Weekend Photo Fun 5/15-17

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

To anyone new, here’s where we post our projects.

The loco was custom painted abd decaled, the caboose just has a decal

I doubt Im going To do anymore N scale custom paint. Its too small. I still love T-Trak and my custom works in HO continue.

2

Nice job Jimmy and thanks for getting us started. I haven’t had anything to post the last couple of weeks but I have wandered by for inspiration. I’ve never scratch built any buildings before, lots of kit bashing but not a building from thin air. This is a very compressed version of Sperry railworks erection building in Danbury - rough and a not very detailed backround building but the only prefab parts were the windows, doors and brick trim. It’s built over a 3/16" foam core base instead of being braced and open inside. I still have the corners to do and some more details like outside lights.

sperry1 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr

A closer picture:

sperry2 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr

Anything else going on? J.R.

3

Good morning from partly cloudy and mild Northeast Ohio!

Jimmy, thanks for starting us out, nice work on that P&WV stuff.

JR - That is a good looking building!

I managed to get some stuff done this week.

This is McKeen Evans/ACF Boxcar kit that I extensively modified based on a conversation I had on the Modern Freight Cars List regarding the lack of a model for a new decal that Mask Island Decals did. I did several modifications to the McKeen kit, including cutting out the poorly done underframe and replacing it with a Details West Hydrocushion Underframe as the protoptype had that type of underframe. Substituted a Brachline Diagonal Panel Roof for the poorly executed one on the McKeen kit, added the extra rodding to the plug doors as the prototype all had 4 rods on each door and added Moloco End of Car Coupler extensions as they are the best on the market. Car was painted with Scalecoat II Armour Yellow, Boxcar Red and Silver Paints and lettered with Mask Island Decals. The car was one of 20 in this class and was assigned to the Campbell Soup Plant as noted by the 1090 code above the car number.

Next up a Walthers 65’ Thrall Gondola kit, made the same modifications to the kit that the C&NW did to a varied bunch of Thrall, Pullman Standard and Magor gons, adding the high ends to 40 of these cars. Car was painted with Scalecoat II CNW Green and lettered with Herald King Decals. I sort of made up where all the lettering goes as there are no pictures of the Thrall car I could find, just the Pullman Standard car and it has a different rib pattern. Car was used in transporting crushed auto bodies for recycling.

[IMG]https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/xx292/dti406/2c26ac1c-14df-42

4

Thanks for cranking up WPF Jimmy!

I know the feeling working on tiny stuff, the past few weeks I’ve been working on lighting up HO vehicles with tiny LEDs.

Thanks for cranking up WPF Jimmy!

I know the feeling working on tiny stuff, the past few weeks I’ve been working on lighting up HO vehicles with tiny LEDs.

Like your paint job.

J.R.: Like your building, show us more pictures when you get it lit up.

Rick: Super Air Pack and Pride, I really like your 18 Wheelers!

I’m still working on HO vehicles, they are going faster lately. I have five finished and three 18 wheel tractors about half way done. I found a Peterbuilt tow truck on eBay so it’s on the way.

I don’t have any pictures so far, maybe next week.

Keep the pictures coming!!!

&n

5

Jimmy … I know what you mean about N-scale being small. However, you did a good job with the lcomtive.

JR … Your building looks great.

Rick … Your freight cars look great. I like the CNW PRIDE gondola. I don’t think I have seen one before. I like the DT&I boxcar and GP38-2’s.

Mel … Those LED’s certainly are tiny.

…

For today’s photos, here is a train I am currently operating. It is a CB&Q-GN run through train which originated in Heartland on my layout, and it has GN Alco locomotives. At the head of the train are some boxcars which originated in Florida and moved to Heartland via connecting railroads.

The first boxcar is a well-traveled Stratton & Gillette car which sometimes appears in my photos. The second boxcar is unique, and it is owned by West India Fruit & Steamship Company. It advertises railroad car ferries between Florida and Havana. Obviously, this dates before the Cuban Revolution lead by Fidel Castro. The model boxcar is an old Varney product in very good condition.

My last photo shows, the train farther along as it crosses The Mrs. Hippy River. It will soon pass through Prairie View on its way to West End.

6

Jimmy: Thank you getting us going with Weekend Photo Fun. I am very ware that N Scale is small, I did it for years, and painted hundreds of pieces of N Scale equipment. You did a good job on your locomotive. T Track does look like fun.

JR: Your new building looks right at home on your layout, nice.

Rick: I am completely in love with that DT&I boxcar! Your work on the extra bars for the door mechanisms looks very good. That is a great detail to add to tis spectacular looking freight car.

Mel: I do not think I could ever do anything with LEDs that tiny. You can always amaze me with your work.

Garry: I am so happy to hear the boxcar is well travelled and serving you faithfully. It really looks great on your masterpiece of a layout.

I am sharing a CASCADE NORTHERN gondola in basic black this week. I think this one was built from a Mantua model, but I am not sure. It was quite a while ago that I started this model.

I shared my CASCADE NORTHERN boxcar a few weeks ago, and this gondola car used to second size of decals on the sheet. The decals were printed by Donald Manlick.

This is the CN boxcar from a few weeks ago:

Keep the photo shares coming! May is already half way done.

-Kevin

7

snoz by Bear, on Flickr

Seriously Mel.[bow][bow]

8

I love the rolling stock you are all showing. Mine is mostly straight out of the box or older bits I got at train shows from the bargin bins. They look just right but I have a question. Do you manage to run without touching them much? I have a few detailed pieces but I either put them all away or tied them up in the yard before because just coupling/uncoupling tended to knock bits off. I admit also I am sometimes clumsy.

Taking pics of my layout as it goes along is helpful. After looking at the new building pictures, I realized the end and side windows on the base don’t line up. I will correct that before I add the roof and other parts but I will need to determine the best way to do it without destroying the building. Back to the drawing board on that one.

