Weekend Photo Fun 04/11/08

[wm3798]

This is some really great stuff in this Weeks Photo Fun.

It's nice to see so many others doing Chessie.

Well, there really is no accounting for TASTE!!

I prefer my trains to remain free of Kitty Litter...

"No Cats in America!"

Lee 

[gear-jammer]

Great job, everyone.  I see lots of skill here this weekend. It is impossible to pick a favorite.

Here is an update on my stockyard. 

Sue

Couldn't help but notice the nice looking trees...how did you make them?

Wayne 

Thanks, Wayne.  They are Aggro trees.  If you do a search on Aggro trees, you will find several tutorials.  They are basically furnace filters, bamboo skewers, hairspray, and ground foam.  I use a  dark color for the interior until no blue shows and then lightly sprinkle a lighter color on the tops of the branches.

100 skewers for $.99, and I think the filter was between $3.00 and $4.00.  I am still working on the first filter.

Have fun,  Sue

[twhite]

Great job, everyone.  I see lots of skill here this weekend. It is impossible to pick a favorite.

Here is an update on my stockyard. 

Sue

Couldn't help but notice the nice looking trees...how did you make them?

Wayne 

Thanks, Wayne.  They are Aggro trees.  If you do a search on Aggro trees, you will find several tutorials.  They are basically furnace filters, bamboo skewers, hairspray, and ground foam.  I use a  dark color for the interior until no blue shows and then lightly sprinkle a lighter color on the tops of the branches.

100 skewers for $.99, and I think the filter was between $3.00 and $4.00.  I am still working on the first filter.

Have fun,  Sue

Sue--

Terrific as usual.  I don't know about you, but after about 75 Aggro trees, I'm still working on one corner of the furnace filters.  I think by the time I finally get halfway through, I will have not only replaced a whole bunch of WS 'pines' but re-populated the entire Tahoe National Forest, LOL.  Dang, that stuff goes a long way, doesn't it?

LOVE that stockyard!! 

Tom

PS:  Everyone else--what a GREAT batch of photos, this weekend.  New Haven:  Where'd you get that gorgeous little Pacific? 

Tom

[SpaceMouse]

I haven't gotten a chance to look at your work yet, but we can assume it's good.

I was out doing some research for my second N-scale diorama in Johnstown right next to the shops....

When along comes this big old four-header movin' around 5 SMPH.

Dragging among other things...this....

 

[garya]

I worked on a couple of projects this week.

For work night at my friend's layout, he brought in a bunch of buildings he got at a swap meet. This Atlas water tank was assmbled but unpainted:



One of the other guys showed me how he painted and weathered with craft paint, chalks, and rubbing alcohol, so I experimented.

I also worked on an Accurail SS box car underframe, as discussed in this thread: http://cs.trains.com/forums/1337954/ShowPost.aspx. Here's what I've done, after some advice from Orsonroy:





I've got several other Accurail cars to do, so I hope it gets quicker.

[bogp40]

This is some really great stuff in this Weeks Photo Fun.

It's nice to see so many others doing Chessie.

Well, there really is no accounting for TASTE!!

I prefer my trains to remain free of Kitty Litter...

"No Cats in America!"

Lee 

Well Lee, the "UP" or the "Down" side to look at it is: Chessie did allow the RR to still operate even as shoddy as it may have been to WM standards.

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Lot's of ideas, again, from the work being shown here.

Mikellh, I am amazed at what natural sunlight does for these models!  And Selector, the same for you. It adds a whole new dimension. I can well appreciate why there is quite a bit of discussion about lighting.

Did manage to get Taylor Mattress Co located this weekend. Started adding some details. Working on the 1.5" ledge has been challenging - but fun. Next will be adding the signage.

What it was like on 9-Mar and as of yesterday.

 

An MKT E8 arrives in the yard lite as a local freight cruises by on the mainline - evidently the RR is working back down the mainline installing some new-fangled electrical turnout controls. Gone are the good ole days when (was it the switchman?) the man in the caboose got out and manualy did it.

Regards,

[jeffrey-wimberly]

New Haven:  Where'd you get that gorgeous little Pacific? 

He's done a good job on it. That's the one I had that was just decorating my display rack.

[railroadnut675]

In my desperate search for CSX rolling stock I have the following:

The 'Spirit of Tampa' CSX loco.

The 40' boxcar was a Christmas present; little did my dad know it was also a track cleaner.

I picked up the agggregate cars at an expo at the state fair grounds, along with a Chessie covered hopper.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

[Anonymous]

It's nice to see so many others doing Chessie.

