ANOTHER DAY PT5

Another day in Hillsdale...

A car passes the newest store in town, Christie's Pet Supply. This recently opened business will be featured in the next series of layout updates.

A trucker has parked beside the furniture store, probably waiting for his trailer to get loaded at one of the downtown warehouses. Since he'll be back on the road soon, he's NOT going to be sitting in The Pub!

Another Schneider National tractor is parked in Tony's lot. Apparently the driver pulled off from a trailer without disconnecting the airlines -and now needs Tony's help to keep his job!

Yet another truck is in the lot. This one, however, is there so its owner can retrieve some things from his storage unit before hitting the road. An owner-operator, he does bring his truck to Tony for tune-ups and maintenance -as well as adding custom touches when he can afford to buy them!

At the end of the day, Tony's father Tim reads the paper while waiting for his son to finish up some paperwork. While Tim is a master mechanic -he can machine parts for just about any engine- he's also old school; a hat and jacket when he's off the job!

INBOUND LOCAL

Another day, yet another long ethanol train passing through town. The run-through UP power at the head end can be seen dissappearing around the curve.

After the ethanol train passes, SD40 3163, along with BNSF SD40-2 6762, leads a local freight into the yard. In the foreground are a bunch of loaded coal gondolas waiting to be delivered to a power plant, which was shut down for maintenance. Apparently, one of the turbines failed and needed replacement.

The engines pull their train into the yard. Wood and paper products are on the head end, including high-cube boxcars for rolls of newsprint, and a carload of lumber. Meanwhile, a string of auto racks sits in the background, awaiting pick-up.

The tail-end of the train has food-stuff items in those insulated boxcars, as well as two tank cars full of titanium dioxide, used in processed food as a coloring agent. A variation is also used in paint for the same purpose.

As usual on local runs, a caboose brings up the rear. But not just any caboose -the one painted up for Operation Lifesaver; a perfect match for 3163! Operation Lifesaver is an industry program started in the mid-80's to promote grade crossing safety. While several cabooses -and numerous locomotives -have worn these graphics on the AP&W and its predecessors, caboose 4269 is the only one to have a special paint scheme, as it was the inaugural O/L unit. Except for the faded roof, the paint has held up pretty well for a quarter-century!

2011 UPDATE 5

More recent work since the last updates... I added some more trees to the corner of the layout. This is 'before'.

This is 'now'. The camera flash made the blue spruce trees really stand out!

This is the same area without the flash, at a more normal viewing angle. The open space in the corner is now even more hidden. Once again, I need to keep it open for access reasons; the layout is about eight feet wide in this area!

To complement the original Budweiser sign on the Bailey Building, I added this sign I found on E-Bay. As you can see, it lights up too.

The nightime shot, with both signs lighted. Obviously, Hillsdale is NOT a 'dry town'!

TOWN LIFE 13

More town photos... John has come to pick up his pregnant wife from the Cut and Curl beauty shop. He waits for a tour bus to pass by before getting into the car. When Myra became pregnant, he had to trade in his old Mustang in for something bigger, hence the station wagon. But, of course, they both miss the Mustang!

The top floor of the Kibri Apartments trades the bay windows for outdoor balconies. The three residents enjoy the air -and the view- frequently during the warmer months. Eventually, the building's owners plan to install roof-top HVAC units to provide better temperature control for the occupants.

Meanwhile, in front of the building, a grandfather takes a photo of his daughter and grandkids. Of course, after the shot they'll realize that a better photo would be in front of the flower shop!

Once again, it's trash time! City workers pick-up in the alley behind the pharmacy.

Miss Martha pushes her cart past the Salvation Army Thrift Store. She'll be back later for a hot meal and a place to stay; the upper stories are the soup kitchen/homeless shelter of the local organization. While the recession has increased the number of people in need of a meal, fortunately it hasn't lead to a big increase in the homeless population.

TOWN LIFE PT12

A furniture truck is in place for delivery to the store. Will the sign on the store one day match the logo on the side of the truck?

Speaking of deliveries, the Coca Cola truck is making its rounds this morning, including the local supermarket.

Later, the truck shows up on Main Street to service Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q, as well as stock up the Daily Examiner's soda machines. It's still morning, judging by the light traffic.

Another hot rod is parked behind The Pub.

A PT Cruiser is parked by the public library, with a new dumpster by the back doors.

Next week, more town photos!