I finally wrapped up my full P2K SD9 rebuild of a SP SD9E. Years ago I semi detailed Athearn models, but they hardly compare. For my first rebuild, I chose unit 4433 which has had a long career in Oregon that last well after the SP went away. I fully detailed the unit and did the light package with the working Gryalight. I’m soooo happy to have this unit done now as the SP SD9’s were a favorite on mine that I saw in action plenty of times. Now I can recreate some of those scenes not seen since the 80’s and early 90’s. I hope the diehard SP fans will feel the same way I do looking at these recreated scenes…of good railfanning times gone by.
Here we’re chasing the Hill City Turn back from the Mill down the Hill City branch to the mainline. Having assembled it’s train of outbound lumber and woodchips, the train departs for the mainline at Anderson. The lone SD9 and train eases along the branchline trackage, stopping briefly on one of the iconic wood trestles to enjoy the view.
At Dupont outside of Anderson the branch crosses over the busy double track mainline. The conductor gets on the radio to ring up the dispatcher for permission to enter the mainline when they get to Anderson. Since the crossover to the mainline is on the far side of downtown, They need to find out the situation on the mainline before they block all the crossings in town.
Crews were busy setting the station on it’s new foundation after moving it across the tracks. The branchline used separate the station from the mainlines, which caused problems at times when the local was working industries in town when a passenger train stopped. The city bought the aging station from the railroad and moved it across tracks to take up part of a city park, and become the new city transportation hub. Passengers will be able to get off the train and right into a city bus or taxi.
No locals or passenger trains to worry about today. After a brief stop to allow the rear brakeman in the caboose to line back the crossovers, the Hill City Turn is soon blasting through the CTC control point of High bridge.
These scenes are all on the OMRS layout in Lacey at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. We are generally open Thursday nights from 6-9pm and on Saturdays 10am-1pm or so.
Beauitiful Ted. I’ve always loved the look of the bloody nose SP SD9’s, they used to pass through my old home town of Davis where the mainline split off to the north Valley Line which the Coast Starlight used to follow up to Oregon.
Anything in gray scarlett !!!
Beautiful! But wouldn’t it be fun to backdate some and run the branch with a couple of old Harriman Era “Hogs” from late steam days? You could even run with funky little Nineteenth Century Ten and Twelve Wheelers and of course some old wooden cabooses. These engines made their last stand on the Oregon branches sometimes working four or five to a train as they hoisted logs over Timber Summit or out of Coos Bay. The Southern Pacific in Oregon by Austin and Dill tells the story.
Actually I have a couple of Hogs (Harriman 2-8-0’s). I just need to weather and put loads on my 18 log cars so I can run double headed log trains on the branch. One problem though is that there are no turning facilities on the branch…
Gidday Ted, [#welcome] to the forum.
What a way to start off, I had to look hard at the first photo to see if it was of the prototype or not!!
“Weekend Photo Fun” and “Show me something…” are good threads to post your photos, I’ll certainly enjoy looking at them.
Cheers, the Bear.
Very nice modeling work, I too am a die hard SP fan, grew up in El Paso Texas, on the old sunset route. So I tend to model the area around EP to Deming or so. Here’s an old RS-32 redone.
!(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f317/GAPPLEG/Motive Power/RS32NOSE.jpg)
Thanks for the good comments. I have enough photos that I could make all the non-diehard fans sick of SP photos. ;^P
No complaints from me. I can never get enough SP photo’s, especially from the 70’s and 80’s!
Ted, any video’s of the above action?