Heading to the coal mine

Here comes the coal drag heading toward the mine. The photographer just caught it as is crossed over the bridge from Graysville Junction, after coming off the B&O's "high line" from Marietta. The Chessie unit is double heading the action today with a Conrail GP-which brought the hoppers down from Cleveland on the Marietta Branch via Cambridge .
Look! A B&O GP pokes its sunburst nose out the tunnel as the coal drag slowly heads down hill to the mine. This is the main "low line" shared by Conrail and Chessie into Marietta.
A final shot of the action.

Making Trees

Here are the materials I put together to make the trees on the Southern Ohio Railway. One reason I decided to make trees by hand is that the cost of placing so many trees on my layout was prohibitive. Take one look at the price of a plastic stick and some ground up foam and shudder! Ouch!
So off to "do it yourself land".
The photo above shows the "middle step". Before this I had taken an old carpet pad I had saved and shredded it apart by hand. I then placed the pieces of foam in a plastic ziplock bag, added some water and water soluble paint. Then close the bag and shake to paint the foam. The water is needed so the paint will soak into the foam and not just coat it. Remove the foam, place in a cardboard box with newspaper to absorb the liquid and let the foam dry for about three days.
I have made green, red, and yellow foam for a fall foliage effect.
After the foam has dried I was prepared for the next step. Going outside I cut branches off a shrub for tree trunks. I looked for short branches (obviously, I model N scale!) with lots of branches.
Using a low temp glue gun I glue pieces of foam onto the branches. A slow process that usually involves some tv.
On some trees I have used wire to form branches and glued foam onto the wire.

This photo shows a couple of trees ready to plant!


And finally we have a meet between the B&O and Conrail passing some newly planted trees.
I plant the trees by drilling into the wood or into the plaster hills that I have built and gluing the trees into place.
That is how I do trees. They may not look like "professional trees" you can buy, but I am please how well they come out and how much they add to the look of the layout.
Another option for the trees is to spray glue onto the foam and then dust with ground foam that I have purchased.

New Engine on the Block

The Southern Ohio Railway recently received new engine power a GP-30 Phase I B&O with the sunburst on the nose.
Our first shot is a "helicopter view" of 6945 crossing the viaduct with a small freight while below Conrail brings in mix drag of coal and freight to Marietta on the left.
On the bottom of the shot is the B&O "Doodlebug" heading out to Cambridge.

Our next view is a closer shot of the Conrail GP-7 just coming under the bridge as B&O crosses overhead.

Finally, here is a close up of 6945, posing for all to see.

Making Southern Ohio Hills

Here is how I make hills on my Southern Ohio Railway.
First, here is a photo of a hill I am working on currently. There is a large hill with a stream flowing into a small lake at its base.. Eventually there will the hill farm on this hill that exists here in Southern Ohio.

Here are the materials I use. I purchased a small bucket of drywall joint compound that is already mixed. You could buy the joint compound in a powder form and do this also. You will need the joint compound, a tool to stir, and paper towels. Be sure to cover anything you don't want the compound to drip on.
Take a small amount and place into a small container. Add water and stir. Keep adding water until the joint compound is a slurry. Don't worry if you get it too thin. It will dry just fine. You can add more compound if it is too watery.
Tear a paper towel into strips and dip a strip into the slurry. Use your fingers to remove the excess and place the strip on your hill form (I use cardboard or newspaper forms). Rub with your fingers to remove air bubbles and smooth out the seam between adjoining strips (the seam will not show).
The photo above shows a small creek that I am working on beside the lake. I didn't add paint to the slurry. I usually add paint to the slurry, but have decided it thins the paint too much. I will now paint over when it dries.

Here (above) is a hill that is partially done. The paper towels have been formed right up onto the wall to make the hill. The white strip at the base of the hill will be a road. You can use a thicker, mud like slurry to make roads, or ground base.


Here is a completed hill in this last photo. The next post I do, I will explain how I make my trees.

The Start of my model railroad

Welcome to my little model railroad. The Southern Ohio Railway is a N-scale free lanced model railroad based, very loosely on the hills of southeast Ohio.
The railroad is obviously a work in progress (what model railroad isn't),
and is always subject to change!
Since I started my life in Marietta, Ohio, the railroad's destination is Marietta. After that I am still no too sure what towns the railroad serves. I have small villages and towns underdevelopment and am still debating on what towns are what.
The time for the railroad will be the 1960's to 1980's to include B&O, PRR, PC, Chessie, and Conrail.
There will be coal to haul, grains, lumber, plastics, raw materials and manufactured products to haul away. So let's get started and look at some photos today.

The photo above shows a PRR coal drag heading south to Marietta from Cambridge (where the railroad starts). The line just above the PRR line is the B&O line heading up into the hills north of Marietta. The coal drag will take the Marietta branch into Marietta and then team up with a B&O engine to make the climb up "big hill" to the mine.
The next photo shows a Conrail coal drag heading back down to Marietta through a small village.

Here is a B&O F7 spotting a few cars on an industrial siding in a


small village while the PRR coal drag rumbles through the streets of the village! Watch out where you walk! Tolerances are close!
Both B&O and PRR run through this small village---talk about congestion!
Obviously, the rails go where they did not in real life, or the villages and towns that exists have been "conviently" moved to fit the model space.
Once the railroad is fully operational, trains will originate at Cambridge with destinations off line to Zanesville and further north, with a branch line running into the hills for the mine and a small village.
Marietta will the destination/origin for freight for the railroad.

Well, this was a quick introduction. Check back again for further updates!