"The Gon" is shaping up - Progress on L&NE 728

Its been a bit since my last update.  There was some delay in modeling time and a brief break from the computer, spending all week on a cpu for work can be a bit draining and I took a few weeks to work on a quick side project for Chris's Valley Line layout.

But I am back working on the Gon. Which is actually complete for now!!!!

Well what I am calling Version 1 is complete anyways.

Version 1 (V1) is going to be modeled as if the car was still in service on the L&NE as a low side gondola and/or part of the L&NE's wreak train. In fact I was able to find out recently, with a bit of digging and a some help from another online group, that the Gon down at the Valley was used as a crane boom car with in the L&NE wreak train. Here is a picture of it at work.

L&NE/VRR 728 Gon on the right. Photo from the book "Lehigh and New England" by Ed Crist.

 But why make this Version one? If the Valley has the same type of car shouldn't this be called complete?

Well, yes the car is still at the Valley and yes, its still on display painted for the L&NE. BUT before it was "stuffed and mounted" into the display freight train. It was the VRR first open car and there were a bit of modifications done to aid allowing guests to ride in the car.

There was a chunk of the north end cut out of the car to allow a folding trap door to be placed over the couplers allowing staff and passengers to walk onto the Gon. This trap door is still present today seen here:

Photo by Tim Darrnel

The car had bench seating similar to the VRR "Riverview" does today and a metal handrail extended around the top of the car to provide a bit more safety. Here photo of the is a Gon during a Railfan trip back in 1986:

Here is L&NE 728 mixed in with some of the RMNE Stock on the Valley.
Photo by Carl Weber

So as you can see there are some more items that need to be added in order to make this match the Gon during its revenue service era. But not to worry I have already started to make some progress on that. Here is a snip of what it looks like right now:

And this is where I will leave it today but until next time see ya real soon!!

Covid Cabin Fever and finding created ways to use this time to help a fellow modeler

One of the best thing about this hobby is meeting others within it. I have mentioned before in posts here about my real start with model trains and the "old guys" from the Masonic Train room that helped me learn most of what I know.  Its people like this that are willing to share their Technics and skills that help pass this hobby on to others and help grow the greatest hobby in the world. Being able to create these models is a way that I can pass along the skills I have learned and to share there results with others in the community.

A few years ago I came across another blog and web site called "The Valley Local".  This is a very dedicated detailed blog covering the layout progress of Chris Adams. I have mentioned him before and is one of my inspirations for creating this blog. I was very honored to be able to visit Chris' layout, on my birthday of all days, and was even able to be apart of his operating session. It is a beautiful model of the CT Valley Railroad in the 50's and has become one of my favorite layout because of it being so close to home. But why am I bringing all this up again?

During the craziness going on in the world due to Covid-19 I am currently working from home. I am very grateful for being able to do this and I am using this opportunity to help others while I am home during lunch and what would be my normal communing time.  While I am working in my office I have by Dremel 3D20 making ear guards that I am donating to local medical and essential employees. More information here on my Facebook post.

I have also been doing a lot more 3D modeling as a result of being inside more as well. This is where Chris's layout comes in. I reached out to him to see if there was anything i might be able to create and 3D print for his layout. As I put it, something to fight off the cabin fever of this pandemic and Chris was quick to respond!!

 It turns out there is a specific grade crossing sign that he was looking for that were all along the Valley during his era. Through his own research and bit of my own, no manufacture make this particular grade crossing sign.

Zoomed in picture of the sign in question. "Max Miller Collection" 

This was right up my ally and a challenge that I love to tackle. Something "rare" or so specific that no one has heard of or made before.

After discussing it with Chris a bit further I started by scaling the photo to get some basic dimensions and guesses on size. I used the photo the two photos below to scale something I knew the dimension of. In this case the telephone pole and the width of the rails.

Great photo of Then and Now "John Wallace Collection"

Grade crossing in Middletown, CT. "Max Miller Collection"

This dimensions where used to create a drawing on paper first.  This is purely for my own sanity and helps me jot down any other notes or important information regarding to the project.

My hand written madness

This drawing also shows by first attempt at how I thought the sign was connected to the post. Only so much you can guess at when you are zooming into a photo. But another, clearer photo made me rethink how it was mounted to the wooden post.

Using these measurements I created my first pass at the sign 1:1 scale in the CPU. I do this for two reasons: 1.) Using 1:1 dimensions is easier as I don't need to convert anything & 2.) the Final model can, theoretically, be scaled down to fit any scale. Here is the current, final product!!

Front view

Back View

Now in no way is this complete and is basically a first draft of the model.  What I really need is a clear photo of the sign or even better the actual dimensions of the sign. But where am I going to find something like that?!?!?!   Thankfully Chris was way ahead of me and found someone that might just have what we are looking for. 

More to come, but until then, see ya real soon!!

Recreating the old favorite, The "Gon"

While things are still chugging on the 0901 project, which is currently in printing trials. Find out more about it on my Facebook Discussion Page. I needed to find a way to fill the time while I waited 10 hours for one test print. I thought about writing more articles for the VRR history project that I have been working on, but I have been writing all day for work.

I wanted to do something more fun something more to do with modeling trains. Well a breakthrough in this history project provided a bit of inspiration to bring some love back to a old VRR favorite.

If you have visited the VRR in the past few years you will have to pass by our freight train display on track 8. The FVRR tank engine, #2, is currently at the front but the car I'm referring too is just behind it. This wooden side gondola is a EX-Lehigh and New England Railroad veterain that was once apart of the VRR's daily coach train. Believe it or not it was the VRR's first open car!!

I never got the chance to ride in it while it was on the train but I have heard many happy stories of people that did. Part of me always wanted to get a model of this car but because of it being, like most things here, an oddball there wasn't many on the market. 

I was on the fence about building one from scratch but I had no measurement and access to the car as I am staying home because of the Virus.

I was lucky to find a Facebook group about the L&NERR and they were able to help me find the copies of the cars diagrams.  I will not post them here for copyright reasons but believe me the model is being drawn now to the drawings standards.

More progress to come but here us a preview!!