Small freight house for the Blacksburg module Time to remove those roofwalks from all those older cars. By the 70s they were no longer on cars in any pics I can find. Can you spot the Athearn PS1? hint: its the one without the gaping holes in the roof. Wish the others were the same.
Here's another NS loco to roll off the work bench. It's NS 6322, a SD40E. I used poly scale paints and Microscale decals to model it.
I finally finished my very first repaint job... farewell worn Rock Island paint job... welcome New York Central Alco RS-3 #8203! It's not 100% to prototype... but good enough for me! Before: After: I'm debating re-doing the side numberboards by printing on labels as discussed here http://home.comcast.net/~atsf_arizona_2/Easy_N_Scale_Locomotive_Numberboards.html .... Any comments/suggestions?
Here is what I have been working on (slowly). It is a Blair Line Sunset Motel. I finally have it on its base that was cut to fit the highway north of the ghost town. I need to place it and do grass and earth around it and blend into the highway yet. Any way here she is. Mike
Busy bee... Working on lots of projects in parallel. First, there's the TB N-scale boxcab challenge, which is coming along nicely. Then there's the 59-tonner I'm scratchbashing. I'm also fixing that plastic signal bridge, and I built a dummy insert to use for fitting while I'm waiting to get my Kato 11-105 powered chassis. Here's how the dummy chassis looks: Made it from an old caboose frame, relocated the kingpin location to match the Kato chassis, and cut off the ends with the stairs. Add a pair of MTL trucks and it's ready to go. Here's the 59-tonner just sitting on the chassis for some measurements: I also cut down the handrails to proper length, and I picked up some glue the other day so now I can finish sanding and stick this sucker together.
I spent some time yesterday mounting a deer head on the front of a pickup like we see too often during the hunting season where I live. This practice may be offensive to some, but no animals were injured in the process of constructing this model.
Awesome! Looks like it took a dive through the back & burst out through the front grill I know it's angry, because in the first picture I can see a crossbuck. (D'oh! Oh, deer!) [taps mic] Hello? Is this thing on...?
I finally finished my ex CR SD40-2. I know there's a few things that are worng for a CR loco but I'm happy with it.
I am working on my Rio Grande SD 50 from ATLAS. One of the driving sprockets is gone. I got some spears from ATLAS.
Finished the first phase of taking old scrap underframes from various projects and finally completed all the loads. Ended up with 6 Bmann oldtime flats that received MT trucks, log bunks, and relocated brake wheels. 4 underframes for Bmann oldtime passenger cars had some styrene added and a wood deck along with log bunks to make fishbelly log flats. Brakewheel assemblies came from some old Precision Master kits laying in the parts bin. The 4 bulkhead flats again started with some scrap underframes and received styrene bulkheads and decks. All loads are real wood and can be removed for return empties. Total 11 cars in a little under a week and a half added to the lumber industry fleet, have a little more room in the parts box, and cost per car about $5. Next phase is to take some old scrap Overton car underframes, cut the ends off, and laminate a little styrene to each end, maybe more log flats possibly one caboose. Also seen in the photo are some cast resin underframes left over from building my logging camp cars. Maybe more flats of the 40 ft variety. In the photo is the material for my log loads. Various sizes of wood dowel. I use an Exacto razor saw and a coarse tooth saw blade from my Exacto knife set to give the bark texture. Dowels are then stained with a wash of burnt umber, or raw umber, with lacquer thinner, depending on the shade desired. Once dried a dilute coat of water based white is brushed on. This dries to a grey tone and where the white is a little heavier gives the appeareance of lichin growth often found on older trees. Once dry I measure the particular car bunk for length and cut the various sizes in a miter box with a razor saw. Save the sawdust and small chips for weathering the car deck. The railroad tie loads in the bulkhead flats used real wood N scale ties that were soaked in diluted engine black to simulate creosote treatment. When I needed to glue any of the loads to the decks of the bulkhead flats I used Woodland Scenics Scenic glue. Water soluble and simply placing a drop or two of water loosens it for removal if I ever decide to change the load to something else. However all log loads are just set in the bunks and not glued.
I'm really liking the look of those shortie flat cars and log cars. I may have to try a similar project sometime.
Don't give up your day job.. Really, don't.. Got the last of my benchwork up and ready for risers! I might get a running loop before too long! Pics at my blog listed below.
If you find them out there get them while you can. I bought a bunch of them a number of years ago when there used to be a vender at the Greenbergs shows who carried nothing but Bmann. Haven't seen the two gals in years now but somebody said they had an Ebay store. Problem is that the cars are not being produced anymore. They came as a water car or pickle car, and with low wood sides, in addition to just a flat. I have a bin full of the wood tanks and sides from them that will get used for other things. Got them for the very low price of $3 each back then along with some of the Bmann old style duck billed roof passenger cars.
Well I have the next project underway using those surplus Overton chassis and two four wheeled bobber cabeese. Bashed two of the bobbers together and then took the remanants of the bobber and grafted on a end out of the parts bins from a Overton coach and now have a very short caboose. Modifying the Overton chassis to accept the new body.
A little more progress. So far 4 hours into the project to create two logging line cabeese. Black objects are toolbox hatches. I used surplus ice reefer hatches.
Just out of curiosity: they are forty foot bulkheads, correct? I don't have any of the Bachmann flatcars, but I do have one of the duck billed roof passenger cars, but it isn't going to be changing shape anytime soon, as it has already been custom decaled. Also, Atlas and Rivarossi used to make short little 40 foot flat cars, and Roco, had similar short flats with bulkheads.
