1:87 vehicles make the scene, please share yours

[PC101]

riogrande5761

Between layouts so no scenes possible right now.  Most of my vehicles so far have been bought to load on open auto racks - enough for two so far - pretty major effort and cash outlay!  I'll have a few to set up in scenes around the layout but thats probably a year or two off.  Have lots of trailers for piggy back service as well lined up.

 

I found of course that it is less costly to load open bi-level's and keep most tri-levels empty. It's very hard to get a same year vehicle on all the Auto Racks in a train like the new 1970 Models would be shipped in late 1969 and then for half of the begining of the 1970 year. But they all do look sharp going down the track even if their years mix a little. The early CMW made of metal added a lot of weight to a Bi-level. I like them better now being made of plastic.   

Bi-level: 2 full loads, Atlas 1973 Ford F100. 

             1 full load, Brekina Jeep pickups and wagons. Can't wait for someone to come out with a USPS Jeep DJ (with the correct grill) in blue and white (hint hint). Or maybe the 1971 Ford Mail truck.

             1 full load, Busch Toyota J4 Land Cruiser 4x4.

             1 full load, Brekina Dodge A100 van and pickups.

             2 full loads, Model power 1970 Barracuda. 

             1 full load, Classic Metal Works 1967 Ford 4 door 500.

             4 full loads, VW Beetle, Karmann Ghia and vans/pickup. Does everybody notice how many VW's are in Rail Road photos in the 70's? Lots and lots, sometimes 6 or more in one small parking lot photo.

             2 full loads, Chevelle, 1968 El Camino, Brekina Camaro HT.

             1 full load, Model Power 1969 Olds. 442

Tri-level: 1 full load, 1970 Ford Maverick, Monogram dated 1989 1969 Mustang  

You guys do some wonderful work. 

        

        

  

[Southgate]

hon30critter

 

 

Southgate

That White has more wires that my 1/1 Chevy truck. 

 

 

Yes, it is pretty crude. The problem was...

 

Dave, I wasn't at all implying or even thinking that it is crude. Far from it. I realize it's in a vise for now. On the layout all the wires would be hidden. I'm just amazed at how many wires you got into it to light it up. Even the clearance lights? Wow!   Dan

[hon30critter]

Southgate

Dave, I wasn't at all implying or even thinking that it is crude.

Hi Dan:

I didn't think you were being critical. In my personal opinion the wiring is 'crude' because every LED has its' own set of wires and resistor. I need to experiment with wiring the LEDs in parallel right inside the vehicle. There would have to be two or three circuits because of the number of LEDs but that would be better than the nine pairs of wire that I currently have.

Dave

[hon30critter]

PC101:

I'm assuming that each of those numbers represents a fully loaded auto carrier. If so, WOW! Quite the fleet!

Dave

[G Paine]

My 3 tractor trailers. Speedball Tucker is an Alloy forms truck with a CMW trailer with home made decals. The Green Dysarts truck is a Sylvan Scale truck and CMW trailer with PenBay (long out of business) decals, and the orange Coles Express is CMW

This 1951 Studebaker Business Coupe is Sylvan Scale

The hotrod is kitbashed from one of the cars that came with a Tyco Honest Sam's Used Cars kit

The Merrill fuel tanker is a Sheepscott Scale Products trailer and a Walthers resin kit truck with PenBay decals

All shown on my layout

[RR_Mel]

hon30critter

 

Mel: I tried to find your blog on how you supply power to your vehicles but I couldn't find it. Would you be willing to add it to this thread?

Everyone: Your vehicles all look great!

Dave

 

OK Dave

 

I don’t use LEDs in my vehicles.  Many years ago I decided to go with the 1mm 1½ volt micro bulbs, to me they look much more realistic.  I normally use a 1/16” drill bit for headlights and .03” or #68 drill bit for taillights.  I use fiber for tail lights and marker lights on buses and large trucks.  I make a light driver from Evergreen Styrene tubing with a 1mm bulb for the light supply.

 

I make my own connectors from K&S brass tubing and brass rod.  I went with ¼” rod spacing and I have installed over one hundred brass tube sockets around my layout.  The reason for using my own connector is so that I can easily move the vehicles around my layout.  The small tubing contacts in the roads and parking lots are very hard to see when there is no vehicle “plugged in”.

 

Here are a couple of links to my vehicle lighting.

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-24-vehicle-lighting.html

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-15-2015-vehicle-lighting.html

 

Vehicles with emergency lighting have three brass rods so that I can turn on and off the flashing lights.  I have three separate toggles on my control panel, Police, Fire and Road Maintenance.

 

I’m currently working on a new post showing how I did the lighting in my Wiking 1951 Rolls Royce Phantom, I’ll post a link when I finish it.

 

 

EDIT:

 

My 1951 Rolls Royce:

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/p/page-21.html

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[PC101]

hon30critter

PC101:

I'm assuming that each of those numbers represents a fully loaded auto carrier. If so, WOW! Quite the fleet!

Dave

 

Yes. I went back and edited my post to be clearer. And if you have been collecting the VW Beetle, Karmann Ghia and vans  you will have a lot of those pull behind campers to ship out.  

[Anonymous]

Tinplate Toddler

 

kasskaboose

I'd also welcome places to get inexpensive 1:87 vehicles

 

 

We ask for more and more detail on our engines and rolling stock and are prepared to give an arm and a leg for that, but look for inexpensive or cheap vehicles to populate our layouts.

