What's a recent model railroading victory you've had? Doesn't have to be something big.
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
Installing & fitting a Loksound 5 decoder, two Scale Sound "Boiler-Barker" speakers, two 1206 SMD LEDs, and a lead weight into the boiler of a NJ Custom Brass 2-6-6-2 Mallet. The LEDs are glued side-by-side, wired in parallel, and mimic a flickering firebox when open. It took some thorough planning, measuring, and experimentation to get it to fit but I'm happy with the results...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I scored an NJCB Western Maryland I-2 Decapod at a great price.
oldline1
My most recent win is a successful Kitbash of an Athearn Heavyweight Diner shell to a Mel Lounge car.I used a new Athearn $5 Blem Shell off eBay as a donor, the lettering was botched. There isn’t a prototype for my lounge car I just enjoy doing my thing. Ed Tolen (gmpullman) put me onto Palace Chair Co. and I just had to do my thing, the chairs are super nice.I didn’t go with a sub floor on this car to allow for more head room.I glued track nails to the bottom of the chairs and drilled holes in the floor so they can swivel.
The interior is going to look great after everything is painted.Mel Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Aging is not for wimps.
Mine would have to be the recreation of "Randy's Donuts", which is a actual donut shop (with the large donut on the roof) that can still be seen just north of the Los Angeles Int'l Airport (just off the I-405 freeway). The N scale donut stand (using the Walthers "Hole in One donut stand as a starting point) was finished about 2 months ago and features a lighted donut as well as a lighted interior and cars with headlights and tail lights (Woodland Scenics). For current display purposes the parking lot has been temporarily attached to a 6" x 6" x 1 1/2" base constructed of 1/8" sheet plastic. If/when I have a place on my future layout for it I will be able to add the display and the electronics for it rather easily.
I've got other ongoing projects that I'm still working on, but I do consider the Donut stand completed. I'm rather happy in the way this turned out.
Thanks,
Jeff B
What's that thing toward the bottom middle of the picture supposed to be? Looks like a large nose. And then on either side there are those three finger looking things.
Appears to me that it looks like Kilroy was there. Possibly I've been out in the sun too long.
Got two sunset brass PRR H-9s for a great price! One is painted from the third run, the other unpainted from the first run. Both will be converted to post war style, with the first one just converted by me.
First run locos had a pilot that was stuck out too far, so I already modded this one to the correct length. The third run H-9s had a short in the system, where the drive rods would touch the insulated wheels and cause a short. This has also been fixed.
Also, sucessfully painted my first brass loco (no pic) of an United/PFM ATSF 2-8-4!
Charles
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLb3FRqukolAtnD1khrb6lQ
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
Bottom-middle "nose" = Simplex stoker screw (auger) .
Three finger things = grate shaker bars. Fireman fits lever over those stubs and can then rock grates, left/right, front, middle, rear. Or pull all the way back and dump the fire into the ashpan.
Cheers, Ed
I recently purchased a 2-car pack of New Old Stock Walthers REA wood-sided express reefers for $36 from a hobby shop (win!). These cars are from the old days of user-applied grabirons, and I proceeded to drill all 68 holes (both cars combined) with a #80 drill bit without breaking any (win!). I got all the grabs inserted & glued without even losing one of them (win!), then discovered that MEC Pine Tree Green is a perfect match for Walthers REA cars (win!). All grabs were painted, I replaced the couplers, lubed the axle bearings, and now I have two fine looking express cars to add to my passenger trains (win!). This is how they looked before I installed the grabs: https://www.walthers.com/50-gacx-wood-express-reefer-w-pullman-truck-ready-to-run-rea-dulux-lettering-large-hearld
Making some passable hay bales for my bicycle race and finishing the scene before the Tour de France ended.
Thanks tbdanny, regards, Peter
Very cool. I especially like the new take on the traditional cops-at-the-donut stand theme!
Jim
An article about my layout was published in the June 21-MR. The Ashland and Iron Mountain RR. I've been designing (in my head) a drop gate across a doorway to access more area for the layout. Of course no drawn plans just saw, drill, assemble parts, and they're right about that "measure twice" thing. Yesterday I finally started to build it. Tonight it's about 3/4-ths done. Good times on all fronts.
Mark B.
Completed the hot side of my steel mill. It has 26 buildings on a 3X7 foot area on my layout. The main buildings are a blast furnace, electric furnace, basic oxygen furnace, sintering plant, oxygen plant, blower building, slag plant, slag dump and power plant. Some of these buildings as well as others were scratch built.
Purchased 2 Trainman 40' boxcars lettered for Union Pacific. What's different is the slogan is "Be Specific Ship Union Pacific." I saw literally hundreds of these cars growing up, but they're not that common in models.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Hi tbdanny,
My relatively recent modelling victory is the fact that I have started to lay cork on my layout, and track will not be far behind. I admit that my pace of construction is painfully slow, but at least I'm getting somewhere.
My layout thread also went over 60,000 views! I find that to be amazing, especially because my progress is so slow.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Nice work and acquisitions, everyone.
I usually don't RR during the summer, but this year I slowed down, didn't stop. I snapped up a buy it now Keystone 44 tonner on the bay listed at 17% off MSRP, and that at early '80s prices, mind you. Then won 2 more on open bid for FAR less, each! (my all time fave model locomotive kit) Then a Mantua General 4-4-0 to bash, and a nice Athearn BB EMD switcher, also really low priced.
