SCLAIR Pellet Hoppers Going to Scrap

 Back on December 2, 2021, an acquaintance of mine, Marc Dease, caught the last three of the SCLAIR covered hoppers on their way east out of Sarnia. I'm told that the trio were headed for scrapping. I'm sorry to see them go, as their colourful paint scheme has always been so distinctive, particularly here in Sarnia among the hundreds of rather ordinary grey covered hoppers and black tank cars that always fill the Sarnia freight yards.

Photos below used with permission

And now here's Marc's going away shot...

Thanks for the use of the photos Marc!

I've know that I've posted my three models of the last of these cars in the past, but here they are again anyway.  These ones will keep on being used in service in the industrial setting of my layout though.

I've sold off a few of my locomotives over the past couple of months, but this week I took delivery, via Canada Post, of this undecorated Atlas GP38 (below).  I found this engine through the facebook group that I've joined.

For the short term this project is being put off as I await a non-dynamic brake hatch section from Atlas. I just ordered the part on Thursday, same day as I received the engine.

In the meantime, I have installed a 4-function decoder and then sent the engine out for a successful test spin around the layout.  When the hatch part gets here, the engine will be painted in the grey and red corporate colours of the JSSX.

The undecorated GP38 looks a rather ghostly white as it sits on a holding track outside of the JSSX loco maintenance shed.

Edit:  for those that may have been on here earlier, I posted a picture of an undecorated SD40 by mistake. I'm feeling a bit foolish about that. Oh well.  Sharp-eyed friend Chuck in Chicago spotted the error, and sent me an email to tell me about it.