Weekend Update 6/18/23

[up1950s]

https://www.visitrochester.com/event/fathers-day-train-rides/101606/

/>
https://dailygazette.com/2014/06/01/new-glenridge-road-bridge-proving-troublesome-truc/

https://www.stssteel.com/projects/glenridge-road-bridges

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-navys-new-train-car-packs-a-ton-of-firepower-and-a-nuclear-secret/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/508695720421130487/

https://www.mcrr.org/about-us/

https://www.nordco.com/Company-Info/Our-History.htm

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/train-scrap-yard

http://worldofrailways.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=46&pid=1661#top_display_media

http://worldofrailways.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=46&pid=1010#top_display_media

[BCR 570]

The last week and a bit has been spent working on getting all of the servos working well; still a few to attend to.  I have also been running some work trains which has been enjoyable.

Here Work Extra 570 and Work Extra 804 are meeting at Septimus:




Work Extra 804 passes through the wall; very cool to see the caboose's track inspection light disappearing into the darkness!




Running around the consist at Chetwynd:




Backing up to the depot to collect orders:




First train back onto the Dawson Creek Subdivision:




Arriving at Sundance:




Loading ballast at the new pit track:




Returning to Chetwynd:




Also got the paperwork ready for my first operating session in a few weeks.

Tim

[BCRail_FSJ]

I have made some progress on the new Beatton River sectional layout with the basic benchwork, terrain and roadbed installed on Section 1.   First time working with foam as a terrain base.  Love how light the sections are... not so keen on the insane mess it makes while scultpting the terrain!.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Conducted some track experiments (amongst a bunch of other things) this week.

Technique and materials have been honed and I think I'm almost ready to "go into production".

I've used raw umber paint on the tracks, then drybrushed "medium gray" and a tan color to weather an overall track. I then used gray and tan colored pencils to highlight individual ties that are "older" and a dark brown marker to highlight ones that are relatively recent replacements. I actually intend to put a lot of thought into this all in different spots on the layout so that the track can subtly tell the story of the rebirth of the NCR.

Ballast on the yard tracks is Scenic Express Unobtananium Dark Gray, while the "main" has Scenic Express light gray on the right, AZRM "Pennsylvania Gray" in the middle, and my custom grout mix on the left.
As much of a fan of grout as I've been, I actually think I like the SE stuff better.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[chuck geiger]

Conducted some track experiments (amongst a bunch of other things) this week.

Technique and materials have been honed and I think I'm almost ready to "go into production".

I've used raw umber paint on the tracks, then drybrushed "medium gray" and a tan color to weather an overall track. I then used gray and tan colored pencils to highlight individual ties that are "older" and a dark brown marker to highlight ones that are relatively recent replacements. I actually intend to put a lot of thought into this all in different spots on the layout so that the track can subtly tell the story of the rebirth of the NCR.

Ballast on the yard tracks is Scenic Express Unobtananium Dark Gray, while the "main" has Scenic Express light gray on the right, AZRM "Pennsylvania Gray" in the middle, and my custom grout mix on the left.
As much of a fan of grout as I've been, I actually think I like the SE stuff better.

(Attachment Link)

Damn you Ed, colored or watercolor pencils, so much better than painstakingly painting those ties...I also embraced Arizona Rock and Ballast and sand and dirt.

[bbussey]

I have a V&O representative for my Conrail era in the form of a Fox Valley modern Trinity hopper, but @Ed Kapuscinski and his V&O project inspired me to represent the railroad in my New Haven era.  The coal hopper fleet on Allen McClelland's vintage-era layout mostly featured twin-bay offset hoppers with peaked notched ends.  Micro-Trains has that variation on their twin offset model, but they've only released it at retail decorated in Frisco back in 1993 (albeit in multiple road numbers). Despite that, the model is fairly easy to find at reasonable expense.  The model was stripped and airbrushed in Tamyia's lacquer black, with the interior sprayed Mr Surfacer iron red oxide.  I was going to use the same decal set that Ed used, but I felt the dimensional data font was atypical of the era so I drew my own, using a new road number that was appropriate for the number series.  My Alps printer is on the fritz, so I also got to test out white toner in the laser printer and was very pleased with the results.  Great opacity, and no worries about it scratching off.  Body-mounted couplers, ESM wheels, and airbrushed and chalks weathering.



Also discovered that New Haven had coke gondolas that are very close to the Micro-Trains drop-bottom gondola prototype.  I bought a Western Pacific model which had black decal parts and a resin-cast gravel load.  The model was stripped and airbrushed with the V&O hopper.  Custom decals to represent the prototype as it would have appeared in the 1950s.  Photos are rare and only of the spartan stenciled scheme of the 1960s.  Also weathered with airbrush and chalks.  The gravel load was airbrished black to simulate coke.



