Mr. Joe, I'll take a cup of coffee this morning...That will do it for now.
Mike, Thanks, but no thanks...You can keep the freezing rain. We too have had some of that, earlier on, which has resulted in my 1/4 mile driveway resembling an ice rink. Snow on the other hand would be welcome. I'm to be off skiing again this afternoon.
Regarding my TT pit wall....That too, has been a learning curve! I started detailing the pit wall, facing it with actual stone pressed into wet mud and or white glue, but I didn't like the way it looked! So I removed the stone, which was a bit difficult, to say the least, and made for a pit that wasn't as "round" as it was when I started. Again with dry-wall mud, I troweled the wall as round and smooth as I could with an additional applications. Once this had all dried , I sanded it some to true up the wall and base corner and covered the pit wall with Faller # 640 "stone" embossed paper, gluing it in place with "Tacky Glue". I weathered the paper a bit with a wash of VERY thin grayish brown acrylic paint. I still need to do a little touch up on it, but for the most part, it's done!
And what's up next? I hope to get Backshop that sits behind the TT on the left painted and assembled and also want to get after some of the "town" at Sawbill Junction. Of course that also means that I will have to be turning some "pink and blue" into "earth-tones".
Evenging all, Joe now that I am back I think it is probley about my time to buy the drinks.
The snow and ice has melted a lot today and supposed to have nicer weather for a change. I did get outside and take care of a few chores, cleaned the leaves from the gutter etc... then it was off to the trainroom for some running time. After I cleaned the tracks the train is running good, I have almost forgot how th run them, I have not run them since right after Christmas. You see, I started the new job and then a week later mom & dad moved to Dallas and I am all of a sudden by my self. I guess I didn't realize how much they did and I really do miss them and even there Cat. Oh well, Joe, bring us another round then I am off to the trainroom for some FUN!!! Later, Mike
mikesmowers wrote: Evenging all, Joe now that I am back I think it is probley about my time to buy the drinks. The snow and ice has melted a lot today and supposed to have nicer weather for a change. I did get outside and take care of a few chores, cleaned the leaves from the gutter etc... then it was off to the trainroom for some running time. After I cleaned the tracks the train is running good, I have almost forgot how th run them, I have not run them since right after Christmas. You see, I started the new job and then a week later mom & dad moved to Dallas and I am all of a sudden by my self. I guess I didn't realize how much they did and I really do miss them and even there Cat. Oh well, Joe, bring us another round then I am off to the trainroom for some FUN!!! Later, Mike
Good evening to you snagletooth, and thanks for the cold beer. Looks like you have joined up with the winning trains since I have been ........OUT.....not by choice. May I say Welcome.
I just came in from running the trains, Man what a thrill, everything went great. It is so great to have time to finally have a little time for the trains and hopefully I can get there more often. I guess I now now understand what you are talking about when you don't get much done on the trains for the other little jobs. I really do miss them and do enjoy them a great deal, I am sure you are with me on this one. Joe, I need a cold beer here. Thanks. Mike
Here's the latest on my clouds.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Hello ............ First time here ......... Ill have a Becks and a double of Jager.
Nice clouds Wimberley .......painted or photos cut out?
Its been a icy day and night here in Huntington. Also had a birthday Friday. The big 28.
J.W.
Really nice clouds. I hope it doesn't rain on your layout.
I did a bit of work on the pit-bash, but just a bit. I managed to solder together the pit rail loop and get it almost circular. Then I realized that if I glued it to the false pit-floor, I wouldn't be able to put the floor on to the turntable. So, I'll have to glue the floor down next. I had a couple of loose supports, so I re-glued those.
I finally got my on-layout programming track wired up. It's the siding that goes up to the coal and oil company, but it's conveniently located at the front of the layout, so it's going to serve as the programming track, too. A DPDT switch and some wire, and I could finally discard my original "temporary" track. Let's see if I can describe it - a piece of Atlas snap-track, one of the "terminal" tracks with binding posts for making track wire connections. A pair of old Atlas bumpers, and then the the whole assembly sits on a pair of Atlas bridge piers. Oh, yeah, and the track is brass. It's not mounted to anything, just a couple of long wires going back to the programming track outputs of the DCC system. When it's not in use, the bridge piers serve as a coathook to hang it over a support piece under the benchwork. This hokey arrangement serve me well for a year and a half, but my last two new engines have been steamers, and the Hudson wouldn't even fit on this rig.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasley wrote: Really nice clouds. I hope it doesn't rain on your layout.
Hey Joe, just you and me again! I'll have a pale ale...And I'm hungry too! What have you got to munch on?
Mike wrote: "I guess I now now understand what you are talking about when you don't get much done on the trains for the other little jobs. I really do miss them and do enjoy them a great deal, I am sure you are with me on this one. Joe, I need a cold beer here."
