MODELING Weekend Photo Fun January 13, 2012

r_i_straw Jan 13, 2012

  1. jeffrey-wimberly

    jeffrey-wimberly TrainBoard Member

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    Two of my projects this weekend have been patching a GP9 for the L&A and mounting a Varney metal F3B shell on an Athearn F7 powered chassis. One was easy, the other not so easy.

    The GP9 is a Walthers GP9m, single flywheel, standard DC.
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    The F3B is a Varney die-cast metal shell on a stock Athearn F7 chassis with a hard wired DCC decoder. The F3B is #2 in a three loco consist of all powered F units representing Stewart, Varney, Athearn, NWSL and Life-Like. The unit still has to be painted but is operational.
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  2. BNbob

    BNbob TrainBoard Member

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    Here's a progress shot of my attempt to make an HO model of CN 398000, a unique articulated covered hopper built by Canadian National for potential use on the line to Hudson's Bay. In the end, they decided it was more cost effective to rehab old 40-foot boxcars for the service. CN 398000 has been photographed in the United States. The end hopper bottoms are notched to allow the end trucks to pivot. The hopper gates are from an old Intermountain covered hopper kit; the articulation joint is from an old Athearn intermodal kit. The couplers are Kadees and the end trucks are MDC, the center truck an Athearn and the wheelsets are Kadee 33-inch. There's a long way to go on this model! I will use formers and stringers, as on an airplane model, to make a frame for the sides and tops.

    Here's a link to a photo of the prototype: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=918263
     
  3. SecretWeapon

    SecretWeapon Passed away January 23, 2024 In Memoriam

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    wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  4. Dave Jones

    Dave Jones TrainBoard Supporter

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    My copy arrived this past week and Mark you and every one involved have reason to wax proud. That's got to be one of the best N scale railroads ever. And that code 55 looks real good. Course I've read everyhing I can about those BC lakes car/ferry operation. If I wasn't such a huges SAL fan I could see me modelling that - and with H-liners no less.
     
  5. Bill Denton

    Bill Denton TrainBoard Supporter

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    Oops...sorry Mark. I got it right when I posted on Railwire. Was in a rush while posting to Trainboard and didn't proof my post.
     
  6. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Jeffrey, your Varney F3B brought tears to my eyes. It and its F3A brother were the first HO locomotives that I bought in 1948. I'm sure their chassis were Varney also, powered by Pittman DC-60 motors. I have no memory of their couplers, but I loved them because they were so reliable, and could pull every Mantua and Model Die Casting car I owned.
    Thanks for the memory....:thumbs_up:
     
  7. jeffrey-wimberly

    jeffrey-wimberly TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks. The couplers I took of it looked like a cross between a horn hook and a magnetic knuckle coupler. They even had the trip pins but no moving parts. I doubt very highly they were original as couplers break over time. I did almost need a third hand while putting Kadee's in their place. I put the metal frame from the metal F3B under a plastic Varney F3B shell that's a near duplicate. I think the two are probably ten years apart in manufacture. The hardest thing I did on the metal shell was drill out the portholes. Man! That shell is thick! I think I need a new drill bit.
     
  8. Mark Dance

    Mark Dance TrainBoard Supporter

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    :membarrassed:

    Thank you for the kind words Dave...should you ever be up in Vancouver, I would be happy to show you the layout in person. And TT&TO op sessions are every other month for a while!

    md
     
  9. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    The original Varney castings were over done as to thickness. Gorden Varney and all other early post-war model loco manufacturers were unsure as to the strength of the Zamak metal they used for casting. Consequently they over-killed the casting thickness. As a benefit, the body supplied all the traction weight for the locos. Sorry for the loss of your bit, but you have to drill slowly with Zamak. I used a hand drill similar to this one....http://www.google.com/products/cata...CJgTT6n-BLDHsQKm6dz7Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CFwQ8wIwAg#
     
  10. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Lacking scenery...(which is the whole layout right now) here is my drive in which is a favorite hot spot of local car enthusiasts. Once I get further along on other layout projects (wiring, sttucture building, loco maintenance) I will start on adding scenery. I am envisioning a woodish privacy fence surrounding the lot but I have not decided. For those of you around the Twin Cities in Minnesota, the now gone Porkys on University Ave in Saint Paul was my inspiration for this scene. Of course, I cheated and used the Woodland Scenics built up but hey.....it's close enough.
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  11. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    And here is a photo of me being trailed by a State Trooper in my Charger :)

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  12. alexkmmll

    alexkmmll TrainBoard Member

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    My current project I'm working on: A 16"x24" On30 layout. Unfortunately, a new spraypaint I was trying out (it was textured) didn't cover very well, leaving much of the pink exposed. Foolishly, I decided to start putting ground cover on anyways. Anyone know how to cover pink foam up well> I found sprinkling fine ground cover over the thicker stuff after it's been laid helps hide it a lot. It doesn't matter as much on the hill, as it will be covered with trees and dense foliage when done, but I'm using it as practice for the rest of the layout.
    So, tell me, can you see pink foam? ;)

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  13. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Alex, to be honest I can't see any pink from your photo. I'm sure you can see it in person because you know where and what to look for. You might consider painting the foam or whatever base material you have with a light or medium brown color. That way, if you miss covering bits of area, it would still look natural. I picked up a gallon of paint from Home Depot for a couple of bucks that had been refused by a customer after it had been mixed.
     
  14. mtaylor

    mtaylor Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I painted my foam in latex paint using a brush. However, I wish I had chosen a darker more earthy color. I thought that "Winter Wheat" would be a good choice but it turned out more yellow than I would have liked. I am hoping that once I get ground cover, plaster fill, etc that it will all blend. My layout is set in Octoberish 2010 so it may work out. Ground cover will be a mix of green and yellow and brown grasses to try and give it that fallish look.

    I agree in the photo, I can't see pink. I think your idea of adding more foilage and trees will cover up any spots that are bugging you. If the spots are small maybe some grass clumps or weeds?
     
  15. verse2damax

    verse2damax TrainBoard Supporter

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    AWWWWWWSOME cinematography, yes I did say 'cinematography'! Are you into the movie business??? All the was missing form that incredible video was the wind blowing through the trees. The scenery by the bridge with that SD70M is superb not to mention the background sound and the sound of the trains, on the roll by. The crash at the end..........................."EPIC!" :)
     
  16. arbomambo

    arbomambo TrainBoard Member

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    I feel your pain...I did the same thing a number of years ago...the exact same color-"Winter Wheat"...
    I've since found that Pollyscale's "Earth" is a great all-purpose ground color...I've had the local Home Depot mix a gallon of that color for me in flat latex...it's my default base color now...if I need to 'tint' for another area, I simply pour half a spare jar, dilute 50/50 with water, and tint that little batch with whatever...(earth red for certain Neww Mexico desert areas)...in fact, I never apply the latex paint 'full strength'...I always dilute it with water...covers better and extends the paint...

    Here are some pics on the little dio...

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  17. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Here's my weekend photo accomplishment -- the new diner, with lights, installed

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  18. PGE-N°2

    PGE-N°2 TrainBoard Member

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    This is the best shot of this week, i think. I can't get over the incredible depth that backdrop gives to the scene. I'm definitely going to check for a copy of MRP to buy today. I wasn't even aware of the pending article, but I am sure it was well deserved for the detailed trackplanning.
     
  19. Virginian Railway

    Virginian Railway TrainBoard Member

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    WoW! That was one of the best MR videos I've seen!
     
  20. Candy_Streeter

    Candy_Streeter TrainBoard Member

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