Allegheny Mountains taking shape

The Allegheny Mountain range as a backdrop for the P&LE is starting to take shape as seen here behind the coal loading facility. First, I cut two sheets of 3/4" pink insulation board freehand and glued them together. A two-inch piece was too thick to allow clearance on the outside track.

Next (below) came covering the insulation boards with plaster cloth, using the Woodland Scenics product.

(Below) Testing the look ... so far, so good. The next step, from a suggestion by professional model builder Tom McKenzie (a member of our Thursday night group, the Gandy Dancers) is to cover the entire surface with dry wall mud. That will be followed by paint, the addition of rock outcroppings, and finally trees, hundreds of trees.

I've got a long way to go, but I'm enjoying finally starting on scenery, and since the reason for the P&LE to exist is primarily hauling coal, the coal facility seems to be the logical place to start.

Signature photo

This photo, which will become the signature photo of the P & LE on the NMRA Gateway Division website, is the result of experimenting with camera settings and some long range help from expert Richard Schumacher, the developer of the website. With the Dean Freytag-built engine house as a backdrop, the photo shows the P&LE engines, engines painted to represent the James Creek Railway (named for fellow modeler David James), and a Buckeye Western engine, from the railroad of the late Dave White. The website is undergoing an extensive renovation by Richard, and while not complete, there is enough finished for him to put it up on the web, and it's outstanding.  The site includes a number of St. Louis-area layouts--complete with descriptions and photos, a long list of "how to" articles by a number of fine St. Louis modelers, listings of events, the division's newsletter, and much more. With its new platform, the website is much more flexible, and becomes more evolutionary. You can access it at www.gatewaynmra.org. Take a look!

Starting scenery at coal yard

Just starting the coal yard scenery with landforms to give a distant Allegheny Mountain appearance. This shows two sheets of 3/4" insulation board carved to represent the mountains on the horizon and then glued together. A 2" insulation board thickness did not allow enough clearance between the wall and the track, and the two sheets together provided the added advantage of allowing for slightly more contour. Next, this will be covered by plaster cloth, painted green, and finally trees and rocks will be added. The plaster cloth and painting will be done off site of the railroad, but trees and rocks will be added when the landforms are in place. It just keeps moving forward.

Coal Yard Installation

Brian Post, who has been working the past several weeks on the electronics of the Paducah and Lake Erie, is helping install the coal yard that is a major feature of the railroad. It will be a four track yard, each capable of holding six coal hoppers, which will be shuttled around the corner to the loading facility. Once loaded, they will be returned to this yard, awaiting make up into the train to be sent out behind power coming from Paducah, Attica Yard, or Ashland Yard. Note, we are using the pink insulation material here.

New Amtrak power on P&LE

Patience pays off. I have been looking for one of these engines for more than seven years, but saw only a very few and all were in the $200 plus range; and I'm not yet ready to pay nearly $300 for Kato's recent release. Tonight ... tonight at the Gateway Division monthly meeting and annual swap meet, this beauty was there. It's an Athearn, complete with decoder, Kadee couplers, slightly weathered, and IT RUNS WELL! And best of all, I paid less than $100 for it. I now have my version of Amtrak's Pennsylvanian running through my southwest Pennsylvania railroad. Yippee!

P&LE Business Car

The P&LE Business Car was a gift from Kenny Heyl and the late Dean Freytag, both of Ashland, Ohio. Freytag, a Master Model Railroader, always said a railroad needed a business car, so the two collaborated to provide the "Sue K. Howard" - my wife's maiden name - for the Paducah and Lake Erie. The car is shown here in front of the Freytag Engine Facility, kit bashed specifically for the P&LE, and thought to be the last structure the internationally-known modeler built before having to go to assisted living. (Photo by Ken Heyl)

Tractors, Tractors, Tractors

Those rail fans who frequent Tom Davis's establishment, The Station Inn, in Cresson, PA will hopefully recognize this scene (minus the benchwork, of course) on the P&LE. A common site on the NS line between Harrisburg, PA, and Pittsburgh are trains with multiple flat  cars of tractors, being passed by the Pennsylvanian, Amtrak's daily Pittsburgh-to-New York City passenger train. The building is an excellent replica of the Station Inn, kit bashed by Kenny Heyl of Ashland. The tractor train is always one that most photographers try to catch as it heads east on almost a daily run. The Station Inn is a B&B that caters to rail fans, and is an outstanding place to stay while checking out the busy railroad between Johnstown and Tyrone, PA. Innkeeper Davis is extremely knowledgable about railroading in general, and railroading in this area in particular; and one will have to travel some distance to find better breakfast fare than that provided by Sandy.