I'll bite....

 

[SD60M]

Heres something for the Conrail fans out there! A Conrail SD70MAC leads a BN SD70MAC and an empty coal train!

[New Haven I-5]

New Haven:  Where'd you get that gorgeous little Pacific? 

He's done a good job on it. That's the one I had that was just decorating my display rack.

Yes. It is now is regular freight sevice on my layout.

[Packers#1]

Nothing New on the layout yet. Still cant decide on the track plan. I did pick up a new edition to the fleet. I fell in love with the new executive scheme for nofolk southern as soon as I laid eyes on it. Found it today at the train show in gadsden. Just had to have it. Also got the digitrax decoders for it as well. Still have to install those. Cant wait to run it.

 

 

I still have to upload the pictures, but I have a bunch of pictures of the executive train. also the units.

[SD60M]

Here's the helpers from the coal train! Athearn BN SD40, Ath. BN Fuel Tender, and an Atlas C30-7.

[David Woodard]

[quote user="Packers#1"]

Nothing New on the layout yet. Still cant decide on the track plan. I did pick up a new edition to the fleet. I fell in love with the new executive scheme for nofolk southern as soon as I laid eyes on it. Found it today at the train show in gadsden. Just had to have it. Also got the digitrax decoders for it as well. Still have to install those. Cant wait to run it.

 

 

I still have to upload the pictures, but I have a bunch of pictures of the executive train. also the units.

I love the tuxedo set.  I model Chessie, but I have some NW stuff.  My grandpa retired from NW (along with half his family) and NS Poky runs within a mile of my house.  So I have a lot of love for NW / NS too.  I will be making the same purchase at some near point in the future...  I watched a documentary on the rebuilding of those units not too long ago.  Can't remember what channel or show...

[medic_149]

David woodard,

 THese are the 2nd run from athearn. The first run is already discontinued and very hard to find. MIght be some on eaby not sure. Right now athearn has them on their website for 69.99. Not sure How long this run will last.  medic

[dragenrider]

I hope I'm not too late to add to the Weekend Photo Fun. 

My first picture is from rail fanning this weekend.  It's a modern day firefighting train!  The rail grinder started a small grass fire as it passed down the track.  The crew simply backed up, still grinding, and shot the fire with a water cannon.  The train has four water cannons, two on each engine.  More pictures of the rail grinder and fire can be seen on my web site on trainboard.com/railimages.  The link is the picture in the sig line.

I'm in the process of building a small fuel facility to place on the layout.  The base is a piece of linoleum tile, sticky side up.  This holds the track and buildings as I test fit them and then add glue and scenery.

The old pizza pan is great for containing loose scenery and stray glue.  It keeps the workbench clean! 

[David Woodard]

Medic - I searched and found your statement true.  June 08 is the projected release date of the second run.  I will be placing my order this week.

 Dragon - Your pizza pan takes the cake for innovation this week.

 Everyone:  I am thinking of asking for a dremel tool with accessories for fathers day, with the idea that a good 95% of scenary projects have a use for it.  Am I correct in that assumption, and is there anything in particular I should ask for with it?

This is the best WPF we have had in a while.  How will we ever make it through another week waiting for Friday to come?

[CNJ831]

Autumn on the Hudson Highlands Railroad.

CNJ831

[CSX_road_slug]

There's an incredible amount of good stuff on here this weekend, I don't have time to comment on every single contribution. 

...  It's nice to see so many others doing Chessie.

Glad you like Chessie, because that's what I'm posting for this session: an ex-Chessie PS2 2600cuft cement hopper (sorry about that Lee!) with a patched-out CSXT road number.  My goal was to build a model that would survive scrutiny over on the MTW "Prototype Model Showcase" sub-forum.  To satisfy the criteria, I needed to supply a few prototype photos and paint/weather my model exactly as was pictured - every ding, scratch and rust spot visible in the proto-photo, as well as identical details (grabiron arrangements, etc.).  Judging from the reactions over there, I believe I passed the test.

Here is a pic of the 'raw' Athearn RTR model, fresh from the box:



I removed the side ladders on the model and replaced them with sets of 3 horizontal bars to match the prototype; I also transplanted the brake wheel from the top to the lower position. Aside from that, I've spent over 5 weeks painting this thing to look exactly like the prototype does in the only two pics I've found of this car. In fact, I painted, then stripped & re-painted, the ends of this model no fewer than 4 times - wheel-splatter is a real bear to replicate in model form.

