I have had a great week. Progress is moving forward on the house again after a two week stagnant delay for holidays and what-not.
I received another treasure in the mail from an eBay seller this week. This is another item I have been wanting for a long while, but was not willing to spend over $200.00 to get one.
"THE WORKS" Blast Furnace is finally mine!
I am so excited to own this magnificent beauty. It is really going to be a show-stopper when it is all together.
The box weighs a ton! There are over 400 pieces to this monster.
I went through all the pieces, and everything seems to be there. Even the decal sheet is pristine.
So how did I get this finally?
Well... the seller listed it with an opening big of $85.00, and I was the second, and high bidder, at $86.00 within a couple hours of it being listed.
I sent the seller a question to verify it was complete since the description was almost nothing.
The seller replied, said it was complete, and ended the auction early with my $86.00 bid still the high bid.
I sent another email and asked if they meant to end the auction, they said yes... it is yours!
I paid for it immediately.
I was so nervous until it arrived and I verified it is in great condition. I am so relieved now.
I am the proud owner of an HO scale Blast Furnace!
So what is new with everyone else out there?
HAPPY WEEKEND!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks for opening the WPF for the first "full" weekend of 2021, Kevin. I share your thrills on opening a new Walthers kit. Is yours one of the earlier runs? The more recent stuff made in China is not as good (the plastic is lower quality) than the earlier Cornerstone kits. Many of the early runs were made in Denmark.
I had a second blast furnace kit and I sold it just before the third run was announced. They were going for some "crazy" money back then
I decided to tackle one more "orphan" area of my layout. This spot is at the yard throat to the Hulett ore unloader docks and has been languishing for too many years! Here's a "before"
Hulett_shops by Edmund, on Flickr
I also have a small diesel fuel track here that needs to have the finishing details worked on:
Hulett_fuel by Edmund, on Flickr
There is also the machine shop and boiler house to support the Hulett operations:
So I got to work on placing some pavement and making an access road to the machine shop. The small, one story building in the foreground is the harbormaster's office.
Hulett_harbor by Edmund, on Flickr
I'll be glad to get some of these nagging spots finished up. This area is actually one of the first places to see as you enter the layout area so it should have been finished a long time ago
Machine-shop by Edmund, on Flickr
The machine shop is a very close representation of the actual one that stood on Cleveland's Whiskey Island for some eighty years:
Hulett_Machine by Edmund, on Flickr
I chose not to bust out the end walls for the crane rails to pass into the building, though (which was a later modification anyway).
Let's see some more great photos!
Cheers, Ed
Thanks for starting WPF Kevin. That kit looks fabulous and should keep you busy for 'a few hours'.
Ed. A busy time for you as well. It is great to see an area being built especially if it has been bare for a long time.
I, myself have been playing around with a little weathering of parcel vehicles. I do not really like to do weathering, but I have never seen a clean parcel van.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Kevin: great find
Ed: nice work
David: looks real.
Here's my project:
3D printed and drawn up myself
(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).
SeeYou190 So how did I get this finally? Well... the seller listed it with an opening big of $85.00, and I was the second, and high bidder, at $86.00 within a couple hours of it being listed. I sent the seller a question to verify it was complete since the description was almost nothing. The seller replied, said it was complete, and ended the auction early with my $86.00 bid still the high bid. I sent another email and asked if they meant to end the auction, they said yes... it is yours! I paid for it immediately.
I have never heard of such a thing. Had the seller let the bidding go on, who knows how much more he could have gotten at the final bid. Did you threaten this guy? I will take your word for it, Kevin, but this has to be a first in the annals of eBay history.
Rich
Alton Junction
That seller was either desperate to get rid of it, or in desperate need of money. 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
NVSRR That seller was either desperate to get rid of it, or in desperate need of money. shane
Or a personal reason that urgently cropped up and he had to end the sale. (It happened to me , but I did not have a buyer so sold later.)
Whatever reason, Kevin got a bargain.
