SSW Morning Star

[Sokramiketes]

Would you mind sharing the name or source of the handle you are using the video?

I probably shouldn’t have highlighted that handle, as it’s a custom piece.

Here’s the story for posterity.

I was offered a job at Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL at age 12. Except you can’t get a work permit from school at that age! So I had to wait until I was 14. I was hired for the train counter (thank you Arnie Whitlow). But, Venture Hobbies was huge into plastic models and R/C. Both airplanes and cars. I got to be friends with a guy at the RC counter and ended up racing RC cars. Because when you’re in a hobby shop you blow your paycheck and more.

We used to go up to Milwaukee on Sundays and race at Trackside Hobbies. And one racer up there was a machinist and wanted a better xacto handle. So one weekend he shows up with a couple handles and I was lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time.

Been 24 years since I thought about that. Good memories.

It’s still a great piece. Maybe I can get some copies produced if there is interest.

[Sokramiketes]

Curing lacquer in front of a space heater this morning. Decals later today, perhaps.

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[Sokramiketes]

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Couldn’t wait. Need to find some numberboard decals as nothing was included on the Microscale sheet.

[Sokramiketes]

Couple more items to figure out. Three chime horn. Numberboard decals. But we can start running trains!

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[squirrelhunter]

Ok, lost out on an eBay bid for an Intermountain FP-7, so we move on to plan B.  Reletter a Kato SP PA.

I figured I'd try a video to document a technique to scrape factory pad printing.

You're better off with the Kato or a BLI PA. Intermountain rendered the Daylight Red as almost a hot or dayglow pink. Doesn't match the Rapido or MT cars at all.

[jjb62556]

Great job...looks factory!

[Sokramiketes]

Morning Star test run on the CGW. 

[Sokramiketes]

In the oops category... turns out SSW didn't have second headlights on the PA's.  You were all very nice to not point out the error...

[thumpernickle]

I probably shouldn’t have highlighted that handle, as it’s a custom piece.

Here’s the story for posterity.

I was offered a job at Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL at age 12. Except you can’t get a work permit from school at that age! So I had to wait until I was 14. I was hired for the train counter (thank you Arnie Whitlow). But, Venture Hobbies was huge into plastic models and R/C. Both airplanes and cars. I got to be friends with a guy at the RC counter and ended up racing RC cars. Because when you’re in a hobby shop you blow your paycheck and more.

We used to go up to Milwaukee on Sundays and race at Trackside Hobbies. And one racer up there was a machinist and wanted a better xacto handle. So one weekend he shows up with a couple handles and I was lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time.

Been 24 years since I thought about that. Good memories.

It’s still a great piece. Maybe I can get some copies produced if there is interest.

That is a good story. I like having a couple of different handles for tools for different applications. Yours looked different.
And thank you for the tutorial on removing KATO lettering. I am planning on renumbering some KATO SP units and was wondering about the best way to remove the numbers. This may be a good option.

[Sokramiketes]

@Jim Starbuck hooked me up with some numberboard decals, on and sealed with Future.

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[CBQ Fan]

I probably shouldn’t have highlighted that handle, as it’s a custom piece.

Here’s the story for posterity.

I was offered a job at Venture Hobbies in Wheeling, IL at age 12. Except you can’t get a work permit from school at that age! So I had to wait until I was 14. I was hired for the train counter (thank you Arnie Whitlow). But, Venture Hobbies was huge into plastic models and R/C. Both airplanes and cars. I got to be friends with a guy at the RC counter and ended up racing RC cars. Because when you’re in a hobby shop you blow your paycheck and more.

We used to go up to Milwaukee on Sundays and race at Trackside Hobbies. And one racer up there was a machinist and wanted a better xacto handle. So one weekend he shows up with a couple handles and I was lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time.

Been 24 years since I thought about that. Good memories.

It’s still a great piece. Maybe I can get some copies produced if there is interest.

This makes me think of back in the day when I worked at Township Hobbies in Lisle, IL in the early 90’s. That was were I discovered Kato locomotives and launched my N scale endeavor.

[Sokramiketes]

This makes me think of back in the day when I worked at Township Hobbies in Lisle, IL in the early 90’s. That was were I discovered Kato locomotives and launched my N scale endeavor.

About the same timeline here.  I was messing around with some Bachmann and LifeLike stuff.  Then a set of Kato smoothside cars and E units in Milwaukee Road showed that N scale could operate so smooooth.  That shifted Dad too, and we started the N scale layout and some N trak modules.