Weekend Update - September 9, 2007

[Day One]

very nice looking Athabasca loco's!

Lee, I'm always impressed by how fast you make progress on your layout. Seems not that long ago it was just a chunk of layout sitting in the corner.


This week I picked up the Micro-Trains Runner pack #5 consisting of the 4 BN 40' box cars and ordered 5 Montana Rail Link woodchip hoppers.

The woodchip hoppers will be unloaded under something like this.
It's only a mockup for now but at least it gives me an idea of what the area will shape up like. This marks a milestone for the layout. This is the first time that every rail siding has some sort of industry at the trackside instead of being just an empty spur!



I also spent waaaaaaaaaaay to much time working on this damn thing:


I really like the look of static grass scenery but I'm too cheap to fork over the money to buy a Noch grassmaster so I've tried (twice now) to build my own static generating Van der Graph generator. The first one worked for a little while until I tinkered with it too much and then it stopped working completely. So, I built this one with a lot more adjustability, a bigger motor, bigger rubber band, but so far nothing. I'm kinda frustrated w/ the whole project now. This one represents about 10 hours of work and to have it not work at all just bugs me. I think I'll sideline it and come back to it again later.

[atsf_arizona]

Foto Fun 2007 09 07

Blast from the past this week for me ... (i.e. how time flies).

Just two years ago this month, I was in the middle of ballasting my
Kato Unitrack layout :





Closeup of turnout ballasting in progress, two years ago tomorrow:



Here is similar angle after finished:



Somehow I don't know where the time has gone. 

Have good weekend, all.

[Iain]

Make him an offer for the plywood!
Lee

Why?  He might need it again .  Besides, it's OSB and I can get that free anytime.

[up1950s]

Wow Ed that shot of 217 in the shops , its like being in Jurassic Park and seeing a real life dinosaur I guess . Thanks for sharing . I wish somebody would do one of those .

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[Mark5]

Robb,

thanks, and happy birthday!

Mark

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Robb, happy bday, oh, and for your present? I present Picasa! Picasaweb.Google.com (although, I DO appreciate the social networkingy kinda aspect of RP.net).

[up1950s]

Well Rob so today is both our birthdays . Happy birthday and thanks for the pic's . I had untested polyps removed on a colonoscopy for my birthday  :-[. How was yours . ;D

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Damn Richie, well, as long as they didn't use something like this:


(My apologies to Day One)


And Robb, I was just about to ask if they were both operable.

That's awesome.

[up1950s]

Thats how you know an ALCo has a fire in her belly . Smoke a ALCo prerequisite . Great shot of a real rare one Robbman .

[up1950s]

Ed that thing looks like a German grenade . ;D

[trainforfun]

Very nice stuff guys , thanks a lot !!!  I am in love with that beautifull # 611 , do you think they could give her a third life , one day ?

Steve your units are just incredible , the aluminium paint on the shaft of the brake cylinder punched me to the floor , the ref. even had the time to count 10 ...
What is that detail under the engineer's window ? Looks attached to the lower track of the window .

[nscalesteve]

...the aluminium paint on the shaft of the brake cylinder punched me to the floor , the ref. even had the time to count 10 ...

the same thing happend to me when I saw this the first time on one of Phil Brooks Clinch River engines...
...credit goes to Phil Brooks, mine is just a copy ! 
 

What is that detail under the engineer's window ? Looks attached to the lower track of the window...

BLMA small mirror...