N scale "What's on your workbench?"

Mark Watson Oct 28, 2009

  1. christoph

    christoph TrainBoard Member

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    Some weeks ago I set up another table in the basement for the paint work (airbrush etc.). Did not use it so far, could not decide what to start first....

    On my list :

    • finish those Fine-N-Scale resin box car kits (PRR X31 and B&O Wagontops),
    • finish the remaining JnJ MILW rib side box cars before more FVM cars make them obsolete
    • build two Traincat brass kits of PRR H30 and H30a
    • build PRR L1s conversion kit by GHQ
    :tb-frown:

    At least I have built already some of the X31:
    [​IMG]

    The still lack the clear coat, since I have not yet tried to airbrush this.

    The problem is that too many projects are waiting...
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  2. CMStP&P

    CMStP&P TrainBoard Supporter

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    Finally, after letting them sit on the workbench for a long time, I found the courage to build the first two support towers for one of the typical trestles found on the Milwaukee Road. (Note the absence of horizontal girders which is a unique Milwaukee feature!)

    They are ready for painting!


    [​IMG]
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  3. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    The roof on my hotel was a little warped so to allow the cement to cure over night I clamped the building to the side of my tool drawer. So this is no longer on my work bench but in the drawer under it. ;)
    [​IMG]
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  4. NCDaveD

    NCDaveD TrainBoard Supporter

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    You all sure have some nice things going there!

    As the proverbial glutton for punishment, I am working on Plastruct's Refinery for my NTrak modules, and just ordered Walther's Refinery at a nice sale price. A couple of 4" and 2" dia. PVC pipe pieces with styrene caps make nice seamless storage tanks.

    The "Octopus" servo driver (and misc.parts) for the turnouts and an order of electrical stuff from AllElectronics came today, so I also get to try them out. Such fun!

    I guess it's a good thing I'll be winging the layout of the tanks and such on the modules. It's going to be like a huge jigsaw puzzle.

    For all those that have tackled this type of effort and succeeded, you have my admiration. Right now I'm just kind of shaking my head.....

    NCDaveD
     
  5. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    That is just amazing, Russell. It's like that house you made that had all the gables. Wonderful job! :thumbs_up:
     
  6. Tudor

    Tudor TrainBoard Member

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    I have several irons that are in my fire that have been on the workbench for some time. I really want to get back on these projects, because they are petty cool IMHO. But were back burner'd for other projects. Here are a couple that I would like to take out of moth balls.

    The 1st one, I am looking for my pictures of, and will post them when I locate them. But, it is a McKeen Motorcar. I have always loved the odd and unusual, and what some people call ugly. I had started a project I called "Ugly Bug". It is a McKeen Motorcar built on a shortened Spectrum doodlebug chassis. The body has been an undertaking, but fun, and when I shelved it, was going pretty good. I started out with a Con Cor smoothside observation. It is slightly shortened, and the rear was clipped and re-shaped to more of a sharper point that the McKeen cars have. Of course the car will be backwards to have the classic pointed front end of the McKeen cars, with a rounded rear. All windows were filled, and round windows are drilled with brass shoe lace brads to trim. Hard to visualize I am sure, But hopefully, I can dig it out of mothballs, and find my exsisting pictures of that project.

    2nd to be pulled out is my mixed Rock Island "Shorty" consist. The inspiration for this, is my a mixed passenger consist to run on smaller layouts. It is a consist containing rock island heavy weights, built from Bachmann shortys re-trucked, and couplers from MTL, and painted in rock island colors. Also in this consist of mixed car types and eras is the Arnold shorty corrigated budd cars, retrucked and coupled with MTL, and also painted in rock island colors, some being standard rock island, and others being the Golden State red/silver paint. Also, and the most challenging of the cars are shorty smoothsides painted in Rock Island golden state livery. These cars are shortened Con Cor smoothsides. They are cut to a 65' lenth to match the arnold, and bachmann shorties.. I have a few pictures of some of these cars..

    [​IMG]
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  7. Tudor

    Tudor TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]





    3rd. Weathing all my Kato Unitrac.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. ArtinCA

    ArtinCA TrainBoard Member

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    Well, since you asked....

    An MDC gon that needs re-trucking

    8 HO containers waiting for HOn30 container cars

    A couple of HO projects for a friend needing paint and finishing.

    A pile of Heritage units waiting for decoders.

    And a set of M&R sides for a Amtrak 1200 series baggage car, along with the donor chassis to make that happen.

    Art
     
  9. Eugen Haenseler

    Eugen Haenseler TrainBoard Member

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    That's my projekt this Weekend:

    [​IMG]

    I started with this Mercedes - Truck

    [​IMG]
     
  10. Bill Denton

    Bill Denton TrainBoard Supporter

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    [​IMG]

    Spent part of the week at the Prototype Modelers meet in Naperville,Il. so not much time to do much. However, I got plenty of ideas and came home to finish weathering this little scratchbuilt toolshed.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    Very nice kitbash. :thumbs_up:

    My question here is what are the "patches" on the corners of the building? Was this a prefab structure? They seem to be holding it together. This is a most interesting structure and a very good idea for my yard.
     
  12. Eugen Haenseler

    Eugen Haenseler TrainBoard Member

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    thats a other "Mercedes-Truck.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. Eugen Haenseler

    Eugen Haenseler TrainBoard Member

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    here one more

    [​IMG]
     
  14. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    Thanks, Flash. I really like to research these old buildings and figure out a way to model them. Some are still around but many are long gone. There are more than enough of these cool structures that existed on actual locations that would be on my NTRAK modules depicting Richmond and Rosenberg, Texas. It will keep me busy for years. Right now I have a lot of generic structures as stand ins.
     
  15. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    Hey Russell, what do you use to paint your scratch builds? I'm getting close to that stage on my own building but I've never painted styrene before (well, successfully).
     
  16. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    I have two air brushes and shoot about anything from Floquil, Pollyscale to Accu flex. I really prefer my old Badger 350 to my Paasche. I just seem to get better results from my cheepo airbrush. I do a lot of trim and detail painting by hand.
     
  17. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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  18. k-59

    k-59 TrainBoard Member

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    I'd love to hear details of your plan for this one.
     
  19. Mark Watson

    Mark Watson TrainBoard Member

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    I just finished some basic details on my computer aided scratch build. Added rain gutters, brass rain spouts, window frames, stairs and railings. Also put in support beams along the roof overhang. I'm going to redo the chimney before the paint stage.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Bill Denton

    Bill Denton TrainBoard Supporter

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    I don't have a clue but they were on the building so I modeled them. I doubt it was a pre-fab building.
     

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