Weekend Update 8/31/14

[dsumner]

Abandoned line in progress on display module

[nkalanaga]

Jeff:  Your NS unit looks better than some of them I've seen around Kenova.  Did you see the one on page 6 of the October Trains?  I don't even know what model the thing is.  It looks like an SD40-2 with an SD45 radiator section, used to be BN, and has an odd logo at the rear end that ISN'T anything I recognize, all faded out, with patches in random places.  UGLY!

Anyone:  Is NS really that short of locomotives?

Bill:  I agree on the Rowa cars.  Personally I'd rate them as better than the newer Con-Cor cars.  If the molds still exist someone ought to bring them back. 

[C855B]

... Anyone:  Is NS really that short of locomotives?

EVERYBODY is short of locomotives! And they are stealing each others' power like crazy, figuring "mañana" for resolving the horsepower-hours balance sheet. A locomotive on your readies is worth two that might be on an inbound. I was reading a stock market analyst's blog this evening that said he was bullish on especially UP because train traffic was booming in all sectors.

[nickelplate759]

Painted an old Rowa Coach. They are still nice models even by current standards.

Gorgeous!  Did you have to do anything to the roof to true it up? Mine have all gone wonky with age...

[nkalanaga]

Mike:  Interesting.  That might explain why they've had modern BNSF, UP, and CP power switching the coal docks along the Big Sandy.  Run-through power on stack trains I can understand, but using foreign units as switchers seems a little strange.  I even saw a FerroMex unit the other day.  So far no KCS, SOO, or MRL, but I have seen both BN and ATSF units, to go with the BNSF.

Many of the freights, including the coal trains, could easily be fodder for a "whose train is this?" game. 

[C855B]

..."whose train is this?" game.

Definitely. It's at the point here (Centralia, IL - NS, CN & BNSF) where you're equally likely to see all NS power on a CN train, or all UP on an NS train, or all BNSF on an NS train. Prior to this summer, that just didn't happen. Of course, lots of rainbow consists, too. Sometimes it's only knowing the daily movement patterns that you're able to discern who the train belongs to.

[railnerd]

Thanks to the start of College Football, I finally got into an "assembly line" mode building turnouts. These will be installed in the Christopher and Luchessa blocks on my friend's SP Coast layout.  I still have one more #12 to build, but it is getting too late. Still need to do a bit of clean-up, cut some gaps, and add thow-bars, too.

-Dave

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Jeff:  Your NS unit looks better than some of them I've seen around Kenova.  Did you see the one on page 6 of the October Trains?  I don't even know what model the thing is.  It looks like an SD40-2 with an SD45 radiator section, used to be BN, and has an odd logo at the rear end that ISN'T anything I recognize, all faded out, with patches in random places.  UGLY!

Anyone:  Is NS really that short of locomotives?

Bill:  I agree on the Rowa cars.  Personally I'd rate them as better than the newer Con-Cor cars.  If the molds still exist someone ought to bring them back.

I don't get Trains Mag do you know the road # so i can find the Loco online? That sounds like the kind of stuff i like to paint.

[skytop35]

Gorgeous!  Did you have to do anything to the roof to true it up? Mine have all gone wonky with age...

Luckily the roof was straight as an arrow on this one but I know what you mean.

[jmlaboda]

Jeff:  Your NS unit looks better than some of them I've seen around Kenova.  Did you see the one on page 6 of the October Trains?  I don't even know what model the thing is.  It looks like an SD40-2 with an SD45 radiator section, used to be BN, and has an odd logo at the rear end that ISN'T anything I recognize, all faded out, with patches in random places.  UGLY!

Sounds like BN's Liquified Natural Gas SD40-2...

http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=39707
http://rrpicturearchives.net/LocoPicture.aspx?id=5866
http://rrpicturearchives.net/LocoPicture.aspx?id=189705

Abandoned line in progress on display module

Scars and skeletons... scars (where all of the railroad hardware, ties, rail, and other metal have been removed) and skeletons (where part to all of the track is still in place, just railbanked or abandoned).

[arbomambo]

not much progress on layout secnery, but wiring is complete; power fed on both tracks every 3 feet so it's running strong and smooth.
tested a new camera for video while working on Intermountain ATSF Reefer kits at the workbench.

little video quickly done with moviemaker:

/>
How many Skytop Models' (Bill Denton) castings can you count in the "Fast Mail" here?
~Bruce

[ednadolski]

Thanks to the start of College Football, I finally got into an "assembly line" mode building turnouts. These will be installed in the Christopher and Luchessa blocks on my friend's SP Coast layout.  I still have one more #12 to build, but it is getting too late. Still need to do a bit of clean-up, cut some gaps, and add thow-bars, too.

Those long #12's look great.  To me that is one of the big plusses that N scale offers.   Looks like you're using the single-piece construction option for the point/closure rails, how is that working out?  Code 55 is relatively stiff rail, but the points on a #12 are pretty long so you should be able to get some decent flex out of those.

Side note, longer frogs can be more prone to wheel drop.  If you aren't planning to use pizza-cutter wheels, then you can fill the frog flangeways with metal putty paste to the reduce wheel drop at the frog.


Ed

[strummer]

not much progress on layout secnery, but wiring is complete; power fed on both tracks every 3 feet so it's running strong and smooth.
tested a new camera for video while working on Intermountain ATSF Reefer kits at the workbench.

little video quickly done with moviemaker:

/>
How many Skytop Models' (Bill Denton) castings can you count in the "Fast Mail" here?
~Bruce

I really like the "vintage" look of this film; is that due to the "moviemaker" you refer to?

Mark in Oregon

[Puddington]

I really didn't realize how much I missed working on my trains (what a dumb thing eh?) Pulled out a pair of old NP hoppers, a two bay that I lettered years ago and a stock Atlas Airslide... tried to "dull" the two bay a bit. They'll do.... (joked with Ed K that maybe I have a "lighter touch" with only three functioning fingers on the right hand... maybe not ! LOL)

[keeper]

Here is a small update of my snow plow....



Some details are waiting to be installed as well as the electrical work and I'm waiting for the decals but it's getting there.

Thomas