Weekend Update 4/22/12

[Puddington]

I know what the first Canadian freight car will be 

If it ain't the slab side hopper then someone's not thinkin.......................except that True Line keeps teasing an n scale version...grrrrrrrrrrr...

[lock4244]

I'd love to see some CP 81' COFC flats.

[GaryHinshaw]

...Did have a question regarding ground color towards the top of the mountain.  Should I carry the gray all the way to the top or should there be some brown ground coloring around the rock and towards the top?  I realize that alot of this area is going to covered by various forms of ground cover, but wanted some input regarding this.  When observing pictures online you don't really see any of actual ground color except for the lower exposed areas. 
 

David, that scene is coming together very nicely!  I especially like the ledge between the bridge and tunnel.  You should be sure to let some railroad detritus accumulate there - broken couplers, used ties and tie plates, etc.  As far as soil color, I think you should try to avoid anything that will add a lot of contrast.  Here are a few shots that show quite different rock color, and the soil you can see is pretty close in color to the rock:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=363161&nseq=81
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=360024&nseq=87

Given your rock color, you probably want to emulate something like the second shot on your pike.

-gfh

[nkalanaga]

Not to mention that once the dirt at the top of the hill gets wet, it will start running down the hill, and the rock will end up dirt-colored anyway.

Oddly, Bonner, Montana, has a hill of pink quartzite.  It is distinctly pink, and the quarry there shows the color very nicely.  One would think that the dirt at the bottom of the hill would be the same color, as most of it comes from that hill.  No.  I stopped there to collect some scenery dirt years ago.  The dirt is a typical western Montana yellow-brown.  It seems that pink quartzite, finely ground or broken, turns yellow-brown.

There are a lot of greenish rocks in that same area and they also weather to yellowish sand and clay.  Weird.  The talus slopes at the bottom of cliffs will be rock-colored, but if you screen it, the fines aren't the same color.

[NARmike]

Jeff at Prairie Shadows told me that if the Pte . St. Charles van was a hit the next project would probably be a bulkhead flat... not sure which or if there would be a centerbeam version but that model would have a lot of appeal for us western guys who need something to haul our lumber around with.

Tim... I saw your NAR trailer in the last weekend update... WOW!!! I'm wondering how you created the signs for it as I'm currently putting together a model of the 3 ton Ford that served Peace River and will need the identical signage.

I'm using a Willmodels resin '67 F-350 chassis.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-Willmodels-67-Ford-F350-Cab-Chassis-Kit-/170756936407?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item27c1e812d7
mated to a mini-metals van body. Check out Jim's other resin products. They are really well done '70s vehicles.

Mike Maisonneuve
http://nscalenar.blogspot.ca/

[M.C. Fujiwara]

This week I finished laying the staging and runaround tracks on the Silicon Valley Free-moN Staging Yard module:
 


I had gotten only the main and three other tracks done by the show a couple weeks ago, but now all 7 are installed, wired & ready to rock & roll.
 
Given that we just use butt joints & clamps (no alignment pins, dowels or bolts), and the fact that I had built the three sections in less than a week, I'm pretty amazed that all seven tracks line up pretty much spot-on both straight-section-to-straight-section as well as on both sides of the 2' insert.
 


So here's the staging yard in all it's partially-completed glory:
 


Also made a video on how to make beautiful butt joints:
 

[I resisted having a Sir Mix-a-lot soundtrack]
 "Beautiful butt joints" is almost as fun to say as "flush butt".
 
Next week will be fun: assembling 20 Bullfrog turnout controls to replace the temp groundthrows and installing them with control rods to each side of the module.
 Hope I don't croak.
 
Another great week of some fab modeling!
 Thanks for sharing: it's always inspirational.

[Scottl]

Mike, welcome to RW and it is great to see someone modelling the NAR.  My formative years in Edmonton included regular trips to the NAR yard on St. Albert Trail.  The work on your blog is very nice, I especially like the bridges.  I've turned to modelling CN in northern Ontario, but still have a soft spot for all of the lines north and NW of Edmonton.

Cheers,
Scott

[rickb773]

Putting the handrails on the VO-1000, hopefully 

Seriously though, what you have there looks good Rick.

To keep Bryan happy, I attempted to put the handrails on the VO. There are 3 very tiny ones left that I don't know where they go (and wouldn't attempt anyway).  And the front left handrail was last seen arching over my workbench at a high rate of speed. Multiple hands and knees searches have yet to locate it so I will have to invent some excuse for its permanent absence.

[Leggy]

Accident damage?

[bbussey]

Atlas should have the replacement parts at minimal cost.

[wazzou]

To keep Bryan happy, I attempted to put the handrails on the VO.

Looks great Rick. 
If I remember correctly from doing my installations, it helped to slightly enlarge the holes with a straight pin prior to trying to fit the handrail's pins in the holes.

[w neal]

Working on the Gills Landing area... So much more to be done!

[BCR 570]

Tim... I saw your NAR trailer in the last weekend update... WOW!!! I'm wondering how you created the signs for it as I'm currently putting together a model of the 3 ton Ford that served Peace River and will need the identical signage.

Mike:

I have extras and would be happy to send you some.

Tim

[rickb773]

Atlas should have the replacement parts at minimal cost.

OK now that I have followed your advice: the parts are unpainted and i assume they are that type of plastic that doesn't like paint, so what do I paint them with?

[coosvalley]

Here is one way....

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=25931.0