Good morning from sunny and warm Northeast Ohio!
This is the thread where modelers can show their in progress projects, completed projects and scenes from their layouts both old and new.
Managed to complete a couple of projects this week:
Branchline 40' ACF 1944 AAR Boxcar kit, removed the rivits as the prototype was a welded side car. Added A-line sill steps in place of the plastic ones of the kit. Painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red and lettered with Smokebox Graphics decals. The Ann Arbor was spun off the Wabash in the 1964 Wabash, NKP and N&W merger and was re-acquired by the DT&I at that time. This car in general service was repainted in 1965 and the Ann Arbor Pennant was replaced with the DT&I compass.
Tangent Scale Models PS2 4000CF Covered Hopper Kit, painted with Scalecoat II UP Hopper Car Gray and lettered with Oddballs Decals. Car was in Coke Breeze service on the L&N, Coke Breeze was the left over fines from the Coking Process and these fines were used in Cathodic Protection at various sites. The DT&I could have received these cars via their Cincinnati connection with the L&N as the company I worked for did a lot of Cathodic Protection at McClouth Steel in Detroit and was a DT&I customer.
Another old layout shot from the Strongsville Club layout, Stewart C628 and C630 hauling a string of 36 G39 Ore Jimmies, reminiscent of the trains leaving Whiskey Island in Cleveland heading to Pittsburgh.
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!
Great cars Rick.
Scene on my layoutnstill needs the static grasd and redoing the center lines
(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).
Rick: Thank you for kicking off the edition of Weekend Photo Fun for the last weekend in May. Impressive modelling work on the two freight cars you presented this week. The ANN ARBOR boxcar is especially handsome in basic boxcar red with the DT&I compass rose for its heraldry.
Jimmy: I am enjoying watching your layout come together scene by scene. It is looking good.
More work on the house for me this week, so I have no modelling work to share.
I did finally join the "Rapido RDC Owner's Group" this week. I purchased an unpainted RDC-2 for my STRATTON AND GILLETTE railroad.
This is an impressive looking model, but it could not run through my test track course. The truck sideframe underneath the baggage door hits on the steps to the baggage compartment. I will need to investigate a solution at a later time.
I am looking forward to another productive weekend of work on the house.
Weekend Photo Fun, and Garbage Day, are the only two things helping me keep track of what day of the week it is.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Rick .... Thanks for starting Photo Fun. ... The AA boxcar and the L&N covered hopper look fantastic. I like the phto with the big Alco's and the ore train.
Jimmy .... It is good to see your progress on your layout. Keep up the good work.
Kevin .... The RDC-2 looks impressive.
Here is a picture of CB&Q 317, and SD7. It is one of six Life Like Proto 2000 SD7 and SD9 units i have had for a few years. Three are in the CB&Q red paint scheme and three are in the CB&Q black paint scheme. I added details to them. Also in the picture, you can see one of many retaining walls on my layout.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Jimmy, more spendid work done on your layout.
Garry, I just picked up a SD7 on E-Bay, although it may end up as a M&StL unit rather than a CB&Q, but it will still be red, nice picture on your part.
Kevin, a great purchase, I have a pair of them in remembrance of my years in Alaska.
Good morning
Great looking cars Rick.
Love the grey day scene Jimmy. Looks like the snow is melting and the kids on the school bus didn't get a snow day.
Nice photo Garry! I really like the red and grey Burlingtons. I was checking out your retaining wall up front, great job
I hope you get your truck problem ironed out on your passenger car Kevin. She's a Beauty.
I'm working on getting my 5th custom Bridge complete. It's a difficult one on a 24 inch radius curve in N-Scale. The center bridge is scratch built of Evergreen styrene and the end girder bridges are kitbashed.
Here is the area it is going in the back of the layout. I still need to make some custom piers, abutments and fit it in before paint. Of course the plate girder bridges will drop down so the tops are flush with the center bridge base. The rear perimeter track will be accessible and hidden in mountain scenery. The turn-out track going under the bridge will be coming out of a portal.
I did a radius test on the table and a 4-8-4 Northern and an 86' passenger car clear the side members of the bridge by close to a 1/4".
TF
TF ..... THanks for commenting on my picture. Your brdge project is looking good.
Rick .... Thanks for the comment on my photo. I like your RDC. You might like this picture I took in Anchorage maybe 25 years ago.
Some excellent work here, as always. I've completed a few projects, too. The first one is a hopper car I repainted for BVLC, from the mining railroad it had previously been painted for:
The other three I built on some cast-metal 15-foot frames I bought from ebay. Two boxcars:
The third frame was used for a rail-and-tie car:
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
Jimmy_Braum Great cars Rick. Scene on my layoutnstill needs the static grasd and redoing the center lines
You might want to give something like this a try. I've found them very handy for drawing smooth center lines when your road isn't straight.
https://www.unitednow.com/graduated-flexible-curves?offer=SUNNY&msclkid=98538e392167176d342cd0e8848708d1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ECI%20-%20Google%20Shopping%20-%20All%20Products%20%5BLow%5D&utm_term=4580359289861293&utm_content=All%20Products%20-%20Desktop%20%26%20Tablet
I'd bet you can find them at most art stores.
