Well another month has gone by with little new activity on the layout. However early in the month I did reassemble the brass PRR B6sb I was working on and I also completed a couple of "Rust & Dust" projects, two things that I mentioned at the end of last month's post. Pictured below are photos of B6sb #113, which still needs some details added, and an abandoned truck that was given the "Rust & Dust" treatment.
During the month of June we added a new patio at the back of the house. Most of my project time was involved in this addition. Although the grunt work was completed by a local contractor, I did all of the prep work, wiring and final set-up. This project kept me out of the train room a good bit of the month. The new patio abuts my G gauge garden layout, allowing me to run trains while sitting on the patio. So I guess that counts some for model railroading work!
For the rest of this month's post I would like to look back at Red Mountain, the feature that gave the railroad it's name and became the railroad's logo. The Red Mountain Railroad came into existence during 1964, starting as a 4' X 8' layout with no topographical features. Within the first year I made the decision to construct Red Mountain. I envisioned it as a huge floor to ceiling mountain, mimicking the mountains on John Allen's famous Gorre & Daphetid railroad. Considering that my railroad was supposed to be an eastern railroad, the mountain was really out of place. The mountain was constructed of chicken wire covered with paper mache. I coated the paper mache with a thin coating of plaster, which allowed me to carve crude rock outcroppings. Here's a photo of the mountain as I just started to paint it (it was painted light brown, not red).
For the rest of this month's post I would like to look back at Red Mountain, the feature that gave the railroad it's name and became the railroad's logo. The Red Mountain Railroad came into existence during 1964, starting as a 4' X 8' layout with no topographical features. Within the first year I made the decision to construct Red Mountain. I envisioned it as a huge floor to ceiling mountain, mimicking the mountains on John Allen's famous Gorre & Daphetid railroad. Considering that my railroad was supposed to be an eastern railroad, the mountain was really out of place. The mountain was constructed of chicken wire covered with paper mache. I coated the paper mache with a thin coating of plaster, which allowed me to carve crude rock outcroppings. Here's a photo of the mountain as I just started to paint it (it was painted light brown, not red).
After the mountain was completed it was too big to photograph completely, but here's a photo that gives you an idea of how tall it really was. The ceiling in my basement was a full eight feet and the mountain went from the floor to within inches of the ceiling. It was a true monstrosity, in every sense of the word!
As you can see, it really was an ugly mountain and it didn't last long. By 1966 trains no longer ran through the mountain, it was disconnected from the main layout and was soon torn down. But here are two more photos of the mountain when it did exist.
Although Red Mountain was short lived and long gone, it is remembered in the railroad's logo, which I proudly wear frequently!
See you next month!