Weekend Update 5/22/16

[davefoxx]

More trees, so the two sides of the layout are now visually separated at this end of the HCD.  Yay!



More on the Seaboard Central 2.0 thread in the Layout Engineering Forum.

DFF

[glakedylan]

Op Session 6 is in the books!

You know it was successful when your wife asks: what did you guys find so funny up there (in the loft) for 4 hours? Having a fun crew makes all the switch and derailment issues worthwhile.

Hey, Rick...sounds like a really good time.
Layout is looking good.
Glad you had a fun OP session.


Sincerely
Gary

[glakedylan]

More trees, so the two sides of the layout are now visually separated at this end of the HCD.  Yay!

Dave, those trees are looking fantastic
kudos on a job very well done!
sincerely
Gary

[rickb773]

Hi Rick,
Where did you get those oil storage tanks by the Walthers refinery? I need a couple.
Thanks for any info.

They are indeed a pair of used old Bachmann oil tanks that used to contain diesel horns in them (never worked).
They need the broken railings on top of them replaced.
These have their original paint but had 2 different oil company logos that I replaced with Texaco signs I printed on an ink jet printer.
(Since they must represent the original Texaco refinery that was located in Westville, NJ.)


The tanks on the other side are from the early days of N scale:

[wm3798]

Canton, Highlandtown and Fells Point

I looked at that possibility...  I presently have the old Life Like country depot kit serving as CH&FP headquarters...  It's the one bit of scenery that is fully installed, and the footprint of Owings Mills is a good inch longer and about 1/2" wider... since it's such a tight piece of real estate, I'm probably going to leave it.


Plus, Owings Mills was a pretty cool little spot.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Owings+Mills,+MD/@39.4189366,-76.7801496,212m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c817ad20ac897f:0xd3eb5f31eb8c09f4!8m2!3d39.4195499!4d-76.7802528?hl=en

In the satellite view, you can see the outline of the foundation just above the bridge along the main line.  The line that split off to the right was the original main line, which crossed Reisterstown Road at grade, with the original station (still standing) having served variously as a lumber yard among other things.

Then there's an old coal trestle that splits from the old main and runs behind the station.  The steel bridge of the new line across the road finishes the frame.

I think I'm heading toward a onetrack module for this one...

Lee

[chicken45]

I asked an ex-PRR/PC/CR engineer (from 1955-1997) what the official colors were the PRR used (the tan/brown combo) on their various buildings and he said that while there may have been official colors at one time, the paint crews pretty mixed whatever they could that looked close in shade... With the obvious result being those shades could very a great deal from building to building.

It is interesting for sure. The PRRT&HS has a paint committee and will be releasing a book on it soon.  It takes in to account extensive research, stories, here say, etc. should be interesting!

I also heard some guy ranting on Facebook about how they called the 5 chime on the M1 "Banschee screamers."
That made no sense to me. He said he takes to former engineers and that's what they called them.
It is commonly believed that the banshee whistle was essentially a peanut whistle. I didn't understand how they could give a lush 5 chime whistle a nickname with banshee in it.

[wcfn100]

I'm going through my many, many boxes of stuff and came across these.



1000 internets to any one who can name the manufacturer  (I know who it is but would be amazed if anyone else did). 


Jason

[Mark W]

Mark W:  I don't know where Bean Mt is supposed to be, but the colors look like much of the inland Northwest.  It's not all flat lava flows, where there were already hills the basalt piled up and didn't form the neat columns.  Your scenery looks much like those Columbia Plateau border areas during the spring and fall, or in the Cascades where they get more rain.

Bean Mountain is just a name I chose because the overall layout is shaped like a Bean.  The main goal of this layout is something quick and small to try out a few new ideas/methods, so I didn't really have a particular mountain range in mind, but I'm glad it turned out somewhat realistic!  I'm most pleased with how the rock fall turned out.  I never liked how WS Talus or other rock debris products are so rounded, so I grabbed a bag of shale rocks from the garden center (they only had red), crushed them up, sifted out a few sizes, and painted them gray.  Every so often, a bit of the red shows through, which I think adds some nice highlights. 

The happy accident of crushing and sifting my own rocks is that I know have a good bit of extra fine Z Scale sized real rock ballast to use!  Perhaps we'll get to that point next weekend, after the trees and water and bridges.

For now, here's another "Progress Lap", following the AZL ACe's around the mountain.

[tom mann]

Took out some old @bbussey ESM cars for some new photos:

[carlso]

Mark,

the layout is looking real nice and the trains appears to be running quite well also. Would you be willing to express your opinion of the z scale locos as to how they would compare to any n scale brand ? Just curious.

Carl

[bbussey]

@tom mann — always nice to see new photos of "Mann-ified" ESM rolling stock. 

[chuck geiger]

Been up-dating my blog today: http://railtimeusa.blogspot.com/

[Dave V]

Just got back from camping in the high country with the Scouts.  We had no signal, so when we got back today I saw the expected but still very sad news of the passing of our friend and modeling colleague Mike "Puddington" McGrattan.  Rest easy Puddy.

Although I was gone this weekend, I did take a few evenings to model this past week, so this is my contribution.

Added signage, painted and weathered the roof, and added additional smokestacks and jacks to a Tomytec Japanese brick warehouse.  It's been repurposed as a smelter for the Colorado Midland layout and represents the smelter on Castle Creek where the Midland crossed on a trestle...not unlike the scene on my layout.  The smokestack is from a Walthers Vulcan Manufacturing kit.



I'm pleased with it, especially given its foreign origins.  I don't think I'm going to add much in the way of outbuildings after all; it's pretty big as it is!

[fcnrwy23]

Trying to finish up, some straggler projects...

I am building for a friend's layout, a pair of Fire Equipment.   I had some extra Magnuson Resin kits, from some 20+ years ago.
While I was constructing these units.  I figured, I'd upgrade one of my Fire units for the Ford City Volunteer FD.  Redid the rear area, lights and added a pair of ladders.

Below is a shot of the three units, in question.
The White engine is the FCVFD unit.  It was kitbashed from the Magnuson, Crew-cab RailRoad High-Railer.  I modified the middle of the body for the Pump compartment.
The two RED units are made from the Magnuson, Line Truck model.  An unpainted copy is at the bottom.
I heavily modified the Pumper Engine.  Cutting down the body and cutting out for the Pump section.  The Rescue Squad got very little work.  I just enclosed the opening and added some side doors, after I sanded smooth the sides.  Decals are from the Microscale, Fire and Police vehicle set.  Ladders are from a long out of production, Lineside Models set.





The last picture is of the Fire Station, I also created.  It has exterior and interior lighting.
Station still needs some more detail work.





These kits are getting harder and harder to fine..   But, I keep looking.

Jerry G.

[wazzou]

I tinkered on stuff as usual during the week, when not golfing, but I did download the full version of AnyRail.