Weekend Update - 11-9-2008

[John]

It's that time again. What did you accomplish this week?

[Opie]

I managed to get most of the main structure of an Atlas Roundhouse together.

[up1950s]

Kind of Americanized this for my Beaver Logging Co.

[DKS]

Nada for me. However...

I name Mr. Dost Master of Surplus European Equipment Recycling, or M of SEER.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I agree, nice work Richie!

I finally finished uploading all my photos from the CRHS convention:
http://thecrhs.org/?q=conventions/altoona08/photos

[3rdrail]

I agree, nice work Richie!

I finally finished uploading all my photos from the CRHS convention:
http://thecrhs.org/?q=conventions/altoona08/photos

Make sure to check out all the reently added images in these galleries. 

reently??  ;D ;D ;D

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Thanks Gregg. I've been spoiled by browsers that spell check for me.

[Puddington]

This week was dedicated to creating a 'signature" car for my Canadian Pacific Tuscan and Gold consist. The "Cape" series of Solarium - Lounge - Sleeper cars were the "premier" car of their day until the stainless steel "Canadian" was introduced in 1955. First built in the 1920's as the "River" series they were modernized and served on the Trans Canada Limited; the Dominion and the SOO - Mountaineer well inot the 1950's and 1960's. Some soldiered on as work service cars into the 1980's.....

The "Cape" cars have not been modeled in n scale before and having a look at the solarium windows it became obvious that I'd have to make the sides myself....



I chose a Model Power coach as a frame mainly due to the fact that it has windows in the rear (and front, but they got covered) and that was an easier starting place for the eventual solarium windows I'd have to make.

This was the starting point....



The walls were made of styrene and the MP roof was replaced with a Riverrosi HW roof to help create the distinctive overhang at the rear.

A few days worth of cutting and using questionable language resulted in this.......









The "Cape Breton" is all but complete ( I have marker lights on order....)

I have documented the building of "Cape Breton" for those who may be interetsted at this link:

http://www.scalerailsonline.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4165

I am pleased with the overall look of the "Cape Breton"; her distinctive windows and lines help bring the image of a classic Canadian Pacific passenger train to the Puddington Valley Division.

[tom mann]

I finished the weathering book!!

[up1950s]

Cool car Puddington , not something to expect manufacturers ever to make in N scale .

Thanks for the kind words guys , got another foreign car coming next week .

[wm3798]

I got pretty busy on the layout again this week.  Started hacking up a couple more hopper rebuilds, fixed a couple of pesky electrical problems around the staging yard, and got a nice job installing a bunch of decoders for a guy out in Minnesota.

I also got a couple of back to back nights of running some trains in...  Friday night one of my regular crew, Brian stopped by to goof around for awhile, and Saturday night, I got a visit from a couple of guys I hadn't seen in decades...



What a great treat! Two of my old mentors from the BSME stopped by to see my layout. I hadn't seen these guys in probably 25 years. At right is Charlie Hill, who introduced me to prototypical operations on his layout, the Hillside Central, back in the early 80's. In the middle is Greg Shindledecker and his wife Angel. Greg used to have a pretty well developed free-lance road, the Maryland and Delta. He's now working on an HO WM layout. At left is Charlie's friend Jeff, who I met for the first time, but was just as fun as the rest of them. 
Greg and I reconnected after stumbling across each other's work over on the MR Forum.  They were nearby visiting a layout about 45 minutes from my house, and decided to drop by.  We went out for some tasty Mexican, then spent an hour or so running some WM fast freights.

I also dragged the K-2 project back out.  After getting some photos of the prototype at Hagerstown, I realized my oil bunker wasn't quite right. 


... now the front of the bunker looks closer to the prototype. I added the gigantic valve wheel (a brake wheel) to add a little something... The feed pipe is about where it's supposed to be though. Overall I shortened the bunker to get it out from under the cab roof, and changed the plastic walkway for an etched brass one. Much better!



Still need to tidy up a couple of seams... but overall it looks much better.
Lee

[up1950s]

Nice mod Lee . That Hill friend of yours looks like that host on Cops .

[davefoxx]

I finally finished uploading all my photos from the CRHS convention:
http://thecrhs.org/?q=conventions/altoona08/photos

Hey, Ed!

I also accomplished no modeling this week, but I did bag a former PRR SD40 on CSX's Philly Sub this morning!  If my research is correct, the second unit of eastbound Q702 (SD40-2 #8873), is ex-CR SD40-2R #6971/exx-CR SD40 #6298/exxx-PC SD40 #6045/nee PRR SD40 #6045, which was built in February 1966!



Wow!

Dave Foxx

[davefoxx]

Lee,

I like the steamer.  Looks like it is coming along nicely. 

Oh, since you mentioned you were installing decoders for someone in Minnesota, I still need to get my LL E8 to you.  I've kinda been hoping I could find an excuse to get down your way, so I can show you what needs to be done in person.  That, and I'd get to run some WM trains!

I did order up one of the IM FP7s today in the B&O merger scheme, since it was Kleins last model of unit #8011 (ignore the road number in the picture) and the Digitrax decoder (DN163I2) for this locomotive has been announced.

The beauty of this specific locomotive is that I can actually justify running this baby on my C&O layout.  Number 8011 is an ex-C&O FP7 transferred to the B&O, but it wasn't retired until 1972!  So the only stretch is saying that it somehow made it back to C&O rails in central Virginia in 1970-71 (my locale and era).  And since the roads (C&O/B&O) were intermixing motive power by this date, it's not a real stretch of the imagination AND I get another covered wagon!


Dave

[wm3798]

That's one of my favorite paint schemes...  Listen, any time you want to slip by for some train time, just let me know...  Let Brian know, too, you can pick him up on your way through Centreville!

Secretly I'm hoping that the next batch of WM F-7's is delayed a few more months... Mr. Wallet needs some time to breathe out...

Lee