Living the dream.
Hello everyone, and welcome our weekend celebration thread!
This week I found this nifty little windmill for $1.00 at Goodwill. I do not know what scale it is supposed to be, but the door is sized perfectly for an HO scale figure.
The windmill blades were broken off, so a little repair was called for. This is the closest I have come to model building in quite some time.
I decided to magnetically mount the blades, so I Gorilla Glued a carpet tack to the windmill structure.
All my model building tools are packed away, so I clamped it together with a big woodworking clamp while the glue dried.
I glued a small rare-earth magnet to the hub of the propellers, and clamped it in place with some equally oversized tools.
The finished product looks pretty good. It can use some detail painting, but that will come later. I will not mount this to the layout, but will set it up as prop to give some added flair to pictures on the layout.
It should be a fun prop to use.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone else's shared photographs this weekend. let the fun of the festivities begin...
-Kevin
Thanks for the start of the mid-October (!) WPF, Kevin. I'm glad to see your model RR empire will be using alternate energy solutions
I have a spot on the layout that I probably walk past a dozen times a day. I finally stopped to evaluate the situation and decided to take action!
Here's a look at the Railway Express building and the siding and platform just outside the building:
REA_Siding by Edmund, on Flickr
I built this kit way back in '95 or '96 when the layout was "fresh and new". The platform was at ground level and there wasn't any way to get packages up to platform level. I decided to tackle that.
REA_Siding-high by Edmund, on Flickr
So i raised the platform using some brick sheets from the scrap bin. Now I set it in place but because of the curvature of the siding the cars would interfere with the edge of the raised platform!
Modify the platform or realign the track? — I opted for the latter...
REA_Siding-rip by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's the siding cut back and the new elevated platform in place.
REA_Siding-cork by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's a new length of track realigned to fit the raised platform and allow for clearance.
REA_Siding-track by Edmund, on Flickr
After painting the ties and rail I was ready for ballast:
REA_Siding-ballast by Edmund, on Flickr
I also added a few light poles to the platform and made "bumpers" to protect the poles:
REA_Siding-busy by Edmund, on Flickr
This was an unexpected "project" and I had fun arranging things to "look just right" for the task at hand.
REA_Siding-rain by Edmund, on Flickr
Rainy night? Nah, just some "wet water" left over from the ballasting session.
REA_Siding-handtruck by Edmund, on Flickr
It was Toni the Towmotor driver's first night.
Here we go — on to more great contributions!
Cheers, Ed
Thanks for starting WPF, Kevin. The windmill looks great. Are you building a Dutch Railway?
Ed. Excellent work on the siding and platform.
My contrbution is repairing the bridge after the torrential downour causing some damage in the train room.
The rebuild.
The track on the bridge has been realigned and trains are back running once again.
The bridge does actually lift off for easy access, but 'ducking under' is quicker.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning from cloudy and wet Northeast Ohio!
Thanks for starting us out Kevin, that windmill will be a nice addition to your layout.
Ed, sure was a lot of work to make a simple change to the layout, but it turned out well and made operations better.
Dave, sorry for the rain destruction to hit the layout, glad it was a simple fix to get it back in shape. I have been lucky in the basement flooding department except when my parents basement flooded back in the 70's.
Here is this weeks completed work!
Kadee 50's PS1 Boxcar kit, substituded a 9' PS door for the kit supplied door and painted the car with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red and lettered with a mixture of Herald King and Microscale decals, after I screwed up the Microscale set while applying the first decal. Car was one of 100 of that car series purchased for use in auto parts service on the DT&I.
Tangent Pullman Standard 4740CF Covered Hopper kit, painted with Scalecoat II MofW Gray paint and lettered with Prime Mover Decals. Car was one of 125 purchased to serve a new ConAgra Plant in PA on the old L&NE that was converted from a cement mill. Both the PC and EL bid so competively that both bankrupt railroads lost money on each shipment from the plant.
Red Caboose R70-15 Reefer in progress, still have about 15 steps in order to complete the car before painting.
Rapido Ann Arbor FA-2's with a general freight led by the sand cars from Yuma, MI heading for the Ford Casting plant in Brookpark, OH.
