Nature's Wonderland, Teddy Roosevelt and the Thunder Mesa Mining Co.

Today, the Thunder Mesa Mining Co. still offers excursions aboard vintage steam trains through Nature's Wonderland National Monument. Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, this national treasure has been preserved for the enjoyment of all since 1906.

In the late summer of 1906, tensions were high in Thunder Mesa Country. Mining revenues were down, and the TMMC, and its parent road, the Santa Fe, Denver & Carolwood began pushing into new territories, including those controlled by the Estrella & Sonora Grande and Calico Gold Company. Naturally, the other companies pushed back, and by August, the battle over gold and silver claims in this wild canyon country had escalated to a fever pitch. It didn't take long for rival newspapers and political gangs to get in on the fight and soon they were tossing incendiary lies and insults in all directions. Before long it was greatly feared that conditions would deteriorate into physical violence. Armed toughs from Calico and banditos from San Lorenzo were quietly being recruited by both sides and an all out range war seemed imminent.

Diminutive but dangerous, the notorious Pequeño Brothers arrive in Thunder Mesa to fight as mercenaries on behalf of the railroad. A railroad that, ironically, they had been suspected of robbing in years passed.

From the border country down south came El Puerco and his gang of bandits, ready to shed blood on behalf of the E&SG.

By the fall, none other than the President himself was preparing to intervene in the fracas. Traveling by private rail car, Theodore Roosevelt just happened to be on a secret hunting trip along the fertile bottomlands of Big Thunder Creek when he was briefed on the ensuing hostilities. After quietly surveying the natural wonders of the area (and shooting a dozen elk, two bears, a catamount, a duck, two armadillo, six coyotes, and three chipmunks), our 26th president made his presence known (as the story goes, he announced his presence by shooting a shot glass off the nose of the buffalo head in Big Thunder Saloon). He called a meeting of all aggrieved parties in what came to be known as the "Council of Calico." As it turned out, the President had been thoroughly delighted by the amazing buttes, canyons, geysers, and glittering caverns of Thunder Mesa Country and had concluded that the region deserved to be protected and preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.

"Providence," he said, "has been at work upon this land for untold ages. For here has been gathered an unmatched collection of natural curiosities and splendid scenic wonders. Verily, this "Nature's Wonderland" is an irreplaceable treasure of the United States and must be protected from the greed and petty concerns of short-sighted men."

Then, by presidential decree, he set aside the wild country on all sides of the TMMC right-of-way, excepting only existing claims, and effectively hemming-in the land hungry railroad. Invoking the newly minted Antiquities Act, and with the stroke of a pen, TR created Nature's Wonderland National Monument.

It is believed that TMMC founder, Elias Homage, first coined the term "Nature's Wonderland" to describe the unique wild country near Thunder Mesa, but it is generally agreed by historians that our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, was the one most responsible for popularizing the region in the public imagination.

Of course, the railroads grumbled at first, but it soon became clear that the official designation and endorsement of the President himself would be a boon to the area. By 1905, the writing was on the wall as once rich finds at Calico and Big Thunder began to play out. This, in turn, had lead to the mining company's overreach into new territories already controlled by the Calico Gold Co. and Estrella & Sonora Grande. The "Roosevelt Solution" effectively put an end to the conflict while creating a rich new revenue stream for the TMMC.

TMMC management wasted no time in promoting tourism within the new monument as new excursion trains were quickly added to the schedule. Old ore gondolas were converted to carry passengers and secondhand coaches were procured from the Santa Fe, Denver and Carolwood to fill out the new trains. For its part, the SFD&C began to promote direct rail service to Thunder Mesa from Carolwood, Denver and Discovery Bay. By decade's end, tourism had replaced mining as 80% of the TMMC's revenue. In 1910, the TMMC also connected with the struggling Estrella & Sonora Grande Ry. near Lone Rock, and eventually came to control many of that line's assets.

A Thunder Mesa Gazette extra from 1910 tells of the joining of the E&SG and the TMMC at Lone Rock.

