The End of 2019 is Upon Us!

Well 2019 is almost over and it's damn cold outside, the ding-dang wind is howling and somebody shared their blasted head-cold with yours truly. Thanks for that kindness!

Only reason I'm even writing this is that the USPS person brought a box from New York City for the Arizona Southern to fondle. In it were 2 InterMountain peaked roof high cube boxcars, one SP and one SSW. They were ordered many months ago and slated for year end delivery, so at least the manufacturing sectors deliveries are mostly back on track it seems after the big snafu of months past.

Click on image for larger version.

Click on image for larger version.

The only other new freight car to come our way came from a friend's private collection, something he was thinning out and I figured it would be a good fit on the AZSO. This one is an Athearn Genesis car.

None of the 3 new cars have been to our shops yet, I can see some tweaks are in order.

Thanks for reading this far, have a safe and happy 2020! 

Enjoy Your Trains!

John Huey

70 Ton 2 Bay Covered Hoppers

One thing I've been accused of many times is not knowing when to stop. Such is the case with arguably my favorite freight car, the 70 ton capacity 2 bay covered hopper commonly found in cement service all over the USA. SP ran unit trains of these cars, or at least sizable blocks of them in and amongst other manifest train consists. Having one customer who'd regularly receive a dozen or more of these little cars just a few blocks from home helped pique my interest in these, and the place being closed on weekends allowed my curios self unobstructed access to check these cars out and take notes.

All the cars were lettered either Southern Pacific or Cotton Belt and this made my decision to model this service an easy one. That and the fact that the SP could never decide on a single lettering scheme until late in the life of this equipment, made for an even more interesting situation to model. As the fleet of these cars aged more and more, variations due to abuse, neglect, and their ever present contact with cement powder caused a situation where barely any two cars ever looked the same, perfect for my needs; like the train was tailor made for my eclectic tastes.

An example of one style of this lettering, the billboard style, is presented here. Definitely the giant bold letters caught my eye from first sight. It seemed that even when the cars lettered thusly were quite dirty, reading the name and data was still reasonably easy to accomplish compared to some of the other lettering schemes.

The weathering of these cars was quite enjoyable, most offering a unique challenge.

Both sides have been treated similarly, but the differences are obvious, just as on the prototype.

A slightly elevated view gives one a better shot of the roof treatment, no two ever being the same.

Probably one of the most interesting services on the Southern Pacific so it naturally came over with me when my modeling prototype switched to the all Alco, Arizona Southern. AZSO even mimicked SP's lettering on their own 70 ton cars for the most part, sure a few got unique treatments but most were fairly plain black lettering on a mundane gray car. 

The car variety here on the AZSO is even more varied than on the SP. We not only get cars from SP/SSW as always, but Santa Fe, NdeM, FCP, not to mention a few private owner cement companies which are also regular visitors as well.

That's all for now, thanks for dropping by. Leave a comment or just say hi if the mood strikes.

Enjoy Your Trains,

John Huey

Arizona Southern RR

Just In Case We're All Still Here Next Year...

Wow, it's November 1st and things are still in chaos. There were power outages and fires all around Simi Valley in October and a few still are active but burning away from town. We all hope and pray that these winds and dry conditions will go away soon. 

Throwing caution to the wind the AZSO just ordered a few cars from Moloco. I know, not our usual fare, but these cars are a specific SP car that is way beyond my ability (or desire) to build. Factoring the amount of work involved in making one of these, let alone a few, the cost seems almost reasonable and Moloco cars look like artwork. The car style in question is shown here:

Click on image to see it larger.

SP classed these cars as B-70-10 and they began to appear in the early to mid 1960's and are still in use on the Arizona Southern's time line here in the mid to late 1970's. Sure they look like any other plug door car until you see them beside a car with centered doors; and since I'm not getting any younger I feel that treating the roster to a few nice cars is not a problem. I can't recommend Moloco cars enough, basically they are ready to run for the rivet counter crowd yet have a sturdy nature compared to some other products on the market.

