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COWCATCHER MAGAZINE
NT&P Up Close: Detailing the Right of Way
Railroad right of ways are rarely squeaky clean and devoid of brush, trees and bushes. Using some branches from real trees and commercial scenery products, trackside across from Charley’s Concrete Co. on the Northwest Tarrant & Pacific is naturally cluttered.
Adding trackside realism without concealing trains
In CRU Call of the March/April 2019 issue, Cowcatcher Publisher Tim Blackwell tells of one of his favorite railfan spots along the Union Pacific Choctaw Division in Argyle, TX.
The main line runs parallel with US Highway 377 and is seemingly on a stage for a short stretch with a clean-cut right of way, which seems a bit out of place for such a nondescript part of North Texas.
Whether or not the right of way is by design is uncertain.
But it’s an appealing spot, free of growth and underbrush, to see trains run.
Most model trains running through urban areas follow a similar path. Ballast on roadbeds gives way to trimmed grass or dirt. Truth is, most rights of way are not tidy at all. They are cluttered with weeds, grass, dead foliage, bushes and trees so much they conceal trains. The railroads maintain only what they must to keep track clear.
It would be taxing to fully replicate the overgrowth along most model railroad right of ways. And doing so would obscure the very trains that modelers want to showcase.
But with a little moderation, adding overgrowth adds a hint of realism that just can’t be denied.
Using commercial scenery products and actual tree branches, the right of way along the Northwest Tarrant & Pacific, the Cowcatcher’s HO-scale project layout, hints of that clutter but isn’t overdone.
Small trees, brush, dirt and grass were applied in just a short time using straw grass and foliage products, some trimmings from a post oak tree and white glue. Straw grass was cut with scissors and planted in a drop of white glue, spread apart and dusted with ground foam. Tiny tree branches collected from outside were affixed after drilling a hole and filling it with a dab of white glue.
Within minutes, the bare right of way sprouted with a little clutter but not enough to conceal the action on the tracks.
Read CRU Call with Tim Blackwell in each issue of the Cowcatcher.
Keith Brewer’s HO Wichita Falls Division, Fort Worth & Denver Rwy. is not just the culmination of years of research of his hometown railroad but the backstory after he took up model railroading. It wasn’t until several years after leaving Bowie, TX, that he understood the importance of the FW&D beyond its everyday whistles. Today Brewer's point-to-point 14x20 layout, a scaled down version of a much larger pike in another home, pays homage to the freight business. Short main line trains haul cattle, grain, gravel and agricultural products along the route from Fort Worth, Decatur, Bowie, Henrietta and Wichita Falls, TX. The action is heavy but eases when the crew breaks midway through an operating session. A tasty cobbler, cake or banana pudding is just the right recipe for fun.
Modular N Growing
With a variety of options, N-scale modular model railroading is enjoying growth.This summer in Chattanooga, TN, NRail, which embraces all forms of N scale, will head the hobby’s quest to build the world’s largest modular layout at the NMRA National Convention. It’s all but assured that the previous record will fall to a connected layout that will occupy 10,000 square feet of the city’s convention center.
Packing the Aisles
A fierce winter storm brought out model railroad and rail enthusiasts by the thousands for the opening day of January's annual Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA. A single-day record of 18,432 filled the aisles at the Eastern States Exposition before some 18 inches of snow blanketed New England. U-series General Electric locomotives topped new product announcements.
Plus
Coordinated run-throughs that connect two or more Class I railroads is a proven solution for moving freight from coast to coast; one of Micro-Trains last N-scale releases, the Greenville Railgon is worth its weight in hauling heavy loads; the elegance and food of the dining car experience spoiled hungry riders during the heyday of passenger rail transportation; Union Pacific inks a record deal to upgrade its locomotives. And more!
