Good morning from cloudy, cool and rainy Northeast Ohio! Managed to finish a couple of cars this week! Atlas FMC 5077CF 50' Double Door Boxcar kit, painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red, Black and Aluminum Paints then lettered with Herald King Decals. This was one of 225 Cars ordered by the WP for carrying lumber. Proto 2000 PS 4427CF Covered Hopper Kit, substituted a Plano Metal Roofwalk for the plastic one in the kit (drilled about 50 No. 79 Holes for the roofwalk supports). Car was painted with Scalecoat II UP Covered Hopper Gray Paint and lettered with Oddballs Decals. One of 1,000 cars in the order to haul grain in the grain growing areas the Rock Island served. They also ordered the earlier version of the 4427 and the speed lettered version after this car. Over time the Rock Island sidelined thousands of 40' boxcars used in the grain hauling business with these new covered hoppers. Thanks for looking! Rick Jesionowski
A screen capture from our latest video; this is me on the station platform in Franklin and my partner in crime on the platform of the observation car. John
I remember. How many others can recall the memories of the 1947 - 1949 era Freedom Train. Here is a little help with her coming down from the Rockies. Image made today on the Southern New Mexico N Scalers layout in Las Cruces. Hope you enjoy the memory and thanks for looking..................
Beautiful train and contents. I went through the exhibit when it was at Grand Central Terminal in 1947. I wish I remembered more than the little I do.
My interlocking tower needed a reason to exist. I found an old Atlas 90° crossing that I have had forever and a day, and I decided that it needed to be on my layout. I simply measured the distance from the edge of the layout, cut the rails with a Dremel, using a 420 cutting wheel (perfect for the day), poured some water onto the area of the track work and used a brand new razor to work my way down. Looking through my scrap track box, I came across a piece of Atlas 9 3/4″ radius track and a inch long straight…and it fit perfectly up against the backdrop. I then remembered my old Arnold ALCO S2 that I saved for, stripped down, and painted it into Southern Pacific tiger stripes as a kid, never to really run it…and now it has cracked gears…..but it fits perfectly with a Micro Trains Line 33′ hopper! Up next, a piece of tangent track, more street repairs on Washington Blvd, and a street crossing made out of some old Micro Engineering wood ties…if I remember where I put them.
A little something I've been working on this weekend. The decals are from Graphics on Demand. I am working on an Athearn Kenworth for the trailer... I did get it painted black, just putting it back together and decaling it...
I'll definitely agree with that- a very simple and tasteful paint scheme and the choice of power was perfect. Interesting to note that diesel power was used in 1947 ( focus on the future) while the 1976 version looked back with historic steam.
This afternoon when I got home from work, I decided that the new Southern Pacific branch was exactly where I wanted it, so I have glued them down. I then turned to my attention to the crossing at 14th Street. The old “asphalt” between the rails didn’t look as nice as I wanted. The new crossing is some old Micro Engineering turnout ties, I glued them to the ties.