Last Chance Ops

Picking up cars in Silver City

     It was a very productive Friday. The Montana Railroad Historical Association in Helena, Montana holds a dedicated operating session the 2nd Friday of every month. I've been down twice for the Saturday Open Houses and decided that it's an organization I should be a member of. Even more so when I learned they do have op sessions. Since getting back into the hobby I've been fascinated with making my trains work. I've listened to podcast, purchased books and devoured just about everything I can get my hands on when it comes to operating a model railroad. And like Bruce Lee I've taken what I find useful and discarded what isn't for me. But more on that in another post. This one is about a local that ran from Livingston, MT to Butte, MT via Townsend, Helena, East Helena, Silver City and Great Falls. 

 I brought three locomotives with me as my engine's don't really get a chance to stretch their legs on the Clearwater Terminal. Mike was kind enough to come with me and was great conversation going to and back. A good road trip partner is essential to missions like these. Helena is 114 miles away or as we say in Montana "Hour 45" and it was good driving with okay train watching. We got in the door at 5:30 made some small talk, ate some pizza then it was off to the dispatcher to get our train sheets. The original idea was to double up on a single train but in the end we went it alone. For power I chose my Walthers Mainline NW2 and Mike had my Bowser SP&S RS-3. 

    I started in the Livingston yard and had my train all made up for me. They use stickers with numbers to help you find your train. Got coupled on, did the air test, figured out the older Digitrax throttle and with bell ringing crawled onto the mainline. Crawl here is the word as the Walthers switcher is geared low for yard work. But surefooted save occasional contact gremlins.

    First work was in Townsend with two pickups. Then it was on to the Helena area where we picked up another one. Now with eight cars in tow we waited for traffic to clear and then highballed for Silver City. As I mentioned I don't often get to run fast on my 7x11 layout so getting up to speed step 40 for an extended period of time was a joy. And #70 handled it just fine, the single note horn barking for the crossings. Once in Silver City we had work to do. Now something about The Last Chance Layout (LCL). very little of it is flat. So you can use pushpins to hold cars back if you need to. Well I pinned half my train, then moved into town for a drop and two pickups. 

Silver City, MT

    The work was engaging but straight forward. Made sure my sound signals were appropriate as I had to work across a crossing and finished in good times. And then it was off.  My steely eyed engineer gaze focused on the scenery ahead. "Did you leave half your train back there?" Of course I didn't! I was.....never mind yes I did. Still pinned town my lone four cars were waiting for me. I was told coulda happened to anyone but it happened to me.  Oh well I guess I owe my brakeman a bottle of something nice. A whole train once more it was off to Great Falls for more work then around the return loop and back the way we came.  Before we left I swapped out the trusty #70 with the GP38-2 for some horsepower over Homestake Pass. 

Last major work was in Helena, remember return loop, and that was some real work.  Full tracks, interesting industry placement and a short lead made this the puzzle of the day. But one step at a time and a patient hogger downstream and we got it done. Then came the climb up the helix and down to Butte. That is why we run on this layout. Breaking out at the summit and coming down at a good clip puts it all i perspective. Now we have some time run and just take it all in. And that's why I'm now a dues paying member. I don't get that at home. Well not as much. 

Descending Homestake Pass. That's Butte in the distance. 

    I dropped my cars at Butte and called it a day. I took the full session, that's  four and a half hours for what I just described. And for me that was perfect. When I operate the goal isn't to get it done fast. "Real" railroading isn't fast and modeling it shouldn't be either. For myself I felt I did the run justice and was true to the principles I operate by. I didn't go full "realism" like I can when I'm at home by myself but neither did I make a point to speed through my list. For me it was a good ops session. And having another place where I can get that is so very nice. 

    But the evening wasn't done. Had to do some paperwork with the club and then take a look at the attached hobby shop. Turns out the VEK Railway Supplies proprietor Sean also does the DCC work for the area. And wouldn'cha know it, I need some done. The #70 really needs a capacitor for Bullet Proof Ops. The Walthers Mainline unit comes with a specific ESU board. Not the full Loksound meaning work is different. And of course it's hard to find the nuts and bolts behind the board. So it was decided to replace it with a Soundtraxx board and capacitor. Really looking forward to how it comes out. 

    Helped another club member with a jump start and then it was on the road home. Got in at just past midnight and called it a night. What a blast. If you find yourself in Helena, MT on a Saturday afternoon stop by the MRHA and see the Last Chance Layout. It's a great look at railroading in MT. Just in 1/87th scale. 