Good morning from cloudy and cold Northeast Ohio!
Kevin, thanks for starting us out and congradulations on a good find. Sometimes E-Bay sellers do some odd things. I have had some items that I was watching being offered to me at reduced prices and have jumped on them if I really wanted them.
Ed, your attention to detail is amazing, nice work on that area of the layout.
David, nice weathering, something that I really don't care for but if it is done properly it really looks good.
Jimmy, nice 3D printing, what is it going to be?
Last week Ringo asked about the Kadee Cars, they are superbly detailed, and when they first came out we complained about the price, but now they are less then the cars from other builders and still look great. Also one of the few companies where you can get undecorated kits and unpainted completed cars.
I managed to get some work done this week.
Red Caboose 1944 AAR Boxcar Kit, as I was modeling a rebuilt car I did not install the roofwalk, just the grab over the brakewheel side ladder, lowered the A end ladders and installed A-Line Sill steps in place of the plastic ones. Painted car with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red #3 and lettered with Herald King Decals. Car was originally built in 1958 and rebuilt in 1972 to follow the current rules of removing the roofwalks etc., car was renumbered after rebuilding and was in general service on the MP.
Athearn PS 2893CF Covered Hopper Kit, painted with Scalecoat II MOW Gray and lettered with Microscale Decals. Car built in 1957 and repainted in 1971 but still keeping the current graphics. Used for moving Soda Ash which is used in many applications including glass, soap and other products.
In progress shot of a Walthers Thrall Gon, where I installed the piping and rods for the brake gear so it looks like something is under the car.
An old shot of my Kato PC SD40 and SD45 on the Strongsville Railroad Club in Strongsville, OH with a general freight.
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!
NorthBrit NVSRR That seller was either desperate to get rid of it, or in desperate need of money. shane Or a personal reason that urgently cropped up and he had to end the sale. (It happened to me , but I did not have a buyer so sold later.) Whatever reason, Kevin got a bargain. David
I've gotten a Walthers SD60M sound and dcc for 75% off, on ebay before.
Sometimes we get lucky.
To answer the question, its the front of the car shop in Rook yard. Ill pop up a photo of the prototype later.
Kevin, thanks for another WPF thread! I love seeing everyone's work. That is a complicated-looking kit. It will be a great addition to your future layout. If I were to attempt that, I would need far more detailed instructions than those normally enclosed with kits.
Ed, great work on filling in the space. A while back David had a thread about taking care of some things that we've put off. I'm in the same boat. You've done a good job on an area that you've delayed working on.
David, the weathering looks great. That is one modeling thing that I have not yet done. Everything on my layout looks like it just came out of the box. That's another project to have on the list.
Jimmy, that's nice work using a 3D printer. It's great you're able to design and print things you want.
Rick, the details on your cars are great! You really have a great ability to make realistic-looking models. Your photography is also excellent.
I have not had much time for the layout lately. I've been working on a modern hotel for a certain problem spot on my layout.
I'm using styrene with Tichy windows. I saw a model kit with a similar hotel, but it was priced way more than I wanted to spend, so I am just making my own. It will look somewhat like the model kit, but this certainly makes me work harder and learn more.
Hope we continue to get some good photos this weekend.
York1 John
Kevin- Thanks as aways for starting this weekend off. WOW. That looks like it is going to be a fun but challenging build, can't wait to see it compleated. Great deal too! I'm suprised he ended it! I found a good deal on an athearn genesis Wisconsin Central F45 with sound, a Walthers Proto WC Russle snow plow and a Walthers WC 34' hopper for $200 I am picking it up from a guy on Sunday, hopfully in time to share here. I hope you did not have to threaten him LOL
Ed- That machine shop looks great> I like that you also posted the prototype picure
David- I like the weathering!
Jimmy- Nice work on the 3d printing. I remember designing things in highschool and laser and 3d printing them. I have a "bust" of my head made by a program that scans you using an Xbox Kinect. 3D printing is something I would like to learn in the future
Rick- Thanks for answering my question! I don't own any kadee cars, maybe its time I change that! Great looking cars as always. And I like the club layout shots!
