Weekend Update 10/20/24

[up1950s]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=NknoK7HIKNA

https://kemptontrain.com/

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https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a5cc152b3b023cc6&sca_upv=1&hl=en&q=b%26o+vintage+shots&tbm=vid&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0AiWqXpwpi4y_F8VDYetL6Dlnkps_EIKkohBFm2lDUsiB0G40WlCksKa6EkRmMhWMyPKJ7mTsXeFDD-5nfeSJIHT7z8VulU2yqRM45ru72b73sE6yfkaujrdn5x9Cmp6hlsP-IooERiwge6D0oUz-2jEppKdtSHs9qloHaLjPJrr4m7NaFncybEGshsmALpv_HPaTGmKSgyIVs2M_nrmybCI-43BA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiHrbCHnNCIAxUPFFkFHRjWFv4Q0pQJegQIERAB&biw=1920&bih=911&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:81764ef0,vid:_RjiN50MNa4,st:0

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f07f13ca3f96175b&sca_upv=1&q=cp+fire+train&tbm=vid&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0DvD4UMlvdpwktgGj2ZHhIXbAWLwb3isP1TOYwOuAlv_Q7vGexpJyOFDsW9fl-QwXtHiRMPUdsXxOT7b4zXoNIkKbWX9y3x-OcLA5HkyirD8LbTB2QqnyOViJeAUJwB5CB1MxUnC6irdD3cluDL4S0ekB1aW4xxDamDOHgZUrJJIskRPnq3XU8NJFVmobKWMb5sg7CpUK3he0emiCn6R6v6gcs7Og&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjii_qgpNCIAxVQFlkFHcnuIb0Q0pQJegQIEhAB&biw=1920&bih=911&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:983e5271,vid:VolAUAbVTsI,st:0

[Dave V]

I haven't done much with the RGS lately, but I went downstairs yesterday and looked around, eventually running a train for the first time in months:

[flight2000]

Dave, saw your other thread and hope you have a speedy recovery from the upcoming surgery.

For my update this weekend/week, I started working on the recycle yard.  I really like the scrap metal made by Coastmans Scenic Products (https://www.coastmans.com/industrial).

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Also got the crossbucks wired up along with the traffic light. Walthers makes the sequencing module for the traffic lights, it works well, but wish it had an option to slow the light sequence down a little.

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Finally, started putting together the Grafton Tower kit from Yelton Models.  Very nice, high quality prints and after talking with him a bit at the Berea Train Show, he's looking at doing a full interior. 

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Cheers,
Brian

[peteski]

Dave, saw your other thread and hope you have a speedy recovery from the upcoming surgery.

For my update this weekend/week, I started working on the recycle yard.  I really like the scrap metal made by Coastmans Scenic Products (https://www.coastmans.com/industrial).

I agree that the scrap metal looks very good, except for a small detail:  Over the years I have scoured many scrap yards looking for car parts, and all the cars I've seen always had some of their original paint left on their bodies.  Unless of course a car was involved in a fire which burned it completely, then the entire car was rusty.  I think that a small amount of color added to those rusty cars would make the scene even better.

Of course I'm sure someone will find a photo which proves me wrong,  but I still say that some color added to the rusty cars would make the scene better. 

[nkalanaga]

That second video, with the "box car mover": 

The NP/BN people I met in Pasco usually called it a "wheel jack", and I've actually used one - once.  I was in high school, and a BN employee let us use one to move a MOW boxcar on a spur at the depot.  It takes a while, but does work.  We also found that, for an empty boxcar (steel frame, double sheathed siding), four teenagers can push the thing at least as fast.  just make sure there's a fifth person ( the railroader) to apply the hand brake as needed.

[BCR 570]

I returned to modelling this week with progress on two stalled projects.  My two BCR cabooses have been waiting for some flat weights to go between the underframes and the floors.  After failing to find some flat lead sheet, I decided to use some tungsten weights which I had previously sourced for some woodchip cars.  I found a local company which could use the EDM process to cut the weights to length and drill some holes for the passage of pick-up wires for the lighting:




I can now proceed with gluing the underframes to the weights, which should help correct the slight warpage in those parts.  I will then fabricate new floor/interior parts as the ones supplied in the kit are not correct.