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 starting Weekend Photo Fun. That little windmill should be a nice addition to a background scene.
Ed .... Your work on the platform and tracks is excellent.
David .... Nice work on the bridge.
Rick ... Great stuff. I like the DT&I boxcar, the EL covered hopper and the AA FA-2's. Your work in progress on the reefer looks good .
....
This week I will show two more attempts at building prototypically correct Burlington passenger cars. I made both of these cars from kits made by NKP Car Company.
This is a Budd sleeper with 6 compartments, 6 roomettes, and 4 bedrooms. It was used on trains orinating from Chicago. The Blakhawk to the Twin Cities. The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr to Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. The American Royal Zephyr.
If you spell Nebraska backwards, you get the name of the overnight Zephyr to there. Burlington really did use that name.
Next car is a modernized heavyweight diner. Burlington used it for secodnary trains. Sometimes it was a substitute for a Budd diner on a Zephyr.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Kevin - Thanks for starting us out - Nice windmill
Ed - Really like that platform. Do you use LED's or bulbs for your lights?
Dave - Glad that you got the bridge repair. Nasty business when you get water damage.
Rick - great work on the cars, as ususal.
Garry - Always love to see great looking passenger cars.
Starting this week out with a new structure on the layout. All the talk about sugar beets in the Prototype forum got me motivated to finish the beet dump that I had planned. One of the towns that I model had a beet hoist that looked like a ash hoist so I used a Walther ash hoist to model it. Pictures show it to be painted silver and I bought a couple of Proto 2000 drop bottom gondolas to service it. Easy way to create another industry.
Next picture is a Milwaukee Road express train passing through Plymouth.
Last picture is of the scratchbuilt Haven WI depot. The depot used to unload troop trains for the anti aircraft training base that is now the Whistling Straits golf course. It was a neat depot to model. Finally getting back to adding details to the platform area.
Great start to the weekend everyone.
Scott Sonntag
Lakeshore SubEd - Really like that platform. Do you use LED's or bulbs for your lights?
I invested quite a bit in the old Walthers Cornerstone street lights which were all incandescent lamps. Some have burned out.
In the last several years everything I make or use are LEDs. The variety and color choices are excellent. I built my passenger sheds back in '96 and grain-of-wheat lamps was all that was parctical at the time. Total current draw was almost six amps! Plus I've found places where the heat has melted through the roof!
Someday I'll be replacing these with LEDs too.
Thanks to everyone Ed
Thank you to everyone that has commented on my cute little $1.00 windmill. I am running low on things to share each week, so I am delighted my Goodwill find was met with welcome.
Ed: Great work on the modified platform and the re-engineered siding alignment. It looks really good in your pictures. I like the wet look in the later pictures. After a rain at night is a great mood for photographs.
Dave: Not building a Dutch railway, but you never know what equipment might pop up in one of my pictures. I am relieved that your bridge repair did not turn into a bigger project. Running trains is good.
Rick: I like the pictures of the freight cars you shared this week, but I really like the under construction pictures of that Red Caboose Mechanical Refrigerator. Your work is so neat and proper. I have one of those kits stashed away.
Garry: You modernized BURLINGTON diner is a very nifty model. There sure are a lot of vents on the rooftop. It looks really heavy, great job!
Scott: I like your pictures. I did not know Proto-2000 had released a model of a drop-bottom gondola. You last picture almost looks like a scene from David's layout. It is full of charm.
Heartland Division CB&Q This week I will show two more attempts at building prototypically correct Burlington passenger cars. I made both of these cars from kits made by NKP Car Company. This is a Budd sleeper with 6 compartments, 6 roomettes, and 4 bedrooms. It was used on trains orinating from Chicago. The Blakhawk to the Twin Cities. The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr to Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. The American Royal Zephyr. If you spell Nebraska backwards, you get the name of the overnight Zephyr to there. Burlington really did use that name.
