Weekend Update 4/12/26

[C855B]

I intended to chase UP 4014 over part of Donner Pass today.  Good thing I checked the Steam Site update while having an early morning coffee!  Storms cancelled the run over Donner and it got rerouted to return via Feather River Route.  Here she is approaching Lincoln, CA (about 15 mins north of Roseville).


I've heard plenty of steam whistles over the years, but DAMN!  This one is LOUD!!! 

Enjoy!

ATSF_Ron

Cool. The Big Boy is fantastic and all that... but the Challenger has somehow always been more relatable to me. Sort of like that really pretty girl you know is out of your league versus the girl next door where you had some fun times with growing up together.

[Dave V]

Attended that Rocky Mountain Train Show this weekend. I spent a lot of money. It's getting bigger every year and was almost overwhelming.



Rather than summarize the whole thing I figured I'd share one of the highlights, seeing Matt Meyer's Z scale Rio Grande. I'm kicking myself because I don't know Matt's username here... 







I did some of my own work, from completing a modified Walthers' George Roberts Printing Co. into thge JC Blair Keystone Stationary factory for Huntingdon, PA:



...to completing the scenic base for JACKS interlocking on another T-TRAK module. The oversized relay cases house the infrared detectors for the PRR position light signals that will be installed next:

[R L Smith]

Spent Saturday in Avoca NY attending the ELRRHS regional meeting. The new ELRRHS Archives Building was formally dedicated to Eric Dervinis. There were over 80 members and guests in attendance.

I learned that the collection has been relocated several times over the years, so having a permanent home is most welcome. I hope to get up there once or twice this summer to help with reviewing / documenting contents of the (literally) hundreds of boxes of material. There is/was a fair amount of material not really pertinent to the EL; we've already given a dozen file cabinets' worth of stuff to the PC historical group. No doubt more will be found as boxes get processed and inventoried.







Ron

[u18b]

Sandblasted and painted a Shay this week.

[nkalanaga]

According to the TV news tonight (NBC National News), the Interstate over Donner Pass was closed.  I wonder if the railroad also closed, or if they rerouted X-4014 to avoid having fans get stuck trying to chase it?

[James Costello]

According to the TV news tonight (NBC National News), the Interstate over Donner Pass was closed.  I wonder if the railroad also closed, or if they rerouted X-4014 to avoid having fans get stuck trying to chase it?

Yeah, it went back via FRC and not over Donner as scheduled - lots of chatter on the socials about CHP/UP wanting to keep the hoard of foamers off a snowy Interstate, but it doesn't much matter now. It got into Portola very late after a slow trip through the canyon.

[Dwight in Toronto]

This weeks progress has been mostly custom painting.
Back at the Monroe train show, I picked up a custom painted Ontario Northland F40PH. Of course this is a foob, because, to my knowledge, this paint scheme didn't exist. But it's believable, and it's well done. This means I needed some passenger stock to go with it.
Again, I went to the Foob well, and decided to paint up some stuff I had around. I've done an old ConCor Observation, an old Bachmann full dome, and a Rapido Dayniter coach. In addition, I have an old ConCor Diner that is in Illinois Central right now I'm going to repaint, and I have 2 Rapido Horizon Phase IV coaches that are going to get re-done also. I am at work right now, so no pictures, But I will try to get some tomorrow.




EDIT: its "Tomorrow," so pictures, as promised
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To be honest, not my best paint and decal work, but overall I'm happy with the outcome.

As for the stuff that I still need to paint, I know that the IC stuff is getting kinda hard to find these days. So If someone needs a IC smooth-side diner, I'm willing to trade. The other project I am currently working on is the 1948 IC "City of New Orleans,: and I still need 4 coaches, an RPO, and 2 72' Baggage cars to finish that consist. If you have any of those and want to trade, I'm game.

As for the Horizons coaches, Again, I'm willing to trade, if someone needs them. Just let me know what you got. ON didn't have Horizons coaches, But then did have Comets. So, I'd be willing to make that trade. I'd also trade dayniter coaches for the Horizons.   

Mike - pure coincidence, but I noticed this 4 minute clip in my YouTube feed right after viewing your post.  It’s mostly static pics of stations along ONR’s Polar Bear Express route, but there are some interesting clips showing typical eclectic train consists streaking past. 

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[Ed Kapuscinski]

Spent Saturday in Avoca NY attending the ELRRHS regional meeting. The new ELRRHS Archives Building was formally dedicated to Eric Dervinis. There were over 80 members and guests in attendance.

I learned that the collection has been relocated several times over the years, so having a permanent home is most welcome. I hope to get up there once or twice this summer to help with reviewing / documenting contents of the (literally) hundreds of boxes of material. There is/was a fair amount of material not really pertinent to the EL; we've already given a dozen file cabinets' worth of stuff to the PC historical group. No doubt more will be found as boxes get processed and inventoried.







Ron

What a triumph! Congrats to the ELHS!! They're doing big things these days.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

A package from Midwest Model RR arrived on Friday.

And after ditching out of the Timonium show at mid day (it was way too nice to get myself to go back into the Cow Palace after lunch), I ended up doing some work on it during my wild Saturday night.

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FYI, in case anyone needs a "close enough for a patch job" match, for DGLE, Tamiya "Black Green" is doing me well.

Also, in case anyone wants a $94 Silver SD45, Midwest still has some great deals: https://midwestmodelrr.com/n-scale/#673d/ai-fullscreen/m=and&q=atlas+sd45&s[][best_price]=asc

[garethashenden]

Wait. Conrail patched everyone else with black but they used DGLE on PRR engines? I sense some internal biases…

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wait. Conrail patched everyone else with black but they used DGLE on PRR engines? I sense some internal biases…

Well... What color is this? https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/2400308

One of the issues with the model is that Atlas's DGLE is, almost by neccessity, too light. I'm going to fix that issue in my next steps on the model. I think it'll turn out alright. If not, well, hopefully these are easy to strip. lol.

[Dave V]

Having a similar thought process on whether I want to paint my next GHQ/Kato 2-8-2 L1s conversion DGLE or just flat black. I think if things weren't regularly washed (especially steam locomotives) they tended toward black. Diesels I think you really had to see it in the right sunlight to see any hint of green.

[bbunge]

A wood coach B&O passenger train stopped at the Relay Hotel where crew and passengers got a meal, or a room while they wait for their connecting train.



After leaving the hotel, the train crossed the famous Thomas Viaduct.



A few minutes later, a pair of GEVOs came by with a short coal drag, but the hotel was gone, only the monument was there. 

Bob

[Ed Kapuscinski]

A wood coach B&O passenger train stopped at the Relay Hotel where crew and passengers got a meal, or a room while they wait for their connecting train.



After leaving the hotel, the train crossed the famous Thomas Viaduct.



A few minutes later, a pair of GEVOs came by with a short coal drag, but the hotel was gone, only the monument was there. 

Bob

Yessss. Finally the period appropriate equipment that module deserves!

[garethashenden]

Well... What color is this? https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/2400308

That's black.

Adding a teaspoon of green paint to a gallon of black paint does not make it green. 
It would be interesting to see one of these next to a Penn Central unit. In the same picture and the same light, can the difference be seen?