The Passenger Station

Here's the last structure on the Blacktop Crossing layout that is currently "complete" -- I suppose several of them need a little touch-up, maybe some weathering, and such.  It is a plastic passenger train station from Atlas (#706).  My 11-year old grandson helped to put it together.  He is a GREAT helper.  If you've ever worked with someone else to build something, you know the difference between a REAL helper and someone who gets in the way -- the former will be at the other end of a 2X4 when you pick it up as the next lumber you need, the latter will be at the end of a 1X4, instead. . . if you know what I mean.  My grandson was always at the 2X4 and sometimes even handed it to me just as I was thinking I needed it.  I really enjoyed working with him on the station.

I'll admit that he and I, both, tended to get glue on our fingers and then spread it to the station, but we recovered from most of those errors.  Here's the result:

This is supposed to represent (not model EXACTLY) the station in my grandsons' hometown of Belton http://tsalmon.topcities.com/belton.htm OK, so keep in mind, it "REPRESENTS".  There are a few similarities!

Our route is supposed to be the Southern Railway, although at this time our locomotives are Santa Fe, B&O, Seaboard Coast Line, and the non-prototypical "Mystery Loco" shown in a prior post (at least it has "Southern" on its side).  The passenger car at the station IS Southern, so we're trying.

New additions to the layout include the Seaboard Coast Line loco (a GP-35, so we are CLOSE on rail line and CLOSE on era; but it runs really well on the layout!?!), a junk yard gondola, a hopper, a clothes line with clothes (that Santa brought to my wife, she really liked it, sort of), and a couple of Woodlands Scenic build-your-own hardwood trees.

While the 7-year old spent a couple of days with us over the holidays, the 11-year old didn't.  We labeled the control board schematic and ran the trains, but the Cotton Factory didn't get built.  Maybe this summer.

Our New Year is off to a good start.  Hope yours is, too!