Nice that you're having some fun and good success with your projects. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to. Those metal wheelsets are neat. Someday, I'll look into getting a small handful to mess with.
I've a few similar type loads that were painted with an iron oxide color and then brown washed for depth and then dry brush sepia to pick up the high points.
If the gon load is ferrous metal, then a rusty colored wash might be better than black one. If you don't like the way MRR stuff looks, just take your glasses off, or back away until it does!
Rapido is coming out with a couple of new cabooses, I think one is for TTX, one is for another leaser/special move, and there are a couple undecs in yellow and I think red or white. I’ve preordered the TTX and a yellow one that I’m going to modify for a DODX caboose. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Like my boss used to say, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough." I believe it is derived from Voltaire: "The perfect is the enemy of the good."
Well, the pipe load is called complete now. Here it is before it headed to the layout. Now here's a look at those pesky yet great looking Rapido coal hoppers The wand for the coal load removal is pretty cool. The interior and underside These are just great looking cars! There are also a bit pricey but the detail is really nice on them. The ones I have all make an odd moaning type of noise (for lack of a better way of describing it) on and off while running on the layout. I spend some time messing around with the trucks and wheelsets on this car but I just can't see what might be causing the noise. My suspicion is maybe the wheelset rubbing against the car body but I can't see it or find evidence it's happening so I just don't know. For now, I'm just going to try running them for a while and see if it gets better or worse.
That load removal wand is very clever and the interior detail is fantastic. I like running loads and empties on my layout. I use a coal-like granular material in my hoppers, adding and dumping it by hand. Its weight has the side benefit of creating heavy loaded trains and it's kind of cool to have to add power to loaded trains and hear the (DC) locomotives working hard.
I wonder how much more weight the magnet could lift? Could more weight be added, attached to the underside of the model coal load? Seems a lot less messy & tedious to be able to manage the load as a unit, rather than loose granules. But then again, the granules give you some randomness to the shape of the top of the load too.
It helps that I have a modestly-sized railroad, where a 12 car loaded coal train of 40 FT hoppers will be the norm, as it was on my old (N Scale) road. (Unfortunately, my old scratchbuilt coal breaker seen here won't fit on the new road. I'm hoping that I can salvage the windows, doors and details when I build the replacement.)
Nothing really exciting going on so we shall bring up some of the unexciting. It's a work cart for under the layout. I've been kicking this around for a few weeks and finally got enough motivation to do it. It's main use will be to hold tools and supplies while I do some rewiring work on the layout. We start with a shot of all the parts already cut and ready for assemble. This is all rough cut wood that was used as bracing for some loads we receive at work. It's not treated lumber so most of it disappears rapidly to be used a couple of the warehouse guys fire pits. I managed to score 3 sections one day when they were both out. It's overkill on size but it was free. The wheels are reclaimed from a non train project and the top was a left over part from something else. Assembly went quick And the top added Then it slid right under the layout like planned. Just ignore the current rat nest showing that is what's driving the whole project. I have some 1x4 that I may use to make a shelf at the bottom at some point. Plus I have a few stone tiles I can set on top when soldering wire. Several other possible uses maybe. Like I said, unexciting stuff.
Well, that bench ain't going no where! With the price of wood these days, that there is worth a bazillion dollars!
Yes, a lower shelf would give up nothing in function, while providing both additional storage space and lateral support for the legs.
