TheRailwire
General Discussion => N and Z Scales => Topic started by: wm3798 on December 02, 2007, 03:17:54 PM
-
I finished installing a decoder for Bufkin, then spent the afternoon test driving his RS-1. This one was a bear. The shell is pinch narrower than the DZ-123 board, and with the flywheels in there, there ain't a lot of room to cut. But we got it. I had to do the remove the inner bearing block trick to compensate for the motor being pinched a bit, but it runs smooth and quiet, and actually pulls surprisingly well for there being very little frame inside there.
(http://www.wmrywesternlines.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/Bufkin_PRR_002.jpg)
(http://www.wmrywesternlines.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/Bufkin_PRR_003.jpg)
(http://www.wmrywesternlines.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/Bufkin_PRR_013.jpg)
(http://www.wmrywesternlines.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/Bufkin_PRR_015.jpg)
(http://www.wmrywesternlines.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/Bufkin_PRR_016.jpg)
So what's up down your way?
Lee
-
I decided to sit down with a few structures and try to actually do something. I started with a few Walthers Cornerstone kits to come up with a representation of the General Mills plant in Vernon, CA. Its coming along, and it helps to itemize deficiencies before beginning a kit to realize what you have to live with and what you can change. Everything then goes much smoother.
-
Working on kitbashing a PRR M1...
(http://lh5.google.com/vollmerdp/R1LxdTCh_1I/AAAAAAAAI9Y/QP99wMSnFBM/s800/IM000286.JPG)
-
I'm @ the office. :-\
-
I updated my fire department by bashing a hook and ladder and a pumper to replace and English Dennis firetruck and a white metal American type which is much too small for N scale. The ladder truck tractor uses the frame and hood of an English flat bed, build up with styrene and junk box bits. The tiller is scratch-built with ladders saved in the same box! The pumper used to be a semi tractor.... frame lengthened and styrene body added, etc. To keep the illusion credible, I added an extension to my LifeLike firehouse.
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/FireTruck02.JPG)
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/FD01.JPG)
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/FD02.JPG)
Dick
-
Damn fine to have Dave in the house, he is The Reid Brother of PRR modeling. His layout is the bomb. Oh - I cleaned track this weekend. Read the new MR which is pretty good. The Troy shelf layout MRR staff is building is OK. Not as nice as Lance's Vodoo Chile layout. MR staff just uses all the free stuff they get and there isn't much imagination in the scenery. Put Ed is there with his winter modeling. It's a shame they don't step out of the box.
-
Nothing new to show .. been working on the paper mill module to make it "museum quality" .. whatever that is .. for the B&O show setup next week.
Also writing employee appraisals .. yuck ..
-
Also writing employee appraisals .. yuck ..
That's the part of my job I hate the most ... :-X
-
Message deleted
-
Been working on a Jim Stillman Skytop car. Mostly cleaning up flash so far. But I found out there are no decals available so I spent last night drawing everything I needed. Now I need to decide if I should etch the SS band that goes on the end or just make a decal.
(http://lh6.google.com/wcfn100/R1NFRScdwlI/AAAAAAAAA6k/jA_BrWmga_g/s400/skytop1.jpg)
(http://lh4.google.com/wcfn100/R1NF4ycdwmI/AAAAAAAAA7E/2tDR_-mm2Lk/s288/Cedar%20Rapids%20artwork.jpg)
Jason
-
Jason that's a very interesting looking car. Is that a resin kit or something you made? A pointer to a bit of proto info would be nice too ;) (Nothing long and ultra detailed, more like a paragraph or 3 overview would be great)
-
First link will be to http://www.nscaleskytops.com/ (http://www.nscaleskytops.com/), he's the man who did the resin casting. It's up to the user to clean up the casting (open up the windows and get the rest of the flash) and add the details.
For some prototype info you can go here: http://www.trainweb.org/hiawatha/skytops.html (http://www.trainweb.org/hiawatha/skytops.html).
This car is part of the "Rapids" series.
Jason
-
Aside from the Skytop car....
My disappointment in the Wheels of Time RI car has started another project, RI commuter cars.
This project will have to wait until after x-mas or until I get the Skytop done.
(http://lh3.google.com/wcfn100/R1NIxicdwnI/AAAAAAAAA7k/T9Y70zhJxjU/s400/RIcommuter.JPG)
(http://lh5.google.com/wcfn100/R1NJBCcdwpI/AAAAAAAAA74/Lk2xsT2MfuE/s400/car%20decorative_sm.jpg)
Jason
-
A hot Santa Fe pig train:
(http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_3/GP60m ca DSC02566.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_3/GP60m cb DSC02556.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_3/GP60m cc DSC02563.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_3/GP60m cd DSC02559.JPG)
GP60Ms engineered by Jerry DeBene
Private ownership by William Cowie
Railfan photos by John Sing 2007
For more on these N scale custom painted locos, see:
http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=93573
Take care, all!
-
Went to the OKC show this weekend and got some good news for you SD45-2 hounds...
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/650/sd45-2c.jpg)
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/650/sd45-2a.jpg)
The rep said these are the first three roads to be released, and expect them "Q1 '08".