You can see what's available now and what's coming in 2020 here: 

https://www.molocotrains.com/

On The Modeling Front

The only other news is that we got to dust off and photograph some of our truck models in case we had to flee the fires. Thankfully that never happened here, but it pains us to think of those who lost so much. A few images of some of the truck fleet follow. All were taken behind a local motel while the drivers were keeping up with hours of service rules, or so we like to think.

That's all for now, thanks for dropping by. Leave a comment or just say hi if the mood strikes.

Enjoy Your Trains,

John Huey

Arizona Southern RR

Packing Things Away -- Time To Get Busy!

Hello there,

Been busy getting things sorted out in the railroad room. Sometimes the fun has to end and the hard things need to get done or nothing will ever be accomplished. Case in point are getting a zillion or so new cars, most still in their boxes, stacked out of the way so the rebuilding can become serious. A friend gave me a few boxes which I have since filled up, and since the size was about perfect I just ordered a bunch more to finish the job. Not only freight cars and power are getting boxed up, so are structure kits and all the other minutia that has been collecting here for the past many years.

Of course this has its own dangers and pit falls, I mean some of this train stuff has not seen the light of day in so long that upon opening certain boxes it feels like Christmas morning when I was a kid. That in itself brings on a walk down memory lane of it's own, none of which is helpful to getting the tasks at hand completed. 

Not only all this, but then I realize I have not updated this blog in over a month and then this too joins the project fracas fighting for my dwindling attention span.

Here we are in September and not a lot got done over the summer. Well I did build some kits and paint some cars, all good things for my mental health, but the BIG job is still in the corner just starring back at me. The new layout needs getting going. The tracking on the boxes I ordered say they will be here in a day or so. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the stuff packed and stacked and get space to start doing what needs doing. Wish me well.

Thanks for reading, reply if the mood strikes,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR

Searching For A Caboose

Back in March of 2018 the Arizona Southern decided to create a standard steel caboose design. We had settled on some used bay window cars acquired from Southern Pacific. The painting and other work was not a priority so only got done as time allowed between more pressing projects. The first of the two planned cars has finally hit the rails and is presented here.

Arizona Southern 6033, seen here fresh from the shop, well sort of.

A few shortcuts were taken and this is where we wound up. Most of the real work was in extending the roof overhang to something a bit closer to reality. I never used to notice this, but now I see it almost instantly on non corrected Athearn caboose models. I'm just happy that most of the other dimensions are a lot closer to what they need to be, otherwise we'd still be looking for a "modern" caboose car style. Really did not want to go with a wide vision after hearing all the Santa Fe rails complain about the ride and the noise. So some used C-40-4's are what was needed.

Thanks for reading this far. Comment or write back should the mood strike, and as always, Enjoy Your Trains.

John Huey

Boxcars, Boxcars, and more Boxcars...

The backlog of boxcars needing finishing seems to keep growing. New needs keep popping up other than just general service. Copper ingots and copper anodes being among the newest equipment needs on the railroad. The discovery of high grade copper ore between Siete Madres and Borachon has meant a big increase in copper ingots and anodes heading east for further refining and Arizona Southern is returning to service a number of older boxcars once they have been upgraded to meet the demands of this service.

More insulated plug door boxcars are entering service as well, these find a home in food service as well as many other products where the climate of a reefer is not required, but a cleaner environment is still desired. One of these plug door cars is seen here being moved from the paint shop by borrowed motive power. This is a vented car to help with equalizing pressures when opening.

Here's a broadside shot of the newer graphics seen on all the post 1975 painted equipment.

The need for updated equipment never seems to end. As long as a need exists, this railroad intends to meet that need.

A Side Note:
If you look at Arizona Southern equipment over the decades, you'll note more than one "hue" of boxcar red in use. Not only do manufacturers and suppliers change up formulas, but we at the AZSO also buy up surplus paints from other railroads. Sometimes to finish a project we mix more than one paint brand to have enough to finish painting everything. It's called being frugal.


