Author Archives: Dan Bourque

How To Make Fresh Coal Loads for Model Hoppers

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Finished fresh coal loads

When most people think of “coal loads,” they probably picture the slightly mounded loads of coal perhaps barely visible above the sides of a hopper or gondola on a passing coal train, but this is far different from what these loads look like at the origin. We usually see them after they’ve settled for many miles, but at their source, coal loads are much taller, and depending on the loader type, they come in some very interesting shapes (see ARRM’s article on coal loads here). I model the ’60s and ’70s when most loaders were variations of simple “truck dumps.” Most truck dumps had a fixed chute, and they would run the car under the chute a little at … Read more →

Easy Mountain Scenery for Appalachian Layouts

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Easy Mountain Scenery

At some point, nearly all Appalachian railroad modelers need to deal with creating flowing hills and valleys for their layouts. I use a method I adapted from Howard Zane’s “Paper Shell” scenery he detailed in the January 2007 Railroad Model Craftsman, and I couldn’t be happier with how easy, flexible, cheap and good looking this method is for creating basic scenery forms. My layout is open grid benchwork with cookie cutter sub-roadbed which is great for this kind of scenery, but it would also work for any open benchwork method (e.g., L-girder, spline sub-roadbed, etc.) where there’s some backdrop and fascia to frame the scene.

Tools needed:

  • Scissors
  • Utility knife
  • Straightedge
  • Hot glue gun
  • Plastic putty knife
  • Old washcloth

    • … Read more →

Modeling a 2-Bay Short-Taper Offset Hopper in HO Scale

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CG 55T Offset 14

HO-scale modelers are blessed with a lot of coal hopper models and kits to work with. One fairly common car that’s still tough to model is a 2-bay short-taper offset hopper. This car is distinct because of the smaller and more steep angles in the side sheets to get from the inside of the car to outside the ribs and the three thick rivet strips at the ends and center. This car was also longer than most 2-bay cars at 34′ versus the 33′ of a more common offset. Most people would be content to just use a 33′ car (and I don’t issue any judgment here), but I’m kind of a hopper nut, so…

Athearn made an old blue-box … Read more →

Weathering an Old Coal Hopper

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MON 50T hoppers HO scale

(Note: for a more complete, step-by-step process, read ARRM’s more recent article on weathering coal hoppers as well)

Coal hoppers endure some heavy use and exposure to the elements. The loading process and constant scraping of coal on the slope sheets and sides during unloading quickly wears these cars down and produces some neat weathering that begs to be modeled. Younger steel cars tend to show bare metal slick spots, especially on the slope sheets. These metal spots tend to show a bit of rust around the edges, but over time, the whole interior can turn to rust that continually regenerates through the loading and unloading process. Here’s my process for detailing and weathering old “rust bucket” hoppers using a … Read more →

N&W Pocahontas Main, WV track plan O

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N&W Pocahontas Main, WV O scale track plan
  • Size: 13′ x 46 ′
  • Scale: O
  • Minimum Radius: 56″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 36″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

N&W Logo (Tuscan)The N&W’s Pocahontas Division Mainline was the heart of the N&W. The double-track main cut through the mountains of the West Virginia coal fields with branch lines of various sizes plying the hollers and feeding an endless string of coal hoppers to the main. As the N&W’s main east-west artery, the “Pokey” main also hosted numerous non-coal freights and the N&W’s hottest passenger trains. Add in dozens of tunnels and bridges, small mountain towns and some company towns, and you’ve got the makings of a great model railroad … Read more →

BN Marias Pass, MT track plan HO

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BN Marias Pass - Lower HO scale track plan by Dan Bourque
  • Size: 18′ x 26′
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 28″ 
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 26″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This track plan is FAR from the Appalachians, but it captures an iconic piece of mountain railroading, the Burlington Northern’s route over the continental divide via the former Great Northern’s Marias Pass line across the Rockies near Glacier National Park, Montana. This route, the northernmost rail crossing of the continental divide in the US, is known for its snow sheds and incredible glacier-carved backdrops making it the perfect route for Amtrak’s “Empire Builder.”

The Layout

This track plan is designed to fit into a moderate-size basement complete with utility spaces and support poles. This is 50+ miles of railroad on the … Read more →

TC Coal Fields, TN track plan N

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TC Coal Fields, TN N-Scale Track Plan - Lower
  • Size: 14′ x 17′
  • Scale: N
  • Minimum Radius: 15″ (18″ on mainline)
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

This is the first significant “Tennessee Central” content of any kind on Appalachian Railroad Modeling, but I doubt it will be the last. The aptly named Tennessee Central (TC for short) reached from southwestern Kentucky through Nashville to east Tennessee, and coal was one of the major commodities generated on the line. In the diesel era, the TC hauled short trains including lots of coal over lots of wooden trestles with a range of Alco locomotives in an attractive maroon and cream (later black and white) paint scheme–what’s not to love? This layout captures the heart of the … Read more →

WM Chaffee Branch, MD track plan HO

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WM Chaffee Branch, MD HO scale track plan
  • Size: 12′ x 16′ 
  • Scale: HO
  • Minimum Radius: 27″
  • Minimum Aisle Width: 30″
  • Designed by Dan Bourque

WM LogoThe Western Maryland’s Chaffee Branch was an insane piece of railroad with grades so steep it took the second largest shay locomotive ever built to operate the branch. The WM’s shay No 6 is both the biggest on the WM and the last built by Lima in 1945. Operationally it only lasted for 5 years as the steepest parts of the Chaffee Branch for which it was built ceased operation in 1950 when the mine at Vindex, MD closed. Thankfully, this … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Digital Fast Clock

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A couple weeks ago, I added the “Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock.” Since then, I’ve created a digital version in Microsoft PowerPoint for those interested. It’s ultimately simpler than the analog version because it’s all text, but it works in essentially the same manner. You can change the fast clock ratio by adjusting the transition time between slides (instructions included), and you customize the appearance as much as you like by changing the colors, size, fonts, etc. in the “Slide Master” templates. For the calendar version, you can easily … Read more →

Poor Man’s Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

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Poor Man's Model Railroad Analog Fast Clock

Many who build a layout aspire to realistic operations with their trains. One of the staples for realistic operation is a “fast clock” that displays time at faster-than-real-life speed so that a “model day” takes less than 24 hours. The fast clock is usually expressed as a ratio where the first number indicates how much faster the clock will run compared to actual time. For example, 2:1 indicates a 24-hour model day will take 12 hours (30 actual minutes per modeled hour); 6:1 indicates a 24-hour day will take 4 hours (10 actual minutes per modeled hour). The ratio is usually driven by how compressed the layout is and how long it takes to do the work, but 6:1 is … Read more →