Weekend Update 2008/09/07

[wm3798]

Okay, so where is every body?  I mucked out under the layout... not very photogenic, but I did find another Conrail relic from my old collection to throw into my Ed box...  Whats new witchoo?

Lee

[Puddington]

Took some time and ran some Canadian Pacific passenger stuff I'd finished recently...........



"Dale class" 10-5 sleeper - "Cloverdale"



"N" class 12-1 sleeper "Nipigon"

[Bob Bufkin]

Finally finished decaling 3 Waltehrs 10-6 cars.  Also finished decaling and replacing trucks and couplers on a B60b baggage car.  Test ran my new Kato 2-8-2.  As everyone says - runs trully great.

[DKS]

It has been pretty quiet around here, hasn't it?

I finished up a modified crossing shanty kit...



...got started on a grade crossing...



...and began planting trees...

[nscalesteve]

(same engine as last week I know but revised...)

after the INRD SD9043MAC was "finished" I got an eMail with new pictures which did show that the anti-skid patches on the roof are black - a reason for me to update the model as well...





and here a picture for all the grabirons counter amongst us...


(still w/o the black patches)

[atsf_arizona]

*Great* shots, everybody.

This week, I got a few shots of an August 30, 2008 visit to Kato Showroom in Tokyo, Japan:

The view from the street:



View of showroom:



View of N scale layout:



Display of past Kato N scale US prototype models:



Large scale trolleys (from personal collection of Yuji Kato?)



Roundhouse diorama in N scale:



Funky Kato "Pocket N" from a long time ago:



N scale Japanese prototypes for sale in the hobby shop - yes, this is how big
the Kato line is for for the Japan market!



Kato-logo'd Digitrax Zephyr and Woodland Scenics:





Old Japanese streetcar outside the Kato Hobby Center Showroom Tokyo:



You can see more at:

http://www.pbase.com/http://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/kato_showroom_tokyo&page=all

Have a good week. 

[dougnelson]

I have been working on a coal train for a while.  I have about 28 Bowser hoppers (mostly GLa's and a few H21's).  I have also added a few Atlas Cambria & Indiana hoppers.  All cars are weathered.  Couplers have been body mounted for closer coupling, and the coal loads have been replaced with Fine N and Hay Bros.  PRR coal trains in the 1950s often had a variety of hoppers of different sizes and from different owners mixed together in the same train.

[qantaqa]

Cleaning, organizing, planning, and this:



still on step 2ish... about 40 hours into the kit

And this:


still trying to figure out a way to place the tieplates... the paper template is too thick: the tieplates are 0.0035" and the paper is 0.0045" thick... thought about transferring the template to a thin sheet of shim stock (any advice Tom? David? Other excellent modellers? Someone suggested beeswax on a piece of phosphor wire to place, as even the splinter pliers from micromark are difficult to hold them with)

Cheers

John

[ryourstone]

Nothing pretty, but first time foaming in a few years. Looks simple, but only the track area is level. Everything else gradually slopes down towards the river. Behind where I took this picture, the floor is covered in about a half inch of foam dust from all the sawing!

Anyone with Morning Sun's "Hudson to Horseshoe", compare to the photo on page 31 to see what I'm aiming for.

[GaryHinshaw]

I've been pretty busy getting some generic cars ready for manifest service.  For me this means MT trucks/couplers (if not already so-equipped), FVM wheels, lowering ride height (if it's easy to do), and misc. details like etched coupler platforms.  After that it's some workaday weathering and they're off.   
First some tankers (Atlas/Atlas/Athearn):



Some generic covered hoppers (Intermountain/Atlas):


(the roofwalks on these new Atlas 5700 hoppers are phenomenal). 
Next I've been experimenting with some fading using Liquitex "Mixing White" acrylic tube paint, blended with Miscroscale Flat finish, thinned with windshield washer fluid, and applied with an airbrush at low pressure.  The key here is that this white color has a zinc-based pigment rather than titanium, which gives it a semi-transparent finish.  I'm sure this idea is not new to many of you, but it was to me.  Anyway, here are a couple of container experiments (faded ones on top...) that still need grime & rust treatments:


By the way, the door hardware was highlighted with silver & black Sharpies - a tip I picked up from James Costello.  It really makes the doors pop!
Finally, I got the nerve up to start tackling a (pricey) Red Caboose auto-rack.  Here is a preview of the fade treatment (on the right...) on a Rio Grande unit:

More to do on this one still.  Does anyone know if any of these Rio Grande racks are still in service?
Cheers,
Gary

[Sokramiketes]

Wow, Gary.  Everything is right about that fading. Too often the technique looks like white paint sprayed as an overcoat... but you must be on to something good with a zinc-based white. 

[Ian MacMillan]

I like that dulling coat as well Gary.


Not too much from me as I have been spending a lot of time rebuilding the A car getting it ready for a new cab.

Just some basic scenery started in a section of the layout, and decided to mock up some trees and buildings to see how it would look.

[Bob Bufkin]

Why is it that everytime I see those NYK containers, I think of the Three Stooges?

[rswinnerton]

In order to escape the impending hurricane, The CRHS gang and I went to Buffalo to do a train show at the Buffalo Central Terminal. The terminal is in the process of being restored. Here are a couple photos:

Train Concourse sign:

The concourse is closed off and the bridge over the tracks removed so that CSX can get double stacks to Canada w/out fooling around in Buffalo


Our booth was right in front of the old Telephone banks.

As you can see in this photo, a lot of the Terminal is falling apart due to neglect since Amtrak and Conrail moved out. There is a preservation group working to restore it though


Here's an overall shot of the show


Here's a disturbing image..  These guys are INTENSE!


After seeing those dudes, we decided that we had to go and check out the local rail scene. We found lots of stuff, but perhaps nothing more interesting than a PC boxcar in full PC paint!
Here's GonzoCRfan taking some pics. (I was guarding the car)


Then it was over to Frontier Yard for some train races. CRHS President Kris is on the left


We also ran into an ex-Conrail MT6 slug


As we were running around some abandoned grain elevators and stuff, we saw this CSX crew switching:




A little more exploring found an old Alco doing it's thing in a grain elevator!




And that wasn't the only critter we found...


(Also got something for Tom Mann... Some Soo Line goodness...)


The next morning (after the stay in our 1-star hotel...ugh...)
Found a GP30 working in the yard


Then we got a stack train motoring out of town. Those CSX crews sure do like horsepower. All these units are online and pulling and it was a very short train....


Ofcourse, no trip to Buffalo would be complete without downing some of their famous wings (Although these were eaten in Rochester)


It was a good time and we have to get back to Buffalo!
Russ

[Ed Kapuscinski]

1-star? I have a feeling there's a good story there...