The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is here! This one will not be like any other Thanksgiving weekend in my lifetime. No Black Friday shopping, no Small Business Saturday hobby shop tour, and justy staying at home and working on my house. At least I am healthy and happy.
Once again, I no not have any new model railroad stuff of my own to share with you all this week.
I am going to start Weekend Photo Fun with a previously unshared image of an Autumn scene on my 30" by 30" photo diorama project.
I look forward to seeing everyone else's shares this week.
This is my favorite thread week after week.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thank you for setting up the big, extended Weekend Photo Fun, Kevin (well, sorta' extended)
Nothing too glamorous for me this week. Did some ballasting and weeding (planting them, not pulling them ).
Tonight I decided to finally wire up one last turnout that leads to a seldom-used locomotive storage track. So I followed all the proper protocols and when I turned on the power — um, that ain't 'spose to happen? I had a short!
After some poking and prodding I determined that the original Walthers/Shinohara power-routing turnout was to blame. Fortunately I had a spare #5 "DCC Friendly" left hand in stock.
Switch_replace-4 by Edmund, on Flickr
Gandy dancers have arrived!
Switch_replace-3 by Edmund, on Flickr
Joints are cut. I solder most of my turnouts in place. Many people say not to. Well, if I have to replace a turnout the one coming out is going in the scrap bin so I simply cut the rail with a wheel (don't use side cutters as there's no where for the rail to go when you displace the metal with the wedge shape of the cutter).
Switch_replace-2 by Edmund, on Flickr
The CATs have the roadbed leveled —
Switch_replace by Edmund, on Flickr
— and here she is all ready for traffic. The old one had so much corrosion at the bronze contact strip that it was causing enough current to pass that it would trip the breaker. It was 26 years old and one of my last of the "old-style" Shinoharas so I didn't mind seeing it go.
On to more weekend goodies!
Cheers, Ed
Kevin. Thanks for starting WPF.
Ed. Excellent pictres. They took me back to when I rebuilt my layout.
My latest locomotive. A LMS Class 5 entering Leeds Sovereign Street Station.
The overgrown look. Sometimes one can hardly see the locomotives. That is how I like it. A view from the control area as Class 58 58001 (top right) slows down for the signal at the junction.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Kevin thanks for starting
Ed: been there, done that. Not fun. If fact I've got an old atlas 4 I need to replace with a peco
David : beautiful. I've a soft spot for abandoned sections.
Here's mine:
I do hope you guys are having a better holiday than he is...
(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).
Good morning from cloudy and cool Northeast Ohio!
Kevin, thanks for starting us out and a nice scene.
Ed, we have had that problem at the club, most of the time it is because of the contacts on the switch machines rather than the switch itself.
David, nice looking loco and then you do a beautiful scene and get Bear Tooned!
Jimmy, good looking scene, I have seen that happen way to many times.
I finished some cars and used up a bit of my Jade Green paint.
IMWX 1937 AAR Boxcar Kit, painted with Floquil Jade Green paint and lettered with Champ Decals. Car was built in 1940 for the P&LE and was repainted in 1963 in the latest NYC paint scheme. Car was in general service over the entire NYC system, although the P&LE did a lot of things their own way as related to the NYC.
Lambert brass NYC caboose, painted with Floquil Jade Green and Scalecoat Black paints, then lettered with Champ Decals. I painted this caboose all green although many were painted with black roofs, but the all green cabooses existed. These were built under the NYC Lot System as Lot 919, after the PC mergrer they were classifed as N7 and N7a although the NYC never referred to them as such.
A recent picture of my Bowser GMD SD40-2's with a canadian grain train on the Strongsville Club layout.
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!
