These are cars, that I completed this week, they are duplicates of cars that I did before, but I liked them so well I needed duplicates and in the case of the Wabash Covered Hopper, I will be doing more. This is a Detail West FGE RBL Kit, removed the cast Sill Steps and replaced with A-Line Sill Steps, painted the car Big SKy Blue as that was General Foods color and they paid the lease so the EL could acquire these cars for food service. Lettered with Herald King Decals. This is an IMRC 50' PS1 kit, where I substitutued a Details West Plug Door for the Sliding Door, used a Details West Cushion Coupler Pocket and A-Line Sill Steps, Painted Boxcar Red and lettered with Herald King Decals. This is an Atlas ACF 6 Bay Covered Hopper, painted with Scalecoat II M of W Gray and lettered with Mark Vaughn Decals. Thanks for looking! Rick J
Just finished, a Precision Scale Short Caboose kit. It was fun to build and resolve the "problems". Wolfgang
Sweet looking models gentlemen! Thanks for being a constant source of inspiration. As for me, I finally gotten round to restarting work on this model. Allow me to give a little history on this build, if you may. I initially started it 4 years ago. Didn't really know much about Railroads and the locomotives on each roster so I ended up jumping head first into a terrible blunder. This model was originally intended to a SP GP15 until.....I found out that SP didn't have any of these units. Now here I was, stuck with a GP15.... with the 'L' window config cab 'Yipes!'. Frustrated by my mistake I set the model down, in a lonely corner on my work bench where it gathered dust for what turned out to be years. After 4 years the model is once again under the lights. I bought a P2K GP9 chassis recently which got here on Tuesday, this prompted me to dust off the shell and get to work. After carefully assessing the frame I found the path to take in order to get this Smokey Valley/Cannon shell to sit comfortably atop the P2K frame. 3 hours later my MoPac GP15-1 is a couple steps closer to completion. I still however have to correct the cab window and the headlights, then I will reattach the front coupler lift bars. P.S. Oh yeah, I'm also waiting patiently for the correct length gas tank to arrive before cutting into the chassis once more.
I started a Smokey Valley GP15 kit almost twenty years ago. Finished painting it, but never put the stanchions and handrails on. This was before the P2K Geep drive came out, so I was fussing with the Smokey Valley chasis and an Athearn drive for months. I hated it, and gave up. It's still sitting on my Dad's layout promptly displayed when you walk in.
Now that Athearn Genessis has released their DCC GP15s you could probably try one of their chassis under your Smokey Valley shell. I was considering getting a Genessis chassis for the other unit. Hope it works and run as well as the P2K chassis. I like weight of the P2K chassis.
Here's something that was sent to me recently. It's a Fleischmann 0-4-0 I'm guessing of 70's vintage. I removed the hook and loop couplers and put in Kadee #148's in Kadee #242 draft gear boxes. It runs but is somewhat rocky and needs more work. For now it makes a nice little tourist attraction.
Here is one of the last pics I took after adding about 100 trees to this section of the layout just east of Alma.
Well, since my snowmobile is getting rusty, I tried to dirty up a box car for the first time. Actually, everything in the photo is a first for me, including the photo itself (first time postin in WPF) Track painted last week and about 2 feet of ballast installed too. Athearn car with FVM wheels, painted trucks, 1 very light wash of light grey and 1 light wash Polly Scale earth. I have not figured out what year it is (sometime after 5-84 I guess) and did not want to get too wild. Tomorrow, I am planning to start the roof and work something darker in the door tracks, ribs etc. Have a good weekend! Jon
No scenery yet but here is a Minnesota Commercial Train as I was "testing" out some tings on the layout: And a yard shot with a BNSF train waiting on the Minneosta Comercial Main, a BNSF Heritage Excursion Train in the MNNR yard and a Soo Line (CP) SD60 and GP38 with the local ADM CF7 elevator switcher behind. (to the far right is a glimpse of the NorthStar commuter train...why it is way over here in Saint Paul is anyone's guess)
A unique bridge for the Slocan sub. A few more rivets then off to the paint shop. I am going to try the "salt technique" for simulating heavy rust that Tom Mann describes in his weathering book. Have a great Sunday! md