Weekend Update 3/25/12

[up1950s]

[eric220]

I got a few more pieces of flextrack down this week, bringing the mains into Colorado.



I also ran some trains and tested out the superelevation on the curve around the end of the peninsula.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

In between making a "How To" video on the wire oak trees, I hauled the "Alameda-Belt-in-a-Box" out into a brief shower of sunshine to shoot some shots for an article (these are the rejects  ):





Think I almost got the white balance thing figured out, too.

Now if I could just figure out the #(*&$#&*%*&# iMovie on my new #&^%# iPhone...

[Puddington]

I suck at weathering stainless steel cars........anyone got any ideas........?

The "GN Stampeder" called on Samuel Ridge...........



It truly sucks when your decal is larger than your blue field area and your white stripe is thinner than it should be.... I can fix the white stripe but the Rocky decal..... ugh..........................the pains of scratch building.....

[mark dance]

Back from a vacation south of the border visiting San Diego (Legoland and the La Mesa club's Tehachapi layout ... not necessarily in that priority ) .  This week I made some more progress on both the Kootenay river and Lemon creek scenes.









I have got to replace those line poles...

The C&W also hosted an operating session last night.  The first trick dispatcher (me) got a half dozen clearances and train orders out ahead of the session and all went swimmingly from there.  We ran nearly 20 trains. I hope to get a handheld video of a portion of the session featuring an RDC tour across the line will on to YouTube this weekend.

Have a great weekend all

md

[rogergperkins]

"Christmas in March":  Yesterday I picked up the two Kato GS-4 engines in which I had decoders installed and then found the B'mann 2-8-0 with dual mode had arrived from MBK. 
I did notice the 2-8-0 has a large tender than the first two I purchased in B&O.  This one is C&O.

I have been too busy running engines thus no pictures yet. 

[MichaelWinicki]

[wm3798]

Worked on this diminutive addition to the Greenwood, PA business district...



Also wrapped up a tricky decoder and lighting install...



And enjoyed a night of trackside goonery with Gary, Bob and Phil, and Carl joined us a little later.



I used my ghost hunter equipment to gather this evidence of Bob's residual energy as it will appear at St. Denis for decades to come...



But my weekend is just beginning!  Look for more progress on something or another...

Lee

[BCR 570]

In my modelling era the British Columbia Railway connected with the Northern Alberta Railways at Dawson Creek.  I have been searching for a subtle way to represent this connection given that I do not have space to model the interchange tracks, and that the NAR did not have any significant cars of its own until 1979.

In the mid 1970s my friends Keith Hansen and Richard Yaremko photographed this NAR trailer at Dawson Creek:




I have some space to park or spot trailers at Dawson Creek on my layout so this seemed to be a good fit.  Here is my N Scale model of the Can-Car trailer and a CN tractor:




Tim

[Puddington]

Sweet Tim....that just hit my project list !

[up1950s]

Nice Tim , I wish there were a supply from Canada , more than what there is , of Canadian stuff such as tractors and trailers that would border cross .

[mark dance]

For those at Railwire who may be interested in operations as well as modelling, I just uploaded a video from our Thursday night op session to Youtube.  It is a little shy of 15 mins...very informal, but I think it represents the flavour of a C&W TT&TO session pretty well. I hope you enjoy it if you do take the time to view it.

md

[absnut]

This was not the easiest structure kit I have ever built but, I found the AMB Laser Kit "Dill and Sons Salting Station" an enjoyable, albeit challenging, three day project, the most difficult and time-consuming part being the assembly of the twenty pickle vats.  Because of its narrow footprint, it makes a nice industry for one of those long narrow pieces of real estate we sometimes end up with on our layouts.  I have combined it with a Northeastern "Box and Crate Factory" and an old Walthers water tank to create a home for the Sauer Pickle Company and give my scratch-built pickle cars a reason for being.

[wm3798]

So it's a fairly slow day at the ReStore today, and I'm back in the shop straightening up tools and what not, and I come across this...


Yes, stranded 12 ga. copper wire by the ton.

Having followed the conversation re MC's oak tree, I decided to try my hand at metallurgical arborist experimentation.  After about an hour of fooling around (honest, it was my lunch hour!!)  I came up with this:



I twisted the wire around a bit, and flooded about 1/2" of the trunk above the roots, then just teased and soldered until I was happy with the general shape.  I managed two of these (so far) which I'll take home and paint.  I may stay after school and whip up a few more.  The solder makes the tree right sturdy, yet still pose-able.  I've got some Woodland Scenics green fibre to stretch over it once it's painted.

Okay.  There's your update.  Back to the shop for more "cleaning up!"

Lee

[bbussey]

Still trying to perfect a way to make the New Haven equipment that never will be made commercially.  Getting closer, but not there just yet.  My latest attempt at the 8600-series smokers.  I think I'm satisfied with the interior and floor/underframe for the most part, but the body remains a work in progress.