CHRIS D’AMATO
Passengers who take the train to Sonnyvale find the ride a scenic one. The picturesque Sheldon farm (above) is named for the au- thor’s in-laws and features a scratchbuilt model of a barn on their farm. The mix of structures found on the layout farm was in- spired by visits to a number of small family farms near the author’s home. The blending of structures and the old farm house (right) make for a classic New York farm scene.
switch list was a message from the Junction yardmaster, Bud Shovah, ad- vising him to stop with the l.c.l. car in front of the depot. Some truck tires and other express deliveries must be trans- ferred to a baggage wagon,
and
Jasperdale agent Hackett Conlon will need a helping hand. With the l.c.l. car at the depot and the brakeman assist- ing Hackett, Jim and Bill uncouple the Jasperdale cars from the train and pro- ceed with set-offs and pick-ups. The first night that Jim came by to observe Train Night, he noticed the crew at Jasperdale. “How’s anyone from the hind end gonna help unload the l.c.l.?” They had stopped with the caboose on the distant side of Rocky Brook and “swimming is not in the con- ductor’s job description!”
Since then,
we leave the trainman behind for pro- tection and pull ahead so the conductor won’t have to get wet. And in Jim’s eyes, it’s even better when we bring the caboose all the way up to the depot. Then he doesn’t have to walk at all! Another evening, Jim asked, “What year is this?” “It’s 1962,” I replied. Soon some chuckling caused me to look to- ward Jasperdale. To my amazement, Jim was using one of our short uncou- pling skewers to pole a boxcar into po- sition! Amidst some gentle commen- tary about the unsafe practice, Jim told us that he remembers crews who stashed poling lumber at one particu- lar industry where they sometimes got
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
into a pickle spotting cars. While the Hill Freight was still mak- ing up its train at Junction, the Sonny- vale yard job went on duty at 7:30 a.m. Following a switch list from the yard- master, they’ve already taken their loco- motive and caboose out to Fenimore Jct. and down the Fenimore branch to re- trieve outbound cars from the industries at, you guessed it, Fenimore. It’s where we find the busiest customer on the Son- nyvale branch, French Louie’s Outdoor Camping Supplies. They’re always get- ting boxcars of canvas, paint, sheet metal and other materials with which to make tents, eating utensils and other camping gear. Occasionally, a car is not yet fully loaded or empty and must be returned to its exact location should we need to pull or spot a car beyond it. Jim and Bill over- flow with real life examples of why, be- fore moving any car at a loading dock, it’s important to be sure that no one is in the car, that the portable plate between the dock and the car doorway is re- moved, and that the car door is closed. One night, Bill and Jim inquired why we weren’t bringing a caboose
with us to Fenimore. They and others concur that in 1962, with five-person crews, D&H labor agreements required seating for everyone and locomotives alone couldn’t provide it. So now, a ca- boose is part of each jaunt to Fenimore. Again, more realism. A word about cabooses. If there is a conductor in your group, you already know this. Treat the caboose like a car- ton of eggs! “Hey, that’s my office. My home. I might even be in there.” You will also learn to give beer cars the same care. Enough said.
When the Sonnyvale job returns
from Fenimore, they place their cars on an empty yard track. Time permitting, they’ll pick up any outbounds from the team track and freight house before the Hill Freight pulls into town. Still holding onto their caboose, the Sonny- vale crew will pull into the clear south of the Rt. 32 crossing in order to back onto the rear of the Hill Freight when it arrives. Pulling the Hill Freight’s ca- boose and setting it over on a conven- ient track, the Sonnyvale crew then grabs the block of newly-arrived Feni-
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