Though the mines near Thunder Mesa were largely played out, the rich diggings around Calico continued to produce gold bearing ore well into the new century and the Calico Gold Co. remained independent until the crash of '29 forced a sale of its assets to the TMMC. Calico itself became a ghost town, and the once legendary mining camp merely another attraction for tourists aboard Thunder Mesa's colorful excursion trains.

It didn't take long for TMMC management to catch on to the possibilities of tourism revenue and soon advertising posters like this began to show up in railway stations across the country.

By the early 20th Century, rail travel had made it possible for families to tour the west and see the sites for pleasure. Railroads like the SFD&C and the TMMC were quick to take advantage of this trend.

After 1906, Theodore Roosevelt was never again seen in Thunder Mesa Country. However he did manage to visit other spectacular regions and preserve their natural wonders for future generations as well. As president, Roosevelt created five national parks and used the landmark Antiquities Act to unilaterally create 18 national monuments, including the Grand Canyon. He also set aside 51 federal bird sanctuaries, four national game refuges, and more than 100 million acres' worth of national forests.

Roosevelt's chance visit to Thunder Mesa was a classic case of the right man being in the right place at the right time. Without his wise intervention, it is doubtful that the railroad would have survived much beyond the boom times of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the spectacular region known as Nature's Wonderland might never have been preserved. Without Roosevelt, another chance visit by Walt Disney, Ward Kimball and Roger Broggie might never have occurred in the early 1950s, leading to a "rediscovery" of the Thunder Mesa line and sketchbooks full of ideas for a magical little park being planned for Southern California. But that legendary visit is a story for another day.

Fitting it all In: Revising the Thunder Mesa Track Plan

The New Plan

Thunder Mesa Mining Co. v.7 (at least). Everything fits! To see the plan full size: right click> Open in new tab.

It may seem strange to still be working on the final track plan nearly 3 1/2 years into construction but Thunder Mesa is a tale that has grown in the telling. What started out as a simple 3' x 6' display has now grown to occupy more than half of my art studio. It's about 15' x 9' now, or will be when complete, and this latest plan manages to fit in just about everything I want. At least for now. All I can say is that it's a good thing I enjoy drawing track plans since I have drawn and redrawn the working plan for Thunder Mesa more times than I care to remember. This time, my decision to build a portable On18 Calico layout that "plugs-in" to the larger layout when not on the road has lead to some major revisions and improvements.

Previous changes to the layout plan came when adding Verne Niner's San Lorenzo diorama back in October of last year. The plan I created then had a lot going for it, but I was never quite satisfied with its presentation of Calico or the existence of the high-line branch that didn't really connect to anything. Also, the 30" aisle width was a little tighter than I'd like and there was more hidden track than I'm comfortable with.

The new plan addresses these issues while also adding a couple of new scenes to the mix and fixing some sightline problems. The central aisle broadens out to a more comfortable 36" and the previously hidden track along the back is brought mostly out into the open. The rear track now rises and falls on a 3% grade to add visual interest and to ease the junction with the branchline up to Big Thunder Camp. The new On18 Calico layout occupies the left side wall and acts as a separate feeder line.

Zooming in: The portable 2' x 5' On18 Calico mini-layout sits on top of the Coyote Canyon section with a base track elevation of 60" above the floor. Ore is delivered from Calico to the TMMC via a large tipple above the canyon. Passengers will need to take the stairs.

With Calico moving to the left end of the layout, nearly everything else along the back wall has shifted to the right. Moving the sleepy border village of San Lorenzo all the way over to its own 30" wide peninsula on the far right opened up room for a larger Coyote Canyon with longer, more dramatic bridges, while also making more space for the Balancing Rocks section - now called "Devil's Garden." I also found room for another small settlement called "Hanging Rock," future home to the Olson Mine and Furlow's store. Between Devil's Garden and Hanging Rock is a narrow, serpentine slot canyon. Slot canyons are amazing natural features of desert the Southwest and something I've long wanted to model on the TMMC. Both canyons on this side of the layout will be very deep, with scenery extending nearly to the floor.

Next comes the Devil's Garden/Hanging Rock section with its deep slot canyon. Here the branchline begins its steep ascent up a 6% grade to Big Thunder Camp. Only short ore trains will be making this trip. The standing rocks in Devil's Garden will be animated to sway and move as the trains pass. Furlow's Store and the Olson Mine are about all there is to the settlement of Hanging Rock.