Kevin, thanks for the startup! Your trees are leaking.Ed: Signals are looking good, like the helpers with your turnout.David: For guys that drive on the wrong side of the road your stuff looks pretty nice.Bear: Always like your captions!Jim: Is the snow permanent? Looks real.Rick: Like Jade Green? Like your scenery.I’m just dinking around with my diorama, cold isn’t good for arthritis so slow going. I have to pull my crossing signals because Clumsy Mel will ding them without even trying. Yesterday I installed three Arduino style connectors in the road for my vehicles to plug into. The House is mounted with ⅛” diameter magnets, hole under the house and wired to an Arduino Random Lighting Controller.Might have it finished this time next year the way everything is going. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Rick- thank you, and the green for your stock looks spot on!
Mel- yup its Woodland scenic snow material
Kevin- Thanks for starting this week off right with that steam loco! Thats a good looking diorama.
Ed- Nice work on the turnout install, well besides the short. Glad you had another laying around! The scene is looking great. I like the shots of the mini people installing the turnout!
David- I like the overgrown look a lot! I hope I can achieve that level of detail on my own layout.
Great beartoon as always!
Jimmy- Uh oh. Someone is going to be getting an earful! Nice scene!
Rick- Great work as always. You always turn out cars that look factory painted. Simply amazing. Like the shot of the grain train
Mel- That diorama is looking great! Thats a good idea with the removable crossing signs. I snapped one of mine in half when I reached for a bush. I looked down and the top was dangaling and still flashing. Some CA cement fixed it right up! Looking forward to seeing progress
This week has brought no new progress and more frustration lol. I recieved my Proto 2000 GP9 on monday and just as I thought it would, it's suffering from cracked gears. I stole some out of a Blue Box gp38 chassis I had laying around and they seem too big. After a little fighting, I was able to get it to move, but is very jerky. I wanted to see if it was a driveline issue or a gear issue so I pulled the gears from my MILW GP9. Still jerky. Then The MILW unit quit! No buzz, no light, nothing! Oh well they both went back to the shelf for another day. On the bright side, my WC boxcar showed up! I love the athearn "primed for grime" cars
I also decided to slap a WC patch on my CNW GP38-2 after I saw a GP50 patched the same.
The new boxcar is also in the picture
Sorry for the bad picture. Hope you all have a great weekend! Keep up the good work!
I built a " desktop layout" at work. It hauls Christmas Presents
The little store building in this shot is a model of my grandfather's store in rural Missouri that I made years ago. I need to redo the sign on it.
I am controlling it with an arduino with DCC++EX and JMRI on a PC
Here is a box car i made a few years back for my fictional Arkansas Southern shortline. My teenage self was going to make its Arkansas Southern and Santa Fee so the reporting marks would be an A with 2 S.
Ed: I love the posed pictures you made to illustrate the work required for the turnout replacement. I am going to have 40-50 Walthers/Shinohara power routing turnouts on the layout, and sure do not want any problems. Any preventative advice you can share would be appreciated.
David: Your layout sure looks nice. It is so very welcome to see the variety you have added to Weekend Photo Fun. The steam locomotive with the red boiler and black firebox is very handsome indeed.
Bear: I also always like your captions! This week's was very good.
Jimmy: Your snow scene looks really good. How hard did that trucker try to stop as he slid on the ice underneath the bridge? I'll bet his knuckles stayed white for hours!
Rick: Those jade green freight cars sure do stand out. Early in my HO train stuff before I was a teenager I hade a jade green boxcar with the oval logo on it. It was one of my favorites. Seeing your pictures reminded me of that old treasure.
Mel: I am sorry that your arthritis is giving you problems. I hope you are still able to enjoy your wonderful diorama project. I was not aware my trees were leaking! Those are Christmas Village "bare trees" by Department 56. I think the white blotches are supposed to be snow, but they look more like bird droppings to my eye.
Ringo: I hope you get your locomotive issues resolved. That all sounds very frustrating. I wish I could be of help. What is the "primed for grime" freight car series? I am not familiar with these. The patched out CNW locomotive looks good.
MLC: The desktop present delivery system looks like fun. I also had a questionable set of reporting marks for a private roadname in my teens that I stupidly thought was funny. It was the CROOKED RIVER AND ANGELS PASS. I am glad I decided to use STRATTON AND GILLETTE when I jumped in seriously.
