I would like to know if there is anyone out there interested in the Virginia & Truckee RR. I am especially interested to see if anyone is actively modelling this short line.
thanks
Don
thanks
Don
Virginia & Truckee RR
- Thread starter slvrlegacy
- Start date
I'm not a V&T RR modeler Don but I would like to welcome you aboard on The Gauge! I'm guessing some of our members share your interest in the road.
Ralph
Ralph
I don't model the V&T, but one of the officers in the modular club here in So Cal is a member of the "Friends Of The Nevada State Railroad Museum" in Carson City and while he doesn't model V&T on the club, he is qualified to operate the steam engines. You might say he does his V&T modeling in the 12 inch to the foot scale. He and his wife probably spend on average one weekend per month in Carson City helping out the museum. By the way, here are a couple of links if you haven't seen them before:
Friends of The Nevada State Railroad Museum
HOME
Friends of The Nevada State Railroad Museum
HOME
My favorite readily available old-time locomotive just so happens to be based on a V&T engine...Rivarossi/AHM's J.W. Bowker. You can pick her up on ebay for aroun $20...although she might need a new coat of paint...and later some improvements. She looks great pulling MDC's old passenger cars (the 36'ers...which IIRC are based on Sierra Railroad cars...look great behind her...although their 50'ers are probably closer to being correct).
You could very easily build a really cool railroad using the IHC's/Rivarossi's old-time 4-4-0s and 2-4-0...with MDC/Roundhouse passenger and freight cars.
As a side note...the locomotives aren't true to HO scale...they're actually OO scale which is what the British use...1:76 instead of 1:87.1. They still look great...and are small enough to get away with being oversized.
You could very easily build a really cool railroad using the IHC's/Rivarossi's old-time 4-4-0s and 2-4-0...with MDC/Roundhouse passenger and freight cars.
As a side note...the locomotives aren't true to HO scale...they're actually OO scale which is what the British use...1:76 instead of 1:87.1. They still look great...and are small enough to get away with being oversized.
I have been modelling the V&T for a little while now. I use code 75 Peco track and electrofrog turnouts. My layout room is 34 x 28 feet and most of the roadbed is down at this time. It is on 2 levels and has actually become a little difficult to work on now. My loco roster is mostly V&T brass engines with some re-worked Rivarossi engines. I have found that the Brass 4-4-0's for example won't sometimes pull thier own weight and theres little room for alteration. My rolling stock is some brass with some ConCor and MDC and others. It is more loosely based now than when I started to build it simply because I have found some things I like to run and build. I have begun to senic some of it now, even though all the track is not layed yet, I suppose just because I wanted to. I attach a pic of one of my scenes and would certainly welcome any comments or suggestions.
thanks
Don
thanks
Don
Attachments
Excellent! I love the old western town...something which is sadly, under-modeled. There is another guy on here, Doc, whom also models the wild west...he needs to post more pics ;-) My heart is set on 1884.
The things which I really like about your scene: Lots of people and little things going on. The structure to the left with the small cage/crate next to it...the structure on the hillside with supports underneath.
I think it could use a tree or two...but not many since everything useful near the town should have been recently cut down...but since you're early into the scenery...there's plenty of time still.
Building the scenery before completing the track is fine. John Allen frequently did that...and it certainly worked for him!
Straying from a prototype is natural! My focus is the DSP&P in 1884...but some Colorado Central equipment of the 1870's, Utah & Northern side dump cars, C&S 1930s equipment, some D&RGW equipment, WP&Y, and EBT will find there way into my collection at some point because they are cool. It sounds like you've avoided deviating too much...so you're in great shape...plus you have plenty of space!
I know just what smiley face to use...sign1
:needpics:
It sounds like you have a very nice roster of equipment.
The things which I really like about your scene: Lots of people and little things going on. The structure to the left with the small cage/crate next to it...the structure on the hillside with supports underneath.
I think it could use a tree or two...but not many since everything useful near the town should have been recently cut down...but since you're early into the scenery...there's plenty of time still.
Building the scenery before completing the track is fine. John Allen frequently did that...and it certainly worked for him!
Straying from a prototype is natural! My focus is the DSP&P in 1884...but some Colorado Central equipment of the 1870's, Utah & Northern side dump cars, C&S 1930s equipment, some D&RGW equipment, WP&Y, and EBT will find there way into my collection at some point because they are cool. It sounds like you've avoided deviating too much...so you're in great shape...plus you have plenty of space!
I know just what smiley face to use...sign1
:needpics:
It sounds like you have a very nice roster of equipment.
NKP a tree or two is all you could put on an accurate V&T layout. Virginia City was really located in desert. Having visited Virginia City and Gold Hill there really aren't very many trees in the area at all. The timber for the mines came from Lake Tahoe in California. In fact the area around the lake was completely clear cut, and all of the trees near Lake Tahoe today have grown from seedlings since 1875 or so when the mines played out in Virginia City.
