Work today

Got my GS-4 and Santa Fe F-unit up and running again. They have no place on my terminal railroad but power is power, right? I mean I suppose you could switch with a Northern type if you wanted to. My water areas are now blue. It's a start. I've decided to model the NP mainline to Snoqaulmie so I threw up some of my old EZ-Track along the top of the layout. I plan on ballasting it fine brown when the times comes. I'd like to do another movie. Look for it soon.

5 Hours to do that?

Left Hand Short Radius Peco Switch: $19.99
Strip of balsa wood the rough dimensions of an HO railroad tie: 25¢
Foam paintbrush: 40¢
Spending five hours laying, soldering, and ballasting track, adding details to a dock and running in a new locomotive? Priceless

I discovered that last night my track had wandered left. I'm not sure how, but wander it did. I'm using Locktite adhesive to keep my track in place, as suggested here. Maybe that has something to do with it. So I vacuumed what I could and re-laid and re-ballasted the track.
I'm laying track on the fly because I've discovered my nice little plan I had sketched out is simply not going to work. But all the industries in Salmon Bay will have rail service. I laid and ballasted the track toward East Ballard. Due to the fact the fiddle yard is not going to be built in my time in Missoula, nor is East Ballard itself, I've added a bumper modeled after the ones used at Fort Missoula.
I grabbed the medium ballast as opposed to the fine so it looks chunkier then that seen on the real SBT, but it looks wonderfully like that seen at the fort. Just dumped in place and enough to get the job done. This is fine because the SBT uses 152lb rail.
I also added some detail to the dock. Mainly a railroad tie at the end of the dock so my trains don't just keep going. That new tank car rolls like nothing and after one near miss I decided it was time. I added some more dowels to make it look more "docky". Still have no idea what I'm going to put under it. It's amazing how the Dark Walnut stain I'm using looks like cresote though.
My next job is getting the cannery spur in place. The cannery is built at the other end of Salmon Bay and included the run around track. Space keeps getting tighter and tighter on the layout, but it will be done.
The Davenport arrived today, and after running for about an hour has started giving me fits. Not sure why. Look good though!
I'll get pics up tomorrow.

Green Light on the Southern

Originaly by Norman Blake, performed here by Punch Brothers 7

3-Spot Runby (Video)

Hauling a shorty tank and Galena for run-in purposes. She will make a wonderful addition to the SBT. The Davenport should be arriving tomorrow.

Pictures

This sign hangs above the layout. Fits me to a "T".


Here we have a shot of the whole layout as it stands currently. East Ballard would be to your left, 62nd Ave NE and the ferry slip to your right.


The Salmon Bay Pier. Not the prettiest pier but it does work. And I'm rather pleased how it turned out. That is partialy completed boxcab #12 near the pier. No locomotives are allowed on this structure. The Salmon Bay station will reside here.


I ballasted all the track I had today. Here is a long shot. Notice my strip wood crossing. Why buy it when you can build it? To a point that is.


My Peco switches I ballested. All joints will be soldered.


My railroad in exile. The Temporary & Carpet Southern. That's the 3-spot on the spur. Built a tank car today too.
And here is a forlorn shot of #10 after a painting, er, accident. Incident? Well a painting someting. I'll strip it and start over.

Dock

The Salmon Bay Terminal now has a terminal. Having never scratchbuilt something in my life I completed a dock today. It's not perfect but servicable and will hold the Salmon Bay depot and freight house. And the whole layout is brown now. I'll get some pictures up later tommorow.

Art Imitating Life?

While looking through the UW archives I came across a map of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern.

The part I found interesting was this bit here:

That with a few modifications is the route of the BT&NCRy. Minus of course the run to the Canadian border and connection to Seattle. It's interesting to note they swung north of Lake Washington to achieve Snoqaulmie while Ronald Seitz chose to cross the lake by ferry. Even before the first rails were laid out of East Ballad the railway was in direct competition with the Northern Pacific That's no good for this upstart. The SL&E only lasted seven years before being taken over by the NP, a process repeated across the country as big railroad bought up small ones. (For SL&E history, click here) No wonder the Seitz Extension was unprofitable from the beginning. Finding this map puts the railway in perspective and makes modeling it that much more fun.

