It's that time of the Week again, Weekend photo fun. This week I'm going to start it with a project I've been doing for my club. You see, we have a medium sized representation of a US steel plant on the layout- model of the Donora steel and Zinc works, demolished in the 1960s or 70s I cannot recall at the moment. Well anyway, we had the structure, but none of the rolling stock was club owned. After a long search, we picked a three pack and an undecorated of the Thimble Slag cars. It was my job to assemble and weather them. Here is the finished result. The glowing metal load is pink foam, painted with a mix of orange and red, I should have written down the formula I came up with.
As for myself, I started the third of three for the Wheeling units I got.
Let's make it a good WPF guys. I wanna see some good stuff again, like last week.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Foam looks good Jimmy!
I got the bridge cabin and the lighting installed on the turntable kit:
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Jimmy_Braum I wanna see some good stuff again, like last week.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Bear,
Finally, it looks good Dave!!
Well not quite 'finally'. I have to figure out the gallows and then I have to put the whole thing together including the drive motor to see if it works as well as I hope it will. I hope your choice of the word "finally" doesn't indicate that you are tired of the slow progress that I have made on the turntable. After the many attempts to get the weathering right I find myself taking rather longer to think about what to do next. I don't want to have to do anymore things over and over again until I get them right. Patience is a virtue! Please be patient. This was a rather steep learning curve for me not having done much in the way of weathering before.
I love the weed sprayer! Do you know if it is prototypical? I will have to put one of those on my 'to do' list.
Let's see what everyone else has been up to!
Cheers!
Jimmy,
Those new cars look great and their loads look hot. As for the formula, looks a lot like W&LE lettering mix? Nicely aglow!
Dave,
The lighting is just fantastic. Now I'm thinking I need to get a cabin for the hostler on mine. At least the roundhouse foreman will know where he's goofing off at I'm pretty set against doing a gallows for mine. It's half-life around my clumsiness would be about 3 hours...
Bear, Brett's weed sprayer car is nicely detailed, weathered, a real show stopper A great pic, too.
Caught a stock extra during last week's divisional meeting/ops session here.
In small scale aviation news, a B-52 crashed on the hill behind Beartown, causing some excitement, but no injuries. The Air Force showed up, glued a horizontal stabilizer back on and flew it out. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.
The LHS acquired a large lot of 1/72 kits and made me a deal on some ones suitable for flight over the layout, i.e. mostly smaller stuff. Will catch up my aviation thread in a day or so with more, but this one is notable, because it comes out pretty darn close to HO scale.
Grumman built a small 8-person twin-engined amphibian called the Goose shortly before WWII. The plane served then on rescue duty and other light utility work. They even build a smaller version, the 6-person Gosling. As it happens, a 1/72 version of the Gosling comes within a foot or two in length and wingspan for an HO Goose. Neat! They're a little hard to find, but Airfix made one (Code # 01024-9), there may be others. This one needs some more detail, but looks presentable enough poised at the head of the "seaplane ramp" in Silverton.
Another pic when it was fueling...
Yah, I do know I'm missing part of one prop. Gotta get that fixed, the vibration has been causing complaints back in steerage, They don't call it Air FIX for nothing.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
CNJ I-5 2-8-0 with some newly acquired hoppers.
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60361449@N02/
Anthracite Modeler - YouTube
Good morning everyone from cloudy, rainy and warm Northeast Ohio!
Jimmy - Those are some good looking hot metal cars!!
Dave - Your Turntable and Pit are coming along well.
Bear - Thanks for chiming in, that weed sprayer looks great, when are you finishing that car ferry that you are going to send me!
Mike - You have to keep those airplanes away from the layout, by the way how did they fly that B-52 out from that mountainous location.
Casey - Nice looking engine and cars, I need to do some CNJ boxcars myself!
I managed to get a couple of cars done this week:
IMRC 10,000 Gal Tank Car Kit, substitured metal sill steps from Yarmouth Model works for the plastic ones, painted with Scalecoat II Black paint and lettered with Champ Decals. This is representative of 90% of the tank cars of the 1940's and 50's, basic black tank car originally built in 1940.
