Post by georgiaroad on Apr 24, 2009 16:48:43 GMT -5
Ya'll,
Here is another project that is poking along down in the sunnier side of Alabama. Most of you know the Georgia Road by the efforts of Anthony's GARD SD40-2 Snoot. I would like to introduce another part of the concept in the form of Blue Diamond--Leeds Operation, a large cement producer located on the layout. The story goes that the Lehigh Portland plant in Leeds was bought out and expanded by Blue Diamond, a new face in the world of basic and construction materials. The plant was set to load whole unit trains, were it used to produce a few dozen cars at the time. The plant sits at the bottom of a valley with the Georgia Road main passing over some 75 feet above. A curvy and high grade lead was built to access the plant, along with a staging yard at the junction. The grade required some heavy locomotion, and the plant wound up with a couple of former Phelps Dodge GP30 and GP38-2 units. A deturbocharged 2000hp critter also added the drag power necessary to get cars to and from the junction, and to help move limestone from a quarry at six mile over a intra plant railroad. With Georgia Road short of power to pull the trains, Blue Diamond acquired a couple of ex SP GP40X units. With the need still there, a third unit came, this time a ex NS GP40X. Shrouds were added on the radiators to reduce noise and cement dust excitation as the units pulled cars through the loading buildings. This is my freelance version of the SECX and O&W coal trains that operated over the L&N in the 70s and 80s. In the case of Blue Diamond, the road units pull the unit trains some 40 miles north to a yard where Georgia Road sorts and powers the long distance trains with its own road units.
Decals are custom from original artwork.
To date, I have converted a Spectrum SD45 as the SD38MD and have a friend painting the GP40X units. Here are the efforts so far with the appropriate background info and drawings.
Blue Diamond Background: Site map of area
Drawing of SD38MD:
Work in process HO scale SD38MD
GP40X background--drawing
And a model being painted...
Here is another project that is poking along down in the sunnier side of Alabama. Most of you know the Georgia Road by the efforts of Anthony's GARD SD40-2 Snoot. I would like to introduce another part of the concept in the form of Blue Diamond--Leeds Operation, a large cement producer located on the layout. The story goes that the Lehigh Portland plant in Leeds was bought out and expanded by Blue Diamond, a new face in the world of basic and construction materials. The plant was set to load whole unit trains, were it used to produce a few dozen cars at the time. The plant sits at the bottom of a valley with the Georgia Road main passing over some 75 feet above. A curvy and high grade lead was built to access the plant, along with a staging yard at the junction. The grade required some heavy locomotion, and the plant wound up with a couple of former Phelps Dodge GP30 and GP38-2 units. A deturbocharged 2000hp critter also added the drag power necessary to get cars to and from the junction, and to help move limestone from a quarry at six mile over a intra plant railroad. With Georgia Road short of power to pull the trains, Blue Diamond acquired a couple of ex SP GP40X units. With the need still there, a third unit came, this time a ex NS GP40X. Shrouds were added on the radiators to reduce noise and cement dust excitation as the units pulled cars through the loading buildings. This is my freelance version of the SECX and O&W coal trains that operated over the L&N in the 70s and 80s. In the case of Blue Diamond, the road units pull the unit trains some 40 miles north to a yard where Georgia Road sorts and powers the long distance trains with its own road units.
Decals are custom from original artwork.
To date, I have converted a Spectrum SD45 as the SD38MD and have a friend painting the GP40X units. Here are the efforts so far with the appropriate background info and drawings.
Blue Diamond Background: Site map of area
Drawing of SD38MD:
Work in process HO scale SD38MD
GP40X background--drawing
And a model being painted...
