Re: Weekend Update 4/26/26

[Jim Starbuck]

It was a great weekend with Modutrak participating in Silvis Railroad day at the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America in Silvis , IL in the former Rock Island shop.
@jpwisc posted some photos. Here are a few more of some of my equipment.
I had the new Whitcomb 90 tonner running too.

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And some full scale

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[Cory Rothlisberger]

Violated Rule G and planted some trees. This marks the most significant progress on the layout in about 2 months. Waiting for the Sluptamold to dry so I finish some more.

[Jesse6669]

What a great update this week!  So much eye candy.   

As for me, I am still working on scenery on the Midland Sub area of the layout.  I decided to take a crack at the "Grove Den technique" for some brush that lines the Midland.  I still need a lot of practice but so far acceptable results for Z scale I think.  I am working on batch 2, which will have more sprigs coming up from the ground (not so much solid trunk) which I think will look better as scrub/Honeysuckle.



The pic in the background shows the area I'm trying to capture:


To break up the scenery work I weathered this AZL NS SD70M with a fade, some dirt on the trucks/pilot and chalks. 



I also got caught up on some decal design work for a couple guys--Z scale APC/APL containers and an N scale private shipper covered hopper, along with lettering for the Marathon gas station.

[btrain]

I’m digging those T-TRAK modules Dave, and excellent work on the electric @apuldelek

This week found me putting together a scratch build of Swan Creek tower. The prototype could be found on the split of Chicago and Detroit mains of the New York Central in Toledo. This will now guard the entrance of my Toledo Division Free-moN return loop. I’m at a good pace that it and the yard office behind, should be all painted and ready for next month’s Ohio N Weekend at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

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[OldEastRR]

(etched brass from Gold Medal Models). Unfortunately, proper PRR hairpin stanchions are no longer available from Alkem Scale Models...and besides, I don't think I have that kind of patience! Then lastly it'll be painting time. Note that stone texture was added to the Atlas bridge components using dabs of CA glue and baking soda.

Atlas makes what might be called a hairpin fence (if I got the reference right) in plastic and available separately.
https://shop.atlasrr.com/p-1114-n-hairpin-fence.aspx

[Dave V]

Atlas makes what might be called a hairpin fence (if I got the reference right) in plastic and available separately.
https://shop.atlasrr.com/p-1114-n-hairpin-fence.aspx

Not the same thing... PRR pipe railings with hairpin stanchions look like this:

[Ed Kapuscinski]

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More in my layout engineering thread.

[vermonter_railfan]

Great weekend out in Deshler, NE with SCMT and the the majority of the eastern Free-moN peps. Ran some of @samusi01 prints and gifted @Mark W a pair of flats with coil loads done by Sam.

[mcjaco]

I got 3 items off the workbench this week. First, two Maine Central models,  a GP-7, and a U18B which has been "in progress" for over a decade. It still needs a horn and bell. I couldn't have finished either, especially the U18B and its plow without @mcjaco sending me some MU hoses, so big shout out to him.(I still need more, so if you have a package you can part with please let me know!)

Glad I could help get projects off the workbench.  Those look hawt! 

[apudelek]

Wow  ! That looks great !

I’m digging those T-TRAK modules Dave, and excellent work on the electric @apuldelek

This week found me putting together a scratch build of Swan Creek tower. The prototype could be found on the split of Chicago and Detroit mains of the New York Central in Toledo. This will now guard the entrance of my Toledo Division Free-moN return loop. I’m at a good pace that it and the yard office behind, should be all painted and ready for next month’s Ohio N Weekend at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

(Attachment Link)

@apudelek - nice repurpose of the Kato EF-57 into a New Haven EP3.  Those Microscale NH imitation gold wide stripes are a b!tch to work with.  I've had success by first using a couple of applications of Micro-Sol to get the decal to adhere to the paint, and then full-strength Solvaset and multiple pin pricks to get the decals to confirm to the beltrail and rivet detail underneath.  I've also used Valero Sun Yellow, which is a good match for Microscale's NH color, for sharp relief such as number boards or marker light mounts that the decals simply won't conform to.

Thank you for the kind words, gents.  Especially Bryan; you sir are the Dean of N Scale NH and really set a high bar for the rest of us to follow.

Great modeling this week, everyone.

[Sumner]

Trying to design a 1960's Wagner L60 log stacker that can pick up and move a complete semi load of logs.  These are big machines with the front tires over 6.5 ft in diameter.  I haven't been able to find more than a couple pictures to work off of and the L60 had a number of variations those first few years of production.  Still in production today but quite a bit different in regards to hydraulic cylinders and other items.

Also  close to the final wiring of the rotary snow plow I started some time ago and building fence to keep the deer from eating all of Dottie's flowers.

Sumner

[rail_nut]

https://www.alliedsystems.com/pdf/Wagner/Forms/85/85-582.pdf

Any help?

[Sumner]

Thanks I've seen that and downloaded their dimensions.  They are kind of the same in principle as the 60s ones but also quite a bit different and I am modeling around 1970

Sumner

[nkalanaga]

If you design an L60, I'll take 2.  I've been hoping that Wheels of Time would do the log loader version of their Piggy Packer, but it looks like that will never happen.

[Sumner]

If you design an L60, I'll take 2. 

If it comes out half way decent I'll put the print files up.  Since I don't have accurate dimensions to work with the model will hopefully be 'close'......good enough for me  .  If I was younger I might look for more perfection.

Sumner