Mike- (From last weeks WPF) You scratch built that? Thats amazing, looks better than my RTR one!
This week I got around to removing the old weathering on my bachmann WC gp38-2 and added MU hoses, Cab shades and light weathering with powders.
I got tired of waiting for my CNW paint for my SW1500 project, so I went with MILW colors. Of course as I finished it the CNW paint showed up. Only 3 months transit time!
The MILW didn't have sw1500s but heres my take on it
John- We must have posted at the same time! I always admire your scratch built buildings! Nice work.
Whats the nightly rate?
Ringo -- like you said, we must have pressed "submit" at the same time.
Your work on locomotives is always great. I always like seeing the locos in front of your loading docks on that building.
I have missed seeing some of the past weeks' WPF columns. I'll have to scroll back through the site to see what I missed.
Kevin, David, Ed, Rick, John York 1, Jimmy, and Ringo: ..... Great stuff. Thanks for contributing.
I have had the four Walthers steel mill kits (first run) on my layout for many years. It has plenty of switching activity. .... Coke oven: Inbound coal and outbound coke. ... Blast furnace: Inbound ore, coke, and stone. Outblund hot metal, slag, and ash. ... Electric furnace: Inbound hot metal and scrap metal. Outbound steel slabs. .... Rolling mill; Inbound steel slabs and outbound structural steel. ...
Coke oven:
Blast furnace ( first picture is old before I added railings; Too large to fit in photo )
Electric furnace (left) .... Rolling mill ( right; two kits end-to-end )
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
What's going on? Are you trying to 'blow the Brit away' with your modeling. I cannot compete against such 'gems of work' by everyone.
My only other offering this week --
I like to make slight alterations to the scenery every so often. Old trees removed New ones in their place. New colors of flowers appear. Just 'like nature' seeing things differently.
Before ---
Now --
Loving all the industrial photography this week, folks. Those blast furnaces are really impressive kits-- and Kevin, that's quite the Ebay find.
Bringing a short local into town here.
The trees to the right are new Super Tree armatures. I'm playing around on the layout with size and placement-- they're bare for now, but I'm experimenting with how it looks to add very light sprinklings of flocking (it's late autumn, just a few leaves clinging to mostly bare branches.)
Looking forward to more good stuff this weekend,
Phil
I apologize for the poor photo quality. I have been saving up to buy a laser cutter since last June. Selling stuff on feebay...etc. to pay for it. I finally got it yesterday and cut my first test piece.
The part shown is a wall of the Denver Union Station model I am building. This took about 6 hours to draw and 15 minutes to cut
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Thank you to everyone that has been sharing in my excitement about the new Blast Furnace kit. It is one of the older models made in Denmark. I inventoried all the loose parts that have come off of the sprues, I am confident that all of the pieces are present.
Ed: Making progress on a neglected area is wonderful. The machine shop with the heavy bridge crane (that is what we call them down here) looks good.
David: Your weathering on the baggage/postal car look very appropriate. I am always apprehensive to add weatheringg to a project.
Jimmy: Getting into 3D printing of your own parts must be very exciting to do.
Rich: I do not know why the seller let the auction go like that. It was not even an active auction for 24 hours when he ended it. I was thinking it was too good to be true, but then the kit arrived. I grinned for two days straight!
Rick: I have also had the sellers of items I am watching send me private offers to sell. That is an interesting twist. Your improvements in the Athearn covered hopper look great, was that a blue box kit? I removed all the grabs and ladders from a couple of E&B Valley covered hoppers, and that was a lot of work.
John: Your work on the hotel model is looking like a great project. Tichy windows are wonderful for scratchbuilding.
Ringo: Your weathering on the Wisconsin Central GP38-2 locomotive looks very realistic. The sunshades add a lot to the appearance.
