Everybody has a hobby!
Rogier is no exception. While Ellen is out hunting and fishing, Rogier is the builder of his Rail Road Empire the Elliana and Heritage Rail Road. HO scale, the railroad occupies half of an extra garage on the Donker Studio grounds.
Having built many a plastic building kit and having done his share of kit bashing/ mingling, Rogier finally decided to try his hand at scratch building…as in miniature 2x4’s etc. Tedious time and a half! But oh what a joy to see the progress of the project! Twenty-three hours later “Wicked Wanda’s” by Barr Mills Models became a beautiful addition to the mine area of the E&H. Complete with electric lights!
......Recent acquisition of a High Speed passenger train required some drastic remodelling on the E&H RR . The polder had to give way to a new viaduct and bridge across the Ijssel River to accomodate increased High Speed passenger service between "Elliana" and "Holland Corner" . Under protest of the miller and his family the windmill and residence were transported to the North side of the river where both structures will be re-surrected just as soon as the new foundations are laid. Under the terms of agreement between tenants of Elliana & Heritage Rail Road Property and the RailRoad it will be a while before the miller can move back in and the mill can start milling again as the area North of the Ijssel is also undergoing a major reconstruction. The mill and miller's house will eventually occupy the area formerly occupied by the brick factory. A new location for the brick factory has as yet to be determined. Notwithstanding a lawsuit from the miller, construction of the viaduct proceeded at a normal pace : slowly.....
Meanwhile the newest acquisition to the E&H RR, an HO scale model of the Japanese Nozomi 500 Shinkansen High Speed Passenger Train underwent some surgery on the work bench : the belly of both front and rear coaches were loaded down with massive amounts of lead in order to insure that the train would not derail as it sped along the high and oh so lousily laid iron of the E&H. What a joy to see it come around that sweeping bend at Elliana and go down on top of that new viaduct! Are we having fun yet?
Click here for the The Cochemer Bahn Story!
Click here for the Ultimate Control Box!
Click here for the history of the E&H RR
Rock wall in the making. That's insulating foam out of a spray can...
Basic painting on the rocks
Add some foliage and back drops and Presto!
Oh no! She's about to jump off lover's leap...
The trestle area is being renovated
.....The river bridges were recently removed and the river, its banks and the immediate surroundings received a major overhaul. Big job, but it was sure worth it! The first picture shows what we started with: lots of ugly white Sculptamold, blue painted cracked plywood for the river bed and not a spec of grass to be seen as the landscape was "rattlecanned greenish". Things have improved somewhat! In the last picture the Highway bridge is missing as it is being worked on (asphalt is being mixed and poured) besides the "water" has not yet hardened and the bridge cannot be put into place yet. Patience! :-)
...Since the the major reconstruction of the train room back in 2001 ,the roundhouse area and the adjacent yard were never really finished. Trains ran on and through basic plywood bench work, rattle can "finish" and some scattered buildings - no real "plan or program"! Thanks to some major pushing by fellow railroaders Bob M. and Paul A. big things have been happening recently on the E&H, as shown by the pictures above. Now that the bridges and the river area are just about done, it is time to get busy finishing the yard and slowly but securely work our way to the roundhouse and then across to Holland corner.... Are we having fun yet? :-).... you betcha!