A New Era

 

CSLP 788 in Edmonds Landing by the company photographer.

Clearwater Montana - The sight of a grey, white and red locomotive signaled a new era for the Clearwater, Seeley Lake & Pacific Railway. The EMD, now Progress Rail, GP38-2 was the latest and most visible sign of changes taking place on this Class III Montana shortline. With these changes comes a new name, The Clearwater Terminal Railway, and a renewed and continued commitment to serving the ting citizens of the Clearwater area. "This is just a big deal" said CEO James Maxwell "This locomotive will allow us to better serve all our tiny citizens and ensure our on time and personal service can grow appropriately. Because growth should fit the area where it needs to happen and it was time for a more modern locomotive here on the Clearwater Terminal. " 

    One of 288 2,000hp locomotives built for the Penn Central, the 788 has been used for freight assignments of all kind across the United States. Finding the locomotive was serendipitous according to Chief Mechanical Officer and Vice President of Rail Operations Cannon O'Reilly. "We've been looking for something along these lines for a bit" he admitted. "Most of our motive power dates before the 1970's and  the need for something that could do it all was becoming increasingly obvious. " O'Reilly went on to state that with the full rehabilitation of the Clearwater North Industrial Spur the amount of work the railroad was handling was steadily increasing. And a capable locomotive was needed. "It's still and eastern engine, has the small plow as  you can see, but we're very optimistic".

    The Clearwater Terminal Railway is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Clearwater Pacific Inc. based in Missoula, Montana. It operates just under 3 miles of tracks in the immediate Clearwater Area and is privately held. The company has been serving the region in one form or another since 2019. It partners with Class 1 BNSF at Edmonds Landing and the Class 3 regional Kalispell southern at Clearwater North. 

When the Railroad is TOO Big?

Port Clearwater North getting it's first coat of base paint

     My railroad had a size problem. And I understand this can be a common problem. The fact is that when your imagined reality and your physical reality have such a mismatch something has to give. And give it did! We went from 15 miles to just over 2.5 miles. From a railroad that went from one small town to another to a railroad that serves a single town. And every change has made the railroad better. 

 The original plan was good. Grounded in physical reality and plausible history it work. But the fact is a 7x11 office just makes things smaller then you think even in in 1/87th scale. And the thought of one wall being 15 miles away in Seeley Lake really didn't do anything operationally for the railroad. The more I worked and thought and thought and worked the less sense it made. I plans for a good physical plant. My industries seemed solid. My benchwork went together as it does with vibes and audacity. And when the dust settled I had my layout. Just like I envisioned.  But the space was not what I wanted. I didn't want more space, the physical space was fine. But the mental space did not work. My imagined railroad was simply to big. So I changed it. 

    So far my favorite lessons as I build this railroad is that nothing is permanent and the only person making it so is yourself. There is no secret guild of master model railroaders who will come over to your house and cover you in Elmer's glue and ground foam because you decided to change something. I see it over and over. Robert Todd's Milwaukee Road Des Moines Sub railroad is an excellent example. Or the Last Chance Layout up in Helena. Just. Change. It. Make it work for you. So I did. And I'll talk through some of my changes.

    First up of course was scope. I had made the name change for the layout proper to the Clearwater Industrial a few months ago. I liked that. But why would a layout named that go 15 miles? That sounds like a railroad that might just serve a three mile area. So that's what I did. I turned Seeley Lake, a small town with a lumber background into Port Clearwater North, or Clearwater North, an inland port that supports two major tenets and adds a level of operational variety that is both exciting and reasonable.

    There is a trend in this moment towards smaller layouts with maximum realism and minimalism. While I'm not 100 percent on board this particular train I think the idea has a lot to offer if you know what you're looking at in your own circumstances.  

Clearwater North Track Diagram

    In the case of Clearwater North I wanted a main anchor. And transload is always a good one. combined with the Kalispell Southern interchange track I could plausibly entertain a wide variety of cars and traffic. This replaces the original Seeley Lake Team Track. Another thing is not every siding needs to have in industry. Doing less with more is not only prototypical but adds for variety. So what was Berman Hoof and Hay, more on them later, is now a former rail served industry that acts as the off spot for the transload. This frees up more space but also doesn't add more for the sake of another industry in the port. Breathing room is important.  I also decided to base a switcher here. The Clearwater North switcher works cars brought in on both interchanges and is dedicated to the customers of the port. This means the justification for multiple operators is baked into the operational design of the railroad.

