patrick

Last train on the Tincup branch. Maureen and I put an offer in on a house and to our surprise it was accepted. The last train was a passenger special and the following day dismantling began.The new property has a spacious basement and garden so hopefully it won't be too long before a new layout will be under construction.

I have been upgrading my Bachmann Big Hauler boxcars to better resemble the prototype. The cars received new roofs in place of the wood roof on the model The original roof walks were reused. The doors were also modified to slide open to the right l, on the model they open to the left. I was fortunate to find a can of brown spray paint which is extremely close to the shade on the model and painted the grab irons and stirrups and brake wheel which were black. So far three cars have been completed with another three to go. The photos show the prototype, the model straight from the box, and the upgraded model.

A few photos from last night. IMG_20260718_111224.heic IMG_20260718_111251.heic IMG_20260718_111009.heic

Maureen and I were invited to partake in the Euclid Garden Club Pond and Garden tour this weekend. This short video shows the railroad set up for the occasion. Last night we had about thirty visitors for the twilight tour and are expecting more this afternoon. 20260717_202448.mp4

I love these updates, they always inspire me to work on my own modest garden railroad.

268 on a short stock extra at Tincup. The stock cars are relatively inexpensive Bachmann Big Hauler models which have been modified by adapting the lateral roof walks so they follow the slope of the car roof, not horizontal. This immediately improves the look of the car. Styrene billboards were also added for the Rio Grande lettering, reporting marks, car number and data. This modification prevents the car door from opening fully but in my opinion the improved appearance is worth it. I have tried in the past to remove factory lettering from Bachmann cars with little success however several ligh coats of paint from a spray can does a good job of covering them.The decals are adapted from a boxcar set . The model is about 1 1/2" too short and differs from the prototype in many respects but I feel it does capture the atmosphere of the prototype and has been a fun project and I'm hoping to do a few more.

Very sad news. Michael's wagons were a huge part of the character of the South Waterford Line.

I wish I had escaped before last November.

268 on a coal extra on the Tincup branch. The 268 is an Aristocraft model which has been fitted with a Piko R/C unit and rechargeable battery. The truck dump was construed using leftover pressure treated lumber which was cut down on a friend's table saw.

Switching Tincup freight house

TGIF 20250829_162841.mp4

One year ago this area was a badly maintained lawn. Things have improved somewhat since!

One year ago this area was a badly maintained lawn. Things have improved somewhat since. Not sure about the lawn though!

More progress on the Tincup freight depot. In the background of the first photo is a Rio Grande sign, a gift from Maureen who was insistent that the railroad had a name!

My current project, Tincup freight house.

Finally a pure Rio Grande Western consist! 20250812_165526.mp4

https://youtu.be/rH-Lx8iFqvw?si=QrjRDT4p2VYpFUpO 468 in action in and around Gunnison in the early fifties.

The railroad finally has an identity, the Tincup branch of the Denver and Rio Grande out of Gunnison Colorado about 1950. The decision was pragmatic, I already had a great running Aristocraft C16 locomotive which just needed to be relettered and a number of Rio Grande freight cars. Bachmann Big Haulers boxcars, gondola and stock cars in Rio Grande livery were available at very reasonable cost. I removed the factory lettering from the C16 with brake fluid and relettered it for Rio Grande 278. A second Aristocraft C16 268 in the D&RGD bumble color scheme was found on Ebay at a very reasonable cost, The previous owner adapted the locomotive to run on battery power and removed itspickups, It has two wires running from the motor to the tender. I plan to return it to battery power by installing a Piko r/c unit and rechargeable battery. Both 268 and 278 worked lightly laid branch lines out of Gunnison Colorado in the early fifties. 268 was painted in the then new diesel color scheme in 1959 for the Chicago World Fair in 1949 and retained this scheme until retirement when it was donated to the city of Gunnison where it is on display. 278 is also preserved. I imagine the railroad to be an imaginary branch out of Gunnison to the real town of Tincup, a town Malcolm Furlow used on his San Juan Central project layout in the Model Railroader in the 1980's and has inspired the railroad.

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A few pictures from today's running session.

Today brought us a break from the heat and humidity of the last week. Time to run a train. 20250801_151147.mp4

I have been constructing few buildings for the railway. The windows are cut from plastic screen for fluorescent light fixtures.l, a tio I found on YouTube.

This afternoons running session.

Here's a few more from the same evening. 20250708_235550.mp4 20250708_235513.mp4

Since the weather has been very hot and humid lately most running is done at night. Here's a video from last week. 20250708_235733.mp4