If Whipped Cream Went on Strike, The Result Would Be Drywall Cement

It's been a very busy day in Salmon Bay, my hometown. The first rails were laid at the Port of Salmon Bay Pier. Now all they need to do is build the pier. They finally fired up that box cab and ran it around for a bit. Needs paint and decals but by God she runs if in fits and starts and with a wonderous amount of noise. She runs and that is half he battle. Doesn't gaurenntee victory however. Of course tommorow it'll be front page news. The Plymouth #10 had a bit of a fit and was put into the shop, while the GN boxcar fell off the edge of the world. They are trying to salvage what they can but it looks to be a loss. Maybe it'll decorate the yard as a storage barn. It's beginning to look and feel like a proper railroad.
For some of you who may not have been in Salmon Bay, let me tell you a bit about it. It's a very sleepy town, nestled in the crook of Lake Union, just down the ship canal from the locks. They tried to drag it into the city in the 30's but it just didn't happen. Salmonites are fiercly independant. It's almost as if the town is all by itself there. There is one general store and one church. A bakery and a fishing shop. The milk is still carried by hand and the newspaper boy has the best arm in town.
The railroad is the life blood of this town. Sure there's a road but it's for it's for plasure not buisness. And almost everyone has a boat. You learn to sail before you drvie. But it's the railroad that makes Salmon Bay what it is.
The wail of a M5 horn in the mnornin wakes people up in the morning and is their companion throughout the day. Loads in empties out. Interchange traffic to work, blowing for the Coates crossing on every move, the crash and bang of couplers. Almost all the switching is done by noon, at which point the coastal fog lifts and glorious sunshine fills the town. The local is assembled and rumbles out and the town gets quite again. It's not uncommon for a fishing boat or small cargo vessel to pull up in need of unloading after the local has left. Even still they'll fire up another engine and get done what needs to get done. Because that's how things are done in Salmon Bay. Come dusk the local will creep back into town, it's horn muted in deference to the quiet and shuttered hamlet.
Every other day the noon turn is going in a different direction. Even days it's headed northwest to the industrial doldrums of East Ballard, with it's grimy streets and never ending noise and bustle. Odd days it's southeast towards 62nd Ave NE and the ferry slip, where a buck and a quarter will get you a ride to to downtown Seattle, if that's where the cargo is headed. And if the ferry is running that day.
It's not a bad place to grow up, Salmon Bay. I know because I did.

Easier then I thought

Work on #12 has begun! Power truck is in need of wires but other then that the boxcab is all but ready to go. It'll be painted in a GN heritage scheme in honor of the special relationship shared by the GN and SBT. I'll get pics up later.

Like this

Whenever I think about the SBT I try and imagine it as a real place. What is it like? Here is an idea of what it could be

Now granted it won't be passenger cars, but I can see and hear the #3 slipping as it shoves hard against a cut of cars. Blowing for the 15th Ave crossing as the flagman stands guard. It will be quite the sight. At least in my minds eye.

Updates

With the Indy IV premier, life has been busy. But work continues!
The SBT has been painted in preparation of track laying. Paint was free, always a good thing.
The business coach Galena has received decals and is ready for light weathering.

SBT #10 has also been given a full set of decals and now awaits couplers, handrails and weathering.


As you can see from the photos, the locomotive received a Nathan M5 horn and an EMD style hood mount bell. Both were installed on the locomotive by NW Shipbuilding, as they were close and cheap.

And the first piece of rolling stock, a GN double sheathed 40' boxcar is now on the property.

I built it from an Accurail kit, and was very pleased with the results. The SBT has very limited rolling stock inventory and most of the cars used over the road are those of the GN, MILW and NP.