I also returned to work on my Sperry car build (see thread here:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=57684.15) and have now completed the portions of the sides for the motor compartment:




Tim

[SP-Wolf]

Hi to Y'all,

My SP Dynamometer Car project is done




In service - testing a newly arrived set of F9M's (Rebuilt from F3's)





Thanks,
Wolf

[Kentuckian]

@flight2000, love the scrap scene with the overhead crane. Excellent. I’m becoming more interested in industrial modeling.

If I could make one suggestion: make it “scrappier”. Weather the bright yellow crane, a few weeds and puddles in the parking lot, a scrap trailer parked somewhere, etc.

[rodsup9000]

   Wolf,
That Dynamometer Car turn out awesome and looks great behind those black widows.



Been working on some brick buildings. My problem with most brick buildings kits in N scale is that it's hard to make the seams look good.
This was plywood cut on the laser with printed doors and windows. I've got it so it looks really good to me








 And a close up on the corner seam



 

[flight2000]

If I could make one suggestion: make it “scrappier”. Weather the bright yellow crane, a few weeds and puddles in the parking lot, a scrap trailer parked somewhere, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions.  Both yours and @peteski's notes will be incorporated going forward.  This was just the base scenery, so lots of improvements still to come.  I've already started adding the vegetation in the back to make the backdrop blend more, which occurred after the photo was taken earlier in the week.  I've got some thick  "mud paint" from Ammo that I'll be experimenting with in the coming weeks. 

Cheers,
Brian

[rickb773]

Paying homage to our modeling forefathers!
I received the 2 "heritage" box cars that I ordered from https://homeshops.net/pages/advance-purchases (7 available).
(Atlas Master Line Freight Cars: rebuilt steel box cars)
These honor Frank Ellis' Delta Lines and Jim Hediger's Ohio Southern.



These go with my Al Kalmbach's "Great Gulch, Yahoo Valley & Northern and the Reid Brother's Cumberland Valley.



And Jim Fitzgerald's N-Trak

[Lemosteam]

Making more aggregate piles for the LIRR IS, and working on some details.

These are the aggregates so far, gravel, pRR ballast, sand, crushed granite, coal (for the railroad and engine house but I will have a large pile too), and some strange brown sand I had. I may airbrush this to be a lesspukey color, lol. All of the piles will be blended at there base onto the surrounding ground cover.



Added a removable sand dump load to Bucyrus #3:



Added a long wood crossing so the machines can traverse the spur to load barges and filled in the hole where the barge office was before.



Decaled and weathered the IS #15 drop center flat with #1 crane car. Going to add cribbing to the deck for a future printed clamshell bucket storage.



Track level shot:

[Mike C]

I returned to modelling this week with progress on two stalled projects.  My two BCR cabooses have been waiting for some flat weights to go between the underframes and the floors.  After failing to find some flat lead sheet, I decided to use some tungsten weights which I had previously sourced for some woodchip cars.  I found a local company which could use the EDM process to cut the weights to length and drill some holes for the passage of pick-up wires for the lighting:

  You can get sheet led from Amazon around 20 bucks for a lifetime supply .     Mike

[BCRail_FSJ]

Significant milestone on Beatton River this week as I finalized the installation of the Peco SmartSwitch servos and SmartFrog modules on Section 2 of the layout which represents the south end of the yard and staging tracks at the back.   Lots of fiddly wiring including for panel switches and route indicator lights for both visible tracks (green) and staging (red).  Testing under DCC power with my trusty Maine Central test locomotive and all is working smoothly

[nscaler711]

Have a coworker that smokes Cigars and I got a brilliantly hair-brained idea, PUT A TRAIN IN IT!
So here it is.



It's mostly Rokuhan, the structures are Sankei which are easy to put together with basic white glue.


The lid is even deep enough to display some trains!


Even made the throttle (RC-04) a plug so I can use it on other things, while retaining the look of the box being intact.


I still hate ballasting...