This is exactly one of the main problems I'm having with taking / going after a new job that demands more of my time! Not that I get to the Trainroom much the way it is, with everything else I end up doing around the place. I don't see those chores changing a lot and I see me gone from home more.....So, I would have even less time to play with trains! I'm having trouble with this one! Joe, I need another ale please. I'm thinking that if I have enough beer...I may be able to think this through better!
On the lighter, brighter side: Jeffrey, those backdrops really do look great! I know, I've said that all ready, but hey! The way it all blends and the hand painted clouds too...Just really great looking stuff!
I didn't get to the Trainroom today, but cut firewood, did the regular chores and cooked before having to run off to town. I did a Moroccan chicken dish that was a hit with Rae. So I got my rewards there!
Tomorrow, on the other hand...I am going to work on the RR. I'm thinking that I will get started on painting the Sawyer Lumber RR Backshop. Actually, I did already start, testing out a few methods for making the plastic building look like really old, weathered cedar siding. I think I've found the look I was looking...so now I can really get going on it.
One more Joe...And anybody else that happens along too!
colvinbackshop wrote: I'm thinking that I will get started on painting the Sawyer Lumber RR Backshop. Actually, I did already start, testing out a few methods for making the plastic building look like really old, weathered cedar siding. I think I've found the look I was looking...so now I can really get going on it.
I'm thinking that I will get started on painting the Sawyer Lumber RR Backshop. Actually, I did already start, testing out a few methods for making the plastic building look like really old, weathered cedar siding. I think I've found the look I was looking...so now I can really get going on it.
That has to be tough. You will have to share some pictures. I have been afraid of plastic. Our RH will be my first project. Once the floor was down and wired, I hit the brakes.
Hope that the new job is not too taxing. I do a lot of temping and find that I put a lot of stress on myself. If you are a detail person which we are to do this hobby, that can wear you out.
Later, Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Evening..Joe. Is it just you and me again? Oh well.... I'll have one of whatever you've got on tap that's Dark? And a wedge of lime for that too please.
Sue, I'm thinking that I've had some pretty good luck making wood out of plastic! I didn't get as much done as I wanted today (gee, what else is new...unexpected demands just keep creeping in), but I spent some time laying out the town site at Sawbill and I did get all of the kit (backwoods shop) washed and dried, ready for a base coat of paint.
As luck would have it; you asked for pictures at just the right time! With my "testing" done, having my method down, I have unpainted and two panels painted with different weathering. I'll get out to the Trainroom tomorrow and snap a picture, hopefully being able to compare all three.
One project that I did get to today (that I've been putting off for no good reason) was to put up two gifts we had received at Christmas! These are pretty cool...
And the one for my Trainroom is the coolest.
These are produced by a small local cottage industry, cut from sheet steel and painted. My niece came up with the idea for the "herald" for the Trainroom. It is 24" in diameter and mounted on a 28" x 28" Cedar frame. Even though it's not my regular herald (and I'm not complaining) I'm told it could have been and so now I'm thinking of having them do my regular herald in a smaller size to go along with the heralds I have collected!
If anybody is interested in a custom herald or signage....or just checking out what they have and can do; these guys can be reached toll free at 866-858-4616. They also have a website http://www.steelartists.com/ , but it was under construction when I went there, and an email don@steelartisis.com
Joe, I'll have another and a pizza too.
JB, I like it, I like it! The heralds are a great asset, I need to come up with something like that for my train room door. BTW, thanks for the recipes in the email!
Cheers,
Ryan
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Howdy Joe, I'll take a tall tap please!
Mr. Beasley and Ryan...Those were my exact thoughts when I opened that gift...WOW! It really has to be the best ever (don't say anything to rest of the family) and I was totally blow away! I really love the quality and as I mentioned, I now want to do a smaller one for the "real" herald of the CCRY. If I ever get a scanner again, or can get a graphic...I'll post that herald. I may even have a "steelart" one to take a picture of before I get another scanner!
Ryan, you said you would like something along the line for your door! That's what I had in mind and was going to paint something....Then I got this gift. It's not on the door, but it is on the Trainroom
Sue, I haven't forgotten...But I did have some trouble with the pictures I took of the SL Shops not showing enough detail, and I had some glare too. I'm going to take a few more and hopefully have something worth posting.
One more, Joe...Later guys, I've got to get after a few chores.
Somebody get me a Heineken......quickly please!
underworld
Whew, glad I saw that green smiley at the end of your post. I thought for a minute there we had a genuine beer emergency on our hands. Well, it's not healthy to drink alone (unless, of course, no one else is having one) so I'll join you with a Bass Ale this afternoon.