The branchline up to Big Thunder Camp is short and very steep, with a ruling grade of 6%. Only short ore trains will make the trip up the grade and the new run-around track at Big Thunder Camp should make it easier to switch the mine there before backing down the hill. Another improvement is placing the Natural Bridge on the branchline. It means the bridge can be higher and more dramatic while also creating interesting sight-lines from both sides of the peninsula.

The San Lorenzo section includes a small engine terminal and views through Natural Bridge toward Calico. This section will be the new home for Verne Niner's award winning San Lorenzo diorama where an adobe depot and Indian pueblos on the mesa above will complement the scene. San Lorenzo will also be home to an interchange with Verne's Estrella & Sonora Grande Ry and will act as one end of the line in operations.

Last, but not least, we come to the original Thunder Mesa section. The only real change here is the addition of Big Thunder Camp and its runaround track. The track through Rainbow Caverns has also been straightened out a bit and realigned in a broader 18" radius curve. Visually, Big Thunder Mine will loom high above town providing a counterpoint to Baxter's Butte. By the way, this is by far the most accurate rendering of Thunder Mesa I have done to date.

Operations

As I've stated before, I'm not really much of an operations guy. My main enjoyment in the hobby comes from building models, planning scenes, and watching little trains roll through big scenery. This plan, and really the entire concept for Thunder Mesa, caters to those interests. For all of its bells and whistles, this plan is really just a basic folded dog-bone with a branchline. It doesn't really go anywhere and trains just loop around to right back where they started. However, there is a way to operate the layout in a more realistic point to point fashion if desired.

If we consider Thunder Mesa as one end of the line and San Lorenzo as the other end, suddenly the layout is transformed from a roundy-roundy caboose chaser into some semblance of a miniature transportation system. All it takes is a little imagination, some careful planning, and a willingness to share the passing siding and turntable between the two endpoints. It's an old John Armstrong trick. In operations, the turntable and passing siding at Thunder Mesa is also the turntable and passing siding at San Lorenzo.

Imagine that rather than just down the aisle from each other, Thunder Mesa and San Lorenzo are really many miles apart, just as they would be in the real world. Imagine also that they each have similar track arrangements, with a passing track, turntable, and interchange siding. Since the TMMC is a small railroad with a laid back and uncomplicated operating scheme it is actually possible to get away with using one end for both ends. The advantage, of course, is that the entire remainder of the railroad lies "in between" these points.

In this simplified overview sketch of Thunder Mesa Country, the possible point-to-point operations become more apparent. Thunder Mesa and San Lorenzo share some - but not all - of the track at each "end" of the line. The timing of trains, as well as which tracks can be used at each end, would need to clearly defined for an effective operating session to take place.

I would run three trains a day in each direction with this scheme. Train #1, the Ore Train leaves Thunder Mesa first and ascends the branchline to Big Thunder Camp. It never goes to San Lorenzo. Meanwhile, train #2, the Daily Mixed, and train #3, the Excursion Special, follow behind on the "hour." Train #1 waits at Big Thunder as trains #2 and #3 pass the junction to San Lorenzo. Train #2 switches and turns at San Lorenzo before train #3 arrives. The Ore Train then backs downgrade all the way to Thunder Mesa as the Daily Mixed departs San Lorenzo. The Excursion Train then turns at San Lorenzo and heads back to Thunder Mesa. Clear as mud, right?

Take a Ride on the TMMC

Let's take a ride on a typical daily mixed train from Thunder Mesa to San Lorenzo. This would be train #2 on the schedule, departing Thunder Mesa Depot about an hour after train #1, the morning ore train bound for Big Thunder Camp.

The conductor cries, "All aboard!" as we climb the steps and find an empty seat in bright yellow combine #101. The combine is coupled at the rear of the train and will also act as caboose and express car for our journey to San Lorenzo. Two loud blasts on the whistle and the engineer eases the narrow gauge 4-4-0, Earl Vilmer, forward out of the depot siding and on to the mainline. The slack is barely out of the couplers when our train crosses Big Thunder Creek on a wooden trestle. We can hear the roar of the falls echoing back in the narrow canyon as we pass. A moment later and we are steaming through the Cactus Forest before passing below McKennon Arch, gateway to the living desert.

