Weekend Update 1/1/12

[up1950s]

[davidgray1974]

Added some more rocks to the middle of the mountain around the coal mine and may still add a few more. 


Haven't completely finished all the the rock moldings on the right side of the layout, but couldn't resist putting some shrubbery on the left side. 



Also bought the Scenic Express Super Trees and received them in the mail on Tuesday.  Will begin these this weekend. 

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Very nice shrubbery!
Now you just need to chop down the tallest tree in the forest wiiiiiiith... a herring! 

Been adding detailing & weathering to the oil tanks, and finished up a Traincat quonset hut:





Happy New Year, all!

[Brewmaster]

Instead of going all in on the "big" shelf layout of the Richmond Pacific, I decided to start a little smaller to brush up on my skills.  The track plan is loosely Lance Mindheim's "The Beginner" from his shelf layouts book.  That big white thing the beginnings of a scratch build of a cement plant here in Richmond.

Cruddy cell phone camera...


In it is MUCH brighter than that in person!

[Puddington]

I own 9 CPR/CP Rail Geeps in either tuscan and grey (script and roman) or Action Red... all are "incomplete"; that is to say have not been detailed to the degree I want for everyday use... so they are all out on the bench shelf and I will be working towards getting them into "fighting shape".......

GP7 8410, repainted into "script" round about 1966.....



A short hood bell (not a standard feature by any means) moderate weathering plus "the package"

(The "package" is MU's, correct horn, winterization hatch, builders plate, correct colour deck (Atlas thought they'd help by making the hand rail stantions tuscan... of course that made the deck, steps and railing tuscan....not) yellow hand rail paint, minor detailing and weathering to match the reference photo.

Her "sister", GP 7 8409, the lead unit in the 1953 purchase, not repainted, thus the burned paint under the dynamic brake blister... she'd be repainted into Action Red by 74....she also got the short hood bell.........



Here they are together.....



More Geeps next week... next year... um... nevermind.........................

[BCR 570]

I have spent the last week of 2011 getting back to tracklaying on the upper deck of my layout.  In July I assembled the main track between the turnouts at Tremblay; during this past week I assembled the adjacent siding track.  None of this is installed yet; I still have to attach feeders and drill holes for them as well as the turnout linkages.

Looking east from the helix toward Dawson Creek:




Also looking east:




Looking west back toward the helix:





I have also started on the track sections east of this location.


Happy New Year to all!

Tim

[flight2000]

I finished up multiple engines and a fuel tanker for a customer this weekend.  One of these days I'll be able to start my layout...

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Brian

[John]

One of these days I'll be able to start my layout...

For me, it wasn't until I retired from the Navy - till then .. a 2x4 was all I could manage ..

those models look good ..

[Dave V]

Earlier this year I experimented with green EZ Line from Berkshire Junction to represent copper telegraph lines.  Consensus among the asshats was that it was too green:



Fortunately I'd picked up some of the charcoal gray EZ Line for telephone lines:



So this past weekend I tried the charcoal gray EZ Line for the lineside poles.  It's pretty subtle; it's even harder to photograph.  But I think it's about right:

[flight2000]

For me, it wasn't until I retired from the Navy - till then .. a 2x4 was all I could manage ..

those models look good ..

Thanks John.  I've got three years until I'm eligible to retire from the Army, so painting and weathering is my priority. 

Dave is my hero when it comes to an awesome, portable layout for the military family on the go.   

My son and I are going shopping next weekend for a HCD at the local Bauhaus (German version of The Home Depot).  I'm actually debating getting the Fast Tracks turnout rigs so I can learn how to make them before I start the big build once I'm retired.  Start with #7 for the door layout and then build the bigger #12's later for the mainlines...

Brian

[mark dance]

Mostly family time this week, however I did get a couple of small projects finished...

Rivets were added to the 1/2 deck girder spans for the Kootenay Rver bridge and all of the spans painted and weathered per proto photos.


I also finished a very small model of a monument to the 9 passengers who were killed October 29th 1924 aboard Train #11 just west of Farron when a terrorist bomb exploded in their carriage.


It is hard to see buried in the Farron snow and surrounded by a fence...but it is there.


Happy new Year all!

md

[skytop35]

Nice photos guys!

Here's mine. Still need to add couplers and some grab irons but another express car is almost ready for the fast mail. The cars sides are from GHQ.

[MichaelWinicki]

Big improvement Dave V!

Kinda surprising how much of a difference the charcoal gray colored wire makes.

[lock4244]

I body mounted MT 905's and installed BLMA 100T trucks on three IM cylindricals... but have issues with the couplers to be addressed on next visit home.

Pud, weren't CP GP7's delivered with large barrel type headlights? Or was that CN's fleet...

[Puddington]

Pud, weren't CP GP7's delivered with large barrel type headlights? Or was that CN's fleet...

Funny you asked; "some were and some weren't"..... I am currently modleing 8421 and 8417; both which carried their Pyle "barrel" headlight ( and long hood light) into the Action Red scheme I am modeling them in....In the original 8409 - 8425 series of GP7's bought in 1953 there barrel lasted highly variable amounts of time on the units. Pyles seems to last longer on the 8500 series of GP9T's that were used for passenger service.