CSX Cumberland Division

[MK]

Bob, WOW, the grass!  Well done, well done sir!   

[CRL]

Yes, the old depot is still standing - it is close to the tracks at a bit of an angle, and is very close to the road-crossing.  Here is a photo I took of it this past summer:

(Attachment Link)

Is that a new roof?

[wm3798]

Just astonishing work.  I went to college at Shepherstown, and remember this area well.  Cant wait see you flesh out Harpers Ferry and Shenandoah Jct.
Lee

[Bob]

Yes, at least it is a relatively new metal roof.  Two years ago, more or less, an adjoining addition was torn down - if you look up Duffields Station on Wikipedia, they have a photo from around this time.  I'm not sure when the roof was put on - a group is trying to restore the depot, but I don't know what their plans are.

[Bob]

THanks Lee - I think I will tackle Shenandoah Junction next, then just to the west there is the Burr farm, with a house built in the 1750s.  I need more practice with scratch building and scenery before I turn my attention to Harpers Ferry, since I want to do a good job with that.  Also, I'll probably have to make a practice mountain to understand how to work with rock castings and carving before I work on Maryland Heights, which is being done to scale in this layout and so is rather large!  Happy New Year everyone!  Bob

[Ed Kapuscinski]

So this was your first scenery? Hot damn. We've got a rising star on our hands here boys.

[Bob]

Yes, it was indeed my first crack at scenery, but following your posts and those of many other TRW members really makes the process easier!

[Bob]

It has been months since I have done any modeling - the department I lead is responsible for COVID testing at the hospital where I work, so it has pretty much been all COVID all the time.  But, I am finally getting back to scenery, learning as I go.  My prior posts gave an update on the first scene I modeled - Duffields, West Virginia.  Now I am working on Shenandoah Junction where NS crosses the doulbe-track CSX mainline on a single track bridge.  The first photo shows two buildings at the Junction (if you have visited Shenandoah Junction, then you have likely been very close to these buildings).  The blue and white building is some kind of sand-blasting place, and you can see the NS bridge off to the right. There is a second, smaller bridge to the left that carries the track over the road.  After taking that photo, I turned around and took a photo of the building right next door.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

The second photo has four image.  Upper left you can see the two buildings and CSX mainline.  I have not yet built the bridge.  Upper right shows the blue and white building more clearly, and you see (sort of) the bridge that carries the track over the under pass.  Lower left is from the opposite direction - you see the underpass and the little bridge.  THere is a nursery on this side of the NS track, but I am making it an orchard.  Need to buy more trees to install where the T-pins are.  Lower right sights down the NS track, with a metal walkway to the right. 

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Bob]

It is time to make the bridge that carries the NS line over the CSX.  It is a plate girder bridge, and the Atlas plate girder bridge is close enough.  However, the bridge comes with a piece of code 80 track and ties that are molded on to the bridge itself - not so great looking.  The upper left photo shows a view of the Atlas bridge, while the photo to the right shows the interior of the Shenandoah Junction bridge.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

So, time for some kit bashing.  I removed the rails, and glued a piece of sheet styrene to cover the molded on ties.  I then but some triangles to mimic the interior bracing present on the real bridge, used a piece of code 55 Microengineering bridge track on to which I glued a pair of guard rails.  The track was then painted with Rustoleum camouflage and installed on the bridge.  I am happy with the near final result - just need to weather the bridge, and put together the concrete abutments.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Chris333]

Too late now, but Atlas makes a bridge like that with curved edges and c55 bridge track.

[Bob]

Rats!  I missed that!  Oh well.  It was not a long project.

[John]

Don't forget the foamers that hang out there . including @Bob Bufkin

[CRL]

What’s a “foamed”?

[wm3798]

You're on to a spot that is close to my heart.  I attended Shepherd College in 1982-83, and drove thru here often.  I've caught coal trains with all proper hoppers (no bathtub gondolas), Amtrak phase 2 F40s, and most memorably, Western Maryland SD35s in helper service....




You've captured it as precisely as 1:160 allows!
Lee

[Dave V]

My wife's parents live in Martinsburg and her father-in-law and I have railfanned there many times.