Large Scale Central

Farewell to Candlewood Excursion

Model Photography
#1

After a great run of 24 years, the Candlewood Valley Scenic Railway is pulling up roots, track, and stock. We hope to put down some fresh roots before too long, but at this point there is no plan.

Today, the railroad ran the Farewell to Candlewood special excursion. The track had no spring maintenance this year, so there were a few problems. A good time was had by all. Farewell Candlewood Valley!

The day began with an inspection train. M-10 shoves a box and a caboose up the grade as Sven keeps a sharp eye out for troubleā€¦

The test train continues the shove across Indian Hill Bridgeā€¦

Having successfully traversed the Wye, the test train returns to base and declares the railroad operational, with a speed restrictionā€¦

The Main Event C-19ā€™s #4 and #8 attack the ruling grade with passenger cars and a caboose in towā€¦

The excursion shoves across the diamond at Walk Crossingā€¦

Spring flowers in bloom at Northvilleā€¦

More spring flowers are evident as the train exits the wyeā€¦

The excursion tucks into a siding to allow the scheduled freight to passā€¦

Drifting down grade across Indian Hill Bridgeā€¦

Passing Coal Dump curve one last timeā€¦

The freight runs through Coal Dump Curveā€¦

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#2

So sad to see another great railroad come to an end, good luck and good fortune in your life adventures yet to come.

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#3

I tried to give this post a ā€œfrowny face,ā€ but the site wonā€™t let me! Pictures of your railroad will be missed; pictures of the new one that will rise are anticipated!

Eric

#4

@Rick_Marty Itā€™s a little bit sad for me too because I finally got the outside areas of the house looking presentable and the railroad running the way I had envisioned when I started. We really wanted to stay and spent hours exploring every angle to make that happen. In the end, it just wasnā€™t sustainable on our retirement income.

Itā€™s also very exciting to begin a new chapter and fulfill a 25 year pipe dream.

In the late 70ā€™s, through the early 90ā€™s, we moved a lot, had accumulated a lot less stuff, and we were young. This time itā€™s almost overwhelming just to sort and pack. We will get it done, be more organized and holding far less junk. On the other hand itā€™s great fun to find keepsakes that were squirreled away in a closet or a box for over 20 years.

Donā€™t worry about us holding up. I will be hiring help to move all the big stuff and boxes. Moving company interviews start this week.

@Eric_Mueller Thanks for that. Taking pictures of trains, real or model, is my second favorite activity. Iā€™m sure you will see more, from ā€˜back in the day in the hoodā€™ when I get nostalgic for this RR. You are also certain to see tons of 1:1 stuff. Eventually Iā€™ll start a new public Facebook page because Iā€™m sure Bob doesnā€™t want the Prototype category to be flooded with my stuff!

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#5

the old dancing tune, when we become older : one step forward, two steps back.
less money, less energy, less health, less everything.

if you are short of space:
somewhere i read about a vertical(!) moveable layout.
that guy parked his car outside of the garage, turned a switch - and a layout, hanging on steel cables, came down from the ceiling.

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#6

I well know what your going through Jon, it was the same for us when we left our home area of nearly 60 years and our home of over twenty to come to Oregon 10 years ago.

I canā€™t imagine Bob having any problem with proto pictures being posted in the proto forum. Well as long as they are train pictures that is :wink: :smiley:

I know Iā€™m already looking forward to seeing them.

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#7

:frowning_face: I hate to see your terrific railroad close down. Life matters more and you and your wife are the only folks that can determine what is best for you. Best of luck with your move and donā€™t kill yourself doing it. Remember you are not so young anymore.

#8

That movable layout idea is interesting, but I think my future plans look a lot like Cliffyā€™s Shed Ops. - An indoor switching layout with a work area and perhaps an exit to an outside raised layout in a nice insulated new shed with heat and AC.

I say new shed even though there is one on the property. I havenā€™t seen much inside it because it was full of the sellerā€™s stuff when we visited, I suspect that the skirting all around it is to hide the rotten bottom all the way around and I have no idea if it is water tight!

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The entire place needs cleaning & painting on the outside. Inside the house is fresh.

#9

My back reminds me of that every day. A year ago I threw it out so bad I could hardly walk. Many visits to physical therapy and a home exercise program cured it and got me in better shape than before the problem happened. I continued the home program through mid-September, but we got busy on our fall road trip and I stopped. Iā€™ve started up again now and made the commitment today to do it daily before working. It is helping already.

We will be hiring a moving company for the furniture and boxes. I know those days are behind me!

#10

Well Jon, youā€™ll at least have a lot more layout options with the brown shed than the white one in the background. What is that, a 2-holer?

Hey hereā€™s an idea. If you could post your site plan, we could have a little contest in track planning, with awards going to, e.g., most practical, most elaborate, most EBT, most Pennsyltuckian (as your new neighbor Rooster might say), most defensive against vandals, most retributive for vandals, most likely to wake up the neighborsā€¦

:grin: :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :wink:

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#11

With going to the new digs and all this talk of RVs and portable layouts , I know it wasnā€™t too awful far back somebody on here made a traveling layout so they could run their trains because they werenā€™t going to have a permanent location for a home layout. Use your RV for your trains. You know youā€™ll be doing 1:1 trains when youā€™re at home now. :innocent: :sunglasses:

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#12

Iā€™m almost 100% positive I took a piss behind that shed back in the day.

BTWā€¦I would not worry about vandalism just more concerned about the foreign visitors knocking on the door asking if you can run the trains.

#13

Today I began the task of disassembling the indoor. Crews were called to move all locos and cars, except M-11, to the Willow Hill spur. All the track in South and West Willow Hill is full!

Once the cars were gone, the job of clearing all the buildings and junk laying around the yard began. I took this shot just before that job was finishedā€¦

Then the MOW crew got busy lifting and disassembling track. Here, M-11 shoves a load of Panel Track to staging in Willow Hillā€¦

I worked straight through lunch and put off dinner until I got some of the plywood off. Here is where I left off about 8PMā€¦

Getting this plywood down is a priority because the layout was built on top of furniture that we want to sell or give away.

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#14

No. It might be a bonfire candidate! And @Rooster - I thought I smelled something when I was poking around back there!

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#15

We call that Rooster Booster here.

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#16

Today, before the roll-off leaves, I lifted all of the outdoor track that was on ladder roadbed. Most of it has been in the dirt well over 5 years. All of it was in good condition. Some of the PT spacers were soft, but the stakes all seem good. If I do this again it will all be elevated, but still I think I will use PVC rather than PT wood as spacers.

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#17

Sorry to see it go. :disappointed_relieved:

With the dogs continually tearing up the Tortoise & Lizard Bash, I fear that after 28 years, it may not be far behind. At this point, theyā€™ve ripped out all of the electronic signals. Even if the railroad stays a while longer, certainly many/most of the structures will soon disappear.

#18

Yep. Itā€™s time. Iā€™m happy to get off the ground. My head is currently thinking what kind of switching layout I can build on the 14 foot side of the shed with a portal to the inside where there will be more switching and storage tracks.

#19

Today marked a milestone for the Candlewood Valley Scenic. All on the track that was not cemented in was lifted, separated and power washed. All the concrete roadbed stays in place and will be covered with mulch. This is what an abandoned garden railway right of way looks likeā€¦

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#20

I think you should leave a time capsule in Fredā€™s tomb for the futureā€¦ Some random train parts, a flash drive with picturesā€¦

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