Ballard Traction and Navigation Company Railway (BT&NCRy)

The Ballard Traction and Navigation Company Railway was the original occupant of the route followed today by the Salmon Bay Terminal Railway, dating from 1905 to 1936. It was to be the grandest of the transcontinental lines, a true transcontinental route girding the nation in steel from the wild Pacific shore to the rocky bound Atlantic. But the words of the men who envisioned it never matched the deeds of the men who built it. In the end, this grand route is but a footnote in the history of the Puget Sound, and only a few remember the daring and some might say scandalous deeds of the Ballard rail barons.
The plans for what would become the Ballard Traction and Navigation Company Railway (BT&NCRy) date to 1890 when the Northern Pacific took over the famed Seattle, Lakeside, and Eastern (SL&E) which had to hoped to become a major player in the transcontinental sector. The SL&E was an important link to the city of Ballard, and it was loudly decried in an edition of the Ballard Journal "The Northern Pacific a stranglehold and monopoly on freight and passenger traffic in our fair city!"
Soon the outcry became so, that a group of local businessmen founded the Ballard Steamship Navigation and Packet Company, with the idea of turning Ballard into the shipping capital of the Puget Sound. This company lasted until 1891, when it was recognized into the Ballard Traction and Navigation Company. With a new board of directors backed by the famous timber Baron C. D. Everingham, the new company intended to "Cross this great land in as northerly fashion as is humanly possible" and "Establish eastern routes to the Orient for the purposes of trade and commerce". The idea was to establish the sea routes first, and the railway would follow.
The Railway Articles of Incorporation were signed on June 16th, 1903 and the BT&NCRy was formed. It should be noted that by this time the Navigation part of the name was a misnomer as the companies only ship, the side wheeler SS Alaska sank on it's launching and burned to the waterline on May 8th, 1899. The forlorn hulk was left to rot in the mud, the company received the insurance for the vessel. The money from the Insurance claim was used to fund the party for the driving of the first spike in the mud and filth of East Ballard Harbor. Work on the railway began the next day, June 17th.
The route chosen was done more out of spite to the Northern Pacific then any engineering genius. There was already a ready interchange with the Great Northern at East Ballard, so every effort was made to secure right-of-way and interchange traffic with The Route of the Empire Builder.
The first decision made by Chief Engineer Ronald Seitz was to bypass the city center of Seattle completely, and instead head straight west for the Cascades. Original plans called for BT&NCRy trains to arrive in grand fashion in the yet uncompleted King Street Station to points east and south. However, the Great Northern already had plans to lay track to the station and Seitz decided he could not wait for it to be built and instead rerouted the line south east through Salmon Bay, then east to the shores of Lake Washington. There, a rail ferry would transport trains and cargo across Lake Washington to the city of Kirkland.
The Northern Pacific, following the old SL&E chose to head north around the top of Lake Washington and head to Snoqualmie in a more northerly direction.
Work was not swift. The first miles from East Ballard to Salmon Bay took a year and a half. Labor disputes, community opposition and terrible weather plagued the building crews. By May 1905 the railway had just passed 62nd Ave NE and were nearing the shores of Lake Washington. Ironically, the Hill Line's King Street Station had opened as the gateway to the Pacific Northwest on May 10th, 1906. Two more years elapsed as the ferry terminals were built and during this time Seitz decreed that the line could not continued west until a "secure and established marine route of navigation and terminals are established."
The line west was continued on November 3rd, 1908. It would take seven more hard years for the railroad to reach Snoqualime via Redmond, Sammamish, and Fall City. Irish, Italian, Finish, Swedish, Indian and Black workers cut savagely through the land. Dynamite was the preferred method of setting the grade and one newspaper estimated a blast could be heard every 45 seconds during daylight hours. Finally the road was in the shadows of the mighty Cascade Range. There worked stopped, Seitz declaring the Cascades "impassable" and finding a route would be "Financially and physically impossible". When it was mentioned the Milwaukee Road, Great Northern and Northern Pacific had built through the Cascades Seitz would wave his hand and change the subject.
The once proud engineer was a broken man, known now more for his nervous ticks and habit of diving for cover at imaginary dynamite explosions then the route that would keep his name alive. He announced his retirement two days after work on the line was stopped. He died the next day after leaping over a forth floor balcony in a Seattle skid row hotel to avoid an explosion of dynamite in the lobby that didn't exist. He was 73.
It was decided to hold a Last Spike ceremony in Snoqaulime and send Raymond Edmonds, the new Chief Engineer east to Portland, Maine to see about building from the eastern terminus. Edmonds was never seen, nor heard from again. The last spike, one of more then a million laid was, driven home on October 30th, 1915. A sign pointing west proclaimed "46.9 Miles to East Ballard".
As the railroad was driving it's last spike, building the long awaited Ballard Locks was at a fever pitch. These locks opened commerce from Lake Union and Lake Washington to Puget Sound via the Washington Ship Canal. Workers from the BT&NCRy flocked in droves to ready employment. The railroad hauled men and supplies, turning over it's first and only profit in 1916. Stockholders were urged to invest money not only in the railway, but in the locks as well. The Company purchased it's own rail ferry, the Queen of Puget Sound and had buyers out looking for ocean going vessels for use through the locks.


