to add the second dock.

Further along, here's a view of all the Silos, waiting for an Elevator Tower to fill the gap...

However... following posting pictures here before, the general consensus of you Gentlemen was that they are too small for O scale.

Having taken this picture I have to admit you're right. They need replacing with wider, taller structures- probably means less silos, but they'd be more believable. Large plastic soil or drainpipe from B&Q/Wickes etc is a llikely candidate, but WHEN I get around to doing that... don't hold your breath.... Crying or Very sad

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All it's got to have is flanged wheels...

shortliner2001 · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Posts: 492

Looking very good too, Jordan - as you know, I like this one a lot!

mog · Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 221 Location: Mansfield Notts UK

Liking it.. glad you've updated this one.
It's a plan I keep coming back to when considering N or maybe HO versions.
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Martin Hogg

Mogtrains at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/family.hogg/
Mogtrains2 at:
http://mogtrains.blogspot.com/
More railway stuff at:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b160/mogworld/
phew!

Korschtal · Joined: 20 Aug 2007 Posts: 354 Location: Stuttgart

Very nice- the Low relief warehouse is really effective.

shortliner2001 · Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Posts: 492

Currently tracklaying on my Ballart Terminal, based on the Ballard Terminal RR and the Rugenshaven plan from Carls Trackmobile contest, stretched slightly. Scenic effects will be completely "experimental", using "Ghost" buildings. When it reaches the point of being "viewable" I will start a new thread.

Jordan · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 651

Korschtal · Joined: 20 Aug 2007 Posts: 354 Location: Stuttgart