The bottom of the incline is a busy place. Ernestine (a Rogers loco) is waiting to leave. Ernestine is on of the oldest locos that the club (The Mendocino Model Railroad & Navigation Co.) owns. She is a stellar performer and was named after Basil Casabona’s mother. The parked diesel is actually an articulated track cleaner. Alas, the incline has not, as yet, been automated – work for another day.
Incline Camp
Before the arrival of the white man on the Mendocino Coast there were buckets of salmon. Early settlers recalled catching them by hand as they went upriver. The salmon provided food to the Pomo Native Americans. In addition to eating it fresh they smoked it in order to keep it. As part of our diorama of the wreck of the Frolic we have a mini diorama of the Pomo smoking salmon. The diorama is very realistic as it looks as if the fire doing the smoking is alight. Daughter Annalise took this picture ……..
Pomo Native Americans smoking salmon
Chief Operating Officer Frank Davis has put together a MOW (Maintenance of Way) Consist. The consist features two new(ish) items – a tank car and a steam donkey with a canopy. Both these were kitbashed by our President – Chuck Whitlock. Click on the photos to enlarge them.
The MOW tank car
The donkey engine replete with canopy
The MOW consist passing Carlson farm
Once there were 115 bridges on the 34 mile-long California Western’s Skunk Line from Fort Bragg to Willits. Only 30 remain today – and they all have been “modernized”. Of the 115 original bridges it is believed that 37 of them were A-Frame type. Most of the 37 were built from the 1890’s to 1911 to cross the rivers on the route. The redwood timber for construction of the A-Frame bridge was abundant and handy. The design distributes the weight of the bridge onto supports/pilings at the side of the river. No supports were driven directly into the river below since they could be ripped out by surging water and debris (including uprooted trees) caused by heavy rains. Alas, these wooden bridges became prime targets for arsonists and that, apart from straightening the line, accounts for their replacement.
Santa Cruz Frank is our “main man” for building bridges and portals. The first pic shows the “real thing.” The second and third pics are of Santa Cruz Franks’s model.
A-Frame Bridge across the River Noyo
Close up of Santa Cruz Frank’s Model of an A-Frame Bridge
A Frame bridge on River Noyo soon to be
I really enjoyed visiting with the Zeitvogel family who recently visited our layout when on holidays from Germany. Just from watching it was clear that Stefan Niklas Zeitvogel was an excellent photographer. So, I asked if they would be kind enough to send a selection of the photos that Stefan took so that I could post them on this blog. Well, here’s the e-mail I received today:
“Dear Tony,
We met when we were visiting your wonderful model train exhibition ( Roger, me and my son Stefan Niklas who loved to take photos of the trains ) .
As promised we have selected a few ones attached above and hope you will like them.
We enjoyed the skunk train and the model train world very much.
All best wishes from Lake Constance in Germany,
Patricia, Roger and Stefan Niklas.”
As you will see below Stefan’s photos are superb. Click on any photo to see full size.
Gru and the minions plotting evil
Kids playing on the see-saw – depot in background
Taking materials to the enginehouse
Working on the loading dock
Fuel for the steam donkeys waiting to be unloaded
Yard loco hard at work
Very old Shay loco waiting to go to work
Detail on the scratchbuilt old Shay loco
Stefan, thanks for visiting and sharing your photos.
This dioama on the outside east wall is close to the east portal and opposite the Carlson Farm diorama. The diorama was assembled by President Chuck Whitlock.
Chuck working on the water tower to go on the outside east wall
Diorama of track side camp opposite the Carlson farm diorama with water tower in place
Wayside camp with MOW vehicle
The camp alongside the track
The Caspar Lumber Company had two articulated 2-6-6-2 locomotives. They were named Trojan and Samson. California Western Railroad also had a 2-6-6-2. She was known as the “Super Skunk”. We have a 2-6-6-2 but she has had troubles from day one so we have been on the look out for an articulated lokie. To fill the void our club secretary offered the club his very nearly new 0-6-6-0 and yesterday she made her maiden appearance on our layout. She’s a real beauty – see below (click on a photo to see full size) ……..
Nearing the end of the Pudding Creek Trestle
New 0-6-6-0 coming in through the east portal with a log consist
Rounding the inside north west corner
She doesn’t have a name yet. A name will come when she returns to the layout battery powered.
This pic is of the mini diorama at the north east outside corner of the layout. It is slated for enhancement in the form of additional trees. This diorama is “famous” with the little people because it has the minions that are most difficult for them to find on the layout.
Minions waiting to board a railbus at Cripple Creek on the north east outside corner
A while back club member Jim Williams was given an old weather vane. It was given to him by his mother-in-law. Jim recently brought it into the layout and offered to loan it to the Club. We accepted his offer with alacrity. President Chuck Whitlock took it to his workbench and before you could say, “Jack Robinson” it was cleaned, painted black with gold embellishments! Next in on “the act” was Lonnie Dickson who assisted in building the support for the weather vane and then installing it. And, here it is flying high …..
Weather Vane
Hereyou can see it atop the workshop ………
Weather Vane atop the workshop
Pretty neat eh?
And, thanks to Jim for the pics,
President Chuck Whitlock has been renovating the Carlson farm diorama on the outside east wall. Most of what he has done are not visible. However, the new sign is there for all to see (Click on the pic to see full size):
Carlson farm barn with its new sign
The Company ranch diorama I reported on in the previous blog has now been completed with a sign signifying that it is indeed the (ULC’s) Company Ranch
The Company Ranch Sign
Loading corrals at Company Ranch