    The other major anchor is Kootenai Fuels, replacing Seeley Lake Terminal Petroleum. Consistent traffic and whatever is on the waybill. A HOLD track was added for overflow or to take in other products, such as palletized lubricants on other car types, adding variety. We'll get into the planned operations in another post but needless to say I'm far happier with how things are looking now. 

Clearwater Track Diagram

    Clearwater too got a makeover. The fact was the original central industry "Blue Star Foods / Logistics / Distribution" never really worked out. The ide was this industry was the driving force of the area and these interlocked car generators would allow for 24 hour operation and a reason for the entire railroad to exist. This is why BNSF did a daily train to Clearwater. Turns out it works on the surface but deeper down it really fell apart. So I changed it.  First thing i did was move Berman Hoof and Hay, now Berman Agricultural Supply into town, replacing Laursen Farms Transfer. Laursen Farms Transfer's role could now be handled by the transload in Clearwater North so it simply ceased to exist. This meant I now had another industry in Clearwater that would function well in the Clearwater Industrial District. The CID is a loose confederation of small rail served businesses in the town of Clearwater.  Updated names followed. And what was Blue Star became "The East Spur". Now separate businesses that are not connected. Front Range food is a maker of Chili, Jerky and other food stuffs. While Northwest Distribution is a cross deck supplier. The Clearwater Team Track became the Clearwater Logistics Center and is responsible for the small non rail served customers in the region. That is ones that don't need bulk or oversize loads, that's the transload, or not part of the nationwide distribution chain, that's NW Distribution. 

Updated Clearwater Industrial District names. 

    Also in Clearwater I fixed Tammany Avenue.  I tried to use Robert Todd's foam trick but Code 83 might be just a bit short. I ended up with constant stalling and derailing. So I ripped it own and simply painted it. Paint alone has been used for roads in model railroading and for good reason. My true requirement for a road is "Does the crew blow the horn to cross it?" If the answer is yes then I think it's doing it's job. I'm not looking to exactly duplicate the real world in my scenery. This is where I diverge from the Mindheim mindset a bit. I want the operational reality behind my scenery.  That's what matters to me. And I think it does that just fine. 

"That looks vaguely like a road. What technique did you use?" "Apple Barrel paint from Walmart."

    We have some new motive power coming to. I ordered an Athearn GP38-2 in an EMD lease scheme and it will join the GP-9 for work on the railroad. Two modernish EMD locomotives, one based at Clearwater North will mean good running, plenty of power and a good time for my operators. Currently the GP-9 "Cedar" is out getting a full ESU set up across the country but he should be back in a few weeks. The NW2 #70 is doing a fine job holding down the western side of the railroad. 

    I've very pleased with the direction the railroad is taking. It now makes more sense. It fits the physical space I have and I'm confident my operating scheme will work better then the one I had planned. But more on that later. 

Welcome Big Mike

Big Mike after arriving on his flatcar.

    So what's old is new again. But I should start at the beginning. And that is far in the hinterlands of Appalachia.  The W.M. Ritter Logging company was a force to be reckoned with at the turn of the last century. They had timber and railroads all over the dense spruce forests in West Virginia, The Carolina's, Kentucky and Tennessee. Sawmills and lumber companies were popping up all over the country. Not one to let good money go to waste it was decided that they would attempt to go after the tamarack and pine of the western states.  Ritter spoke to his western acquaintance Jim Hill and enquired about a short spur line from the Great Northern near Kalispell, Montana.  This would allow them to harvest the trees in the region and ship them to his mills out east. 

    Work started in 1912 with a brand new wood fired C-80-3 Shay from Lima numbered 19. This 80 ton locomotive was the only locomotive used by the line. But the numbers never seemed to work out. By 1933 W.M. Ritter was looking to get out of it's western holdings. Tim Chipman, who had taken over his fathers timber company to the south of Kalispell, stepped in and bought the spur, locomotive, and all the Ritter assets. Because Chipman already had a massive mill and operation in Bonner, the smaller Kalispell operation made financial sense. Both Seeley Lake and Kalispell had modest mills that benefited from the influx of local timber.  Chipman worked the spur until 1948 when the line was abandoned. 19 was left in the woods until 1960 when it was skidded into a company park east of Kalispell for display.  

    In  1985 a group of local citizens purchased the locomotive for $1 and had it moved to Bonner for a hopped restoration. A former mill building was purchased and the locomotive placed inside. The restoration never materialized and #19 was all but forgotten. And then the Clearwater, Seeley Lake & Pacific purchased the building along with some other trackage in Bonner. 

    CMO Cannon O'Reilly was doing an inventory of the new acquisitions and came across #19 sitting in their building. After a bit of legal wrangling involving ownership of the locomotive the Clearwater Pacific became the proud owners of another steam locomotive. And a very thorough restoration began. The goal was to have a working locomotive that tired in with the history the Seeley Swan. Company volunteers lead the effort and locomotive restoration experts were retained. 

    In May of 2025 #19 came back to steam and got right back to work. In order to maintain the locomotive the engine house in Bonner was maintained. #19 travels on a special flat car up and down the Blackfoot Valley and is put to work for weeks at a time.  Company volunteers still work before and after their officials shifts to bring steam back to valley. #19 has taken on the name "Big Mike" and the sound of clattering exhaust and steam whistles once again echo in Clearwater. 

At Swan Valley Lumber & Building Supply

Switching at Edmonds Landing

Roster shot of Big Mike, CLSP #19

It's Happening

New Team Track Freight Agent Office

        Things continue to progress on the railroad. I'll leave at a bulleted list for now. 

• Brought ChatGPT to a standstill six times trying to automate the layout. It is I fear still a bridge to far for that particular AI. We're in the CC&WB territory now. It just works
• But not all was lost with AI. I have about a thousand waybill options there were generated in a few minutes. That's impressive.
• And we're working on a variety of operating schemes involving dice. More on that as it matures.
• Getting some details in that tell the story of the railroad. The new unpainted office you see is one such example. That's the level of service to the local community the CLSP provides. A one stop shop to ask questions and get your freight delivered or shipped. 
• Scenery continues. One small segment at a time. Every week I try to get ground cover a little further on. Starting to look better.
• Operating sessions continue to dial in our paper work and character of the railroad.  We're a long way from prime time but we do have an operating goal and we are getting there.
• 57' Mechanical reefers are too much. Sadly. But we have 50' mechanical reefers that will sub in for them. It's a minor detail and I think too hard about it it bugs me but what can you do? The freights gotta move!

    I'm really please with how things are going. I hope to start on the Seeley Lake subdivision soon. One rail at a time.

Busy Sunday on the CSLP

CSLP RS-3 #94 and Office Car #1 "Alder Gulch"

     After a quick trip to Seattle it's back to working on the railroad. It's one step at a time and we got a few done this Sunday. So we'll start with the basics and that was getting the Northern Range Packing Works looking a little better. There are two spots on at the works and the building for what is called CC1 came in. I whipped up a logo and applied it then using 2mm foam set up a concrete pad for the buildings. This makes two spots at the factory and one is now covered for all weather use. This means that year round operations can take place. I'm sure the packing workers are finding it nice this cold rainy winter. 

Northern Range Packing Works

    I then turned to ballast. For the mainline of the CSLP I decided that NP Grey from from Arizona Rock & Mineral would be our mainline color. The story is a contractor out of the Spokane area did the rehabilitation work for the railroad and this grey, which can be seen on the BNSF in the region, was what was used. My ballasting technique is still developing and I can't add a shoulder to save my life but it looks far better then it was. Touch ups over the next few weeks will have the yard looking like it should. Speaking of the yard I have a sand tower inbound for the engine barn and I hope to add a pair of yard lights as well. The BNSF interchange takes place in the dark and I'm guessing they'd like to be able to see what they are doing.  I imagine you can use your phone to turn them on. 

Foreman Dan Hernandez is mobile now. 

    One of the YouTube channels I watch SoCal Scale Models adds bases to his figures and moves them around the layout. Well I thought that was brilliant and a few of my figures can now move around the layout as they need to. 

    And the last order of business was to start work on the scrap yard. I've seen that it really doesn't take much so I threw down some yard mix and ordered an excavator. I also have a pile of scrap on the way as well. That should be enough to get the yard started. I need some old car bodies for one of the walls. The lore is that the Williams Brothers, Roger and Dale, had some old car bodies that the county was finally about to throw the book at. So over beers one night they decided they would start a scrap yard and store the rusted out vehicles there. Well it's starting. You can read more about this in an earlier blog. I want to get some solid fence panels up around the sides and it'll look alright I think. 

Now we just need some scrap and can get to work. 

    On the less visual side of things we have motive power changes coming up. The GP-9 "Cedar" should be showing up tomorrow. I ordered it through Ebay from Trainz.com and was sent the wrong version. Their customer service was excellent and the return was no hassle at all. So much so I ordered a NW2 to replace the DCC only 70-Tonner I was prepping to give all the bells and whistles. Literally. This means that #94 can take a much needed back seat for most all jobs. Reliable EMD power means while keeping the Alco afloat has been a labor of love and sometimes hate for CMO Cannon O'Reilly it'll be less stress on keeping it running because it's the only locomotive the road has. The NW2 will be "Scoot" and will wear the #70. Oh I have decals sets on the way to do that as well. 

    And a few other odds and ends like striping for the road and crossing signals for MT-20. Some whistle signals as well to remind us to make noise at crossings. And a few new cars as well. The CSLP is now a 50' car railroad and we're doing more with less. I'm trying to get a lot of shortline cares as well to keep up the visual "texture" of the railroad that can so easily be lost when you make the year 2024.  Longer term plans have me starting the Seeley Lake extension and starting the higher detail work on the Clearwater area.  

    Oh I mentioned Seattle so I'll tell you a bit about that. The day after we arrived I took a train (Link) to a train (Cascades) to a train (T Line) to go look at......model trains. The trip from Seattle to Tacoma was melancholy as it may well be my last ride on Talgo equipment in the US.  I'm sure riding the new Airo trains will get me over it though. I got to see the massive layout at the Washington History Museum as well as a host of modular layouts from Z to Live Steam and even one that modeled Europe. I'll end with some images from the trip.

The 1 Line Arriving

Union Station. Former home of the Hiawatha and UP #457

King Street Station

Talgo Cascades

Cab Car headed south

Tacoma's Union Station, now a federal courthouse

The above but in 1:87 scale

The layout is spectacular

Small Details, Small Steps

 

There is a lot of detail here. For me anyway. 

    Work on the scenic bits of the layout have begin. Ballasting is happening throughout the yard.  Trees were removed, grass added and trees put back. Each step a little one but I can tell the layout is coming together. Let's take a look at the photo at the top of this post, what do we see? We see BNSF 403705 in pristine paint. I know this because when I looked up photos online of the car it has some artwork on it. Now if that appears on my 403705 is yet to be seen but I'd like to think it might. The ballast is nothing to write home about but that was the first section that was done. It is Arizona Rock and Mineral Yard Mix and I think it looks right. I have not laid ballast in 20 years or so. And after a few YouTube videos I figured I'd either end up with the biggest mess or it would look okay ten feet. It passes the ten foot test. See those barrels? They tell a different story. The corner of the layout the engine barn is in means because of the hutch door needing to open I can't glue the barn down. But i needed a way to position it every time I had to put it back. Those barrels are glued so that when the barn is touching them it's in the right place.  Also notice the track bumper.

    That is a Walthers track bumper bought brand new in package. Let me tell you a little about a Walthers Track Bumper. I figured they would be a solid piece. They are not. Sure you can get them out of the package but then they suddenly become three pieces. And it's a bear trying to get them back together. But with a lot of Loctite Gel I managed to wrangle three together again for the yard. Just as a heads up if you're looking to get them. I think they look great and a lot better then a blue thumbtack for sure. 

It does appear to be ballasted.

    I've ballasted the engine house area and a yard track. But I had stopped short of the turnout. The horror stories of this particular endeavor ran though my brain. I'd ruin the switch. I'd glue the points together. I'll have to tear it all out and do it again! So I watched a couple of YouTube videos, this is a theme by the way, and discovered the secrets. It's to appear ballasted. Just enough to fool the eye. Take your time and go slow and you'll be fine. So that's what I did when I got home today. Took my time, followed the instructions and paid attention. As the glue sets up tonight the points are in fine working order and I see no reason why that would be any different in the morning. One switch takes about fifteen minutes. I figure four days and I'll have all the yard switches done. Then it's the interchange track and we wait for the mainline ballast. Still deciding between GN or NP look but maybe a combination of both with some odd patches thrown in. That is after all prototype.  But I feel much better about this whole ballasting thing. 

    I'm not sure how far down the scenery rabbit hole I'll go. But it's great to spend an hour or so making my 1/87th world look just a little more real.