HAVEN HILL JUNCTION
An On30 Exhibition Layout
An On30 Exhibition Layout
DIESEL OIL DELIVERY
A Turtle Creek Central Railroad diesel exits the covered bridge (which disguises the entrance from the cassette fiddle yard) with the weekly delivery of diesel oil for the Haven Hill Junction refuelling point.
The covered bridge is kit-bashed to fit, with the addition of a brick support to give the height needed to run the tallest loco through it.
The loco is a freelance scratch-built body on a Bachmann Underground Ernie chassis.
The Gramps tank car is from the Bachman Spectrum range, but shortened to allow it to negotiate the sharp curves on this layout. It has also been heavily weathered. This will be converted, when time allows, into the frameless version, to match the prototype. It will also need to be renumbered to fit in with the period (see historical note below).
The covered bridge is kit-
The loco is a freelance scratch-
The Gramps tank car is from the Bachman Spectrum range, but shortened to allow it to negotiate the sharp curves on this layout. It has also been heavily weathered. This will be converted, when time allows, into the frameless version, to match the prototype. It will also need to be renumbered to fit in with the period (see historical note below).
Historical Note
About thirty frameless tank cars were built for the UTLX from Van Dyke tanks and put on new narrow gauge Andrews trucks made by American Steel Foundries. Most of these conversions dated from the early thirties, a few other were done later until 1947. These tank cars were also equipped with standard gauge trucks that could be exchanged with their narrow gauge trucks whenever needed.
In 1939, 25 of these frameless tank cars received new Bettendorf trucks, still built by American Steel Foundries, with journal boxes cast in the truck frames. In addition to these tank cars used regularly on the D&RGW, several other cars have been temporarily converted to narrow gauge from standard gauge frameless tank cars when the amount of traffic required it. The UTLX frameless tank cars were originally numbered in the 55000 to 55999 and 57400 to 59999 blocks.
In 1947 they have been renumbered 88150 and higher, according to the type of their heater. And those not already scrapped were renumbered again in 1956 from 11034 to 11058. Just before 1940, most frameless tank cars have been labelled GRAMPS, the nickname of the owner of a refinery in Alamosa, with large letters on their tanks. These cars were all retired in 1965, at least four are preserved today, including one at the Colorado Railroad Museum, another on the Georgetown Loop Railroad and a third with GRAMPS letterings in Central City.
In 1939, 25 of these frameless tank cars received new Bettendorf trucks, still built by American Steel Foundries, with journal boxes cast in the truck frames. In addition to these tank cars used regularly on the D&RGW, several other cars have been temporarily converted to narrow gauge from standard gauge frameless tank cars when the amount of traffic required it. The UTLX frameless tank cars were originally numbered in the 55000 to 55999 and 57400 to 59999 blocks.
In 1947 they have been renumbered 88150 and higher, according to the type of their heater. And those not already scrapped were renumbered again in 1956 from 11034 to 11058. Just before 1940, most frameless tank cars have been labelled GRAMPS, the nickname of the owner of a refinery in Alamosa, with large letters on their tanks. These cars were all retired in 1965, at least four are preserved today, including one at the Colorado Railroad Museum, another on the Georgetown Loop Railroad and a third with GRAMPS letterings in Central City.