Well, as I am still determined to stick to actually making visible layout scenery progress before diving into loco projects, (buying and maintenance isn't off limits) ground contour and cover IS going in by the scale acres. That's rather gratifying. Dan
2x4 studs have dropped by 29 percent over last month, which has been a major win as I slowly build the train room.
tbdannyWhat's a recent model railroading victory you've had?
I am sorry to report that victories in SGRR World have been slim lately. I am 19 months behind on my house remodel, so I still do not have a train room.
In 2017-2019 I very methodically designed the new layout and purchased nearly everything that I need to build it.
I just need the space to be ready... I am getting there, but it has been frustrating and slow.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
My friend and I were comparing various manufacturers' SD40-2 units the other night. He owns at least 40 of them...and at one point he reminded me that no matter what we are doing, they are all really just toys, and a whole lot of people out there are even happy with their fleets of not-quite-state-of-the-art engines.
That food for thought of course got me thinking.
My "win" is today finally deciding to give in and modernize to current day BNSF, which as a former ATSF fan I said I'd never do (never is a long time), and this afternoon buying and being happy with a Walthers Mainline SD-60M Cyclops unit, despite a not very noticeable glue mark that might have driven me crazy were it not for remembering that these are just toys.
Just running and enjoying the trains that I have.
John
PRR8259 My friend and I were comparing various manufacturers' SD40-2 units the other night. He owns at least 40 of them...and at one point he reminded me that no matter what we are doing, they are all really just toys, and a whole lot of people out there are even happy with their fleets of not-quite-state-of-the-art engines. That food for thought of course got me thinking. My "win" is today finally deciding to give in and modernize to current day BNSF, which as a former ATSF fan I said I'd never do (never is a long time), and this afternoon buying and being happy with a Walthers Mainline SD-60M Cyclops unit, despite a not very noticeable glue mark that might have driven me crazy were it not for remembering that these are just toys. Just running and enjoying the trains that I have. John
John, that's a win on a whole other plane. A couple years ago, I decided to lighten up. I think I posted on it somewhere here. Don't sweat the stupid stuff that only I would know the diff on. Fill in gaps that research or finding a prototype can't with a little imagination.
Freelance our layouts' way to whatever degree we want to into the bigger small world we all play in. And don't waste energy on stuff like justifying why 2 different road's engines are pulling one train. Anymore, "cuz that's how I like to see it" suffices. It's great! Enjoy your toys.
Well I, train wise and other, started to tackle and finnish a bunch of stuff I have been putting off. Whole railroad is now DCC (yard area used to be DC to make basic testing easier for shorts and stuff). Have got the whole layout ballasted and nearing final scenery layer over much of the layout.
PRR8259My "win" is today finally deciding to give in and modernize to current day BNSF, which as a former ATSF fan I said I'd never do (never is a long time),
Congrats.
While not a dash 2, these BNSF ex ATSF Athearn units are still available in some outlets, so you can have both road names . I believe these SD40's (or 39s) are still running on the BNSF in this paint scheme.
RRpictures Archives: from 2006
- Douglas
I completed both my AP Cars and Structures in the last year which I consider a win as my modeling skills really improved during the process!
it was all about the journey - not the finish line.
Erie Lackawanna in GeorgiaI completed both my AP Cars and Structures
Sorry, I need help here.
What is an "AP" car or stucture?
Obviously you didn't go to high school, Kevin. AP History...AP English...AP Cars & Structures. THAT'S how you prepared for the SAT tests in my day.
tstageObviously you didn't go to high school, Kevin.
If I could have earned a college credit by passing a AP structure building class, I would have showed up for that!
I finally got my brain around the block wiring I need to do -- thanks to the help here -- and have started running wires under the layout for 10 DC bocks. Also I got my yard lead extended and figured out a smooth way to ramp down from cork to subroad (sanded the cork at an angle and then used a masking tape layering trick that someone here told me of), so I will soon have a couple of yard tracks.
Lead coming off the main loop at lower right and curving into yard:
Dropping from cork (mainline) level to the subroadbed (yard tracks) level using a belt-sanded cork ramp finished with tapered masking tape staggered at 3/16" intervals:
Last bit of cork laid running off the mainline and along the sneaky back entrance to the yard. The rest of the track in the yard will all be at subroadbed level, and I even managed to squeeze a short fourth track in. Each of the yard tracks will be its own block, and so will the yard lead.
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
SeeYou190 Erie Lackawanna in Georgia I completed both my AP Cars and Structures Sorry, I need help here. What is an "AP" car or stucture? -Kevin
Sorry, I need help here. What is an "AP" car or stucture? -Kevin
Those AP builds are for those certificates that are part of the NMRA Achievement Program, part of the work needed to qualify to be a MMR - Master Model Railroader.
I'm kind of pleased with completing my 3rd Kato NW2M narrowgauge conversion and documenting it here: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/288953.aspx
They look like this.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Recent addition for me four Stewart F units one F3A and three F7A-B-B set $20 each plus 35 misc rolling stock athearn walthers roundhouse accurail all for $5 ea at a house not even 5 min from me Don't think the engines have ever been run and all the rolling stock new in boxes
mlehmanThose AP builds are for those certificates that are part of the NMRA Achievement Program
Thanks for the answer. I was unfamilliar with the abbreviation. Nice work on the Kato conversions.
mikeGTWRecent addition for me four Stewart F units one F3A and three F7A-B-B set $20 each.
Now that is a win. I would snap those up for $20.00 each with no hesitation at all. They are wonderful locomotives, my favorites.