Garry: Your steel mill complex made quite an impression on me. The way you had an entrie section of your layout dedicated to the stell industry was beautiful. It added so much to your layout without dominating everything.
David: I love building scenery, and have always enjoyed revamping and refreshing the scenery as well.
Phil: I have always liked the Supertrees kits. They seem to produce a lot of very good looking trees for a reasonable amount of money.
Renegade: Your laser cut parts look good. Six hours of design sounds reasonable. Will you need to make a lot of identical parts, or will each section need to be drawn out individually?
Here's something that goes in the "Show-n-tell" column:
PRR_FF1_3931 by Edmund, on Flickr
PRR_FF1_3931a by Edmund, on Flickr
The PRR FF1 arrived today. It was another one of those "as luck would have it" eBay stories. The two winning bidders backed out of paying so the seller relisted it. This gave me a second chance at this fine model and I won it this time at a lower final price than any of the previous top bids
There were only twenty-five of each of three paint schemes made of this model. I'll have to put a decoder in there. There is full interior detail.
In my haste to take the picture I didn't notice the fourth driver and trailing wheels eating ballast
Kevin, do you have either of the steel mill modeling books?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HISTORY-MAKING-MODELING-OF-STEEL-By-Dean-A-Freytag-Hardcover-Excellent/184432555543?epid=667965&hash=item2af1097617:g:0ZgAAOSwB7lfcMGS
I met the late Dean Freytag at an NMRA meet right here in my home town back in 1997. He autographed my copy. There's also this one which is good:
https://www.amazon.com/Model-Railroaders-Guide-Steel-Mills/dp/089024751X
Regards, Ed
Ringo58Mike- (From last weeks WPF) You scratch built that? Thats amazing, looks better than my RTR one!
Thanks. I did a complete build thread on it, I think it was May 2019.
I got a lot done that year, including this over head crane:
I haven't gotten much model building recently Many projects started!
By the looks of every one's excellent work and projects this week, I better get building!
Mike.
My You Tube
Kevin, Thanks for the WPF start-up, appears to be a whole lotta' model makin' fun on your horizon.
Garry, Along with being an industrial delight to the eye I can imagine the tons of switching fun your steel mill provides.
Again thanks to Chris van der Heide/Algoma Central for his wrapped lumber load website tutorial.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers, have a good and safe weekend, regards, Peter
A while back I was looking for some images to help with a customer job and stubled across some images of older tank cars from the oil industry in my local area. Once I had a little time I decided to replicate some of them. Cars are Proto 2000 8000 gal tank cars.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Kevin - Thanks for starting WPF. Looks like you got a great bargain.
Ed - Great Job! Love the detail. I remember the Huletts.
David - Your "weathered" parcel van looks good to me. Almost looks real.
Jimmy - Looks to be the beginning of of workshop, barn, shed...
Rich - Good looking cars as usual.
John - Good work on the hotel. A lot more work there than meets the eye.
Ringo - Thats a couple of good looking locos.
Garry - Thats quite a complex. Nice work.
David - Really nice scene(s).
Phil - That an unusual switcher.
Renegade - Looks like a good start.
Ed - Thats a really cool loco.
Mike - Good looking overhead crane. All it needs now is tracks.
Peter - Nice looking cars and loads.
Pike - Cool tank cars. Much more details than my versions for the BRVRR.
Bear - ? Whatcha building?
I'm still working on the renewing the lighting circuits for my layout. I managed to get the Black River Station lighted. Its shown with a passenger train stopped on the mainline. The platform needs some lighting but I've been having a hard time finding something suitable.
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/
This is always a great thread each week. The positivity it gives. I love it. Thanks Kevin.
Just a little offering.
The little four plank N B (North British Railway) wagon behind the engine is of a 1910 design. The model is by Oxford Rail and although a good runer it looked of plastic. Therefore I dirtied it up a little.
The N B box van I made from a 1912 design. I am sure someone else would have made the model, but I have never seen another one..
