In a return to the way things were, I've re-introduced the Monday follow up to Friday's Weekend Modeling goals. This will allow all of you to update us on how much of modeling list you got accomplished. This is where pictures really pay off so please feel free to post pictures of the work that was done or shows that you visited. I'll start off. Unfortunately, with this head cold and Irene taking up so much time, I did not get much done railroad wise. Friday I stayed home from work and slept most of the day, Saturday was more of the same. By late Saturday afternoon however I felt better but prep for Irene was well underway. Sunday however had Irene pretty much over along with the funk I had so I concentrated on operations. I have been operating the layout on a daily basis for a week now to see if the layout is workable. I have found some problems that will need to be worked out an finalized before scenery can start. next weekend I hope to do the following: A. Get feedback from the Layout Discussion Thread on effective use of track based on my prototype and size of layout. B. Re lay track to industries, laying track on the foamboard without the roadbed, per the prototype and solder all connections. C. Start collecting information on freight cars I will need to detail and paint for operations. I have decided the goal of the layout is really just an excuse to enjoy my detailed locomotives and freight cars in a scenic New England setting, with operations being a distant 2nd. At 6X3, this is just a branch line operation. So how did the rest of you do?
We had lots of Irene-hype, too, but fortunately the storm went to the west of us, and all we got was a lot of rain and some wind. I saw a couple of large branches down on the short drive to the supermarket on Sunday, but no trunks uprooted. The lights flickered a couple of times, but never enough to put the clocks into blink-mode. Daughter Annie spent the last weekend of her summer before heading back for her junior year at college. Her boyfriend was here, too, so they occupied the train room watching TV. I spent the whole weekend detailing the interior of the City Classics diner. It's now just about ready for "emplacement" on the layout. That's the last building on that end of the Beaver Street commercial district, so now I'll be able to finish the scenery over a couple of square feet of pink foam. In the non-accomplishments department, the old rubber-band drive Athearn GP-9 still has no number decals. It was so wet that I didn't want to spray Dul-Coat, because it sometimes fogs up in misty, humid weather. Likewise, I didn't get to downloading the proper sound files to its Soundbug. I removed the motor to this thing years ago, so now it runs as an "honorary" dummy engine, but adding sound to it gives it some purpose in a consist.
Even with a hurricane coming through, I got a bunch of things done this weekend. First, worked on rooftop details of my TB Boxcab Challenge entry: The details are just roughed in, and I've already replaced the oversized radiator side caps (compressed air blower tube) with something more appropriately scaled (using the jacket from a piece of bell wire). I've also got a horn and bell for it and also will be using a part found in an old HO train car box for the fuel tank. Next up, I got to working on the idler/reach gondola for the car float operations. Here's what I'm modeling: And here's how it's coming along: I'm chopping off the top extension on this former covered gondola and will then cut out the step entrances on each side. Then I'll be stripping the paint and decals and putting in the extra angled bracing on the sides. It wont be an exact duplicate, but certainly close enough to make you think of the original. And finally, I got started on the float bridge. Thanks to a nice present from MC Fujiwara, I got another Atlas girder bridge. It had a little corner broken off so I looked at it and decided that it'd make a perfect float bridge. I shortened both bridges, then cut the side off of one. I'll be gluing them together then gluing both on top of a piece of styrene for strength and stability. The HO scale brake wheel (again from the old car box) along with more of the same, will be used as the winch drum wheels that pull the car float in tight up against the float. Once I get this together, I'll be putting together a simple cardboard test layout to do some measurements and verify my assumptions (oh, and run some trains, of course!).
I assembled an Accurail TP&W boxcar and a Branchline YM P&LE boxcar. Found out that kit had incorrect dreadnaught ends and the wrong roof compared to the prototype. Hoping to get some 2" foam board and luan sheets for roadbed this week... depends on when the baby comes.
The Idler gondola is an interesting item. Wanna see it at work on your layout. Me I'm building plywood bridges in the garden.
Saturday the 27th I ran my T-Trak modules in a layout at Amtraks Renselaer station during their 40th anniversary. They had a display train with memoribilia, models and equipment used during their 40 years in existance. One of my modules has working signals but the interior of the station was so bright it was hard to see them lit.
I came across a picture of a destination sign off of a Pacific Electric Blimp. I knew that I had to have one, but couldn’t get one due to the rarity of the real one, I decided to make one. I painted a sheet of of steel with Valspar Island Orange, and then applied a vinyl mask that a friend of mine made. I then shot the letters with Krylon gloss black before peeling the mask off… I now need to scratch up the paint more before I chemically rust the sign with a mixture of vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and salt. Not quite the same font, but it is close.
