Framed

Welcome to March - I hope Spring is on the tracks ahead.

This week saw a major advancement in the Train Room. First, continuing the final touches on the hallway log cabin, I cut some large decorative log pieces "manually", and treated them with bleach to prep them for permanent display. I measured and cut the border molding and shelf piece for the faux fireplace too. My wife started staining the boards I cut the previous week for Craft Room shelving project. I purchased the majority of wiring for the train set as well. I will be using 10-gauge stranded wire for the main runs, and smaller gauge for the "short lines" to lighting and accessories. So the big milestone is that I cut all of the 2x4s for the train table frame, and completed their assembly over the weekend. It will be able to support the trains, and also myself, as construction goes on. I used one of Lionel's current display layouts as an example when planning the under-structure. It is basically made of 4 walls, attached to create a rectangle, and topped with support beams for the table top. On two of the walls, I placed the studs so I could easily get in and out, along with the many storage boxes and tubs which will reside under the table. That is the primary reason the table is so tall: storage. My two storage closets are basically full, and there are a lot more trains headed this way from my folks' house in Illinois. When finished, the top of the table will be a whopping 52" above the floor. And yes, of course I will be building platforms and steps so our shorter friends and family can see and enjoy the layout too :) I'm thinking about building step pieces similar to what the railroads used to help passengers board and exit their trains. But that will be a bit further down the track... Last night I installed some diagonal braces along the train table frame studs to give it a bit more sturdiness. 

For the twelfth future passenger train discussion, we'll head back north for The Olympian Hiawatha.

In my earlier years of model railroading, I was quite against acquiring any Milwaukee Road equipment, as this would be in direct competition to my existing fleet of Chicago & North Western trains. My sense of rivalry between these two now-defunct railroads has mellowed over the years, and I now welcome a bit of competition in my empire. The Milwaukee Road, and even this specific passenger train, used a big variety of unique and visually striking motive power on their lines from Wisconsin to Washington. The Olympian Hiawatha began service in 1947 (its predecessor starting in 1909) and ran from Chicago to the Twin Cities, and across the Dakota Territory to Harlowton, MT. Harlowton is an otherwise unsuspecting town just east of the Castle Mountains, but its location made it a very important place. Here the train's steam or diesel locomotives would be traded for electric locomotives for the next leg of the journey. The Milwaukee had one of the largest electric divisions of American railroads. I've spent a bit of time in Harlowton, performing some railroad archeology, and tracing some of the same steps as the mighty Hiawathas. In one of their parks, they display a MR boxcab locomotive. Of the Road's many electric units, I fancy the L-5 "Little Joe" the best, and hope to one day add one to my roster. In the realm of steam, the F7 Hudson is the one I would pick for my line, to race with the C&NW E-4. The Milwaukee Road used interesting passenger equipment as well, with some of the most unique being the Otto Kuhler-designed "beaver tail" observation cars. What a treat it would have been to ride in one or see it rushing across the Montana plains or climbing the mountains! For the train layout of the future, I'm looking for a specific version of the Olympian. This set would feature the orange and maroon color scheme, pulled by the F7 over the prairie and the Little Joe up over the Roosevelt Range. Keep those rails shiny this week ~

Before...

...and After!

The Milwaukee Road F7 Hudson

The Milwaukee Road "Little Joe" Electric