Write or comment if the mood strikes,


John Huey

Transfers of Interest

Most of the time transfer power is fairly mundane, a collection of whatever the transferring railroad has available. On the SP it's frequently some SD39's or a SD45 variant. Santa Fe uses a CF7 with a GP7 much of the time although they too have their moments, even the odd F Unit may show up.

Our trading partners to the south though, frequently show up with something a bit more unusual. Case in point was one transfer last week where a FCP C628 and NdeM GP35 were in charge of the transfer run; pretty unique set as the GP35 was one of the rare high hood units. A photo follows:

So as in real life, variety is the spice that keeps things interesting, and this translates into our models too. Same old place, same old thing is never as cool as, Hey look at that!

Another transfer, one from the Southern Pacific can be seen below, it features a pair of SD39's doing the heavy lifting:

One SW1500 does it all on a very light day.

Oh, and we can't forget our own power on transfer runs, so here we see some of that.

Don't be too judgmental of my AZSO power, 99% of it was built and painted back in the late 1980's from what was available. Much of what I use for the railroad is in that same boat. The funds to upgrade just never happened and I'm content with the models as they are.

Well, that's all for now, just wanted to add a little text so if anybody is watching they will know I'm still out and about.

As always, thanks for reading this far and please, Enjoy Your Trains!

Write or comment if the mood strikes,

John Huey

Another Mexican Restaurant

Well, looks like the urban renewal in one of the sleepy little towns served by the Arizona Southern is having a tiny growth spurt down near the tracks. The little cantina has a new owner and seems the family is resurrecting the old eatery next door and turning it into a mexican restaurant. I think their idea is to have a shaded patio area between the two establishments where patrons of either place can mingle. The way I see things, it sounds like a great idea and should be popular when the yard crews and the local shop crew get off in the evening. That and the liquor licence is grandfathered in with the cantina so two birds are getting handled at the same time.

This quick photo is actually stolen from the FOS Scale Models website as I just ordered the kit tonight after selling another item unexpectedly on eBay. This kit is from 2005 and the quantity is limited so I thought I should pick it up before I'm sorry I did not.

I emailed the company and they told me that facade is laser cut wood and they include a coating to make all that look like plaster. It sorta gives one an old Taco Bell vibe without building something that really would not fit in with the 'flavor' of the small town. I get the feeling a small diorama is in my future, something that can just be added to the town across the road from the railroad yard.


August 10th Update:

Took a few pics of the structure as far as I've been able to get is so far. I have not added the major signage yet, that will happen when the building gets a permanent home on the new layout. For now we just have the 4 painted walls and a few details up on the roof; the rest will have to wait.

Put in a metal plate to help protect the wood siding from that tall exhaust pipe.

We did want the mural to look a little fresher than on the kits directions;
this will be an operating business.

Added a swamp cooler to the roof and window shade to the restroom window.

Old Railfanning Memories and Models

Whilst cruising along the Arizona Southern right of way, heading for Siete Madres and a meeting of the minds at the engine shop, I spied this Granite Rock covered hopper awaiting its turn to be loaded at a local cement factory. Well, reality has it that it was painted by my good friend, the late Dennis Docken of Downey, Pacific, and Western fame. We went nuts when E&B Valley introduced these 70 ton covered hopper kits and each built quite a few. Finally something other than the MDC car or brass was available in HO Scale. We were in modeler heaven, but nothing lasts forever.

The E&B Valley kit was a flat kit, you glued everything together, walls, slope sheets, etc.

My friend has been gone over twenty years now and I still miss the hell out of him and our times spent together. We used to railfan L.A. to West Colton all of the time, and he knew all the good places to get pictures. We'd spend Saturdays doing the L.A. yard tour scene and then when it got too dark for pictures we'd head back to his place and run trains on their amazing layout. One of Denny's favorite projects was his live load rock train. He had a working loader at one end of the railroad and the dumper at the other and his cars all had working metal gates. The outfit was called GRANITE ROCK, as back then you pretty much took what was available decal-wise, and Dennis loved decalling his own stuff. The rock cars were lettered for L.G. Everest Inc., if I remember properly. I think Walthers made those decals, they looked nothing like todays railroad, but this was the late 1970's and very early 80's.

