Warm winds are blowing in mid-central Illinois, there's baseball on TV again, the birds are singing and it's FRIDAY! Must mean we are in for some train shows soon, better get ready. Saturday: I'll be putting on the finishing touches to these beauties before they head north. BNSF 9761, a SD70 MAC is displaying the original Burlington paint scheme that was used on such early Q motors such as the GP7's, SD9's and a Baldwin or two. The updated scheme looks great on a this six axle EMD. Like wise, BNSF, former AT&SF (sorry Santa Fe guys) C44-9W 914 shows us what the 1957 scheme would look like on a modern-ish GE wide cab. This is the scheme that hooked me into modeling the CB&Q and is still one of my favorites. I'll finish up all the paperwork and get some natural images done before sending this units back home to their owner. I've made good head way with Brian's 2-rail O scale stuff, only two more covered hoppers to decal, then it's clear coat time and assembly. Hopefully I can get a lot done this Saturday as the shop will be closing in a few weeks to prepare for the pending move. Sunday: is the last full day I can use to get a lot of the projects done on the Galesburg City Job. I can't believe that next Friday my friend and other half of this project set up for our first show of 2017! I need to finish up that grade crossing area and touch it all up with the airbrush as well install my wooden grade crossing on the second module. One of my Butler buildings needs a roof, after I strengthen the inside with some polystyrene. The other big project that I need to get done is that of the storage cassette for the modules when transported. The two previous versions worked well, but like anything, improvements can be made. Lets hope Mk.III will be the one. If time allows, I really want to get my two Tam Valley Servo Turnout Controllers mounted on the Inglenook as all the track work is complete and has been tested. We'll see if the warm weather combined with domestic duties and a Jeep that is a large distraction will allow such progress. So how about you? What do you have planned this weekend? Train shows? Modeler meets? Maybe a bit of railfanning? Let us know. We'll assemble again on Monday the 27th to see how we all did. Until then, have a great weekend, have fun, keep it safe and as always... High Greens!
Well, I hope to get back up to my layout this weekend. Been away from it for two weeks. I am wanting to start on the engine terminal. And, work on some troublesome turnouts. Hope ya'll have a great weekend, Wolf
I'm totally out of energy. I work as a manager for a real railroad and this was a trying week. I have one SD40-2 that lost a turbo, 2 B39-8s that are 92 day inspections with long repair lists , one needed an air compressor change. I have one B40 that is getting its prime mover changed, one B23-7 that had a bunch of bent connecting rods, it still needs a wheel changed. One SD40-2 is coming for a 92 day and it also needs about 9 power assemblies changed. I have a B40 that needs a battery box and the rear sand box changed.. I don't know if I have the energy for model railroading after all the real railroading this week !!! Randy
I would like to get the west tunnel portal mounted and merged with the terrain shell. Extra credit if I can cast any of the surrounding rock faces.
In preparation for my next round of ESU LokSound decoder installs, I hope to detail up 2 SP Black Widow F7As and a UP E9. This will just about use up my stock of BLMA EMD detail parts; sure hope Atlas gets more of those produced. I also hope to finish fixing a Kato 4449 that took a tumble (not mine). Going to do a driver set replacement, received today, since the original geared driver's hub keeps popping out of the wheel.
All of the ordered parts have come in for the LED lighting demonstration for the club. I'm going to try to use LED Ribbon to light the entire free standing layout from the 7' ceiling. The math says it will work. I just need to make a trip to Frys for some doodads. Hoping an MRC Tech II can temporarily provide the 6Amps of DC needed just to prove it out. Box says it can. not sure. If the club goes for it, we'll use an appropriate supply. Not so much modelling, but in the process of debugging some MRC 1651 no sound decoders, I got one of the JMRI contributors to make me a 1651 decoder profile file, but I need to actually test it for him more than I have. If there's time after all that, I'm going to rewire my Superfleet FP45. It's getting sound but motor spins a bit and overloads. On DC, the motor is fine.
More work on the layout - Last night I managed to get the main loop finished and pinned down. NOW it turns out my used Shinohara switches short my DCC system as soon as the switch is thrown. I'll have to do some cutting and isolating this weekend, I guess. At any rate, as long as I don't move a switch, I have some 45 feet of contiguous track, nice to see some locomotives running after 20 years without. An ugly pic: And a pretty one: I'm in hopes by the end of the weekend, I'll have a good start on the yard tracks, and some cleaning and maintenance on the approximately 10 "new" locomotives that have arrived in the past two weeks. This one is a beautiful machine, someone did a nice job on the Hustle Muscle scheme, and it was extremely cheap. Then I received it and found that - icing on the cake - it has a great sound system installed! I'm modeling about 1968-1970, it seems to me to be about the only era that I can have Phase 1 Amtrak with all kinds of mixed road passenger cars AND any NP, GN, CB&Q, SP&S and even a few shiny new BN locos - legal on the layout! Heaven isn't in Iowa, it's right here .. ;-)
Yea, I figured on just taking a stab there. Anywhere in about that five years gives me an opportunity to run about anything I'm interested in without being TOO wacky. But .. after all, I DO have a DD40 painted in Big Sky Blue - so I'm not TOO married to reality!
Setting up my new home entertainment system. This is my first system since the 70's. Where did all of those wires come from and where do they go?