Other news...
-Digitrax had official data sheets on their new DZ125. Smaller than the Lenz Mini and with BackEMF.
-Intermountain of course had the flats and they looked incredible...freestanding wire grabs come standard. ETA late Jan/early Feb.
-Athearn F45's. Asked about ETA and the rep said Q1. She seemed a little startled at my next question... "What year?" (2008)
-Kato had their standard m.o. booth with nothing new to report although the super-e curves were nice.
-Atlas had a decidedly uninspired presence with nothing new to report and not even the painted version of the new track.
I purchased my first FVM freight car, a Cotton Belt 5283. ($11.20) It reenforced my contention that FVM is my new favorite mrr company. Other purchases... Walthers freight cars incl CNW PS2, Hill PD Cvd Hopper, and BN Coil car, and a pack of MT 1035's.
-
BTW, John, those are OUTSTANDING pics!
-
Message deleted
-
Also writing employee appraisals .. yuck ..
That's the part of my job I hate the most ... :-X
I refer to them as psychologigal abuse. At least in my company that is what they are. Supervisors prepare them subject to Higher management approval. So they end up being the product of upper management. They are always negative never positive. Employees are called in to "discuss" them. Some discussion. The very first time you see the evaluation you are presented with an evaluation typed in four copies. This is not a draft and nothing will be changed so what is there to discuss? I once received a rating of "good" in a particular area. The supervisor wrote that I do a "very good job..." I asked why then wasn't I rated as "very good" if I do a "very good job"? I was told point blank, "It doesn't work that way." Then you are told of every thing you did or did not do in the last two months. You could have saved the company from finacial ruin in March or April but what makes it to the evaluation is what occurred in September or October. Employees will get about a 2% raise and management will get 10-12%. Then when you retire they will tell you how much of an "important asset" you were to the company. I'd leave and go elsewhere but for two reasons, I'm too close to retirement and it is no better in any other company in this industry. After four decades of work in insurance I'm glad I had a hobby to keep me sane.
-
My grandson is getting the bug:
(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j28/chuckgeiger/DSC04819.jpg)
-
I purchased my first FVM freight car, a Cotton Belt 5283. ($11.20) It reenforced my contention that FVM is my new favorite mrr company.
I've yet to see one FVM box in person. :-[ One thing seems for sure though, if you snooze at all on these you lose (they seem to sell out really fast!).
-
Indeed. This vendor probably had two dozen, and all were gone within two hours.
-
Nothing new to show .. been working on the paper mill module to make it "museum quality" .. whatever that is .. for the B&O show setup next week.
Also writing employee appraisals .. yuck ..
You wouldn't want to post a picture of the paper mill you're referring to would you? I love me some paper mills!
-
This was it at the show in October
[img width= height=]http://lh5.google.com/acsxfan1/RxH84Ga_07I/AAAAAAAAB6Y/S6l74jqdiVg/s400/IMG_2297.jpg[/img] (http://picasaweb.google.com/acsxfan1/1Track/photo?authkey=03dr0d17l2s#5121152292023686066)
-
My grandson is getting the bug:
Indeed Chuck - he looks like he is mulling over some changes to the layout !!
I suppose that YOU are his transportation, as like a good grandson, he has Granddad providing him a 'bird's eye view'........ :)
What a Joy .......
-
(http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/511/00025.jpg)
I still need to add the doors, detail, and weather the thing.
-
My grandson is getting the bug:
(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j28/chuckgeiger/DSC04819.jpg)
Chuck, congrats on the cute grandson.
Got any pics of the layout in the background? :-)
-
John - I sent some to your email - Great website and the PEAVINE rocks. I spent sometime
when I was a teenager in Prescott and The Grand Canyon with my aunt and railfanned the
area.
-
I built a Canadian National Lounge-Observation car - the "Pacific"..... ::) It was used in the early 1970's to run behind CNR 6060- "Bullet Nosed Betty" and had a long and storied history on the Canadian National. It's my first attempt at scratchbuilt car sides and an observation end. I cribed an Atlas observation frame and kept the "b" end....
(http://www.ScaleRailsOnline.com/images/Galleries/puddington/96/pacific_compare.jpg)
Not 100% perfect by any means but I think I captured the flavour.....
(http://www.ScaleRailsOnline.com/images/Galleries/puddington/2559/Pacific_on_the_rear_rs.jpg)
This is the paint scheme they painted her in 1973 for her work with the 6060 - perfect for my era....
(http://www.ScaleRailsOnline.com/images/Galleries/puddington/2559/Pacific_rear_rs.jpg)
I hate the end diaphram, but they used her as the second last car ( the LW observation lounge "Burrard" was the marker car - and I've got her on the builders list too) so she had that stupid diaphram - leave it to CN to mess up a classic !
(http://www.ScaleRailsOnline.com/images/Galleries/puddington/2559/Pacific_end_rs.jpg)
"Pacific" was a learning experience - I've got the roof technique almost down and have learned how NOT to make sides; I "almost" know HOW to make them now.......
Hey; she passes the 3 foot rule so she can run on my pike anytime ! What's next ( as Jed Bartlet would say.....)