Rail ferry Queen of Puget Sound on it's Maiden Voyage, 1916

It was hoped the wealth of Seattle could be had by transferring ship cargoes to rail. It was also in 1916 an agreement with the Great Northern was finally brokered for trackage and interchange rights. All was looking well for the "Standard Railway of the Pacific Northwest".
By this time the railroad rostered seven powerful locomotives, named for area cities, Indian Chiefs, Engineers, and Rivers. They were all oil burning engines of the latest design 4-4-0 for lighter work, 4-6-0 for heavy work. The East Ballard docks had it's own 0-6-0 switcher, and Salmon Bay to the Lake Washington Ferry Slip was worked by it's own 3-truck Heisler.


BT&NCRy #20 and crew Salmon Bay, Washington June 1924

A daily passenger train The Northwestern Limited ran between East Ballard and Snoqualmie, giving a direct connection to the Northern Pacific and it's famed North Coast Limited. The Great Northern ran local service from East Ballard to King Street Station.


The Northwestern Limited arriving Snoqualmie, 1917

It was not to be. Following the opening of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in 1917, rail revenues plunged and forced the sale of the railways rail ferry. Constant washouts drove maintenance costs up. Ferry operation was sporadic, forcing the end of through passenger train service in 1918. The railways saving grace was the Seattle Lighting Company's gasification plant, which demanded a steady stream of coal. Even this was taken way when the Northern Pacific took over shipment for the Gas Company. The year 1929 marked the stock market crash, and the railways first bankruptcy. Following a bailout from the Federal Government, the railroad ceased operations west of Lake Washington, ceased all passenger traffic and only worked local industry between East Ballard and 62 Ave NE. The Seitz Extension was torn up for scrap in 1930.
There was no grand ending to this railroad with such grand plans. The building of the Seitz Extention is considered by many to be the railroads worst decision. By going head to head with the Northern Pacific without the capital needed for such an endvor, the railroad was fated for failure east of Lake Washington from the start. By 1930 it was obvious there was little future for the BT&NCRy. The last train ran the length of the line westbound on April 13th, 1936. The three steam locomotives were placed in storage on the Ballard waterfront, the other locomotives were sold at auction, along with all rolling stock possessed by the railroad. Even the Galena, first coach to cross Lake Washington was sold for a paltry $1,200.
The BT&NCo remained a business entity through World War II, and used it's savings to maintain the remnants of it's great dream. The line between 62 Ave NE and Salmon Bay was torn up for a scrap drive in 1943. An offer to buy the line from the Milwaukee Road in 1946 was refused. Even the Northern Pacific, which shared a depot and interchange seemed uninterested. It seemed as if the railroad had outlived it's very reasons for existence.
But the post-war boom following WWII would ensure the legacy of the BT&NCRy would live on. With a prime spot for industry, and ready track it was only a matter of time before life would once again return to the rails of The Standard Railway of the Pacific Northwest. And after several false starts, it did.
On May 14th, 1954 the company re-emerged into the public eye as the Salmon Bay Terminal Railway and began operations between Salmon Bay and East Ballard. Later that year the ferry terminal past 62nd Ave NE was reclaimed and interchange between the Milwaukee, Northern Pacific and Great Northern became possible. Not one but three transcontinental railroads were able to access the Puget Sound area and it's resources, fulfilling a dream laid down in 1890.

