Weekend Update 12/22/24

[altohorn25]

Tap-Lounge almost ready for primer.

3D printed shell.  Gold Medal Models stanchions for the antenna on the roof (plain old stranded extension cord that I took a single strand out of and threaded through the stanchions).  The real car had bends in the antenna as well (see photo).

It will get grab irons and steps after painting.

I still need to add a few roof vents over the kitchen part of the car.

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[cjm413]

Tap-Lounge almost ready for primer.

3D printed shell.  Gold Medal Models stanchions for the antenna on the roof (plain old stranded extension cord that I took a single strand out of and threaded through the stanchions).  The real car had bends in the antenna as well (see photo).

It will get grab irons and steps after painting.

I still need to add a few roof vents over the kitchen part of the car.

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...or paint that tap lounge in either the original Olympian paint or pre-1950 paint (e.g. full length maroon stripe, maroon letter background w/gold lettering, and gray roof) and backdate the cars in the Kato set (except for the dome) to either paint scheme as appropriate to match the train at 0:56

[altohorn25]

...or paint that tap lounge in either the original Olympian paint or pre-1950 paint (e.g. full length maroon stripe, maroon letter background w/gold lettering, and gray roof) and backdate the cars in the Kato set (except for the dome) to either paint scheme as appropriate to match the train at 0:56

It's going to be yellow - a stand in for when the super dome is in the shop (they did that periodically).

That original paint job with the broken window band would be dead sexy..... 

[np1969]

Didn't Kato produce both versions?  Or  did they just have the ones with or without the front porch?

I seem to recall a second run with the flat nose, but by then I had two so I didn't want to spend the money buy another pair.

[altohorn25]

Finished the paint on the Tap-Lounge today.  Ready for decals and grab irons / steps tomorrow.

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[jpwisc]

I finished some WC braking cars. These were kept on the White Pine Sub for helping to slow trains in the steeper sections. I modified some 40’ boxcars. I took off the roofwalks and filled the holes. I swapped doors, added weight, and body mounted the couplers. I painted them and decaled them with K4 decals.
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Prototype photo by Dean Sauvola
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[TrainCat2]

Work has been a killer for year end but I finally got a few hours to try out an idea for making the cobblestone street. I am going to try laser cutting the sections out and installing them into the switches. This was the first time I fired the new laser and I immediately ordered new mirrors and focal lens. When test fit into a turnout, the "street" was at rail height due to solder on the ties. After sanding a slight bevel on the bottom edges, I got the wood to sit below the rail top.

I'm off the rest of the year where I will start shipping orders and hopefully continue tuning the laser.

[Jesse6669]

Making some progress on the Z scale 52' gondola.  This is another test print to check fitment of trucks/couplers;  It sits a little too high still so there's another version forthcoming.   It's sitting on MT on the right and Bowser trucks on the left.  I have some lead sheet for weight that'll sit under the belly.   

   

I also worked on the artwork for decals.  This is the Reading GR52A version.   

[rodsup9000]

Work has been a killer for year end but I finally got a few hours to try out an idea for making the cobblestone street. I am going to try laser cutting the sections out and installing them into the switches. This was the first time I fired the new laser and I immediately ordered new mirrors and focal lens. When test fit into a turnout, the "street" was at rail height due to solder on the ties. After sanding a slight bevel on the bottom edges, I got the wood to sit below the rail top.

Looks good boB.  I think you was using too much power on the cutting, but you're learning.
 On my laser, I have my "shop air" hooked up to it to get more pressure while cutting. I have it set at 35 psi and then for etching, I only use about 1 or 2 psi.
I've found on my laser, I get very clean cuts with the higher pressure and less power.

 This is .074" basswood plywood from amazon. 33% power (100 watt tube) and 15mm/s with 35psi and a 2 1/2" GaAs lens.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It's funny how projects go.

A while ago I started a project to do some Conrail GP40s. The GP40 was an unsung hero of Conrail: they didn't really capture the imagination of railfans, but they were seemingly everywhere. And despite the fact that a whole bunch of them went back to EMD in the early 80s when their leases expired, others stuck well into the 90s.

20 years ago I had custom painted a pair. I used Poly Scale Conrail Blue which, while closer to ACTUAL Conrail blue, doesn't look as good on models as the different shade that Atlas and most other model manufacturers use. For that reason my 40s tended to stay in the box.

As I was starting the project I also decided that I wanted a good engine shop diorama to use while documenting the project. That kicked off my Pavonia diesel shop TTRAK module.

Well, the module is pretty decently wrapped up at this point.

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So it was time to get back to the geeps.

I gave this one my "usual Conrail treatment", so a cab signal box from Sunrise Enterprises and a Sinclair radio antenna from https://www.custom-nscale.com/.

I used Tamiya black panel liner to darken the grills and fans and a wash of Tamiya German Gray to give it just a hint of weathering. Some black Pan Pastels on the roof finished it up and she was in service in time for some laps around the BANTRAK layout at the B&O museum where she looked beautiful.

Fresh out of the shop next to her Poly Scale painted sibling.
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Rolling into Windsor St

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And trekking around in the dark at the B&O

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Like I said, it's DARK there at night.

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[altohorn25]

I finished up the Tap-Lounge this morning:

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[C855B]

I finished up the Tap-Lounge this morning:

You work fast, Nate! Gorgeous.

[vermonter_railfan]

New free-moN module I have been working on, getting it ready for Amherst at the end of January. It'll feature MSS, working Semaphores once completed. Just waiting on the actual signals now.

[bbussey]

It's funny how projects go.

A while ago I started a project to do some Conrail GP40s. The GP40 was an unsung hero of Conrail: they didn't really capture the imagination of railfans, but they were seemingly everywhere. And despite the fact that a whole bunch of them went back to EMD in the early 80s when their leases expired, others stuck well into the 90s.

20 years ago I had custom painted a pair. I used Poly Scale Conrail Blue which, while closer to ACTUAL Conrail blue, doesn't look as good on models as the different shade that Atlas and most other model manufacturers use. For that reason my 40s tended to stay in the box.

I prefer PolyScale Conrail Blue.  My KV caboose is PolyScale, as are a number of other models.  Looks fine under daylight fluorescent lighting, as well as under sunlight.

[crrcoal]

Do you have a build series on this module?

It's funny how projects go.


As I was starting the project I also decided that I wanted a good engine shop diorama to use while documenting the project. That kicked off my Pavonia diesel shop TTRAK module.

Well, the module is pretty decently wrapped up at this point.

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