SeeYou190Any preventative advice you can share would be appreciated.
That sounds like a good thread to start in the Layout Building folder. Something to look forward to.
Sometimes I'm both amazed and frustrated at just how much confusion/controversy/conundrum is focused just on turnouts.
Much has to do with terminology (when is a switch not a switch) and that equally confusing Peco INSULfrog/ELECTROfrog or the Shinohara "DCC Friendly moniker just adds to the quagmire!
We need a turnout 101 thread.
Code83T by Edmund, on Flickr
SeeYou190 . David: Your layout sure looks nice. It is so very welcome to see the variety you have added to Weekend Photo Fun. The steam locomotive with the red boiler and black firebox is very handsome indeed. -Kevin
.
SeeYou190 Ringo: I hope you get your locomotive issues resolved. That all sounds very frustrating. I wish I could be of help. What is the "primed for grime" freight car series? I am not familiar with these. The patched out CNW locomotive looks good. -Kevin
I could try to explain it but Model Train Stuff did a better job than I could
https://blog.modeltrainstuff.com/primed-for-grime/#:~:text=Primed%20For%20Grime%20For%20many%20years%2C%20modelers%20have,while%20still%20leaving%20room%20for%20plenty%20of%20customization.
Basically just locomotives and freightcars with factory patches or faded paint
Happy weekend,all!
Kevin,thanks for getting WPF up and running.
Jimmy,I always enjoy seeing what you're up to,but I can't see your picture(or pictures).Everyone else's are just fine. I'm using the latest version of Firefox. I'll try another browser a bit later.
Mike
Kevin, Thanks for getting the WPF rolling again with some fall flavors.
Ed, Like the in-progress construction work and good looking ballast.
Mel, Wish I could find your brand of modeling energy.
moelarrycur, Really neat how you integrated a family store into your modeling, a true keepsake on or off the layout.
Mike, Your gorgeous modeling and well composed shots always floor me. Can I ask what type of light you shoot under?
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers, have a good and safe weekend, regards, Peter
Kevin, thanks for another weekend of photos. Nice autumn scene with saguaros in the background.
Ed, you're showing another skill for something I haven't tried -- replacing a turnout without destroying a bunch of track. I've replaced a turnout, but it didn't turn out like yours -- lots of collateral damage.
David, great scenes again. I like the overgrown look, AND you get a Bear-toon. A daily double.
Jimmy, I like the snow look. Maybe it's icy and the truck tried to stop?
Rick, I really like the jade green look on the boxcar. I can imagine sitting at a crossing as a row of dull brownish red boxcars go by, and then seeing that car.
Mel, great work with lights as usual. You really have a talent and skill for the small lighting effects that make a scene look great. Some Arduino stuff is on my Christmas list.
Ringo, the Wisconsin Central Boxcar looks very realistic with the painted-over sections.
MLC, I wish my desk was as interesting as yours. You also are using Arduino, which I hope to learn in the coming months.
Middleman, that's a great looking town scene on the Rio Grande.
Peter, once again your layout photo that looks like it was taken out on a real railroad. Great work.
Sorry if I missed anyone!
My week has been spent working on a Dairy Queen, but installing lighting and people has slowed down. My photo is a UP B40-8 pulling a short group of cars along the Salt Lake route of UP.
York1 John
Howdy .... Happy Thanksgiving Weekend.
My model railroading time has been too little lately. Too much other stuff going on.
Here is a picture I already showed in the Diner. I took it a few days ago.
It shows a mix of locomotive builders in West End on my layout. ... Fairbanks Morse: Santa Fe Passenger units. .. EMD: CB&Q F3 ABBA..... Alco: GN FA1/FB2/FA1 .... EMD: C&NW GP7....
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
We seem to be having an excellent weekend of photo fun. Thank you to everybody that made your contributions so far.
Ed: Turnouts do seem to eat up a lot of conversation. The old style Walthers/Shinohara meet every one of my needs, but I do have some reservations about using 20 year old "New Old Stock" turnouts on my layout.
