| Article By M.
R. Snell/Photos as noted.
So you're driving home from the hobby shop and beating
yourself up about the new car you just bought. Sure, it looked really
cool in the store... that's why you bought it! But now you're coming
to grips that it just plain doesn't fit your modeled era or locale.
As you drive, you ponder its future to remain in the box or on a
shelf, or maybe you can sell it to one of your friends...
I model Conrail, a railroad created by Congress in 1976 to operate
the properties of six bankrupt Northeastern railroads as one company.
These railroads included Penn Central (created from the old New
York Central, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the New Haven), Erie
Lackawanna, Reading, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh Valley,
and the Lehigh & Hudson River. My layout reflects Conrail's
modern day operations in New Jersey. However, I have accumulated
several out-of-era models which have sat untouched until a recent
trip up to New Jersey gave me several spectacular ideas.
 |
 |
| Two views of the vandalized
CNJ tempel alongside Conrail's Lehigh Line in South Plainfield,
New Jersey. The planned restoration never got past an initial
repainting of the exterior. The future looked grim for this
piece of New Jersey railroad history. |
The Static Display Track
In the borough of South Plainfield, N.J. alongside Conrail's Lehigh
Line (former Lehigh Valley mainline) sits a small piece of track
parallel to the main. In 1998, the borough of South Plainfield made
a decision to use this piece of land to build a small historical
park. The area was enclosed with a small chain link fence to try
to protect the area from vandalism. A short length of panel track
was constructed, and a long-forgotten piece of history was transported
to the site: the ex-CNJ observation car "Tempel." This
car was constructed in 1927 for The Blue Comet, which ran as a first
class train between Jersey City and Atlantic City. Rescued from
a scrap metal dealer, this car was to become the theme of the park
alongside the Conrail main.
 |
| Saved! In July 2003, Tempel was moved
to the Cape May Seashore Lines in Tuckahoe, N.J., for eventual
restoration to service on their excursion line. Once moved,
the car was given a quick repaint to hide the years of neglect
and vandalism. Photo by Bob Vogel. |
Shortly after the Tempel was placed onto the panel track restoration
efforts began. The car was restored to its Blue Comet livery, and
some preliminary work was done on the interior, but this seems to
be where the effort drew to a close. The car has since been vandalized
and plans for the park seem to have all but vanished. It looked
like another piece of New Jersey history was going to be forgotten
about and destroyed. The Tempel was once again saved in 2003, when
the car was rescued by the Cape May Seashore Lines for possible
restoration to active service on their excursion trains.
South Plainfield's decision to place an ex-CNJ car on display along
the former Lehigh Valley mainline gave me a great idea. While the
car was totally out of place historically, it seemed right at home
in its new surroundings. What an excellent opportunity for a model
railroader!
The Display Track
Modeling this is a fairly straightforward effort using minimal material
and space. It is a simple project that can be completed in a night
or two. Simply pick a small area alongside your mainline. It only
needs to be a little longer than the largest piece of equipment
you plan to display. If you're considering a coach, then 12 inches
or so will do. Steam locomotives will require a little space. The
width of the area can range from four to five inches to a foot or
so, dependent on your railroad's real estate situation.
Level the area and lay a piece of tracks for the equipment you plan
to display. Attach a form of rail stop at both ends of the rail.
You may use commercial rail stop castings, attach ties across the
rail at the end of track, or simply bury the ends in a mound of
dirt. For this I recommend burying the ends of the rail in mounds
of plaster poured over the track. If you color the plaster using
brown dye while you are mixing it you need not worry about small
splashes or runs of plaster, or future chips in it - the dye will
turn the plaster brown. Ballast the track, and consider adding some
sort access road to the park.
