Description

by Noll Horan

As usual, I build modules after scratch-building something, in this case, my Western Maryland Shay, that big ole honker, Number 6, which was built from various parts I had laying around.  This engine is self-powered by a Tomix Industrial Diesel mechanism.

But - back to the module.  I had planned on just having a coal transfer facility so the shay could pull a string of Western Maryland hoppers out from the facility onto the standard NTRAK Blue Line.  This sounded simple enough, as I had already built the coal transfer building as well...  But Nooo, Jim Labaugh had to start talking this narrow gauge <deleted>, which completely changed the simple POFF I had envisioned.  I had been completely morphed into thinking Nn3, and "The Broad Top Transfer" was the result.

I still wanted to use the WM Shay so I figured why not have a fictional link between the Western Maryland and the East Broad Top.  The East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Co. would bring coal in on their narrow gauge trackage to a coal transfer building on an upper level.  The EBT would unload these hoppers (by gravity - cheaper that way) into the transfer which would act as a holding building for the much sought-after EBT coal.  The WM would have their standard gauge tracks beneath the transfer where the coal would be loaded into their hoppers for transport by WM #6 out onto the mainline.

There you have the theory for the module.  I wanted to have it finished for last year's uNconventioN in Richmond last August.  Plenty of time, I thought, three months to build this sucker.  Jim and I got together late in May to discuss plans for two connecting Nn3 modules.  Track was finally put down and tested by early June.  But someone forgot to tell me that the grade from the EBT tracks leading down to the transfer was about a 38 degree grade!  Not a good thing...

So - I had to lower the whole narrow gauge level which was at eight inches above the standard mains.  I cut down everything about one inch to get the incline to look somewhat decent.  After doing this and retesting the tracks to make sure everything ran OK, it was scenery time.

As I said, the narrow gauge loop is between seven and eight inches high.  I wanted to have bridges (there are eight), water (all my modules have water), and an overall appearance of purpose for standard and narrow gauge on the same module.  Scenery-building went fast using pink foam, carved and covered with plaster cloth.  Then, the cloth was painted an earth color, sprinkled with dyed sawdust, then covered with ground foam - the usual techniques.  On some areas I used Sculptamold, mixing into it acrylic paint to get the color I wanted as a base, in order to sift Pennsylvania red clay/dirt onto it.  This way there wouldn't be tan showing through but rather the same shade of under color to match the reddish dirt.   Sculptamold is a really good medium to work with.  You have plenty of time o work it, it takes paint well, and you can mix in other textures such as sand, dirt, and sawdust.  It can easily be carved and, most important, it is light-weight.

I used two different rock molds from Woodland Scenics plus my own for all the rock castings.  I just turned them at different angles to give the illusion of many more were used than actually were...  Where two castings would meet, I filled the joints with the plaster mixture to blend them together.  I always use Plaster of Paris; Hydrocal sets up too quickly for me.  Plus, plaster seems to carve easier.  Always mix India ink in with the plaster or Hydrocal.  This way, if it gets chipped, just the grey plaster shows through, not some stark, snow-white area that you can never cover up no matter how much you try to blend in with paints, inks, dyes, or cover with clump foliage!

Finally I came to the gorge area where water was to be.  This area was built up using foam to anywhere from eight to eleven inches high.   It, too, was covered with plaster cloth and rock castings.  I kept spraying the castings with the ink mixture and tan paint until I had the shades and shadows I wanted. When this area was what I kinda wanted, I filled in spots with ground foam, dirt, plaster, and whatever I had.

Then came time for the water.  I always use Enviro-tex - I always have and I always will.  As I said, all of my modules have and will have some sort of body of water on them.  Broad Top Transfer was to be no different.  Only, I have always used Enviro-tex on areas I could get to, not eleven inches down a crevasse.  As any one who has used the stuff knows, Enviro-tex is rather dense and doesn't "run", except for creeping up on the sides of the area you are doing.  I found that out on the Port Sara module, under the pier.

After covering the river bed with a plaster cloth, sealing it with a plaster mixture, painting it a blue-green color, feathering the banks with the tan paint, and letting it thoroughly dry, I was ready to "pour".  I mixed up what I thought to be the right amount of Enviro-tex  and was all set to pur when I realized "How the <deleted> do I get this stuff down there to the riverbed without getting it all over the rock castings???"  Frantically, with the "water" beginning to set, I tore apart the kitchen drawers where I found a heavy-duty straw from one of those sports bottles.  I had to dribble the Enviro-tex down the straw with a spoon where it began to spread down and out on the riverbed.  It took awhile but I didn't ruin any of the castings or gorge scenery with the epoxy.  After prodding and probing, the "water" found its own level.  I immediately covered the river area with newspaper so no dust would attach itself to the setting mixture.

I usually don't even attempt to disturb the newspapers for 72 hours, but this was Tuesday night, er - Wednesday morning and we were leaving for Richmond on Friday!  So, after less than 48 hours, I uncovered everything because I still had three tracks of mainline to put down.  I'd had to wait to do this because there were to be four bridges crossing water via the mains, but I needed this space to work the Enviro-tex .  A lesson learned - don't let Jim Labaugh start talkin' trash to you...

The module went down to Richmond more-or-less (more of less) complete, with the exception of ballast.  That wasn't done until two days before the NMRA MER convention in Hagerstown in October.

That's a general description of Broad Top Transfer.  I only touched on several areas of its construction.  More can be written about the narrow gauge part of it, like blood stains on the foam board, track laying, grades, etc., but they can be discussed in future installments of Along the High Line Route .

Broad Top Transfer was quite a challenge and burned me out for some time.  Just the scenery itself was no party, but to project a module with a purpose was the most challenging yet rewarding part of the effort.  I think I captured the co-existence of narrow gauge along with standard gauge railroading in a space of 4 feet by 30 inches in a world we call NTRAK.

I would like to thank CVS Pharmacy for their sports bottle giveaway a few years back.