Time to get this railroad back on track

[Jeff Young]

Great article, Jim.  Thanks for posting the link!

[Geoff Hamway]

Jim,
Thanks for posting the great photos and info links on Burke!  Just to bring the saga of Nighthawk up to date, Brian's masterwork currently resides in the train room of Sn3 modeler Aaron Splawn, in the Sacramento area.  Aaron generously opened it up for the recent narrow gauge convention, and it was really a pleasure for me to see it in person again.  According to Aaron, there were discussions about installing it in the NMRA's new exhibit in the California State RR Museum, but it was too big for the available space.  We're all lucky it still exists at all, thanks to Aaron and others who worked to save it!
Geoff Hamway

[Keith Hayes]

It is great to see images of Brian's layout here. Russ Segner posted a video of portions of the layout on Facebook.

I was in graduate school in Seattle in the late 80s and had set the hobby aside due to school and a lack of space and funds. During that four years I believe I completed one Triangle Sn3 High Side Gon kit. I heard about an NMRA meeting and made it a priority to attend. We introduced ourselves and of course I mentioned that I was proud to be a narrow gauger. After the meeting a tall fellow named Bill Wardell introduced himself to me and invited me to the NG round robin that some area modelers had formed.

At the time, no one really had a layout except Bill, who was in the process of building a Cumbres-inspired layout in his basement. It was a great group of folks who took me in and allowed me to be distracted from school once a month. These included Brian among others that I cannot recall, but who were all gracious and rubbed off on me. I don't think that Paul Scoles, Dave Woodrell, Russ Segner or others had joined the fray at that time. Bill was a champion of Sn3 and advised me to get a P-B-L 6500 series flat car kit and give it a try: what did I do? I bought a long caboose and that took about a decade to complete.  Bill also participated in some of the early Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec work sessions, and unknowingly gave me that flu too.

Brian memorialized Bill with Wardell's Garage. I don't know that I ever got to see Brian's completed layout in person, though I have seen parts (I think) at Bob Christopherson's and Paul Vaughn's layouts. I heard that Bill Peters bought the Nighthawk module and am glad to hear it survives in CA somewhere. Brian and Bill collaborated on turnout control mechanisms that the Seattle folks continue to use. Since he had access to gear that made styrene (Brian formed Evergreen Styrene), the material was used liberally on his layout for everything--no need for mock-ups from shirt cardboard: just use some 60 mil! Brian loved C-21s and rumor has it he bought almost every unpainted model  PBLimported for the Copper River and Yukon. Brian had a great eye as a modeler and thoughtfully mixed D&RGW and C&S prototypes in a very plausible way. He developed an ore car model that I think Paul Vaughn now offers in kit form: Brian numbered these in the 400-series to poke fun at the D&RGW modelers and their beloved K-series locomotives (Don Meeker did the same thing on the Rocky Mountain Line with his F-units).

So here's to Brian and Bill: just look what you started!

[Don Pacetti]

The construction phase of mountain that will occupy the area behind the town is complete, so I thought I would post an update before I add it to the layout and start the coloring process. I used stacked extruded foam and canned polyfoam for the core. Cliff face is Bragdon Enterprise resin and mold, rest is Woodland Scenics lightweight hydrocal and Sculptamold.

[Lee Gustafson]

Don,

You have captured the shape and texture of C&S country very well. You have also done it in modern materials and technology. Please share your progress with regard to layout placement and coloring. If you’ll pardon the pun you’re on the right track. Thanks for sharing.

Lee Gustafson

[Don Pacetti]

Cheers Lee!  Thanks for the kind comments. When it comes to coloring the rocks I plan to use Joel Bragdon’s method. It’s towards the end of his instruction sheets, which may be found here.

Joel is very thorough and, so far, I have found his recommendations to be easy and highly effective.