If you wish to do a full park setting then a myriad of choices await
you. Some which come to mind are flower boxes made of railroad ties,
an American and state flag, benches or picnic tables, and maybe
even some type of monument to the founder of the railroad! A look
through the Walther's catalog at the scenery and detail parts section
should give you some good ideas.
 |
| An HO scale representation of the CNJ
parlour-observation car "Jersey Coast" on display
along the Conrail mainline on the author's layout. This is an
easy project that can be completed in an evening or two. |
Ground cover and trees are available from many manufacturers. Flower
foam is available from AMSI, also a Walther's vendor. To finish
off your scene you may wish to add a security chain link fence.
Several kits are available or you can make your own using styrene
rod and wedding veil material.
Now just place your oddball car on the track and you have both
solved the dilemma and created an interesting conversation piece
for your railroad. From time to time change out the car and you
will always keep the scene fresh, and save those cars from "Railroad
Siberia"!
The Railroad Museum
When we think of a railcar or locomotive museum we automatically
think of large facilities like the B&O Museum or the St. Louis
Transportation Museum. While these are great examples of railroad
museums, there are thousands of smaller, lesser-known institutions
around the country. Often the smaller ones do not have a centralized
theme such as the B&O Museum does, but rather have an eclectic
mix of equipment owned by individuals and societies. Even the National
New York Central Museum in Elkhart has a Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1
on display!
 |
| Many railroad museums have an eclectic
mix of equipment, from locomotives,
to passenger and freight equipment, to cranes and other specialty
cars. Here we see a random assortment at the Whippany Railroad
Museum in Whippany, N.J. |
Often the smaller museums consist simply of a few tracks adjacent
to a main or secondary track of an active railroad. The center of
the museum may be a restored depot or freight house. Often there
are several other smaller sheds for tools and supplies. Some museums
have restoration facilities in addition to their display areas.
These restoration shops usually consist of a simple steel building
and tracks to house speeders, cranes, steam locomotives, diesel
locomotives, coaches, freight cars, cabooses, and operable private
varnish. Restoration can be in any phase from complete to unrecognizable.
Just think of all the possibilities!
Modeling something like this still requires minimal space and can
offer several possibilities, both scenic and operational, to your
railroad. It is also an excellent display piece for a modeler who
does not have room for a layout, as it can be built on a narrow
shelf. The amount of equipment you can place into the scene without
destroying it is only limited by the amount of space you allow for
the scene. Often at these smaller museums space is at a premium
and their tracks are often crowded. The best part is that no one
will ever be able to argue that "something is wrong for your
railroad" ever again. Let's say you model the Boston &
Maine, but you really love the Atlantic Coast Line's purple paint
scheme. Well just pick up the car and spot it at the museum. Now
you have a private car stored at the museum--your private car!
 |
| Space is tight for displays and storage
at any museum. Here we see steam engine #4039 from the old Morris
County Central excursion line, and a URHS excursion coach stored
at the Whippany Railroad Museum. There is just enough room for
people to walk around to view these displays. |
Another feature of the railroad museum is operational. Private
varnish is often being shuttled around the country to different
excursions or meets of car owners. In most cases the cars are picked
up and delivered via the local freight railroad and shuttled to
Amtrak for long distance moves. In some cases the cars are handled
in road freight trains. The same principle applies to locomotives,
although these are generally handled by the freight railroads. Another
operational feature, for those who have the room, are excursions
sponsored by the museum itself. An example would be a weekend steam
train operating from the museum. A small consist of several coaches
and a steam or early generation diesel engine would fit the bill.
Even if you model the modern era you can still justify a steamer
on your railroad! A final operational feature could include the
delivery of a coal hopper every now and then for the steamer.
While modeling a small museum requires a little more effort than
a static display track, this is still a small project. It might
take more like a couple of weekends rather than a night or two.
