Christmas Acquisitions 2017

Santa Claus paid a visit to the HRC on Christmas Eve and left behind a large orange and blue colored box with a label addressed to Double E.   Upon awakening the next morning Double E was greatly surprised to see Santa had left him a present.  Thinking he likely had not been good enough in 2017 Double E made a valiant effort to be good and righteous during the waning days before Christmas.  Fully expecting coal Double E was astonished when he opened the orange box and discovered 2 Lionel full scale 87' boxcars lettered in the NYC livery.   Even more astonished was Double E's lifelong CFO who had a firm belief that Double E had a lock on a large lump of coal.

The cars are numbered 67288 and 67367.  The details and paint job are terrific and they are massive in size.

YouTube 86' NYC Boxcars

While no  public announcement has yet to be made, it is rumored that there is a local automobile  radio manufacturer getting ready to build a plant over on the west side of Hoschton.

Special credit to my train buds John, Neal and Ralph for showing me just what I was missing out on not having any 86 footers.

Construction begins on West Side Locomotive Service Area

Construction has finally commenced on the West Side Locomotive Service Facility and Industrial area.  Given the scope of this project the HRC senior executives felt the design of the entire area was beyond the expertise HRC's Sean O'Reilly, General Manger Property Development.  

After extensive research the board of the HRC approved the award of a design contract to the highly respected, but little known firm of J.Reynolds Spectacular Railroad Design and Consultation Services LLC.   The overall cost of the contract was extremely high but the board was finally able to decide to award the contract upon receipt of a case of 30 year old Irish Whiskey for each board member and 5 cases to the HRC's CEO Mr. Double E. 

First phase of development was the re-installation of the round table.  At the time of the initial installation the overall layout plan had not been finalized therefore the TT was surface mounted.

Location of the TT was finalized and work begun on recessing it into the layout.  The layout is built with 3/4" ply with 3/4" sound board on top of the ply. 

Removed the  soundboard and then installed some 1/4" spacers to bring the TT track level with the table top.

Spacers added and TT is recessed into layout.

 Reconnected to mainline.

Next phase is to readjust location of round house and install all of the stubs.

Unfortunately work  has slowed considerably due to the complexity of the tasks and the lack of professional on-site supervision.  One  of the reasons the HRC signed an overpriced contract with J. Reynolds Spectacular Railroad Design and Consultation Services  LLC (besides the cases of scotch) was a handshake agreement whereby J. Reynolds LLC personally assured HRC CEO Double-E that on-site supervision and consultation services would be provided upon request.   The  HRC has spent hours trying to make such a request but all our efforts of emails, phone calls, texts and Western Union telegraphs have failed to reach anyone at the firm.   If contact is not made within the next 48 hours CEO Double-E has instructed the HRC Legal Division to explore our options.   In the meantime work will continue at a diminished pace. 

Leigh Valley 44 Ton Switcher

While in PA. last month visiting friends, I  got a chance to goto a big Hobby Shop called Tracks and Rails  (I can't now remember if that is the exact name).  The place is huge and  has an amazing selection of 0-scale as well as other scales.   They had the biggest selection of locomotives on display I have ever seen.  My intent was not to buy a locomotive but to look for some coal hoppers.

I found the 2 hoppers pretty quickly and I was on the way to the counter to pay for them when I spotted 3 boxes of 0-scale decals on the counter in front of the locomotive display cases.  I could not pass that up so I stopped and started flipping thru the decals.  Found 2 sets of New Haven McGinnis paint scheme sets.  I was delighted.

About that time this very nice employee walked over to see if I needed assistance.  Told him I found what I was looking for, etc.  He then asked me if I wasn't interested in a locomotive because they were having a good sale and there were plenty to pick from.

