Barry's Model Railroad: Indoor Layout Update

Barry's Model Railroad: Indoor Layout Update

I absolutely love your pictures and commentary. What a flair for words and creativity!

Sandy

Indoor Layout Update

A lot of work has been done on my indoor layout, and it occurred to me that I haven't posted any progress in a long time, so here we go:

The Farm is one of the first areas I had put together. There are cows and horses and a chicken coop behind the barn. The tractor is in the hay field with the farmer at the wheel. There is a lot more work left to be done on the ground cover.

Just down the track from the farm is the grain elevator and silos:

The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway is having it's 3 bay center flow hoppers filled so the grain can be brought to market. Some trucks would add to this scene.

In the foreground you can see the lumber mill where the community can purchase their lumber for the construction going on in the neighborhood.

Near the Lumber mill is a hunting cabin where two hunters are getting ready for the hunt.

Every freight train needs a freight station to drop off the goods the train is transporting. Here we see the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay freight train pulling into the station.

Next to the freight station there is a swamp area due to the high water table in the area. On the other side of the swamp is a residential area

A jogger is out on the road taking a run. The homes in this residential area are nicely landscaped.

The residential area butts up against a forest where Deer play under the canopy.

The center of the forest is where I keep the power sources for the trains. I haven't found a good way to disguise them yet. on the other side of the forest is a lake where the townspeople go to cool off on a hot summers day.

The Tennis court is next to the beach, where there is a game in progress.

What I have shown you in this installment is only about 1/2 of the total layout. The second half is the downtown area some undeveloped space and the state prison. I will show them to you in a future installment.

Info about Pere Marquette Passenger Service

Walthers Published the following regarding its named train release for 2012:

"Speeding travelers from Chicago to Detroit, the Pere Marquette was the pride of C&O postwar streamliner service! Updated with new cars from Pullman-Standard in the 1950s, the trains offered a wide range of comfortable accommodations whether traveling for business or pleasure.

C&O's Pere Marquette had the distinction of being the first all-new American streamliner to enter service in 1946, running between Grand Rapids, and Detroit, Michigan. Based on its initial success, service was soon extended to Chicago. A variety of new Pullman-Standard cars were assigned in the 1950s, as the trains were kept fresh and modern to attract riders. Providing convenient service for business travelers and tourists, the trains also handled large volumes of mail into the 1960s. While the C&O had opted to join Amtrak, the Pere Marquette was one of many smaller trains that faded in history on May 1, 1971.

The C&O Pere Marquette service operated between Chicago and Detroit carrying passengers through the hub of Grand Rapids. While through-service tickets were sold, the route was handled with two separate trains, meaning through-service passengers changed trains in Grand Rapids.

Actual consists varied as demand changed but C&O usually ran a minimum of two and regularly up to four Pullman-Standard 52-Seat Coaches per train. Originally put into service with side skirts attached, as maintenance was required skirts were removed and one could often see both versions of the car operating on the same train.

Between Chicago and Grand Rapids the 85' P-S Diner Coach was employed for food service, while the Lunch Counter Lounge served patrons traveling from Grand Rapids to Detroit. The remainder of the consist typically included one of each ACF RPO-Baggage Car, P-S Baggage Car, and P-S 10-6 Sleeper, all pulled by an EMD E7A."

I currently have collected all of the cars produced by Walthers but I am still waiting for the two EMD E7A locomotives they are producing for this set. The consists for my train are as follows:

• 85' ACF RPO-Baggage #60
• 72' P-S Baggage #50
• 72' P-S Baggage #51
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1614
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1618
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1621
• 85' P-S Diner Coach #1610
• 85' P-S Lunch Counter Lounge #1903
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2645 "City of Midland"
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2640 "City of Saginaw"
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2636 "City of Grand Rapids"

As I stated above I am still waiting for the two EMD E7A locomotives they are due to arrive Jun 28th 2013. Numbers 103 and 105.

Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Model is Expanding

So far I have been able to track down the cars produced for the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway by a few different model train manufacturers. The last of which I just found on the web at the site for Maine Trains. It is a 52 foot gondola made by Atlas. road number 5714.

I now have two gondolas and two 3 bay grain hoppers. The rest of my rolling stock for the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway I have painted up myself using the online picture roster for the Great Lakes Central Railroad. 

I also own two Tuscola and Saginaw Bay locomotives numbers 394, and 389.

Outdoors is Calling Me

Since the weather has been so warm, I have been able to expand the outdoor track and double it's size. The track is now a large L shape. I have been killing off the grass and pulling weeds as well as putting down the new track. My efforts yesterday exposed a few of the buildings that need repair. My wife Sandy has dug in and did a lot of work cleaning up the overgrowth of the ground cover and sweeping up all the leaves and other dead fall in the area. She always works so hard to get the track ready for the season every year.

I ran the locomotive around the new track and it worked just fine except for a few spots along the track that it slowed down to a near stop. I need to look into that a bit further maybe the track connections or possible dirty track could be the cause, we will see. I plan to repair the broken structures today and check into the track as well.

I know I am running late this year getting the garden train up and running, but the weather has not been my friend.

A Few More Visits To The Gym

Just a few more visits to the gym and I will have earned enough money to buy a Tuscola and Saginaw Bay locomotive number 394 "The City of Clare". Mountain Town Hobbies in Mount Pleasant Michigan is holding it for me. This locomotive along with the one, Number 389 "The City of Traverse City", I already have and the custom covered hopper cars I am painting up will make the transition complete going from an Ann Arbor freight train to The Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway freight train.

#389 The City of Traverse City

#394 The City of Clare