N scale "What's on your workbench?"

I figure a C&O Hudson is in my near future also. I am close to being done with a C&O mikado.

 

That's one beautiful steam engine! Maybe even two (insert rimshot here).

I've been working a lot on the boxcab, 59-tonner and idler/reach gondola lately (especially weathering and finishing details) and will post more pictures of that soon. Next up, more rolling stock weathering, then I'm going to remotor my old (realllly old) GP40 using the spare motor and part of the frame from the RSD15 I hacked to make the 59-tonner. Should be pretty simple and it'll be great to see the Geep running again (this was my dad's locomotive from the early 1970s and the motor burned out long ago).

 

3800 class

Drasko, that's looking good! Post more pics when you mke progress pls.Otto

 

Will do otto. Hopefully ill get some time tonight. Might see if jason wants to cast the boiler when I'm done!

 

One coupler done...



Built the adapter for one side. Couldn't get a spring in it, but installed without and it works pretty good. I'll fuss with it later, but I think it came out pretty decent. This is the short-shank MT7 coupler, btw. I think I'll need the medium-shank couplers for the 59-tonner.

 

That little boxcab just keeps looking better.

 

Thanks John! Coming from you that means a whole lot. Seeing it run yesterday was just amazing. This little former caboose and pile of spare bits has just come to life. Can't wait to put something together for it to ride on.

 

here ya go otto.
not the greatest pictures but heres the progress on the 3800 and madame queen


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This is what i started.

Well I am a rookie but I wanted to share what I have so far on my work bench. So far I have a rail yard that will eventually hold about 40h to 50 cars with a revesre loop around the valley. Then up to a upper deck of the village of akron of the peanut line from the early part of the century. I guess I can't show you....can't get the pics to download technoolgy ughhh....well they are on my album.Dave

 

Well, I attempted some weathering for the first time last night on a box car. It looks dirty for sure, but I am not entirely happy with it yet. It is a combination of chalks and acrylic paint. I think on the next one I need to do a few more fade washes at the beginning before tackling rust. The dark blue of the boxcar just seems to hide all the real grungy spots and rust streaks. At any rate, I did enjoy working on it.

Ignore the coupler and trucks. Those have to be changed to MT's. I also think I want to pull the walk off and try to thin it down somehow... Any suggestions? Comments and criticism of the weathering is always appreciated.

 

Great start, Ben. About the walk, by the time CSX came into existence I think most rail cars had no roof walks. Have you considered removing them altogether and filling the holes?

As for the weathering, have you looked at photos of actual CSX rolling stock for ideas? Have a look at this one. Notice how the reporting marks have been painted over the grungy, rusty car sides, but the rest is just filthy. See how the rust gathers in the vertical braces? And don't forget to add the yellow safety stripes. Keep up the good work and enjoy yourself. Weathering and detailing is really fun and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

 

Yes agreed Ben good job and for your first; Sweet Keep it up

 

AHHH, right you are. Guess my assumption that a manufacturer would get that right was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. I am sort of a newb at this, and have been trying to get a hold of timelines for the different railroads/mergers/takeovers. I am trying to model CN in the late 60's, and my biggest problem has been trying to figure out what rolling stock fits that picture. My meagre collection is all mismatched (mostly cheapo) stuff. Guess it means it is good stuff to practice on.

I was working roughly off a photo of an ex-Seaboard car. It wasn't half as grungy as the one you show, but I do see the spots you mentioned to pay attention to. I think the big key with weathering is doing what you see, not what you think it should be. But... thats a lesson learned with time :tb-biggrin:

 

You're definitely on the right track. My wife learned something in an art class long ago that helped me tremendously, and you seem to have it as well. The example for me was in drawing noses and faces. It seems that if someone asks you to draw something like a nose, commonly the first response is to draw some sort of triangle thing, which is what I used to do. But a book from her class called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain helped me to better understand and actually draw what I see not what I think should be drawn. Weathering and detailing can certainly benefit from these skills.

Now, you say you're modeling CN from the late 60's. Well, a boxcar like the one you have would probably be in a little better condition than you've got there, and it would likely still have the walks, too. Maybe you could repaint it into something more appropriate to your time period, like NYC or something? Do you have any books that showcase your roadname during that time period? That plus photos from Trains and Classic Trains magazines can be a big help.

I'm right there with you on the mismatched cheapo stuff. One of my locomotives is from 1969 (and I mean the model, not the prototype)! But I find that just another fun challenge. Look at what I was able to do with an old Atlas caboose and parts from my parts box. Fits my planned layout idea and fits my budget, too (btw, I'm also modeling the late 60s)! Anyway enjoy yourself, this is a great hobby!

Oh, and a tip for thinning out the walks (if you keep them for a repaint) is to pull them off, then put them upside down on a piece of double-sided tape (not the foam stuff, the thin tape, also available as fabric tape in a craft or fabric store). Make sure to remove a bunch of the stickiness of the tape first since you just want to use it as a temporary way to hold the walk steady while you work on it. Once secured, you can take a flat file and carefully thin out the underside of the walk. Don't get too thin though, but you might work on beveling out the outer edges since that's what you'll notice more (fool the eye into thinking the rest is thin, too). Hope this helps.

 

No books yet... I know, I know... but I did find a great website this morning outlining how to build a boxcar roster in central Ontario for the 1950's. A decade earlier than what I had planned, but a great resource none-the-less. It breaks down the percentages of road names that would be seen a small town in Ontario. Here's the link for anyone else interested. http://www.canadianbranchline.com/boxcar_roster.htm

 

WHAT'S ON MY WORKBENCH??

Over a hundred masters for a detail parts line in N and HO. Some are ready to go, some need minor work and some are junk. It's going to be a busy winter....stay tuned.

 

Well, after 138 pages and a couple of years since I posted on page 1 of this thread, I thought it was time to contribute to it again. A Minneapolis and St Louis bay window caboose. I am looking forward to tacking a few FVM wagon tops to it and taking them for a spin.



Tom L.

 

Nice caboose, Tom... Uhhh, that sounds weird. Anyway, come back more often!

Here's the latest on my workbench:



The 59-tonner and RSD15 are on a little diorama that'll be used for outside photos. The 59-tonner was made from my other RSD15.



Here's an old F9 and caboose that I painted up for my son to mess around with. He made up the fictitious roadname (Wellington & Erie, which interchanges with the PW&NJ) so I lettered it. He's started weathering them, too! Also note the shiny "wet" spots. That's actually leftover glue from the metal magnet board that was on this box. Looks like a rainy muddy day on the W&E.

Then there's this:



Built a little tank from the big Mobilgas one. Looks great with the 59-tonner. Maybe I should make a box car and caboose, too?

And the boxcab now has MTL couplers on both ends!