And finally, with decal printing capability restored, I finished the RBB&B big-top pole wagon, which completes the payloads for another flatcar that must be blocked.

[jpwisc]

I’m finished off another feldspar car for the Blue Ridge Division.
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[reinhardtjh]

My Alps printer is on the fritz, so I also got to test out white toner in the laser printer and was very pleased with the results.  Great opacity, and no worries about it scratching off. 

@bbussey  Is that the Ghost white cartridge? If so, what printer are you using? It does look really good.

[bbussey]

@bbussey  Is that the Ghost white cartridge? If so, what printer are you using? It does look really good.

Yes it is. I didn’t want to risk compromising my HP LaserJet M452 (which Ghost does make a cartridge for) so I bought a Canon LBP622Cdw, which is the least expensive printer Ghost makes cartridges for. They say that you can swap the black and white cartridges out without issue, but I didn’t want to take the chance. Toner opacity I estimate is 150% of Alps white. The Canon prints at 1200dpi while my HP prints at 2400dpi, but I’m happy with the results. The small “return when empty” printing on the gondola is legible. Plus the cartridge is good for something like 14,000 pages so it’s more economical in the long run than the Alps. I lose the metallic and foil printing capability, but I hardly used it anyway.

[Lemosteam]

On the LIRR IS, I added the back fence under the PRR main which will mostly have apartments behind, pic is taken from the back edge of the layout The broken gate at the end is where the local hoodlums sneak in. This is where the West Side Story type “gang” fight will be, under the elevated trackage.





A view down the channel. Bridge install is next.



Also began some building construction kitbash flats and their placement; note the warehouse track entrance under the bridge. Thinking of placing a cut up box car there as a permanent fixture. What do you think?

A paved road will emerge from between the two flats and denigrate into a single lane road going toward the PRR freight station and LIRR enginehouse/office later.

[Bill H]

I have a V&O representative for my Conrail era in the form of a Fox Valley modern Trinity hopper, but @Ed Kapuscinski and his V&O project inspired me to represent the railroad in my New Haven era.  The coal hopper fleet on Allen McClelland's vintage-era layout mostly featured twin-bay offset hoppers with peaked notched ends.  Micro-Trains has that variation on their twin offset model, but they've only released it at retail decorated in Frisco back in 1993 (albeit in multiple road numbers). Despite that, the model is fairly easy to find at reasonable expense.  The model was stripped and airbrushed in Tamyia's lacquer black, with the interior sprayed Mr Surfacer iron red oxide.  I was going to use the same decal set that Ed used, but I felt the dimensional data font was atypical of the era so I drew my own, using a new road number that was appropriate for the number series.  My Alps printer is on the fritz, so I also got to test out white toner in the laser printer and was very pleased with the results.  Great opacity, and no worries about it scratching off.  Body-mounted couplers, ESM wheels, and airbrushed and chalks weathering.

Brian;
The inside of that hopper looks spot on. Mr. Surfacer from a rattle can or?

Kind regards,
Bill

[Frank Amato]

Finished up another "retro" boxcar this weekend, representing a car from the early 1960s New Haven rebuild/lease-back programs.  This is an Intermoutain 1937 AAR kit, with a Micro-Trains roofwalk and trucks, body mount 1015s, and ESM wheels. 

I painted it with a mix of Vallejo Air colors, and used K4 decals, which performed really well!  A few acrylic washes for weathering and it was done.



  Frank

[altohorn25]

I've been working on the layout most of the day:


-I lowered the car card boxes so that I can mount the bluepoint turnout controls.
-Used a hole saw and cut out the holes for the turnout control rods.  Masonite facia will be installed later.
-Got 5 of the controls rods installed and working properly.
-Continue to finalize the position of the buildings. Some of these are the pre-lit Woodland Scenics buildings. I may get the power unit and light them....seems pretty simple.
-Sketched in some of the streets/parking lots.
-I got some more bluepoints in the mail, so I can continue mounting them on the turnouts.


[ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[bigdawgks]

Finished up another "retro" boxcar this weekend, representing a car from the early 1960s New Haven rebuild/lease-back programs.  This is an Intermoutain 1937 AAR kit, with a Micro-Trains roofwalk and trucks, body mount 1015s, and ESM wheels. 

I painted it with a mix of Vallejo Air colors, and used K4 decals, which performed really well!  A few acrylic washes for weathering and it was done.



  Frank

Do you have a source for exactly what year these cars were renumbered/repainted? The sources I have only indicate 1965 as the earliest and all photos show cars with later dates stenciled on them.

[Frank Amato]

@bigdawgks I do not have a primary source, but relied on info out on the NH discussion forums:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thenhrhtanewhavenrailroadforum/viewtopic.php?p=27865#p27865

Morning Sun NH books may have more details, or maybe @bbussey has done some homework?

  Frank