Weekend Update 8/28/22

[LIRR]

I don’t work in N scale anymore, but I (humbly) think I’ve contributed enough in the past to post my HO work and I trust I’m welcome.
This is the first installment of my weekly “Before & After” series. It will continue until I forget or start boring myself…..

A. Boreland Furniture Co. at Calvin before:



After:

[Bendtracker1]

Here are the last two U33B's I finished up.













Then I had to take them for a spin.

[rail_nut]

mu26aeh

Cabinet looks like ones used for art, poster or drawing storage. Could you tell me brand or more details about it.

[mu26aeh]

@LIRR while the weekend update is in the N scale section, it is considered an All Scales update.  Post away 😁

[flight2000]

It's been a long time since I posted anything modeling related in the weekly update, but think it's probably time.   

I finally retired from the military at the beginning of the year after 28 years and my wife and I moved into our new house where we plan to stay for a long time.  I started with an empty basement on March 30th and have slowly worked my way to where I am today on the layout.  I've had a lot of time off while I'm between jobs and waiting for training to start (I'm now a corporate pilot, but that's another story...). 

It is a single level, 26'x37' around the walls layout and features a double mainline that is built for basically train watching with some industry's to switch along the route.  It's all freelance as I've lived in way to may locations to pick one favorite to focus on.  As some may remember, I was doing a lot of custom painting, detailing, and weathering up until about 2015 when I took command and my free time all but vanished.  I've been just accumulating rolling stock and engines since then and was focused on weathering everything when I did have some free time.  I ended up going up a scale to HO because my eyesight is not doing me any favors and I hate wearing bifocals. 

Anyway, here's some photos of what I was working on this weekend.  I'm almost ready to start laying the ballast in this area, just need to finish some minor water details before I "plant" the bridge semi-permanently.  That's why the rail joiners look rather beat up. 

Cheers,
Brian

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[jpwisc]

I started working on a couple of the new N Scale Kits depressed center flats. These kits are a hot mess compared to any other kit NSK makes. I had to rebuild every bolster to get the truck spacing right and I had to narrow the end of the car to match the prototype. Lots more left to do before paint.
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[mu26aeh]

mu26aeh

Cabinet looks like ones used for art, poster or drawing storage. Could you tell me brand or more details about it.

You want to look for a drafting, blueprint, or map cabinet.  This one is metal, in 2 sections.  It at one point housed drawings/sketches of The Tootsie Pop Owl, the Scrubbing Bubbles among other advertising mascots, per information from @wm3798

[chuck geiger]

It's been a long time since I posted anything modeling related in the weekly update, but think it's probably time.   

I finally retired from the military at the beginning of the year after 28 years and my wife and I moved into our new house where we plan to stay for a long time.  I started with an empty basement on March 30th and have slowly worked my way to where I am today on the layout.  I've had a lot of time off while I'm between jobs and waiting for training to start (I'm now a corporate pilot, but that's another story...). 

It is a single level, 26'x37' around the walls layout and features a double mainline that is built for basically train watching with some industry's to switch along the route.  It's all freelance as I've lived in way to may locations to pick one favorite to focus on.  As some may remember, I was doing a lot of custom painting, detailing, and weathering up until about 2015 when I took command and my free time all but vanished.  I've been just accumulating rolling stock and engines since then and was focused on weathering everything when I did have some free time.  I ended up going up a scale to HO because my eyesight is not doing me any favors and I hate wearing bifocals. 

Anyway, here's some photos of what I was working on this weekend.  I'm almost ready to start laying the ballast in this area, just need to finish some minor water details before I "plant" the bridge semi-permanently.  That's why the rail joiners look rather beat up. 

Cheers,
Brian

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The shot down the aisle is how I envision my new layout wrap around. Great work.

[John]

I started working on a couple of the new N Scale Kits depressed center flats. These kits are a hot mess compared to any other kit NSK makes. I had to rebuild every bolster to get the truck spacing right and I had to narrow the end of the car to match the prototype. Lots more left to do before paint.

[John]

I took a break from Railwire and the east coast and spent some time in fly over country .. Thursday flew to MSP, picked up a rental and drove to Fargo ND to visit a Mall and the Roger Maris museum



Then off to North Dakota - Had dinner in Bismark at Sickles



Saw the worlds biggest Buffalo in Jamestown ND



Friday the first stop was hiking in Painted Canyon



Wind Canyon Trail




200+ mile drive south to this place .. on my bucket list since childhood ..



Then down to the Black Hills .. didn't have time to play with this one ..



Off to Custer State Park after a tour of Wind River Cave where I met this fellow ..



Where the deer and the antelope roam ..



and the Buffalo block the roads



Then a trip along the Needles road .. a gnarly drive ..



with several single lane tunnels







And exiting from the tunnel - this dangerous fellow wanted a toll ..



Sunrise at Badlands National Park




spectacular colors


challenging trails




prairie dogs and others ..

[mu26aeh]

Do not pet the fluffy cows

[John]

Do not pet the fluffy cows

Or coiled up critters

[flight2000]

Dang John, that was a heck of a trip.  Great photos!!

Cheers,
Brian

[flight2000]

The shot down the aisle is how I envision my new layout wrap around. Great work.

Thanks Chuck,

If I pivot 90 degrees to my right, this is the shot down the other direction.  It's roughly a 31' run give or take a few inches.   

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And then this is the shot right behind me in the corner.

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In hindsight, I should have done one more panel on the wall mural, which would have eliminated that gray gap... 

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Cheers,
Brian

[John]

Thats a really nice space ..