A Trip on The "Real" Polar Express. . .

I completely understand the excitement felt by train spotters and vintage rail enthusiasts. I got a big lump in my throat watching this beast let out clouds of steam, plumes of coal smoke, and sounding its whistle before we boarded one of a dozen or so vintage passenger cars for the trip. It was an amazing experience.

A rare family selfie, taken just before we boarded The Polar Express in Ashley, Michigan to come home from the annual Christmas Village last Saturday evening. The Young Master got to stay up way beyond his bedtime, and did remarkably well given how many other children of various ages fell to pieces during the train journey home. And yes, it was as cold as it looks here. About 19 F. by 8:15pm just before we found our car and climbed aboard.

Saturday afternoon, The Young Master, The Grand Duchess, and yours truly, aka Ogre Dad according to my son, drove up to Owosso, Michigan where we boarded the REAL Polar Express (Engine #1225 of the former Pere Marquette Railway), for a trip further north to the annual Christmas Village held in the small farming village of Ashley, Michigan. While festive and fun, the highlight of the trip was the train ride up and back, pulled by #1225, one of the few remaining steam locomotives this large in the United States that is still operational. Engine #1225 was also the inspiration behind the train featured in the children's Christmas film Polar Express. You can read more about this particular engine by clicking here.

In a word, it was an awesome rail experience. We tend to forget just how HUGE these locomotives were. As I remarked to the Grand Duchess during the trip home, just imagine what it must have been like to be in a passenger rail station with eight or ten steam trains coming, going, or sitting idle be the platform as passengers embarked or debarked.

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In other news, after examining a number of old SYW-era heavy cavalry illustrations by Knoetel and others, I began work affixing the previously neglected cavalry carbines to the almost finished second squadron of horse grenadiers last night. The job was finished in 30 minutes or less, and, miraculously, I don't seem to have destroyed any of the brushwork or left behind any super gel induced fingerprints. A dot or two did the trick, and carbines are position in a mix of barrel down and barrel up since the sources I examined showed various similar positions.

The metal clip that secured the carbine to the large white shoulder belt worn by cavalry troopers appears to have been similar in design to the modern snaffle at the end of dog leashes and on some livestock leads. In any case, the figures don't look too bad, and I can get on with finishing up the carbine barrels, locks, and brass fixtures before moving onto the various tiny metal bits on the bridles and martingales of the horses. The squadron standards will be the final touch before both squadrons and regimental staff get a coat or two of acrylic gloss varnish.

-- Stokes

So, here is where things stand today -- after carbines were glued into place -- for the current squadron of cavalry on the painting table.

A Little More Brushwork. . .

A little more brushwork on the first batch of (my version of) the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment yesterday (Saturday). Taking a different tack this time and addressing many of the details first before the white coats and other larger areas of uniform. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that I've painted the (dark) red stocks of the enlisted men. Always a difficult and frustrating item to paint, it made sense to paint from the inside out as it were and get that particular detail out of the way first rather than try to paint it in later after much other painting has been accomplished. Trying to reduce the need for later retouching of other items on the figures you understand. Hopefully, I will be able to get back to these later today after a second trip back to the Apple Store for help with a couple of new iPad issues and, following the return home, some revision of Google Slides for tomorrow's meetings with my students. -- Stokes P.S. And according t...

Basic Reds Done at Last. . .

S till quite a way to go with the current batch of 20 human figures and a horse (of course), but they're actually starting to look like something after all of the red distinctions. Quite a bit of painting in hour-long sessions the last week as and when time has allowed. Mostly applying the basic dark red to facing areas and turnbacks followed by the inevitable touch-ups to clean up wobbly edges and those misplaced, minute splotches of Citadel Khorne Red. They're looking like so many Austrian infantry regiments of the era at this point, but the eventual flags will turn them magically into the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment, more or less, of the AWI period. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. One frustrating point (ahem) of sad discovery. I've started trying to use those Winsor & Newton 'Series Seven' brushes (#1 rounds) purchased last spring, and the blasted things simply will not keep a point. Very frustrating since I have heard over the y...

It's Early Days Yet. . .

M aking some early progress with Batch A of the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment over the last several days/evenings. Nothing terribly exciting just yet, but the basic black, brown, and flesh areas are done as are the green bases, and gray undercoat. The latter two areas needed some careful retouching early in the week. Next up, the neck stocks. I might just do these in red for the enlisted men although some of my source material suggest they were black, but I always look for an excuse to shake things up a bit. Any errant splotches of red (or black) can be covered with another application of light gray before I move onto the next step. "Giddy up!" as one Cosmo Kramer might have said. -- Stokes

The Good Soldier Svjek said…

As a child of the steam age (my father worked on the railways) trips out as a small boy were taken by steam train (my father got free passes ) and the smell of steam engines brings waves of nostalgia to me !.

2:32 PM

Der Alte Fritz said…

It sounds like a wonderful family outing.

9:23 AM

Gallia said…

I am inspired by your train ride.
Wonderful.
Bill P.

9:46 PM

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said…

Thank you, men! It was a wonderful afternoon and evening all the way around.

Best Regards,

Stokes

4:30 PM