Weekend Update 8/12/12

[peteski]

Peteski,

I like the checkerboard pattern at the top of this.  Your idea ?   That ladder, however, looks way too thick and out of scale.   Maybe something  from Gold Metal Models as a replacement???

Eja,
I've seen checkerboards (or other patterns) painted on silos (both in person or in photos found on the Web) so I decided to emulate that on this model.  I really don't know why it is done but it sure adds some pizazz to the structure. Maybe this is done as a warning for low flying airplanes? 

The ladder is part of the kit (made from laser-cut laserboard) and at this point it will stay on the model.   I'm sure that a photo-etched ladder would look finer but where the silo will be located on the layout (couple of feet from the viewer), it'll be fine. It looks acceptable when viewed in-person from that distance.

[sizemore]

After:

Nice Parking lot!


The S.

[Dave V]

Kinda really gives away the roundy-round, doesn't it? 

[rogergperkins]

  My copy of NSR came today! Thus the smile.  I am amazed by the article on the SP in 1949; especially interesting to see the layout is that size.  It looks very large.

[BCR 570]

The first section of track outside the helix has been glued down with feeder wires in place below:




With a temporary connection to the bus wires, a short circuit test was performed to ensure that the circuit breaker for this power district would trip and reset, and a train was run over the track to verify satisfactory operation.  Work Extra 810 performed the honours:




Next up is re-installation of the temporary Pine River bridge, wiring and gluing down the section of track at the other end of the bridge, and the bus wire runs for this section of benchwork.


Tim

[rochsub]

Those are excellent as well.  I'm so busy building a large layout that I just give my rolling stock a quick airbrush weathering to take the shine off.  Someday, I'd like to go back and do more detail stuff.  Keep up the good work!

Daryl

Thanks Daryl!

I just finished weathering 2 Athearn boxcars I had sitting around as well:





Thanks,
Jan

[craigolio1]

Hi Craig.

You are  in luck... this whole CRS-20 conversion project is being documented in excrutiating detail on my blog.. (currently at part 4).   I cut the front window panel out of spare Kato SD40-2 cabs.  The rear radiator screens are actually a fine self adhesive nylon repair patch product I found at Michaels Arts and Crafts in the sewing section.  The twin fans on the top are cut from SD40-2 shells as are the radiators behind the cab on the left hand side.  I dont have precise measurements for the back end but i have been able to effectively eyeball this from numerous photographs I have collected.

This is a very challenging conversion but I am just taking it one step at a time.  Starting point is the Atlas (with Kato mechanism) RS-11 of which i found two in undec recently at a very good price.

Nice !   I forgot about your blog.  I'll check it out.  Thanks.

[BCRail_FSJ]

Nice !   I forgot about your blog.  I'll check it out.  Thanks.

I just did a write up on how to hack and file down the front of the metal frame to fit the new cab and nose.  A rather tedious and messy procedure but it is done now...  and everything fits.

[GP38-2freak]

I uses some AC, styrene strips and needlefiles to close the small gap between the cab and long hood, the BLMA parts + ShellScale Decals arrived to so I'm in for the next stage...sorry for the poor quality but the cam wasn't worth it's money...

Nice pictures and work what you have done so far, especially I like Dr Vollmers work 

[fcnrwy]

Progress on the Port Edwards’ extension continues.

Since, I can only work on this on Sundays’ my progress is a little slow.

As of last Sunday, August 5.
The backdrop and fascia hardboard have been attached as well as the majority of the trackage laid.



This morning, I finished removing all of my paper masks.    I had the chance to paint the backdrop and fascia boards, Friday night.



I hope to test out the trackage, later today.   


Jerry G.

[spookshow]

Thanks David, Tony, and Coxy.

Coxy - Sorry, I don't really much in the way of "blow by blow" photos. But truth be told, there's just not a whole lot to it - four walls and a roof and not much more than that. If they were all this simple I'd probably have a finished layout by now 



Interestingly enough (well, to me anyway), this is apparently a fairly standard design (as bulk fertilizer buildings go). I found this web page detailing the construction of a virtually identical structure in Oklahoma -

http://www.custercoop.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=18

Cheers,
-Mark

[Dave V]

[chuck geiger]

This is the spur that Dave in Anchorage hipped me to and DKS did a track plan:
http://alaskarail.blogspot.com/2012/08/apu-spur.html

[eric220]

I swear I have been working on the railroad.  Just not as much as I'd like, and no photos to share yet.

I did want to share a little adventure that I went on last night.  In my alternate history, the PRR buys the Sacramento Northern Railroad, and uses the former Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern route to gain access to the east bay and passage over the lower deck of the Bay Bridge to San Francisco.  The route from Sacramento to the bay area required that the railroad cross the Sacramento River.  The OA&E and SN used a car float operation to cross at the Suisun Straight and over Chipps Island.  You can actually still see the remnants of the car float aprons.

http://goo.gl/maps/ncH1e

Last night, quite by accident I found myself in Bay Point (because for what other reason would any sane person go to Bay Point).  Not just in Bay Point, but a few short blocks from a significant spot on the old OA&E/SN main.  Between Concord and Pittsburg, the SN, SP, and AT&SF mains ran parallel to each other in what almost looked like a triple-track main.  At the modern town of Bay Point, the SN curved away from the others to the right, went down into a ditch, and then curved back to the left under the SP and AT&SF.  It then passed through a small yard, and went on to the car float.  I'm using that curve as the basis for hiding the passage of my railroad through a scenic divider.  Last night, I got to see it in person.

http://goo.gl/maps/QuRYf

Today, I did some calculations.  It's one mile from the underpass to the shoreline, which would be plenty of room for a bridge approach.  Also, that curve works out to about an 850 ft radius, or a little broader than 7 degrees of curvature.  That's tight, but much less so than Horseshoe Curve at over 9 degrees.

[Roger Holmes]

Another photo taken by my out of state visitor.



I have a couple of N scale structure projects on the workbench but most of my train time has been devoted to a 1:29 scale NW2 project that I want to finish before our September Outdoor Meet.  The body has been in the paint shop and the chassis in the electrical shop.