Bill Caloroso – Cal’s Classics
Talky Tuesday #62
The S&NY facilities at Towanda are in the process of being abandoned in the view of last week’s “WW #103”.
To the left is the Towanda yard office/depot, windows boarded up. The train order board is out of service; the semaphore blades removed.
In the middle of the scene, some track at the engine facility and yard has already been pulled up. The center tracks will remain for the use of Lehigh Valley trains heading for the LV’s Bowman’s Creek branch at Monroeton.
To the left is a mixed string of S&NY rolling stock, including a caboose and ditcher #6. The ditcher shovel boom is secured to the flatcar in the foreground, along with the frog from the recently-removed switch seen to the right. A PRR GS gondola coupled to the flat stands ready to receive salvaged rails as they are lifted from the r-o-w.
A sad scene, but still a very useful one when the model version takes shape.
Wordless Wednesday #103
Bill Caloroso – Cal’s Classics
Talky Tuesday #61
A S&NY freight makes up a train at north Towanda in last week’s “WW #102”. The train is made up of a long string of various gondolas with numerous crates. Wonder if they are all headed for the same destination?
In the background are the old Lehigh Valley enginehouse and water tanks, the LV Towanda station, and the LV mainline coaling tower. To the right is the bridge carrying the LV main over the north branch of the Susquehanna River. To the left, a LV derrick is spotted, along with several empty gons. The piles of track components on the ground suggest the LV may have a major track improvement project underway somewhere nearby. The coaling tower was built circa 1940, and the track project may be related to that. Perhaps some LV expert somewhere has the answer…
Wheelerville Store
Slow progress continues on recreating this scene in HO on the model S&NY:
Finally finished weathering the house/store in the background in the above photo:
The structure was kitbashed, starting with a City Classics Company House. A Tichy storefront was cut down and replaced the lower front side of the company house. The addition is scratchbuilt, along with the porches and roofs. Chooch flexible stone material was a close match for the kit foundation, and that was used under the addition. Signs are a mix of homemade and commercial offerings, and the “interior” made up of flats created from downloaded images. Window treatments are manila envelope material and homemade from internet images. Weathering is layers of oil-turpenoid washes, powders, and Pan Pastels.
I left off the porch stairs for now until the model is permanently affixed to the layout. I was afraid I’d break them off during handling otherwise. Also still needs a few details, like a gravity-fed gas pump and perhaps a red Coke cooler on the porch. Oh, and a dog. Gotta have a dog lounging on the porch for passersby to pet…
3/26/17 ETA: Google Maps screenshot of the same area today. County road has been re-aligned; the original road is still in front of the house. The SNY station would have been right about where the bush is at the corner of the two gravel roads on the modern view.
Wordless Wednesday #102
Bill Caloroso – Cal’s Classics
Talky Tuesday #60
A rare pre-war color image of SNY #116 at the Towanda ashpit is the subject of last week’s “WW #101”. Hopper #1414 is one of 17 pre-USRA cars acquired used from the NYC.
Wordless Wednesday #101
S. Van Gorder photo; Author’s Collection
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