Can't do much layout work. The women have been occupying the room and watching TV. Maybe it was a mistake to put the layout up there after all. Comfortable, but the basement is not bad either, and I don't have the disadvantage of being evicted for "The OC" or, even worse, "The O-prah." I guess I can go downstairs and work on some structures.
Hey guys! I'll drink with you. Joe bring me a Summit Great Northern Porter...And what ever else is deemed needed by the rest!
Mr. Beasley, I'm thinking that a seperate cabin for me to live in would at times be a plus! At least I have the Trainroom that I can retreat to (it's a seperate building)! Can you move the pike to the basement??!!??
Sue, I got some pictures...Still not as good a comparison I would like but...Here goes with what I've done.
The Sawyer Lumber Backshop project starts life with a Walthers 933-3083 Backwoods Loco - Carshop kit. Of course that means that even though the brown plastic is supposed to look like wood siding...It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination. I'm wanting an aged, unpainted, weathered looking wood and I so start an experimenting process. Just like with brick, I feel that a base is needed to apply coloring and weathering, applied with washes of acrylic paints.
I tested three different "base" coats: Van Sickle Paints, Camo 101 Reed Tan, Rust-Oleum, 2081 Light Gray Primer and Zynolyte, Camo 1904 Khaki to apply my coloring to. My washes are all Apple Barrel Colors: Nutmeg Brown 20521, Antique Gold 20506, Burnt Umber 20512 and Country Gray 20526. In addition to the acrylics, I also used a wash of India Ink and water as a final wash toning / blending it all together. The final, final, will be a shot of Dulcoat.
The panel on top started with a base of Khaki and the panel on the bottom is done with the Reed Tan.
I also did one with the gray primer and that worked pretty well too (not having to use the Country Gray) but I'm leaning toward using the Khaki as my starting base coat because, to me, it looks like an older, weathered pine right from the start.
My method for the base coat is to give the plastic a light "tack coat" letting it pretty much dry, but not quite, and then spray only enough to give a covering. Too much paint can attack the plastic and cause all sort of problems. So far, I've had good luck here! This base coat needs to dry / cure thoroughly and may take some time with the use of a solvent base paint on the plastic. Once it is dry and hard to the touch, I move on to the washing.
I need to mention, that when I'm talking about the acrylic washes here, I'm using a wet brush (water) dabbed into the paint and then I "streak" the individual boards. Too much color! Dip the brush for a little more water....Not enough color! Dip for a bit more paint. In a sense, this is much more of a staining or painting with a thin paint, than a genuine wash. The India Ink, however, is applied as an over all wash, letting things settle as they may.
Sooooo.....I have a long way to go and I still need to refine the methods and my skills, but I think the brown plastic is looking a bit better with a little paint!
And with all of that said...Joe, I'll have another Porter and I'll spring for some eats too! What do you guys want? It's on me tonight!
JB, is that railroad herald from your neice protected from the elements? It kind of looks like it's outside. As nice as it is, it really needs some protection from Mother Nature's weathering machinery. Even if it's under glass, the UV outside will really beat it up.
I've thought about putting the layout in the basement all along. One problem is that the space down there is now occupied by my wife's "craft table" which serves here as half-office, half dumping ground. Much as she'd like to get the layout out of the family room, I don't think she wants to replace it with that mess.
On the other hand, the space does work. It's a bit more cramped, but since the whole thing is already on wheels I can still pull it out from the walls to get around. Easier to roll on the basement linoleum than on the family room carpet, too.
Good day gang! Joe, I'll have a tap and what ever the lunch special is for today...Thanks.
Mr. Beasley...I'm not sure about the level of protection. I should email Don and find out some of those details. What I do know is that the steel is painted and I am assuming that if the welcome signs and such are intended to be out-of-doors they must be painted with a suitable exterior paint...Then taking that a step further, I would also assume that my herald has an exterior paint too. As for the Cedar, it is raw and I've thought about giving it a shot of oil come spring. I've also thought of mounting it higher, on the other side of the door as opposed to under the window.
On the other hand....Yes, it is WAY nice and I've even thought of finding a place in the house for it. Unfortunitly, it's too big to have a place in my Trainroom, which is why I put it out side next to the entrance to the Trainroom.
Latter.
Howdy Joe. Is lunch ready yet? Might be a bit too early for a beer, wthout lunch...But I'm hungry anyway, so if it's ready...set me up.
So far today, I've gotten all the regular chores done so now it's out to the Trainroom to do some painting and a little landscaping too. I want to start the hillside and track ballasting in the area behind the SL shop. Now that I have that kit out and sized up, I'm excited to get going "full steam".
And speaking of the shop building, I find that I will only have to paint / weather two sides, as the other two will never be seen from any angle. I'll just leave them with the base coat and concentrate my efforts on what can be seen! Should go twice as fast...Right?