I grew up in Omaha and was quite familiar with the meaning of Aksarben. My Dad was a college professor at Creighton and he used to earn extra money working summers at the Aksarben horse racing track. There was also a civic organization named Knights of Aksarben Foundation and every year they would crown a new king and queen. It was considered such a big deal in Omaha that one of the local channels would cover it on live TV. That tradition was retired after 2017.
Aksarben Monarchs - Aksarben Foundation
Aksarben retires the royal tradition of their mythical kingdom – Zox News Team
John-NYBWI grew up in Omaha and was quite familiar with the meaning of Aksarben.
Adirolf (add-eh-rolf) and Lorida (luh-rye-duh) Have been two alternate terms for Florida, but neither really took hold.
There have been two areas between Tampa and Orlando developed as Tampando and Orlampa, but these names have also not stuck well. They have both pretty much just become parts of Lakeland.
SeeYou190 John-NYBW I grew up in Omaha and was quite familiar with the meaning of Aksarben. Adirolf (add-eh-rolf) and Lorida (luh-rye-duh) Have been two alternate terms for Florida, but neither really took hold. There have been two areas between Tampa and Orlando developed as Tampando and Orlampa, but these names have also not stuck well. They have both pretty much just become parts of Lakeland. -Kevin
John-NYBW I grew up in Omaha and was quite familiar with the meaning of Aksarben.
The way the Nebraska football program has been going lately, backwards, maybe it should be renamed Aksarben. Lost another close one today to Minnesota. Since Scott Frost took over, Aksarben is 5-17 in one score games, 0-5 this year alone by a total of 28 points. Their three victories have been by an average of 40 points. If the game is close, they will find a way to lose it.
Sorry about going off topic but I needed to vent.
I don't have any photos, but I love everything being shown this weekend. Great work, everyone!
York1 John
Kevin--Cute lil' windmill.
Ed: Looks like it was worth the effort.
David: Glad to see you aren't burning your bridges.
Rick: Good job on the rolling stock.
Garry: I don't know dudy about passenger cars longer than 60', but yours sure look purdy.
Scott: I've seen a sand house that looks like golf bunker, but I don't have the cajones to build it that way. Good job on the beet hoist and station.
John: I ain't got no photos either.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Kevin, Thanks for spinning up the WPF. Fun little project with the windmill, a buck well spent. I recall a Dutch style windmill at the west end of Golden Gate Park in S.F., it pumped water.
There's good moisture, like Ed's cool looking platform. Then there's bad moisture that soaks track work, good to see your bridge dried out and back in business David.
Thanks to all the contributors and viewers. Have a good weekend and Happy International Cassette Store Day. Regards, Peter
Great work, everyone. Some random thoughts: I love the wet platform look, as temporary as it must be. The wet night scenes capture that perfect rainy night atmosphere. I feel for David though with his "wet scene". Glad you got it cleaned up.
The freight and passenger cars all look beautiful. Peter, the little details like the gas meter and chipped concrete really add realism.
This weeks pic, for a lack of layout progress: I picked up this Vandy on Ebay this week, and the 2-6-0 about 14 years back. These Mehano Moguls convinced me of the smooth quiet drives that influenced me to get last week's pictured 2-10-2.
Anyway, after some more scenery progress, I want to build some SP-ish locos, including at least 3 moguls, since I have them. This is just mocked up for now for a quick photo. I will replace those brass wheels! Dan
P.S. John, I would think under the circumstances, you can vent here, if it will help you not to 'splode...
Thank you Gentlemen for your concern over the flood on my layout.
Fortunatelyi managed to protect most of the layout.
At Clarence Dock I had the scenery as 'After the rainfall' with puddles of water.
I feel the '1-1 weathering' has helped somewhat.
Trains are back up and running.
John & Chip: Thank you for dropping by and saying hello. I appreciate the kind comments.
Peter: Thank you for the information on the windmill in the park. That sounds like a good location for it. It is too small to be a "real" windmill, and too big for miniature golf. The scene you shared is beautiful, as always.
SouthGate: That mogul is a beauty. I love little steam locomotives. I still have not purchased the 4-6-0 of my dreams. The brass NYC F-12 models still command a high price.
David: I love that charming scene with no trains in your first picture. It really tells a story. Great atmosphere.
See you all next week!