The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

I remember and still have that issue. Also we are the same age:)  Interesting personal story on those cars . They were built by Itel. I went to work for the Iowa Interstate Railroad in 1988 at their Blue island Illinois terminal ( Chicago ) They bought the Itel prototype 10 pack to use for our TOFC service for Maytag form Newton Ia to Chicago. It was numbered IAIS 1001. We were in a cramped yard in 1988 and 1989 and had only one stub  track for TOFC to load/unload trailers as almost all our TOFC was rubber interchanged at Chicago. With our volume of TOFC  I am sure someone at the IAIS what a deal to pick up this car but boy did it become a menace at small yard with stub tracks. It was always in the train where you had to make a cut to switch the train . I left the IAIS in 1990 to go to Metra  not sure how much longer the car stayed around as the 48 foot trailers were becoming more common

Great information!  I remember thinking about how well a ten-unit car would fare in the long run, because one malfunction takes the entire ten-pack out of service.  I guess that has been answered since, because it seems like three- and five-packs became the standard.

Thanks for responding,
DFF

[davefoxx]

I built and installed another dozen trees last night in the area above the gon.  I just finished building eleven more that are presently hanging to dry:



I also smoothed the contour of the ridge that runs down the center of the layout.  Good thing I looked!  There were still voids from the Woodland Scenics risers exposed that would have just gobbled up ballast and ground foam.  Lightweight spackling is drying, and then I’ll give it a coat of my sandy colored paint and a base layer of ground foam in anticipation of trees as a scenic divider.  I’m going to need to build a lot more trees!



DFF

[davefoxx]

More trees installed.  You may have noticed the cut in the tree line where the highway will eventually be built and exit the layout straight into the backdrop.  This first photo highlights the gap in the trees, but it is only visible from this above eye-level view, which may be further disguised by all of the scenery to be constructed between the far end of the layout (in excess of ten feet away) and the backdrop:



Initially I planned to put a mirror in there, but, with some carefully placed trees, I think that road-into-the-backdrop-dilemma will end up being mostly camouflaged.  From the Aberdeen side of the layout:



From the Southern Pines side of the layout:



DFF

[conrailthomas519]

Looks Great Dave.

[davefoxx]

Thanks!  This scene is almost completed, so I’ll be moving along to the ridge that will be the scenic divider.  In the meantime, JFRTM with Amtrak’s Silver Star!



DFF

[Vince P]

Loving the way this is coming along Dave

[LIRR]

agreed…..nice work

[Steveruger45]

Darn it Dave, that photo with the Amtrak train almost looks real.  Talk about, better modeling by peer pressure, I feel well and truly pressured to do better. Wonderful job sir. 

[Vince P]

It's an Amtrak advertisement

[unittrain]

Excellent scenery 

[mcjaco]

Needs a gratuitous double track turn back trestle.

[davefoxx]

Needs a gratuitous double track turn back trestle.

I see what you did there.  Haha!

DFF

[davefoxx]

Here’s a crappy video for you.  In fact, it’s already received a thumbs down before I even had the opportunity to post it here.  Haha!  I would say, “Enjoy!” . . . but, well . . . here it is!

This is SC (ex-BN) No. 1700, despite the light load, in full dynamic braking, as it descends the hill into Aberdeen, North Carolina.

DFF

[Chris333]

I know a video of a long double track curved trestle that could liven your thread up 

[davefoxx]

I know a video of a long double track curved trestle that could liven your thread up 

Unless it’s double track, about 2’ tall, and a 180-degree curve, I don’t even want to waste my time. 

DFF