Duckunder Terminal Rwy - Suffolk scene taking shape

Very nice.  I like the lumber storage area. The 2 chairs are waiting for two hard working modelers to take a break.

Will,

  As usual real nice stuff!

PCRR/Dave

Will,  If you ever need any photos of the actual plants let me know, I live about 30 minutes away from the area.

Suffolk has/had a load of RRs going thru town.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone past the Lipton Tea plant, on my way to NC to see relatives or take some RR photos.  The NS (-ex-N&W) and CSX (ex-SAL) lines are close by.  I think there's still an interchange there just down the road from the Lipton plant.

Birdsong Peanuts is another local company, maybe just in Franklin down the road.  Felts Hams was another, in Ivor.

I can smell the peanuts roasting as I type!!!

I've always wanted to do the old Skippy plant here in Portsmouth, now gone (that's the NPBL tracks in front, going across High street):

I should have modeled the NPBL, they served a number of major RRs in the area.

Matt and Dave,

Thank you!  Just wait until this scene is complete.  We have a few surprises planned.

Bob Delbridge posted:

Will,  If you ever need any photos of the actual plants let me know, I live about 30 minutes away from the area.

Suffolk has/had a load of RRs going thru town.  I can't tell you how many times I've gone past the Lipton Tea plant, on my way to NC to see relatives or take some RR photos.  The NS (-ex-N&W) and CSX (ex-SAL) lines are close by.  I think there's still an interchange there just down the road from the Lipton plant.

Birdsong Peanuts is another local company, maybe just in Franklin down the road.  Felts Hams was another, in Ivor.

I can smell the peanuts roasting as I type!!!

I've always wanted to do the old Skippy plant here in Portsmouth, now gone (that's the NPBL tracks in front, going across High street):

I should have modeled the NPBL, they served a number of major RRs in the area.

Bob,

Thank you very much for your offer and for the Skippy plant picture.  George and I are planning a day trip to Suffolk to collect such photos the end of next week.  Meantime, if you have old photos of the plants (Lipton, Planters, Birdsong, Felts Hams, etc.), with or without rail sidings shown, we'd sure appreciate them.  Feel free to post them here and/or send them to me direct, please, at will@allenheuer.com.  

Many thanks again,

Beautiful work!

Peter

Excellent and George has his own lumberyard to boot!

Bob,

Also thanks from me for the photos.  I wonder if Felt Hams started as the Ivor Ham Co?  Ivor Ham was started by my great uncle.  My mother grew up between Suffolk and Holland in the community of Boxelder.  I spent many summers there growing up.  Got interested in the Virginian after it was gone through the Quaker minister in Sedley.

This is going to be an interesting scene as we are picking from a lot of material both N&W, VGN, SAL, A&D, the real Norfolk Southern, etc.

George Lasley

Love George's reference to the "real" Norfolk Southern, which of course long preceded the modern NS.  Here;s what the historical society says about it:

The original Norfolk & Southern Railway that ran from Norfolk, VA to Charlotte, NC with various branches (Aberdeen, Asheboro, Beaufort, Belhaven, Carthage, Columbia, Durham, Ellerbe, Fayetteville, Goldsboro (A&EC), Jackson Springs, Lee Creek, Oriental, Snow Hill (A&EC), Suffolk and Virginia Beach, VA). It was merged into the Southern Railway system on Jan. 1st, 1974.

When the N&W and SR merged ten years later, the NS name was revived (the "N" from the N&W and the "S" from the SR) to create the modern Norfolk Southern.

Here are some slides and photos of the original NS I took here in Raleigh when I was in high school, with apologies for putting these on the wrong OGR forum:

Will, looks great! Don

Will I moved to Suffolk in 1957 and am still here. My grandfather was traffic manager for Mr. Obici at Planters and I worked there one Summer. Try eating 53.5 double Planters Peanut Butter cups in one day.

If you guys are coming here, I will be glad to show you around. Depending on who is doing what, I might be able to get you in to talk to one of the Birdsongs. They are now the largest peanut shellers in the US with major facilities in Georgia, Texas, and headquarters in Suffolk.

Planters has become a pretty non-exciting employer, just a large processing plant and not very active in the community. Big business tends to do that.

Birdsong's property is a lot more interesting and has retained much of its same look.

Your lumber building is similar to National Screen Company, an account that we insured for 30+ years. They closed a number of years ago but we'd can go by.

Bob Felts owns Felts Hams in Ivor. Might be able to set you up with him. I have deer hunted in Ivor for 50 years.

Might be able to get you into Lipton. The manager used to be in Rotary; I will have to call her if you are interested. Much of the exterior has not changed greatly in many years although the processing is world class.

If you want to look at local history/pictures, I will be glad to find out the best places to go. There have to be a lot of pictures of the old Planters plant, etc floating around. I am not into that kind of thing but know who is.

My phone number is 757-334-4046. If no answer, leave a voice mail. The next couple of days may be rather busy with the hurricane. I am involved in a beach cottage at Southern Shores and have two boats to secure plus gutters to clean early AM.

Bill Webb

Thanks, Don, but it's not even half done yet. I always enjoy project progress reports and pictures and thought I'd post a few in case others do as well. 

Excellent work Will! I especially like the lumber yard. Great detail. Thanks for sharing.

Andy

More buildings in the Suffolk scene taking shape, plus lighting of the Planters Peanuts factory is complete and the loading platform.

George Lasley and I will provide details of each building when complete.

Wow, I like duck unders...

Wow, I love that one in the picture!