Weekend Update 7/11/21

[up1950s]

https://bridgehunter.com/il/rock-island/bh69752/

https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/2016/02/silvis-il-rock-island-yard.html

[DKS]

Not much for me this week--it was a very bad week.

I finished scratchbuilding a sand tower.

   

Also finished a "homegrown" Model AA tow truck.



And I installed a switch machine.

[dougnelson]

Acquired a couple of second-run BLI P70s, these with Futura lettering and installed Keystone Details steps and coupler pocket to achieve closer coupling.  Much better looking and no problems on the curves.  I used MT 1015 couplers. 

[ednadolski]

MRL 132 gives the new P:48 turnout a few test runs.  More here:  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=51808.msg715783#msg715783

Ed

[Kentuckian]

The Bachmann tender trucks are installed on my C&O H5 brass tender. Creating those slots for the tender pickup tabs sure makes a lot of “man glitter”!

[GaryHinshaw]

For quite some time now, one of the Key Projects on my list has been to upgrade the Kato well cars, which have nice "bones", but pretty embarrassing details.  With a bit more 3-d printing experience under my belt, I have returned to this project and have printed some new replacement end frames and crossover platforms, shown here test fit on a Maxi-IV well:



The end frame is a single part that press fits into the well (a direct replacement for the Kato part) and it allows me to swap out the Kato trucks/couplers and convert to body mount LEZ couplers.  Also, after my experience with the tank car ends, I felt confident printing the walkway sections directly onto the piece, which makes for a pretty sturdy part overall.  Happily, the walkways are see-through:



The holes are not perfectly round, but that isn't very noticeable in person.  The truck-mounted couplers on the original model really forced Kato to compress the vertical profile of the end walks.  Now it looks much more satisfying:



Next up is to figure out how to paint it without too much pain... (Need to replace that brake wheel too.)

[Dave V]

Replaced the modified plastic AHM sand house (rear) at Ridgway on my RGS with the proper Banta models kit (foreground).  The plastic version was something I scored at my LHS, already assembled but unpainted, for $6.  I had shortened the bin, added grout sand, and painted it to look as much like the RGS sand house as I could.  The Banta kit is far more accurate, designed from Mike Blazek's plans.  I love that Banta made it so that the bin walls lean in under tension from the tie rods per prototype.  The tree is also added per prototype in the early 40s.

[MVW]

Started working on the stockyard and truck loading area at Armstrong packing.







A bit more in the layout thread:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34780.195

Jim

[SAH]

Thanks to @btrain for coming up to give the AC&Y a workout today.  We classified an incoming freight, ran the General Tire job and talked about Northern Ohio rail history and lots about N scale modeling.  A thoroughly enjoyable day.  I have a list of things to work on but that's where the layout/ops building process is right now, so it's all good.

[spookshow]

Prepping for a move, I spent a couple of days getting my 20+ year collection of freight cars matched back to their original boxes. Do you really need a picture? 

-Mark

[nscaler711]

Prepping for a move, I spent a couple of days getting my 20+ year collection of freight cars matched back to their original boxes. Do you really need a picture? 

-Mark

Maybe....?
 

[spookshow]

Time lapse photography would've told the tale well, but I didn't set that up 

-Mark

[jagged ben]

Gary, if there's any chance of making that Maxi-IV end platform available to the rest of us I'd be in for quite a few for my fleet.

[btrain]

Thank you @SAH for hosting me and your hospitality! That was the first operations session I've ever done and learned a good deal about car classifications, how to plan switch moves in advance, and the way paperwork is handled. The modeling on your layout was incredible to see in person and was a real treat!

[James Costello]

Next up is to figure out how to paint it without too much pain... (Need to replace that brake wheel too.)

Gosh Gary, these look amazing. Even though I know how painful it is to decal a full five-car set of wells, your print that allows a body mounted coupler and improved details still makes me think a full repaint and decal job would be worth it. Hopefully it won't come to that and a subtle paint / weather job will blend the replacement part in well enough.