Weekend photo fun - Yearend

[C&O Fan]

I've reached a real milestone in terms of layout construction - the earliest beginnings of scenery!

For me that means painted backdrop and fascia installation.

Here's the first - a section of backdrop behind Glenrock siding. The sky is a bit splotchy because the paint was still wet in a few spots when the photo was taken:

Snip

 

Wow what a big improvement !

Sure beats looking at water pipes et all

[Phoebe Vet]

Clouds should be white when viewed from above.  If you have Photoshop, send me an e-mail, I'll give you some tips for your next try......

[mikelhh]

 Inspirational stuff on here, as ever.

 

 My B&M GP38-2 glimpsed through the clouds. This photo didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, and I deleted about 30 others, but it was fun to try.  The admittedly low cloud is hand-held cotton wool, blowing in the breeze from the open window. Would've been better with a higher ceiling

 

 

 Mike 

[LNEFAN]

I'm one of a group of modelers building a layout based on the HOG concept http://www.layoutdesignservice.com/lds/samples/betterbeginnerlayout.htm  which was initiated by Scott Perry a year or so ago. Though I'm not a true "beginner" (time in retirement to be serious about trains again!), this layout concept favors operation, is very flexible and fit my space/footprint almost perfectly- so I chose this general layout design, adding and subtracting here and there. My version is loosly based on the eastern Pa L&NE and is MRC Prodigy Advance DCC based. All benchwork (wall brackets to studs supporting foam topped "ladders") and track (Peco Cd 83 throughout) is complete and trains run (and sound!) well. Scenery work is now beginning and this week I was working on some hills in one corner of the layout (9 x 11 around-the-walls spare bedroom). I used foam blocks for the elevations and filled in with newspaper and masking tape lattice. Then I added Woodland Scenics plaster cloth. Sculptamold colored earth brown will go on next. Eventually this terrain will be planted solidly with trees as seen in eastern Pennsylvania, however the facing cut will be Plaster of Paris limestone castings. More to come...

 

[Pruitt]

I've reached a real milestone in terms of layout construction - the earliest beginnings of scenery!

For me that means painted backdrop and fascia installation.

Here's the first - a section of backdrop behind Glenrock siding. The sky is a bit splotchy because the paint was still wet in a few spots when the photo was taken:

Here's the latter - the first section of fascia, in front of Glenrock siding and Minneapolis staging:

The fascia cutouts need to be cleaned up and the fascia painted, after I make cutouts for the DCC throttle sockets and such.

The cutouts in the fascia will provide access to Minneapolis Staging once the land is in place around Glenrock siding and there is no direct access from above anymore. Here a 2-10-2 is sitting on Glenrock siding with boxcars in Minneapolis Staging below:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

[howmus]

Don't have anything new to show, but at this time of year it is good to look back and see the progress made in my favorite hobby.  In the last year the area now known as Hopewell Junction went from this:



To this:



And from this taken last February (Note area on the far left):



To this:

[trainnut1250]

Guy, I love your PFE reefer blocks. How many cars do you have and who is the manufacturer? It looks like a Broadway Limited AC-4 pulling them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

Peter,

Nice to see another reefer block fan. I have about 30 or so right now. They are mostly Red Caboose and Intermountain kits. I recently put together a batch of 12, kinda made things a little more realistic in terms of train length (at least in modeling terms). I figure I need about 15 more to meet the operating scheme of the layout. I have the kits sitting in boxes waiting for the inspiration (and time).

The Cab Forward is a BLI AC-5. (I had to go look at the side of the loco to be sure). I have the BLI AC 4 and 5. Not as well detailed as the Intermountain AC-12, but the BLIs are not as finnicky about trackwork as the Intermountain loco and run very well.

Guy

Guy, I live in Memphis and in October of each year our local modular group sets up in the Pink Palace museum. We run 113 car coal trains which only take up about a third of our main line. I am an SP fan and a friend of mine decided that we need to run reefer blocks next year. We hope to have at least 50. He has an AC-4 and I have a Riverrossi AC-12 which is nowhere near as detailed as the Intermountain but runs much better. My friend bought the Intermountain but the wheels were so out of gauge that he had to send it back. I am currently in San Diego and the La Mesa club purchased a lot of them. I was told they are going through a major re-motor/gearing project to get them to run at prototypical top speed.

PS: My home RR is SP 1909 (See Attched)

Peter Smith, Memphis

Peter,

Nice photo!

