The Little Rock Line

Allen H Dec 31, 2011

  1. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    Making a bit more progress, all of the main shell decals have been applied, and yes, the top one does not have any long hood lettering.
    Rock's GE's were basically rolling dumpsters by the end. Mismatched doors, mismatched lettering, faded paint and worn lettering and filthy.
    So these will resemble that era.
    I'm working on the sil striping now.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,900
    29,196
    148
    Excellent looking work sir! (y)(y)(y)
     
  3. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    Thank you sir.
    Once I get the dulling agent sprayed on, they should better.

    I've been working on the sill stripes over the past week....(n)
    They've been giving me real fits. Some of my decals are old, others are less than a year old, but it seems that almost all of the striping included
    in the sets are crap? Cut them out, soak them, and they fall apart either in the water or when I try to slide them off. :mad:

    I have coated them with 1, 2 and even 3 coats of the MS Liquid Decal Film, which I've always had great luck with in the past, maybe this stuff is old.
    Why do I say this? Well the other night after getting the second coat on, I replaced the cap and my thumb was putting a slight bit of pressure on the bottle and it disintegrated spraying the film on my shirt, the workbench, the set of decals I had laying there. :mad::mad::mad::mad:
    Luckily I have plenty more Rock Island decals sheets, along with another bottle of liquid film (which isn't as old) but I still plan to be careful.

    But at least nothing got on three of the sills I had laying close by. (y)

    So I broke down and bought some MS 3" & 4-3/4" white striping from an online source along with another bottle of liquid film.
    Once they get in I'll give them a try and see they work any better, if not I may try some from Circus City decals?

    So in the meantime I got some Bondic Glue that Freddy mentioned and I also got some .030" fiber optic tubing that I got from a vendor off ebay and plan to start playing again with the LEDs and headlights on some scrap loco hoods again.
    Besides I need a break from decaling, that striping is enough to make your eyes crossed and wanna pull your hair out.
     
    BNSF FAN and mtntrainman like this.
  4. DeaconKC

    DeaconKC TrainBoard Member

    1,203
    3,893
    44
    I have had good results on old decals with Testor's Model Master clear spray paint. It also works very well on home made inkjet printed decals.
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  5. freddy_fo

    freddy_fo TrainBoard Member

    1,091
    4,329
    47
    Microscale liquid decal film is brilliant. I used it to restore some 50 year old decals from tamiya that disentegrated with any hint of water and it did everything it promised.
     
  6. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    I have read recently where some guys have had good results with that and with clear Flat or Glosscote.
    One guy even said he went as far as spraying a light mist of lacquer thinner over the decals which seemed to melt the lacquer back into one piece.
    Might be dicey to try that, but as a last ditch effort with nothing to lose....

    I've always had good luck with it as well with just one coat.
    But these stripes on these decals are incredible! Like I've said, I've got three coats on one of the sheets now and I still have to be careful with them.
    I decaled some MoPac units several years ago and had the same issue with the stripiing on those sheets?
     
    DeaconKC and BNSF FAN like this.
  7. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    Work continues on my U33B's.
    Pretty much finished the first of the five U33B's the other night.
    It still needs couplers and the front headlights installed, but the weathering is complete.

    The weathering was all done with Pan Pastels. The oil and fuel leaks and all the grills were darkened with Tamiya Black Panel Liner.
    I sealed it with several light misted coats of my dulling agent. Had I covered it with a single heavy coat, most of the powders would have faded away.
    Pan Pastels do not fade as bad pastel chalks, but they do fade, especially the lighter colors.
    I had to go back and reapply the pans on the trucks and fuel tanks a couple of times.


    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  8. WolfWorks

    WolfWorks TrainBoard Member

    240
    208
    26
    It looks grande
     
    BNSF FAN and Allen H like this.
  9. Pfunk

    Pfunk TrainBoard Member

    548
    1,868
    40
    Looks fantastic! The weathering is really well done.
     
    BNSF FAN and Allen H like this.
  10. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,562
    22,736
    653
    Ah yes. Memories of earlier U-Boats. I well recall seeing them having barfed oil everywhere. These days they just catch fire instead.
     
  11. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    LOL!
    I'm sure the EPA wouldn't be happy these days if the Rock was still around?
     
  12. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

    3,259
    6,174
    70
    Allen,

    Beautiful (err... ugly?) paint job! I especially like the access panel substitution with different color & lettering. That engine's been 'rode hard and put up wet' more than a few times.

    It even makes me not want to get near it with my every-day clothes on! Strictly gloves, goulashes and grungies (heck, even full haz-mat gear) are required just for handling that filthy thing!
     
    badlandnp, DeaconKC and mtntrainman like this.
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    67,562
    22,736
    653
    And the MILW as well! :)
     
    badlandnp and Allen H like this.
  14. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

    9,982
    10,821
    143
    And the battery box covers as well. (y)(y)
     
  15. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

    3,259
    6,174
    70
    Oh, wow, missed those!
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  16. BigJake

    BigJake TrainBoard Member

    3,259
    6,174
    70
    Damned hazmat goggles...
     
    HemiAdda2d, mtntrainman and DeaconKC like this.
  17. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    I was never exposed to the MILW much, but I do remember seeing a few pics of their stuff.

    Good catch George, you're first one who noticed the battery box panels! (y)
     
    badlandnp and mtntrainman like this.
  18. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

    9,982
    10,821
    143
    I had a '79 Chevy 4x4 pick up. She wasn't pretty. It was what we call around here as a 'Beat Around The Mountain' vehicle. I used it to go out down a 5 mile logging road and cut and haul firewood in the summer...to heat our house in the winter. The truck was pretty beat up. BUT...under the hood that was a different story. A rebuilt 350 motor. New radiator. New 'shoes' on all 4 wheels. The drive train had been rebuilt. The heater worked great. The AC would freeze you out when the temperature was 100+ outside in the summer.

    I guess what I am saying is that in the 1:1 world it doesn't matter what she looks like...the question is "How does she run?" ;)(y):whistle:
    .
     
    Joe Lovett, DeaconKC, Allen H and 2 others like this.
  19. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

    22,015
    27,414
    253
    That is one seriously thrashed pair of U-boats. Brilliant work!
     
    badlandnp and Allen H like this.
  20. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,454
    55
    Thanks Hemi!
    But it's only a single loco with four views. However there are four more U-Boats coming soon!
     
    badlandnp likes this.

Share This Page