I noticed that after I told him I had what I needed he looked somewhat downcast.  He was a young guy and I figured he was working his way through medical school or something by working at the shop on commission.   Even though I had no intention of buying anything else he said they had 2 very beautiful MTH Leigh Valley switchers.  My mind was immediately taken back to my new industrial area that Sir John made me build and I remembered I didn't have a cool switcher to service the industries.  I actually did have some switchers but not as nice as the Leigh Valley one.   The kid said they just got it in that morning and they expected it would be sold by the afternoon, they were in that much demand.  Holy cow, I just couldn't believe my good fortune to be in PA, in this store on the very same day this sure to be scarce switcher was on sale.   I had no choice but to buy it.

The following video is the maiden run of the switcher pulling a load of coal, pipe and coils, the latter 2 creations are Sir John's creations. Take note of the 2 new black NYC Coal Hoppers mid-way in the consist. 

On hand for the inaugural run was 1:87 Double-E, Double-E's personal assistant Ms. Easystreet, 1:87 Sir John as conductor,  1:87 Sir Ralph, Sir Brian and Sir Larry.  1:87 Sir Neal was invited to be here but the battery was dead on his corporate jet and it wouldn't start.  Walmart didn't have a replacement battery so he couldn't make it.

HRC Acquires Long Island Railroad Alco

As a result of a blowout sale by my LHS the Hoschton Railway Company was able to take delivery of a brand new MTH Long Island Railroad Alco w/DCS.

The LIRR is an HRC favorite and this Alco will be a welcome addition to the HRC Fleet.  The sounds are fantastic and the smoke unit robust.  It is a good puller with some nice details.

Here she is on her maiden revenue generating run.

Operating Session on the NYCTL

Spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon operating trains on the incredible NYCTL.  As is usual John was a great host and had lined up a number of fun trains to run.  My intention was to record some of the fun but once again I got caught up in the action and only managed to grab 2 videos.  I will try harder the next time to share the fun via video.

In light of the huge increase in the demand for coal John had a string of coal hoppers that needed to be switched out.  Even better, the hoppers were driven by 2 beautiful LIRR locos.

 

I  also got to switch out most of the industries as well making some moves in the newly expanded terminal yard.   

During one of my union contracted break periods John shared his knowledge of all things Penn Central by way of his Penn Central library.  I also received an education in the various types and sizes of intermodal cars.

Speaking of intermodal the best train of the day was getting  a ringside seat to a very large string of intermodal cars making the rounds of the NYCTL.  I was so caught up in watching the fun I neglected to capture the action in a video.  

Thanks to my friend Sir John for a wonderful afternoon of trains and fun.

 

New Haven Acquisitions for the HRC

The Hoschton Railway Company took delivery of 3 New Haven EMD F3 "B' units today.    This acquisition  marks the first of many future New Haven rolling stock.   First order of business is to find 2 matching powered "A" units.  A special thanks to my friend Sir John for pointing out how much I was missing by not having any NH trains represented on the HRC. 

New Pipe and Coil loads

Seems like the NYCTL shops are working overtime these days.  Sir John worked his magic and created some great pipe and coil loads for the HRC.  They look great and fit perfectly.  Note - some of the cars pictured below are scheduled for repainting into either PC, PRR or Hoschton road names.

I think I will apply a dose of weathering to the loads so they will match up other steel loads I have. These loads will be a great addition to the Gantry Crane Facility and yet be built Steel plant located on the west side of Hoschton. Big thank you to John for the great gifts.

1st attempt adding scenic details

I started building my layout about 6 years ago.  Progress has been very slow but steady.  One aspect of building the layout that I was always looking forward to doing was adding all the scenic details.  While I have been trying to be logical in completing the layout tasks in the correct order I just couldn't wait any longer to try my hand at some scenic details.  After seeing the amazing scenic work of  Ralph on his King's Port Division and John on his NYCTL I had to jump in the water and give it a try.  I picked a small area running parallel to a mainline adding an old narrow country gravel road.

This is my first attempt of doing any scenic work but I think it came out well. Still want to add a few more items along the right of way, but I am happy with the outcome.