What I would not give to go back to those days, even just for a few hours. Take my digital SLR with me and shoot the layout like it deserved and maybe bebop down to Taylor Yard and fill a few memory cards before returning to the lonely here and now. Film was expensive back in the day, and for me money was tight; one had to pick their poison carefully. Trains kept me from doing more crazy things, so for that I am grateful.

That's all for now, write back if you'd like, and as always; Enjoy Your Trains!

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR

Another Color Layer Added To The Downtown Deco Cantina

Well, it's still February and we just got the sun back today after a long run of rain and dark clouds. In the meantime I managed to add mortar lines to the no name Cantina kit. The owner at Downtown Deco made the suggestion, and instead of the chalk powder he mentioned, I used my old standby mortar paint mix which has kept well for several years now. It still works as good as always and that's good news.

The first side...

...the other side.

Finally, the roof at a little better angle.

Still more to do, but each step adds another layer of color and texture. Still looking for a proper 1960's era swamp cooler for the roof; not much out there right now though. A possible candidate is in the mail and should be here next week.

Just started sanding and painting the front steps. Those need a bit of fitting to rest flush against the foundation, so material has to be removed on the building as well as the step casting. Always check fit "all" parts before painting. On the plus side small touch ups on hydrocal is super easy.


LATE BREAKING NEWS:
Seems that the cantina is changing hands in the next few days and rumor has it that the new owner actually wants to name the place. We will be watching to see what transpires.

UPDATE MAY 2019:
The Cantina is now Lupe's Place and they now serve pulque as well as mescal and tequila.

Thanks for reading this far and feel free to comment or just say hello should the mood strike.


Enjoy Your Trains,

John Huey

In Search of Urban Blight!

Well I suppose the term urban does not fit in any of the towns served by the Arizona Southern. Most of the towns are remote and a haven for all sorts of folks who do not crave crowded city streets. There is small town America, and then there is small town south east Arizona, and what I'm modeling is something devoid of much of what most folks crave. Citizens are on their own out here and take care of business the old fashioned way much of the time. Interesting to say the least.

One such point of interest is the little cantina that was built a long time ago and somehow keeps from falling down. It's not very big, but a pergola is planned for the back with a few tables outside under the cover. I think a taco truck might even park here after things start to cool off; serving customers some real homemade Mexican food late into the evenings.

The base diorama is still in the thinking about it stages. Once I figure out what will actually be on it, construction can begin.

Painting and weathering these hydrocal kits can be quite therapeutic, relaxing even. I for one look forward to building others once space becomes available. The tar paper roof was another detail that was easy to make yet looks like you really fussed over it.

Downtown Deco kits definitely will be in the city planners thoughts as time for buildings gets closer. Very nice kits and not too costly either.

Thanks for reading this far, leave us a note should the mood strike you.

John Huey

Arizona Southern RR

January 2019 stuff...

Well, we've made it to 2019 and did not have to do much breakage to get to this point. What we did do was reach at least one decision, the Arizona Southern will now have at least two locations that will be getting regular deliveries of coal. One a cement plant and the other a copper smelter. Coal, at least in sizeable carloadings is a new concept for us and should work nicely into the planned operations scheme.

We have a number of coal hoppers, mainly MDC, gifted us by the Downey Pacific and Western. When Richard, Gerry, and Dennis upgraded their D&RGW coal fleet, the older 70 ton cars seemed to drift in my direction at prices too low to argue over. Dennis painted some for the AZSO and gifted them to me and these I will be using as well as the D&RGW cars in this service.

Plus a couple of others seemed to find their way here as well.

Looks like an importer of fine Mexican Cuisine will also be joining the AZSO family, more news on this as it develops.

That's all for now, drop a line if the mood strikes you, but most of all; Enjoy Your Trains!