[Don Pacetti]

The above track level portion of the mountain is complete and I have shaded it with mineral-based black tempera, and wiped down in accordance with Joel Bragdon’s suggestions. Now it’s time to install it on the layout so that I can apply acrylic color washes under actual layout lighting conditions. The cliff face will be trackside. I’ll also add the streets for the town and post some pics as the work progresses.

[Lee Gustafson]

Don,

The color looks great, a warm earth tone with subtle variations and highlights. I’m sure you can’t wait to get it on the layout.

Lee Gustafson

[Don Pacetti]

Thanks. This is the effect I’m going for.

[Don Pacetti]

Ok, I’ve made some progress over the last week, so here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure 😆. I still have a lot of ground cover work, blending and touch-ups to do, but I think you will get a good idea of where I’m headed.

[Lee Gustafson]

Don,

I like the color, texture and placement on the layout. Your work has captured the C&S territory so well. I hope you’re happy with the results. Thanks for sharing.

Lee Gustafson

[Don Pacetti]

Thanks Lee.  I’m watching your awesome video series right now...well done!

[Don Pacetti]

Hi Lee. You inspired me , so I created a short cell phone video of the area I just finished. The unfinished area below track level at the palisades is next. You can find it here:
https://youtu.be/WtOhQmbN7MY

[Fred H.]

VERY well done, Don. Love the way the trestle frames the scene. Seriously cool!

[Don Pacetti]

Thanks Fred. I started my model railroading journey in the 1980’s with Malcom Furlow’s book HO Narrow Gauge Railroad You Can Build and he was a huge fan of large wooden trestles, so I created my layout plan with that trestle as a major scenic detail. It’s just inside the door to the train room so it definitely “pulls you in”. What’s interesting is how far that scene has come in just 1.5 months. my first train video on YouTube will show you just how far. Anyway, I know that area on the layout is pure whimsy and takes up a bunch of real estate, but it’s kewl so I decided to include it. Next effort is to complete the below track mountain terrain in the area below the palisades. Joel Bragdon is sending me a 19” x 32” mold to speed the process. His techniques have a learning curve, but his instructions and the results speak for themselves. Here is a short video at track level:
https://youtu.be/BWLwvSQ_9JI

The biggest challenge I have to overcome now is converting my favorite C&S brass locos to DCC. Thank goodness the C&S leased those D&RG tea kettles to support their operations out of Como in its final years of operation. With their excellent sound and Blackstone Models reliability I will have them work the yard in Como and double head them with C&S brass engines so that I can have at least one loco with sound in a consist. I also chose a  fictional, but plausible premise for the railroad  that is based on     discovery of gold near Kenosha. This allowed me to include a mine in that area which was so big that it breathed new life into C&S NG operations that carried it long enough for WWII requirements to increase traffic.

[Don Pacetti]

Pat Gibbony’s old girl helps with the Apex Mine tailing dump track =D.

[Don Pacetti]

Scratch built truss bridge and Apex Mine, based on Malcom Furlow’s Saratoga Mine are installed and ready for color. Detail parts are Rusty Rails resin castings. Note rounded corners on train room walls/ backdrop to eliminate distractions and unwanted shadows. It took about 2 lbs. of Sculptamold to blend the rock castings contour the dry wash below the bridge.

[Don Pacetti]

While waiting for the Sculptamold to dry at the Apex Mining complex,  I unpacked my models and started looking at plausible locations.  I also installed the traveling crane, created a foundation for the car shed near the coaling chutes and installed the ash pit details. Many of the buildings in Como, along the back wall are placeholder structures that will be swapped out as more accurate structures are completed. It’s a good thing I built so many of these models years ago when I had the eyesight. Now I need a flashlight just to re-rail a car =D.

Here is a brief overview: https://youtu.be/BaxDFbX_eh8

[Don Pacetti]

Really coming along near the palisades


After shadowing with mineral based black tempera powder.

 

[John Greenly]

Magnificent rockwork, Don, and it's fun to watch it progress!

You'd better give your dog a hard hat, there's certain to be lots of rockfall from that cliff face!

Cheers,
John