Weekend Photo Fun 23,24,25

[Packers#1]

 Hey Dave, nice work on the steamer and hopper.

Everyone, great work this week!

[New Haven I-5]

 I MORE HOUR OF WPF LEFT.

[mikelhh]

 Tomkat - many many thanks for the great road signs!

 

 Mike

[nordique72]

Dave Vollmer

I started with an Atlas PS2 covered hopper lettered for P&LE.  The repaint date was 1964.  This is for my 1980 Conrail roster.

I sanded off the lettering a bit and added several layers of acrylic washes.

By 1980, the car would have been reweighed.  I did a patch and added some new dimensional data and COT stencils along with the obligatory "I-survived-the-70s" ACI label.

 Dave,

Your hopper car looks great so far- if it survived to the 80s you also need to slap a wheel inspection dot on the car too in addition to the ACI label. I guess you can choose whether the car gets a white dot or a yellow one!

[Geared Steam]

Great modeling this weekend guys, one of the best wpf I can remember. 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

It's been a full weekend on this thread. Great work everybody!

Here's the Kansas City Zephyr stopped in my fictional town of Blackhawk

Happy Model Railroading!

[wm3798]

This just in... Progress shot.

After working on the steam project, I got to thinking about how to improve power pick up for my yard switcher.  Adding power pick ups to the tender of the K-2 made a huge difference in how it ran, and I've been fighting a couple of old C-80 turnouts in my yard.

Well, it seems that back in the early 1960's, the Western Maryland was also looking for ways to improve the tractive effort of its yard switchers.  They took a couple of retired Alco switchers, and turned them into slugs, or as the WM referred to them, Diesel Trailing Units.



These were basically extra traction motors that were powered by the prime mover of a "Mother" locomotive.  This particular slug was originally mated to a Baldwin switcher, and later to #81, one of the WM's two BL-2's.  The extra power was good for moving heavy tonnages at low speed, perfect for switching long cuts of cars in Hagerstown Yard.

Obviously there's still some tweaking to do... Happily the handrail set from an Atlas C-630 fits like a glove... just need to figure out how to bend the far end down for the steps...  I'll also need to get some RS-3 end railings from the most recent run get the ends to look right.

Next will be to smooth out the top radius, looks a little wavey, and fix the errant stanchion mounting there in the middle.  Then I have to add the sand filler platforms at each end, and a headlight housing at the rear.  I'm going to wire in a TF-4 I have to get the headlight to reverse with the BL-2.  I'm going to hardwire the pickups together between the BL and the slug, then nip them in the middle and make a simple solder connection that will be easy to pop apart if the need arises.

Originally I was going to see if I could keep the drive powered, but the low profile hood prohibited that.  Again, being dragged around won't affect the capabilities of the BL-2 as it works my little yard.  

I took the idler gears out of the trucks, so they roll pretty freely, although not as freely as other Atlas trucks.  But alas, it's the lesser of the two VO drives that got sacrificed for this, so I'm not crying.  I'm going to test it in the yard to see how it tracks before I put additional weight in it.  There's the whole motor cavity I could fill up with bricks, and since it'll be mated to a split drive BL, I'm not worried about it affecting pulling power.  The main objective is solid track power pick up to get around a couple old c-80 turnouts that have been giving me fits.  I figure a little added weight will help maintain solid contact with the rails.

Lee

[howmus]

WOW!  This weekend there has been some awesome modeling being shown.  But that isn't unusual.....

I have been working on more of the line poles.   These are about half of what I have made and installed.

They don't take very long and add one more thing "I" made for the layout. 

[jacon12]

 I appreciate the reply, Grampy.  Now,hopefully I'll figure out the jig making, find the dowels and I'll be all set.  I have an area I've been needing something like this.

