Weekend Update 10/21/12

[up1950s]

 
UP 819 progress , I added some electric lines to the smokebox and I think it's off to paint . No working headlite on this do to the fact that the boiler is very light in the front even though I Looned it to death , even honeycombed the pilot with that tungston . In retrospect the removal of the upper chassis half , and adding more Loon would have been a better choice . But this is what it is and I need all the weight I have to compress the front truck spring . Done , not messin' just for a lite , too lazy , too many hours spent on it already .
 

 

[VonRyan]

Well, as of yesterday i watched the 36min VHS of the Gorre & Daphited, plus i've been reading alot of pre 1993 issues of Model Railroader as i was given 50% of the culmination from an estate a friend is handling. The other 50% went to another club member, which i'm friends with and we happen to be of the same age. Luckily we did not have to come to Fisticuffs since i was holding my briefcase containing all 5 of my DCC equipped locomotives when we divied up the binders, creating two sets both with chronological spans of about 12 years each.
Hopefully if all goes well at the Stratford (NJ) Yellin-School show tomorrow, i'll have liquidated some under-used stock and perhaps have turned the cash into stuff with a greater use.

Untill Tomorrow,

-Cody F.

[LIRR]

A pair of switchers waits to swap cars with Extra 974, with an RS11 on the point, as an ALCO C628 leads a coal drag through Astoria, Kentucky in June 1973.

[wazzou]

Sticking with the structure theme for me...

[Cajonpassfan]

Dang, nice work Bryan!
Oot K.

[sirenwerks]

Bryan,

Nice work, especially the broken siding with framing showing through.

[wm3798]

Went out to Green Ridge State Forest in Western Maryland last weekend and enjoyed soaking up the views...

WM first crossing, just west of Orleans


WM second crossing, viewed from the C&O Canal


First bridge you see is WM 4th crossing, and further back is the B&O Magnolia Cutoff, still used by CSX.


West portal, Stickpile Tunnel.  941' long.


Looks like someone's been "borrowing" some of the heavy timbers of the tunnel liner... It turns out our camp site was darn near on top of the tunnel.


Also rode some of the Great Allegheny Passage, here at Helmstetter's Curve.  That's the new barn that replaced the 1870s era one that burned down a couple years ago.


View from the WMSR and bike trail.  It took about 45 minutes to ride 5 miles up hill, and about 18 to ride back down.  Later we studied the track charts, we maxed out at about 2% on some sections, but mostly it was about 1.5%.  Not a cake walk, but not too difficult, either.


We rode it on a Monday, so we were undisturbed by unseemly steam locomotives...


Our trip down the Paw Paw old line discovered this relic, a concrete stairway between the old line and new.


Of course, you can't wander the B&O without your B&O sweatshirt.


With low light and no hope of getting a good shot, I give you the only fruits of the expedition.  There were several more trains, including the Capitol Limited with Super Liners, but we were busying ourselves changing a flat tire on the truck.  Note to self:  Next time you go off-roading, make sure the truck has tread on the tires... even just a little bit.


A pleasant time was had by all.

Lee

[LIRR]

Wazz, the shed roof looks great.what did you use?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Lee, that looks like an awesome trip. I wish I could have time for something like that.

[wm3798]

If I've learned anything in my life, it's that you have to MAKE time for something like that.
We drove about 4 hours from home, found ourselves deliciously outside of cell service, and just enjoyed the surroundings, a little off-roading, and some bicycling.  We both put off a bunch of work that should have been done, but came back ready to get back into the grind.  It was definitely worth it.
Lee

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Bryan: great scratch!
Love the detail and the various textures over the model.

I finally finished planting Lush Vineyard my Free-moN "Shoo-fly in Sonoma" module:
 










That's 182 individually made & planted vines.
 At about 3 hours per batch of 40 vines, it was a bit laborious, but the end result is worth it.
 Especially as this is a Free-moN module, and both sides are the "front" and close to the viewer.
 
If I ever make a vineyard again, I'm puttin' towards the back of the layout and just detailing the first row or two and fakin' the rest.
 Still, I think it turned out alright, and, with the oaks, definitely says "Sonoma, California".
 
Now just got to finish the bridge-building scene and this module is d-o-n-e!
 Thanks for looking.

[up1950s]

That vineyard is awesome , love it .

[mark dance]

I love the vineyard MC...unique and beautifully executed.

This week I weathered the cars for the loaded and MT ore trains...55 hoppers in all so mass production was the way to go.











Have a great weekend everyone! Next week I am off to the Northern Rails operating meet in Edmonton which I am really looking forward to...4 op sessions and a layout visit in 2.5 days!

md

[wazzou]

Wazz, the shed roof looks great.what did you use?

Thanks, the building actually started as a kit, Showcase Miniatures #108 Freight and Packing Structure.
I usually look for ways to alter almost any kit I build and this one is pretty heavily modified. 
I covered the open loading dock area with distressed styrene posts and paired trusses also made from styrene. 
I usually build a jig after constructing the first truss.  It's important that they are all the same.
The roofing on the open shed area is comprised of individually cut panels of corrugated roofing from Builders in Scale.  The Warehouse 3 tab roofing is kit supplied and heavily weathered.  I covered the small dock on the other end with corrugated metal also. 
All of the loading platform areas at each end were beefed up with horizontal support and vertical bracing made from styrene also.

[Scottl]

Nice work weathering your rolling stock Mark.  You have introduced some nice variety.   I still really love that snow scene.