Brakes squeal as we slow for Geyser Gulch trestle. Down below, the turquoise water bubbles and steams as the largest of the geysers, Old Unfaithful, gets ready to erupt again. The geyser is unpredictable, but it must be our lucky day since Old Unfaithful sends a spectacular plume of steam and spray skyward just as our coach rounds the bend at Ambush Rock.

Next comes famous Dinosaur Gap where construction of the right-of-way in the 1870s revealed the fossilized bones of an ancient creature. The toothy skeleton is remarkably well preserved but we barley have time to admire it before plunging into the darkness of Rainbow Caverns. It takes a moment or two for our eyes to adjust and when they do we are treated to an amazing spectacle of technicolor wonders. Stalactites, stalagmites and other underground formations seem to glow with unearthly light as waterfalls and fountains stream by in all the colors of the rainbow. Beyond, giant crystals fill mammoth chambers where living rock has been sculpted by centuries of flowing water into taffy-like confections.

Emerging from Rainbow Caverns and back into the brilliant light of day we pass below Natural Bridge and on through the whistle-stop hamlet of Hanging Rock. Home to Furlow's Store and Olson's Mine, Hanging Rock is a well known haunt for outlaws and ne'er-do-wells so we won't be lingering there today. Crossing a bridge over what appears to be a nearly bottomless slot canyon, we enter Devil's Garden. Here, the standing rocks and hoodoo formations move and sway as our train passes, leaving the feeling we may be crushed at any moment. Relief comes soon however, as the great expanse of Coyote Canyon opens up before us.

Our train slows as we venture across the longest and highest bridge on the Thunder Mesa line. The river seems miles below as we ease across the arched iron bridge and chuff to a stop on the far side. A large ore tipple looms on our right and a small wooden platform is on the left. This is the stop for Calico, legendary gold camp located high on the cliffs above.

A gambler and his lady companion get off at Calico as the conductor checks his pocket watch. He knows that train #3, the Excursion Special, is just now departing Thunder Mesa with a load of curious tourists. Train #3 follows along about an hour behind the Daily Mixed.

Two more blasts of the whistle and we are underway again, entering a long tunnel below Calico Mountain. We emerge at upper Coyote Canyon and soon pass the junction for the branchline up to Big Thunder Camp. Train #1, the morning ore train, took the switch at the junction about an hour before and has already climbed the steep grade up to Big Thunder to work the mines. Our route takes us downgrade, across a narrow canyon and into another tunnel. Before plunging again into darkness, we can see the whitewashed adobe walls of a pueblo Indian village high on the mesa above.

Maybe we dozed off from the gentle rocking of the coach, but just a few moments later it seams, and we arrive in the sleepy border village of San Lorenzo. The Spanish influence is very apparent here as our train backs slowly into the depot siding. The fireman sounds the bell until a single short toot of the whistle indicates full stop. We gather our things and disembark. It will be awhile until our connecting stage arrives so we've got some time to explore the village.

With some warm tortillas and a plate of beens from La Frontera Cantina, we sit in the shade on the depot platform to enjoy lunch and do a little train watching. The Daily Mixed has left the depot now and the crews are just finishing up a couple of switching moves, swapping head for tail with the combine and dropping two boxcars at the E&SG interchange. Meanwhile, across the tracks, a trio of local banditos are cursing a fat pig that has chosen to cool off in the village fountain. The bells of San Lorenzo Mission chime the hour as the locomotive, Earl Vilmer, takes a spin on the turntable before re-coupling to her train. Glancing at the station timetable we see that our Daily Mixed is now train #4, ready to depart for the trip back to Thunder Mesa.

Just then, another train appears, bell ringing loudly as it rounds the bend into San Lorenzo. This is train #3, the Excursion Special, pulled by a bright red and green Porter and towing a half dozen passenger-converted gondolas filled with happy tourists. They'll stop here for lunch as the Daily Mixed departs, then turn the locomotive for the return trip to Thunder Mesa. Meanwhile, high up at Big Thunder Camp, the morning ore train has completed its duties there and is now backing downgrade with a heavy load bound for Thunder Mesa Mill. Switching the mill will go on into the evening but all three trains will be back and ready for the next day by suppertime.

