Weekend Update 7/17/16

[up1950s]

[u18b]

My son, Chessiefan, was over last weekend.  He was going through my shell drawer and found something old.  He said that I should post photos for the weekend show.

So here goes.  Probably only old-timers would appreciate this.

The year was about 1989.  The Kato U30C was announced in August, but had not come out yet.

At that time, the only really good running stuff was the Con Cor/Kato PA-1, the Trix U28C, the Atlas/Kato RS-3 family, the Kato GP38-2 (probably the best at the time) and the Kato GP50.   There were a few others.

We also had a fair number of other locos that ran horribly.  So these were the wild west days of trying to put shells on better mechanisms.

Since I had figured out how to stretch an RSD-4/5 and even stretch the trucks.... I wanted something good and modern.

Enter the pitiful Con Cor SD50.

The goal was to update the pitiful shell with the latest details and then put it on a better mechanism.

So I prepared a master shell for casting and making copies for my friends.

Here it is:





Some will quickly see that the superstructure is the ConCor SD50 shell.  But I adapted Kato GP50 cab, battery boxes and pilots.

I added the Con Cor toilet hatch back to the nose.  I filled in the brake lever of the GP50 and added the casting (Alumilite)  of a brake wheel mount.



The air intake grills were two Kato GP50 grills spliced together to make longer and then castings made.  The exhaust grill was GP50. 
My son said-- did you cut out the Con Cor dynamic brake fan grill and put it back.  I said yes, but the Con Cor grill was not at the right height (either stupid high or too low- can't remember which-- I think it was stupid high).  The blower vent was scratch built and castings made.




The radiator fans were taken from a Kato GP50 and added one at a time.  The radiator intake grills were GP50 grills that had been spliced to make longer and then castings made.




Micro Trains GP50 pilots were used.



And all recesses, cracks and crevices were filled in with styrene or body putty.  And possible undercuts were removed (like the coupler pilot pieces).





As you can see, this master was pretty much finished and ready to send to Konrad for casting.

Unfortunately, by the time I got this shell to this point....... yes, you know it is coming....
Atlas announced an SD50.
 

This has been in the shell drawer ever since.

Those were the days!

[peteski]

That was a really fun (and sad at the same time) story, and I really enjoyed it!  Yet another confirmation of we already know about how manufacturers secretly spy on us and then, just when we are finishing up some unique model, they go ahead and mass-produce it!

[chuck geiger]

Weeds shipped to Ed, signage up and talus in.

[Lemosteam]

Some Progress on the LIRR IS.  Elevated trusses and beams are beginning assembly, heights and details need to be worked out but here are the mockups:

Beams with Pillars


View of beams and span latticework:



Another view:


End beams using keystone Details bridge shoes that will be resting on an abutment at the berm wall (see below):


Last view of mockup.  Building another set of spans as I write this.  Girder bridge is for a siding that will pass under into the city.

By the water I am planning on simulating a "west side story rumble scene" of sorts under these spans...

[peteski]

John,
with all those 3-D printed parts that elevated track might get as bit pricey. 

Here is my weekend's contribution:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=39605

[draskouasshat]

Weeds shipped to Ed, signage up and talus in.

Looks great chuck! When we were installing ptc up there, my signal gang called it wesnatchee. I think it's a much better name! Lol

[nkalanaga]

The worst mispronunciation I ever heard for Wenatchee was by a DJ in New Orleans:  wah-NEE-chee.  How he got that one I'll never know.  He was reading road and weather reports for truckers, back when WWL radio had an overnight truckers program.

The same DJ once had to read flood reports for the Washington I-5 corridor:  Snohomish, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, etc Rivers.  After getting down to Cowlitz he stopped and said "Are they making these up?!?"  Having heard some of the south Louisiana names, that seemed like an odd question. 

[Joetrain59]

John, what is this LIRR project you're doing?
  LIRR is my childhood exposure to trains.
 Joe D

[peteski]

Looks great chuck! When we were installing ptc up there, my signal gang called it wesnatchee. I think it's a much better name! Lol

You dirty guy you!  I like it!  Snort!

[Chris333]

On my On30 lately. These are resin kits for the first 4 wheel cars the Mann's Creek RR used.

[Kisatchie]

The worst mispronunciation I ever heard for Wenatchee was by a DJ in New Orleans:  wah-NEE-chee....

My favorite is the Tchefuncte River in Louisiana:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchefuncte_River


Hmm... there's also
Tchoupitoulas Street in
New Orleans...

[jereising]

Continuing on with the Caliente Post office project, we move to the layout location.  Here it is originally:



Stripped of trees, foliage, and fascia:



And area removed showing staging underneath:



Plywood and several layers of joint compound later:



Continuing next week...

[Miles]

Getting some run time on the mainline with a newly and very extensively rebuilt Botchman 4-4-0. (HO)

In the foreground is a closed liquor store I just finished, a city classics kit.

[Lemosteam]

John, what is this LIRR project you're doing?
  LIRR is my childhood exposure to trains.
 Joe D

@Joetrain59  here is my layout thread od a fictitious industrial service based on Long Island.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28266.0