Weekend Update 10/21/12

[wm3798]

Stunning work, Mark.  The snow scene rocks.

[Lucas in Alaska]

Hey all,

 I have been a member since 2005 and I love reading this forum. I have never posted photos in the weekend update. Unfortunately, I am not even modeling at the moment but this winter that will change and I hope to become an A$$hat.

I am following up on a reply I put on ZOX's post last week of Iroquois Junction between Donovan and Iroquois IL. The photos are of the most unique bridge I have ever seen. It was originally built to be a double track bridge but only one track was built. I wanted to model this bridge true to scale but the bridge portion is around 550' long and to model the whole junction with the bridge is like 1470' from the bridge abutment to the switch on the west side of the junction.  The photos are from the south looking north.

I hope you enjoy.


IMG_5295 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5428 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5330 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5331 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5332 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5337 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


IMG_5339 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr

[RockGp40]

Look at all of the soybean meal being moved! Great shots Lucas.

[Lucas in Alaska]

Look at all of the soybean meal being moved!

Rock, Thanks for the compliment.

The KBS stores railcars so these are all empties waiting to be used.

[chuck geiger]

LUCAS IN ALASKA - What up, I am in the same boat, been an active N modeler and
guest star a$$hat. I am in Wasilla, Dave Schneider is in Anchorage. I am not modeling
at this time.

[up1950s]

Every time I see that bridge in photos I am mesmerized . It would be nice to see how it changed over time , and when .

[Lucas in Alaska]

Chuck,

 I have been wanting to contact you for a while but I just haven't gotten around to it. I love your website it has some great photos. 

I'm not sure if I have met Dave or not. I may have met him at one of Jerry V. operating sessions but I can't tell you for sure. It's been a few years since I operated at Jerry's.

[Ike the BN Freak]

LUCAS IN ALASKA - What up, I am in the same boat, been an active N modeler and
guest star a$$hat. I am in Wasilla, Dave Schneider is in Anchorage. I am not modeling
at this time.

Do any of you guys know Jerry VanThomme or Pete Mejia?  Jerry has a layout in his garage, think he lives in West Anchorage, models the "Washington Belt" fictional line that took over BN's former NP line from Seattle to Spokane.  I used to live on Elmendorf when I was a youngin'...well younger.

I know a few modelers in the valley and in Anchorage itself.  I need to get me a long TDY to Elmendorf...or just move back up there.

Marty Quaas used to do a newsletter, but heard its on hold, here is the site he maintains, http://alaskamodelrrnews.homestead.com/

[chuck geiger]

Been talking to Dave, perhaps we can help him with his Beer Line. I volunteered to
be on his crew. Love that road. Cramped industrial Milwaukee traffic. Where are you
at Lucas? - Thanks for the pimp on the blog. Just got a new camera and going to
really get into photographing the ARR. I am on hold building the ARR APU spur at this point. I basically
a$$hat up on here to see what guys are doing and drool. Now who is Jerry? - I talked
to the guy out in Knik, he models UP/ATSF in San Bernardino. Marty, yes, he is awesome.
He is trying to get a club going here with his layout.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Jerry is the guy on the blog with the N scale Washington Belt.

[Zox]

I am following up on a reply I put on ZOX's post last week of Iroquois Junction between Donovan and Iroquois IL.

Lucas, those are great pictures--far better than any of the ones I've taken. If I ever do take the plunge and try to build that bridge, I'll be using your shots for reference... 

[peteski]

Great work everybody.
The vineyard looks awesome!  Reminds me of that finely detailed scenery in the other thread about German finescale.

Mark, you did a great weathering job on those hoppers which must have taken some time to do, but . . . for goodness sakes, take a brush with some grimy black paint and paint all those damn bright copper uncoupling pins!!  They bug the heck out of me on those fine models! 

If you do  this in an assembly-line fashion, it shouldn't take more an hour of work. 

See what I mean?

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Mark, you did a great weathering job on those hoppers which must have taken some time to do, but . . . for goodness sakes, take a brush with some grimy black paint and paint all those damn bright copper uncoupling pins!!  They bug the heck out of me on those fine models! 

The Voice of Experience says:
I strongly suggest NeoLube for the trip pins (after you cut them down a bit, because, really, why need all that trip?).
Stains them just fine while helping the couplers work, instead of taking the risk that the paint wicks up into them and gums 'em up.
Just sayin'.

[ednadolski]

That's quite an array of some fabulous work!  In particular, the snow scene and the UP 819 are jaw-droppers, and that vineyard belongs on a calendar!

I've been working out this revised design for an N scale coupler pocket that uses the Full Throttle Z scale couplers.   I've posed the details here in Gary's coupler pocket thread



Ed

[daniel_leavitt2000]

So Lee posted his vacation photos, I thought I would torture you with mine as well. I will try and keep it train related.

We had four stops in Malaysia: Genting Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Malacca. Access to Genting, a casino on top of a 6000 foot mountain, is by cable car:


Genting, like most casinos is arranged in a dizzying maze. Even on top of a mountain, it was almost impossible to find access to the outside. In fact almost everything lacks outside windows save for the hotel rooms. It took me hours to find a passage way outside:


And I found a garden in the clouds:


I have to say, after several visits to Thailand, Maylasia was a bit of a let down. Few museums, everything was comercial and little oppertunity for photos. Malacca, in the south was by far the most colorful:


Singapore was next. Its a great vacation city and we had lots of fun. I won't bore you with photos.

Back to Thailand. We took a ride to the river Kwai:




Oh, people AND trains have to share the bridge!


Finally, I will close with the single hardest photo I have ever taken. Joy, her mom and I took an elephant ride along the river. Joy wanted a photo on the Pachyderm. Ever ride on an elephant? Its not a horse. The animal waddles and lunges instead of walks. So I'm sitting on a bobbing platform 12 feet off the ground holding an umbrella and my camera. I almost fell over backwards. Not a good photo, but I'm proud of it.