Construction of benchwork and sub-roadbed is already underway to put this new plan into action. I'm very happy with it. It does just about everything I want the layout to do in the space I have available. If I ever end up moving to a bigger location though, all bets are off and it will be back to the drawing board again!

Thanks for checking in, amigos. Question or comments are welcome below, or join the ongoing conversation on the Thunder Mesa Facebook page. Adios for now!

Planning Calico: A Portable On18 Layout

The Calico Gold Company will be a 24" x 60" portable layout in On18 scale. Based loosely upon the Calico Mine Train at Knott's Berry Farm, the layout will also act as a feeder line connecting to the TMMC. Minimum radius on this plan is 10" and the ruling grade is 5%.

For a long time, I've been mulling over ideas for a small, portable layout or module that could be taken on the road to shows and modeling exhibitions as a representative sample of what Thunder Mesa is all about. I've also been toying with the idea of doing something in On18 that could act as a feeder line for the main railroad. And regular readers of this blog will know that I'm a huge fan of the Calico Mine Train at Knott's Berry Farm in California, having pretty much spent my youth there when I wasn't just down the road at Disneyland. Well, all of those ingredients have finally come together in a new 2' x 5' layout project that will showcase the style of Thunder Mesa while paying tribute to some of its Knott's/Calico inspirations.

A 1960's vintage postcard of the Calico Mine Train at Knott's. Just as the TMMC attempts to imagine a prototype for Big Thunder and Natures' Wonderland, the new Calico mini-layout will appear as something that could have, if it existed, inspired the attraction. The idea is for a model that shares visual cues with the Knott's attraction while not trying to be a slavish copy.

What the Heck is On18?

On18 is a funny scale/gauge combination that is intriguing to a dyed-in-the-wool rubber gauger like myself. It uses N gauge track and mechanisms as a starting point for 1/4" scale models in one of the slimmest of slim gauges. The 9mm gauge N scale track works out very close to 18" in 1:48, happily, a rather common track gauge for industrial and mining railways. The resulting models can have a lilliputian charm and character that really appeals to my sense of whimsy.

Concept illustration for a freelanced On18 locomotive inspired by the Knott's Calico Mine Train. This tiny drivered 0-6-0 will measure just 3" long in O scale and be powered by an N scale Atlas 2-6-0 mechanism. As a point of comparison, a diminutive Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter in On30 is a good inch (four scale feet) longer.

I've gone back and forth on the idea of an On18 feeder line several times; adding it and then removing it from subsequent track plans. Experience has taught me that if an idea keeps coming back around again and again, it's probably solid and eventually I'll have to do something with it. Well, the time has come and my long delayed plans for Calico will at last be moving forward with tiny trains on some very slim rails.

Refining the Concept

Designing the simple over-and-under figure eight track plan was the easy part. Figuring out where and how it will fit into the larger scheme of things on Thunder Mesa was the real challenge. Not only do I want the layout to be light and portable, I also want it to "plug-in" to the main layout as seamlessly as possible when not out on the road. It took some creative engineering and more than a few major tweaks to the TMMC plan to get all 10 lbs of both railroads to fit into the 5 lb sack of my art studio. I'll explain the changes to the TMMC plan in another post in the near future.

I still draw my plans the old fashioned way, with pencil and paper. I went through a lot of both figuring out where to place the Calico module within the larger scheme of the layout. There will be more on the updated overall plans for the TMMC in a future post.

