Weekend Update 4/26/20

[DKS]

Another busy week on the White River and Northern. The big highlight was completing the lighting and animation for Phil's Bayou Another jazz bar.

Then I installed the permanent drive mechanism for the animated barber pole.

And finally, I began preliminary work on making a field full of flickering fireflies. For all of the details, see the build thread: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=49183.msg661149#msg661149

[spookshow]

I made some signs -





-Mark

[pjm20]

The only thing I got done besides a lot of research for various projects was to build this coupler drill jig:




The coupler was modified to accept 2-56 hardware for installation. 2-56 is chunky even at 1:24, but for now I'm going with reliability over aesthetics.

[LIRR]

Test fit trees on next stretch of scenery....

[garethashenden]

Been doing a bit of 2mm Finescale recently, a London and North Western Railway 0-6-2T Coal Tank. It’s just getting to the stage where I need to break out the lathe and do some turning. Made the smokebox door, need to see what it looks like in place.

[wm3798]

I "finished" my WM chop nose GP7. Adding parts to a diesel was a welcome change after then seemingly endless tinkering on the WM Potomac. I say "finished' because I plan on adding a LokSound 71300 and speaker when funds become available. I'm holding off on the number boards until that's done. Once the decoder and speaker are in, I will permanently attach the cab and hood to the sill. Hopefully that will eliminate the slight warp on the fireman's side of the cab.

You might be interested to know that her sister, #23, was the last unit to have a nose job, and never wore black as a chopper.  She was cut and finished into Red White and Black in either 1969 or 70.  So you could, ostensibly, get a stock Atlas GP7 and do the black speed letter scheme and leave it relatively unmodified to run with 22... at least for a couple of years!

Lee

[PiperguyUMD]

@wm3798 I discovered that a few days ago. I found a picture of 23 with a high hood coupled to 304 in the circus scheme and had to do a double take!

[wm3798]

Ed's Law as applied to the Western Maryland!  Marvelous job on that, by the way.

[Dave V]

@spookshow ,

We often tout the scenery-to-trains ratio as being a chief advantage of N scale and yet so many of us never really realize the full potential.  You've not only created a model railroad, but you really have re-created an entire slice of American countryside.  In your scene there is no compromise...the scenery stretches as far as the eye can see with the railroad taking its proper place, neither dominating the scene nor being hidden within it.  The colors as well...  I could look at those images and be transported to Lancaster, PA on a muggy July day.  I know Hope is a long way from Lancaster, but you've perfectly captured that summer-corn country look--something that few of us would dare attempt.

What you've created is almost a different type of model railroading...and a higher standard for scenic realism.

[BCR 570]

Lots of great work again this week!

My trailer flatcars now have aprons (not permanently installed yet) and I attempted a hitch in styrene, but am leaning towards using 3D parts instead when I can get them.






More here:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=21968.120

Tim

[Mark W]

My happiest update is finishing the CalTrain MP36!

I started off with numbers to get the feel of decaling again.  I haven't applied decals since the Fuselage a few years ago. 



I'm always a little intimidated by this, but it always goes without a fuss.

 

While the Micro Sol did it's magic, I kept busy hand painting some accents on the underframe.



And here we have it!  CalTrain #927



Attention has now turned to the Athearn Bombardier cars and improving their rolling. 
Then I'll come back to install LokSound, print a correct CalTrain plow, and scratch build a new under frame with 3 air tanks. 

[dem34]

My happiest update is finishing the CalTrain MP36!

I started off with numbers to get the feel of decaling again.  I haven't applied decals since the Fuselage a few years ago. 
While the Micro Sol did it's magic, I kept busy hand painting some accents on the underframe.
And here we have it!  CalTrain #927
Attention has now turned to the Athearn Bombardier cars and improving their rolling. 
Then I'll come back to install LokSound, print a correct CalTrain plow, and scratch build a new under frame with 3 air tanks.

Are you planning on dull coating the shell afterwards? The finish on the paint seems a little odd.

[spookshow]

My goodness, thanks Dave - I really appreciate it and the check's in the mail 

-Mark

[pdx1955]

Got my next decalling projects all lined up with SP B50-15's in General Service boxcar red and Overnight black along with SP 12.5K tankcars, hogfuel (woodchip) cars and a S-40-8 stockcar. I also have a not-N scale Ron Bearden-inspired 1920's Ives O-gauge electric restore project in Milwaukee orange and black to be done.  The hardest thing about doing these, is that I've always done decal projects on the road on work trips and with everything being at home, I'll have to just suck it up do these at home too!

[Bangorboy]

Hiya, folks.
     ... uncoupling-lever, ...

I have a question about that uncoupling lever.  It looks to me like it has to lift the pin in the coupler to open it, but the lift lever appear to be blocked by the bar behind it.  Should the cut lever be behind that long horizontal bar so it can pivot toward the boiler front?  Or am I mistranslating the image?  I like the look and would like to copy it on one of my switchers, but not sure how it works.