Weekend Update 3/1/20

[up1950s]

https://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/local-news/delaware-and-ulster-railroad-works-to-expand-to-highmount-provides/article_ad86c23e-d258-11e9-923d-67d7b1bafd35.html#4

https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2014/06/the-triumphant-return-of-private-us-passenger-rail/372808/

https://www.ohiorailexperience.com/

https://mobilitylab.org/2019/04/23/will-new-private-sector-rail-operators-change-the-look-of-intercity-train-travel-in-the-us/

https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R42512.html

[Philip H]

Following in @chicken45 ’s footsteps I’m bringing order to my workbench:



This came from a Canadian firm called Tabletop Gamer https://www.tabletopgamerstore.com/accessories/organizers/

[draskouasshat]

Im working on structures for the layout this week. Cajon station and the cantilever at the west end of cajon siding.
The station/ train orders office is scratch built with grandt line windows and ticky doors.
The cantilever is an old nj kit.

 Drasko

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[hegstad1]

A quick little project for Missoula.  I had some extra Gregg Scott (GHQ) radial roof boxcar shells that I turned into sheds.  Missoula had a group of five of these in the yard.  They can be seen in the prototype photo on the middle left.   

[Erik W]

I've finished the assembly stage of my Precision Scale Co HOn3 D&RGW "short" caboose.  The roof sections are not attached yet, they will be permanently glued on after I paint, decal, weather, dull coat, and add the window glazing.  The end railings and ladders that came with the kit were oversized and poorly cast (brass castings rather than injection molded as they were supposed to be with this particular kit).  I made my own end railings out of .015" phosphor bronze wire for the stanchions, and .012" brass wire for the railings.  The ladders are modified Grant Line end ladders.  The safety chains and uncoupling lever chains are photo etched brass.  The brake staffs are .015" brass wire.  All the grab irons are .010" brass wire.  Not sure why one side of the body came in black plastic vs. light gray . . . grates on my sense of aesthetics in  the photos, but obviously no big deal.     Since most of you are N-scalers, I included the kitschy penny photo below.  HOn3 is actually a fair amount smaller than standard gauge HO scale.  This caboose is a scale 22' long over the end sills in HO, which makes it the same length as a 40' boxcar in N.  Now it's time to break out the airbrush . . .















Erik

[Dave V]

@Erik W , fantastic!!!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Did a little railfanning while attempting to contract the Corona Virus.

Anyone know where to find one of these in N?

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[Erik W]

@Erik W , fantastic!!!

Thanks Dave!  Your work continues to be an inspiration.

I was reflecting the other day.  What got me back into model railroading in 2003, after a couple decade hiatus between adolescence and my mid-30s, was riding the Cumbres & Toltec that year.  I was all fired up to venture forth into building an HOn3 layout.  When I really looked at things though, and was honest about my abilities and commitment at that time, HOn3 just wasn't realistically doable for me.  Blackstone hadn't come onto the scene yet.  So, the only motive power options were expensive brass locomotives of questionable operating abilities.  There was no RTR rolling stock to speak of.  And the track options were very limited.  So . . . I dove into D&RGW in N scale instead.  At this point I'm content to build the occasional HOn3 piece of rolling stock.  That said, if Blackstone ever releases their promised K-28s and K-36s, all bets are off. 

Erik

[Tom L]

Something I’ve wanted to try for awhile, finally got around to it. Opening the side of a Kato 70 ton closed side hopper. Especially  since they were nice enough to include the inner details even though they are hidden by the closed sides. I suppose they planned on offering them open sided at some point.

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I should be able to cobble together the correct decals from about 4 different sets to turn it into this

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At $5 a pop for the undec shells from Kato (less Trucks, couplers and weights), I will have more invested in decals than for parts.

Tom L
Wellington CO

[Dave V]

Thanks Dave!  Your work continues to be an inspiration.

I was reflecting the other day.  What got me back into model railroading in 2003, after a couple decade hiatus between adolescence and my mid-30s, was riding the Cumbres & Toltec that year.  I was all fired up to venture forth into building an HOn3 layout.  When I really looked at things though, and was honest about my abilities and commitment at that time, HOn3 just wasn't realistically doable for me.  Blackstone hadn't come onto the scene yet.  So, the only motive power options were expensive brass locomotives of questionable operating abilities.  There was no RTR rolling stock to speak of.  And the track options were very limited.  So . . . I dove into D&RGW in N scale instead.  At this point I'm content to build the occasional HOn3 piece of rolling stock.  That said, if Blackstone ever releases their promised K-28s and K-36s, all bets are off. 

Erik

There are a few Blackstone engines on eBay right now but if you want to pick up a few K-27s or C-19s, you gotta talk to Craig at Narrow Gauge Colorado:

https://www.narrowgaugecolorado.com/?name=Home

He has additional stock in the back room that's not always listed here.  He did start refunding anyone with a downpayment on those K-28s and K-36s and it sounds like Blackstone didn't push back, so I'm thinking the big Ks are dead in the water.  So...I recommend--if money allows--doing what I've been doing and snatching up the C-19s and K-27s before they're all gone from the secondary market.

[Dave V]

Here's me...  I'm really trying to fix the color "dulling" that keeps happening when I upload my pictures to the gallery but so far no luck.  The original has much more vibrant colors.  This is the Railwire Gallery version:



Here's the version I posted to my HOn3 RGS Facebook page:

[wcfn100]

Something I’ve wanted to try for awhile, finally got around to it. Opening the side of a Kato 70 ton closed side hopper.

Nice job Tom.  I never got the decals done to do my CGW version, but it's still on my desk somewhere.  I asked Kato about doing the open side version but sales of the hopper were so poor, it wasn't ever going to happen.

Jason

[Steveruger45]

Did a little railfanning while attempting to contract the Corona Virus.

Anyone know where to find one of these in N?

(Attachment Link)

It’s a Hall Class 4-6-0.
https://railsofsheffield.com/groups/2658/n-gauge-gwr-hall

[wm3798]

Pig lipstick.

[Tom L]

Nice job Tom.  I never got the decals done to do my CGW version, but it's still on my desk somewhere.  I asked Kato about doing the open side version but sales of the hopper were so poor, it wasn't ever going to happen.

Jason

That surprises me (poor sales), they are nicely done cars. Maybe it was the limited road names and funky truck mounting. As numerous as they were on both sides of the transition era, had by just about every railroad at the time as well as lease and private names and the only open side car offered was by DI (previously by LocoMotives) and the details on those are oversized for even HO scale. Maybe Arnold did a open side car way back when too.

I’m hoping maybe someone like Bluford shops gets into these and then we would get a really nice model in a steady stream of all sorts of paint schemes. I contacted Bowser a few times, since they do them in HO, but they emphatically said no new N scale in the future. I thought that Intermountain indicated several years ago that they were going to do them in N, maybe that just scared everyone else away.

 I would definitely prefer some like Bluford do them so I can buy more than I’ll ever be able to use,  as I have done with their open hoppers.

Tom L