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!
Good morning from sunny and warm Northeast Ohio!
Got a couple of models done this week.
First, the Moloco RBL that I have been working on the past couple of weeks, painted with Scalecoat II Reefer Yellow and Black Paints, then lettered with Prime Mover Decals. The EL leased 20 of these PC&F RBL to service a General Foods Facility on the railroad. All markings were from North American Leasing with only a Large EL to show the lessor's name.
Next an Intermountain ACF 4650 CF Covered Hopper kit, painted with Scalecoat II UP Covered Hopper Gray paint and lettered with Islington Station Products decals. Farmland was a large COOP of elevators in the midwest that purchased their own cars and many companies, but due to debt problems in the 2000's eventually sold everything off.
After painting the DT&I Coal Hopper last week I took it and its brothers to the club and ran them behind a pair of GP40-2's.
Have a happy Memorial Day Weekend!
Rick Jesionowski
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Nice work, Rick. I especially like the EL car.
It has been a long time since I've posted anything, but after much thought and a little bit of work, I have sold off most of my HO and N scales and am working on an O scale layout. I'm building this as a 3 Rail Scale layout which means using things that are scale sized with realistic (as close as I can get!) scenery. It is small being an 8x8, but there will be an On30 narrow gauge line that will run through it and it will have it's own 22' run. My first loco is an Atlas O 44 tonner. This is a fantastic engine and is equipped with sound and DCC. I removed the large O scale couplers and built pilots to mount Kadee O couplers. I also stripped the metal body and am also doing a little work with the soldering iron on the metal handrails. This thing is heavy...4 pounds!
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Hello all!
Rick: Your decals are perfect, as always
Bear: Nice job on the plate. Is it metal?
Chuck: Wow, going O scale all the way is quite the decision! Those Atlas O engines are neat.
Pike-62: Those cars make me hungry
I made some progress on my scenery work these last few weeks. I still need to add some bushes and details. Locos are MDC engines...
IMG_20230520_145555 on Flickr
Simon
Thanks for the sendoff to the Memorial Day WPF, Rick.
I sure miss the E-L! Your cars are superb, as always. You must have a whole file cabinet full of decals!
Such a classy nameplate, Bear.
Your 44 tonner is looking great, Chuck. Four pounds! Amazing.
Pike, I see your box car is already vintage as the footwear of the green m&m is the pre 2019 variety. Hope the reweigh date on the car matches
Scenery is looking great, Simon.
I routinely gather a few locomotives to give them the 'once-over' and evaluate the running qualities and details, sometimes give them a lube job and make adjustments to the sound and levels. Recently I started going through a few 'vintage' Genesis F units and while on the test track I began to notice the motors cutting out on overload.
On further investigation I pulled out five of them with bad Buhler motors, some of them drawing about four amps at ten volts stalled. From what I gather the manufacturer chose a poor material for the brushes and the commutator would get gummed up and finally fail.
This is actually a Roco motor and they have troubles of their own but it is an example:
ATH_DC-motor2 by Edmund, on Flickr
I found a fellow in Hong Kong that has the correct motors and fairly reasonable but he only sells a maximum of two at a time. While having the engines stripped down I've been upgrading to Scale Sound speakers and in some cases pulling out the early WOWsound decoders and installing Tsunami-2s.
PRR_F7a-SSS speaker by Edmund, on Flickr
Since the PRR was one road that use Fs in helper service I installed red LEDs in the marker lamp positions on the nose:
PRR_F7a-marker-LED by Edmund, on Flickr
These have since been covered over with light-blocking tape on the inside.
PRR_F7a-marker by Edmund, on Flickr
Hopefully I'll get better service out of these replacement motors. You'd think Athearn would check up on their QC a little better. I've had several others fail, too.
So while waiting for the next set of motors from Hong Kong I started back on installing Scale Sound speakers and a new decoder in this Broadway Limited Century Hudson:
J3a_upgrade-tender by Edmund, on Flickr
J3a_upgrade-stock by Edmund, on Flickr
This engine was easy to remove the smoke unit and in its place I installed one of SSS's 'Boiler Barker' speakers plus a little added weight. This engine will get a WOWsound V4.6 decoder and another SSS speaker in the tender.
J3a_SSS speaker by Edmund, on Flickr
BLI did a marvelous job with this brass/hybrid locomotive. Many of my Broadway engines were purchased at closeout prices so I don't mind a little added investment in a better decoder and speakers. Makes all the difference in the world!
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanMemorial Day
Time for a Memorial Day cookout at the Fisherman's Memorial Park on the Boothbay Railway Villlage layout.
Even the crows want a piece of the action
Also some fun on the water
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Rick, Thanks for rolling out the WPF. Your Moloco RBL came out real nice, beautiful car and love the details, the ACF looks good too.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers. Have a good weekend as we honor all who have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of our nation. Regards, Peter
snjroyIs it metal?
As long as we're showing our ersatz-cast signs here's my contribution, also red & gold:
PRR_Sign_Hambden-Toluidine by Edmund, on Flickr
It is a welcoming sight at night with the overhead lamp illuminating it.
Depot_sign by Edmund, on Flickr
Depot_sign-wide by Edmund, on Flickr
Hambden won't be found in any PRR timetables, though Surely I'd never be able to acquire a 'real McCoy':
Amtrak Lancaster (PRR) Station in Lancaster, Pa. One of the Busiest Along the Keystone Corridor 01 by Rich Stekeur, on Flickr
been very busy working with the 3d printer. Here is the black maria. A unit. The B unit has been printed. I have to print another A unit to complete the only DL202 set. A also have a C415 printing off now.Here is some 009 pieces i am working on.
Building some hard board boxes to store locos that dont have boxes and dont get used much like my brass pieces that are box less
And lining other boxes with foam
Finished these boxcars
And this coach for the business train which has a nasty glare sadly
shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
gmpullmanAs long as we're showing our ersatz-cast signs here's my contribution, also red & gold:
Thanks for all the nice comments on my models, have enjoyed all the pictures posted this weekend by everybody.
As it is Memorial Day, thought I would post a picture of my favorite Bi-Centennial Engine from 1976 and remember those that have fallen in the service of our country.
dti406 favorite Bi-Centennial Engine from 1976
Another Bi-Centennial engine. I modeled this from a prototype photo taken in 1979. The B&M simplfied scheme on a GP-7 that has been hard at work since '76