PC Coal Hoppers Finished

Finished up the repaint and letter of 4 Western Maryland coal hoppers into PC livery.  I picked up all 4 hoppers at our LHS.  Three of them were new old stock and the 4th was mint condition. All 4 were in the bargain bin for $13 ea. which is very cheap for a good 0-scale car.  This the same bargain bin where I found that nice PRR boxcar a couple of weeks ago.  I think these cars were in the bin because the road name not being all that popular.

Here they are stripped and primed.

Here they are painted and decaled.  This is my first attempt at weathering and I have to say it was great fun.  Being a toy train guy the thought of weathering anything was never a thought for me.  However, I became a fan after seeing John and Ralph's beautiful weathering jobs.  I can see where this could become addicting.

 

Some other projects underway is the wiring of the Transfer Table as well as a number of operating accessories in the new Industrial Complex. Also try my hand at some scenic details.  Should be able to post some photos of that  in a few days. Progress is slow but moving ahead.

Swap Meet Treasures

Last Saturday, Sir John and I headed over to the local hobby shop with pockets heavy with cash in hopes of finding some great deals and unexpected finds.  Neither of us were disappointed.

Fortunately I was quickly relieved of a portion of my heavy cash load.   Being the eagle eyed investigator that he is Sir John quickly spotted a beautiful cow and calf set of Union Pacific NW-2's.  With the huge expansion of the East Hoschton Industrial Complex it was clear to upper management  that the railroad would be woefully short of adequate switcher  power to service the complex. 

Great find (by Sir John) which will help fill in a huge gap in switcher power. Has very little run time and exterior is in mint condition. Direction control is sketchy.  I don't yet know if this has an e-unit or circuit board for direction.  Either way it is an easy fix. Additionally, this is about the fastest locomotive I have ever owned.  It has dual motors wired in parallel.  Think I will rewire them in series to slow it down. Should result in slower startup speed.

 

 Put to work immediately moving out a couple of Morton Salt Hoppers.  It is anticipated that there will be a TREMENDOUS increase in demand for Morton Salt, as evidenced by the almost certain construction of not 1 but 2  Morton Salt facilities at A.P.P.R. northern and southern facilities.

Also found a mint condition used PRR Boxcar in the bargain bin. Not sure how it made its way to the bargain bin but it now has a home.

As always it was a terrific day meeting up with John and hunting for some treasures.

Small Project on the HRC

Due to the recent expansion of the HRC Industrial Complex a number of businesses have been shuttered and abandoned in order to make way for new industries.  These old buildings have been relocated to a surplus area where it is hoped they will again find a useful purpose.

East Hoschton Industrial - Structure placement

Trackwork and industry placement has been completed on the new East Hoschton Industrial Park project.   There will be a total of 10 industries located within the park boundaries.  The West Hoschton Industrial Part will contain 3 to be determined business. All. business will be serviced by rail.

Yet to be completed is the wiring for track power, power districts, turnout and building lighting for both parks.

As a result of newly available advanced technology, senior management at HRC has authorized a new project which will incorporate the latest technologies which will completely computerize HRC operations.  This project will be done in concert with the industrial expansions. All switch operation and power district management devices will be removed from the control panel. These functions will now be accomplished via state of the art railroad operations software via an Android,  IOS tablet or phone.  In addition, this new technology will provide a host of new functionality enabling the HRC to reduce overall employee costs.

This is an overhead view of the East Hoschton Industrial Park.



One of the most important industries that relocated to Hoschton is the yet to be named Coal Transfer Station.  While HRC has been in the coal transportation business for almost 150 years, business declined rapidly after the NAFTA trade agreement was signed.  The subsequent loss of the textile industry in Northern Georgia also  wiped out the need for coal used to fuel those plants. The original coal plant was shuttered and fell into disrepair over the ensuing years.

However in April 2017, the HRC was contacted by the CEO of the NYCTL (a railroad of some distinguish)  to make a proposal to the HRC's CEO Engineer for Life Ed.  The proposal was for HRC to  partner with the NYCTL and 2 other railroads the A.P.P.R(another RR of some repute  distinguish) and world respected  King's Port Division for the purpose of delivering large amounts of coal to the Northern and Mid-Western regions on a regular basis.  After round the clock intense negotiations  HRC has signed a Letter of Intent to join this partnership.

