Benson, Arkansas

[broadoak]

Yes Colin I had trouble with all my lifelike models over a period of years.
Never any problems with the Blue Box Athearns though.

[broadoak]

I don’t know the name for a collection of assorted Southern Pacific power but her are a few photographs of one. The locos are a Cadillac SD7, a Baldwin S 12, an EMD SD45, and behind them a pair of EMD F7’s. All are Athearn models.











Peter M

[broadoak]

Peter M

[broadoak]

For a change I have taken a few pictures of another of my small
switchers going about their jobs in the yard at Benson.
The yellow switcher TVRR # 43, another 70 tonner is an ex Bethlehem Steel loco and is used mainly at a local feed mill where she spends her day switching loads in and empties out.
She is seen here working in the yard at Benson on test following a major service.
The model itself is a Bachmann example with two motors one in each truck.









Peter M

[broadoak]

A Great Northern EMD GP30 #3016 still wearing a coat of Omaha orange and Pullman green, and looking very pretty to my eye arrives at Benson with a small train. I know the GP30 shape is not attractive to all but I rather like their Humpty Dumpty appearance. On March 2 1970 GN became part of the Burlington Northern the result of a merger with Burlington, Northern Pacific, and Spokane, Portland and Seattle. Many locomotives still carried the old livery until they went into the shops later and emerged wearing a coat of Cascade green and black.
The model is a Bachmann example with a split chassis and ready detailed.

Peter M

[broadoak]

#3016 spots the empty pulpwood flats in the loop and uncouples the GM&O covered hopper which it propels to the Farmers Co-op elevator in the east yard. It removes an empty Cotton Belt hopper and waits in the yard for the yard goat an GN SW7 #145 to pick up the empty flats and propel them to the pulpwood loading track. The SW7 is a much modified and detailed Athearn BB model.
While the flats are being loaded the GP30 runs to the west yard and collects an empty Burlington covered hopper from the Continental Grain Elevator.

Peter M

[broadoak]

When the flats are loaded the SW7 switcher pulls the cut back into the main loop and uncouples. The GP30 backs onto the pulpwood cars with the two outbound covered hoppers and departs for its destination at Hope Arkansas.

Peter M

[broadoak]

Here we have a few more pictures of my SP Baldwin S12 #2143 she has extra lights at the front and rear to allow 24 hour a day working in the yard at San Francisco.
In reality the Baldwin's were traded in against more modern power.
With my model I have assumed that the SP kept this loco for interchange and light work in south west Arkansas.
The model has been modified with lots of added details, it has also been re-motored with a Mashima can. I like her because she looks a little different to all my other EMD end cab switchers.









Peter M

[broadoak]

Here is an example of a Burlington Northern SW1500 #307 wearing the cascade green and black, probably more practical but not so attractive as the old GN colours. She is seen arriving at Benson with a minimal train in tow.
Yes it’s another Athearn blue box job with added details and a bit work stained.

 





Peter M

[broadoak]

Every so often I used to give all my fleet of locomotives a check over and run.
This was one of the first road switchers I bought some twenty odd years ago and it runs as sweetly now as it ever did.
It is a Blue Box Athearn that I have chopped the nose on, the fiction being it was re-built in the fictional Interstate & Western's workshops at Rosston to a full GP 18 specification.

In the following sequence I&W #6 is seen arriving at Benson with a train of empty pulpwood flats, then laying over at the west yard engine facilities.
Having seen the amount of debris left on the deck of real pulpwood flat cars I added some sawdust on the models to replicate the real thing.











Peter M