Page 27 - January February 2017

Maintenance of Way: stock and operations Brian Moore
Railroad modellers have always had a liking for specialist cars. As well as providing the “eye candy” factor, running and switching the equipment can add much extra pleasure on even the smallest layouts and set-ups. Here’s a selection of snaps which feature various items of Southern Pacific Railroad “Maintenance of Way” (Reporting mark: SPMW) equipment I’ve created for use on the HO-scale modules we set up and operate on each month at the Western Union HO-modular meet in Plymouth.
Left: MoW Tracks at Quisling (i). When building my Quisling module, an essential requirement was to provide a couple of specific tracks for storing and switching MoW equipment, and a loading dock for shifting diggers and other road vehicles onto flat cars. I’ve tried to give the tracks a “tired” and rarely-used appearance that also looks good when there’s no stock present.
Right: MoW Tracks at Quisling (ii). Here’s the view down the 24’ of my module, showing how the MoW tracks in the lower right-hand corner come off the passing track by the depot.
Below: American Crane. SPMW 4098 is a self- powered Walthers crane, repainted with a mini- decoder installed, and with added working lights and some other details applied. Additional power collection comes from wheels on the permanently- attached flat car. Here (running on a friend’s layout) we see brace of SD7s hauling a short work train which includes SPMW 4098. The crane has its own DCC number, and it must be added to the MU consist of the train. Being self-powered, it can also amble itself over the modules as a “train” in its own right, and I’m happy to report that it looks really cool doing so.
Right: Siding (i). There’s a “spare” siding at the other end of Quisling which can be used for temporary placing of stock and equipment. Locals will tell you that it originally served a wooden fruit-packing house which burned to the ground a few years ago. (In reality, I carry the module boards in pairs, face-to-face, and the buildings on this board’s “oppo” require this space to fit together snugly in transit – there’s therefore no room for a structure here.) We see two preserved Santa Maria Valley RR locomotives out on a fan trip, placed “off the main” and awaiting water replenishment from the Quisling County Fire & Rescue service.
ROUNDHOUSE February 2017 27