Gidday All, well it’s time for my sanity infusion, though I did make some progress on my scratch built flat car this week, it’s just that casting lead weights and making detail parts isn’t that photogenic.
So back to the train show archives. Not a new idea but here’s a Z layout in a brief case.
Looking forward to the Really Good Stuff,
Have a Great One ffolkes,[:D]
Cheers, the Bear.
Good morning and thanks for starting, had a friend back when I lived in Toledo that had one of those Z scale layouts in a briefcase, used to set it up at our annual Division 1 show.
Nothing accomplished last week with my daughter in from CA for the week, but I managed to finish some cars this week.
Branchline Trains 1944 AAR Boxcar with 6’ Door, A-line Sill steps, painted with Scalecoat II Reefer Yellow and Black Paint, lettered with decals from Dan’s Resin Casting.
Branchline Trains 1944 AAR Boxcar, built in 1960 for the Wabash, one car in this class lasted until 1995 in this paint scheme. Again used A-Line Sill Steps, painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red and lettered with decals from Microscale.
ExactRail PS 5344 Boxcar, painted with Scalecoat Reefer Orange and lettered with decals from Microscale.
The first two cars were built for use on my transition era period while when the club changes eras to more modern I used the last car with my NS and Conrail consists.
See you all later!
Rick J
Thanks for starting things off Bear.
Not much happening here on the BRVRR train wise. I’ve spent most of the week working on the 10th Anniversary update for the website and working out the glitches.
My younger grandson did run the trains a couple of times this week:
Its not every day you see a Conrail SD-40-2 leading a passenger train! For whatever reason Nathan has fixated on this loco and has been running it with the heavyweight passenger consist all week.
Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. You always make WPF the best thread of the week.
Good to see things are rolling along already. I have an ops session here on Saturday, so have been readying for that. One problem that came up was the threat of avalanches. People are no doubt tired of snow…and it’s only September[:O]. Anyway, the avalanche thing was only a means to an end, which was to start a conversation about unusual events that can interrupt the flow of traffic along a line. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/232290.aspx
Avalanches are just one among many possibilities. Among them are a plane crash, which took me by surprise, but could happen…and did. I have the pics to prove it…
I finished some more improvements along the line since the last ops session. One was extending passenger platforms. The extensions are of the two Durango platforms are a slightly lighter gray in this pic.
Durango also received a new passenger subway tunnel for when things get busy at train time.
And installed one of Harbor Freight’s new LCD display color CCTV two-camera systems so the dispatcher can monitor Chama Junction staging from his or her desk.
They are a little hard to see in this digital image of another digital image, but the locos of the first two trains next out of staging are in the upper left hand corner. This pic doesn’t do the picture quality improvement of the HF system justice. It is way better than the old B&W CRT-tube based system it replaces.
This camera angle captures the entrance to the reverse loop and its turnouts that control the two tracks. The loop is big enough to stack up the scheduled 3 passenger trains in order, as well as hold two more freight t
Bear. … Interesting, you used the phrase “sanity infusion”… I often say I am taking a sanity break when I enter the train room. It feels good to escape all the nonsense in the real world, and go “play with trains”. … I like the Z scale layout.
Rick … More nice freight cars. I bet by now you have a very long freight train. LOL. … I like the Wabsh car in particular.
Allan … Your Conrail loco looks good.
edit . Mike L. … I intended to complement you when I posted earlier. I like the camera idea for the lower level.
Here are some older photos. I’ve not taken recent pcitures lately. The shot of Union Station includes a Northern Pacific train for those who question the popularity of NP in a currently active thread. The UP passenger train was a gift from family members, and I keep it for when they visit.
Awesome stuff so far this week.
I decided to go ahead a Pennsy-ize a model power mogul. The PRR did of a class of mogul about this size called the F3c. However, with its lack of a Belpaire firebox, this thing is straight out of Fantasy Land.
No layout to work on, so I built a module section. I am still working on it.
Sorry about the quality, I need to get a new camera card.
Just finished installing a TCS wow version 3 decoder in my IHC Mountain
and i’m very happy with the slow speed motor control >
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ7iBAC-XIw&feature=em-upload_owner
E8A and F7AB’s EB crossing Hammer Creek.
Been busy laying lots of track, for the two inside mainlines.
Those bridges look great, Michael.[tup][Y]
Grampy has a nice one, too.
Thanks for the comments, Garry.
I love this thread; it’s great to see what you all have been up to. As for me, I’ve been building a Quality Craft brass caboose kit:
I still have a ways to go, but I’m having fun with it.
GP9 Man: I’ll bet you could use a bit of styrene to add a Belpaire boiler to that Mogul. No, it wouldn’t be an exact model, but it would bear a fair resemblance to a real F3a.
Mike: I hope Sky King & Penny weren’t hurt in that emergency landing.
Tom
Tom,
Everyone walked away under their own power. An amazing bit of flying. The plane wasn’t damaged and only two cars were derailed, one of which is a dual-gauge idler car that will jump the tracks if you just look at it wrong…[:^)]
They may be older photos Garry but I reckon that with each viewing they’re still a treat, besides there’s usually something that I missed before, besides along with the everyone else’s varied really Good Stuff, I already feel relaxed and its only Saturday night. [|)] [swg]
Michael, this may come across as a bit of a backhanded compliment, but I doffs me cap to you in that you’re not afraid to rip up and relay track to improve your layout.
I’e actually attempted to do exactly that. The hard part cuting a cross piece and getting the curvature of the boiler right.
Bear, Thanks for starting up another great WPF and another stimulating lead in. I considered Z scale a novelty until I spent a bit of goggle time on the subject. I do remember my feathers being a bit ruffled when I met a dedicated O scaler who said that HO was too small. Looking forward to seeing the fruit of your flat car project labor.
Finished and test fit a freight door this week. Hydrocal cuts and carves easily, but taking too much off is easy too.
thanks to all, regards, Peter
As always, the best thread of the week! I love to see what all of you have been busy accomplishing.
I have been extending the fill to where it will connect with a bridge over the tracks down in the cut:
Built and stained the cut stone retaining wall where the bridge will connect:
Close up showing all the problems… Don’t worry you won’t see them when it is finished!
I also have been adding foam for the earthwork in the area. This is where the road under the girder bridge will cross over the tracks in the cut.
73
Got the bug to hand lay a bit of track and dug into the box of parts that I got from the Proto 87 website. Tie plates and joint bars in HO are hard for me to see, but I think it will look great when it’s done. It’s all tweezers and reading glasses to work on this stuff.
4 more EMD’s joined the fleet, the Kato SD45’s have DCC in them and MTLs(I hate Kato’s kinectimatic couplers!) and a pair of CB&Q F3’s by Intermountain I need to order decoders for them so I can install them and get these two into service they’ll be the replacement power for the Aging E5’s(one of which has been retired after a bad decoder) and the other will serve on a lesser train(once I get my hands on a CZ trainset to split up and reletter, as well as a bunch of Heavyweights painted into a Q SSS style car).