9

YES! And I’m planning to stick a 0402 in your eye!![bow][bow]

Mel

My Model Railroad

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

10

I did touch my train cars quite a bit when I was running my layouts.

I swapped out the freight cars in the yard between sessions. This rotated my rolling stock on the layout. This was also a big part of the decision that my final layout would include a carfloat. It seems more OK for the freight cars to swap out on a car float between operating sessions.

I keep the more fragile freight cars on the layout. All my boxcars can be picked up by gripping the doors. Brass tank cars will be OK, but Kadee tank cars cannot be touched at all. I also use metal grab irons and A-Line stirrups as much as practical.

I use Kadee’s magnetic hands-off coupling/uncoupling system.

Yes, things still get broken.

-Kevin

11

Jimmy, thanks for opening the WPF with your paint and decal project update.

GMTR, Wish I had the option of not handling the rolling stock on my switching layout, so it is that the laying on of the hands has become a study in patients, judiciousness and a delicate touch. I try to be selective in keeping the more fragile cars on the rails. As an aid to handling, but at the expense of storage space my small fiddle-yard has open area and wide track centers. Whether at the work bench or the layout I often remind myself; ‘Think before you act.’ Still, like Kevin says; there’s gonna’ be boo-boos. Btw, nice industrial look to your yard and structures shot.

Still got bulkhead flat fever. A previous victim of my weathering experiments this old MDC Roundhouse model has been recently spruced-up, or should I say down, also added stirrup steps, end platforms and cut-bars.

Thanks to all the contributors and viewers, have a good weekend and regards, Peter

12

Peter,

Congratulations on having your Fishbowl Bus scene chosen for the Rapido advertisements!

[bow] [bow] [bow] [bow] [bow]

Regards, Ed

13

Peter: As always, your scene is great… and another congratulations for the Rapido advertisement.

-Kevin

14

Jimmy - Thanks for starting WPF this week.

J.R. - A good looking building.

Rick - Good looking cars a susual. Nice scene with the DT&I Train.

Mel - TINY! Beyond me.

Garry - Grate photos. Love the West India Fruit and Steamship Co. car. Not something you see every day. Thanks for sharing.

Kevin - A couple of nice cars.

Bear - Good one. We need the levity.

Mel - Bravo.

Peter - Another one?

Its quiet on the BRVRR front. Started to install a new lighting buss. Boring. I’m going to have to draw out the circuit before I cut anymore wire or drill holes.

Something from the archives. Old Berea/Black River Station from 2012.

Keep the photos and ideas coming guys. Thanks to you WPF is always the best thread of the week.

15

Lots of inspiration again. I pried the new backround building apart last night and altered the offending sidewall to line up the windows. I added cast concrete style corners in place if the brick cornerpieces and I think it looks better. Still need the roof and some details plus lighting.2nd try by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr

16

I enjoyed all the modelling, ideas and photos again this weekend.

I completed some repair to one of my LifeLike Proto 2000 E6s. Cracked gear noise had been evident for some time but my priorities were elsewhere. Today I completed replacing the wheelsets with the correct (11 tooth) Walthers replacements for the early E units. As I described in a separate post, when I changed the original QSI decoder to LokSound Select (for the dual motor sounds and other reasons) I had wired everything with minimal leads, which made it rough to get the weight high enough to access the truck clips and to oil the motor bearings. Today I simply added a longer truck wire system on each side to allow future maintenance. The extra wires simply folds away under some tape.

Anyway, #994 is back in service. I now realize how annoying the noisy operation had been, wishing I had attacked this annoyance earlier.

20200517_155855 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

20200517_191222 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

17

I thought I would squeeze this one in. This is the radiator for my HO Peterbilt with four 0603 LEDs headlights

This was a 6 hour job today. This is the first time I didn’t ding any of the tiny LEDs. It’s also the first time I have glued the 0603s in before soldering the wires on them.

I finished the cab with the amber clearance lights yesterday. Next is painting the cab then reassembly.

Mel

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

18

Thanks Ed and Kevin, It’s been a thrilling experience having my city bus scene come to Jason’s attention via the MRR forum and then onto Rapido’s website and newsletter. But now my head needs deflating.

GMTR, Nice fix lining up the windows, amazing how just a little off line or out of perpendicular catches the eye in our modeling efforts.

Mel, Looking forward to seeing that Peterbuilt on a darkened road, can’t quite put my finger on why Peterbuilts have always been my favorite tractor.

Hoping everyone has a good remainder of the weekend, regards, Peter

19

Peter

Me too. It will have to be on my bench. My new vehicles are 12 volt input and my layout is 1.3 volts. I’m working on a diorama for taking pictures and it will have both 1.3 volt sockets (incandescent) and 12 volt sockets (LED). I’ve had all kinds of delays on my diorama but yesterday I received the material I need to finish the road so maybe next weekend.

Mel

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

20

Allan: I love the Atlas railway station model. I have a scene planned for my layout that will include the Atlas Passenger Station, AHM Ramsey Journal Building, and the Tyco Ma’s Place Restaurant. Three iconic models from my childhood.

Paul: I really like your passenger station scene also.

Mel: Your work on the headlights for the Peterbilt 379 (maybe a 359) is simply insane. I am amazed.

Peter: Just a side note… there is not a “U” in Peterbilt. It is a very commonly mispelled brand, like Volkswagen. Everybody loves Peterbilt 359/379/389 tractors. Those big semi-circular fenders and grille mounted headlights are iconic, as is the V shaped windshield. That massive four slot square chrome grille can be spotted easily in a crowd. Really, it is the Harley-Davison Heritage Softail of highway tractors.

A classic in red and white.

-Kevin