Virginia & Truckee
Thanks for the comments. There actually is a little scrub brush in the scene but its hard to see because I made the pic in a brown tone. I would like to see if I can find a way to make decent Pine Nut trees in HO scale, I could use a few of those for sure. I added another pic of china town here, it shows the laundry and the butcher in the back ground, The town is busy with little businesses that would be common to serve the town up the hill (under construction). I'm blocking up some roadbed on the line to Virginia City tonight. If I had this to do all over again, I think I would have made the whole project a little smaller, seems like I never get much done. The room itself took awhile to build, I wanted a sitting area that friends could come in and enjoy so I built a full size mock up of a V&T passenger car 10' wide by 14' long at one side of the room. Ill try to take some overall pics of the entire mess and post them, as soom as I clean it up some. One thing that works really good to keep things clean is I mounted a squirrel cage blower from an old forced air furnace in the ceiling with the feeds tied to a/c duct and filtered inlets. I put it on a timer to come on for 5 minutes every 30 mins 24/7....really keeps the dust down and the rails alot cleaner. I probably will set my time period shortly after the turn of the century...mostly because I love to build and detail the Jordan kits...Ill just make it to where the silver was still flowing on the Comstock.
thanks for all the help and comments....lets keep them coming and share with me some of your work too...Id like that
Don
Thanks for the comments. There actually is a little scrub brush in the scene but its hard to see because I made the pic in a brown tone. I would like to see if I can find a way to make decent Pine Nut trees in HO scale, I could use a few of those for sure. I added another pic of china town here, it shows the laundry and the butcher in the back ground, The town is busy with little businesses that would be common to serve the town up the hill (under construction). I'm blocking up some roadbed on the line to Virginia City tonight. If I had this to do all over again, I think I would have made the whole project a little smaller, seems like I never get much done. The room itself took awhile to build, I wanted a sitting area that friends could come in and enjoy so I built a full size mock up of a V&T passenger car 10' wide by 14' long at one side of the room. Ill try to take some overall pics of the entire mess and post them, as soom as I clean it up some. One thing that works really good to keep things clean is I mounted a squirrel cage blower from an old forced air furnace in the ceiling with the feeds tied to a/c duct and filtered inlets. I put it on a timer to come on for 5 minutes every 30 mins 24/7....really keeps the dust down and the rails alot cleaner. I probably will set my time period shortly after the turn of the century...mostly because I love to build and detail the Jordan kits...Ill just make it to where the silver was still flowing on the Comstock.
thanks for all the help and comments....lets keep them coming and share with me some of your work too...Id like that
Don
Attachments
Don, that's a beautiful scene. I couldn't tell from the first picture that ground around it was detailed as well...it sort of looked like painted hardshell scenery from the first pick...but this makes it clearer.
Russ...you remind of the line regarding the Eureka & Palisades #4...even though wood was an obsolete fuel for steam engines in 1875...and that wood was scarce in the desert...she was built to burn wood as no one was digging for coal when there was gold to be found! The only part of Nevada I've ever been to is Vegas...but I think I can understand...especially since I've seen pictures of the deforestation of colorado during the 1880s.
Russ...my current work is displayed mostly in a few threads in Scratchin' and bashin'....while other people have things in the gallery.
Russ...you remind of the line regarding the Eureka & Palisades #4...even though wood was an obsolete fuel for steam engines in 1875...and that wood was scarce in the desert...she was built to burn wood as no one was digging for coal when there was gold to be found! The only part of Nevada I've ever been to is Vegas...but I think I can understand...especially since I've seen pictures of the deforestation of colorado during the 1880s.
Russ...my current work is displayed mostly in a few threads in Scratchin' and bashin'....while other people have things in the gallery.
Nice pics Don. While I don't model the V&T I do have A MTH O sale V&T set for around the ol' christmas tree. I have spent some time in Carson City & Virginia City although I haven't walked the R.O.W. For anyone going to Carson City the Nevada State RR Museum there is a must see.
Dave
Dave
My screen name "Dayton" was a loco from the V+T. Absolutly my most favorite line ever. The Minden area would have had some trees for sure since the Walker river goes thru there. Gardenerville right next to Minden would have too. Lots of cows there. Virginia City it's self was pretty darn barren as was Gold Hill and Silver City. I was born in Reno and I've spent many summer days as a kid running the area. Your layout looks great to me and please keep posting your photos.
:thumb:
Virginia & Truckee
Ill try to update and send it some more pics by this weekend...thanks for all the comments!!!
Ill try to update and send it some more pics by this weekend...thanks for all the comments!!!
Virginia & Truckee
Hi again....thought I would take it easy tonight and maybe share a couple more pics of something I built for my layout. Several years ago I owned a model company that produced some craftsman type kits. It was always a thought to me to be able to build a craftsman quality kit that the modeler could live long enough to finish. I produced several kits and had really good success at selling them...too much success. It became a real chore that I didn't enjoy any longer so I gave the company to a friend in California. It became a real chore to come home to "process orders" rather than do what I liked with the hobby. Where as it was financially super, it was also super boring. One of my most successful kits I show here to ya'll. In Virginia City there is a famous structure which is the Va. City Miners Union Hall. I was able to get the co-operation of one of the residents there to take about 200 pics of the structure for me and measure it. After a little designing and some selective compression I came up with the structure shown here.