50 reefers? Sounds pretty cool. Take some photos when it happens. Are you going to build Red Caboose/Intermountain kits??? If so, you better get busy. I hope you have some already squirreled away. The kits are getting harder to find now. IM and RC aren't bringing out reefers in kits anymore so its Ebay and swap meets if you want them. Last PFE auction I saw on Ebay they went for more than the original MSRP (pretty rare occurrence).....There is always the Athearn blue boxes (yuch!!, Athearn fans, Its just my opinion, don't get in a huff - I still have a few here and there) or perhaps the MDC data only cars that could be painted/decaled for PFE.......

I borrowed an IM Cab Forward from a friend and ran it around the layout for a couple of weeks. They made the rear driver set fixed just like the Prototype (but unlike the BLI or Rivarossi Models, whose rear drivers pivot) and I'll be darned if it didn't find every flaw in my trackwork (my track work is excellent by the way). They also barely handle 30" radius, which was a surprise....I had it climbing the rails under load around certain curves. Of course it also ran perfect in one direction around the layout, but derailed like crazy the other way......The low top speed has been well publicized but I like to run em' slow anyway so I didn't care too much. I still may buy one, just not right away yet.

One more shot:



Guy

[HHPATH56]

This is a photo of , the Stock yard and Processing plant on my HO layout.                     

[PASMITH]

Guy, I love your PFE reefer blocks. How many cars do you have and who is the manufacturer? It looks like a Broadway Limited AC-4 pulling them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

Peter,

Nice to see another reefer block fan. I have about 30 or so right now. They are mostly Red Caboose and Intermountain kits. I recently put together a batch of 12, kinda made things a little more realistic in terms of train length (at least in modeling terms). I figure I need about 15 more to meet the operating scheme of the layout. I have the kits sitting in boxes waiting for the inspiration (and time).

The Cab Forward is a BLI AC-5. (I had to go look at the side of the loco to be sure). I have the BLI AC 4 and 5. Not as well detailed as the Intermountain AC-12, but the BLIs are not as finnicky about trackwork as the Intermountain loco and run very well.

Guy

Guy, I live in Memphis and in October of each year our local modular group sets up in the Pink Palace museum. We run 113 car coal trains which only take up about a third of our main line. I am an SP fan and a friend of mine decided that we need to run reefer blocks next year. We hope to have at least 50. He has an AC-4 and I have a Riverrossi AC-12 which is nowhere near as detailed as the Intermountain but runs much better. My friend bought the Intermountain but the wheels were so out of gauge that he had to send it back. I am currently in San Diego and the La Mesa club purchased a lot of them. I was told they are going through a major re-motor/gearing project to get them to run at prototypical top speed.

PS: My home RR is SP 1909 (See Attched)

Peter Smith, Memphis

[jbinkley60]

 

I finally got some time off this week to finish a freight terminal, add a water tower and do some landscaping.  I still have some details to add but wanted to add my contribution this weekend.

 

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Thanks for the compliment Phobe Vet. 

The stone wall is embossed paper that can be purchased from Scenic Express http://www.sceneryexpress.com - comes in 12 and 24 inch lengths by 6 inches tall.

Search on stone walls

Regards,

[wctransfer]

Art, looks great! Your shot of the roundhouse begs for a shot of your layout back there, looks amazing!

Tom, love the building, the sun shades add so much, and ofcourse the logos and signs on the roof!

Alex, the kitbash looks to be going pretty good! Keep it up.

Since my shots were taken, I have finished the mainline, and am now starting on the yard. But, before this I was out of supplies and bored, so I played around with the camera a bit. Enjoy,

My New Pulpwood cars that I got for Christmas. Great cars!

And my two Athearn RTR SOO SD60s sitting with a State Trooper.

Happy New Year,

Alec

[chugchug]

Art

Beautiful job on that tank!

[Phoebe Vet]

Thanks for the compliments loathar and RRCanuck!

Finished the windows this morning.

Regards,

My compliments to the chef!  

From what did you make that stone wall under it?

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Thanks for the compliments loathar and RRCanuck!

Finished the windows this morning.

Regards,

[trainnut1250]

Guy, I love your PFE reefer blocks. How many cars do you have and who is the manufacturer? It looks like a Broadway Limited AC-4 pulling them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

Peter,

Nice to see another reefer block fan. I have about 30 or so right now. They are mostly Red Caboose and Intermountain kits. I recently put together a batch of 12, kinda made things a little more realistic in terms of train length (at least in modeling terms). I figure I need about 15 more to meet the operating scheme of the layout. I have the kits sitting in boxes waiting for the inspiration (and time).

The Cab Forward is a BLI AC-5. (I had to go look at the side of the loco to be sure). I have the BLI AC 4 and 5. Not as well detailed as the Intermountain AC-12, but the BLIs are not as finnicky about trackwork as the Intermountain loco and run very well.