Timeline for the BT&NCRy

1890 – Northern Pacific takes over Seattle, Lake Side and Eastern, uproar ensues. Ballard Steam Ship Navigation & Packet Company formed
1891 – BSSN&PCo reorganized into Ballard Traction & Navigation Company
May 8, 1899 – Only ship in the fleet, SS Alaska sinks upon launching and burns to the waterline.
June 16, 1903 – Ballard Traction and Navigation Company Railway formed
June 17, 1903 – Work begins on BT&NCRy
May 1905 – BT&NCRy passes 62nd Ave NE towards Lake Washington. Work stops later that year upon reaching the shore.
May 10, 1906 – King Street Station opens for Great Northern and Northern Pacific.
Nov 3, 1908 – Westward work on BT&NCRy continues
Oct 30, 1915 – Last spike driven at Snoqualmie, Washington.
November 2nd, 1915 - Chief Engineer Ronald Seitz resigns.
November 3rd, 1915 - Former Chief Engineer Ronald Seitz dies.
1916 – BT&N CRY turns its only profit
1916 – Trackage and interchange rights brokered with Great Northern at East Ballad
July 4, 1917 – Hiram M. Chittenden Locks open
1918 – Through scheduled passenger service ends on the BT&NCRy
1929 – First bankruptcy
1930 – Seitz extension scrapped
April 13, 1936 – Last scheduled train movement.
1943 – Line between 62nd Ave NE and Salmon Bay torn up for wartime scrap drive
1946 – Milwaukee Road offers to buy line, refused
1951 - BT&NCo aquire first diesel locomotive, placed in storage.
May 14, 1954 – Salmon Bay Terminal Railway begins operations

Projects for the Day

I had four things to do today.
1. Add handrails to #10
2. Improve the paint scheme
3. Add decals.
4. Get couplers back on the engine.

I'd give it 7/10 for results, but a 9/10 for effort.

My first ever decal job. Well not really, This is my sixth try I do believe. Concept? Easy. Reality? Not so much. There are some wrinkles and an air bubble or two but with some Dullcoat and weathering, it'll be passable.

Handrails need to be redone. But I have an idea of how they go on, and will spend some more time bending iron. It should be noted the engine will be set up to run short hood forward. I need to figure a way to light rear, front end. I'm thinking of just adding some ditch lights. We'll see how that goes.

I've also put some thought into services and businesses served. Some will be in pairs, some not. Here is what I am currently thinking:

Salmon Bay
*Harrison Cannery
Loads in
-Port of Salmon Bay and East Ballard Port Authority via local fishing boats.
Loads out
-Seafood to Ivar's Restaurant direct via SBT
-Shipping all points via NP and GN

*Hansen Lumber
Loads In
-Rough Lumber from Sawyers Bros. Sawmill direct via SBT
Loads out
-All points via NP and GN

*Port of Salmon Bay
Loads In
-Various via cargo and fishing vessels
Loads Out
-Various via SBT, GN, NP

East Ballard
*WESTCO Oil
Loads In
None
Loads Out
-Refined oil to all points via GN and NP

*Sawyers Bros. Sawmill
Loads In
-Raw timber via GN and NP
Loads Out
-Rough timber to Hansen Lumber via SBT
-Finished timber all points via NP and GN

*Ivar's Restaurant
Loads In
-Fresh local seafood direct via SBT
Loads Out
-Clam Chowder to all points via NP and GN

*Freemont Concrete
Loads In
-Dry mix cement. sand, gravel via NP and GN
Loads Out
-Cement to all points via NP and GN

*East Bay Port Authority
Loads In
-Various via cargo and fishing vessels
Loads Out
-Various via SBT, GN, NP

Local traffic between East Ballard and Salmon Bay, that is SBT running SBT and interchange traffic will be in the form of several mixed trains on a schedule throughout any given day. The Great Northern and the Northern Pacific run through traffic with their own power daily as well.
In the agreement drawn up between the three lines, it is the roads responsibility for point to point through traffic. What this means is a Great Northern car interchanging from East Ballard to Salmon Bay with no stops locally is the responsibility of a Great Northern locomotive and crew.
If however a car will need to be loaded at Hansen Lumber, it is the responsibility of the SBT to ensure car movement, as the interchange is local to that road.
Passenger service over the line is the responsibility of the SBT, and takes the form of a coach and/or combine tacked on to the end of the daily mixed service.
There is no GN or NP passenger traffic over the SBT, although there are central stations served by all lines in both East Ballad and Salmon Bay.
In more modern times, the Burlington Northern and later the BNSF Railway will surround the SBT. However the interchange rules still apply.

