Weekend Update 8/21/22

[up1950s]

https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/03/28/albanys-rails-trails-project-stalls-legal-and-funding-challenges-are-why

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/montana/crown-jewel-of-rail-trails-mt/

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/montana/dinosaur-themed-road-trip-mt/

https://mommypoppins.com/kids/outdoors/rail-biking-rail-trails-near-nyc

https://shenandoahalliance.org/project/shenandoah-rail-trail-partnership/

https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/north-america/25-best-rail-trails-in-the-us/

https://www.virginia.org/things-to-do/outdoors/biking/rails-to-trails/

https://palpalnewshub.com/international/north-korea-fired-two-missiles-from-the-train-flouting-the-new-sanctions-gave-a-blow-to-america/

[Dave V]

Four new home road cars joined the N Scale Colorado Midland this week.

On the left is a gondola car I built from a Fine N Scale resin kit. On the right is an Athearn 36 foot old-time boxcar. Both were painted and then lettered with custom decals I had made for me a few years back by Silver Crash Model Works just before they disappeared. There’s a new company called K4 Decals that now provides similar CMRy decals in N if you’re looking for some. These cars are actually duplicates of cars I already had, but I gave them different road numbers to represent different cars in the same car class.



And then an old MDC stock car became a Colorado Midland Palace Stock Car thanks to some K4 decals.



Another Fine N Scale resin kit with K4 decals. This particular decal sheet had particularly thick film I was unable to completely dissolve.



And just another JFTRM shot:

[wcfn100]

I'm starting to go through some of my dad's stuff and came across this picture he use to put out at train shows to help people understand that Nn3 and N were the same 'size' (scale).

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

I still remember one guy who was adamant that we were wrong.

Jason

[Dave V]

I'm starting to go through some of my dad's stuff and came across this picture he use to put out at train shows to help people understand that Nn3 and N were the same 'size' (scale).

(Attachment Link)

I still remember one guy who was adamant that we were wrong.

Jason

I still get that with HOn3. People come to see our club layout and lecture us that it's really N scale and not HO even though we literally have a set of railcars--under glass--on display with the layout showing O, On3, HO, HOn3, and N side-by-side. And like I can grab a box from under the layout that even says "HOn3" on it and show the person that very car on the HOn3 layout and still be told that "No, that's really N scale/gauge" (I noticed that a lot of these same guys use the words "scale" and "gauge" interchangeably, so yeah).

[DKS]

For the past quarter century I've been hankering to make this particular little model. So you can say it's been on my "modeling bucket list" for quite a while, and now it is finally done. Nothing spectacular, just fun.

The full build is here: http://davidksmith.com/modeling/animation/idea-4.htm

[DiggerDownUnder]

For the past quarter century I've been hankering to make this particular little model. So you can say it's been on my "modeling bucket list" for quite a while, and now it is finally done. Nothing spectacular, just fun.

@DKS for the 5 years I  have been on this Forum you have never ceased to amaze me with your gadgetry.  This one is the best.

David

[mu26aeh]

I said it before, and I'll probably say it again.  Probably sooner than I think.  But I quit.  Just done.  Unbelievable work @DKS

[wazzou]

For the past quarter century I've been hankering to make this particular little model. So you can say it's been on my "modeling bucket list" for quite a while, and now it is finally done. Nothing spectacular, just fun.

The full build is here: http://davidksmith.com/modeling/animation/idea-4.htm

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say this is your best effort yet!
Exceptional.

[BCR 570]

For the past quarter century I've been hankering to make this particular little model. So you can say it's been on my "modeling bucket list" for quite a while, and now it is finally done. Nothing spectacular, just fun.

Amazing miniature work, and great video!  Well done.

On the left is a gondola car I built from a Fine N Scale resin kit.

Nice work; Dick's castings have quite a strong smell to them but they are always clean and crisp.  Coincidentally I was working on some this week.  These are rail and tie loads for future work trains.  The rail loads had quite an upward warp to them so I immersed them in boiling water for a few minutes and then weighted the ends while they cooled down.  Looking forward to painting these:




These loads are destined for a set of Hawker Siddeley riveted gondolas I am working on.  The HSC cars were very similar to the NSC cars but had different ends.  I removed the NSC ends and replaced them with 3D printed HSC ends.  Some of these cars had drop ends and photographs indicate that they were employed primarily in rail service.  I also removed the factory lettering:




I also got back to work on the layout this week after a five month hiatus.  The new benchwork for Septimus is now ready for painting after some final modifications.  The workshop in my building has a twelve foot long counter which is ideal for working on layout sections.  Septimus is eleven feet long and six inches wide and will go along one wall in my bedroom.  Here are the completed sections sitting on the workbench:




The next step is painting, and with the summer weather we are enjoying here I opted to do so out on my balcony:




I am hoping to complete the painting this weekend.  It is great to be able to work on the layout out in the fresh air, and the view isn't too bad either:




Tim

[mplsjct]

Switching the Northrup King Facility in Northeast Mpls….

[Bendtracker1]

Good stuff already this week.
DKS, that sign is crazy good!

Rock Island U33B, #285
This 3rd U-Boat carries the Maroon and Yellow scheme with the large speed lettering that was common on the Red and Yellow scheme of the 70's, I always thought this to be a interesting combination, because looking at Black & White pics of the Rock Island, it was sometimes hard to tell what colors the locos wore.

Also noteworthy, this loco has had it's trucks replaced with new ones.  Evidently this was done after the road decided to switch to Red & Yellow scheme.  In the Maroon era, trucks and fuel tanks were painted black, in the 70's with the change to Red & Yellow the trucks and fuel tanks were now painted in a medium gray, which is very close to UP Harbor Mist gray or SP Dark Lark gray, but after a few months of service, they got so dirty they began to look black.  I tried to keep mine a little cleaner so the gray showed up.







Here's a shot of the three I have done so far, we see them crossing the Ouachita River bridge.   I really need to get this area sceniced...

[Bendtracker1]

Switching the Northrup King Facility in Northeast Mpls….

I like the weeds between the tracks!

[tehachapifan]

Amazing sign, DKS!

Saying that the sign will be permanently mounted on a diorama seems prototypically authentic, based on some of the construction projects in my area!

[nkalanaga]

Allen...:  That Ouachita River doesn't look too different from some I've seen in the West during the summer.  With current long-term drought, there are probably more of them.  Give the white foam a coat of brownish paint, to match the rest, and it wouldn't look bad as-is.

[mplsjct]

Good stuff already this week.
DKS, that sign is crazy good!

Rock Island U33B, #285
This 3rd U-Boat carries the Maroon and Yellow scheme with the large speed lettering that was common on the Red and Yellow scheme of the 70's, I always thought this to be a interesting combination, because looking at Black & White pics of the Rock Island, it was sometimes hard to tell what colors the locos wore.

Also noteworthy, this loco has had it's trucks replaced with new ones.  Evidently this was done after the road decided to switch to Red & Yellow scheme.  In the Maroon era, trucks and fuel tanks were painted black, in the 70's with the change to Red & Yellow the trucks and fuel tanks were now painted in a medium gray, which is very close to UP Harbor Mist gray or SP Dark Lark gray, but after a few months of service, they got so dirty they began to look black.  I tried to keep mine a little cleaner so the gray showed up.

The engines are impressive, the bridge and it’s piers - really like the way they resembled worn concrete!

Nicely done

-Terry