My Northern Pacific Butte Montana Layout.


Sanatfewillie and Sirfoldalot,

Sirfoldalot said:
Most of the NON restored cabooses that I have been on were painted various shades of a light green. I think you are close enough; Your work looks very nice.
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Where these Northern Pacific Cabooses, as I would think railroads might choose their own colors? I was on a 24 foot N.P. caboose many years ago and all I can remember is that it was painted with a light color.
 
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two photos showing that Oxide Red has been brush painted to the cabooses shell. the second photo does show that the forward window is a bit to far back, as the cupola should be centered between the two windows on the left side of the cupola. The next step is to squirt some Testor's Clear Gloss on the caboose, previous to applying the decals. I haven't looked to see what I have for caboose decals, so I still don't know what Road Number I will give it.
 
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This project has almost lasted a month now. I actually got started on the 27th of October and although I have been involved in a few other projects since I started this one, this one has been my primary focus. I don't put in a full 8 hour day working on my layout; or, the projects I come up with for it. That would make the process seem to much like an actual job! I retired from my work-a-day job at the beginning of 2013 and I understand as well as any of you, the drudgery of working for a living! If you have a job that you do not consider as work, you are one lucky person! I enjoyed working, when I had to, as a positive outlook made the task more enjoyable! However, I'm not talking about this, to compare notes; or, aspirations on the process of having to work! I'm talking about it from the point of view of being a Model Railroader and how I like to take on the various projects that give me enjoyment. I may have only put in a half an hour in a day on this project as that keeps the project fresh in my mind. I may put in 2-3 hours a day thinking the process through, as a project such as this has no instructions to follow and if you don't think things through, you will eventually paint yourself into a corner!

So, if you read this over and feel: "Oh, it's too bad N.P. isn't more motivated, he could get so much more done, if he was"! I'm telling you, that it is even worse than that, as my motivation and goals are only that I am having fun, doing what I'm doing. After almost one month of working on this project, I am still looking forward to squirting some Testor's Clear Gloss on the caboose and applying decals and enjoying the project!

I say all of this, as I wonder about the staying power of this hobby without the building of models, from which the hobby got it's start. I'd like to think I could build a locomotive from scratch like they had to, back in the 1930s and 1940s! I probably should try; but, that may never happen, as right now I think I have too many locomotives, anyway.
 
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Mark - I wholeheartedly agree with you. Friends ask if I spend all day in the train shed now that I am retired, but I have to respond no. That would make it like a job all over again, and I'm that's why I retired to begin with. Even there, I usually have between three and six things going on at once, plus broad expanses of plywood to do scenery on when I can't get motivated on other things. I still need to make 1000's of trees as well!!! I also have other different interests as well, like organic gardening that keep me busy.

Willie
 
Mark, the build is coming along quite nice. I wouldn't let the length of time it took bother you. For two years we were involved with remodeling the entire main level of the house and I have little if any time to devote to my layout. Even now, with all of the renovations completed, I still find that I don't get much done on the layout. Just too many things going on all at the same time.

I have a number of projects stashed away that should be worked on and when I do get a few minutes, I'll work on them a little at a time. I do find myself operating the layout when I go down to the train room instead of working on projects that should be done, but I do enjoy the fact that the layout is to the point it is after 30 years and I can enjoy it.

Like Willie mentioned, we all have other interests also. Restoring classic cars is another thing I am into and that does require quite a bit of time. My wife and I are also avid bowlers and besides bowling on a league, a number of us also attend tournaments not only in the state, but national tournaments across the country. There just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.

It's a hobby, not an all consuming thing that requires all of your attention. Enjoy it when ever you can.
 
Willie is right. It is a hobby that most of us enjoy in our spare time. It's not a job. Nothing has to be done NOW. There have been times when I might get tired or frustrated of a certain and I'll leave it be and move on to something else. I have some projects that have been sitting in a box for years (and probably some that I have forgotten about) but sooner or later I'll get around to them.
 
I have been ill since thanksgiving day and haven't done anything but watch TV since then. I hope this is done soon!
 
Every year about this time I get a sever cold and end up seeing a doctor who prescribes an antibiotic and that fixes me right up.
 
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Having a bit of down time, I've been studying my reference materials. Since I am building a series 1050 to 1100 caboose that was built in 1952, I assumed that the caboose would have been lettered in the same way as my series 1000 to 1049 tall cupola caboose was, very sparsely with Northern Pacific across the top pf the main body and only the actual Road Number in the center below. On the ends, there would be the Road Number printed on the header above the door and a blue porcelain warning sign on the door itself. Now, I've read that these cabooses would have had the N.P. Monade on the sides with "Main Street of the Northwest" under. I can't find information on the "as built in 1952" appearance of these cabooses, so am going to go with what I thought they should look like, right; or, wrong. Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut! If it turns out I'm wrong, I will be one of how many people, that will know I'm wrong?
 
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It can be really difficult to find information on a lot of the NP equipment. I have had some of the same problems. I personally knew Ron Nixon and had contacted him a number of times for photographs of equipment that I was trying to paint or recreate. He was great and would send over a number of photos of what ever I was working on if he had them. i could either send them back, but a lot of the time I would pay him for them, even though he really didn't want the money. Sure miss him. The Museum of the Rockies near by in Bozeman, MT has quite a collection of Ron's work.

Many railroads have a fairly good record of their equipment and locomotives but the Northern Pacific for some reason is a hard railroad to research. For as large of a railroad that it was, records and data is a lot more scarce than other railroads.
 
montanan said:
It can be really difficult to find information on a lot of the NP equipment. I have had some of the same problems. I personally knew Ron Nixon and had contacted him a number of times for photographs of equipment that I was trying to paint or recreate. He was great and would send over a number of photos of what ever I was working on if he had them. i could either send them back, but a lot of the time I would pay him for them, even though he really didn't want the money. Sure miss him. The Museum of the Rockies near by in Bozeman, MT has quite a collection of Ron's work.

Many railroads have a fairly good record of their equipment and locomotives but the Northern Pacific for some reason is a hard railroad to research. For as large of a railroad that it was, records and data is a lot more scarce than other railroads.
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I have noticed!
 
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