Logging East Tennessee on the C&S RR

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Latest project from the ex-C&S shops The Tidmouth Engine Shed

Hi All,

While awaiting the sale of my old house and the funds to further pursue the Little River RR in Large Scale the ex-C&S shops have been doing some modeling.

We have a fairly active Museum RR layout done mostly in Lionel O Guage tinplate here in Clarksville Tennessee. Some of these museum members have visited the C&S RR when it was in its prime. Now that I live just 1 mile from the museum, in town, these same members approached me about making several models for their large Lionel layout.

Bill, calls this "The Toy Train layout" but it is fun seeing all the kids go wild over this interactive museum layout. Especially the growing collection of Thomas and friends locomotives and rolling stock.

Seems the enterprising museum crew wanted to depict some of the scenes from The Island of Sodor, Thomas' and crew's hangout. Of prominence is the Tidmouth Engine Shed and this is what I was asked to model.

Now mind you they did not want "the roundhouse version" that was in the TV show and movie but rather the original open shed with 4-6 tracks as found in the original book (see attached illustrations). Heck I didn't know much about Thomas and friends as my kids where in to High School shenanigans when the story got popular here in the US. I had heard about Thomas from Bill Nelson and his sweet son Joey.....but that was about it.

So to build this structure I had to do research.... which is always fun in model railroading. I was AMAZED at how much stuff is out there on the Thomas and friends Railway. In fact there are maps of the entirely fictious Island of Sodor (see Below) and the fictitious town of Tidmouth where the shed is located has its own coat of arms!!!!

So here are some pictures of my latest creation the Tidmouth Shed in O scale. I will later get some more pictures with Thomas and his posse when the structure is planted in the "Toy Train Layout."

Dr Tom:wave:
 

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ytter_man

Member
Awesome, Doc!

Thomas and the Isle of Sodor have an almost Cult following, you wouldnt believe the amount of information the good Reverend provided in the old books. Not to mention that every engine in the stories (and most of the stories!) had a real counterpart prototype! Check this site out.

There's even a narrow gauge line, and some "forest" operations, logging to you and me ;)

Henry would look very appropriate hauling a string of logs, believe it or not. :thumb:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Both #1 and #2 sons were into Thomas big time. I have a Bachman Thomas @ the club, permanently coupled to Clarabelle, with extra electrical pickups on Clarabelle, and a decoder in there as well. The pickups are kind of stiff and it is all Thomas can do to pull Clarabelle, but it is a very big hit with the kids when we have an open house. I usually spend most of my time at open houses putting a throttle in a kids hand, and teaching them how to run Thomas.

They make some sound systems you can load custon files into, and it would be a lot of fun to load one of those up with his theme song, and some other sounds , possibly some phrases, it could be a whole lot of fun
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Awesome, Doc!

Thomas and the Isle of Sodor have an almost Cult following, you wouldnt believe the amount of information the good Reverend provided in the old books. Not to mention that every engine in the stories (and most of the stories!) had a real counterpart prototype! Check this site out.

There's even a narrow gauge line, and some "forest" operations, logging to you and me ;)

Henry would look very appropriate hauling a string of logs, believe it or not. :thumb:

Thanks ytter_man,

I enjoyed the web site. It was nice to see that Rev. Awdry also had a model RR Layout as well. I also liked seeing how the English locomotives "morphed" in to the characters in the books...... very well done.

Here is the Tidmouth coat of arms.

Will post more pictures when the shed and out buildings are assembled at the museum.


Dr Tom
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Both #1 and #2 sons were into Thomas big time. I have a Bachman Thomas @ the club, permanently coupled to Clarabelle, with extra electrical pickups on Clarabelle, and a decoder in there as well. The pickups are kind of stiff and it is all Thomas can do to pull Clarabelle, but it is a very big hit with the kids when we have an open house. I usually spend most of my time at open houses putting a throttle in a kids hand, and teaching them how to run Thomas.

They make some sound systems you can load custon files into, and it would be a lot of fun to load one of those up with his theme song, and some other sounds , possibly some phrases, it could be a whole lot of fun

Hi Bill,

Had many an enjoyable moment talking with Joey about Thomas and all the assorted characters. My godson Victor is also heavily in to Thomas. I had forgotten that Forrester was a big time Thomas nut too.

I will miss choo choo club tomm. as we have our monthly meeting of the Immaculate Conception Haiti team at the same time.

Sorry I was looking forward to slapping some paint on the road bed for the new J E Patterson sawmill complex.

Dr Tom:wave:
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Hi Bill,


I will miss choo choo club tomm. as we have our monthly meeting of the Immaculate Conception Haiti team at the same time.

Sorry I was looking forward to slapping some paint on the road bed for the new J E Patterson sawmill complex.

Dr Tom:wave:


l'll get the roadbed painted at least past the first 3 switches, the fourth switch that leads to the empty log car storage, and the coal mine may need some additional sub roadbed work before it gets painted. You are excused from this work session, due to your work in service of the poor. I'll save some roadbed elewhere so you will get to do some of everything. Perhaps two mondays from now we can be cutting and installing ties.


thanks for the warning though, since you won't be there tommorow night, I won't knock myself out trying to get the 2nd Surry-Parker done by tommorow night. It will probably be ready the week after even without a special rush.

Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
More Tidmouth from the ex-C&S shops

Seems the boys from the old C&S RR did a little more work for the Tidmouth Shed/ Island of Sodor project for the local museum. Here a few more pics. This is a line side structure meant to off load all the bizzare freight loads Thomas and Gang carry in their freight cars.

This is a much reworked Lionel Kit found on a dusty shelf in the backroom of the museum (lot of neat stuff there).

These large scale models suck up a LOT of paint. My wife is wondering why all the spray cans from Walmart are showing up at the domicile.

Doc Tom:wave:
 

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allaboutkevin

New Member
Wow... I haven't really been paying close attention to this thread lately, but I must say that your projects are looking amazing Doc... Keep up the great work, and I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on this thread for sure!
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Wow... I haven't really been paying close attention to this thread lately, but I must say that your projects are looking amazing Doc... Keep up the great work, and I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on this thread for sure!

Thanks Kevin. Glad you liked the pictures and the story. This is a very good website to learn a few modeling techniques and pick up a few ideas.
Doc Tom:wave:
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Thomas' new digs

Well here is the completed model of the Tidmouth Shed /Island of Sodor planted at the Clarksville Museum. Hope the kids enjoy this creation in Lionel O scale.
Doc Tom:rolleyes:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Next project out of the ex-C&S shops

Here is the latest creation from the ex C&S shops.
This is "Fast Eddie's NO BULL" used car lot. It is Lionel O scale and is going in to our local museum's layout. Let me know what you all think????
Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Latest creation for the museum

Here is another reworked Lionel model for the Museum layout. Enjoyed using the Paper Creek Models tin roof material to redo the plastic roof of this model.
Doc Tom:wave:
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Nice building. I missed choo choo club last Monday night, drove Jennifer down to Vanderbuilt's employee medical folks. She twisted her back picking up a kid and trying not to tangle the tubes and wires. she had an inservice the next morning (and there was a Hockey game)-- so we stayed in Nashville.

Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Anouncement of the Little River Rail Road

Now that the HO layout has drawn to a close it is time to make good on a promise. Seems the East Tennessee boys wanted to grow their program so they bought one of those humongous G (Large) scale beasts to begin to harvest the wood north of Townsend Tennessee on the Little River Rail Road.

They went from Photo #1 to Photo #2 and they started a new Zealot site called The Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's back yard. Hope you like the new site.
Doc Tom :wave:
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
A gorgeous machine, photographed on an ungainly trestle (My Dads work- I can tell, my mom did much better work!

It looks mighty clean, and I hope your shop crews can keep this one cleaner than it's HO scale counterparts. any weathering on this one needs to be subtle, and due to it's size and detail, carefully researched.


I have some very dirty machines myself, but my recently finished locomotives are much cleaner than the ones I turned out when I was a teenager. My 0n3 construction # 60 shay is a relatively clean machine.

Two questions


where is the tom's yard thread located?


and what is the radio control conversion going to set you back? I'm thinking I might ought to get that done to the Santa train Tweetsie Ten Wheeler that my dad wanted for his last Christmas. It is a fine running beast, and I retained a coach and combine, as well as some freight cars, so I have some toys I could bring when I come over to visit.


Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
Hi Bill,

The thread for the "loco in the back yard" is right here on the logging, mining and industrial RR site.

Here is who I am dealing with for the R/C Battery conversion: www.remotecontrolthrottles.com/


I am getting a Phoenix Sound System, long lasting rechargeable batteries, charger for this loco and any others and the transmitter for about $900 installed. That is a lot of $ but I will not have to pay for wiring the backyard, conduits, metal wheelsets for all cars (about $15 a set now), higher voltage power supply, wiring all joints in the track, DCC/Sound modules etc etc. you know I have always felt that Radio Control is the way to control model trains. I still have misgivings about DCC through the rails and apparently this is quite difficult in Large Scale. I also was not about to tear into one of these beautiful engines with my VERY limited electronic abilities. So it is worth it to me to have the pros do it. The locomotive gets shipped this weekend.

In keeping with R/C I will probably use Aristo Crafts "Revolution" to control the future On30 layout. It is radio waves sent to individual receivers in the locomotives. Power is picked up from the track at a constant voltage and the radio receiver does the work that the complex DCC programs do without the signal being carried in the track.

You betcha I am going to keep these nice big models clean. Only weathering I propose so far is painting the track....like that on the trestle in the pictures.

I am really looking forward to all this new ground!!

tom
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
long live the C&S!

hunting around my massive pikes of stuff I found 6 unbuilt MDC shorty flats.


I am going to build these as C&S log cars complete with Barnhardt rails and bark debris (peat moss run through the blender). These will be routed via the Tab on car system to the southern interchange in Harlow. this will increase the log traffic on the valley division, and keep the C & S reporting marks alive in interchange service.


Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
hunting around my massive pikes of stuff I found 6 unbuilt MDC shorty flats.


I am going to build these as C&S log cars complete with Barnhardt rails and bark debris (peat moss run through the blender). These will be routed via the Tab on car system to the southern interchange in Harlow. this will increase the log traffic on the valley division, and keep the C & S reporting marks alive in interchange service.


Bill Nelson

Thanks Bill for all your help. It is always appreciated.
Dr Tom:mrgreen:
 
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