Hi Joe, We are looking at modular (prebuilt) because after having to tear down 15 years worth of work and the destruction of most of its components, we do not entend to go through that again. We currently have a 3 year lease. We can cover the cost of the lease through the insurance settlement we received with the issue of having our layout ruined during the renovations of the building we were in. We also can fund the purchase of prebuilt modules. The system we are considering is engineered to connect in such a way that they lock together and negate the need for the normal bridge tracks associated with modules. It is a consideration that with the use of modules, we will be up and running again with a layout that will fill the need to operate as a railroad and support railfanning (running round and round). It certainly get us back up and going faster and we will be eleminating the issues with making all the modules uniform in dimension and fit. We have a plan! Thanks for asking Joe! Dale
Hey guys, It was announced this week that barge traffic has resumed on the McClelland Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Guess we will be starting operations back up on the POCR soon!!! With the flooding in April, Bonnie and Clyde the errant barges and removing them from the Lock and Dam at Webber’s Falls, the system has been down all summer. I finally saw a string of grain hoppers on the interchange to BNSF this week as well. We should be seeing wheat coming in on SKOL soon! Nice to see things returning to normal. Rail traffic has been slow down there this summer, hopefully it will soon be picking up! For those that get Rail Model Craftsman Magazine, this month there is an article on Steve Davis’s KCS 3rd Subdivision Layout in Coweta Oklahoma. I have had the pleasure of operating on it several times and count Steve as a friend. Excellent layout and a great guy! Check it out if you can! More posts coming soon! Dale
Dale, thank you for posting. I saw the magazine you are talking about, Steve's layout is pretty neat. Wish I had bought the book, now I have a reason to go to the hobby shop. Ha!!! Didn't realize he is from Coweta, that's just down the road from me maybe less than ten miles. Joe
I just wanted to add my comment to say that I have really enjoyed reading through the post about your railroad. We had to have met before at one of the area railroad sessions, as I have operated at the C&S and Steve's KCS. I'll keep an eye out for you to shake your hand and say nice railroad.
Then why have you not modeled a dock with actual scale water that changes level to the current channel height and floating barges? No forklift and truck movement with a faller car system? Lock yourself in a room with your layout and ask yourself, "What would Miniature Wunderland do?". Sorry RGW warned me tone it down so you wouldn't have to buy new bigger hats. All jokes aside, I still say nice railroad, it reminds me of my year of employment on the river at Port 33.
Hi Colt, In a quick answer to your question, we gotta have somewhere to stand when we work the channel side!!!!! LOL
In an effort to appeas Colt who is quick to point out there is no barges and water I have finished the retaining wall at the end of the navigation channel. Complete with floating debris. However, Mr. Colt, I have wanted to do this all along so don’t take too much credit for getting me back in action! LOL! Actually, it’s finally cooled off and the yards are growing so slowly we can have some free evenings. I’ve also got my second wind for modeling. I think all the work on finding our new location for the club, I just did not have the spirit in me to do work on mine. So it’s fall and I’m back in action. I am also participating in another meet this coming March. Thanks for looking in my friends! I’ll be back soon with more updates! Dale
Great to hear you have some more time to get some modeling done Dale! I wonder if you could make a small slide in scene with part of a barge modeled, hhhhmmm.
This also means that the Port of Muskogee should be back in business as well. And the litigation is cranking up......... But it's good to see badge traffic again.
Hi Bob! Good to hear from you again! I understand right now that traffic in the channel is restricted because there is quite a bit of dredging to be done. But half traffic is better than no traffic!!! Take care buddy! Dale
A bit of railfanning on the POCR. EX-ATSF CF 7 doing grain duty at the port. 7104 is pulling empties off the Gavilon East Complex Spur to the north main. We see quite a few old hoppers coming down out of Kansas. SKOL has quite a few patched cars! 7104 had to run around the cut to get into position to shove the empties over to the interchange. Here he is coming around the east leg of the wye. He’s backed up to the cut and is ready to push it on around. Photo taken just off the Hughes Lumber property. Here is the cut being shoved across Keystone Road and onto the interchange track. Thanks for stopping in! Dale
Looks great Dale!!! You have been busy working on the layout, keep it up. I haven't been able to work on mine for a couple of weeks, honey do's and regular chores have kept me pretty busy. Have been busy in what time I do have with the Frisco N Scale Manufactured Releases Matrix. The matrix is up to 429 models and there is a couple of bay window cabooses due around the end of the month. Most of the work is trying to fill in the missing information. Joe
Mini update: We now have grass growing on the east bank of the navigation channel. I have also started working on the truck loading road and apron for Blue Knight Energy Partners tank farm ( not rail served in our case). I have also started the primer coat to repaint the SW1200 to POCR colors. This one will represent Locomotive #555 “Triple Nickel” as it is called at the port. I will post up some pictures soon! Dale
A couple of shots of the east channel bank and Gavilon East Complex. It looks way better than the old painted foam! I found some new materials for making roads and walkways. I have premixed sanded grout that if smoothed then patted with a wet paper towel, it makes a decent road paving. If I want to represent limestone screenings as paths, I use dry un-sanded poly grout. I spread it, pat down with my finger a bit, then mist with wet water. It will smooth down pretty good on its own once it gets wet. It drys hard and the polymer in it glues it in place. Win-win!
I will in no way take credit for any ideas. I will just make up a long, self appointed, title to make myself feel important. Can I now be the "Port Sanity Security Hierarchy and Human Modeling Motivation Facilitator'? Of course we can just use the abbreviation "PSSH HMMF". Great to see the continued progress, your appeasement attempt was successful!