Parts from Other Scales

Working in an oddball, niche scale like this means that just about everything needs to be scratch-built, kit-bashed, adapted or modified from materials, models or details in other scales. That's a big part of the fun as far as I'm concerned. Figuring out which bits and pieces from the smaller scales that can be useful is an interesting challenge. For example, I'll be using Peco HOn30 track and turnouts since the big, chunky ties and spike detail will look right at home in On18. Many carefully selected HO scale items can come in handy, especially things like locomotive detail parts and freight car frames. 18" gauge trains are small, so the roughly half-sized HO parts should work fairly well. Of course, N scale wheals and mechanisms will be used to model rolling stock. The trick is to find donor mechanisms that run reliably and that can be modified into something somewhat believable. I've already begun tinkering with a smooth running Atlas N scale 2-6-0 mechanism, removing the pony truck and mocking up ideas for the frame and cab. This may form the basis for Calico's first locomotive as illustrated above.

The 1:48 scale mechanics aren't quite sure where to start, but some HOn30 track, N scale mechanisms, HO parts and O scale details all get thrown into the mix when modeling On18.

Scenery and Structures

Naturally, figures, scenery and structures will be built at 1:48 scale, though since most buildings will be "smaller than life" caricatures, they will need to be scratch-built as well. Some structures, like the Calico Mine Co. warehouse below, will be modeled directly after the originals at Knott's, while others will be designed to fit the available space.

Color elevation plan of the Calico Mine Co., drawn from photos of the loading area at Knott's Berry Farm.

The scenic highlight of the layout will be Calico Mountain with its distinctive rock spire and waterfalls. No attempt will be made to replicate the interior scenes from the attraction but the dramatic high trestles and mine tunnels will be there, along with a truncated version of Calico Ghost Town - now very much alive with lighting, animation and sound effects.

Another vintage postcard from Knott's showing the spectacular sandstone spires of Calico Mountain along with the loading platform for the Mine Train.

Lightweight Construction

Since the layout will be portable, I'll be building it as tough and light as possible, using mostly polystyrene foam and very little wood. I developed a method for "cookie-cutter" foam benchwork for an N scale layout built some years ago and I'll be reprising that technique again here. The technique uses polystyrene foam sheet cut and fit very much like dimensional lumber for benchwork that is strong, sturdy and mostly air. Sub-roadbed is then cut from foam, cookie-cutter style, and glued into place with foam risers for elevation. I'll go much more deeply into detail on this lightweight construction method in a future post.

The Calico Gold Company will be built almost entirely from polystyrene and urethane foams. The integrated backdrop will be stretched canvas. The goal is a finished layout that can be lifted off of the larger Thunder Mesa pike and then travel to shows. A simple, folding stand will be constructed for the layout to sit on when it is away from home.

For the backdrop I'm hoping to use stretched canvas on a light wooden frame, very similar to the way theatrical scenery flats are made. The backdrop will be integral to the layout, both as an extension of the scenery and as additional structural support. If all goes well, it should be much lighter and more flexible than Masonite and will also serve as proof-of-concept for the entire backdrop system on the larger Thunder Mesa layout.

Much More to Come

With a plan I'm finally happy with it's time to get modeling and move forward. I'm not sure how long building Calico will take me, but as it's integral to the overall scheme of Thunder Mesa, it will be worth the time and effort to get it well started. No doubt there will be side projects and distractions along the way, and there is still so much to be done on Thunder Mesa proper that I should be very busy well into the future. Thanks for checking in, amigos. January has already raced by with a load of fun projects and the rest of 2015 looks like it will be a humdinger. Adios for now!

Nature's Wonderland Route

From the very beginning, TMMC management and investors saw potential for additional revenues that could be generated by offering tourist excursions on the line. The route to the Big Thunder and Calico Mines was indeed spectacular, being filled with curiosities and scenic wonders that defied description and challenged the imaginations of eastern city dwellers. Elias Homage, the companies founder and first president is credited with coining the term "Nature's Wonderland" to describe the area. In addition to being a clever businessman and promoter, Homage was something of an amateur naturalist in his spare time and made a hobby of cataloging the wonders along the line with an eye towards preservation. It wasn't long before colorful posters like the one above began to appear along main streets and depot platforms, extolling the amazing sites to be seen in Thunder Mesa country. With connections to the midwest via the Santa Fe Denver & Carolwood RR, curious travelers soon began to make their way west to see the marvelous canyon-lands for themselves. In later years, as mining revenue began to decline, excursion traffic became even more important to the continued survival of the narrow gauge line.