David: That passenger car looks like it will come dangerously close to your semaphore signal in the scene you posted. Be careful!
Ringo: Thank you for the link explaining those freight cars.
Mike: The picture of the truck you shared in incredible. I cannot wait to have a layout finished to point where my pictures can look something like that.
Peter: You picture this week is taken from a fantastic point of view. You really captured that scene in a masterful way.
John: I think I spy a STRATTON AND GILLETTE boxcar coming out of that portal!
Garry: Your collection of locomotives at the grade crossing are beautiful. The SANTA FE Fairbanks Morse units are especially handsome. They have just a bit more pizzazz than an EMD F unit, and the warbonnet paint scheme is perfect on them.
SeeYou190 Garry: Your collection of locomotives at the grade crossing are beautiful. The SANTA FE Fairbanks Morse units are especially handsome. They have just a bit more pizzazz than an EMD F unit, and the warbonnet paint scheme is perfect on them.
Rich
Alton Junction
SeeYou190 David: That passenger car looks like it will come dangerously close to your semaphore signal in the scene you posted. Be careful! -Kevin
There is 'plenty of room' I shall keep an eye on it though.
Great pictures by everyone. Thanks for posting.
Great stuff as usual everyone!
Not much new on the BRVRR. Here is one from the website: Santa Fe F3 #18 and NYC E8 #4040 at the head of their respective passenger trains round the curve at the west end of the Black River Valley layout.
Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. 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/
Peter,John,and Kevin: Thanks for the very kind words about my pictures.
Everyone: Thank you all for your contributions. I look forward to this thread every week,and it never disappoints!
Peter, I just use my regular overhead lighting for photo's,which are 32 910 lumen,5000K LED Spots(or Floods?) in cans on tracks. I use Paintshop Pro to erase those nasty lines in the sky,and occasionally use the "Fill Light" tool to bring out some details in shadows(running gear,mostly).
Whatever you use(I'm curious),your photo's look very natural.
Allan: Those EMD cab units look great.
Mike: I am going to need to get better with photo editing software. Your pictures always look very good.
I have been working on the deck truss for my outdoor railroad. Many you have seen the trestle I have been working on. This is the last part of the bridge. I still have 70 tensile rods still to make out of brass. The metal work is all that is left.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Nice work on the bridge, Renegade. I admire those of you with outdoor layouts. Lots of work.
Thank you to everytone that made this another great edition of Weekend Photo Fun.
Renegade: Your truss bridge is looking just as good as the trestle section. Thank you for sharing with us. Your craftsmanship is beautiful.
Renegade1c I still have 70 tensile rods still to make out of brass. The metal work is all that is left.
I still have 70 tensile rods still to make out of brass. The metal work is all that is left.
Before I gave up on my garden railroad because of health problems (2006) I ordered a bunch of hardware for building a 5’ long truss bridge from Micro Fasteners.The rods (100) are steel 12” long 2-56 threads 1½” on each end, nuts and washers plus (100) 2-56 x 1-3/16” stainless bolts.You are welcome to have them for the cost of mailing (2.7 pounds). At 83 I’ll never use them. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
middlemanWhatever you use
Thanks Mike, My layout lighting is 4100K fluorescent in an enclosed valance with surrounding area lighting the same. Sometimes use a handheld/clamped CFL lamp to pick-up details in the shadows. Also employ iPhoto enhancements. Would like to try tungsten photo lighting someday.
Regards, Peter
PeterIf you are only using fluorescent lighting for photography probably no problems.I used fluorescent lighting in my garage for my layout for close to 30 years and it faded the scenery badly. I had to replace/refinish the green flocking several times because of the Ultra Violet from the fluorescent lights.I cut over to LED lighting two years ago mainly for operating cost savings but secondly because the Warm White LED bulbs emit very negligible UV and should not cause any fading.Here is a very good article on LEDs that explains the LED coloring. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/led-lighting-uv-question-chad-randall Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.