And there you have it. It's rough, but having a railroad up and running will help my routing ideas. Throughout this process I've been using this as my guidebook. Still a long way to go.

Roster

I'm slowly coming to grips with the "final" locomotive roster for the SBT. Since I'm modeling over fifty years, era rosters seem to make sense.

1954-1958
-SBT 3 Truck Heisler #7
-SBT 0-6-0T #3
-SBT 23t GE Boxcab #12
-BT&NCRy 4-6-0 # 14

1958-Presnt
-SBT GE 44-Tonner #10
-SBT 0-4-0 Davenport #8

1973-Present
-SBT GP-20 #98

I'm hoping if I put this down on paper I can stick to it. Some modification may have to take place, but it's only a short line. And having power that runs well and makes sense for the job being done is of much more importance then having lots of power that doesn't make sense. Of course this doesn't count the NP, MILW, and GN traffic I'll be modeling however. But that is another kettle of fish.

I'm also planning on adding a spur in Salmon Bay, making the layout there a true Armstong Timesaver layout. A cannery will be placed there, packing and shipping the fish offloaded at both Salmon Bay and East Ballard. I'll post a revised track plan as time permits.

Just a note

Don't use enamel paints on your trains. I suppose there are people who CAN but at this moment I'm not one of them. Going to have to strip the #10's body and repaint.
Update: The second paint job didn't fully come off, but the new coat looks just as good. The remenents of black on the front grill are a nice subtle accent. I think I'll stick to water based for the time being. Now to get some yellow, rust, and black to finish up the basic scheme.

Descent into Madness?

The #10 has it's base coat done. And quite fetching if I do say so!

But I discovered, you can take it so much further!! I air bushed the main shell and cab, with the the roof masked off. There was some bleeding on the roof and it didn't look good. I figured, why keep the roof unpainted if it's going to look like this anyway? I had a brush and paint so I figured now is as good a time as any to work on my hand painting skills. And they need work, but they're not half bad either. After three coats on the roof, I tackled around the headlight and the more I painted the more I found that could use a touch up.
Since I had #10 out, why not see about Galena? Door sills, end rails, window sills all were repainted. I even painted the parts you'll never see that I thought should be.
In reading about how "serious" modelers model I sometimes found myself wondering "Why?" I no longer have to ask. So what if no one else is going to see the under frame sides on your 1880's business coach. They will never know the original paint is showing through. But you will, so you paint it. It's not so much for the eyes of others but for your own eyes. And my eyes after an extra hour and a half of "Work" are satisfied. For now.
But much work lays ahead. I need to wood color the doors on Galena and maybe do the window frames red. #10 needs grills painted as well as the roof and assorted. Front and maybe side grab irons and stanchions in appropriate wire, a multi-chime horn, radio antenna, off set hood mount air bell and a rotary beacon. And for both decals and weathering.
And now that I'm thinking of it, maybe do the oil tanks as well.
Wait until I get rails laid! Of course I have to paint my tracks first.

Painting

Today I did some airbrush work. My first it should be noted, but that is what weathering is for, right?
The colors of the SBT are Cascade Green and an at this point undecided yellow. Thanks to the friendly folk at the Treasure Chest, I got my supplies, and began painting.

Here is the Plymouth in the paint shed getting it's base coat of Cascade Green.Using an airbrush isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I grabbed an old GN cattle car without a roof walkway and went to town on that to try it out. Which reminds me, does anyone out there want a former GN cattle car that is painted Cascade Green?

Much of today's work centered on the SBT business coach, Galena. It began life as a former W&A RR coach and now sees double duty as business coach and local coach.With decals and weathering should come out ok.

Need to investigate printing my own decals for the SBT. I mean if it's anything like airbrushing, how hard could it be?
I'll post pics of the Plymouth when it's done.

Virtual Trains?

I've been using Microsoft Train Simulator for awhile. It's a great program and the add-ons only keep getting better. Here we have a 25-ton switcher moving a BNSF boxcar from the docks to a shipping point. It's operations like this that makes the operation on the SBT interesting!


Route: Ohio Rails (Freeware)

Paint scheme

Here is a 40' AAR Boxcar done in what may be the early SBT scheme. Time will tell.