Some very nice work as always!
Rick - Great cars as always! I think I seen that L&N one, or one just like it, although much more weathered, not that long ago. Very nice!
Jimmy - Nice job on the typical PA style roadway. I like it.
Kevin - A new RDC. Nice.
Garry - Very nice scene. How far away is the backdrop from there, out of curiosity. You blended it in very well.
TF - Nice progress on the bridge. I like it!
tbdanny - Some nice mine cars. I would expect to find them in any large mining operation, great job!
I don't have many pics to share of what I've been working on this week, but I did bring two. My projects are -
1: Prepping the layout room for remodel once the madness known as Covid-19 dies out. This means no major modeling still. I do have a temporary layout back in place, which consists of only a loop with a couple of yard tracks. Just enough to run something. Everything else is in the process of being packed away.
2: Small modeling project of painting and decaling a set of coal hoppers. I have most (All but two of 12) stripped, and about 3/4ths primered. One has the final color coat, one needs a second color coat. (And is sitting in the spray booth awaiting just that. My asthma has flared up the past few days though because of allergies and the weather, so this project is on hold.) None have had decals applied, and one needs some pre-painting repairs as a end brace is broken. (Shipping damage from when I received it a while back.) No pics for these yet.
3: Super detailing a GE 9-44CW prior to painting and decaling in a custom paint. (While the railroad in question does not currently own a 9-44, they do own 10 (recieved 7 last count) GE AC46C6M rebuilds, all ex-CSX AC6000 units, that have been or are being repainted, save two for back-ups and parts only, and derated to 4400 HP, so it is going to be a close, but not exact, resemblece. I have two pics to show progress.
I am using a old Athearn BlueBox model I have had for some time for this unit, which I will number following the prototype lines numbering system as 4401. (The ex-CSX units are all 6001-6010, and their other units are numbered based off of model as well, with the first two digits maching the first two model designation numbers.)
First up - The cab. I have installed brass A-line sunshades, and drilled all the grab iron holes on the front of the nose, as well as installed the smaller nose top grabs (Detail Associates) and the lone cab roof grab.
Cab detailing by Richard W, on Flickr" alt="" width="375" height="500" />
I am still drilling the longer cab nose top edge grabs, and will custom form those from 0.0125 wire. I will use one of my ES44 models for the template.
I also have a picture of the installed front ditch light castings, which will be turned into functioning ditch lights once the unit is painted and decaled.
Ditch Light Castings by Richard W, on Flickr" alt="" width="375" height="500" />
I will be using very small surface mount LED's inside this locomotive, and have already wired in a non-sound decoder into the frame.
I have not yet installed the nose front grabs as they will interfere with decal placement, and the front pilot plow will be fitted once I have everything else done so as to fit without either dragging or interfering with the front ditch lights.
I might in the future change the decoder to a sound version, but am undecided on that.
She will be painted and decaled like this unit, one of the ex-CSX units that has been delivered and is currently in service on the prototype.
WNYP 6004 by Richard W, on Flickr" alt="" width="500" height="387" />
I was on the wrong side (shaded) of the track for this shot, but she snuck up on me.
Keep all the good (better than mine!) models coming guys!!!!
(EDITED: Fixed picture issue, I hope....)
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
tbdanny ....... Your On30 models are excellent.
Ricky ...... You are doing a nioce job with the locomotive model. .. You asked how close my backdrop was. This section of my layout is two feet wide. The SD7 in the picture is probably about 10" from the backdrop. (I did not measure to answer you) .... Thanks for commenting.
Gosh, I cannot say enough regarding the outstanding modeling done here Gents!
Here is my contribution which I sort "lucked" into the finish on the flatcar deck. I had left this puppy out on my workbench for "who knows how long" and decided to get 'er goin' again. Weathering was provided by chalks on the deck which brought out the "natural" weathering effect on the deck. I previously installed Athearn Buckeye trucks on it for making something a bit different. I do not recall where the load came from, but I do remember assembling and painting it.
Don; Prez, CEO or whatever of the Wishram, Oregon and Western RR
Rick, Thanks for starting up the WPF with more handsome and education inspiring models, was fun learning about 'coke breeze', yet another commodity that a model railroad can conceivably haul.
Garry, Like how the backdrop blends so nicely into your pleasing scene.
Tankertoad, Good looking dirty rust. Also an interesting load, guessing a monster crankshaft of some sort?
Recently built a wood load using cut up twigs that were roasted in the oven for a couple hours at 200 deg., hope that killed all the nasties. In retrospect should have been more random with the log placing, but a fun and rewarding little project.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers, have a good weekend and regards, Peter
Well, I'm back with an update photo.
First:
Tankertoad - Nice looking rusty deck. Neat load as well. Good job!
