Weekend Update 2/12/23

[up1950s]

https://whyy.org/articles/the-franklin-institute-will-transform-the-train-factory-room-into-a-showcase-of-historic-invention/

https://steamgiants.com/survivors/on-display/baldwin-60000/

http://paheritage.wpengine.com/article/the-giant-that-stumbled-baldwin-locomotive-works-dominated-its-field-for-a-century-then-vanished/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/545076361132724047/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_steam_engine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_60000#:~:text=Baldwin%2060000%20is%20an%20experimental,th%20locomotive%20built%20by%20Baldwin.

http://www.rgusrail.com/pafi.html

https://www.baldwinparkphilly.org/baldwin-locomotive-works

[PiperguyUMD]

I’m ready for my Y6b to show up! Also those brakemen on the WM must have been really stinking tall!

[ednadolski]

Paving roads with anchor bolt cement.  I really like this stuff as a modelling material.

More pics here: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=52093.msg762436#msg762436



Ed

[davefoxx]

Paving roads with anchor bolt cement.  I really like this stuff as a modelling material.

Ed

Agreed.  I built these bridge abutments with a mold constructed from scrap styrene and anchoring cement.



The bucket I bought is a lifetime supply, too!

DFF

[Sokramiketes]

RIP Charlie Vlk

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[Erik W]

Since I've been cleaning and tinkering with my locomotive fleet lately, I thought I'd take some roster shots of all my motive power.  These are all 18 of my engines.  They are:

D&RGW
4 F7A - InterMountain Railway - factory painted
1 F7B - InterMountain Railway - factory painted
1 FTA - Intermountain Railway - undec, modified angled number boards, painted and decaled by me
1 FTB - Intermountain Railway - undec, painted and decaled by me
2 F3A - Kato - factory painted
2 SD7 - Atlas - factory painted
3 GP9 - Atlas - factory painted
1 GP7 - Atlas - factory painted no road number, number decaled by me
1 RS3 - Atlas - factory painted

CB&Q
1 F3A - Kato - factory painted
1 F3B - Kato - factory painted

These all have decoders.  The last unit I bought was about 15 years ago.  The Atlas GP7 is old enough that I had to send the frame out to be milled, and then hard wired the decoder myself.  This unit is kind of special.  I worked for InterMountain Railway as a production coordinator in 2004 and 2005 (with Marty McGuirk, and Matt Gaudynski - later of Fox Valley Models).  I found the filthy and neglected unit at the back of the dirty drawer in my desk.  I brought it home, tore it apart, cleaned it and lubed it.  It's been my yard switcher ever since then.  Also, while working at InterMountain I had access to whatever injection molded parts I wanted, since those were manufactured here in Longmont.  So the FTA unit conversion was pretty easy by cannibalizing an F7 shell for the angled number boards.

Also, people have asked how I get the IM F units so closely coupled.  Well, I made styrene drawbars detailed to look like coupled couplers, even with Z scale trip pins.  There's really no reason to break up the F unit sets, so they're essentially permanently coupled.  At one point my IM FTs had some electrical pickup issues, so since they're permanently drawbarred together anyway, I used extra decoder wiring to permanently MU them together.  That motive power unit then has 16 wheel electrical pickup.  Whatever it takes to keep things running smoothly!











Erik

[davefoxx]

@Erik W,

I’ve said it before, but I’m very happy to see your layout coming back to life.

DFF

[bnsfdash8]

I did a quick reassembly of the GP60I & B after finishing painting the railings and other parts. Next it'll get a coat of flat clear and eventually weathered.

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[Chris333]

Is that GP60I wearing a SD80MAC cab?  Is that real or foobie?  Just never seen that before.

[mu26aeh]

Is that GP60I wearing a SD80MAC cab?  Is that real or foobie?  Just never seen that before.

Back when @bnsfdash8 talked about the cab

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=55199.msg757714#msg757714

[Chris333]

Ha Ha guess this steam guy still has a good diesel eye 

[BCR 570]

After several weeks of busy progress on the layout, this was a quieter week with only some minor tasks undertaken in preparation for the next sections to go up.  I am enjoying running trains in and out of Septimus and so far the new trackage is operating very well, even with temporary DC power. 

The next section to be worked on will be Sundance, which constitutes the lower deck between the Chetwynd Yard and Highway 97 sections.  This section needs to be shortened at its left end by about 23 inches, and the former location of Septimus at the rear will be re-purposed as Bond siding.  Lots of work ahead of me here including lifting track, removing wiring, and putting it all back after the cut.  Here is the section prior to changes:






I did manage to make more progress on my M-420B after receiving some replacement parts.  I have added the plows, hoses, cut levers, radiator walkway and stack.

Left front view:




Left side view:




Left rear view:




Also running in three more mechanisms for my M-420s which I will build next:




Tim

[bnsfdash8]

Is that GP60I wearing a SD80MAC cab?  Is that real or foobie?  Just never seen that before.

They're complete foobies. CR actually tossed around the idea for GP60s with EMD, but they never came to fruition. I decided to run with the idea one day and figured might as well do B units as I'm at it. 

[craigolio1]

I was able to get some work done on my Polarbear Express ONR train this week. The decals I got for the stripes didn’t match the factory Rapido cars, and the Rapido ONR blue paint didn’t match their cars or the decals. I used a rattle can blue from Canadian Tire and painted the stripes, and repainted the roofs so now things match more closely. The yellow is Polyscale Reading Yellow. On the left is a stock Rapido car.



I also disassembled my bridge after it warped, replaced and repainted the warped ME parts, and reassembled it. So far so good.





Craig

[jpwisc]

I finished up one of my WC patch boxcars and the second 450T flatcar. Just a little weathering left on the flats.
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