Bear Creek: Good bye…
Whilst my Dad’s Shay (and the Hilton Mears FM) stay within my collection this month will see me wave goodbye to Bear Creek…
I said back in January that now it was ‘complete’ it felt done, finished. I need to clear the space physically and emotionally. A tonic for my mental health.
So was it all it was hoped for? I would say it was a success. It blended new techniques into a coherent whole and looked great. Why am I selling it? Honestly, I don’t quite have the space. What did I learn? That hand painted backscene really do work, and that non-sanded grout should not be fixed with Matt medium! As well as that I could do it, I could model an alien landscape and scene and pull off the immersive experience of being ‘in the woods’ in such a small space.
A few more photos have been taken and in time I hope to include them in a magazine. If that happens I’ll share that here, but for now, more soon…
From Alan Sewell
ReplyDeleteHi James
Good to see that Bear Creek is going to a good home and I hope it is someone with a logging interest.
I note you are still keeping in the FM 10-44, and realise selling the shay is not something you would do. I wonder if you have considered keeping the logging theme but combining it with the shortline influences you mentioned in your Saturday blog.
At the end of the steam era from say 1955 logging railroads were closing however some mill owned shortlines and industrial operations brought diesels but kept some steam in reserve in case the new technology failed – which of course was not often.
Not all such shortlines were run down and big operations like Weyerhaeuser’s Columbia & Cowlitz or Edwards Hines’ Oregon & Northwestern were big, well maintained and funded ( and even hauled some logs into the 1980’s) but many were. I can think of Valley & Siletz, Craig Mountain, Washington Idaho and Montana, the Arcata & Mad River of the shortlines which had diesels and steam hanging on and also similar “industrial” mill operations of Hillcrest Lumber/Western Forest Industries, Robert Dollar at Glendale, OR and Weyerhaeuser White River mill ( they used a FM ). These could be an inspiration for a small switching layout.
Look forward to seeing what happens
Best regards
Alan
Both the Shay and FM are kept purely for sentimental reasons. They are both of the wrong era for wider use, but it is an interesting point. I was aware of most of those operations, the others will make for interesting research on evening, thanks Alan!
DeleteThis isn't the end of logging modelling, just the natural conclusion of this piece. I think in time the N gauge stuff will be revisited next...