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Post by mlehman on Oct 5, 2014 6:04:18 GMT -8
The Silverton yard at a rare moment of rest. The Durango yard sees an ebb and flow of traffic as trains arrive, are classified, and then eventually rebuilt to seek out new freight, wherever it is... Sometimes it's the same old freight, as this pic of RGS 40 helping catch up on the backlog after the big avalanche a few weeks ago. Some diesel action, switching Tefft. I started an effort to get my F-Ms to look more like the Rio Grande's did. I added stack extensions and de-skirted #150. New stanchions and handrails are also in it future as I seek out the stanchion to use, preferably metal so I can solder a handrail to them. Suggestions about whose stanchions to use are definitely welcome. Hope you're having a great weekend.
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Post by rockisland652 on Oct 5, 2014 6:17:55 GMT -8
Today's post is dedicated to my lovely wife, Laura, on our anniversary. She has more than allowed me to indulge in my 'strange infatuation with trains' since our dating days a long time ago. I knew she was the one on a particular day that some of you might be able to figure out when it was. We were at the Illinois Railway Museum. In January. They were commemorating the 30th anniversary of the North Shore Line's last day. It was cold. Duluth in January cold. The only warm spot was on any car with heat or the CTA station that had a blazing hot coal stove in it. We rode the Electroliner around the car line, taking 90 minutes to do so, as all the electric cars drawing power together kept blowing the fuse in the substation. We could have going from Chicago to Milwaukee in that time. After a day a freezing together, she would later agree to another date. She was the one. Happy anniversary. I had some warmer fun this week down on the little railroad. This photo essay could be titled 'Sunday afternoon Joliet Tour' or something like that. We begin with a shot of an eastbound intermodal extra. The boys in Silvis must have worked on these commuter units over the weekend. Oh, heck, let's try and chase the trailers, maybe we can catch him over by the Joliet yard. We are in luck, as the yard drill is working today and a J transfer sits on the interchange track. Not the best photo, but dramatic none the less. Just when 639 and train clear up, the Rocket lumbers west towards UD... Whoa. Right on the Rocket's signals comes this westbound... Returning to UD, we expected to get the Uboat and reefers. Instead, we find that the Santa Fe stabbed the Rocket. This is ok, since we don't mind another shot of 654. The clouds part just in time for #258 and train to follow the Rocket westward... About a half hour later, these two jitterbugs show up on a short local. You don't see them outside of terminals very often, so this is an odd sighting indeed. Hope you enjoyed this essay. The camera shows obvious things, such as how much of the layout had become a storeroom. I laughed at my 'broken halo angel' in the background. The camera also shows annoying things, such as the inability of #363's cab to seat properly. All in all it was a worthwhile exercise. Yes, we need C415s in plastic. No. The two shown are not mine. Have a great week.
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Post by onequiknova on Oct 5, 2014 6:49:18 GMT -8
You didn't get any drool on the Alcos, did you?
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Post by dti406 on Oct 5, 2014 7:10:50 GMT -8
Nice start to the weekend, don't feel bad Tom I am having the same problem with my PC U23B. Now onto this week, I did not complete anything this week but I did do some work on my PRR X37B Resin Kit and started on an ExactRail PS 4427 Covered Hopper Kit. Roof has been attached to the sides and ends, and was a perfect fit. You can see the lap seam roof that the PRR used in building these cars. The floor was a different story and was too short for the opening, so I split the diffence and glued in using Gap Filling CA on the ends. Also installed the riveted stiffeners on the main braces, installed the intermediate braces and the bolster pieces, next are the airlines and brake rigging. ExactRail PS 4427 Covered Hopper Kit (I am sure glad that ExactRail supplies a lot of their cars in undecorated kit form). This picture shows all the parts that you get when unpacking the box. I have glued the weights into the car using Goo. More progress including installing the bulkeads and center sill gussets. Also installed the Slack Adjuster and Brake Road. Glued the Sill Steps to the Bolsters, then quit to watch Green Bay and Minnesota. Thanks for looking! Rick J
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Post by icrr3067 on Oct 5, 2014 7:14:18 GMT -8
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Post by TBird1958 on Oct 5, 2014 7:18:38 GMT -8
Great looking Q units! That hockey stick SD45 is too cool!
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Post by rockisland652 on Oct 5, 2014 7:30:36 GMT -8
Wow! The summer of '69! That rocks, man. Great layout, great shots. I gotta get scenery going. To Paraphrase the great Larry Fine: 'Alco's? What Alco's?...OH, those Alco's.' These are absolutely gorgeous models. They are also incredibly rare. I think one has a serial number reading 7 of 30! This explains why I can't find any for sale. Let this be a plea for a GOOD C415 in plastic. C'mon, we got the SDP45 done, didn't we? We have the mother of all FL9s coming too. It's time. John, I had a spittle cup to catch my copious drool over these two, yes.
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Post by onequiknova on Oct 5, 2014 8:06:13 GMT -8
No modeling from me, but I've been playing with my new mini mill, setting up some fixtures so I can get some modeling done soon. I've got a ton of BLI E unit builds planned, so I wanted to make some fixtures to make my life easier. I made this fixture to hold the sidframes for milling off the axle journals. The tape is to hold the rather flimsy sideframes flush to the fixture while milling. I also milled this fixture to hold the shell. It will hold both the E7 and E8. Probably the E6 as well. I'll be able to mill off the fans and radiators from the roofs, as well as mill open the intakes and remove the doors and porthole frames from the sides.
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djh4d
Full Member
Posts: 205
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Post by djh4d on Oct 5, 2014 8:28:36 GMT -8
The latest addition to the fleet: CSX 6393 Enjoy, -Dave
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Post by rockisland652 on Oct 5, 2014 8:31:02 GMT -8
John, that is REAL modeling. Looks like you are prepared for a productive modeling season.
Hope your work season was good and here's to a few more weeks of good weather so you can keep working.
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Post by kcjones on Oct 5, 2014 9:08:22 GMT -8
Tom, Her's one for you. I did this repaint about 30 years ago. More of a patch job I would say. White doesn't quite match and if you look very close under the AV lettering, you will see the faint out line of a BIG "R". I think the mfgs are not doing a C415 just to keep us waiting. Told St. Peter that he would have to wait until I got my C415. And yes somehow I will take it with me!!! Now if my 636 shows up this week...... Have a nice day JL
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Post by mlehman on Oct 5, 2014 9:39:04 GMT -8
I've got no particular or prototypical reason to own one, but I always liked the all business looks of the C415. I could see one making an appearance in Rio Grande paint on my layout. Great pics, everyone!
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Post by carrman on Oct 5, 2014 9:54:43 GMT -8
A milling machine and a fixture like that would be awesome for Athearn HT-C trucks in order to mill off the bearing detail, and replace them with the open face Timkens! The open face Timken sideframes from Smokey Valley/Athearn are not as nice as the Athearn HT-C, and the center axle spacing is off.
Dave
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Post by antlorch on Oct 5, 2014 11:00:08 GMT -8
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Post by antlorch on Oct 5, 2014 11:05:43 GMT -8
Here is some freelance stuff I enjoy doing also. A CIRAIL (Colorado Interstate Railroad) SD40 meets in Colorado with a Utah Belt SD50. Both Athearn engines I made.
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Post by bar on Oct 5, 2014 11:54:49 GMT -8
The latest addition to the fleet: CSX 6393 Enjoy, -Dave Dave-- Nice bridge, was that from a kit or scratchbuilt?
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Post by fr8kar on Oct 5, 2014 11:55:34 GMT -8
There sure is a lot of great modeling on display this week! It looks like summer must be over and modeling season is under way. I finished painting an undecorated Tangent PS-2CD 4740 hopper in GN's Grain Loading scheme. I just need to get started on the weathering and wait for a cold snap to attach the roofwalk. Detail showing the placard made from 0.010" sheet styrene: Here is an Intermountain kit that's currently being weathered. It started off as an undecorated kit mixed in the pile of unbuilt kits in the garage. My 12 year old daughter asked why I didn't just build the kits, and if I wasn't going to do it, could she? So after failing to come up with a good reason for not building the kits, I began work on the Tangent model above and she got the lion's share of work done on this Intermountain kit. I finished the roofwalk, hatches and added some of the details, along with building new outlet gates and adding the stiffener rib, but everything else is her work. I don't think I did as good a job when I was twelve:
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Post by TBird1958 on Oct 5, 2014 12:01:53 GMT -8
Awesome work by your daughter and you! Send those GN car pics to Tangent!
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Post by wp8thsub on Oct 5, 2014 13:11:25 GMT -8
Here is an Intermountain kit that's currently being weathered. ...I finished the roofwalk, hatches and added some of the details, along with building new outlet gates and adding the stiffener rib... What did you use for the stiffener? I have a decorated 4750 that could use this detail and would prefer not to mess it up experimenting.
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Post by fr8kar on Oct 5, 2014 13:43:53 GMT -8
Awesome work by your daughter and you! Send those GN car pics to Tangent! Thanks! Once that GN car is complete, I will definitely share it with Tangent. Hopefully it will inspire an RTR version.
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Post by fr8kar on Oct 5, 2014 13:46:02 GMT -8
Here is an Intermountain kit that's currently being weathered. ...I finished the roofwalk, hatches and added some of the details, along with building new outlet gates and adding the stiffener rib... What did you use for the stiffener? I have a decorated 4750 that could use this detail and would prefer not to mess it up experimenting. It's just two lengths of 0.010" x 0.040" styrene strip put together to form "angle iron" and cut to length.
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Post by kcjones on Oct 5, 2014 14:01:43 GMT -8
Oh Mike, One last thing from last week. How is your "wounded finger" doing? JL
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djh4d
Full Member
Posts: 205
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Post by djh4d on Oct 5, 2014 15:43:23 GMT -8
Dave-- Nice bridge, was that from a kit or scratchbuilt? Thanks, it's a kitbashed Atlas bridge. Err... 4 Atlas bridges together. -Dave
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Post by theengineshed on Oct 5, 2014 17:07:50 GMT -8
Net stuff guys, especially that side frame jig for the CNC machine. Gosh, its hard to believe we don't have a state of the art plastic C-415 on the market...
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Post by theengineshed on Oct 5, 2014 17:34:08 GMT -8
No modelling today, but I did amuse myself by taking some cruel close-ups of a Genesis GP9, bought a couple of unloved ones real cheap, they'll get patched in L&N, so not too concerned with the crooked road specific details, they are coming off... C&EI 237 Short Hood by Engine Shed, on Flickr
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Post by onequiknova on Oct 5, 2014 17:42:46 GMT -8
Net stuff guys, especially that side frame jig for the CNC machine. Gosh, its hard to believe we don't have a state of the art plastic C-415 on the market... Not CNC, just a hand cranker, though the aftermarket for this mill is quite large, and CNC conversion is possible. Not that I would have any idea how to use it.
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Post by onequiknova on Oct 5, 2014 17:45:09 GMT -8
No modelling today, but I did amuse myself by taking some cruel close-ups of a Genesis GP9, bought a couple of unloved ones real cheap, they'll get patched in L&N, so not too concerned with the crooked road specific details, they are coming off... C&EI 237 Short Hood by Engine Shed, on Flickr Impressive photo. What kind of equipment? Looks like they missed the dimples when drilling for those grabs. Since they are all off, I guess they must use some kind of template. I wonder if they even hand drill them.
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Post by theengineshed on Oct 5, 2014 18:11:32 GMT -8
Canon DSLR, 50 mm F1.8, and a 25mm extension tube. Bought the extension tube to photograph slides, then bought a slide scanner. The set-up takes nice close-ups that quite sharp. Here's the other end of the unit, the grab holes are all downward arched slots. The photo has an embedded link, if you follow it, flickr will allow you to download a 1920 by 1080 shot that clearly shows the slots. C&EI 237 Long Hood by Engine Shed, on Flickr
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Post by mrl250 on Oct 5, 2014 18:38:26 GMT -8
What a great set of photos from everybody. There is a lot of very talented modelers on this site. I love the Sunday Photo Fun series. Glenn Hoover
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Post by mlehman on Oct 6, 2014 0:25:02 GMT -8
Oh Mike, One last thing from last week. How is your "wounded finger" doing? JL JL, It was pretty much healed last week, maybe a tiny bit of the scab left. This week it's getting hard to even see the exact site. All in all, it would have cost a bunch of money, hurt more, wasted my time to go to the E-room rather than take care of it myself. I would know if bad things started happening, though, and been there right away if necessary. All told, a remarkable and quick recovery. I did resist the impulse to CA it. Too much can go wrong with a totally closed wound. Don't even think there will be a scar. If I did have an ugly thumb, though, it'd be the least of my worries in the looks dept. Still, as you can see from my avatar, I try to put my best thumb forward.
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