Weekend Update 1/3/21

[Smike]

Been far to long since I’ve done anything with the layout. Made a goal to complete a new scene over the holiday break. Reading & Northern’s NRFF (North Reading Fast Freight) heading down grade in the Lehigh Gorge crossing over Drakes Creek. I did cheat and photoshop some background in the upper right, but at least the photo is from the real location. 

Honestly it’s the top shelf work from everyone here that keeps me motivated.  Happy New Year!!

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[amato1969]

Awesome fall colors @Smike !!!

  Frank

[Bob]

Outstanding scenery! Thanks for posting.  The rocks and ballast are really well done, and great job with the foliage!

[RockGp40]

How's it running?

This one is flawless! Thanks for asking.

[Smike]

Thanks gents! Here’s a closeup of the tracks. I learned ballast from master  @GaryHinshaw 

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[BCR 570]

What I really like about your fall colour scene is how the colours are muted and not garish as I sometimes see.  I would be interested to know which materials you used for the armatures and foliage, in particular the yellow ones.  I have a lot of northern Aspens in my modelling future.

Tim

[Smike]

Thanks Tim. The trees are super trees. I have to pick through a lot to find the really good small ones, the rest get used for background. I spray them with med grey then mist them with dark drown camo to get some texture on the trunks. Then after spraying them with hairspray I dab them into the flock so it only gets on the tips. For fall always use complementary colors (yellows with some orange, or brown with red etc)

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[trainzluvr]

Been doing electronics in the staging past week or so, while last couple of days were spent running wires and connecting all the track feeders to the panel, etc.


LCC Command Station in the lower left, PSX-1 above it, Capacitor Discharge Unit at the top left;
Custom built LCC Railcom+Block Occupany Detector+Track Power Control+Circuit Breaker boards (x2) in the upper right, small white box is LCC Power-Point, below that are RR-Cirkits Signal-LCC and Tower-LCC with 3x SCSD-8s.

Next stop is to connect all the solenoid motors to the controller boards (RR-CirKits SCSD-8s). I still need to build another LCC Railcom board for this panel, then I have another panel on the othe side of staging that needs the same treatment like here, just a bit less involving as there's no track control there.

And maybe some trains get to run in a loop soon.

[dougnelson]

Two new additions to the COVID fleet:
1. An X31f automobile boxcar. It’s a Fine N Scale resin kit with a Keystone Details 3D roof part.





2. A G24 gondola, steel rebuild. This was a WW1 war emergency gon with wood sides and floor. By 1930 they were rebuilt with steel sides. This is an Intermountain kit. I substituted styrene for the wood sides that come with the kit and added Archer rivets on the inside.

[haasmarc]

More progress on the coal dealer...

Finished the walkway and added railing:




 

Built a set of stairs:







Next up is to build an office.

[wazzou]

That really looks great.  You’re doing a terrific job on the scene.
Have you considered adding triangular, sided gussets over the posts?

[hegstad1]

I needed a skewed, double track, through plate girder bridge for Garrison, Montana.  The prototype is five sections but I cut it down to three for the model.  These are modified Atlas bridges.

[craigolio1]

I needed a skewed, double track, through plate girder bridge for Garrison, Montana.  The prototype is five sections but I cut it down to three for the model.  These are modified Atlas bridges.

Mmmmmmm bridgey goodness. Love it.

Craig.

[thomasjmdavis]

2. A G24 gondola, steel rebuild. This was a WW1 war emergency gon with wood sides and floor. By 1930 they were rebuilt with steel sides. This is an Intermountain kit. I substituted styrene for the wood sides that come with the kit and added Archer rivets on the inside.

An additional +1 for the interior rivets. 

Are the wood sides a separate part in that kit, or did you have to grind them away from the steel framing?

[altohorn25]

I picked up some more Kato storage boxes for my 1937 and 1938 Super Chief sets and power when I was in Milwaukee yesterday.  Got the foam cut and the equipment put in this morning.

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