Visiting Como and Dickey

[Todd Hackett]

I stopped by Como and Dickey (or at least Mike Trent's versions) yesterday to catch up and see some of my old projects. I built the Como Depot for Mike back in 1981, then the boxcar shed and Dickey depot, engine house and coal trestle over the next several years.

Here's Mike behind some boxcars at Dickey by the Narrow Gauge Dead Goat Saloon:


Como depot and eating house (with fake sky):


Looking down the track in Dickey (more fake sky):


Looking down on the crew shoveling coal at dickey:


Flanger by the Dickey engine house (with painted backdrop sky extended):


I posted quite a few more here and will likely add more later.

[Paul R.]

Top pics

[Mike Trent]

Thanks, Todd, the pics look great, and it was good to see you in these parts again!

This contains some pretty breaking news for readers here, as I have been reluctant to post pictures of Como until I was able to get a little further along. As Todd said, he built the Como Depot for what we thought would be the centerpiece of my layout in Boulder back in the 80's. Todd was just out of High School at the time, and produced this fantastic model of the depot. It has a full interior, operating doors, and glass double hung windows, all of which are fully operational. Our friend Jim Wing had the depot for many years, and took real good care of it. When it came "home", it took a little tweaking and a few new parts and pieces, but it's ready to go again, and better than ever.

The Eating House was built, also back in the 80's, by Jim Powers in Denver, who was also working in C&S On3 along with us. The intent of all this would be to be a donation at some point, to the Historical Society, or somewhere that it could be displayed as a collection in the future.

The base diorama itself was built back in Alabama, to display the Durango Depot and the trackage as it had been in 1963. As it turned out, it is quite similar to the trackage at Como, at least pretty close, anyway. Lots of work ahead to work the transition, but it gives me a great place to store rolling stock and locomotives to support operations at Dickey.

Maybe a hole in the wall in the future??? We'll see. But there is a lot to do before we can think about that.

Anyway, visitors to Dickey will now have new things to see, and ideas and suggestions are welcome indeed. In a sense, all this is part of our shared community.  

[Norm Acker]

Looks absolutely great, Mike! I need to get up there and visit again soon! (and maybe have more delicious barbecue...)
Norm

[Mike Trent]

Thanks, Norm. Any time!

A couple more of Todd's excellent photos and World Class modeling. Also, note "Rogers Rock" just beyond the depot. That is a fragment of one of the chimneys of the Dickey Station. Also, note the train register desk on the end, the conductor is ready to sign the book Norm sent from a photo of an 1899 Dickey register book.

Coal Dock



Dickey Station

[Chris Walker]

This is Fantastic!  Congratulations Mike on producing such awesome modelling.  The Coaling Dock and Trestle takes it beyond.

[Mike Trent]

Thanks, Chris. This is the result of a lot of work by numerous barnyard friends over a long period of time.

I can only take so much credit, this really belongs to everyone who has pitched in and has become part of it. And not everyone who has contributed has actually seen it. Like Jeff Young, who took pictures across Dillon Reservoir for the backdrop when I was in Alabama!

[Darel Leedy]

The kind of breaking news I like to read! These are fantastic photos Todd. And thanks to Mike for preserving all of the models! Some of which were on my layout for a few years whilst I was dabbling in On3. I had bought the hotel from Jim Powers directly. I also had Todd's depot until Jim Wing came a calling. Todd is very modest in not showing his fully detailed interior of the Como depot! More pictures are necessary!

[Chris Walker]

So where is Jim's Como Coalchute?  Hiding somewhere hopefully, because that would make Mike's layout the champion; of course he'd have to add a Pine Grove module to top it off.

[Tim Schreiner]

Super nice photos! I always look forward to seeing all the progress Mike has done.