Weekend Update 12/20/15

[eric220]

ELECTRIFYING!!!!

Very nice! Just watch the gap. 

[Angus Shops]

I've had a True Line Trains RS10 kicking around my layout for years. It's a great locomotive, but it's never had a 'regular assignment' because I was under the impression that the CPR mainline in the Rockies was entirely EMD in the late '50's. However, I learned recently that train #'s 5 and 6, the daily transcon. 'mail train', was assigned a pair of RS10's from the Montreal passenger pool. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I picked up another RS10 from the LHS and gathered up all the surplus head end cars plugging up the yard at Field. I have only one image of the train, from J F Garden's "Nicholas Morant's Canadian Pacific", but I have most of the cars types shown in the photo. So far the train consists of the pair of RS10's (long hood forward for added interest), two express reefers, a wood baggage/express car (the photo shows ventilator cowls on the roof, so the car is probably carrying Okanagan fruit; I'll have to add the ventilators), two curved side baggage cars (mail storage?), a curved side RPO/express car, a heavyweight baggage, and a single 2200 coach bringing up the markers. I'll add another heavyweight baggage and I'm working on 'Canadian Pacificizing' a MT RPO to round out the train.

I now have reasonable facsimiles after all four daily CPR passenger trains that would have been seen in the Rockies in the late 50's. Fun times.

Geoff

[chicken45]

My modeling this weekend. (Attachment Link)

LOL. I did the same thing last weekend with one of those kits. It was much more enjoyable to square these up than a DPM kit!

[craigolio1]

Dave,

Thanks very much. I saw the Mark IV shells too but I amassed the parts for, and began these kitbashes years ago so I figured I would stick with them. They are a "close enough" kind of model.  I have decals for these from ORO Decals, and also from Highball (who bought the ORO catalogue). 

https://highballgraphics.com/L-250.htm

On the SW-900 the front stripes are from MicroScale 60-935 Main Central diesels.

The paint is a custome mix of Testors Model Master Acryl Blue Angel Blue, Guards Red, and White.

Johnathan, thanks very much.

I made some progress on a couple of Kaslo Shops BCR caboose kits as well.

[Joetrain59]

Very nice! Just watch the gap. 

How could it be electrifying, without catenary??? 
 Joe D

[chicken45]

I had a great day running trains with BANTRAK today.
I got to put my Queen Mary on a full production consist run. No issues whatsoever! Some leased power from @Ed Kapuscinski (since DC on 0 was disabled for some reason) pulled 2 spacer gons, HRH, and a cabin car. I think I tacked on Baconrail 20 on there just to mess with people. Can't be TOO prototypical, you know

Then the K4 drilled the loop with 10 cars in tow. She looked great and ran great.


I was a bit bummed out from the Bedford show since none of my stuff really ran well that day. It was good to FINALLY see these things I've spent years on making finally run, and run well.

And we had chicken and waffles from Charm City Wings & Waffles. Highly recommended!

[Mark W]

Preparing for the Great Train Show coming up, January 2nd and 3rd in Council Bluffs. 
This will be our largest set up yet, now that the new "Hobson Yard" is ready to go!

Here's a few progress shots.





Took advantage of the nearly record breaking 60 degree two-days-before-Winter weather to get some color down. 
The mainlines will lighten up just enough as the paint dries that I think these turned out perfect.






Can't wait to do some yard operations at the show!

[craigolio1]

That yard would make a fun layout all by it self.!

Craig

[Iain]

For today's project, I pulled out an HOn30 box car kit:





This thing is tiny!  It's shorter than an N scale 50' box car, the same height, and a bit wider.

And, yes, that is a drawing of a boat underneath; I'm also working on a 1:100 scale model of SMS Bodrog, the Austro-Hungarian river monitor that fired the first shots of WWI.  I recently finished up the ship's boat.

[arbomambo]

final painting on the gas pump island...it's now ready to be cemented into place.

[Cajonpassfan]

Bruce, looks awesome, but where is the flag?
Otto K.

[Cajonpassfan]

While I had my "weathering set" out for my water tank project, I went all out and weathered about thirty cars...I love how a bit of black wash and highlighting can bring a "flat" looking car to life in a matter of seconds
These are not done yet, but "adequate" to run on the layout, until the next step....
Otto K.

[basementcalling]

My road to hoe just got to the challenging section.  6 grade crossings in 70 feet.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

Any thoughts or suggestions on crossing gate placement?  I am thinking before the main and after mill 2 track,  with 3 and 4 having a different style crossing gate, maybe even just a fusee in the pavement,  as those two tracks aren't used as often as the other 4. That would give the switch crew another track too.

[C855B]

Since this is basically a private drive into an industry, the four tracks in the foreground would be protected by no more than a flasher (no gates), marked "4 TRACKS". It would have to be a public main street to get gates. The two lighter spurs get a simple crossbuck with "2 TRACKS".

Modeling compression bites you a little bit here, since there needs to be enough space between the busier tracks and the light spurs for one vehicle to stop for activity on the spur without fouling the Mill 2 lead. Other way around, a southbound vehicle or vehicles stopped for flashers would block the spurs, and in that case the switch crew gets to cool their jets waiting for vehicular traffic to clear.

It's a matter of how "modern" you want to get with this. The FRA and NHTSA rules have become progressively tighter in the past couple of decades, and if you were to install this as "new", there would probably be a mandate for gates, private crossing or not. Ten years ago, likely not, and grandfathered to continue that way.

[basementcalling]

Since this is basically a private drive into an industry, the four tracks in the foreground would be protected by no more than a flasher (no gates), marked "4 TRACKS". It would have to be a public main street to get gates. The two lighter spurs get a simple crossbuck with "2 TRACKS".

Modeling compression bites you a little bit here, since there needs to be enough space between the busier tracks and the light spurs for one vehicle to stop for activity on the spur without fouling the Mill 2 lead. Other way around, a southbound vehicle or vehicles stopped for flashers would block the spurs, and in that case the switch crew gets to cool their jets waiting for vehicular traffic to clear.

It's a matter of how "modern" you want to get with this. The FRA and NHTSA rules have become progressively tighter in the past couple of decades, and if you were to install this as "new", there would probably be a mandate for gates, private crossing or not. Ten years ago, likely not, and grandfathered to continue that way.

I'll be going full on "Stupid" mode, err, I mean modern. We keep trying to eliminate Darwin from the equation.  Given how busy the tracks, and lower 4 crossings will be the plant probably would have the jnsurance, risk assessment people or attorneys advise gates there for risk management. Awkward place for the main truck entrance to the loading docks.

I was going to continue the road above the tracks to the backdrop and onto it, bug now think it will dead end at the paper mill building in parking and Jersey wall to make the backdrop transition easier. That will cut traffic considerably.