Red Caboose 1937 AAR Boxcar kit, substituted Yarmouth Model Works metal sill steps for the plastic ones that came with the kit. Painted with Scalecoat II Black and Boxcar Red and lettered with Speedwitch Media decals. Car was built in 1940 for general use and lasted into the 1970's with the P&LE. It was lot 682B on the NYC which controlled the P&LE at that time.
Thanks for looking!
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Rick, Like that SHPX in basic black. Life seemed boring back then, but we sure miss the simpler things like that now they're gone.
dti406Mike - You have to keep those airplanes away from the layout, by the way how did they fly that B-52 out from that mountainous location.
There's a stretch of highway around the bend back there that, once a few trees were hacked back, proved long enough to get the Stratofortress off the ground. So long as I don't hear BROKEN ARROW, I'm comfortable with that...
Jimmy, Those slag cars are really cool. The load really does look like it's glowing.
Dave, your turntable really turned out nicely.
Bear, cool shot of a neat piece of equipment.
Mike, as always your narrow gauge is amazing and I love the sea plane.
Casey, Cool camelback.
Rick, yet another crop of great rolling stock.
This week I finished up the Cassandra Crossing:
Also got the industrial sidings in Gallitzin wired up. I'm hoping to have my first operating session next weekend, pending wifely approval. This RS3 was the first locomotive to run on the spurs under its own power:
And here's a parting shot of my I1 headed east with a coal drag:
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
I am reminded of a line from one of the final seasons of Blackadder, where Blackadder compliments Baldrick on what a fine job he'd done building a copy of D'Vincie's lost time machine without any plans and only parts.
"I built a lot of AirFix Models."
"I can see. Shame about the lack of numbers on any of the dials."
"Yes, well I built a lot of AirFix Models."
We finally got around to getting that reefer train out on the main. The CNJ enroute from Jersey City through the HVBL and on up to the Lehigh Valley.
Looks like beer, burgers, dogs, ice cream, and even some seafood. I think I'll be headed on up the NE extension for dinner!!
Rich
Here is my other 16mm narrow gauge live steamer. This cheeky little engine is from the now defunct Merlin Locomotive Works, located in Welshpool, Wales UK at the time of its production in the mid 1980's A model of nothing in particular, but capturing the charm of UK style 2' narrow gauge engines. Butane gas fired and regaugeable to 32mm or 45mm track. This model was called the Mayflower. Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Switching cabin cars in the yard.
A Japanese sawmill on my Ocean View layout. It's a Tomix or Tomy kit that I modified a little by slicing the base between the buildings and the storage rack so that a box car or flat car could be run up in there.
Don
See all the Don's Dream World layouts at http://ddwmodelrailroad.com
dti406......when are you finishing that car ferry .......
Another great start to WPF.
Something off-the-wall from the BRVRR this weekend.
My grandson's latest 'lash-up' has been running on the railroad for more than a week. He gets a real charge out of all the steam sounds from the locomotives.
Keep the photos and ideas coming everyone. Thanks to you WPF is always the best thread of the week.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Not the best actual photos, but I started weathering this six years ago and just finished it. Its the first time I tried to do something more than just "black wash." AIM powders and decals from Blair Line and Smokebox Graphics on an Athearn covered hopper
I got the orange peel effect from the gloss coat, but sort of like how it looked in the end anyhow.
Jimmy, Thanks for the red hot start to WPF.
The flu bug really slammed me, not yet in the pink so dug deeper into the photo library for something cheery.
Thanks to all and regards, Peter
Lots of great work and thanks for the comments.
Wow, coincidentally once again it's an interesting connection you bring to the discussion. Those Grumman's are neat ol' planes, with a number still flying even today (some good ones on youtube). Cool that you got very familiar with one at an early age. Here's another pic of mine.
I updated my aircraft over the layout thread with more pics of other recent additions:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/228279.aspx
I was probably a bit harsh on AirFix. At least the props were very close to scale, perhaps a little too close, which is how I trashed one when I taped that part of the fret to mask it when painting. And you'll have a hard time finding a model elsewhere of a lot of what they produced, which is a very good thing. Price seems pretty sweet from today perspective, as there was a $1.35 tag on it, although I paid a bit more.
