HHMMM. Thats a great find there Grunt! I been wanting to visit HL to get some Matt gell anyways. I gonna check that out for sure. Thanks buddy!
Well, my goodies came in from Britain Saturday while I was at work. Sunday, I was at Niles so I finally was able to open the box today. I also received my new Atlas HO scale Tidewater Southern RS1 with DCC and sound. I really like the look of the N7 and the cab is very nice. Britain sure uses some odd wheel arrangements!
The RS1 a a beauty. I've always wanted one but never had an excuse as they weren't common on the roads I model.. That British 0-6-2 wheel arrangement actually makes perfect sense from the British standpoint. Youtuber Mouldy Raspberry stated that while the ten wheeler was the most common British locomotive in the last years of steam, in earlier times the 0-6-0 was probably the most common wheel arrangement used. This version basically has trailing wheels added to carry the coal bunker rather than using a tender. BTW, I would recommend checking out his videos. His Yorkshire Dales Railway is outstanding with its British steam power and rolling stock and idyllic rural scenery. It's really a treat and much different from what we are used to seeing.
Yes! I love Lewis' videos! He has a loco that reminds me a lot of the JNR's 2-6-4T's that I have in N scale (C10 and C11). I watch one of his new videos last night and he did what I planned to do with my N7, he ran it around a train and started back in reverse. Now, I just need to plan where in Britain I want to model. David Hyde also has a very nice British layout that has given me ideas as well.
Santa came to my house a little early this year. He seemed to know exactly what I had my eye on. I already renumbered the Kodachrome unit. It will be a shame to weather them, but neither one stayed clean for long when they were in Texas.
Looks like Santa pulled through this year. 2021 is going to be Year of the Intermodal Equipment, so I’m getting ready with some trailers. I am pretty excited for the 48’ containers from Athearn. They should be in stores in the next month or two. Everything is Athearn here, except for the BNSF 48’ trailer, which is Atlas. With some detail painting, that will be a nice model, especially for the price. The wheels are rubber, but they are harder than the Athearn vinyl wheels. I got some new A-Line wheels to upgrade some Walthers trailers, so I’ll have to see if those tires fit the Atlas hubs.
If you end up modeling marine containers, the new 40' containers from ScaleTrains are very nice. The old blue box Athearn 40' containers aren't bad, either. I paired some of the old Athearn with the new ScaleTrains containers and they look good together. Also, if you watch ebay you can find the A-line parcel pup kits from time to time. I picked up nine of them in 2018 for $5.50 each. A-line makes a decal set for them that includes the silver stripes for the rub rails. For me it was well worth it to use the decals compared to masking and painting. With the cost of the kits, paint and decals I finished those nine (plus one kit I already had) for less than the price of three of the RTR versions.
My biggest fear with the A-Line kits is the finish. I am always worried that my models will not look good next to the factory-painted models. If there is one skill I need to improve, it is clear-coating. I can't get a good gloss coat over a coat of flat paint, so I am always disappointed in the appearance of my decal work. Is the A-Line decal film thick? I hate how even nice decal film can't compete with pad printing or dry transfers from the factory.
For a gloss clear finish, I like Tamiya TS-13. It's in a spray can, so make sure it's not cold (room temperature or slightly warmer is fine) and be quick with your strokes because it goes on fast. Tamiya TS-80 is likewise an excellent flat, but I use a lot of flat clear so the cost adds up quickly. For that reason I've switched over to Krylon 1311 matte clear. The A-line decals aren't bad at all. My application method is to use white vinegar to wet the decals and place them, then as soon as the vinegar has dried enough so the decals won't move but before the decals dry out, I dab a small amount of Micro-Sol on the decals to get under them and start drawing them down against the model. Once they've reached the dry-but-not-dried-out stage again, I use more Micro-Sol, but this time I cover the decals with it. I repeat the process a few times taking care not to disturb the decals but letting the Micro-Sol do the work. If after a few rounds of Micro-Sol there's no hope for the decal settling down, I'll do the same thing but with Solvaset. Usually only one round is required once I open the Solvaset, but it's aggressive enough that I don't start with it for fear of distorting the decals. Once you get the hang of this method all but the most stubborn decal film is a memory. Here are a couple photos of one of my A-line pups. All the silver areas are the A-line decals. They really do settle down into all the details after a few rounds of Micro-Sol and are much easier than masking and painting:
These came up from Eugene OR on 139 last night to replace the wrecked CNW GP18's that recently joined the roster good chassis bad shells, the new GP9 replacement shells will be getting repainted One will become WNW 1702 rebuilt with a chop nose after it was wrecked after hitting a rock slide and ending up in the clearwater river on an idaho branch The other will become WNW either will get a non dynamic hatch from one of the CNW shells that the gp9 shells are replacing. Might even make it to the Port of Catoosa Enjoy all
I ordered an Atlas NRE RP20BD Gen Set loco painted for the Modesto and Empire Traction foy my planned HO scale switching layout. I deliver to Modesto quite a bit and I see these all the time. I'm not a big Gen Set fan, but since I seem to be collecting locos from my area, I though that I'd get one. The bottom photo is the prototype 2004 that I shot the other day at their shops: