Last Kit? Next Kit?

[dlwhawaii]

Aloha Ken,

Do you have any scketches or plans for your coke guide and door opener? Am forced to scratchbuild equipment for my Koppers Coke plant which I am expanding to include gas recovery. Starting with the Walthers kit, including the Larry and Quench cars. Any information you can send me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

John

[mlehman]

Peter,

Great looking crane

Yeah, that HAL thing is old news here...

I saw 2001 when it was first released and had no idea where Urbana was. Sounded like one of those made up movie names. Little did I suspect I'd spend decades here...it does kind of leave you longing for...scenery. Gotta make do with Little Colorado in the basement, unless we have a volcano pop up.

My wife works keeping the latest version's software in order.

Not sure what my next kit is. My last one was this hack of a LaBelle kit in the Silverton RR combine "Red Mountain" seen here at Red Mountain, naturally enough.

I've got a LaBelle SG&N gon kit that may be next...or a couple of C&BT SFRD reefers.

[HO-Velo]

maxman

What did you use for the magnet?

Thanks Maxman,

The magnet came with the Walthers crane kit, but doctored it up with wire eye bolts, lift ring and small chain.

My model railroad might be nearer completion if I spent less time channel surfing the boob tube and watching old Sci-Fi movies and more time modeling, lol!

regards, Peter

[maxman]

HO-Velo

but was wondering if you might know where the company that built the HAL9000 computer back in 2001 was located there in Urbana, IL.?

According to Wikipedia, "HAL became operational in Urbana, Illinois, at the HAL Plant (the University of Illinois' Coordinated Science Laboratory, where the ILLIAC computers were built)."

By the way, nice looking model.

What did you use for the magnet?

[HO-Velo]

Hey Mike,  

Long time coming, but finally finished my traveling gantry crane.

I'd like my next kit be one of those Sheepscot cranes for an upcoming dock side scene, but I think the Manitowoc 3900 with a scratch built pedestal would be a better fit.  I emailed Sheepscot a few weeks ago inquiring about a 3900, but no response as yet, maybe I should get on the horn and give them a shout?

Off topic big time, but was wondering if you might know where the company that built the HAL9000 computer back in 2001 was located there in Urbana, IL.?

Thanks and regards, Peter

[mlehman]

Phil,

Great thread bump. The cars seemed a might overpowering at first, but the paint really helped bring it all together on this interesting project. The C. Supply Co. is a great kit. It was the first major wood kit I built, back when I was a teenager. I still have the small office building, not sure what happened to the bigger building.

I have pretty much finished the DL-535E build, except for some light weathering when I get in the mood. Full details are in  my earlier build thread: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/210285.aspx

A little tease...

 

[shayfan84325]

My latest kits have been these 4 passenger cars, shortened by 50 feet from LaBelle wood kits:

I finally painted, lettered, mildly weathered, glazed, and diaphramed them:

And the Butte Creek Bullet is ready for passengers:

My next kit wil be the Campbell Supply Company:

Looks like it should be a challenge:

 

 

[Kyle]

I just finished up an older Walthers double stack kit.  I added etched metal walkways which make it look so much better.  It's my second kit, but I think it looks good.

["JaBear"]

Jefbar

Oh well, I will retire one day and my days will be filled.

to the forum. Not a silly idea to plan ahead.

Have Fun,

Cheers, the Bear.

[Jefbar]

I'm in the collection phase right now, like storing nuts for the winter. Hard to put my golf clubs up this time of year to get to the bench. I often go through summer looking for kit deals, then get going in earnest during the winter. Problem is, I almost have as much fun shopping as modeling (well, nit really), so I have dozens of kits unstarted from a few years ongoing collecting. We all know it is easier and faster to buy a kit than complete a kit. Oh well, I will retire one day and my days will be filled.

[Kyle]

My first and only railroad related kit was an Accurail covered hopper I put together a few weeks ago, I had fun and planput buying more in the future.  Next kit, maybe double stacks from Walthers, or Accurail covered hoppers.

[mlehman]

Bear,

Yes, NP2626's thread is a great reference for the kit-curious.  Plus it'll give the other manufacturer's a little love, since this thread is starting to look like it was sponsored by Tichy...

["JaBear"]

Slightly stalled on the ferry project so have started on another of those “kits” that require the assembler to make most of the parts. Different length wood truss rod flat cars for idler service in the ferry terminal yard.

Though I can’t vouch for its current accuracy, here’s a link to a list of rolling stock kit manufacturers that I think is well worth resurrecting......

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/211105.aspx

Cheers, the Bear.

[mlehman]

I've worked on my PSC diesel a little everyday and finished the largest part of the shell assembly last night.

In the meantime, I often switch between more complex kits and those which help me relax from them. For $5 or so, Tichy makes a neat little jib crane kit. Assembled carefully, it can be rotated.

 

[jerryl]

Very good shingle job. A lot of people don't know that cedar shingles have to have air circulation, thus the lath or stringers & not solid decking under them.

Sir Madog

Kit? What kit?

All of the structures on my On30 layout will be scratchbuilt. Right now, I am completing the engine house, only the doors and a few minor details are missing.

There are 2,500+ parts in it, half of which are the shingles I individually cut and laid out on the roof.

My next project will be the buildings on the wharf I built a few months ago.

O scale really is a scratchbuilder´s scale!

 

[HO-Velo]

My last kit was a Hi-Tech Details trash dumpster.  Small kit, but lots of fun.  I changed the lids for an older look.

regards,  Peter

 

[mlehman]

Jim,

Sounds like a great way keep the juices flowing for the layout. Once you build them, you get the itch to run them...

I've got one of the CC cars around somewhere. Helps break up the steady stream of Rio Grande GS gons flowing out of my coal fields.

Don't know if it's in the budget or not, but substituting a laser-cut wood deck really improves the appearance of the Walthers GSC flat cars. I think there were several sources. I often regretted building the first couple with the kit's plastic decks after doing the first one with a wood deck, as it was so easy and looked so good. You could use just a few dots of Aleenes Tacky Glue to hold the kit deck's in place to make possible a quick and easy redecking with wood at a later date, though, if you want to keep your options open for later improvements.

 

[riogrande5761]

Now that I have a layout in progress, I've been doing a few kits that have been in storage for a long time.  I ordered a bulk pack of IMRC 33-inch wheels and some KD whisker couplers.  Here are some recent kits completed:

6 x Stewart 3-bay Carbon County coal hoppers

4 x MDC D&RGW ballast cars

I've recently picked up a few Walthers GSC 53' flat cars on deck waiting on hobby time between layout construction.

Cheers, Jim

 

[mlehman]

Soooo, anybody hear about any exciting new kits at the NMRA Convention and National Train Show? RTR always gets lots of press, but sometimes there are new kits to get excited about, too.

There are a few more pics in WPF, but here's a different angle on my imaginative Rio Grande stone gon. I shot the interior with Krylon Brown Boots Satin, then brushed it with CreateFX Light Gray Acyrlic Wash to represent a relatively new wood lining in the car.

 

[middleman]

Neat thread,Mike!

Geared Steam,those ore jennies look terrific...very nice scene,too.

Rio Grande short caboose and stock car kits from San Juan Car Co. (On3). 'Still a ways to go.

Mike

[rdgk1se3019]

Since the subject of Tichy was mentioned.......

Here is the link for their website  Tichy Train Group

[Geared Steam]

Accurail NP boxcar (pretty simple but very enjoyable

 

Scratch built some MDC Gravel cars into ore jennies, as MDC always promoted scratchbuilding with the 3-1 kits

I hope to start this MDC kit soon, the Moose Jaws HOn3 static loco, only into the 2-4-4-0 "Baby Mallet

Tichey Kits are great, here are some of the ore cars I build last year.

 

 

 

[mlehman]

Bear,

I love that car! That may be my next Tichy kit. At least after the War-Emergency gon I bought yesterday. Did a little more research, but it's clear I need to do something else for my Monon stone gons.

But I do know what I'm doing with this gon. I don't have any cars to handle the finished stone when it's trransferrred into standard gauge cars at Durango that's starting to come down the Cascade Branch from the Crater Lake Stone Mill. In real life, the Rio Grande never handled much cut stone, mostly just aggregates. GS and mill gons aren't suitable either. The 53' flats would work, if rebuilt as gons like the Monon did.

For now, I'm gonna say the Rio Grande got a good deal on these cars in the mid-1950s when the wood linings needed to be replaced. Instead, needing a small number of cars for cut stone, they acquired these cars and did the wood renewal in-house. So I'm going to build it into something else the Rio Grande never had, but might have, a stone gon.

[ALEX WARSHAL]

Wow thats awesome JaBear. Thank gives me more reason to make my own decals and buy another Tichy kit. 

-Alex

["JaBear"]

Here’s one that Alex might appreciate, A Tichy Cement Car kit and homemade decals using the Testors method.

Cheers, the Bear.

[ALEX WARSHAL]

Thank you to JaBear and Mike for the complements on the Tichy kit. -Alex

[mlehman]

ALEX WARSHAL

Here's the pic of my first Tichy kit as promised; I think it came out well

Gidday Alex, looks good, hope you enjoyed it.  A fair bit of work especially drilling all those holes for the grab irons, I generally manage to break a drill bit or two, but I think the finished car is well worth it. At the train show I attended last Sunday I picked up a Tichy 52’ war emergency mill gondola kit to build at a later date.

Have Fun,

Cheers, the Bear.

 

Alex,

Agree with the Bear here. Nice work!

It's kind of funny Tichy comes up all of the sudden. The LHS actually went out an ordered some new stock and I picked up a Jib Crane when I was in there a couple of days ago.

Funny, I was thinking of one of those war emergency gons myself, as the Monon had some superficially similar cars in stone service south of Bloomington. I may get me one and build it like that. Heck, maybe it could be the first of some group kit builds? Whatever level we want to take it, that's what I like about kits.

BTW, I am working on my brass DL-535E and taking pics daily. Should develop into some good stuff. I may post here or in the Weekend Photo Fun (WPF) thread that starts early Friday morning -- often with a post from the Bear as he's up at odd hours we're not in this part of the world and then on through at least Sunday.There are some familiar faces here that post in WPF, but be assured if you haven't yet, we'd look forward to you joning us if you'd like. It's a supportive crowd and some great pics.

WPF is a great place to show off completed projects, but is also a great place for works in progress. I'm really amazed at this thread's growth, so just wanted to make those who weren't aware of WPF they can also use it to show-and-tell.

["JaBear"]

ALEX WARSHAL

Here's the pic of my first Tichy kit as promised; I think it came out well.

Gidday Alex, looks good, hope you enjoyed it.  A fair bit of work especially drilling all those holes for the grab irons, I generally manage to break a drill bit or two, but I think the finished car is well worth it. At the train show I attended last Sunday I picked up a Tichy 52’ war emergency mill gondola kit to build at a later date.

Have Fun,

Cheers, the Bear.

[ALEX WARSHAL]

Here's the pic of my first Tichy kit as promised; I think it came out well.

 -Alex