The Super Structure

I am back to work on the Port of Los Angeles Layout after completing several other projects.

It's difficult to see flaws in the unpainted acrylic.
A coat of primer is  mandatory to spot
flaws and help fill in gaps.

The first task on the plate is to finish the model of the general cargo ship. I earlier had discussed the problem I had with the paint on the superstructure. I ended up building two more iterations of the superstructure. The final version uses laser cut acrylic plastic for the main walls and decks, strip styrene, and photo etched stanchions and stairs from Deans Marine. The stairs were very tricky to get just right. Look for a new product for Alkem Scale Models to simplify this tricky task.

Base color is white with a maroon deck
 and fluorescent red wind dodger.
.

The stairs were very tricky to get just right.

Virginia Central Annual Reports 1864 and 1865

I was looking through some of the Google books I have stored in my "Google Library" and came across the Annual Reports of the Virginia Central from 1864 and 1865.

They make interesting reading. According to the 1864 annual report, the Virginia Central  was able to keep running and make a tidy profit in 1864 in spite of numerous Union raids and resulting destruction.

 The 1865 report is surprisingly upbeat. Yes, it quickly covers the end of the Confederancy and the loss of the value in confederate bonds and paper money. But then it moves forward describing how the railroad plans to expand. I thought the following passages  were especially interesting.

The company had less than one hundred dollars in its treasury, after the fall of the Confederacy, being a remnant of gold procured for a specific purpose, and only about twenty miles of its road was available for producing revenue. In this state of things, they commenced, on the 21st of April, the Herculean task before them ; laborers and owners of materials had confidence : gradually as repairs were made, additional sections of the Road were brought into use, and on the 22d day of July, it was opened to Staunton, and shortly thereafter to the Western terminus.

No break in connections at the Potomac. 

Whilst the war has been the cause of an almost unbroken series of misfortunes to this company, yet there is one exception : For the greater dispatch of military operations, a Rail Road bridge was constructed over the Potomac during the war, which has supplied a most important link that was wanting in the chain of Rail Roads on the South and North sides of the Potomac. There is now a continuous line of Rail Road, of uniform gauge, between New York and Richmond, by this line. The repeated transfers from Rail Road cars to Steamboats, and from Steamboats to Rail Road cars, is a serious objection in the transportation of freight and passengers, and the time is not far distant, when this company will derive a most substantial benefit from the removal of these impediments. On the 23d of January, 1867, a period of sixteen months, the prohibition contained in the Charter of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Company, against this company giving through tickets in connection with Northern and Southern Roads will cease, when it must derive a most important advantage, both in saving of time and the comfort of passengers, from having an unbroken line of Rail Road between New York and Richmond. The company is now in the enjoyment of improved revenues from that cause ; besides the great United States mail, it is carrying the whole of Adams & Co.'s express matter, the mails and freight not being embraced in the monopoly : cars with Express freight now can run through from New York to Richmond, without transhipment (sic) The annual report.

 It should be noted that the USMRR constructed the bridge "over the Potomac" cited above.  I also found the phrase "great United States" mail is an interesting choice of words. 

The 1865 Annual Report really has an upbeat and forward facing outlook. 

Interview on Model Railcast Podcast 216

Switch district in North Las Vegas

We just got back from a great family vacation in southwest Utah. While we did a bunch of activities like hiking in lava tubes, climbing on petrified sand dunes, zig zagging up cliffs at Zion National park, and lots of golf, we hardly saw any trains. Except for about 30 minutes of railfanning North Las Vegas on the day we arrived, and two intermodals we saw on the way back to the airport, we didn't see a train for the whole week.

Just before we left, Tim Harrison interviewed me for the ModelRailcast podcast. We talked about my various projects, layouts and books. The audio track is available on itunes and at this link for non-itune users.

Overall view of the Alexandria waterfront diorama

This is an overall view of the diorama. The Virginia Locomotive and Car Works is on the far left. A coal wharf with canal boat is in the center, and the Pioneer Mills flour mill and grain elevator is on the right.   I used Photoshop to extend extreme sections  of the backdrop to cover the full width of the diorama in this low angle view.

Seeing this view makes me want to try it again in O scale.

A busy week

Finished Pioneer Mills Diorama

The past week was a busy time highlighted by my 60th birthday.

Veiled Nun, G. Croff

It started off with a evening visit to The National Gallery of Art. It's always fun to take time to visit the museums on Washington, DC mall.

The galleries in the East Building were mostly closed, though the atrium was open. I did note a trio of onlookers discussing Smith's "Die."  The "Die' is a 6-ft steel cube that the artist subcontracted to a local shop for fabrication. Once assembled, its rusty surface was hand rubbed with oil.   I feigned interest in the piece to listen to what the admirers said.  I was rewarded with a stream of  modern art babble worthy of Beetlejuice's Otho.

The Lackawanna Valley by George Innes

I could only take so much of that, so I wandered over to the west building. There I came across, and was especially impressed by, this bust of a veiled nun. The sculptor (I believe it was Guiseppe Croff) captured the gossamer veil in stone. Amazing.  But it wasn't rubbed in oil.

I always enjoy seeing the impressionists, but this time I seemed to gravitate to the 19th century landscapes. There even was a nice train painting, George Innes, "The Lackawanna Valley." I took another look at Winslow Homer's work. He is one of my favorite artists.

Bugeye schooner before restoration at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

On Wednesday, I took a road trip with my mom to celebrate my birthday. We went to the Delmarva peninsula to see the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,  St Michaels, MD.  Special thanks to the museum staff, especially Paula, for the guided tour of the museum.  St Michaels is a charming town. I used to enjoy riding my bike there, but had not visited in nearly 20 years.

Charming home in St Michaels

Delmarva HO layout

Then we stopped at the Delmarva Model Railroad Club to see their layout.  While in Delmar, DE I spotted a NS engine idling.Later that evening I presented a talk to the club members and wives on the railroads of the civil war. They seemed to enjoy the talk and we had fun meeting the members and seeing their layout.Special thanks to John Huntzinger for inviting me.

Scott and the blast furnace

On the weekend I finished up the Alexandria Waterfront diorama in between two rounds of golf and 5 birdies.  I started taking the final photographs of the diorama before I deliver it later next week.

On Saturday, Scott Wahl stopped by to examine some of my steel mill models. Scott is a member of NV NTRAK. He is working on a home layout based partly on modules. Scott ended up buying the N scale blast furnace, coke works and some steel mill cars from me. I was very pleased to find an enthusiastic modeler that will put these models to good use. I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with in his layout.


On Sunday, Nancy Griswold,  one AW's friends from law school,  toured the layout with my mom. Nancy made a home made sourdough bread and mom made a pear tart to wrap up the birthday celebration. I was interested in seeing Nancy's reaction to the layout as she is an accomplished artist.  She had some good comments, especially with regard to the detail on the layout.