Here’s an opportunity to post photos, ANY photos of model work, layouts or general modeling scenes. All are welcome and all are encouraged to join-in!
Let’s see what’s in store for this weekend…
My continued progress on the Big Post Office building included the installation of lights, a couple of stairways and some roadway drainage pipes on the foundation.
Here’s a view of the Woodland Scenics street lamps. I was originally going to use the Walthers ones but these were LED, and I’m glad I did. I really like the “pools” of light that the LEDs cast!
It’s in the shadows but you can see one of the stairways I added. All scratch built from stuff out of the junk box. [:)] I’ll have to get a better photo of it soon.
Another view down-under. I’ll need lots of figures here to make the scene look busy. It really makes one want to explore the depths.
A brighter scene showing the street lights and the new “Employee Stairway” in the lower left. I painted it US Post Office blue & red, just for fun.
The stairway to and from the employee parking lot.
Great work with the street lamps and the stairway. They both look really good.
C&O:
Nice video of the coal train.
I’m working on lots of stuff but nothing photogenic. Here is an old photo of my F&C McKeen Motor Car. I bring it up again because one of our fellow modellers in Utah is currently working on a different and much rarer version of the McKeen car. I have helped him out with a couple of components. He is going to use 3D printing extensively including the shell. I hope I can persuade him to post his project on the forums.
Great work, Ed, Terry and Dave! It’s always inspirational to read, see, and hear others work.
With the great outdoors beckoning all warm and comfortable, if not always dry, I finished up the major work of getting the first version of the Telluride & Tincup operational by building the Chasm trestle this week.
Chasm is at the top of a 12% (briefly 13%) grade up Graveyard Hill, where dead critters from the yard - thanks, cats! - were formerly buried (don’t dig too deep!)
The “waterfall” is a piece of thick green glass that was a part of someone’s abandoned art project, with some concrete that will be painted white for best “splash” effect at its base (seen in first photo above after it was installed.) I plan to build up a “mountain” of rock for it to flow out of at a later date.
Seen under the framing is a bag of the Cherrystone #2 chicken grit I used for ballast for the first poart of track up to Chasm that is on the ground. Similar in looks to the famous C&NW “pink lady” ballast, it works great and looks good, although way too big for HO!
The Shay even got an addition to the crew, its “loafing” fireman (hey, it was all downhill at this point, so give the new guy a break.)
Ed, your post office scene is looking great. I love the “down under”, and can just imagine the area bustling with activity, workers, mail carts, etc.
Terry and Dave, great stuff!
Mike, your Tincup RR is taking shape! Dumb question, is it powered through the track? or is the loco powered with a battery? Wife wants something like this. I’m not all that far north of you, and it’s been wet, windy, and chilly here, glad your work gang is able to get stuff done.
Nothing real new from me. A couple of weeks ago, I took an Athearn BB 62’ tank car, and tried to up-date it a couple of decades.
I cut off the long running board on each side, add the anti-personal bar, and remodeled the dome area, added extra running board, and used Athearn hand rail and stanchions for the railing, and added ladders, from the scrap box. Just trying to make it fit a little more into my time period.
That’s it from me! Lets see what else is going on out there!
Ed, like your underground post office facility, reminds me of Tower City!
Mike L: Your outside railroad sure is nice, all you need is a track by a refrigerator to bring the beer out.
Dave, those McKeen cars are sure different but look like a sure conversation starter.
Mike M: Very good job on updating that 62’ Athearn Tank, looks a lot better than the orginal car.
Casey, another great picture of one of your masterpieces!
Nothing done this week, took my new Wabash Bluebird over to the club for its first run.
The Bluebird was one of the first dome trains that were built after WWII, it ran in daily service from St. Louis to Chicago in the morning with an evening return. It was paired with the Banner Blue (a heavyweight equipped train) which went in the opposite direction. The Bluebird lasted through the lease of the Wabash by the N&W and was finally annuled with the coming of Amtrack.
