Weekend Update 7/15/18

[R L Smith]

On the way to @R L Smith for warranty work 

Ouch! 

Actually it looks like someone put a PCC into the wash and it shrunk. Even the craftsmen at Brookville can't fix that...

[Dave V]

Big update.  No, I didn't lay track on the layout, but I did start working on building the trestle decks.  I started by building a jig.  These are 9' standard gauge ties, but that's what the RGS used for bridge ties.  Also, note the code 55 guard rails on the outside...  Not sure if that's a uniquely RGS thing but very unusual in railroad practice writ large.  The vast majority of RGS trestle decks were built this way...perhaps to simplify flanging operations during the winter?



Mood shot (imagine foreground scenery!)...



So what does the layout look like now?  Well, there's still benchwork to build; the peninsula that will hold Ridgway Yard--the heart of the RGS--has yet to be built.  Clearly there is a lot of fascia work to be done too.  But, I thought it was a good time to clean things up a bit, take stock, and lay out some track, trains, and structures to keep me inspired.



Below, looking toward Placerville. In the front left is where the peninsula representing Ridgway will start. Some of the future yard trackage can be seen lying loose on the left edge.



Necxt, we see Placerville front left, Windy Point where the layout curves around, Ophir in the back corner (that's Bridge 45A waiting to be installed), then in back where the backdrop panel covers the window (it needs to be painted and installed, LOL) is the passing siding that visually represents Lizard Head but operationally can represent both Lizard Head and the Ophir passing siding, then on to Gallagher, with Rico off to the right.



Looking toward Rico from where the future Ridgway peninsula will be:



Lastly, Rico.  Looking north.  While I was planning Rico I was deeply concerned that I would not have enough room.  In reality, I could be working in On30 and still have room, so I may or may not add a few more of the minor tracks that I originally eliminated.  But more likely I'll use the space to the south of Rico for a full model of the Atlantic Cable Mine.  While the real Atlantic Cable was an RGS customer, it primarily did so by shipping its ores to the Rico-Argentine Pro Patria Mill by cart or truck (later years) for refining.  To make things more interesting I'm going to have them ship directly to the railroad.



Wild West Models makes the Atlantic Cable Mine.  The headframe:

https://www.wildwestmodels.com/products/atlantic-cable-mine.html

And the boiler/hoist house:

https://www.wildwestmodels.com/products/atlantic-hoist-house.html

[Mike Madonna]

Stripes and some lettering added (I need to add the road numbers) - The numbers I have are to big.

70-B-8


60-P


77-D-11


Thanks,
Wolf

Wolf,
Looking really sharp! Refresh my memory; the 77-D-11, is that one of Roberto's sides or something else?
Thanks!

[craigolio1]

Today I got a bunch of models into primer.

From this:



To this:

[Roger Holmes]

I finally got some time in my shop to resume work on the cutaway factory.  Here are the interior walls that I previously fabricated.



The first floor is shipping and receiving and will have a semitrailer parked on the left and box cars on the covered siding.  The second floor features an assembly line fabricated from Evergreen strip and a variety of roof top units turned into assembly line machines.



The third floor has a number of tanks that feed the assembly line below for whatever it is they are making.  I haven't decided yet.  I was thinking of naming it World Wide Wickets (the name of the company in the Broadway show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying")  but that would involve machines bending wire into wickets which these machines don't look like.  When I worked at the Benjamin Moore paint factory, the ingredients were carried to the top floor for mixing into paint and gravity fed from the tanks to the filling lines below.




Here is a sample of the roof trusses for the top floor held in place by the pressure created by the rubber band.  I will fabricate 3-4 more.

[rickb773]

The “family” has finally returned to home rails! @Ntrainz1 renumbered a few RS3s for me, relettered an Atlas VO-1000 to PRSL, and re-chassised an RS11.

Since we didn’t have a full operating crew available, the kids in us just decided to just string together (4) 25 to 40 car trains and run them together on 2 tracks for an hour. (Flawlessly except for a Bowser cabin that periodically decided to leave its train to become a snowplow on the following train.)

NTrainz1’s pair of Uboats (PC & Conrail) also won the pulling contest over my GP38s. Continuing the kid-in-us theme, the Fox Valley and Kato NS heritage units appeared pushing the layout’s time warp even further into the future.

(Now who is going to get those 100+ cars back where they belong (i.e. matching their car and waybill slots?))   

[SP-Wolf]

Wolf,
Looking really sharp! Refresh my memory; the 77-D-11, is that one of Roberto's sides or something else?
Thanks!

Thanks Mike,

The 77-D-11 sides are from Union Station.

Thanks again,
Wolf

[dnhouston]

Making slow progress on my Climax kit from @randgust.  Lots of details and decals to still add.

[tehachapifan]

Today I got a bunch of models into primer.

From this:



To this:

I see someone else likes those foam paint brushes to use as shell holders during airbrushing. It's almost like they were made for that very purpose.

[nkalanaga]

Dave V:  I've seen several pictures of D&RGW/RGS bridges with the guardrails on the outside.  I don't know whether they felt that, with the narrower gauge, there wasn't enough room between the running rails, or if they felt that, as wide as the outside frame locos were, they would work better that way.  But it wasn't unique to the RGS.

I didn't know that the RGS used regular standard gauge ties as bridge ties.  Interesting!

[bbussey]

In other news, I've built one of my two ESM MEC gondola kits.

This is the first kit I've seen finished in the green revenue scheme.  Looks great!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Nice work painting that walkway.  But bro, you need to paint the steps yellow.  You're 90% there.  The last 10% isn't that much more work.   

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=886628

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1147603

What kind of bell did you use?

I will. Don't worry!

The bell is from Shapeways (as are the pilots on the GP40-2 and B30-7).
Geep bell: https://www.shapeways.com/product/GE6YXDBSF/n-scale-1-160-gp7-gp9-sd9-high-mounted-bell?optionId=65401537&li=ostatus
B30 bell: https://www.shapeways.com/product/PT5KLCGS2/hood-mount-bell-n-1-160-8x?optionId=57737946&li=ostatus
Pilots: https://www.shapeways.com/product/4AGUL8HUR/ny-a-rock-deflector-plow-n?optionId=56579420&li=ostatus

[Scottl]

Awesome stuff already. I started adding some Supertrees. God it feels good to be laying down scenery again. This is modeled after the Upper Lehigh Line in the Lehigh Gorge. A little modern and a little mashup of late 60’s-70’s. Cornell Red does go well in the fall.

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Fantastic work!

[up1950s]

Finished another baggage car for my Santa Fe trains. This is pretty close to an order received by Santa Fe in 1956, however, it has three windows in each door instead of two. Started life as a Walthers Pullman Standard 72' Southern Pacific baggage car. Stripped, repainted, and decaled. I'm happy with the results. Blends in very nicely with my Kato equipment.

(Attachment Link)

It is so hard to hide the decal film on a silver car . What a masterful job you did Sir .

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Awesome stuff already. I started adding some Supertrees. God it feels good to be laying down scenery again. This is modeled after the Upper Lehigh Line in the Lehigh Gorge. A little modern and a little mashup of late 60’s-70’s. Cornell Red does go well in the fall.

Holy *****.