Layout Blues

Currently the SBT is a route without a home. I've made it as two pieces and right now it's just to big to set up as one piece. But here it is on the floor of my mom's house. East Ballard is on the back wall, and Salmon Bay is camera side.

I've got a pretty good layout going. Plenty of operation options and a reason for the route to exist. Much of what I've designed could quality the layout as a "Micro-Layout" as seen at the Micro-Layout Web page. Here is a short tour of the layout. Starting in the town of Salmon Bay and the interchange with the Northern Pacific.

This small coastal town is home to several major points of operation for the Salmon Bay Terminal. Hansen Lumber, which mills the lumber from the Barret Sawmill in East Ballard and ships furniture all over the country. And the Port of Salmon Bay Terminal, where ships of all kind load and unload their cargo.
Heading geographically northwest we head toward the "Big Cut". This was blasted through the rock by workers left over from building the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The spur to the Salmon Bay Terminal is seen at the bottom of this photo.

Now heading due north we enter the seaside community of East Ballard. This area is heavy industry, most of it open ocean based. This represents a massive port and all that go along with it.

In this photo you see the Great Northern interchange, WESCO oil (With my storage facility in for a test fit), Freemont Cement, Barret's Sawmill, and the East Ballard Port Authority. The Port Authority also ships and receives various cargo destined for local and interstate business.
In my ideal world, a two or three track fiddle yard would be at each end of the layout, representing the GN and NP. In addition, the way bill system will support ships docked in port show the manifest and where it needs to go.
I'm also preparing my back drop. Right now it's some tag board. I cut it with a power saw and am joining it together with glue and weight.

Con-Cor Oil Storage Tanks

After more then five years I've decided it's time to attempt a new model. Got some cash, so wandered into our local hobby store and picked up the Con-Cor "Cambria City Storage Tanks". I have an oil transfer point on my layout, the price was good so I picked it up and headed to my workspace.

Looks innocent, doesn't it? The picture is first rate and makes one think "Hey look! A kit someone with my skills can put together and make it look like that!" To a point, yes you can.
So I cracked open the box and found the following:

So far so good. I began following the instructions and discovered to my horror they were terrible! "We'll just put tab A into Slot B...wait, that doesn't work. Let's see, says it should. Hmm. Okay. Nope, doesn't fit. Not at all....wait, whats on the other side? No picture of that side. Okay. Hmm."
The first half wasn't that bad, I"ll admit. When I broke to wash my hands and have a glass of juice I had made it to step three.


I was very excited, but I had forgot a few things. Like the fact the model cement will without fail stick to your hands no matter what you do. That little parts when gluing will then stick to your hands, making precise positioning nigh impossible. I placed one of the tanks to far forward as there were no marks to tell me where to put them. So I couldn't fence the whole platform in. Some of the doodads that hang off the tank were the wrong size.
Now it should be noted at this point earlier in my modeling career I would have stomped off claiming the kit was stupid and how could I do it? I lost quite a few kits that way. But I figured the directions weren't that, just suggestions! So I began to bash the kit to fit what I liked. Dual transfer pipes, different fence placement, and a few minor things. When the dust settled I had a passable oil storage facility.

Not bad, eh? Sure some of the fences are leaning and it's not exactly as seen on the box, but I don't care! I'm not in Cambria City. This is a perfect 1/87th version of the WESTCO Oil storage tank in East Ballard, Washington on the SBT. I'm pleased to see the model is so accurate ;)


So there you have it. Not without some swearing and questioning. But it does deserve a place on my layout and after painting it will take it's place on the WESTCO spur.

Item: Con-Cor Cambria City Storage Tanks
Price: $11.85
Purchased at: Treasure Chest Hobbies and Crafts Missoula, MT
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Not to hard to build. The parts that fit, fit together well. Looks like what it says on the box. Easy to make it your own with parts on hand.
Cons: I'm going to outlaw Master Craftsman putting together these kits for the photographs. Show me the end result of Joe Modelers results. I think the person who made the instructions knew more then they were showing about how to put the kit together. They need to show every step from multiple angles and a completed view as well. Label every piece as an individual, and make sure the fit as pictured!