This is a photo of the 2 partially completed structures that will comprise the Coaling operations. Work is proceeding on this plant at near dizzying speed.
 

The next plant located in the park is the brand new Morton Salt Processing  and Distribution Plant.  This plant and its entire output is dedicated solely to the North Georgia BBQ industry, an industry which requires huge amounts of salt daily in the production of their finest pulled BBQ.

In anticipation of a substantial tax relief package being bantered about in D.C. the yet to be named Culvert plant has decided to re-locate its facilities to East Hoschton from their current location in the ever diminishing  Gwinnett County industrial egion just to the south of Hoschton. Relocation was also made possible because of the many incentives offered by the Mayor to the Culvert Company. These incentives include, but are not limited to financial, daytime and evening entertainment. The evening entertainment is provided soley by the Ladies of the Evening chapter of the Greater Hoschton Benevolence Society.  Culvert Company executives have been overheard heard saying that Hoschton is indeed a very loving town.

Another large industry to locate to East Hoschton is a yet to be named lumber company.The company is comprised of multiple buildings along with a sister company Morrison's Door  Production facility.

 Another major industry  joining the Hoschton family is the Industrial Metals Recycling Center. This plant's main customer is the HRC's Road Maintenance Division.   The plants takes in large quantities of old rail and a variety of iron products used in the maintenance of the HRC's vast rail network.

The last 2 businesses  to call East Hoschton home are the Ice House and the Log loading Facility.  The logging facility will be the receiving point for the the logs culled from the vast forests of Northern Georgia.  Naturally, Southern Yellow Pine is the tree of choice demanded by customers.  The ice house's main customer is O'Grady's Pig and Whistle tavern which is a 7x24 tavern serving the unending thirst requirements of the majority of HRC employees. 

It is an exciting time of expansion for the HRC.  A special thanks to the CEO's of NYCTL, A.P.P.R and King's Port for their influence and great examples of operating railroads.   

Even though the HRC was extremely happy as a passenger railroad, I trust that converting over to an operating railroad requiring huge amounts of money, sweat, hard work, employee retraining, stock acquisition, track realignments, new and revised wiring, additional employees, structures and support facilities will be as much as rewarding and fulfilling as the very old and happy HRC passenger lines were.

Major redevelopment for East Hoschton area

As part of the ongoing expansion of HRC's industrial business, the Greater Hoschton Redevelopment Corporation(GHRC) has announced the start of work on what will be called the East Hoschton Industrial Complex.  This complex will contain a variety of new industrial plants and businesses, all of which will be serviced by the HRC with an anticipated completion date of early summer 2017.

Note - The HRC has been operating without interruption since around the same time that little disagreement between the North and South took place.  The sole  mission of the HRC was to provide passenger service to the North Georgia territory, with excursion trains up thru the Blue Ridge Mts.  They have been quite successful adhering to that mission.

However, in early 2015, HRC was under intense competitive pressure from 3 unnamed  railroads to diversify business into freight operations in order to survive.  Begrudgingly the Supreme Engineer for Life of RHC authorized immediate design and construction of new rail service extending into a large industrial complex being developed in East Hoschton.

This is what the new industrial  area looked liked before the start of construction. As you can see East Hoschton was a thriving bustling center of activity frequented by many happy Hoschtonites prior to redevelopment. 

This just released photo shows East Hoschton completely demolished and now shovel ready for the new Industrial Complex.

CEO Supreme Engineer for Life Ed, CFO Mrs Ed along with their children Spikey and Ashly as they view the recently cleared East Hoschton Complex.

HRC and Hoschton planners are currently finalizing a plan for the location of each industry in the complex.  Actual placement of the industries will begin in the next few days

Complex Industries

Morton Salt Plant.

Coaling Station and loader (unnamed)

Logging Transfer Station (unnamed)

Lumber Yard under construction (unnamed)

Culvert Load/Unloading Facility

Morrison's Door Factory

Ice Plant

Millwork Shop