I made the masters from foam core and then detailed them with brick paper and added individual bricks for the standouts. The windows are Grandt Line on the sides and doors also, but the second story front windows had to be made. I made one from strip styrene and then made a mold of it and cast 12 of them in Alumilite, thus making a master for the 12. That made it easy to make them in quantity. Using Campbell shingles, decorator tooth pics for the columns and Grandt Line railings, I had all I needed. Since I dont do this anymore, Ill share the intersting part with you. After building the pilot samples, and arranging to buy the windows and doors in quantity. and figuring the packaging, and hydrocal for casting...I figured I had about $2.24 in the model...I showed the finished product to a friend of mine that owns Smokey Mountain Model Works and told him I had intended to sell them for $19.95. He told me I was crazy and should try them at $79.95....i could always go down and it wasnt like I needed the sales to survive....well, he was right....before I got so bored with making them I had sold over 200 of the kits....profitable...but drove me crazy...from now on...I make stuff for me only. I plan to do several other historically significant buildings for my layout...soon...I begin the Carson City Shops...made with the same procedures...really pretty easy. I really like the comments I'm getting from ya'll...so lets see if we can keep 'em going. I really dont know how to look over this forum yet, cuz I'm not a puter whiz really, but I'm trying. I want to see some of you other guys stuff too....everyone always has good ideas to share. Still, if anyone has any ideas how to model them damn Pine Nut trees...Id love to hear about it.
thanks to all
Don
Hi again....thought I would take it easy tonight and maybe share a couple more pics of something I built for my layout. Several years ago I owned a model company that produced some craftsman type kits. It was always a thought to me to be able to build a craftsman quality kit that the modeler could live long enough to finish. I produced several kits and had really good success at selling them...too much success. It became a real chore that I didn't enjoy any longer so I gave the company to a friend in California. It became a real chore to come home to "process orders" rather than do what I liked with the hobby. Where as it was financially super, it was also super boring. One of my most successful kits I show here to ya'll. In Virginia City there is a famous structure which is the Va. City Miners Union Hall. I was able to get the co-operation of one of the residents there to take about 200 pics of the structure for me and measure it. After a little designing and some selective compression I came up with the structure shown here.
I made the masters from foam core and then detailed them with brick paper and added individual bricks for the standouts. The windows are Grandt Line on the sides and doors also, but the second story front windows had to be made. I made one from strip styrene and then made a mold of it and cast 12 of them in Alumilite, thus making a master for the 12. That made it easy to make them in quantity. Using Campbell shingles, decorator tooth pics for the columns and Grandt Line railings, I had all I needed. Since I dont do this anymore, Ill share the intersting part with you. After building the pilot samples, and arranging to buy the windows and doors in quantity. and figuring the packaging, and hydrocal for casting...I figured I had about $2.24 in the model...I showed the finished product to a friend of mine that owns Smokey Mountain Model Works and told him I had intended to sell them for $19.95. He told me I was crazy and should try them at $79.95....i could always go down and it wasnt like I needed the sales to survive....well, he was right....before I got so bored with making them I had sold over 200 of the kits....profitable...but drove me crazy...from now on...I make stuff for me only. I plan to do several other historically significant buildings for my layout...soon...I begin the Carson City Shops...made with the same procedures...really pretty easy. I really like the comments I'm getting from ya'll...so lets see if we can keep 'em going. I really dont know how to look over this forum yet, cuz I'm not a puter whiz really, but I'm trying. I want to see some of you other guys stuff too....everyone always has good ideas to share. Still, if anyone has any ideas how to model them damn Pine Nut trees...Id love to hear about it.
thanks to all
Don
Attachments
very, very nice! Have you ever had the chance to visit Virginia City? What a historically significant town. It practically built San Francisco. As for clear cutting the Tahoe area, not exactly true. The eastern mountains were fairly clear cut cause they were close enough to the Carson valley. True enough they had built barges to float the logs from further areas but found that when the wind blew hard they would lose the logs and have to go back and round them up like lost cattle. The flumes they built to slide the logs down the mountain once broke and if your ever up on the west side of Tahoe you can still see the scars left in the mountain side on the east by the logs sliding down. They look like the scars a three clawed bear would make.If I can find a photo of it I will post it. Lots of history in the area.
Love the story on your former business! I've thought about doing something like that, but I want my hobby to be model railroading...not selling kits! Besides, it takes most of my free time to keep up with my model work...let alone making them for others! I don't have a pressure pot or a spin caster...so I find that using alumilite takes me a while...next time I'll be purchasing a resin with a lower viscosity so that I can work faster.