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Dispatchers Office (2/04)

The dispatcher's office which will occupy the spare bedroom in the upstairs level of my home is being remodeled to match an actual dispatcher's office of the period. Light brown walls with dark brown trim; light green and dark green checker board linoleum tile was the standard for many of C&O's structures.

The basement one hour before construction began on September 16, 2003
Framework for curved drywall, inner linear wall
Drywall being hung (5/04)
More drywall
Walls ready for painting (9/04)
My good friend Mike McCreight and my self work inside the helix installing first loop.
Curved walls and drop ceiling installed and ready for benchwork, September 2004
The drop ceiling had to be painstakingly fitted to match the curved walls of the layout room
The heating ducts, cold air returns, and main steel support member for the house were all boxed in with drywall and finished to blend with the room


Walls painted and ready for benchwork.
Upper level benchwork with fascia ready for track at Sandy Hook Yard (4/05)
Mike McCreight fishing wire through ceiling for fluorescent lighting under upper level valence.
Electronic lighting ballasts were mounted in the ceiling for easy access and to make wire runs much shorter.
Sometimes we do better work with our eyes closed!
Upper level benchwork with fascia ready for track at Sou. Crossing WEDT.
Mike Weber looking very intense at new fluorescent lighting.
Mike McCreight and myself reviewing circuit diagrams for Dr. Bruce Chubb's great C/MRI system in the dispatcher's office on March 11, 2005
Looking out of the crew room at Big Island (to the right) and Snowden curve (straight-ahead) on the upper level on May 8, 2005
Looking west toward Snowden curve,
June 2, 2005
Looking across the aisle way from the East End of Big Island towards Walkerford. Scenery is well under way!
Possum Creek culvert ready for installation. This wonderful handcarved plaster piece was made by my good friend Chris Wiley of Lynchburg Virginian. Chris and I are the best of friends and spent many hours on the phone talking about our railroads. This is not surprising as Chris models the same section of the C&O as I do but in N scale.
The rock carvings have been started at Kelly Virginia on the upper level. My good friend Doug Tagsold showed me how to do rock carvings and has helped on much of the layout. He is truly an artist as is evident to and by his wonderful D&RGW HO scale layout.
This is the only job the guys trust me with!
Upper deck benchwork looking at Snowden curve
Upper deck benchwork entering helix just west of Snowden Virginia
Snowden bridge (MP 170.0) under construction.
My good friends Shawn and Andy at work on one of our regular Sunday construction sessions.
We are in the process of replacing the photo backdrops used in the first section of the layout with painted backdrops.
Rough plaster and concrete culvert located at Battery Creek near the West End of Major Virginia siding.
Old Battery Creek Canal locks from the original 1851 canal construction still exist to this day. These were carved by my very talented friend Chris Wiley
Photographs are used to help plan each scene so that they better represent the prototype location.
Overview of the upper level benchwork in the area of Snowden / Major Virginia.
Scratch built buildings including truck scale temporarily placed at Kelly pulpwood yard.
Looking west from Kelly pulpwood yard. Pulpwood was big business for the C&O on the James River Subdivision.
My friend Shawn did a wonderful job of kit bashing the Walther's cornerstone REA building into the Mead paper loading dock.
Completed Scenic Express Supertrees ready for installation.
Once the individual Supertrees are sorted they are painted with automotive spray primer / gray and light brown.
Another batch of completed Supertrees ready for installation. Please note Shawn's foot to the left!
Updated 5/28/06:
Looking west down the main line at Washington Street in Lynchburg.
Looking east at the interlocking plant at Southern Crossing Virginia. Old WS Cabin's foundation is to the left!
I have not yet completed the coaling tower at Sandy Hook yard in Lynchburg
Another look at the westward signal bridge at Washington Street, Mead Paper Mill is in the background.
The aqueducts at Blackwater Creek in Lynchburg. These were handcarved by my good friend Chris Wiley!
The East End of Major Virginia siding. M Cabin is still an open train order office in 1965.
The East End of Major Virginia siding. M Cabin is still an open train order office in 1965.
Snowden Bridge at MP 170,0 is starting to shape up the next step is to add the ground cover.