Hope you're feeling better soon, Peter!
John
I love the Grumman Mike! My dad was offered one for peanuts right after the war because the owner who had recently purchased it couldn't figure out how to rock the hull fore and aft to get it up onto the second hull step so it could break loose of the water. The owner asked my dad to show him how to do it, which he did, but the guy still couldn't figure it out. My Dad declined the offer. Win some, lose some
Tonight I re-assembled my Walthers turntable drive mechanism and it seems to work like a charm! Check it out:
No wobbles, not too much noise (the camera makes it sound worse than it is), I'm happy!
Scenery is coming along on my layout. After finishing the track, I put together some structures for the small town of Campa. It's named after the logging camp that gave rise to it:
First up we have the Campa saloon:
This was weathered with a wash of 50/50 acyrlic black paint and water. I used an election sign from a rub-on transfer set, in order to help set which year it is - 1948.
Next up is the gas station:
I have a pair of gas pumps coming in from eBay, which I'll be adding to the island in the middle. I printed the GAS sign and the sign on the side advertising repairs on my computer, then soaked them in black coffee. B. Ferguson is a friend of mine, as is C.J. King from the saloon.
Finally, we have Brown's general store:
As with the previous two structures, it's named after a friend. I made the awning on my computer and glued it to cardboard from a cookie box. The kit didn't include a base, so I scratchbuilt one out of stripwood and coffee stirrers.
Weathering for the general store and the gas station was done with spray cans. I applied a light coat of white first, to fade the trim, then a dusting of dark gray. I figured that as the buildings are right next to a steam railroad, they would get a bit of grime from the passing locomotives.
None of the structures have interiors at the moment, but I can add these later. Both the gas station and the saloon have removable roofs, and the general store can be lifted off the base.
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
hon30critterI love the Grumman Mike! My dad was offered one for peanuts right after the war because the owner who had recently purchased it couldn't figure out how to rock the hull fore and aft to get it up onto the second hull step so it could break loose of the water. The owner asked my dad to show him how to do it, which he did, but the guy still couldn't figure it out. My Dad declined the offer. Win some, lose someSad
Thanks for sharing that. It really is a small world, with 3 of us here (and probably more) having some interest or connection to a relatively rare plane. And it is such a neat plane, much more practical than a PBY. Still, I'm sure the Goose was pretty thirsty with those big radials. I'm thinking your dad made the right decision, but a ride in one would be exhilirating. Bear might know about that.
Seriously[well, not really ;)] does that turntable have a sound decorder in it? Gives new meaning to the term "diesel turntable" Still, the dBs areway below those old Atlas TTs. I do know what yuou mean about sometimes poorly placed microphones can really be distracting.
John,
That's some impressive bridgework. The delicacy of it is impressive.
tbdanny,
Good show, things are looking great! You've done an outstanding job on the weathering and detailing.
Is the weekend party still hopping? Better late than never, and—I was running trains tonight, almost five hours' worth! so that should be a good excuse!
Thanks for starting us off, Jimmy. I really enjoy steel mill modeling and I have a bunch of those thimble slag cars that need your "treatment" That does look sharp!
MORE Wheeling engines! Wow, neat stuff...
Dave, nice work on that Pit of Pits! I'll bet you are really looking forward to seeing your first loco rumble across the bridge!
Bear, that weed burner looks like something right out of a "Steampunk" scene! Can you distill whiskey with it when you aren't burning up the right-of-way? Sprayer or burner? I have seen both and that looks more like the burner type.
Great Scenes, Mike! Sweet little Goose, too. I'm not sure I'd be too anxious to board a twin-engine craft with only 75% of it's prop present
Beautiful scene and Camelback, Casey!
Rick, I have a soft-spot for the P&LE! That car really sums up the work-a-day image of gutsy railroading! Nice!
Nice detail on the PRR reinforced stone arch bridge, GP Man! I have seen quite a few bridges done like that, even Rockville bridge is beefed up with steel. That last shot of the I1 really looks sharp!