Illustration created in Adobe Photoshop with photos from the Lone Rock diorama.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Thunder Mesa Mining Co!

Merry Christmas!

The Thunder Mesa Mining Co. wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas with best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A very happy and bountiful Thanksgiving to you and yours from the Thunder Mesa Mining Company! May we all be thankful for the love of family, good friends, and the blessings that fill our homes and warm our hearts.

Using Photo-Textures to Model a Boxcar

Proudly bearing the Nature's Wonderland herald, Thunder Mesa boxcar #310 makes up part of the daily mixed heading into Rainbow Caverns. The car was built on a cut-down Bachmann frame using printed photo-textures for the walls, roof and doors.

After a successful experience using printed photo textures to build Combine 101 for Thunder Mesa (see the 2014 On30 Annual), I've turned my attention to some other rolling stock projects that could also benefit from this technique. Here's how I put together a freelanced 20' boxcar for the TMMC.

Using photo-textures of real wooden planks downloaded from cgtextures.com, I laid out all of the parts to be printed in Adobe Photoshop, adding graphics and text, color correcting, and adding some weathering to the boards. The car was designed to be built on a Bachmann On30 freight car frame cut down for the 20' length.

Several copies of the plan were printed out on 120g HP Premium Presentation Paper using an Epson R1800 inkjet printer. Printed sheets were then laminated to 1/16" thick illustration board using 3M 45 All Purpose Spray Adhesive, then the walls cut out with a sharp #11 hobby knife. Thinner pieces like the door and top rail trim were laminated to 100 lb bristol board and then cut out. 

Before assembly, the edges of all pieces were painted a dark reddish brown, a vital step in creating a realistic looking model. The four walls, doors and top pieces were then cemented together with white glue to form the basic car.

By removing a few scale feet from just inside the bolsters, a Bachmann On30 freight car frame was cut down to the 20' length. A new deck was created by scribing plank detail into illustration board and the frame was cemented in place. Once the glue was dry, the completed under-frame was airbrushed a dirty red-brown.

Turning the frame over, a weight was cemented in place to help the car track well. This one came from an old Acurail HO freight car.

With careful measurement and assembly, the frame fits nicely within the new car body.

A roof was created using the same photo-texture laminated over illustration board process. The roof walk was salvaged from the same Bachmann On30 boxcar that lent the frame. It was painted a matching color and then blended in and weathered with colored chalks.

Grandt Line narrow gauge boxcar corner braces were added to detail the car ends.

Door guides were created with printouts from the original plan, laminated over 100 lb bristol board. The door latches are from Grandt Line.

Coupler blocks were made for each end from scale 4x6" stock and Grandt Line nut/bolt/washer castings, painted and then cemented into place.

To ensure that the stirrups and grab-irons would line up properly,  a jig was made from 100 lb bristol board, indicating the position and spacing where holes needed to be drilled in the car sides.

The grab irons and stirrup steps are white metal castings from Wiseman Model Services. The brake wheel,  stave and fittings are from a Bachmann boxcar.

When modeling with photo-textures, much of the weathering is already built-in. However, a little weathering with colored chalks is helpful for blending components together and adding details like dust, rust, grime and coal cinders. Care should be taken not to obscure too much of the printed on detail.

To finish the car, Bachmann arch-bar trucks were painted, weathered and installed, and Kadee #5 couplers were dropped into the coupler pockets. In the future, I may replace the Bachmann wheels and trucks with smaller ones from Boulder Valley Models to make the car ride lower.

More Cars to Come

With my new boxcar proudly riding the rails of the TMMC, I turned my attention to some possible future projects that will make the most of this photo-texture modeling technique. Here's a preview of some other boxcars I'll be creating for interchange traffic with the TMMC. Some of the names may be familiar.

A car paying tribute to the late, great Ward Kimball.

A boxcar to carry explosives for the Lytum & Hyde Co. out of Sparks Nevada.

John Olson's HOn3 Mescal Lines Ry. was always a great inspiration for me.

Freight bound for down-river travel via the Western River Expedition Co. will ship in this handsome car.