Plymoth Power

One of things I'm doing with the SBT is learning. A lot! I've decided it's time for me to move up the ladder when it comes to my model railroading. So I've decided all my roads power will be painted. By me. I've never done that in my life. But you have to start somewhere, right?

And here is my start. This will be SBT #10. It's a Bachmann Plymouth that will be the heavy hauler for the the railroad. In the photo above it's soaking in 91% Isopropyl alcohol to lift the paint. It does a very good job. Then attack it with an old tooth brush.

Here is the finished prodcut, ready for painting and super detailing. The color scheme is Cascade Green and yellow, and the details will set the engine up to run short hood forward, ala the SP. I'll print my own decals when the time comes. I can't wait to get started!

Cascades Service

While in Seattle and in honor of National Train Day, Abbey took the time to drive me to Everett to catch the 9:55 Cascades Service to Seattle. It was a very enjoyable ride, and I may post more about it in future blogs :)

The Real Thing

I am moving to Seattle. Right now I live in the heart of Northern Pacific country in Missoula, MT. But a change is needed, so recently I took a fact finding trip to Seattle. Little did I know it would change my layout in progress!
I'm a huge Deadliest Catch fan, so while tramping the water front in Ballard looking for the star crab boats I stumbled upon the Ballard Terminal Railroad. This is a railroad run by three gentleman to serve two industries in Ballard. Here is a page about it that tells a much better story then I do!
I took some photo's that I feel capture the mood and feel of this railroad.

Here we have some of the industrial type trackage seen on the route.

Heading towards the BNSF mainline with the approach to the massive Salmon Bay Bridge overhead. The grade is sharp and the track work classically industrial.

Abandoned track. This line runs the length of the Ballard waterfront. I can almost see it in it's heyday. The shot trains bringing needed supplies to the multitude of businesses. The loads going out. It's busy and bustling. Gritty and urban.

The modeling possibilities presented were to blatant to pass up. Gone was my logging railroad. The switchback? No more. Sawmill? Maybe. But here was a place I had walked on and looked at and pocked about. I know how big the ballast is, what the neighborhood is like. This makes my Salmon Bay more "real" in my head then the Buck Creek Northern ever would have been. If you have any ideas on how to model what is seen in these pictures, please pass them on! I'll be posting more of my images as the blog progresses!

The "Real" Salmon Bay Terminal

This is an image I made in Photoshop that sums up the railroad. Looking in the upper left corner you can see two real railroads I based the layout on following a trip to the Ballard, Seattle waterfront. The diesel on the left is #98 "Li'l Beaver" of the Ballard Terminal Railroad. The photo next to it is of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad. The SL&E contains the tracks seen around Gas Works Park and also form the route of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle.
Next to it you see a catchy jingle for when passenger service was on the route. "Ride the train all the way, from East Ballard to Salmon Bay!" It names the two termini, East Ballard to the left, and Salmon Bay to the right.
Below you see a slightly altered route, but one that has all them main points covered. The slogan "Crossroads of the North West" fits in nicely as originally the SBT had interchanges with the Great Northern to the south at East Ballard and the Northern Pacific to the east at Salmon Bay.
All era's will be modeled, from 1954 right up to the present day, so every railroad the SBT has come in contact with over the years has their herald displayed. However it should be noted that only the era being modeled for that session will be present on the layout at that time! No SD-40's and steam ;) Not that an SD-40 will run on the SBT!
The orange locomotive is an example of what will be the primary power for the line. It's a Grandt Line 25 Ton Boxcab switcher and as of this writing is in it's box unassembled.
Below that is a rundown of the railroad, it's shippers, speed limits and interchanges. This puts into my mind the reason for the railroad. Why does it run? What does it do? How fast do the trains move?
After years of being satisfied watching trains run in circles, it's time to move on. I want a layout that works not just operates. I want a reason for my switching moves, and an idea that there is something more beyond my layout. I hope the SBT will give me that.

Alll Aboaaard!

Welcome to the new web home of the Salmon Bay Terminal Railway! Over the following weeks I will be blogging on the creation and building of an HO scale model railroad layout I'm in the process of building. I plan on touching on the history of the line itself and give the reader an idea about what goes on in my head to make my railroad come to life. I do hope you enjoy!