The five plank Douglas Glencairn wagon is of a 1910 design. There was never such a wagon, but I know the family and asked if I could make the wagon. Therefore it is a 'one off'. The tarpaulin is from a Company of EBay.
BRVRRMike - Good looking overhead crane. All it needs now is tracks.
Thanks, nope, no tracks, hydrostatice drive with double dual tires enclosed in the area where the stripes are.
Seen many prototypes while deciding what I wanted to build.
Thanks again!
Kevin: Thanks for the complements on the PS 2893, but that was an Ready to Roll kit and it had all the detail parts included. It was a pain to build as all you get is a diagram and no instructions, the first one was not very good but the latter ones came out a lot better.
Allan: good work on the lighting, something a lot of us need to do for night time running.
Bear: Nice to see you doing some modeling for a change!
Peter: Good looking loads, I have some of those to do in the future.
Pike 62: That is a nice collection of tank cars with unusual names.
Mike: That crane looks great did not notice you build thread on that one.
Ed: Good acquisition, but didn't that engine be only used in freight service and only as a pusher as it would pull out the drawbars of the freight cars?
Renegade: Nice casting work!
Phil: That is a good looking scene!
Garry: That is an impressive complex and trackwork, should make for some interesting switching problems.
Ringo: Nice pictures, the Milwaukee engine came out nicely, as the Milwaukee had MP15's the SW1500 looks close.
John: Interesting hotel, can't wait to see the finished product.
Garry- Nice looking blast furnace! Looks like a fun time switching with the baldwins. Are those S12s?
David- Changing scenery is definatly a nice way to keep the layout alive. I only move cars and trucks around. DId the train in the salvage yard turn around or am I going crazy? Also like the wagons!
Phil- Nice to see your layout again! Very realistic! If I remember, it's a switching layout correct?
Renegade- Nice work with the laser cutter!
Kevin- Thank you. I cant have a loco without the cab shades!
Ed- That is a very handsome model! Hey you know what they say, a piece of ballast a day keeps the rust away!
Mike- Thats an awesome crane! What type of facility is it used at?
HOVelo- Thats a very realistic picture.
Pike 62- Nice work on the tankers!
Bear- I love it when a plan comes together!
Allan- Nice job on the lighting! Lighted passenger trains are awesome too
Rick- Thank you! I have an ex milwaukee road MP15 that was a soo line unit before I patched it for WSOR. Now my problem is I want one in milw paint and a soo bandit!
I picked up my Genesis F45 from someone off facebook along with a WC russle snowplow and a WC 37' hopper. He also tossed in a 1969 El Camino SS 396
Then stopped by Hiawatha Hobbies to pick up an MRC Tech 6 after seeing 0 in stock on their website, I figured Id call and ask if they had one, and they did! I got home and set it up, put the engine on the track and it fired right up. The prime mover did the start up and went to idle but that was it. It would not respond to the throttle or pressing the function buttons. I did the factory reset on the loco by pressing shift, 9,9 and it fired up again and worked perfectyl! Just cant figure out what 5 or 6 do. Not sure why it's only a little box but theres a video of it if you click the box
Set up a big oval of ez track to let her stretch her legs.
The Tech 6 is amazing and I wish I started with it first!
dti406Mike: That crane looks great did not notice you build thread on that one.
Thanks, I think it was spring of 2019. I did the crane and the caboose, I think I did the crane first, March?
I got the idea for the rubbered tired crane after looking at tons of pictures, and seeing one work in a precast concrete plant, moving bridge beams around.
Great work by everybody!
Another great weekend at WPF. I was just looking this weekend and had fun doing it!
I used to come to this thread years before I was a member here. I cannot begin to tell you guys how much I learned through those years and even now I pick up things I didn't know before.
As always, the project's look great That Blast Furnace model looks like a blast Kevin I wish I had one or the layout real estate to put it.
Thanks for posting and Thank you Kevin for hosting another great weekend at WPF
TF