Weekend Update 2/22/15

[nkalanaga]

Puddington:  I like the covered hoppers, but wish someone would make the early 3-bay Center Flows, so we could have correct GN cars.  Since I've never seen a Canadian Center Flow, I won't ask you for them...

[milw156]

Made some more painting progress on A Milwaukee Road, Northwest Suburban Mass Transit District F40C from Shapeways. Safety stripes on the nose are up next, then lots of BLMA grabs and fans/grills, windows and lights. Have a Kato SD 40-2 frame modified to accept a Lok Sound decoder waiting for the decoder



Rick

[hegstad1]

I finished a model of an NP LCL (less than car load) reefer this week.  The NP rebuilt older refrigerator cars by closing off a 10' section of the car interior using one set of the reefer doors from the car sides.  This resulted in a fully insulated refrigerated compartment cooled by one of the existing bunkers.  The ice bunker at the other end of the car was removed and the ice hatches on the roof were sealed.  In the remainder of the car, the floor racks were removed and a new floor installed.  Boxcar doors were installed on the exterior. 

For the model,  I started with a resin NP reefer shell by Gegg Scott of GHQ and basically did the same modification the NP did on the prototype.  An interesting feature of these cars which is not really clear in the picture is they had both a fish-belly steel center sill and truss rods.  Michael Livingston made the decals. 

[chicken45]

My TRW Calendar says it's Tom Mann's birthday today! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

My TRW Calendar says it's Tom Mann's birthday today! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I think that last  was just overkill.

[SAH]

Thank you Otto.  I agree, but the wheels do not bother me.  If I were to tackle one improvement along such lines it would be to switch the couplers to Z-scale.  I experimented with doing so a few years back but have since fallen in with a bunch of guys who do ops sessions on a regular basis.  After trying to uncouple Z couplers under ops conditions I decided not going that route was a wise move.  As you state though, others MMV.  I like Mr. Dance's philosophy, or rather his philosophy as I understand it:  Operations in a realistic model environment.

And how about those pizza cutters on the PTLX LO?     Both of these models are shelf queens.  Don't fit the current layout time frame but I love 'em just the same.

Steve

Beautiful job on the caboose and the paint job, but if I may, those fat roller skate wheels really detract from an otherwise excellent model...YMMV
Respectfully, Otto K.

[SAH]

Thanks Scott.  Your EL work over the years has caused me to consider switching back to 70's EL more than once.  Just stop it now, will you.     I've also been studying your photo-etching article from RMC last year.  Now that I've had a taste of resin casting success I need to learn how to prepare artwork for etching.  Then I'll really be dangerous.    

Steve

SAH, you nailed the Grey, Maroon and Yellow EL caboose.  I have a few under my belt and yours is top notch.  Excellent work!

Scott Lupia

[Puddington]

Puddington:  I like the covered hoppers, but wish someone would make the early 3-bay Center Flows, so we could have correct GN cars.  Since I've never seen a Canadian Center Flow, I won't ask you for them...

There are two classes of early Canadian center flow's we've looked at. The Hawker Sydney cars were the most common; one issue... the drawing are all but gone and the only set we know of is inaccessable; I know, we've tried. Ken Gosslet, an icon of Canadian freight cars has been looking for us for a year or so (we spoke with him last June in Montreal about those very cars) and if we could locate the drawings it would be a project we would be very interested in.

Early ACF center flows seems to be a good project for someone as well; I'd hope it's on IM or MTL or someone's list.

[NS-CRE]

This week my friend Steven Johnson put together this short video of a train he ran during our 2/14 operating session on my Charleston, Roanoke & Eastern Railway.  The CR&E operates as a division of Norfolk Southern and is set in the late 80's/early 90's. 

The CR&E is a work in progress, focusing mainly on operations, but I do have a modest start on scenery. 

The Youtube link is here.  Check out Steven's work on the Rock Island Ottawa Sands project as well. 

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More about the CR&E can be found at www.kntower.com

Thanks for looking,
Marcus Neubacher

[Cajonpassfan]

Thank you Otto.  I agree, but the wheels do not bother me.  If I were to tackle one improvement along such lines it would be to switch the couplers to Z-scale.  I experimented with doing so a few years back but have since fallen in with a bunch of guys who do ops sessions on a regular basis.  After trying to uncouple Z couplers under ops conditions I decided not going that route was a wise move.  As you state though, others MMV.  I like Mr. Dance's philosophy, or rather his philosophy as I understand it:  Operations in a realistic model environment.
Steve

Agreed Steve, I too focus on achieving reliable ops, and while I have a couple dozen Z scale coupler equipped cars, I've backed off on doing more for similar reasons (except for some truly "special" cars). Thanks for the response.
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Andrew, that's just gorgeous!
When did the resin kits come out? I recall putting my name on GHQ preorder list some number of years ago and never heard from them.... and don't see them on their website.
Otto K.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Spent the weekend doing stupid things...

Being stupid railfanning with the CRHS gang on Friday.



And yesterday, I was stupid and drove from Cresson all the way to Philly in the middle of the storm.
It wasn't bad until I got 1 mile from my parents place and suddenly, everyone forgot how to drive in the snow.

Now it's time to go to a Flyers game. I'm sure something stupid will happen there too (or at least I hope).

And speaking of the CRHS, the spring Rail-B-Q is official:
http://thecrhs.org/events/2015-Annual-Spring-RailBQ

[Palouse51]

Hey Andrew, that NP NP LCL reefer is pretty nifty. Do you have any further info on these cars. When did they run these? Also does anyone else know if these type of cars would have seen use in eastern Washington on the P&L branch or the Camas Prairie?

[hegstad1]

Andrew, that's just gorgeous!
When did the resin kits come out? I recall putting my name on GHQ preorder list some number of years ago and never heard from them.... and don't see them on their website.
Otto K.

Otto,  I am good friends with Gregg and I am lucky enough to get some castings from him.  They have not been released yet.

Palouse51.  I believe the first cars were converted in 1947 and continued into the mid-fifties.  I'm not sure how long they saw service but into the sixties for sure.  They saw service all over the system.  Some were converted at the Como shops and some in Tacoma.  I have seen pictures of them from Minnesota to Montana to Washington. 

[Puddington]

Tried, yet again to fade a Great Northern Big Sky Blue car...(I'm now at the point of just custom painting the damn things and pre-fading during painting)

Light air brush of transparent white followed by white pastels.... faded it but I'm not 100% sold on the finish.... light rusting and weathering to finish it....

Crappy picture with crappy light on a crappy camera isn't helping things either but.......



Oh well; fortunately I haven't got any more pre painted BSB cars to do....or do I...?