When I worked at PC&F, they were everywhere. Both rail car assembly lines, steel fabrication. Anywhere something would move on rails, rollers....
Sadly to me, recent air quality regulations resulted in my employer changing over to natural gas last year. Our coal pile and the six to eight cars a day of coal we toted with our car puller are all gone forever.
I just received to-day my WM hammerhead cab/short hood end from Shapeways out of PiperguyUMD's store (I do not know if he posts here). Last week, my late phase RS-3 shells came from Denon's Skytop Models (I do not know if he posts here, either). While his shell is from a Northwestern late phase RS-3, thus the carbody filter arrangement is somewhat different from WM's, I went with it, as it has one of the major spotting features: the lack of louvers on the long hood doors. What I did was cut the short hood on the Skytop shell and replace with the cab/hammerhead piece. This is the result of a test-fit, This shows the fireman's side, which sits a bit funny, The engineer's side is its better side. It looks like it will take a bit of work to get the fit correct.
Shortline switcher madness. 2 need decoders, all need details added, touch up paint, weathering and then relettering.
I'm working on the abandoned Boon, MI, section house. I wasn't planning on modeling many Ann Arbor-specific trackside details, but this was a pretty easy one modifying the Waterville Shanty kit. Not perfect, but close enough for me! (Prototype photo came from an Emery J Gulash book).
Received my Kato F7 A and B units (both undecorated) a little while ago. Am going to start painting them this evening and putting in the TCS Decoders.
Decals are done. Getting ready for the final clear coat - then the side grills and wind screens. Thanks, Wolf
The original picture is OK, but uploading the picture turns it 90 degrees to the left....... Strange..... These are two platforms for my Japanese diorama. Completely scratchbuilt, but without a proper plan or design, so I am curious what the end results will be
Making progress on my 1942 Morning Hiawatha. Four cars are rolling. Still need roof details on two of them and of course handrails paint and decals. I am putting kind of generic interiors inside them and only lighting the mars light on the beaver tail observation. There will be six more cars in the consist eventually.
And with my Kato Super Dome arriving today, my Super Continental consist is starting to come together.
I did the "buy war bonds" car for the 1942 train. The car ends are orange. I gave up trying to find a full width diaphragm for the cars. I also cut the skirts off a couple of 1938 coaches, I think they look better without the skirts... Randy
Posting tonight because: 1) I actually have a workbench (one that is not piled high with "stuff")....been looking at the Harbor Freight woodworker's bench for years and finally decided to get one for modeling. 2) More radically, I have a project on it!!!! I'm getting active with Nashville NTRAK club and came in just when they were discussing that the clubmembers were getting tired of storing, transporting, setting up and tearing down their legacy NTRAK modules. We're thinking about T-TRAK-ish modules but for a unified club layout that is designed for operation....so maybe the T-TRAK interface standards with larger modules and broad curves. I knocked together a 48" x 5 5/16" (1 1/2" on either side of the 33mm spaced Unitrack standard) demo module for discussion purposes. My thinking is that the modules needed to separate towns don't need to have much on them and minimalist modules would be easier to build and transport. Charlie Vlk
Have you had those sides for a while now or did you just recently order them from Roberto? I've been having a hard time contacting him.
Russell, The HI is looking great! Are those GHQ sides? Randy, Loving the War Bonds car. That's one on my definite to-do list. I have the decals. What car/ sides did you use for the '42 coach? Great to see you building Charlie! Here's my latest project. Milwaukee FM H10-44 using a Shapeways shell.