Weekend Update 11/29/15

[nscaleSPF2]

They do???      It may be time to consult some photos......sorry for the tough love, but those "hills" don't look the part...,to me at least......i like the trees though,except for the one with blue leaves

What?  You have never seen a tree with blue leaves?  Neither have I.  I think that is what's called artistic license.

Seriously though, thanks to all of you for your input.  I still like the concept, a flexible strip that can be detailed to represent whatever we want it to be.  Missed the mark this time, but that is the advantage of this approach.  Cut another piece of styrofoam, grab your paints and whatever other scenery materials, and give it another go.

[altohorn25]

Finished up building/painting/decaling two more express reefer kits (still need to weather them).  I may put one of these up for sale on ebay; haven't decided yet.

Nate

[Philip H]

@nscaleSPF2
I like your technique - reminds me of an idea Lance Mindheim published several years ago to make background tree lines out of this furnace filters. It's just the color that's off.

[up1950s]

This is going to look pretty lame, compared to ScottL's effort, but here you go.



My neighbor, who is a retired art teacher, "volunteered" to paint the backdrop.  I cut strips of 1/4in styrofoam insulation, shaped the top, painted them 2 shades lighter than the sky, and she did the rest.  The styrofoam will be glued to the backdrop, at some point.

Kind of looks like this if you scroll down a little bit . http://www.kimberlyreneedesign.com/category/travel/

What I think is you are trying to mimic is a early morning fog view looking west . Sometimes the distant hills can appear almost white . I think though the sky has a fading as it gets closer to the hills .

[craigolio1]

I hate disassembling loco trucks to paint them, especially tricky ones like the new Kato trucks with "suspension", so I made some masks.







I tried this a couple of years ago with a Mid-pro Kato SD40-2. It worked really well. These ones will take care of everything I have in the paint shop right now.

Craig

[skytop35]

Craig,

That's a great idea! I think I will give that a try myself.

[craigolio1]

Thanks.

[BCR751]

Not much accomplished due to travel and work, but I have been enjoying playing with my new lens and lighting set up. 

Chris, BCOL 747, I've changed my mind.  I want Scott to paint my backdrop

Doug

[Philip H]

@craigolio1
You might want to label the side not likely to get painted.

 

[mu26aeh]

While waiting for my ballast to dry, and after going over some spots a second time because I didn't wet the ballast enough or missed it completely    I decided to dirty up my Gettysburg units a little bit.

20151129_152005[1] by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[craigolio1]

@craigolio1
You might want to label the side not likely to get painted.

 

Haha.  I did, I'm only painting the underside.

[LIRR]

I like the GETTYSBURG paint scheme, simple yet railroady....nice work

[milw156]

Ever since taking Matt Gaudynski and Grant Eastman's charter on real CZ cars out to Sacramento for the NSE convention, I have wanted an N scale version of my own to relive that trip in 1/160. I managed to acquire both the 10-6 sleeper (silver Crag) and the more elusive dome observation (Silver Penthouse) via the Bay, and finally got around to changing the car names to the ones we took out to Sacramento, and then up the Feather River Canyon a day later. I am not a CZ historian, so I was a bit surprised when I found out the Silver Rapids was assigned to the PRR as a through sleeper, and although the owner of the refurbished car has it  as a CB&Q car, I have returned it to its original livery, and will be going into the N Scale excursion train business along with the Silver Solarium. I am going to have to open the top part of the dutch doors and have several foaming railfans with their heads hanging out taking photographs to finish off the scene. A dome car is a great way to travel, BUT, an open window while climbing up out of Denver towards the Moffatt Tunnel, and then down thru Gore canyon is beyond priceless! Matt & Grant, if I haven't thanked you guys enough for putting that trip together, Thanks Guys! See what you guys made me do.....

[badlandnp]

Had the 10 yr old grandson for the weekend, so spent time running trains with him and doing some detail work on this butte. Yes, the geeraffe is there a purpose! Has been inhabiting my N-scale world for 20 years! Long lived little fella!

[nkalanaga]

According to Four Ways West's "Great Northern Pictorial Vol 4" PRR #8449 "Silver Rapids" was in the westbound Western Star from Belton (West Glacier) to Seattle on an unspecified day in August, 1959.  So, apparently, it got around.

According to this site
http://www.calzephyrrailcar.com/California_Zephyr_Railcar_Charters/Silver_Rapids.html
it was delivered as a CZ car, then relettered PENNSYLVANIA with a black roof "after transcontinental sleeper service ended in 1957".  So, on the GN, it would probably have been in the PRR scheme.