It’s deadrail, something I was looking forward to doing when I bought the beasta couple of decades back. Never had the big bucks for a commercial system, which ran in the $500+ range. There’s still no sound, but that will come in time. I built mine for about $100, inlcuding the controller.
I used a different cheap controller than in those notes, but any 6-channel box should give you what you need. A key component to help with lighting were the servo switches made originally to control LED lighting on drones that come from a vendor on Alibaba, long wait to get here, but worth it. The left joystick is my throtte, while the right one is for the headlight (side to side) and backup light (up and down). I assigned a couple of the top switches to turn the cab light and firebox/ashpan flicker on and off. This needs a tot
Mike L … Spring has sprung and G Scale is sprouting up !.. Nice !
Mike SE WI … Nice upgrade of the tank car.
Casey … Your shot of the RDG D-8 looks great.
Jimmy … Nice video of WLE 6310 exiting a tunnel.
Rick … I like the Bluebird.
Bear … I like the rural scene.
Below is some activity in Prarie View. There is a birthday party in the County Park. The rear of a passenger train incudes a Diner/Parlor car. Of course I have the dog and fire hyrant in common with many other layouts.
Great work, as always, from all of you so far! This is always my favorite thread every week. Keep the photos coming folks!
Ah… The weekend… For me that means I have to get all the planning finished to teach Railroading Merit Badge to 9 Scouts in a troop camping out at the Museum tomorrow and in a couple hours I will be sitting in a marathon session of interviews for Scholarship applicants… But, I actually did get a bit accomplished down cellar at my house where the SLO&W resides… Got the rest of the fascia boards cut and test fitted over the past few days. Looked like this a week ago:
Looked all over the area to find the old masonite baord that I have used for the fascia. Ended up buying some plastic crap that is used in tub surrounds. Got it home and carted down cellar and thought… This crap won’t work. Period. So I went on line and checked the local Lowes (Home cheapo, 84 Lumber, etc) site, and finally came across some 5mm furniture grade plywood for a reasonable price. It cost about 1/3rd what I paid for the sheet of plastic crap, and since I didn’t have my DIL’s car to pull the trailer decided to have Lowes make a couple cuts so I could fit it all into the Volt to get it home. They did 3 cuts at 15¢ each (Whoopie…). That also made the pieces much easier to handle and cut to final size on my table saw. Here is the first piece test fitted:
Finished, painted and installed:
Got the rest of the fascia cut and fitted in place too. Needs to be painted and have the turnout switches installed an
I have two batteries, both 14.8 volt 4s LiPo. One is 1100 mAh and the other is 1300 mAh. Since I don’t go round and round with it, I’m just going to guess several hours each. I use them intemittently over days at a time, so they may lose some due to just sitting, as LiPos are prone to do. My charger will “refuel” in about an hour or so. It’s very quick.
I have an odomoter function on the transmitter, so I can reset it next time I change batteries and get a better idea of battery life. Was just thinking about that today to start seeing what kind of “miles” I putting oin my loco for maintenance reasons.
Thanks to everyone for their kind comments. Be happy to continue answering what I can.
Nice work, Mike! I have had my eye on one of those G Shay’s but I’ve read mixed reaviews which has shyed me away from them. Well, that and the seller on the bay was pretty snarky answering a question.
Today is my birthday so maybe, just maybe, I’ll change my mind and pick one up. I sure don’t need it but it’s a Shay!
Interesting items, all. The examples are motivating for me as always.
Today I put together a couple of layout details that have been in a carton where the ones I decide I might like, and acquire, until the mood eventually develops to put it together. (The poor pickle car kit is just crying for attention.)
First is a Model Tech Studios building side trash incinerator.
Nex is a Builders In Scale stationary double boiler:
Nice work everybody. Here is the second Tichy Train Group tank car kit I just finished this morning. I also added some more decals on the first one. They both received the last protective coat and are ready to run.
