Weekend Update 11/14/10

[wm3798]

Did some more fleshing out on the Hinshaw Bridge area...


Here's a couple of vignettes of the scene so far...



A couple of billboards for the local brewery...


another angle...


The highway is representative of US 40 up through the Narrows.  Billboards seemed like a necessary element...


The Marlboro Man helps set the time frame of the layout in the early 70's.

There will be a series of highway-type business along the near side of the road.  I picked up the City Classics gas station, and I'll do a couple of brick store fronts, maybe a used car lot or something.

Hopefully after I build the Queen City Brewing plant in front you'll still be able to see all of this...

Lee

[Chris333]

That bridge scene looks great Lee. I wish I could whip up scenery like that!

[Mark5]

I spilled coffee on my cell up in the Poconos on Saturday AM. Damn thing still won't work. Partial story on the morning edition.

[BCR 570]

Mark,

Your CP layout is beautiful ....

   ... but, please put a Z scale coupler on your lead unit.  I cannot believe how big that N coupler looks. 

Z Scale couplers look wonderful but on a layout such as Mark's which hosts regular operating sessions, some operators can have difficulty seeing what they are doing when manually uncoupling trains.  For some people an N Scale coupler is just that much easier to aim into with a pick.

I would have liked to have put 905s on all of my equipment but I am approaching the age where small things are getting hard to see.

Tim

[delamaize]

as promiced, here is a picture of the loco I built ovet the last few weeks.

I call it "The thing that came from the parts box!"

the prototype is pretty much freelance, given that is how logging companys did it. I used some pictures of homebuilt locos from steam donkeys when needed, sometimes they were as simple as a flat car with the steam donkey strapped down, and a cable ran up the line as far as it would go and attached between the rails to a anchor point, sometimes they were totally taken apart and mounted to a flat car or home built platform, and chain driven from the pistons to the axel, though the reduction from the wench gearbox. This is the type I tried to model here. basicly an old steam donkey boiler was mounted on one end, and the pistons mounted on the other end, two pistons total, the chain would go though the floor to the first axel, then the next 3 would be joined by chains. then a water tank was fitted between the boiler and pistons. the engineer and the controls would be mid ship somewhere, and cord wood would be stacked in anywhere they could get it.

now of course mine isn't driven this way, mine is made from leftover Kato chorty B chassis parts, styrine and brass. it runs as well as a parts box wonder would be expected to run. I am not done with it, I gotta add some more details, paint and try to weather it severly.

[conrail98]

It was more benchwork time for me. I got all the C-brackets up around the main walls, built 6 legs for the one peninsula and got one of the long L-girders built. Probably will work in bits and pieces on everything else over the next week. My main issue at this point is in designing the other side of the basement and where to put staging, either out in the open versus below the bottom level and how best to get it there,

Phil

[GaryHinshaw]

Great progress Lee.  The billboards and vehicles definitely shout '70s, and the creek is very Allegheny.  That's one dangerous curve though - they don't make 'em like they used to. 

Philip, you might want to check that you have enough clearance with that FT coupler.  Can you extend it out a bit further?

-gfh

[up1950s]

Lee , " Edge Of The World Scenic Overlook "

[dnhouston]

Nice work Lee

[sirenwerks]

Be careful Lee, something tells me that road so close to the edge will find more adult beverages parked on it than vehicles; and then you have to watch out of  for spillage/alcohol abuse. Consider use non-absorbent materials there or that overlook may end up smelling like Fells Point in the morning.

[lashedup]

Nice stuff everyone. That snow scene is very well done - reminds me of Mike Danneman's layout (compliment of the highest order).

Was busy with family stuff on top of Trainfest weekend and the Modutrak layout being on display again. I did find some time to take a giant leap of faith and start weathering up one of my Big Boy locos. I'm still working on it, but this is where I'm at so far...

[up1950s]

That's the nicest severe weathering of a steamer I have ever seen .

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's stunning Jamie. Wow. It really makes it look gorgeous and real.

[atsf_arizona]

Lashedup, I agree with Richie - super job of weathering on that Big Boy.

[lock4244]

Nice photoshop job putting a real Big-Boy onto a model railroad.

That weathering job kicks some serious butt! Well done!!!