Pints, pinturas, cafecito, y ferrocarril....

 

My buddy Anthony Reyes and I participated in a special "Pints y pinturas" session at Unbranded Brewing in Hialeah, FL. The prompt of this ticketed $30pp event in the middle of Miami Beer Week was to offer a nice, casual social painting experience while enjoying familiar Cuban bites (pastelitos, croquetas), cafecito, and a selection of Unbranded's core beer. 

Attendees were prompted to paint a cafetera, though it was evidently very optional. Darn! Missed opportunity to paint a GEVO. Let alone, I could have painted a CSX yard job with the Antillean Marine containers in the background. But the original prompt was more than good enough for the newest display piece in my train room. 

The vibe was intended to be nostalgic just like the YN2 color scheme thrown on the cafetera. It came through as such. Classic Latin music emanated over the taproom's audio system, some songs you can find on my Voodoo & Palmettos playlist, themed to the CSX Miami industrial vibe made famous over the past 20 years. Personally, the theming was as cohesive as ever as the storytelling and basis behind this whole V&P model railroading theme is the authentic character and flair of Miami, from the vice to the voodoo and the craziness to the Cuban Coffee. Everyone was encouraged to and indeed felt at home in this setting.

As for the artwork - The primary medium of choice was acrylic on canvas. I have never done a canvas painting before, so it was really cool to tackle that. The acrylics, on the other hand, are very familiar, and if you scroll down on this blog you will see a steady example why. Drawing upon past art class skills dating back over 10+ years ago the following principles were applied:

  • Focal point, with a twist: cafetera, which is a difficult subject to centralize, with the bright CSX YN2 colors added for more pop
  • dulled pastel backgrounds, in contrasting-ish colors that help the focal stand out. The choices also fit the V&P theme that has inspired the Downtown Spur layout, among others...
  • Light and shadow. Winter afternoon light was the move
  • The background, which was very imaginatively chosen (not) represents the vibe but also has attracted a unique interpretation likening the building referenced to an Italian terrace. Italian espresso also makes use of the cafetera.
Four hours after the first sketch was marked on the canvas, a timeless piece of memorabilia is sealed with Krylon Acrylic clear-coat and brought home to be enjoyed for years to come. The memory is what it is all about too, just like the days when Miami life was a little simpler, perhaps arguably a little more organic, and worries were fewer. Just like the days when the railroad had a more dominating presence south of Iris Interlocking.

Those who have seen my content over the past three years have gotten to experience part of the positive impact of the up-and-really-coming brewery on the railfanning hobby, with numerous photos and videos of trains rolling by the former freight warehouse turned taproom.

CSX O72117 runs by Unbranded with ES44AH #911 leading in April of 2021. This was my first visit to the taproom, a solo effort right after chasing O721 for much of the day. Well known bartender Andy V. was working the bar there. He now hosts themed entertainment at UBC, Tripping Animals, and Kush Hospitality establishments.

CSX O72105 hustles south with "Captain Kirk" at the helm, onboard SD40-3 #4042 which caught the eye of ScaleTrains who have produced the unit with the yellow snowplow later that year. This is taken from the steps of the outside deck at UBC, during a period of the pandemic where dining was still limited.

This is what CSX train L79018 looks like from the taproom of Unbranded. Note during the Tuesday night event were half a dozen Tri-Rail trains, most of which had F40PH-3C locomotives pushing or pulling. 

Three GEs power the 60-or-so car Vulcan Materials Rock Train, which ran a little later than usual by the brewery. While a camera was on hand and the desired shot was missed, the shadows were too high to produce a decently lit take anyway.

The painting event here brought out another specialty of Unbranded. When things are not hectic, such as a wrestling night, major beer event, or whatnot, the taproom possesses a really special role as a "third place". Social activities, personal work, Netflixing, Trainzing, D&D sessions, Discord, and even LEGO set or model train kit building can be done on site with a glass of some damn tasty beer and some grub (depending on the day and time) in hand. Everything is thought through in this establishment. 

Shoutout to everyone we met, connected, and reconnected with during the event. It made this outing to UBC so much more enjoyable than my past ventures. Thanks to all who organized this session and looking forward to the next one.

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