Now for something completely different in railfanning and not to be missed if you’re in Toronto. I think this was the post-Boxing Day Week of 2009. We start here, at the bottom. We bought the Economy Class tickets, where you get to walk up the stairs…just keeeding. [(-D]
There’s an obvious RR connection, it is, after all, the CN Tower. But wait, there’s more! Way down below, in case you didn’t notice it before wandering around the deep freeze that is Toronto this time of year, it looks like someone is working on a model train set down below.
There’s actually a nice little museum down there, but not open when only the few lost Americans wander over the border in order to wonder at the Boxing Day deals. But there’s more than just stuffed and mounted trains, as nice as they are. Toronto means trains running all over the countryside from the downtown station…
Just to show you how much fun this can be, here’s a pic of my wife, unless you’re like me and not really digging the feeling of sliding around held up ony by a sheet of glass about 2,000’ in the air.
A sample of the museum way below.
Almost as much fun was visiting the Bush Plane Museum in the Soo. The lack of tourism this time of year meant we got a personal tour by the on-duty docent, who took us back stage in the complex where they do restorations. It is housed in the old Ontario Gov’t seaplane hanger and associated facilities just below the locks on the Canadian side. This beautifully stuffed and mounted DHC-2
I’m not good at counting windows at 4am, should’ve been in bed. Thanks for keeping that square, Ol’ Bear!
This might be the Beaver…but maybe not? Cockpit looks too square or maybe it’s a experimental or prototype? They had a lot of beauties in that shop, you’d be happier than a cat with 3 bowls of cream – or a Bear with 3 honeypots!
Thanks for starting us out Mike, and I see Bear corrected your mistake on the Beaver, I have flown on lot of Otter’s and Beaver’s when I went fishing in Northern Canada, once even got to fly on a PBY Catalina. I will have to dig out my pics and scan them at some time. I went to Toronto in 1983 with my wife and went up to the top of the CN Tower, also road the Peter Witt Trolley around Downtown.
Got some work done and some more in progress work this week.
Still working on the Intermountain Canadian Grain Covered Hopper, now on to the roof walk supports. Also started on the next ACY 50’ PS1 starting with the Intermountain Kit.
Eastern Car Works ACF 1958 CF Covered Hopper Kit, modified to more closely resemble a Bethlehem Steel version with the addition of sheet metal panels on the end of the car and on the bulkhead over the trucks. Also aligned the roof hatches to open longitudinally on the car. Car was painted with Scalecoat II UP Hopper Gray and lettered with Tichy Decals, error on decal sheet was an ACF Builders Plate, I had a Bethlhem Steel one in my stash to replace it. Note the car was lettered CRP instead of CNJ, they did this in 1946 to avoid New Jersey taxes, after a lengthy court battle, the CNJ lost and CRP went away. Car was used for hauling cement.
E&C Greenvllle 52’6" Gondola kit, Painted with Floquil Reading Green and lettered with Oddballs Decals. The BKTY reporting marks represented a car leased or financed by Bankers Leasing Company (A SP Subsididary). So if anything happened to the MKT Bankers Leasing could find their cars and reposs
Mike L … Thanks for starting the thread with some phtos of Toronto. I recall some trips to Toronto when the CN Tower was under construction. It was definatiely a big job. … Thanks for photos from the museum too.
Rick … You continue to post outstanding freight car models.
I’m working on a scenery project, but I am not ready to post photos of it… Here is an older photo of another part of the layout. .
Well, it’s not cool in Texas but it is July in Texas, so nothing new. Garry, your scenery comment and photo remind me I need to come to grips with scenicking my layout (now at 6-1/2 yrs.), which only has hills / rocks installed. I think I will need to start with an experiment on a piece of plywood to develop some confidence. I don’t want the layout to look like a 1st attempt. Need to get the books out and start learning.
Meanwhile, here is a Monroe Models gantry crane addition from a week ago.
Mike L - Thanks for starting off WPF. I enjoyed your Toronto pics. I was there years ago for a Zebra Mussel conference. Haven’t been back since.
Rick - Some great looking cars as usual.
Garry - I like the ‘olde timey’ freight.
Paul - Wish I had room for a couple of those little houses on the BRVRR.
I’ve been toying with the programming on my Alco FA and FA-2. Speed matching them to each other and to my Pennsy F7s. Here they are at the pasture curve:
I still have to add phone antennas and MU hoses to the FA and FA-2.
Thanks to all of you out there WPF is always the best thread of the week! Keep the photos and ideas coming guys.
Mike, That is quite the view. Roof looks good on the loading dock.
Rick, Excellent work as always. The Gondola looks great.
Garry, Awesome photo. Looking forward to seeing the new scenery project.
Paul, The crane and houses look great. I always like to see company houses for some reason.
Allan, The Alcos look awesome. Good luck with the programming.
I managed to get my track painted and the boards installed for my backdrops/dividers. I started working on a little scenery. I still need to do some fine tuning with my skills but I am overall happy with how everything is coming along.
Gidday Mike, I’ve never seen one for real, and to be doubly sure had to consult the Bears battered copy of Biggles Big Book of Aerial Conveyances, but that is a Noorduyn Norseman*,* 904 built,the railroad connection being that it’s latter production was by the Canadian Car and Foundry Co, makers amongst other items, of railroad rolling stock.
After much anticipation, procrastination, and concentration, I present the first ever groundbreaking, earthshaking featured presentation, my first KITBASH!
Well, I have nothing to contribute this week. My middle daughter flew in from Seattle so I had other things to be doing this week than finishing up any projects.
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Mike: Thank you for starting the thread this week.
Rick: The Central New Jersey car looks really good. I detailed a few of the ECW kits, and I like them. The colorful MKT gondola is also a real eye-catcher.
Paul: That is one rugged looking gantry crane. The company houses are also very nice models. The scene is coming along nicely.
Adam: That scene looks nice. The coloring on the rocks is impressive. I also use cardboard webbing for my scenery forms.
Terry: That is a VERY tiny decoder to be sure!
Steven: Great to see the project is coming along. You did a great job gluing the two sections together. The long sections look very straight. Splicing long pieces can be very tricky.
I won’t comment on accuracy as I’m not much of a rivet counter, but cost is another matter. Based on what I could find today, the Bachmann FA2 with Tsunami sound cost me from 1/4 to 1/5 of what a Rapido FA would cost.
I don’t mind tinkering with the add-ons and most cost just pennies.
