Weekend Update 6/12/11

[DKS]

Managed to get a little work into N Scale Magazine:

http://www.nscalemagazine.com/index.html

Way to go, Dave! Much deserved.

[BCRail_FSJ]

After some time off and the realization I wanted to simplify my trackplan to a simple point to point, I recycled benchwork formerly planned for a peninsula into a long lower deck staging area.  Remaining timber will be recycled into upper deck Fort St John benchwork.



Staging benchwork is now installed and track installation will follow soon.  Longest track will be 9 feet and it will be fun to have long trains run from staging, across the bridge and into Taylor in the near future. 

[davefoxx]

Managed to get a little work into N Scale Magazine:

http://www.nscalemagazine.com/index.html

Congratulations, Dave.  That's just awesome to get a cover shot.  I'm just looking forward to seeing a picture of something I've done or even my name in print one day, let alone a cover shot.  And I'll tell you this: for those who don't know, they would be hard-pressed to believe that cover shot was taken on a layout built on a hollow core door.  I've always appreciated your work, and I think you deserve this recognition.  Great job.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Actually, Dave, I was able to straighten out the kink adequately to minimize the effect before I ballasted.  What had happened was the track coming off the bridge had shifted, causing the turnout to actually develop a curve.  Once I put that straight, it solved the derailment problem.  The left hand track in the picture would be the outbound track in the siding, so trains will be approaching that at a reduced speed anyway, and a right hand track would have made the inbound track more kinky, probably creating problems. 

But thanks for your attention to these details!

Lee

I'm glad to hear that you addressed this issue and that it was not necessary for me to fear the worst.  I'm not sure that I agree that a right hand turnout would make it more kinky (because I would have used the curve in the right hand turnout as a substitute for the small right hand turn you got out of the curve coming off the bridge), but I'm more than satisfied to know that derailment issues have been addressed.

Thanks,
Dave

[wm3798]

Ah, but there's the rub.  If I backed up the points to the bridge, it would have been nigh impossible to get the tortoise to fit into the narrow embankment without dropping it far below the sub roadbed.  This would be problematic due to the fact that this is a lift out section, and I want to avoid having fragile mechanisms dangling down...

And yes, Dr. Dave, it's an outstanding layout piece with great photos.  (I've already gotten my author's copy, so I've had the privilege of reading the whole thing...)

Also, Kudos to Pete Nolan on a great piece to open his series on N scale ships...  Almost enough to make me want to start over with Port Covington as a focal point...

Lee

[davidgray1974]

That is awesome Dave!!!  I agree the cover shot looks great!!!  Congrats!!!

[davidgray1974]

Scenery is coming along really well Lee.  Looks great!!!

[Packer]

Congrats Dave on making the cover. Lee the scenery is looking good.

Started disassembly of the large group of P2K Geeps I got in the mail on monday. Mostly NKP GP18s, but there was a patched SCL GP9 in the mix. I'm going to use this one to make a ex-GN GP5 with a chop nose. So far just changing the plastic stirrups for wire and brass handrails. This was my first try with them, and I think I did a pretty decent job on them



I haven't touched the GP18s since I have to buy new screens, and no one makes a correct 48" fan for phase 3 Gp9s in HO. I might be able to remove the shrouding on the GP18 fan to get something close to the GP9 fan.

Also got a bag of freebie HO scale cars, and another autorack. I took several hours on painting (most were molded in brown, white, red, or green) them all, but IMO the overall effect is good.

[Dave V]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement!

But we all know the REAL value of that issue is twice the Weldon!

[SkipGear]

Here is what I spent the afternoon working on...Mark will appreciate this I think.







The parts were were cut/scribed on .015 styrene using my vinyl cutter.
Everything on the model came from the same sheet or styrene.
(Except trucks/couplers of course)

[BCR 570]

I completed a second pair of #7 Code 40 turnouts:




Tim

[SecretWeapon]

Congrates Dave. I can't wait to see it in print.

[JoeD]

No modeling this weekend.  Decided I had enough trains...so I drove down to Dunsmuir Ca for the Train Days!  Up was there in force with the guys from the WP museum.  They brought up a bunch of passenger cars and a gp9 and f7b.  Cool thing about dunsmuir is that it's an active station and we had a number o fUP freight trains pull through nice and slow so I could take 250 photo's as they inched by.  Got enough weathering and tagging to keep me and Tom busy the rest of our lives! 

Afterwards I drove across the north of Cali along the boarder with Oregon to Tule Lake.  Not much there...no public rest room anywhere in town.  The only two diners did't have any facilities at all.  What do these folks do when nature calls??  Found a number of potato barns that offered good cover  ;D   Reason for the trip to Tule Lake was to get shots of the last few pieces of Modoc Northern motive power.  Sure were pretty.  Found a bunch of old SP remarks all over the place.  Good railfanning.  Drove north across the state line to Merrel and found a bunch of steam engines in various states of dis repair.  Everything from a Shay to an SP Reck train complete with an old Steam Hoist, flats and some Harriman MOW's.  Back on the main line I found a pair of ex BN Sd40-2's warming up to pull a full consist.  Nice to see the Green and White again.  Had the BNSF markouts on the cab.  Got a great meal at a small diner in town and then drove back to Ashland.  Lots of great inspiration and energy picked up on the trip.  Eye-balling that SD-7 I have thinking a Modoc Nothern would look good lashed up to some SP's

Joe

[nscalemike]

very nice work everyone and a big congrats to Dave for the article and cover shot! Will need to look for that magazine when it comes out as I also think your work is fantastic!

No photos this week for me, I did the first couple levels of my helix out to begin reconstructing it.  I was having a few issues, namely my 6 axle locos were jumping track on a couple of joints.  Trying to fix it in place made it even worse.  So I took it out since I only had two levels in place and that will also allow me to correct the radius of the curve.  Hopefully this week I will have it replaced and be moving up towards level 2.

Have a great week everyone!
Mike

[atsf_arizona]

In celebration of the Santa Fe Historical Society convention that
will be meeting in Phoenix, Ariz June 15-19  ( http://atsfrr.com/convention/info-Phoenix.htm  ),
here's two shots of N scale Santa Fe locos from last year's Bay Area Prototype Modeler's Meet (BAPM):





More on last year's meet:  http://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/bapm2010

The 2011 BAPM will be held in Richmond, Calif on June 25, 2011:

http://members.trainorders.com/tracktime/bapm/

Finally... only 21 more days till NMRA Nationals in Sacramento (and
Advanced Section in San Francisco Bay area)!  http://facebook.com/x2011west 

Have a good week, all.