Jarrell

 

 

Grampys Trains

 Hi: Thanks Jarrell, jecorbett. Lots of great photos this week.  As to guard rails, I used 5/32 dowels I found at AC Moore. I cut the tops at a 45 deg. angle, and made a jig to drill the holes, to keep them at a uniform distance apart and from the top. Then, I glued them in place, painted them white, and weathered them with alcohol/ink wash. Then, I strung the wires through all the holes. Then I weathered the wire with a rust colored wash. Here's another shot of the guard rails.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Vollmer]

Some before and after N scale action for me...

I started with an Atlas PS2 covered hopper lettered for P&LE.  The repaint date was 1964.  This is for my 1980 Conrail roster.

I sanded off the lettering a bit and added several layers of acrylic washes.

By 1980, the car would have been reweighed.  I did a patch and added some new dimensional data and COT stencils along with the obligatory "I-survived-the-70s" ACI label.

Also, last weekend I had House of Trains in Omaha install a TCS M1 decoder into my PRR L1s.  I'm usually a do-it-yerselfer when it comes to decoder installs, but the Kato frame has some tricks to it that I chose not to mess with.  $20 for labor, you can't beat it.  The valve gear, on the other hand, started binding after I got her home...  Long story.  But she works now even if I'll never get those 6 hours back!

I decided to give her a little facelift.  I re-sanded the parting seam on the tender some more, added some new paint, new decals, and a Z-scale coupler.  Here's the before:

I used diesel decals this time because I never cared for how the Deluxe Gold lettering shows up (or fails to).  This looks more like the buff they used toward the end of steam anyway.

And a parting "mood shot..."

[lvanhen]

Toncat, great signs!!!   Thanks fro posting!!!

[tomkat-13]

Spent some time today making road signs for the layout. Feel free to copy & paste for your layout.

[wctransfer]

Hey all, heres a few shots of my HLCX 6228 project. All it needs left is an MU receptical hose, and ditchlights. After those are added I will begin painting.

Alec

[BRVRR]

Great stuff as usual everyone!

Grampy, You are a wonder.

A little something from the BRVRR today.

NYC Hudson #5335 rounds the curve behind the Farmer's Union Elevator on the BRVRR layout.

Keep up the good work guys. I always learn something in this thread.

Thanks to all.

[railroadyoshi]

Guilford Guy

 Really great pictures so far this week!

 I've been finishing up a LONG project...

 

 

Alex, the 105 came out surprisingly well! Now just some numberplates and you'll be ready to go. And we'll be seeing a CC job down to Rockingham yard in the near future, eh?

[wm3798]

I threw this together one night this week...  I was in the process of setting up the waybills to get ready for an upcoming operating session, and I realized I needed to build a gondola load of rebar...

 Rebar is textured steel rod used to reinforce poured concrete in foundations, structures and highways.
I used lengths of stranded wire, cut to scale 20' and stripped of insulation. To simulate multiple layers, I put a layer of round toothpicks at the bottom, then laid strips of balsa wood to represent dunnage supporting the top layer. I painted the load with a blend of black and silver craft acrylics to get a dark gun metal color. A couple of washes of a brownish red rust color finish it off. Like all the loads I make, it is removable.

Lee

[mountaingoatgreg]

 Great stuff everyone...

I have been working on some structures for a club layout and have finally gotten to a point where I can take some pictures. The  first little building will be the caboose supply building and will be in the forefront of the layout so I will be adding lots of little details to this building. The next structures is an ash pit and conveyor which I still need to weather and add all the details too. The last structure is a kitbashed coaling tower. I will have both sanding and coaling capabilites added to this tower and it is currently about 50% done.

 

 

 

 

Have a great Weekend Everbody!!!

[Grampys Trains]

Hey Jerry: That Cat dealership is a great scene. I esp. like your chain link fence. And, I worked for Cat for 23 yrs.

[V&AL]

"License and registration please...                      Do you know why I pulled you over sir?"

"No officer, but I bet you are going to be asking yourself that same question for the rest of the day..."

"??!!!??!!!!!!!!"

Elsewhere 4 BNSF units (3 SD40-2's and a GP-60) were heading to Fred's Locomotive Shop for an outsourced rebuild/relettering:

 

Disclamer:

These are my models on the club's modular layout.

[GAPPLEG]

TMarsh

Great stuff once again everybody.

GAPPLEG- I have that same building, how come mine doesn’t look near that good? Oh yeah Talent. The white and blue boxcars in the back. They look suspiciously like the one that pulls up to the brewery on my layout to haul Pearl beer.

 

Todd

Yep Pearl Beer , Grew up in El Paso Texas drinking Pearl beer. Had to have those on the layout. FYI Born in Springfield Ill. though .

Driline  you caught me , It's the only one I have at the time that looks massive enough for the job at that site, Got lots of forklifts around the layout, just haven't found a large one yet anywhere.

Grampy you shame me , everytime I look at your work , I just get depressed by my efforts.

[mononguy63]

ukguy

Thanks all for the kind remarks.

 

Kenfolk

 Karl--Great details, what scale?

 Completely scratchbuilt (except for a few of the details) board by board in 'O' scale Ken.

Karl.A

Karl, I think you've missed the point of WPF - you're supposed to post picture of models, not the real thing!

Excuse me while I pick my eyeballs back up off of the floor.

 

[Packers#1]

 Robby-excellent weathering!

DJ, great work as usual.

Well, I finally printed out the sign for my medman's pharmacy. 

The story: Over on another forum, one of our members was stricken w/ inoperable throat cancer. He did not survive. He was a pharmicist (had his own store), and so one of our members got the idea to create a medman's pharmacy, and now we've decided to make it a franchise. Here's mine:

 

 

[C&O Fan]

Wow what a great bunch of photos and outstanding work

I spent the last week on a scratch building project

Its the Express building at Quinnimont WVA on the C&O

Here's a COHS photo of the Proto Type

I used a stain pen to stain the 2x4s and interior walls

I placed them on 2 ft centers

as well as the roof rafters for the porch roof

 

The finished building had to be slectively compressed to fit in the space alowed

so i had to shorten and cut the width

[Grampys Trains]

 Hi: Thanks Jarrell, jecorbett. Lots of great photos this week.  As to guard rails, I used 5/32 dowels I found at AC Moore. I cut the tops at a 45 deg. angle, and made a jig to drill the holes, to keep them at a uniform distance apart and from the top. Then, I glued them in place, painted them white, and weathered them with alcohol/ink wash. Then, I strung the wires through all the holes. Then I weathered the wire with a rust colored wash. Here's another shot of the guard rails.

 

 

 

 

[Robby P.]

Driline, its HO scale.  I haven't tried to weather a N scale car yet.

Loather, thanks.  I try to tell people the more you practice the more you will see a improvement.

For the fade everybody, just plain white "testors" sprayed out of a airbrush. 

[jecorbett]

Nothing new to show this week so here are some different views of the area I showed last week.

Lastly a look down the divided mainline toward the next area to be scenicked.

Both mainline tracks will tunnel through the mountain which will rise up into the corner. The houses you see up there are N scale and will be my first attempt at forced perspective. The trees will get gradually smaller the higher up they go. The mountain will not be flat topped. A small hill will be added behind the two houses.

NOTE TO SELF: Next time, pick the trash up off the floor before taking pictures.

[dtommy]

CNJ831

Oooops! Well, boss, it just sorta slipped out of my hands and kinda....

CNJ831 

 

 

 

Very nice! 

[jecorbett]

Karl, Grampy,

Great stuff. It gives us all something to strive for. Grampy, I really like your guard rail. I just finished a similar feature with a road rising along side a two track mainline. I just slapped my guardrails together with round toothpicks and strip styrene just to have something there. I intend to do something more elaborate later on and this gives me an idea.

[CNJ831]

Oooops! Well, boss, it just sorta slipped out of my hands and kinda....

CNJ831