Weekend Update 10/18/15

[nkalanaga]

Ryan:  Thank you.  It makes sense, looking at it.  It would be "portable", if needed, with some work, but wouldn't be moved often, so the addition wouldn't be a problem.

[x600]

I finished my latest addition to my EL business car fleet.  This car is Erie #4 which is a converted 10-1-2 sleeper.  The car stayed in Erie two tone green paint through the EL.  Today the car sits along the Susquehanna in Midland Park, NJ.  I finally got the right formula for etched stainless as far as rivet sizes and things of that nature.  Neat looking Erie painted car swimming in a pool of EL grey maroon and yellow.

Scott Lupia

Hey Scott, as we usta say in Scranton, "That's Ah-Some!"

Greg O.

[Scottl]

After a year of health and safety violations, CN managed to put up some handrails on the Cisco bridge.  Custom handrails seemed like a good idea at the time, but consumed most of my annual train budget and available time too.



The saga and other ramblings can be found in my engineering thread https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=27858.msg446623

[craigolio1]

Yeah but they look sick!!!  Everytime I see that bridge I can't believe it wasn't placed on your layout by some advanced civilization from another planet.

You win at bridge's for ever.

Craig

[chuck geiger]

Janis and I went to OKC yesterday and Whistle Stop, a pretty cool store. Boom: They were having
a 20% sale. N is pretty secondary there, but they have flat boxes on shelves filled with kits, detail
parts, vehicles, figure. Kevin is a nice guy and they are the kind of funky train store that doesn't
exist much more. All of this for just North of 100.00. The purchase was just what I needed, no over
purchases hanging on pegboard hooks for years any longer.

[Dave V]

This is a former Athearn D&RGW 2-8-0 painted and weathered as Colorado Midland class 136 #50, circa 1905.

I cheated a little on the lettering...  The sans-serif font was used on freight cars but not steam locos.  However, the post-1900 lettering was typically applied to the flare on the tender cistern, and the Athearn/MDC tender has a teeny-tiny flare that would have driven me crazy trying to letter with individual, more-appropriate Roman letters.  I have the custom freight decals available so I went that way.  I think it looks okay.

Part of why I chose 1905 is because of automatic knuckle couplers being universal by then, but the other reason was to avoid the beautiful--but complicated--gold Pikes Peak Route logo on the tenders (surrounded by the letters C. M. in gold with red drop shadow) that was typical up to the early 1900s.  The post-1900 (or so) lettering was much, much simpler!





Someday I may make custom steam loco decals for the Midland, but that is not this day!

[ai5629]

I finished painting out & renumbering two PRR BLMA 60' GSC flatcars (class F47) to Conrail this week.  However the highlight of my weekend was catching NS 1700 leading train 10N (Conway to Allentown) on the Conemaugh Line Sunday afternoon.  Here is the Erie Lackawanna heritage unit leading at Harmarville, PA and then Tarentum, PA.  Thanks.

Jeff

[bnsfdash8]

Didn't do much this weekend train wise other than run 2 of my NS heritage units and a C40-9W.

[ryan_wilkerson]

Did one train thing this weekend...took my two sons plus a friend to the Sacramento Valley Live Steamers annual Fall Meet. Chris, the owner of a beautiful SP steamer not only gave us rides but let each boy drive it. I was riding, enjoying every minute.
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[crrcoal]

Didn't do much this weekend train wise other than run 2 of my NS heritage units and a C40-9W.

Reese you have anymore pics of your layout? That pic looks pretty hott!

[johnb]

So today I wired up the layout today and I ran the 2-8-0 around the layout today. Most of it is fine, one small electrical dead spot and a pair of rail joints to smooth out....but it works

[mcjaco]

Getting ready for the Naperville RPM Meet, and tackling a lot of small projects I've let linger too long. 

First up was getting a chimney on the Oakwood depot.  This is a Depot's by John structure that I found the fit and finish...well, rather iffy.  The rood was a piece of wood Keith Kohlman cut for me, and still needs some touch up, and downspouts.



Second, was finally tackling the correct Delta truck that was used on the Soo Light Mountains.  I've attempted it three or four times, and finally just bought a new truck from Bachmann, and added Model Power sideframes on it.  It's functional, but needs a bit more refining.



Then one of the kids got sick mid week, and modeling plans when out the window.....

[mu26aeh]

In the last week or so, I managed to get a few more locomotives decoder equipped.  Lucked out on the Reading unit, I bought it thinking it was DC so I never tried running it.  I took shell off to put decoder in and surprise  it already had one.  At least now my CSX Hanover Sub will have some foreign color to it now.

20151018_193104 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

A couple more decoders should arrive this week, thanks to @ryan_wilkerson  .

[wm3798]

The glacial pace of progress continues on the Highlandtown, Canton and Fells Point.  I finally managed to get a base coat on the Gunther Brewing Company. 



The siding will come in from the left, and will run along a trestle next to the building.  I'm going to add facilities for unloading grain hoppers next to the tower, and some loading docks for insulated box cars behind that.  There will truck bays under the trestle.  I'm looking forward to teasing out this complex, compact scene.

Lee

[tom mann]

My new hopper on the upper level of the Hinshaw Valley: