Sunday Photo Fun November 19, 2023

[mdq]

I guess I'll get it started..

[simulatortrain]

[onequiknova]

I got a few freight car projects off my bench this week. First up is an Intermountain 60' flat. Not much done this this one other than replacing the plastic grabs with wire and adding cut levers. The load is a kit from American Model Builders.


Next up is a Tangent Airslide kit I painted for Rock Island. Decals are mostly Microscale.


This Thrall gon started as a factory painted Walthers Goldline kit. I replaced the ladders with Plano parts, DA stirrups and brake rigging were also used. I also replaced the draft gear boxes with some Exactrail parts. The Rock Island's cars had a thicker top cord, so that was done with some strip styrene.




This morning's project was to finish the assembly of this Branchline kit. It was a special run done for a somewhat local hobby shop many years ago, and rarely show up for sale. I built it mostly out of the box with the exception of rebuilding the lower sill to match the prototype. I also replaced the draft gear boxes, cut bars and air hoses with better parts. It also received Tangent trucks. I'll need to do some weathering to hide the horrible paint match I mixed up for touch ups.

[hudsonyard]

Nothing particularly exciting, but more cars across the bench for weights/couplers and the trucks and wheelsets done.









i'm creeping up on 200 cars done to this standard in the last year, my goal is around or slightly over 500 by the end of 2024.

[packer]

Well I didn't do a whole lot

Picked up this Scaletrains SD40-2. Needs a bit of help, but I have everything on hand except for brake shoes and such for the triple clasp trucks. I've already pieced together and repaired the front pilot, and got all the holed for all the broken parts cleaned up. I'll see if I can adapt brass steps for an Athearn SD40-2 to this and figure a way to remove the CA haze from some areas.

I also managed to run my taconite train since replacing 108 cars worth of trucks and wheelsets. Now I have to renumber as all my 12-packs are the same 12 pack... Also I need to figure why some of my SD40-2s are starting to sag in the front

[a href="imgur.com/PH8i9IR"]imgur.com/PH8i9IR[/a]

Putting together a Espee Models flatcar kit, also repairing an Exactrail Magor hopper


Also picked up a couple genesis ACF hoppers with the seam issues. I have an idea on fixing them so stay tuned.

[12bridge]

The forward radiators in our GP18 died, so out they came.  Not bad for being installed in 1976.  It spend 20 years as a coal mine switcher as well, thus its rather full of coal in places you can not easily get to.  



Out they came.  They were significantly harder to do in the GP18.  You have to pull the shutters off to get to the forward flanges because the electrical cabinet is bigger and you can not reach it from inside.  The hatch sucked to get off as well, the EMD lift ring locations are absolutely terrible.  



This shutter set is FUBAR, took it home to try and give it some R&R and save it.  

[dti406]

Another slow week, still recovering from the cold I got the previous week, so a lot of time just sitting with a blanket to keep warm,but I did manage to get one car done this week.

Finished a Stewart 14 panel hopper car, painted with Scalecoat II Black paint and lettered with some decals that Brian Banna had made for his NYC hoppers, he gave me permission to purchase from his decal supplier and I thank him profusely, they are great decals with all the things that shout out NYC.



A pair of Intermountain Railway Company F3's with a general freight running on the Strongsville club layout.



Rick Jesionowski

[surlyknuckle]

More very cool stuff to look at this week from everyone.

There's been lotsa modeling happening this week down at the workbench. This is the result of a better schedule (thanks Amtrak) as of late, but lots of creativity and the urge to "do stuff". No point in posting a picture of a dirty workbench with a half-dozen unfinished projects...I'll save the final rosters for when they are completed. I have a Tangent truck order arriving later today, which will take care of my recent truck and wheelset needs. Building up my coal car fleet has been the big thing lately...you need a lot if you model the Chessie-B&O. There's only 1, truly out-of-the-box option (Tangent's H50) for an accurate coal car...everything else requires some minor kitbashing and paint/decal work. It's a slow-burn, but I'm looking forward to eventually having a nice train of "mtys" loads to spin around on the layout.

So this week, I will contribute a prototype picture. Last Sunday, some friends were in town and wanted to take some train pictures. I was off and was able to join them. Of all the route options out of town, only one train movement looked promising to photograph and that was the westbound L214-12 out of Richmond Va bound for Clifton Forge. This is the post-PSR predecessor to the H750/H551 that used to run, formerly Q302/Q303. Anyways, some searching got us a spot worth a shot at Irwin, the west end of double track. The sun poked out for the photo and went back in. Even got a friendly wave from the conductor in the shot.

Friendly Wave at Irwin by Freight Engineer, on Flickr

[csxt8400]

My monday submission. Still needs to be "tied up" but for now it shall sit on the shelf until further vigor is acquired. Spillage is always fun, the photo is pretty stark but in neutral lighting it doesn't just end at the top bracing. I promise next time I'll have a new project to show.

[danpik]

Nov 20, 2023 7:33:25 GMT -8 dti406 said:

Rick Jesionowski

Nice looking model! love the load
Dan

[danpik]

A couple more this week





Dan