Weekend Update 3/20/16

[Scottl]

That CN SD70M-2 is super hawt all lit up.  I did not have the courage to chop the nose for the headlight like you did when I did mine. 

Ed, the sound is great.  In case anyone is looking for portable speakers to follow the operator, wireless headphones....

This week, I narrowly avoided being seen at the Rapido headquarters in Toronoto, but did pick up the goodies to get my track finished in the Thompson River.  That concrete track will look great with ballast and weathering.

An early sight line shot.

[StewRRFan]

Finally to the point that I have started putting down some scenery.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ed, the sound is great.  In case anyone is looking for portable speakers to follow the operator, wireless headphones....

I'm not too terribly worried about that. As long as the sound is where YOU are, it doesn't matter.

And, typically, you're where the power is, so... room speakers work.

But, I get it, so I'm thinking about scaling up.

[mu26aeh]

I gave up working on my DCC issues for the day early, and turned to doing some weathering.  I'm using @weathering solutions cement and rust decals.  Consider these in progress shots.

Started with 3 Intermountain Southdown 2-bay covered hoppers.  Turned these

20160320_132429 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Into these

20160320_185356 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

Also added some more rust to a car I bought at show that someone washed with brown.

20160320_195732 by Adam Henry, on Flickr

[randgust]

I think I've finally got this down to where I'll do custom builds.....

Parts are expensive, but it's repeatable.  Shapeways shell, and cross-kitting two different mechanisms.  Not easy, but repeatable.

[craigolio1]

I think I've finally got this down to where I'll do custom builds.....

Parts are expensive, but it's repeatable.  Shapeways shell, and cross-kitting two different mechanisms.  Not easy, but repeatable.

Wow!!!  Can we please see a video of it running?

Craig

[craigolio1]

That CN SD70M-2 is super hawt all lit up.  I did not have the courage to chop the nose for the headlight like you did when I did mine. 

Ed, the sound is great.  In case anyone is looking for portable speakers to follow the operator, wireless headphones....

This week, I narrowly avoided being seen at the Rapido headquarters in Toronoto, but did pick up the goodies to get my track finished in the Thompson River.  That concrete track will look great with ballast and weathering.

An early sight line shot.

I can't wait for this.

Pm'd you about the head light.

Craig

[Ed Kapuscinski]

One more video of my Conrail VSD.

It's also useful for most GP7s and 9s that had the Wabco single chime horns (aka, the stock Atlas model).

[randgust]

Wow!!!  Can we please see a video of it running?

Craig

Here you go..... 

[basementcalling]

Here you go..... 

/>

One hell of a sound decoder in that puppy. Runs great.

[Blazeman]

Attended RPM gathering in Malvern, PA.  Clinics and presentations galore from Friday evening through Sunday morning. Not a whiff of N discussed except as background structures for forced perspective.

But so much history covered in so far as developing prototype operating designs and schemes along with equipment rosters. Exceptional presentation on evolution of steel coil handling by B&O over a 15 year period as was another on the Somerset and Cambria branch of B&O. B&O Historical contingent present felt it ended up being a mini-con for their SIG. Tony Koester present. I know some here have opinions on him, but he was very approachable...just one of the guys. Did two presentations in fact.

Maybe an indicator of his interest in operating that he had scheduled an ops session for his layout next Sunday which he did not realize is Easter. Encouraging so many of his operators advised they would not be in the house accordingly. Tony postponed the session after realizing his oversight.

Thinking of another topic covered recently, pleased to see a lot of guys present who still had color in their hair. Some younger men even presented. And there were three women present as well who were really attending, not coming with husbands.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

That's awesome to hear. I really want to get to one of those RPM meetings someday.

And I agree about Tony. I think he's a good guy (and not only because I grew up reading Trains of Thought), and I don't understand why people would have a negative opinion of him.

[conrail98]

Attended RPM gathering in Malvern, PA.  Clinics and presentations galore from Friday evening through Sunday morning. Not a whiff of N discussed except as background structures for forced perspective.

But so much history covered in so far as developing prototype operating designs and schemes along with equipment rosters. Exceptional presentation on evolution of steel coil handling by B&O over a 15 year period as was another on the Somerset and Cambria branch of B&O. B&O Historical contingent present felt it ended up being a mini-con for their SIG. Tony Koester present. I know some here have opinions on him, but he was very approachable...just one of the guys. Did two presentations in fact.

Maybe an indicator of his interest in operating that he had scheduled an ops session for his layout next Sunday which he did not realize is Easter. Encouraging so many of his operators advised they would not be in the house accordingly. Tony postponed the session after realizing his oversight.

Thinking of another topic covered recently, pleased to see a lot of guys present who still had color in their hair. Some younger men even presented. And there were three women present as well who were really attending, not coming with husbands.

I too went to it. I started off with an ops session at Paul Beckenstose's WM performing the Yard Master job. Then came back after kid duties on Friday to catch a couple of sessions, including the Somerset and Cambria branch, very nice presentation. I missed the Saturday morning ones and came back for a couple in the late afternoon, including Tony's update on his layout. Unfortunately, I didn't feel well and missed staying for Lance's presentation and then all of Sunday's offerings. I actually had a discussion with Paul about the lack of N scale (and other scales besides straight HO). What we didn't know was if the other RPM meets are the same or is it just a "Philly area" thing,

Phil

[davefoxx]

And I agree about Tony. I think he's a good guy (and not only because I grew up reading Trains of Thought), and I don't understand why people would have a negative opinion of him.

I have corresponded directly with Tony Koester (and read MR's Trains of Thought articles since the 1980s), and I know members of TRW that have operated on his layout.  He seems like a good guy to me.  I know of no one who has directly met or corresponded with Tony and has a bad thing to say about him.  I think those negative vibes from the internet are from those who have their own issues, perhaps jealousy.  Who knows?  Sorta like how people got up in arms over Malcolm Furlow in the late 1980s.

DFF

[C855B]

... lack of N scale (and other scales besides straight HO). What we didn't know was if the other RPM meets are the same or is it just a "Philly area" thing,

The St. Louis RPM meet last year had a handful of N, and a little bit of O as well: https://flic.kr/s/aHskhi7BVi. I can't vouch for Naperville, but given the proximity to StL (and the participation of Fox Valley Models in both), I suspect the showing is similar.

I'm hoping to go this year with Shapeways models in hand. We'll see, however - it's proving to be a very busy year!