Weekend Update 3/31/19

[garethashenden]

My Rock Island BL-2 is ready for paint --(I hope) -




Thanks,
Wolf

Have you thought about replacing the cab stirrups with etched ones? The GMM E/F ones are probably right.

[wm3798]

Hoppers look really good @PiperguyUMD .  Better check your guys in the stenciling department for a little day drinking... looks like the "N" in Western is upside down...  I'll also suggest that you spray the decal sheet with some clear coat before you trim them out.  Makes the film a wee bit thicker, but it helps keep that splitting image from occurring.

Small brush with some dots of white paint will do the trick on the ladders.  Much easier to line up than trying to get a decal where you want it.  I'll probably just ignore that little detail when I get around to doing mine.

I ordered my couplers this morning, and I'm going to see about casting some lead weights this week.  I'll keep you posted on progress as it happens.

Meanwhile, I completed all of the heavy carpentry on the TTrak Challenge modules, and they are now ready to begin my favorite part... DETAILS DETAILS!



Lee

[Mark W]

I too got some work on my TTrak Challenge modules.   Ready for the final glue-ups and then carving terrain!


https://i.imgur.com/IpUoJFn.jpg

[bman]

Spent the weekend painting(the shop color is Orange by the way so we went with that) the LHS folks and my Ttrak modules and laying the track on them. There are just as many not pictured as pictured. My friend who works at the shop sent me video of his sons and he running some trains on theirs. So that was cool. Hopefully when we're up and running we can get more folks interested who stop by the shop. The shop dates back to 1953 and has been in it's present location since the 1960's and is the oldest store in the shopping center(which opened in 1954) at this point. Still thinking of what to do with the siding on mine but this doesn't look bad. I've got more Rix grain bin extensions on order from the LHS to add 3 rings to each. I'm in the process of building the Rix elevator for the bins. The weather is, or at least was until today, warming up and I felt like modeling finally and organized a few unfinished projects of my own to complete this coming week as well. And then we had snow flurries part of the day.

[Tom L]

Trying to turn this pile of leftovers

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Into this

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Here's where I'm at so far

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Tom L
Wellington CO

[SP-Wolf]

Have you thought about replacing the cab stirrups with etched ones? The GMM E/F ones are probably right.

Great suggestion -- I did over look them.

Thanks,
Wolf

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It was a good weekend.

First, Saturday was the Holy Day: The Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival.
You may recognize the venue as the same one that hosts the Timonium Train Show. But this is far better.



Amazingly, a few hours after the event and after everyone went home I was ready to get back in the saddle and painted some walkways black on these beauties.



Sunday's big project was cleaning and organizing the workbench though. Got these shelves (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40216357/) from Ikea and tossed stuff in em. I'm going to make the feet a bit more permanent at some point though and do better labels as well. But this wasn't a bad first step.



Then I put my space to use! While I'm not sure it's gonna be part of the challenge, I'm working on a pair of TTRAK modules to use some buildings I had my dad build up. The plan is for a chemical plant (hence this thread: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=46777) using some retro buildings (it's a theme these days).  Here's the general plan mocked up on the floor.



And the frames getting their final touches applied last night (corner blocks being glued in). It's amazing how much room there is for activities when I actually clean up after myself!



Next step: glue down the foam and then the track.

[wm3798]

So what exactly do you do with all those tweezers.  I mean, it's the biggest drawer.

Nevermind.  I probably DON'T want to know!

Lee

[BCR751]

Been working on this for quite some time but wanted to wait until it was weathered to post it.

Doug

[trainforfun]

Beautifull beast !!!!!!

[DKS]

So what exactly do you do with all those tweezers.  I mean, it's the biggest drawer.

Nevermind.  I probably DON'T want to know!

Hey, my tweezers drawer is one of the biggest, too...

Seriously... I have like over a dozen tweezers, all different shapes, sizes, designs, manufacturers... nevermind...

[BCOL 747]

Been working on this for quite some time but wanted to wait until it was weathered to post it.

Doug

Well done! Is that the old Con-Con loco?

Chris

[Ed Kapuscinski]

So what exactly do you do with all those tweezers.  I mean, it's the biggest drawer.

Nevermind.  I probably DON'T want to know!

Lee

Tweeze things!

[Sharky_McSharknose]

My Rock Island BL-2 is ready for paint --(I hope) -


Thanks,
Wolf

That looks great. I s that a steam generator stack on top of the cab? Did you make yours out of styrene?

I recently purchased a L-L B&M BL2. The B&M had steam generators installed on their BL2s that the models don't have. It'd be nice to tack one on.

[tehachapifan]

...Seriously... I have like over a dozen tweezers, all different shapes, sizes, designs, manufacturers... nevermind...

Me too but I can never seem to find any of them.