My Phase II model railroad includes an railroad yard/industrial area. The plan is to eventually include some kind of complex, hopefully similar to this one. In any case, it is gone now.
Click either image for a larger version.
15 August 2009
Rosyln Trip II, Pt 5
On my first trip to Roslyn, following this same route, I came across this large, deserted sugar beet mill on the outskirts of Toppenish--a farming community. I wish I had taken shots of this fascinating industrial complex back then. It was gone by the time I made the second trip. I had to find a couple of pictures of it on-line:
My Phase II model railroad includes an railroad yard/industrial area. The plan is to eventually include some kind of complex, hopefully similar to this one. In any case, it is gone now.
Click either image for a larger version.
My Phase II model railroad includes an railroad yard/industrial area. The plan is to eventually include some kind of complex, hopefully similar to this one. In any case, it is gone now.
Click either image for a larger version.
Rosyln Trip II, Pt 4
This is a continuation of the posts I wrote during or immediately after my trip from Portland, Oregon to Roslyn and Spokane, Washington and return:
Here was the initial route: I followed Highway 84 from Portland to Biggs, following the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Here is a photo I found from the web showing the Biggs crossing to the Washington side:
The route I followed is shown below. This is the Portland-to-Cle Elum/Roslyn segment of the trip. You can click this map for a larger image. If I recall I completed this run in about 4 1/2 hours.
Here was the initial route: I followed Highway 84 from Portland to Biggs, following the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Here is a photo I found from the web showing the Biggs crossing to the Washington side:
The route I followed is shown below. This is the Portland-to-Cle Elum/Roslyn segment of the trip. You can click this map for a larger image. If I recall I completed this run in about 4 1/2 hours.
13 August 2009
Updates on the model railroad
I have several updates to post on the model railroad. These will include pictures. For those of you who are already in the large-scale hobby, I will leave a few tidbits right here:
Wendell and Ann Hanks, who are a visible part of the on-line LS community visited the CRD about two weeks ago. Wendell wrote a few words about his visit here:
"Alaska: A visit to Ron Simpson's Copper Center Rail Depot Bar".
I now have the Phase II part of the line in full operation, having completed the basic line this summer. The Phase II line, also known as the
ALCANEX Consolidated Railways System, operates off of battery-powered, mostly diesel-type modern engines, including three AKRR Mac SD-70s, a Burlington E-8, a Burlington F3A-F3B, a Milwaukee Road F7A-B-A unit, an AKRR 40-2, a Great Northern F3A-F3-B, and an AmTrak Genisis Phase III. I also have an Aristo Mikado and an Aristo Great Northern mallet, plus one Shay that are occasionally used in that system. All the diesels except the 40-2 are used to pull a variety of passenger consists, including a "heavyweight" Canadian Pacific, Milwaukee Road and a rare Burlington Northern consist. One even older style passenger line is a mixed line of short narrow gauge-type LGB, Aristocraft and Bachmann cars. The Bachmanns are rare Milwaukee Road and Great Northern.and the Aristocraft are rare Jack Daniels limited-edition cars.
The other passenger coaches are of the new USA-type. These are Northern Pacific, Great Northern, ATSF, and one AKRR (custom). Finally I have some LGB, USA and Aristocraft AmTrak streamline coaches.
Over in the Phase I operation--the original Copper River & Northwestern Railway line--I use two LGB moguls to pull a mixed consist.
Wendell and Ann Hanks, who are a visible part of the on-line LS community visited the CRD about two weeks ago. Wendell wrote a few words about his visit here:
"Alaska: A visit to Ron Simpson's Copper Center Rail Depot Bar".
I now have the Phase II part of the line in full operation, having completed the basic line this summer. The Phase II line, also known as the
ALCANEX Consolidated Railways System, operates off of battery-powered, mostly diesel-type modern engines, including three AKRR Mac SD-70s, a Burlington E-8, a Burlington F3A-F3B, a Milwaukee Road F7A-B-A unit, an AKRR 40-2, a Great Northern F3A-F3-B, and an AmTrak Genisis Phase III. I also have an Aristo Mikado and an Aristo Great Northern mallet, plus one Shay that are occasionally used in that system. All the diesels except the 40-2 are used to pull a variety of passenger consists, including a "heavyweight" Canadian Pacific, Milwaukee Road and a rare Burlington Northern consist. One even older style passenger line is a mixed line of short narrow gauge-type LGB, Aristocraft and Bachmann cars. The Bachmanns are rare Milwaukee Road and Great Northern.and the Aristocraft are rare Jack Daniels limited-edition cars.
The other passenger coaches are of the new USA-type. These are Northern Pacific, Great Northern, ATSF, and one AKRR (custom). Finally I have some LGB, USA and Aristocraft AmTrak streamline coaches.
Over in the Phase I operation--the original Copper River & Northwestern Railway line--I use two LGB moguls to pull a mixed consist.
Fall is in the air
It appears to me that our long warm-to-hot spell is finally over. The clouds are dominant. Sometimes we get a spattering of precipitation, and temperatures are now ranging from the mid-30s to only the low 60s in the last few days. Since late July we have seen the leaves turning on some of the smaller trees. Last night an unexpected frost hit the Tanana Valley, which is north of the Alaska Range.