Guy

[Anonymous]

Wow. I use Code 100 Atlas track, it's nice to know it's possible to disguise the oversised rail that well!

Oh, it isn't too hard Tyler!

 

I'm still working on my GP40MC. So far I've lowered the cab, filled in the windows. I  need to raise the windows a bit. I lowered the cab so I can install the AC on the roof. I've added the CN anticlimber and ditchlights. I've removed the nose door, and the markers and number boards above the windows. I need to file down the bottom of the plow...

 

Well yeah, if you bury it in ballast!

Do the ditchlights operate? 

[PASMITH]

Guy, I love your PFE reefer blocks. How many cars do you have and who is the manufacturer? It looks like a Broadway Limited AC-4 pulling them?

Peter Smith, Memphis

[RRCanuck]

Crandell, a bit of planning goes a long way.  You should have stocked up on Tyco junk before you made the pledge of limiting your purchases to replacements only ; )  I can send you some  gratis if you think it'll work : )

As for the pics, yeah, they were not intended to be "art"...I'll be taking off again for another 2-month stint next week or the week after, so I'll try to take a whack of pics before I go so I can play around with them while I'm gone.

Cheers.

 

[selector]

RRCanuck, you ballast waaay better'n I do.   Nice setting.  I'll hope to see more of it later with some lighting set up and an engine.  (?)

I retired an IHC Mike that had been damaged and repaired, but not well.  So, lost one and gosh if another wasn't right there in the wings waiting for a chance.  Amazing, eh?   I can't explain the earlier Atlas Train Master H22-66.  I slipped, I guess.  The only item I have left to add is a caboose for the Y6b.  I have more of the general rolling stock than I need at present, so I might as well get to putting more trees on the layout and finishing the industry areas.  MRR expenses have come to a close.  Whew!

-Crandell

[RRCanuck]

Nice pics everyone.  Crandell, I guess the "nothing new til the old stuff dies" rule was suspended for the holidays ; )   Lots of nice pics this weekend, and Tom, your efforts on the city look like they're paying off nicely.

Not a whole heckuva lot to show.  Did a bit of work on the new spur I showed a week ago...

Some ballasting...

A little ground cover...

And a touch of foliage.  Now I have to go get some of that tall grass ; )

Cheers.

[New Haven I-5]

trainnut, where did you get it and how much did it cost?

[trainnut1250]

Trainnut (Guy), your tall grass in the one image is wonderful.  I wish I could do mine like that.

-Crandell

Crandall,

 What you are seeing is my tall grass experimnet.  On one side of the taller bush I used a weed that is common in CA and gives a finer, less even texture.  On the other side of the taller bush I used woodland sceneics horse hair grass.  Both techniques require enormous amounts of time and patience - way too much to cover a large area.  It took a couple of painstaking hours to do those patches.  With the woodland scenics grass I discovered that it is too "Paintbrush like" most of the time.  To combat this Tendency I spread the bottom of the clump out as much as possible before setting it in the glue.  This makes the clumps a little less dense and more realistic looking. 

Next up is the Siflor patches and the sweat shirt fuzz.  Then on to fake fur and eventually what I hope will be my savior (although expensive): static grass. 

BTW: nice x-mas present!!

New Haven:  Yes I believe that is a Westside P-8.  I bought it with out a box, mainly because I loved the paint job.  Although it doesn't show too well in the photo, It is the classic grey paint job that looks kinda retro to my eye.  Took several tries and the "Dance of brass" to make it run decently.  I didn't photoshop the light, I used a superbright LED in the headlight and it comes out that way when you use a slow exposure...Might have to tone it down some

Guy

[loathar]

Tom Bryant-LOVE the awnings!

[chadw]

The mill switcher pulls an empty bottle car from the ingot mold foundry.

The foundry is the walthers American Millwork Co. kit, and the bottle car is another walthers kit.  Today I hope to begin laying track at this end of the layout.

[New Haven I-5]

 

A few from the Willoughby Line:

A Cab Forward arrives in Arvin.

 

Another Cab Forward shot.

 

Reefers sit in the sun.

 

Caboose rolling through.

 

Something for the brass fans.

 

Guy

Wait trainnut, is that a SP P-8!!??

[selector]

A recent image of my Christmas gift.  Had a bit of trouble with the connector to the cab receptacle, but it seems to be fine now, and running very nicely.

[selector]

Trainnut (Guy), your tall grass in the one image is wonderful.  I wish I could do mine like that.

-Crandell

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Terry, Walther's makes kits of walls, roofs, etc. etc. I constructed it from their modular kits.

Regards,

[wedudler]

I've made a video and picture:

Wolfgang