What are your model railroading wins?

[Paul3]

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

[gmpullman]

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

[Trainman440]

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

[maxman]

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.

[groundeffects]

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

 

[RR_Mel]

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 1951



My Model Railroad    
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
 
Bakersfield, California
 
Aging is not for wimps.

[oldline1]

I scored an NJCB Western Maryland I-2 Decapod at a great price.

oldline1

[tstage]

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

[tbdanny]

What's a recent model railroading victory you've had?  Doesn't have to be something big.