Here's the first proto image, a full side view:


...and my attempt to replicate this particular side:



This next image was the one that made me want to do this particular model - a 3/4 angle shot by Tim Huemmer when the sun was low in the sky:

...followed by my own rendition:



Here are some rooftop views, with rust splotches based on photos of different [but similarly-styled] covered hopper cars:

I've been immersed in this project for 5 weeks, so I think I've had my fill of weathering for awhile! Now I need to build a cement plant to park this thing at... 

[selector]

Same as over "there", Ken, they are fantastic.  BTW , was it you who was pestering me about my white insulators?  I think it was.  Well, I painted them, but I think they're too light.  Also, I did it after taking the image I showed earlier.

I'm listening.   Thanks for your perseverance.

-Crandell

[twhite]

Autumn on the Hudson Highlands Railroad.

CNJ831

CNJ--

Now THAT'S Autumn!!  Absolutely beautiful!

Tom 

[Guilford Guy]

Awesome Pix this week!

I was in New York from Wednesday-Late Last Night. We raced a pair of Conn-Dot commuters along the highway. They ended up winning, we caught up to them as they were leaving stamford, but they managed to get past us further east. I also saw a pair of CSX SD40-2's and a conrail N21 caboose in the yard in the Bronx. On the way out there, there was a rack train crossing the Hudson River Bridge in Albany. The hotel the band/orchestra/chorus stayed at had a mural on the wall in the lobby with the  NYO&W included, and on the way to the FDR and Vanderbuilt mansions we passed the Poughkeepsie bridge. On the way back I saw Metro North Train pulling into Poughkeepsie, and a CSX freight on the other side of the river. At dinner on the west side of the river, a CSX trash train passed the restaurant heading south. 

It was a fun trip though! West Point wasn't too interesting, but the view was fantastic, and the Cathedral looked amazing. The Phantom of the Opera performance was superb, and the concert we played for the Newburgh Regional School(which was really rather creepy, long story I will leave out...) was good, but there were only about 30 people in the audience, of the 6000 in the school... 

[JPowell]

Here's one from earleir that week that I took here in Syracuse NY -

Enjoy!

[selector]

A little housekeeping:

I happened to glance at the latest post in Classic Toy Trains, and the title caught my eye.  It is about quoting images in our statements of appreciation.

All of these images have to be downloaded when we load the page from our browsers.  It may not be a big deal to those of us who have access to broadband.  Some of us, though, couldn't buy broadband service even if we wanted it...it just isn't available for whatever reason.  Then again, some of us can't afford it.  Whatever the case, it would be a welcome change for our less well served friends if we could refrain from posting either so many images or quoting (duplicating) images that appear earlier in the thread.

Please consider just alerting the beneficiary of your admiration by stating the person's name in full, or his/her user name, followed by your message of appreciation.

Thanks, Everyone.

-Crandell

[CSX_road_slug]

...  BTW , was it you who was pestering me about my white insulators?  ...

T'wasn't me, Crandell...I only count my own rivets!

[twhite]

A little housekeeping:

I happened to glance at the latest post in Classic Toy Trains, and the title caught my eye.  It is about quoting images in our statements of appreciation.

All of these images have to be downloaded when we load the page from our browsers.  It may not be a big deal to those of us who have access to broadband.  Some of us, though, couldn't buy broadband service even if we wanted it...it just isn't available for whatever reason.  Then again, some of us can't afford it.  Whatever the case, it would be a welcome change for our less well served friends if we could refrain from posting either so many images or quoting (duplicating) images that appear earlier in the thread.

Please consider just alerting the beneficiary of your admiration by stating the person's name in full, or his/her user name, followed by your message of appreciation.

Thanks, Everyone.

-Crandell

Crandell--

You're right, of course.  As a Broadband user, I get a little foggy in the brain sometimes about quoting the entire post (pictures included) and forget that for dial-up, it causes a lot of delay bringing the post up.  You'd think I'd remember, for cryin' out loud, up until about last year, I was one of the guys screaming the loudest about how long it took to load the posts!

Good reminder.  I'm posting it to my forehead, (in reverse, of course, so I can read it in the mirror, LOL). 

Tom  

[loathar]

CSX_road_slug - NICE!! Did you need a tetanus shot when you were done?

[selector]

Sorry my post came so soon after yours, Tom, but I plead innocence.  I literally just saw that post on CTT a few seconds before I realized it was a timely reminder.  Let me say that if I were to fault you I would be a hypocrit because I sometimes make the same error myself. 

It's a good reminder to all of us, and it had to go someplace.

-Crandell