Start with a track plan. Your considerations should be how much
and what type of equipment you want displayed, and how you want
it to operate. Are you planning for your local freights to pick
up cars or for excursions to run from the museum over the trackage
of the adjacent active railroad? Consider the available space. In
HO I would allow a minimum of 12 to 16 inches in depth and 4 to
5 feet in length to make a plausible scene.
 |
| Not all of our models are shiny, and
perfect. Were you painting a car that didn't quite make the
cut? Maybe your HO scale museum volunteers can restore it! Here's
an ex-NYC car at the Whippany Railroad Museum awaiting restoration. |
Another consideration is whether you wish to model any equipment
in stages of restoration. This is usually done on a track away from
the display equipment. It's also a great use for any "projects
run amok."
While the track plan is still in development remember to allow plenty
of space between parallel tracks for your scale citizens to walk
and your equipment all to be seen without being blocked out by other
equipment. Adding an access road is a good idea as well. Parking
need not be included if the scene is to be near the edge of the
layout, as it can be simulated by the road into the property. The
access road should lead to the main museum building. The structures
should also be factored in at this time to make a total "landscape
plan".
 |
| A diagram of the Rochester & Genesee
Valley Museum, a project of the Rochester Chapter of the National
Railway Historical Society. The museum is centered around the
ex-Erie depot at Industry, NY, near the towns of Scottsville
and Rush. The depot was purchased from the Erie Lackawanna in
1971, and construction of the yard and demonstration railroad
began shortly thereafter. All of the tracks off the Livonia,
Avon & Lakeville were built by Chapter volunteers. A set-up
like this could be used as a template for museum operations
on your layout. |
Once you have the plan in hand and start laying the track, it would
be a good idea to electrically isolate each track where equipment
will be stored. This way it will not interfere with any other system
already in place, and you don't run the risk later of having equipment
moving around when you don't want it to. This is easily accomplished
by using either SPST or DPDT switches to turn power on and off,
and by cutting rail gaps or using insulated rail joiners to isolate
segments.
Once the track work is taken care of the focus is on the scenery.
The main museum building generally is a small to moderate structure
with some historical significance. These are often old depots or
freight stations and have been restored to pristine condition. Right
now there are many commercial kits that fit the bill very nicely.
Just assemble and detail them to your liking. Add appropriate accessories
like baggage wagons, milk cans, and other vintage items to create
a good-looking historical scene.
Often there are several smaller buildings on the property that serve
various purposes such as refreshments, ticket sales, tool storage,
or they may be left over railroad structures if the property was
part of an active rail facility. Such structures are sheds, water
towers, and occasionally the pull along concession style trailer.
All of these are commercially available and several good examples
are the water tower and shanty by Atlas or the AM Models line.
Once the structures are down it's time to finish off the scenery.
Add a gravel road to the museum (and restoration track if you chose
that option). The basic grounds should be grassy and well maintained.
Often these areas have colorful flowers planted to give a park like
appearance. Remember - you want this to be an area your scale citizens
will want to visit. A split-rail fence around the perimeter will
complete the basic scenery.
If you chose to add the restoration track, simply go hunt around
for one of those projects gone wrong in your scrap box. Paint a
part of it primer colored and then cover a portion with thin plastic
cut from a plastic bag. A lot of stores use dark colored plastic
bags, which you could use to simulate a protective tarp.
Now you're ready to start adding all those eclectic pieces of equipment
you've had over the years, and even put them into operation! Move
that GG-1 and the forty-foot boxcar over to track one. Get the wooden
cabooses on track three. Move the old Pullman lounge over to the
restoration shop. Convert that baggage car into a tool shop. Drag
that rusty steam engine to track two. Fire up that old Alco, and
hitch an old heavyweight coach or caboose to it. Open up the ticket
office in the depot, and your museum is ready to entertain and educate
your HO scale public!
For More Information:
Matt Snell, 35, born
and raised in northern New Jersey, the basis for his HO scale Conrail
New Jersey Division, is a dockworker currently residing in Milford,
Ohio. Matt has been a model railroader and a railfan since age 12
and is currently married, "with goldfish and trains." |
