Weekend Update 6/24/12

[flight2000]

Jeez, so where do we go from here...    I am seriously impressed by the great work everyone's been doing.  It keeps getting better every week which is really the impressive part.

So here's my two humble additions this week.  I have a friend that has taken an interest to the Santa Fe and is building a roster of Super Fleet engines.





I really need to fix that hole where a tree used to be plugged.

Brian

[coosvalley]

Lots of good stuff this week....Weekend updates are getting busy since the demise of the Atlas forum...I like it...

First I have a couple of N scale vehicles I've been working on...only the Bobcat is done..





Next is this GP-7 in Maine Centrals "budget" scheme....







I hope you enjoyed my contribution.....Have a great week....

[Kisatchie]

I really need to fix that hole where a tree used to be plugged.

You could put several people around the hole, looking at it because...

Hmm... looks like a small
meteor crater to me...

[shark_jj]

Kudos to everyone for their great work.  David your work continues to inspire, Bill you are the passenger car guru.  Jim, not only a great layout, but I wish I could keep my layout room half as clean as yours is.  Ed, so many of us fail to properly model the embankments that most railroads run on to create draingage, that scene looks excellent.  I'm currently finalizing benchwork on the Grand Trunk Southern so should have something to post in a week or so.  Tomorrow I am leaving for the North to try and capture the Ontario Northland at work.  The government here is talking about (a) shutting parts of it down, (b) curtailing operations, (c) privatizing it, so this may be a final chance to capture some of the operations.  Hopefully the black flies have died before we start the 1000 mile trek north.

PS:  anyone else thinking of capturing the ON on film, we contacted the Public Relations Department and they were quite forthcoming about freight schedules etc.  Quite helpful.  We may also try to get to Hornepayne which is out in the bush on lumber roads where CN fuels their transcons on the long trek across northern Ontario.

John

[mecgp7]

Great stuff again this week!

Coosvalley, love the skidsteer and of course the MEC unit. I sent you a PM about decals. What is the source for the winterization hatches that you use?

Here is a stock, unnumbered, factory painted Atlas GP7 that I numbered and then removed the DBs from a while back. Accupaint passenger maroon is a dead on match for the Atlas paint.

[mark dance]

DKS...I add my kudos. 

The C&W hosted an ops session last Thursday.  The layout performed well, 15 trains were run and over 350 cars were moved in the 3.5 hour session,  and I believe a good time was had by all.

Modelling wise, I got started on Snowshed #1 building its construction jigs and staining all the required stripwood and bents.  Though of similar size to the previous snowshed #2 (below) which I built in March...


...Snowshed #1 is curved. 


I learned a couple of valuable things from the simpler straight shed which I hope to apply to its more complicated big brother:

1) after staining the laser cut bents must be clamped while they dry to prevent serious warpage, and
2) getting the ground profile to match the shed bents is a big task. 

To simplify the latter challenge, the construction jig for shed #1 is designed to be cut in half with the back portion actually forming the scenic risers to which the ground cover will be applied.  Thus, instead of taking the shed on and off of the scenery, the surrounding scenery will largely come away with Snowshed #1 when it is removed from the layout.  This makes additional sense because shed #1 is in a difficult to reach area of the layout (McRae canyon) which in addition is a snow scene that should simplify hiding the seams in the scenery.







That's all for this week.

md

[James Costello]

MD, that jig is a work of art in itself - nice job!

[conrailthomas519]

Great Work Everybody!

[DKS]

MD, that jig is a work of art in itself - nice job!

+1

Demonstration of a great deal of skill and even more patience to pull off that masterpiece.

[up1950s]

Mark , so that's is what happens when every detail is addressed perfectly .

[SAH]

Wow!  Wow! And More Wow!
And to think I consider it a big success to get a body mount coupler working reliably.   
You guys are simply amazing and an inspiration to press on.

Thanks for sharing.

Steve

[SAH]

The bridge by request - here's the original as seen a week ago from behind:

And after a trip to the paint shop:



There's more to come.  I've had this project in mind for quite a while now; it's time!

I just love this view.  The backdrop is so well done it's like the negative of what we're used to seeing.  Instead of looking at a layout passing in front of a window and seeing the outdoors, we're looking through a window and seeing the indoors.  Really fine work.
Thanks.

[coosvalley]

Coosvalley, love the skidsteer and of course the MEC unit. I sent you a PM about decals. What is the source for the winterization hatches that you use?

This is a Sunrise part, my last one actually.......Miniatures by Eric makes some, however...

[Puddington]

Exactly what hobby is Mark Dance involved in.....it ain't the normal n scaleing I do.......holy wow Batman....

[DKS]

I just love this view.  The backdrop is so well done it's like the negative of what we're used to seeing.  Instead of looking at a layout passing in front of a window and seeing the outdoors, we're looking through a window and seeing the indoors.  Really fine work.
Thanks.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. I kept starting at the images and imaging how easy it would be to convince someone it was all shopped. It also calls to mind those cool scenes on STNG when the holodeck doors open up in the middle of some bucolic setting...