Final Thoughts

Photo-texture modeling is a promising technique for any number of projects that need crisp, clear graphics. Though only recently finished, I actually started the boxcar before building Combine 101 and the project was mostly an experiment to see what was possible; what the plusses and minuses of this technique might be for rolling stock. Next time around I'm sure I'll do a few things differently, like wrapping the printed textures completely around the car ends to avoid gaps and visible joints. All in all though, I'm pretty happy with how the car turned out and really enjoy watching it ride the rails on the TMMC.

Thanks for checking in, everyone. Adios for now!

Rainbow Desert Freight Lines

Located next to Thunder Mesa Depot, Rainbow Desert Freight Lines provides express wagon service to many frontier outposts not served by the railroad. This graphic is one of the signs created to help transform an old B.T.S. Red Eye Saloon kit into an office for the freight lines.

From Saloon Kit to Freight Office 

After finishing up Big Thunder Saloon I was inspired to keep things rolling with another structure project. This time it's a kit-bash of an old B.T.S. Red Eye Saloon. It's a nice kit with great period architectural details and a small size that's a perfect match for the other diminutive structures in Thunder Mesa Town. Looking at the kit, I realized that with a little creative imagineering it would be perfect for an empty spot next to the depot.

This is what I started with. I built the Red Eye Saloon kit for another layout years ago but never got around to finishing it. Luckily, the roof was never glued down and that made it easier to bash and detail the structure now.

And this is the final product ready to be installed on the layout. New signs, a new front porch, loading dock, roof, lights and interior details are just some of the modifications made to the structure.

The loading dock with miscellaneous freight, Grandt Line freight doors and a wall mounted oil lamp.

Step one was carefully cutting through the scribed basswood siding of the model to create an opening for the Grandt Line freight door.

The freight door and frame were primed and the door was airbrushed in a two tone scheme to match the structure.

The freight door was cemented into place with ACC and the transom windows glassed with frosted acrylic. A new foundation was created from 1/4" thick MDF with the edges scribed and carved to resemble 12" x 12" scale timbers.

A wall mounted oil lamp was created for the loading dock by assembling the pieces above.

The finished lamp. The protruding diodes were bent back at right angles to the lamp, extending through holes in the structure and connected to the interior wiring.

The oil lamp in place on the structure.

An awning for the loading dock was constructed from illustration board and I made these decorative brackets from scale 6" x 6" stock to hold it in place.  The balls are dress-pin heads.

The awning roof was covered in hi-res printed photo-textures of actual tarpaper roofing. Scale 12" stock was used to deck the platform and front porch.

Interior walls were laid out in Adobe Photoshop using wood plank photo-textures and a door from cgtextures.com, along with various signs, posters and pictures. The print out was laminated to 1/16" thick illustration board using 3M 45 all purpose spray adhesive.

When cut out and assembled inside the structure, it is very difficult to tell that the interior walls are merely printed paper.

A counter, chair and oil lamp complete the interior detailing. The lamp was constructed around a 2.5mm yellow LED. The lion's share of interior space holds wiring for three LEDs that light the structure: the counter lamp, the flickering platform lamp, and a hidden 5mm yellow LED to illuminate the back room windows. Power enters from beneath the floor.

The counter lamp provides a steady, warm glow.

Testing out all the lights.

The original stove pipe from the B.T.S. kit was a bit oversized for such a small structure and I ended up replacing it with one from Grandt Line. The weathering was done with chalks and dry-brushed acrylic paints.

To finish the structure, I added a few crates and barrels to the platform, including one open, scratch built crate filled with packing straw (actually finely cut Woodland Scenics dry grass). A new, better fitting roof was built from illustration board and covered with photo-texture tar paper.

Rear view. The rafter ends are illustration board.

One Thing Leads to Another 

Finishing the Rainbow Desert Freight Lines has inspired me to get back to work on the entire depot area, a spot on the layout which has remained untouched since the depot was completed back in September of last year. In the coming weeks I'll be filling in the scenery here, ballasting the rails, adding details and a couple more small structures to finish things off.

The space between the depot and the freight office will soon be a busy wagon loading scene. I also need to do something about that tunnel portal.

That about wraps it up for this project but there's much more to come in the town and depot areas. Thanks for checking in. Adios for now!