G scale Rio Grande Southern Engineering Report

[Dave V]

Very much so.  But...  I've seen some very creative folks turn it into a near-perfect RGS T-19.

We shall see where this new vector takes me!  In the meantime, I'm painting/weathering the rolling stock to look more prototypical.  My LGB gon just got a shot of Rust-Oleum Camouflage Tan on the interior.  It's a gray-tan that's almost a dead-match for the unpainted, weathered interior of a typical D&RGW high-side gon.

[pjm20]

If you want to start bashing Bachmann stuff into prototypically accurate models it is worth to see how Kevin Strong does it for his Tuscarora Railroad (heavy EBT influence): http://tuscarorarailroad.blogspot.com/

[Dave V]

Weathered an LGB D&RGW high-side gondola...  Most of these cars were used for hauling anthracite coal from the mines near Crested Butte to a rotary dumper at Salida for the switch to standard gauge.  Yep, that's right!  The area around Crested Butte, Colorado has the nation's largest anthracite seam outside of Pennsylvania.  However, there were also a number of bituminous coal mines along the RGS, mostly near Durango.  They were also used in company coal service for the RGS.





The inside of these cars seem most commonly to have been left unpainted, so I added a little Rust-Oleum Camouflage Tan and some coal bits.



I painted the grabs, truss rods, wheel faces, and queen posts with burnt umber to match the car body color.  The weathering is mainly chalks and Dullcoat.



A significant snow event started today, but before things got bad I had some fun outside.  G scale is meant for outdoors, but it's not immune to ice on the rails!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If you want to start bashing Bachmann stuff into prototypically accurate models it is worth to see how Kevin Strong does it for his Tuscarora Railroad (heavy EBT influence): http://tuscarorarailroad.blogspot.com/

Holy crap, that site (and the work behind it) is awesome.

[Dave V]

Yes, I've referenced it many times.  Kevin Strong lives just up the road in Denver.

[glakedylan]

really superb work! yes a Garden Railroad kind of weekend, for certain.

sincerely
Gary

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Weathered an LGB D&RGW high-side gondola...  Most of these cars were used for hauling anthracite coal from the mines near Crested Butte to a rotary dumper at Salida for the switch to standard gauge.  Yep, that's right!  The area around Crested Butte, Colorado has the nation's largest anthracite seam outside of Pennsylvania.  However, there were also a number of bituminous coal mines along the RGS, mostly near Durango.  They were also used in company coal service for the RGS.





The inside of these cars seem most commonly to have been left unpainted, so I added a little Rust-Oleum Camouflage Tan and some coal bits.



I painted the grabs, truss rods, wheel faces, and queen posts with burnt umber to match the car body color.  The weathering is mainly chalks and Dullcoat.



A significant snow event started today, but before things got bad I had some fun outside.  G scale is meant for outdoors, but it's not immune to ice on the rails!

Looking great but your snow looks a little fake 

[Dave V]

New G scale eBay find...a *proper* Rio Grande Southern short caboose!  It's a long-out-of-production Model Die Casting version of the D&RGW narrow gauge short caboose design.  It will need new couplers and a hint of weathering.



For comparison, here's the prototype class:



0409 didn't retain the square marker lamp on the cupola shown above.  It did, however, have a single-window cupola:

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/75429

So, apparently my model is a bit of a hybrid.  No worries; it still looks right to me!

[Chris333]

It needs lowered 

I might have drawings of that somewhere.

[Dave V]

It needs lowered 

Actually, it's on the small end of the G spectrum scale-wise, so I fear if I lower it, it'll look too small.

[Scottl]

The lettering seems out of place.  Did they do that paint job multiple times?

[Dave V]

The lettering seems out of place.  Did they do that paint job multiple times?

I noted that too...  Usually the short cabeese got the sunrise herald below the windows, not between them.  Number 0402 did have its herald raised to between the windows sometime in the 40s:

http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/AMS/AM33015A-s.jpg (I know it's a model but I have tons of RGS books that show the prototype this way.)

Many of them had some combination of just plain lettering on the letterboard with no herald at various points in their life.  The RGS seemed to be determined to avoid establishing a standard for their paint.

Sadly, the only G scale sunrise decals available if I want to correct this are the locomotive ones by San Juan Decals.

Honestly, since it's being pulled by a Baldwin ET&WNC-style locomotive versus the Schenectady T-19s the RGS owned, I'm not sweating over the herald being too high.   

[Scottl]

I don't think it is a big deal.  I know RGS was not one to be careful about lettering, so it fits right in.  Nice unit!

[Dave V]

I weathered my foobie "RGS T-19" finally!



I also removed that unprototypical striping around the cab window:



Primarily done with airbrush.

[mcjaco]

Plans on changing out the couplers?  I've never understood G or 1/32 scales oversized couplers, or the hook and loop as being factory installed.