Port of Catoosa Railroad

Hi friscobob!

Yes the track crossing Bird Creek is the BNSF interchange, it goes over a couple of miles to Tiger switch at Catoosa OK. The SKOL interchange track runs behind the sky Board in back of the bridge.

The little Alco switcher parked along to navigation channel is a permanently assigned switcher for Gavilon Grain's east and west complexes. It's a little Bachman Sound Value unit. It's about the second or third sound loco I purchased. I'm pretty happy with how it runs. The horn on it sounds just like the real SW down at the port.

I toyed with the idea of reprinting it to a more modern scheme for Gavilon but I have decided to just do a patch over the ATSF on the cab sides. Then if I ever decide to go to a different era or something, I can easily remove the patch. It will remain in zebra paint and will sport a GG emblem on the cab sides and will get yellow safety stripes. All of which could be easily removed.

I hope I can accommodate a 2 man operating crew once I get ops up and really rolling. Then I will start inviting operators to come if they wish. I'm looking forward to that.

Thanks for your positive comments!
Dale

 

Hi Bob,

I used the HCD and bought the heavy duty shelf brackets at Walmart. They are cheaper that the same ones at Lowes or HD. I spaced them into every other stud apart. They seem pretty stout. It's worked out pretty good. I laid the doors straight on the brackets and screwed them from the bottom. I attached a 1x3 stringer on the front edge. The bench top height is about 50" or so off the floor. So I pretty much look into the layout, not down into it. The height also allow me to sit in an office chair when I'm working under it.

I'm flattered you are following what I'm doing, as far as cutting holes in the wall, I used a dremel plunge saw, the name escapes me at the moment. I cut like a 2" wide by 3" tall hole. I ran a drywall screw into the center so I could hold the piece when it came loose and not fall into the wall cavity. Then later if we move, I can easily patch the hole. The pieces are sitting on the shelf with the staging tracks. I only regret that the closet is too short for decent staging. But we go with what we get. My wife was not too keen on me cutting the holes but after she saw how I did it, it was ok.

I'm lucky because the room is situated that I can expand the layout by running through another wall into the walk-out attic. I'd like it run out into the attic, down a helix and back into the room at a lower level under the east grain complex. That would allow me to model Terra Nitrogen, rather than have a lead disappear behind the east elevater representing Terra as it does now.

I plan to have a couple of fellow GCMRA friends come out week after next and run a switching session. I hope there is enough there to keep an engineer and switchman busy for 2 to 3 hours pulling and putting cars in various industries. If it works out the way I hope, I want to have visitors in on a regular basis to run it. I think we could fit 3 into the room comfortably to operate.

That's it for now, again I thank you for your positive comments. You'll be getting an invite soon.

Thanks,
Dale

I have some things around that would allow me to do a bit of back-dating and run Frisco motive power sometimes!

 

Just to let you guys I am still around. I couldn't stand it any longer and put in a section of OK 167 that leads up to the port from Catoosa Ok. Here it is weathered and chalked. Wouldn't you know it, I get it in and Walmart's already rolling trucks across it!

I'll post a more complete update soon! Fall is back!
Dale

 

Hello All!

Well fall is here, mowing is done for the season and the mowers are going into storage tomorrow! I’ve been able to spend some time on the RR for a change. We’ve had a couple of work nights this week and got a big problem fixed. Thanks to son Sean’s keen eyes. We were having a derail problem with the SW1500 going over the wye in one leg as it went through in forward. We did not have an issue backing through. I had tinkered with it with no joy. Sean noticed that one side of the frog was tight and was lifting the front axel on top of the rail as it went through. A bit of trimming with the exacto and no more derails!

I’ve got State Highway 167 in from Bird Creek up to the South Port Entrance. We are not modeling the main entrance since we don’t have enough room to do it. I’m just about done with the highway, just details to add shortly.

I ran across a company that makes SKOL locomotive decals, there are 2 sets on the workbench and come tomorrow there will be 2 RTR Athearn SD 40-2s in BN livery on the porch. A friend at the club will soon be painting them in Black and yellow WAMX color scheme. It’s going to be a great winter!!!

Take care all for now!
Dale

 

Is the road made of ceramic tile?

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

The road is made of thin pressed wood, MDF a bit over 1/8” thick. I cut it in strips to match a road width of 36 scale feet. I painted the surface with Woodland Scenics concrete color. After that dried, I taped off the lanes at 14 feet wide and painted in the shoulders with Walmart Acrylic paint in the Pavement color.

