Weekend Update 8/11/13

[eja]

Sunday afternoon and still only one page for the weekend update?   Must be August. Have fun outdoors, everyone, winter is coming soon enough !   

[MichaelWinicki]

 A couple shots of the latest Atlas PS1 release...

[Roger Holmes]

Finally finished a Milwaukee Road GP9 rebuild that has been on the bench since April.



Digitrax 5 amp decoder, HO Tsunami soundboard, Kadee couplers and a home brew amplifier built by a friend.  OK it's not N but it has been keeping me busy for a few months.



I bought it as a total beater on eBay.  And yes it was accurately described.  The UP yellow faded to cream and it had at least a half cup of pine needles and a quarter cup of dead bugs. 





It was a total rebuild with every part removed, cleaned and repaired.  As mentioned above all of the electronics were stripped out and new LED lighting was installed that can be seen 1/2 block away.  So far this is the third outdoor season that I have restored a beater-- I love bringing these back from the dead.

 I'll have to start cruising the Bay for next year's project.

[bbussey]

Got a few minutes of modeling time and worked on a low-effort project - upgrading the detail of the Trainman 50' boxcar, specifically the Pennsy X45.  Replaced the plastic roofwalk with an X58 roofwalk and patched the roof holes, raised the body on the floor but lowered the model overall in relation to the rail top, swapped in metal wheels, added body-mounted MTL couplers and filled in the end clearance for truck-mounted coupler swing.  Still have to paint the modified parts, but the construction is done.

[MichaelWinicki]

Replaced the plastic roofwalk with an X58 roofwalk and patched the roof holes, raised the body on the floor but lowered the model overall in relation to the rail top,

Looks great Bryan!

How did you go about raising the body on the floor?

[Dave V]

I got to spend my 39th birthday riding the former Denver and Rio Grande Western San Juan Extension between Antonito, CO and Chama, NM.  Many folks don't know that long before I modeled PRR in N scale I modeled the Colorado narrow gauge in HOn3.  I'm very, very tempted to switch back!



K-36 2-8-2 number 487 did the honors for us.



Leaving the San Luis Valley we see scenery very similar to what you might have seen on the old Chili Line branch from Antonito to Santa Fe, NM.



Very quickly, though, altitude changes equate to vegetation changes as our K-36 works hard.  The ruling grade is still 1.46% east of Cumbres, however.  We are also swinging back and forth across the Colorado/New Mexico line.



Nearing Phantom Curve above Sublette but below Toltec...



Telltales for Rock Tunnel ahead...



Toltec Gorge:



Nearing Osier...



The eastbound behind sister K-36 number 489 at Osier...



The eastbound heads for Antonito after lunch at Osier while we continue west to Chama.



Tanglefoot Curve looking very model-railroad like.



The rooftop of North America.



Crossing Lobato Trestle.



K-27 number 463 sits at Chama restored to an early 1920s appearance.



Rotaries await the snows of winter at Chama.



Chama yard is full of narrow gauge win:



The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic is a fantastic experience and a real class act.

[bbussey]

Looks great Bryan!
How did you go about raising the body on the floor?

Styrene strip around the perimeter of the floor top so that it would rest lower against the shelf on the inside walls of the body.  Then, shaved the bolsters down to get the car at the correct height overall.  In hindsight, I probably could have swapped in BLMA A-3 or Atlas S-2 trucks.

[eric220]

Vollmer-

That looks like an awesome trip.

Many folks don't know that long before I modeled PRR in N scale I modeled the Colorado narrow gauge in HOn3.  I'm very, very tempted to switch back!

I knew that, and I was afraid of that. I'm telling you, if you want some connections in the area that might be able to help you scratch that itch without giving up the PRR or N, I know some people that know some people.

[VonRyan]

Vollmer-

That looks like an awesome trip.

I knew that, and I was afraid of that. I'm telling you, if you want some connections in the area that might be able to help you scratch that itch without giving up the PRR or N, I know some people that know some people.

That model the D&RGW in Nn3? 


-Cody F.

[Puddington]

I spent the weekend at the Annual Convention of CARM ( Canadian Association of Railway Modellers) in Port Hope, Ontario. I was invited to display both my 27 car Canadian Pacific Raiway "Dominion" and "Littl' Puddy", the car that went around the world.

Having never "shown" any of my models I did so witha great dea of trepidation; alas it was a great experience and I competely enjoyed the time with so many felow modellers and railfans....

(and I even got to be "Rapido Mike" as well...... )

[Dave V]

Got a few minutes of modeling time and worked on a low-effort project - upgrading the detail of the Trainman 50' boxcar, specifically the Pennsy X45.  Replaced the plastic roofwalk with an X58 roofwalk and patched the roof holes, raised the body on the floor but lowered the model overall in relation to the rail top, swapped in metal wheels, added body-mounted MTL couplers and filled in the end clearance for truck-mounted coupler swing.  Still have to paint the modified parts, but the construction is done.

Any chance those outstanding roofwalks will be available to the public?

Also, if you find the right match to that Atlas PRR paint please let me know!

[bbussey]

Any chance those outstanding roofwalks will be available to the public?

Also, if you find the right match to that Atlas PRR paint please let me know!

It was hard enough getting the underframes as separate items, but I'll see what I can do.  Probably too late for November but I might be able to get a separate parts batch done in early 2014.

The paint match is tough.  I was going explore the Tru-Color freight car reds to see if there is a match, though I suspect the Atlas PRR freight car red is unique and will have to be mixed.

[dnhouston]

I spent the weekend at the Annual Convention of CARM ( Canadian Association of Railway Modellers) in Port Hope, Ontario. I was invited to display both my 27 car Canadian Pacific Raiway "Dominion" and "Littl' Puddy", the car that went around the world.

Littl' Puddy at a train show .... Cool 

I've been working on a couple of bridge kits

[BCRail_FSJ]

Well this is excellent timing.  I too have been working on bridges.      My Beatton River bridge 'side project' is one span done, one almost there and a third still to come.

[Ike the BN Freak]

Anyone else notice Mike is wearing a CN shirt...more proof he is moving towards the ways of the wet noodle.  Even if he claims on facebook its a "company shirt" I still think its his true modeling passion.