Rich, that reefer train is making me hungry! Pretty Neat!
EMD Mike, What a sharp little tea Kettle You're making me want to get back to the garden railroad. I pulled my track up about six years ago to put siding on the house and never got the track back again. This year for sure!
Another great low-angle shot, Grampy. Really sets the mood!
Your scenes are very well detailed, Don! Very Nice!
Alan, that's great that your grandson likes steam! So far none of my grandkids are into trains, but the youngest boy is only three... I'll give him some time!
Nittany, Six years? That sounds like one of my projects! Maybe you could have just set the car outside for that time and it would have weathered itself? OK, maybe not... looks good, though!
Hope you're feeling better HOVelo. When Thomas is happy, everybody is happy!
John, that is a beautiful bridge and some great Espee action! I like the way you did the footers for the towers. Most modelers seem to skip that detail. Nice work!
Whew...
Well, My week started with rail nippers, a putty knife and pry bar.
I had one of those places on the layout that I just wasn't happy with for several reasons and after having some friends over during the Holidays for an op-session, it finally prompted me to make some changes.
Here is the beginning of my "tear-out" already peeling off the fascia fabric.
This mostly single track railroad I call "The Bessemer" since it serves steel mills, ore docks and a coal mine. To the left there is a passing siding that ends, then single track around a 22"R tight curve and where the PRR camp cars are spotted is a stub siding. The Bessemer runs around the perimeter of the basement.
Yes, it gets ugly! I had gaps in the rails for an isolation section at two drawbridges, a curved turnout that I never liked, going into the stub siding and a rats nest of "yeah, I'll get to it someday" wiring that needed to be cleaned up.
The above shows the end of the siding. My idea is to extend this siding around the curve at a broader radius and rejoin the main closer to the drawbridge giving me a little more capacity on the siding. This is behind the coal mine mountain.
Here is new plywood in place and the center lines drawn for easements and a 24" inside radius and 26-3/8" radius on the main.
Above shows the new end of the siding just before the main crosses the lift bridge. Of course I didn't have a #8 left turnout so had to wait a week for one to arrive. The old #8 I removed the points and "straight-railed" it to look like there was former double track across the "old" bridge but the railroad never got around to completely removing the switch. I like the effect!
Above is looking toward the Walthers bascule drawbridge. The semaphore will be the "absolute stop" when the bridge is up and I mounted it on the R-of-W where the old #2 main used to continue across the "former double-track" bridge. This used to be the stub siding.
Just tonight I placed the ballast. I actually enjoy ballasting! It is one of my favorite activities on the layout!
And when I ran the first "official" train over the railroad, well... I just kept running trains! It is addictive, you know
One of the other things I did was place remote turnout controls so both the dispatcher or the crew can throw the switch and the indicators will show position on a model board.
Next comes signals to protect the draw bridge.
Thanks for your time...
Enjoy the weekend, or what's left of it!
Ed
Lot of great photos this week.
I've been slowly working on the walthers backshop kit; finally got the walls up...
We've had a ton of great stuff this weekend. I took on another five-minute project on Friday and that was swapping my GE Reveal CFL bulbs with daylight LEDs. The difference is astounding. The former gave my photos a reddish cast despite being advertised as showing color accuratly.
Reveal bulbs:
Daylight bulbs:
The Boothbay Railway Village camera car failed some time ago, and we have purchased a replacement. The car is an old Roundhouse gondola with a large crate to hide the camera. The camera is HD with sound and a transmitter, shown at the upper right and the inset. The receiver is in the middle and will connect with a flat screen TV on the wall. The circuit at the right converts DCC power to 9VDC to run the camera - no batteries to change. The Kadee 590 trucks pick up the track power. The only thing missing is a TCS Keep Alive unit that is on order.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I have a late afternoon offering for WPF. Not real complicated as I was out in the garage this morning fiddling around and decided to turn on the space heater and stay awhile. After setting up a temporary work station I did a quickie coal load on a couple 4 bay hoppers that needed some attention.