After that dried, I stripped the tape and drew in the joints with Prismacolor Black pencil. I weathered the shoulders with a off white Pan Pastel chalk, and used a light brown on the concrete.

I put the road in first then came in and filled the edges with a lightweight filler to bring the terrain up to road height.

The filler is a mixture of the cellulose attic insulation, water and plaster of Paris. I saw it on a Trainmaster video and once it dries you can paint it green and add ground foam. The result is very good looking.

You can play with the lane widths to see what looks right to you. The joint spacing is 15 feel.

The tar on some of the joints is the Pavament Acrylic paint applied with a small applicator brush.

I added the pavement striping with thin tape I get at the LHS. 1/32” wide would be appropriate, I used 1/64th for the edge strip and it is too narrow. I’m going to fix that.

For reference, the centerline is orange and the edges are white.

 

Well I was finally able to obtain custom decals for the POCR and have started putting finishing touches on the port’s SW-1500. I have one side just about done and waiting on how good a job the setting solution does with drawing them down.

With the track realignment we’ve brought this back out and it is running pretty good on the new track.

The first SD 40-2 is in the paint shop. Soon we will be served during OP sessions with accurately depicted locomotives, BNSF, SKOL, POCR. That’s progress!

Thanks for looking!

 

We’ve been making some progress on the POCR in spite of things! The west pennensula track was re-worked and that cleared the problem with the BLI SW 1500 stalling going in to Hughes Lumber and the team track, I was also able to move the turnout back towards the main and install a curved turnout for the Hughes/team siding. I also added about 5” in width so I should now be able to use a view-block to separate the 2 sides. I plan on installing building flats on the block to give it some interest.


We also reworked Word Industries Steel and lengthened the Word spur track. The engine house track was also lengthened and the engine House was moved with provisions for a fueling station for the port locos.


Last, we have a new building for Harsco Mfg and Whse, I picked up a Peterson’s Tool and bashed it to fit. We have 3 spots there for cars.


The SD40-2s are being repainted the SKOL colors and will soon be making runs into the port during OPs sessions. As soon as those are finished and I have the SW 1500 completed we will have the motive power on hand that is being used at the port.

Thanks for stopping by!
DB

 

We made some more work on the POCR this evening, I had been unhappy with how the facia board looked. We took it down, recut it to an even height and reinstalled it to be 1/4” above the deck height. This gives a slight lip above th base of the scenery. I also filled in the blank spaces where we had widened the pennensula. I’m happy with how it turned out.

I have rediscovered my love of long porch locomotives! I posted a while back that I purchased 2 new Athearn SD 40-2s to repaint in SKOL colors. I picked up a MO PAC SD over the weekend! Those things just look like brutes. I like the modern stuff, but sometime you just gotta run retro.

That’s all for now, I’ll post new pictures soon!
Take care all!
DB

 

Looks real good.

 

Looks very nice Dale! I don't know how i missed this thread... anyhow better late than never. I am looking forward to seeing it progress, thanks for posting.
Yannis

 

Hi Yannis,

Thanks for stopping by. I seem to be in a building frenzy at the moment. I guess I’m trying to get a bunch accomplished before mowing season starts again! Ugh!

I saw your question over on your thread, I’ll post an answer over there shortly.

Take care,
D

 

Again a late comment...I just saw the "bridge" in some of the previous pages... awesome woodworking and work in general!

 

I’ve been working on getting the grain complex’s going on the layout this week. I’ve added the elevator for Gavilon East as well as a surge bin. The dryer and the 2 large bins came over from the west complex. There will be one more wet/dry storage bin install and all the structures will be in place. Not seen is the scale building and truck scale for the east complex.


The west complex has changed completely, the elevator I had was moved from the east complex and will be placed there. I will add a wet/dry storage bin there as well. To the south of the elevator IRL there is a ground-level storage building. I might add at least part of that and stop it at the layout edge.

On a side note, I read that Gavilon is handling trans-loading to barges, gypsum powder brought in by BNSF from West Texas in covered hoppers. I have added that to my operations schedule, shown is the inaugural shipment of gypsum to the port for loading onto barges.


And it would not be Oklahoma without a pump jack. I picked this one up a while back. I got a motorizing kit for it. It does pump. I couldn’t not have one!


Thanks for looking in!

Dale