Weekend Update 12/31/17

[jmlaboda]

Wow...

In all the time I have been involved with model railroading (56 years and counting... soon to be 57... started at the age of 4 with a Marx derrick train set) I have never seen a forest that was done as well as yours.  Simply unbelievable!!!

[superchief]

Dean, the scene looks great. Your layout combined with the photo back drop is just awesome, Great Jon. Hope you had a great Christmas and have a happy new year. Gordon Bliss

[jmlaboda]

Really beautiful!!!

Really nice looking cars!!!

Fruit Growers Express built some really nice cars for Southern, with these being some of my favorite.  One thing though... some of the cars had subsidiary sublettering which you might want to include on a few of them.  Based on what I am seeing in photos of cars just above SOU 585320 it likely should have "C OF GA" sublettering.  Not to worry... finding what cars had what lettering will soon be made easier, once I get finished with two huge additions to my Southern Modeler website.

[PAL_Houston]

Maybe that's what is going to replace the voting system.  Good work gets golden acorns 

That's pretty squirrelly.

Happy New Year!

[cbroughton67]

In all the time I have been involved with model railroading (56 years and counting... soon to be 57... started at the age of 4 with a Marx derrick train set) I have never seen a forest that was done as well as yours.  Simply unbelievable!!!

Wow, thanks Jerry! The trees are "Supertrees" that are available in kit-form from ScenicExpress.com. (http://www.sceneryexpress.com/SuperTrees/departments/1006/)
The forest floor was done using @Ed Kapuscinski techniques he describes on his website:
http://conrail1285.com/winter-forest-technique/


Chris

[Petty Cash]

I managed to get AC&J 107 decaled.  Now comes some moderately heavy weathering.

[jpwisc]

Detailing is almost done on my SW1500. Time to warm up the paint booth. Custom decals have been ordered! Fun fun!

[wazzou]

I've been busy on AnyRail.   

[central.vermont]

Well, I normally don't model what if's or fooby stuff -- but, after talking with a couple of close friends -- I decided to do more of a should have been. As SP owned only 1 RDC (#10) -- I decided to do would could have been or more appropriately - what should have been: SP #11 -- in Daylight.

What are Y'all's thoughts-?



Thanks,
Wolf

I like what ya did Wolf but I would have brought the orange around and down like this CN engine and also brought the lower silver stripe around as well on the bottom edge. Also maybe add some tiger stripes to the pilots!!
Jon

[SP-Wolf]

I like what ya did Wolf but I would have brought the orange around and down like this CN engine and also brought the lower silver stripe around as well on the bottom edge. Also maybe add some tiger stripes to the pilots!!
Jon

Thanks,

Those are great suggestions. I painted it just like a regular daylight car was painted. The orange and separation stripes were only on the sides. The ends of the cars were solid red.

I could see the orange stripes wrapping around the ends and coming to a point much like the yellow on your models. Hmmmmm -- a future modification - ???

I really like your RDC's -- the green and yellow ends are awesome. Imagine if the car sides were painted as such. Would have been magnificent.

Wolf

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Brass tubing might work for underslung extended draft gear, just make sure the cuts aren't as sloppy as the lines that I drew with my fingers on my phone 

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=21980.0

It's a good idea, but I'm not sure this would work in my case. The ends are already shaved right up to the crossover platforms, so the coupler box can't be installed underslung like your photo. That would mean I need underslung Accumate or McHenry couplers, and I'm not sure any are available.

The other issue is that the coupler screw hole actually serves to connect the body to the floor as well.

I was thinking of using the extended coupler assembly from a TOFC, but the result was - strange. It kind of looked like the coupler box was floating there instead of being a cushion underframe. This looked much more distracting than the wheelbase issue.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Really beautiful!!!

Really nice looking cars!!!

Fruit Growers Express built some really nice cars for Southern, with these being some of my favorite.  One thing though... some of the cars had subsidiary sublettering which you might want to include on a few of them.  Based on what I am seeing in photos of cars just above SOU 585320 it likely should have "C OF GA" sublettering.  Not to worry... finding what cars had what lettering will soon be made easier, once I get finished with two huge additions to my Southern Modeler website.

What did the sublettering look like? I did my best to follow photos on rrpicturearchives. I'm already out of the door marking decals, and the Microscale Southern car sets don't have much in the way of extra data. Trying to model these cars as they would appear in the late 90's

[mu26aeh]

With the extra day off, I got rest of decals finished and railings installed.  I should have done the grab irons first but won't be much of a problem to do them after.

[craigolio1]

Carbide drills like those can be hard to use. They're usually fine in plastic, but they can shatter easily in harder materials.

Here are some HSS #90 drills (0.0087") they're $5 each and you have to order in multiples of 12. https://www.kaufmanco.com/itemdetail/PTD%20018690

What are you chucking those smaller bits in? I have trouble keeping my #80 bits gripped in the chuck I use.

http://www.gyrostools.com/p138/Adaptor-Chuck---Mini----0%22-to-.039%22-Capacity--%2345-01801/product_info.html

Craig

[mcjaco]

Every Jan. 1st, Modutrak has our "Fun Run" where we all get together, talk (a lot), run some trains, and eat (a lot).  I don't think there's a better way to start each year.  Since we no longer have access to our old stomping ground, the Skibbe's hosted it on their CGW.  Such a great layout, with great company.  Here's one of my kids running his favorite.  Metra.