Mr. Beasley (and anyone else interested) I emailed Don, the steelart guy, asking about having my herald outside. I got this very timely reply this morning: Yes. They can be hung outside. First they get a Rustoleum primer coat and then a double Rustoleum color coat. We paint after the mounting holes are drilled. I don't think there will be much of a rust problem. Eventually we will be powder coating our outside products but we are not quite ready for that yet.
And with that...I'll have lunch and now that it's closer to noon, I'll have a tap with that.
Howdy, Joe. The lunch special looks good, and I'll have a Pabst to wash it down.
Colvin, I think the folks at Model Railroader felt your need. This month (March's) Step by Step is about painting and weathering wood structures. I'm going to need that myself when I finally build my way out of the subterranean spaces devoted to hidden track.
Incidentally, the steel plate herald is beautiful! Knowing that it's able to handle exposure to the weather is just a bonus.
I've just completed installing a pair of switch points using a new (for me) throwbar arrangement. The pivots, instead of vertical pins, are wires, soldered along the base of the point for about .375", bent down through a hole in the throwbar, then bent parallel to the throwbar away from the track centerline. They're lots stronger than my old vertical pins, pivot freely and, once I hit them with a dab of "grungy rail" paint, should just about disappear.
With the points in, I ran my derailment checkers through both legs of the (double spiral easement curved) turnout. Not a bobble, or even a suggestion that a single flange even considered derailing.
Now I have to get busy in the other five turnouts on that removable section, then the seven on the other end of the staging yard, then...
I love it.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
how do you do to everybody here. Joe I need a cold beer here and set up anyone that looks dry.
I like the looks of the herald , I was wanting something on the outside of my train room and my nephew surprised my with a RR crossing sign for Christmas.
I have not gotten to work much this week due to slipping on the ice Mon. and pulling a muscle in my back. I came home at 4 PM on Tues. and missed Wed. and Thurs. all together. I went to work this morning and had to leave at 2:30 PM to get back to the heating pad. I am so tired of sitting in front of the TV watching DVD's I could have a fit. I did get into the trainroom for a while yesterday and did a little work and mostly just ran some trains. I guess I am starting to get the train feaver again. The trains sure did run good!
Joe, that beer you brought me must have had a hole in it as it is empty, Thanks, See you all later. Mike
Evening guys..I'll have a cold one Joe, and set up Chuck and Mike too. It's on me boys!
Chuck, your throwbar arrangement sounds like it should work real well giving a lot of strength to the "working part". What do you use to throw the turnout? A ground throw? Switch machine?......
I've installed a number of Caboose Industries ground throws on the turnouts that are close to the front where I don't have to reach over much. But, I haven't yet set my sights on what to use on the ones farther back. I'm thinking either a brass rod or piano wire through a styrene tube or the old stand by...A choke cable.
Mike, sorry to hear about back troubles!!! I've got bad / damaged disks (L4 & L5) that have given me trouble for the past 20 years! I wish back troubles on NO ONE! Hope that you are doing better soon! Darn that ice!
Thanks for all the great comments on the steelart herald. Every time I go past it, I have to say wow too! It really is cool. When I emailed Don, I also asked about doing "my" herald. The reply was "no problem, just send me a good quality graphic". Well....I can't do that until I get a scanner, or have the herald scanned (mybe at school office or print shop) but I really do want to have one made! I didn't ask about cost (felt that I would be violating Lori by doing that) so I'll find that out down the road...Got to get a graphic first anyway!
One more round Joe..Then I've got to get to bed. Gotta' teach a swim lesson in the morning, but then I get to head off to Duluth and the LHS (Ok, so it's not real local) with the girls for a day in the big town!
Coffee for me this mornin', Joe. Cold as the contents of a sorceress's brassiere this morning here in Maine. We're up at Sunday River, but right now (9:23 AM) I'm staying inside until it warms up a bit. Last temperature check was 4 below at the base, and we're talkin' Fahrenheit here. (Yeah, I can go out and ski when it's like this, but it's "survival" skiing. Been there, done that. No thanks.) For those who watch the conditions, there are a few inches of old natural snow around, but the snow guns have been running and almost the entire mountain is open, with all lifts turning. The glades are still off-limits, but a few people have tried them, to the detriment of their skis.
Got an e-mail from Gerry at Maine Trains. My P2K SW-8 with DCC Sound is in. $99.98 from Walthers last week. Given the conditions, I'd rather be home setting up CV's and doing some switching (or shunting, for those on the other side of the Atlantic.) but for now I'll have to wait until Wednesday to go get it.
Eggs Benedict? Wow, when did that get on the menu. Sure, and keep the cup filled.
Eggs Benedict? That sounds good! I'll take that too.