I have already started the initial processes of winterization with the shutting down of the hot water in the public/campers' lavatory/showers. That means that the coin-op shower is no longer available for the season. At the end of the month I will shut off the water to the public restrooms and drain the system. Everything else remains on normal track. Rooms continue to be rented one or two at a time most nights.
Almost all of the fishermen in the three campgrounds upriver have left except for the charter fishermen themselves. The campgrounds are now all but deserted.
I am now waiting for signs of the snows advancing down the mountains.
I have already started the initial processes of winterization with the shutting down of the hot water in the public/campers' lavatory/showers. That means that the coin-op shower is no longer available for the season. At the end of the month I will shut off the water to the public restrooms and drain the system. Everything else remains on normal track. Rooms continue to be rented one or two at a time most nights.
Almost all of the fishermen in the three campgrounds upriver have left except for the charter fishermen themselves. The campgrounds are now all but deserted.
I am now waiting for signs of the snows advancing down the mountains.
19 May 2009
Roslyn Trip II, Pt 3
Here is a shot I took of a part of "downtown" Roslyn from the top of the slag pile:
You are actually looking at the back end of the Brick as well as the barber shop behind it, which appeared in at least one episode. See if you can find those below:
Click either image for a larger one:
Roslyn Trip II, Pt 2
The Northwestern Improvement Company once had all those coal mines around Roslyn similar to this one:
I did find a part of the concrete base for the above structure. There was even very little of the concrete remaining. The company had been very thorough in removing the old structures.
Now there are only these enormous "slag piles" that can be seen mostly along the eastern ridge. I walked up one of them. These are actually waste ore dumps. They are still loose, tend to be very steep and quite high and are thus somewhat dangerous.
Looking down a slag pile in the direction of the coal trail that was once the NP rail bed:
Looking UP that same slag pile to the top:
Looking down another pile toward what I think was a concrete hoist house. No sign of the actual adit, however. This is in the woods just to the east of Roslyn.
Behind this slag pile was yet another high one. In this section of the woods along the ridge they were everywhere:
Any of these pictures can be clicked onto to view the larger one.
To be continued
On the Scene of NX, Pt 1
The cast of main characters from NX
For those of you who were fortunate enough to watch the original Northern Exposure (NX), you were actually seeing scenes shot in Roslyn, Washington. You would have had no way of knowing that Roslyn was actually a coal-mining town with those mines owned and operated by the Northern Pacific Railway under the company name of Northwestern Improvement Company.
Old NP Ry logo and map
The only clue you would have had would have been this building with the Northwestern Mining Company name on its face. There never was an explanation for it in any of the episodes. That is because the story line for NX ignored the coal mining and railroad history of Roslyn. In fact the film producers went out of their way to ensure that we saw very little of that heritage in those episodes.
Here is a 1928 railroad map of Washington State showing the NPRy going through Roslyn. There is also another railroad to its south--the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific, aka the Milwaukee Road, which ran through South Cle Elum:
Click onto the above map for a much-larger image so you can see the details.
Below is a location map for the various underground coal mines located around Roslyn, Ronald and Cle Elum. You may also click this one to a larger size.
The NP was a short line out of Cle Elum built to access those coal mines in 1886. The last of those coal mines shut down in 1963. The last use of the NP RR line was in 1986 when the lumber yard in Ronald closed, ending any further use or need for that line forever. Shortly thereafter the tracks were pulled up and the right-of-way became a dedicated historic trail. When I returned to Roslyn after my two year absence I came armed with maps showing the locations of these mines. I wanted to see at least one of them. As it turned out there was very little left to see.
(to be continued).
03 May 2009
Completing the Roof Job
Floyd puts on the finishing touches on the roof in the late afternoon. His work completed, Floyd heads back to Anchorage.
The building is now ready for summer tourist business.
With Floyd's job done and Floyd departed, I now come in to clean up the work area and close down the site for the night.
All the material and tools are secured and the site is locked up for the night.
It will now be possible to safely park one of the train consists outside the enclosed area on the parallel track in front of the window. Click any image for a larger one.
Installing the New Roof over the Cicely Model
The carpenter is now ready for the next step: First he installs the OSB underlay.
Then the tarpaper is laid over the OSB.
Then the metal roof is installed over the tarpaper. Now the model should be well protected from any potential roof leaks or even condensation. This was a problem with the old roof.
With the new metal roof in place, the new canopy is installed using much of the corrugated fiberglass which has been removed from the roof. The canopy will protect the south-facing windows from destructive UV rays which are adversely affecting the models inside the structure.
This was the last step except for the addition of some metal corner pieces.
All of these pictures can be seen in a larger size by clicking on any of them.
Hauling Up the Underlayment
Click any image for a larger one:
Removing the last of the old corrugated fiberglass roof:
Hauling up the OSB:
No help required here !
Pulling Off the Old Roof over Cicely:
The fiberglass had nothing underneath it but pearling. The new roof will be much more solid and capable of handling heavy snow loads.
This should also eliminate a developing leaking and condensation problem. Water cannot be allowed to drip on the models.
Click any image for a much-larger one
02 May 2009
Work Begins on the Cicely Model Structure
Saturday morning, May 2, Floyd Demoski began work on the front canopy and replacement of the corrugated fiberglass roof with a steel one. The corrugated fiberglass will be re-used on the canopy. This is being installed to protect the model from the destructive UV effects of the sun coming in from the south.
Click any image for a larger one
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)