I have seen so many close-up photos of beautifully made, realistic looking layouts being spoiled by cheap looking vehicles.

 

Lesser detailed vehicles aren't so bad as they can be used to fill parking lots, parked in a garage, in an autorack, or off in the background. To me what really breaks a layout is seeing cars that are ridiculously out of date. Now your average layout visitor might not know a troop sleeper from an RPO and probably thinks a track warrant is something a police officer uses to arrest hobos, but they know a vehicle from the present doesn't belong on a layout set in the 50s. Yeah I know "Rule Number One." But don't go gettin' a case of the boo-hooeys if visitors don't understand what your layout is supposed to be about.

[hon30critter]

Hi Mel:

Thanks for posting your vehicle power supply system (again). It looks too easy to be true! I'll have to do a couple of vehicles to show the club. I don't think hiding the resistors for the LEDs inside the vehicles would be too difficult.

By the way, your roads are impressive too! They look like the real thing even close up.  Do you have a tutorial on how you did them by any chance?

Dave

[RR_Mel]

hon30critter

By the way, your roads are impressive too! They look like the real thing even close up.  Do you have a tutorial on how you did them by any chance?

Dave

 

Sorry no tutorial Dave.

 

I just simply use Arizona Rock & Mineral Asphalt Power.  I use a 2½” putty knife or taping blade to form the roads from the Paper Mache and let that totally dry for several days.

 

I apply the power to the road base using Hair color applicator bottles.

 

I use the Hair color bottles for all of my scenery work, best thing since Swiss Cheese!

 

 

I trim the nozzles to fit the material, wet or dry materal is very to apply using them as squirt bottles.

 

I make a 2” to 2½” diameter pile of the power about a ¼” thick using an applicator bottle then using another applicator bottle with Elmer’s All-Purpose White Glue 1:8 mix, 1 Glue to 8 water I turn the power into mud and spread and trowel it to form the Asphalt road trying to keep it about ⅛” thick.

 

The power dries to a rough finish similar to about 150 grit sandpaper.  I let the power dry for several days, the white glue will soften the Paper Mache so the entire road needs to totally dry.  I use a sander to remove the rough surface. 

 

I bought a pair of Craftsman hobby sanders many many years ago and they are prefect for finishing my roads.

 

 

I mist the sanded road with the 1:8 mix white glue as a sealer giving it a realistic paved road look.  I redo small patches here and there to enhance them to a well used road look. 

 

I use 1/16” (HO scale 5 13/32”) yellow automotive pinstriping tape for road striping.  The tape will not stick directly to the dried Arizona Power, it sticks great after it is sealed with the white glue.

 

When the roads are fully dried (I let them set for several weeks) I drill the 1/16” holes for the Mel brass tube sockets for my vehicle lighting.

 

 

You can Click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[Daves_Trains]

Herpa White Road Commander with frame shortened.

Herpa White Road Commander by Daves Trains, on Flickr" />

[mlehman]

I've got lots of project trucks but will stick to my latest one for this post. Menards, a Midweat home improvement big box, got into diecast models in a big way over the last few yards. It's been mostly O and some other oddballs scales with many exhibiting a tendency to be more toylike than ywill work on a model RR.

Recently, they have gotten more into HO, first buildings and now construction machines and trucks. A lot of their stuff is sold in a $2.99 bin. The first HO item I found in there at our local store was a Mercedes box truck. Here's my thread on various things you can do with them from mild to wild, as in a narrowgauge container system.

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/269915.aspx

I have this one ready to finish up and this thread may get me back at it.

[hon30critter]

Mel:

Thanks for explaining how you do your roads. Is the powder that you refer to ARM's #1210 - Black Asphalt or do you use another colour?

Dave

[RR_Mel]

hon30critter

Mel:

Thanks for explaining how you do your roads. Is the powder that you refer to ARM's #1210 - Black Asphalt or do you use another colour?

Dave

 

It’s been awhile since I ordered my Arizona Rock & Mineral supplies and they have completely overhauled their site and numbering system.  The picture on the site is not the same material that I use, the picture must be incorrect.

 

Here is a scan of the label.

 

 

I use their ballast and powers exclusively on my layout, for me they are the best available out there.  I use CSX/Southern Pacific/Wabash #138-2 Ballast for gravel roads, Tan Granite Power #123-0 for dirt and muddy roads and #1222 Yard Mix for my Yard Mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make an 1:8 white glue/water mud mix for my Asphalt/Gravel and Tan Granite dirt/muddy roads.  I spread the Asphalt and Gravel with 2½” putty blades and the dirt and mud roads with carving tools.  As the Tan Granite Power is drying I run a cheapie HO scale Hot Wheels vehicle over it to make ruts in the roads.

 

The pictures are getting up there in age, they were taken during conctruction.  The trees and ground cover are complete.  Still having a hard time getting around to take new pictures.

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[BigDaddy]

Rather than hiijack this thread, Mel, I'm going to start an new one about ARM products. 

[PennCentral99]

When I first started weathering. A Boley, HO scale truck with home made decals.

Terry

[SeeYou190]

In this scene, I think the yellow service truck really makes it all work.

.

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-Kevin

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[PC101]

Ok here goes, my first photo upload from Flickr, I hope.

Edit: Well that didn't go as planed.

 

[tedtedderson]

From my layout.  Nothing as fancy as others have posted but vehicles nonetheless. 

T e d