Milwaukee Road - Portage to LaCrosse - early 1950's - N Scale

[altohorn25]

Layout update:

[altohorn25]

I've been mostly working on logistical issues in order to run a experimental ops session sometime in the near future.  This mainly has involved deciding what trains would be running on the railroad on the given date (I have a timetable for June 12, 1952, so that's what I'm currently using).

Here is the timetable (minus departure times and the order of the trains on the sheet will definately change) as well as the dispatcher log:

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On the advice of Bill Denton, I've swapped out the Afternoon Hiawatha with the morning train so that I can use more headend equipment.  This includes a Great Northern storage mail car that was interchanged with the Great Northern at St. Paul Union Depot (Milwauke had the mail contract between Chicago and St. Paul; Great Northern had the mail contract between St. Paul and Seattle). 

The Olympian Hiawatha will now run Eastbound (train #16) and the Morning Hiawatha will run Westbound (train #5).  I just completed the Morning Hiawatha this past week using re-decaled cars from the Kato Olympian Hiawatha set.  The "Rapids" series Skytop Parlor is an old Jim Stillman casting.  I'm using a Touralux sleeper as a stand in for the straight parlor (changed the car name to a "Valley" series car).  The RPO is a Bill Denton (Skytop Models) casting and the full baggage is a Fox Valley Models car.  The locomotives were renumbered as well.

Anyways, I took a few photos of the train on the layout this morning:  Train #5, the Westbound morning Hiawatha, pauses to take on passengers at New Lisbon, WI on June 12th, 1952. In the consist is a Great Nothern storage mail car which will be transferred to its home road at the St. Paul Union Depot upon arrival.

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[chessie system fan]

Looks fabulous.  And bonus points for including an accurate GN car instead of a foobie (even if it's technically a '60s-era car).  I'm about to start a Milwaukee passenger car project, so two questions:

I'm guessing you used Tru Color paint on the RPO.  How well does it match the Kato and the Fox Valley colors?

And what decals did you use for it?

[altohorn25]

Looks fabulous.  And bonus points for including an accurate GN car instead of a foobie (even if it's technically a '60s-era car).  I'm about to start a Milwaukee passenger car project, so two questions:

I'm guessing you used Tru Color paint on the RPO.  How well does it match the Kato and the Fox Valley colors?

And what decals did you use for it?

I used Polyscale Milw Road Orange (I only use acrylics).  Model Flex Milw Road Orange is also good, but it's a little lighter hue.  Biggest trick is that you have to use white primer rather than grey primer in order to get the orange to really look right.

The maroon is Model Flex Milw Maroon.

I got the decals as a custom order from Circus City Decals:  https://circuscitydecals.com/

It was a custom run and I honestly don't remember what I paid for them.

[chessie system fan]

Thanks.  I wish Circus City did more Milwaukee passenger car sets.  I might nag them about that.

[Sokramiketes]

Looks fabulous.  And bonus points for including an accurate GN car instead of a foobie (even if it's technically a '60s-era car). 

Correct, the Walther's/RailSmith car is a CGW prototype modeled with original doors.  CGW swapped the doors to a more modern style, and then sold the three cars to the GN in the 1960s as mentioned.

I've shared my 3D model for replacement doors on Thingaverse if anyone needs them:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4426452

[chessie system fan]

Oh, excellent.  I was going to design those, too.  Thanks for saving me the trouble.

[altohorn25]

I've been doing a bit of work on rolling stock for the layout.  In a few of the videos, you can see a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Advertising Car sitting on the house track in New Lisbon (Red, White, and Blue heavyweight car).  At one time, Ringling had up to 4 of these cars moving ahead of the circus proper to post advertising materials and sell advanced tickets.  By the time my layout is set in (1953), they were down to one car.  The red, white, and blue car was a prototype car, but it was used in the late 1930's.....I needed the car that was used in the 1950's to be more prototypically accurate.

Enter my latest project.  RBBB Advertising Car #1 in 1953.  Ringling bought surplus Army WWII hospital cars and repurposed them for their show train.  One of the hospital cars was used as their final Advertising Car.  While nothing commercially available is even close to the car, Union Station Products makes the American Car and Foundry sides that are correct for the car (one window is incorrect......oh well......).

Sides are mounted on an American Limited core kit.  Decals are by Circus City Decals.

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Here's a quick video of the car running on the layout.  It's coupled onto the rear of the Westbound Morning Hiawatha (advertising cars moved on regular passenger and express trains ahead of the rest of the circus).

[altohorn25]

Layout Update - 5/28/2023

-Getting set up for operations:  Car card boxes mounted on facia; Car cards and Waybills for each car on the railroad; Figuring out what trains will run in a session
-Continue installation of Bluepoint turnout controls
-Extend interchange track in Camp Douglas

[altohorn25]

It's the summer of 1953, and the Westbound Morning Hiawatha is making its daily station stop for passengers at New Lisbon, WI.  Something special today as the train picks up Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Advertising Car number 1.  The car travels a few weeks ahead of the circus and has been putting up advertising materials for the past few days in the surrounding communities.  The car will be dropped off at St. Paul Union Depot so that the circus advertising department can continue putting up lithographs for the upcoming show.

[altohorn25]

Installing Blue Point turnout controls in Camp Douglas and New Lisbon this morning.

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[altohorn25]

It's August of 1953, and the Wisconsin State Fair has just concluded.  The first section of the Royal American Shows carnival train is heading westbound to its next engagement at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, MN.  The train is making its way over the LaCrosse Division of the Milwaukee Road, and we're able to catch it as it moves through Mauston, New Lisbon, Camp Douglas, and Fort McCoy.  Various trains running east meet the special move as it journeys west, including the Olympian Hiawatha.

[altohorn25]

I've been working on the layout most of the day:

-I lowered the car card boxes so that I can mount the bluepoint turnout controls.
-Used a hole saw and cut out the holes for the turnout control rods.  Masonite facia will be installed later.
-Got 5 of the controls rods installed and working properly.
-Continue to finalize the position of the buildings. Some of these are the pre-lit Woodland Scenics buildings. I may get the power unit and light them....seems pretty simple.
-Sketched in some of the streets/parking lots.
-I got some more bluepoints in the mail, so I can continue mounting them on the turnouts.



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[altohorn25]

I finished up all the turnout controls in Mauston this morning. I dropped a few extra feeders as well just for redundancy.


I'm still messing with the positions of a couple of the buildings, but it's pretty close to final.



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[Hawghead]

Nate,

I'm not sure why but that is the neatest (as in tidy) looking use of controls for the Blue point switch machines I've ever seen.  Great job.

Scott