Peter - Nice job on the log load. Looks good!
Meanwhile, I finished the cab nose top grabs today.
Cab nose grabs done. by Richard W, on Flickr" alt="" />
Let's keep all the great models going!
tbdannyThe first one is a hopper car I repainted for BVLC, from the mining railroad it had previously been painted for:
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS CAR !!!!!!!!!!!
Your other car's are " AWESOME" too !!!
So far today at the Demon's Hollow, I got the side's of the Turtle creek car done...
I still need to come up with some weight data, and some other lettering, but it's starting to look like a freightcar.
Rust...... It's a good thing !
tankertoad135Here is my contribution
YEA !!!!! That's the stuff !!!! Rust,.... no railroad should be without it.
I built a load just like that for a gondola that I "believe" is somewhere on the Mount Hood club layout..... but that was 13 years ago... so I could be wrong.
P.S. Don , I pm'd you last week but I don't know if you got it. The pm system here doesn't give me notification's, so you may want to check your message's.
Track fiddlerI'm working on getting my 5th custom Bridge complete.
N I C E !!!!!
Ain't scratch building a great way to "relieve stress"?...... No ???
Well. it's still a good looking bridge !
We keep telling you Peter , ...
Real photo's of the prototype aren't allowed.
Nice job on the Rusty bridge !
Timmy, Thanks for your compliment. You are one of the few that does custom modeling with your own railroad names. The quality of your work shows.
Garry, Ricky thanks for your compliments as appreciated. I have always admired your work as well.
Danny, That mining camp setting of yours is just awesome. Not only the custom built and weathering of your cars but that double decker Character One with the rusty rails and the ties, barrel, pick-axe and rusty chain make it. Don't think I didn't notice those beautiful weathered miner barreks in the background
Ricky, That locomotive project of yours is coming along great. I can tell you have patience and take your time doing things right and it shows!
Tankerload, I'm glad you picked your project back up because that flat car and load you did looks awesome!
Peter, What can I say. You may not know it but you have been one of my mentors for a long time. Like I've said before, sometimes I think your pictures of your modeling look better than The Real McCoy. I look hard and study and I've learned a lot from you just by viewing your work.
I took some bridge parts and started some sample paint jobs. I can't just start painting a 90-hour + bridge. The truss bridge section was custom-built and I decided to scrap the project. The C-channel on the top rail was a problem. The physics of the project just wasn't working as things started to get crooked.
I have attempted to do Wayne's example on how to paint a bridge rust and mist it with black. I have always really admired Wayne's work. His bridge and his water is second to none. I will add more rust to the bottom edges, joints and targeted spots as seen on Peters fine example of modeling.
I think I'm on the right track "With a Little Help from My Friends".
As always, the modeling looks great Guys
There have been a lot of really good modelling projects and pictures shared this weekend. Thank you to everyone that contributed.
Garry: Your first generation EMD SD series locomotive in red and gray is truly a handsome looking powerhouse.
Rick: I hope this RDC is as good as everyone says they are. I was very excited to finally get an undecorated DC version. I did not spend much time with it before I put it away, but it looks very good.
Fiddler: I hope your bridge project goes really good. I hope to see it finished because it looks like it will be impressive.
Danny: I love that narrow gauge hopper car in your first picture. It is an interesting looking model, and your paint and finishing is perfect.
Ricky: Your project sounds great, but I cannot see your pictures.
Toad: I recognize your load. It is a large crankshaft load by American Model Builders/Laser Art. I have started mine, but like everything else, it is now on construction hold. Yours looks very good, nice work.
Peter: The real twigs for your log load look perfect. Amazing job, and the photograph is as good as always.
Timmy: I love your TURTLE CREEK CENTRAL gondola car. It is really a great looking model. Thank you for all the in prgress pictures you have shared.
I hope I did not miss anybody.
Everyone have a wonderful Sunday.
Peter .... Thank you for commenting on my phto and how my scene blends in with the backdrop. ........ Your waterfront scenes are very inspiring. The wood load on the bulkehad flatcar looks real because it is real. Very nice!
Kevin .... Thanks for commenting aboput my SD7.
Tanker toad.... The loaded flatcar looks great.
Timmy ..... Your gondola looks terrific.
Everybody .... Keep posting photos. It is still the weekend.
Well, one more contribution for this weekend; an Athearn 50' boxcar converted to a combination puppy for my Wishram road. So far, this is a one of a kind. Maybe more will show up in the future.
Well....
The weekend is almost over, and this is as far as I got.
It still need's some work , ( end board's, a few more grab iron's, a "little"weathering... not a lot ..... yea, I know, Am I capable of doing only a light "dusting" of dirt ??? )
Wanna' say thanks again to all the WPF contributors and also thanks for all the nice comments. Really is great that so many generous folks on this forum are willing to share knowledge and inspire us with views of their modeling efforts.
Enjoy the remainder of your weekend, Regards, Peter