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Post by mlehman on Mar 1, 2015 8:26:55 GMT -8
With track construction substantially complete in Crater Lake, the B&B crew got cracking. Here's the new station building, which like the one in Purgatory was constructed of stone.  A set of stockpens was also erected to serve pastorialists moving sheep to and from summer pastures -- and to market if they're unlucky. The pens were built from parts leftover from Walthers stockyards at other stations. The ramps are stripwood. Not necessarily Rio Grande practice, they were in theory built by Otto Mears when he laid out this branch to serve his interest in Crater Lake Stone. The branch was later acquired by the Rio Grande   The station and pens are sited on a couple of bumpouts to dodge around the gas line for the heater.  Finally, in a rare occurrence, our photographer caught both standard gauge Houston-Portland Zephyr (known more generally as the HPZ) and the narrowgauge luxury cruise train, the San Juan Zephyr, at Durango this week.  |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Mar 1, 2015 8:37:10 GMT -8
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Post by mlehman on Mar 1, 2015 8:57:18 GMT -8
Cleaned the workbench and workroom....well its a work in progress..... Jim, Coincidentally enough, cleaning my workbench is on today's agenda here. |
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Post by TBird1958 on Mar 1, 2015 9:34:12 GMT -8
I didn't think I'd have much to share this week as the weather was one of 50 shades of gray - at least until this morning when while working at my desk I notice the Sun peeking thru my basement window. I set my diorama up on top of one of my bass guitar speaker cabinets and took a few shots of some recent stuff...... Atlas SSW ACF.  Tangent GN 4740.  A couple shots of a Genesis GP9 that I weathered recently, I really like the sunlight coming thru the frame cutouts.   And a prototype shot of SAL 16584 at Colton yard on the SP in 1979, it's always interesting how a single shot will generate interest for a project (at least with me). The Rio Grande being a bridge route meant that cars from the midwest and east coast would regularly move across the system, especially at their connection with the Mopac at Pueblo, CO.  Anyway I thought I'd give this car a try, it started life as an Accurail 8'door RBL, I carved all the ladders off, made the door opening 10', added door track, a new Details West frame, Kato trucks and some other odds and ends.It's not spot on, but I did have a good time getting it close, the model is supposed to be from about 1975, so not quite as faded as the prototype shot. I love the '70s, so many really interesting railroads to model before they were merged into oblivion!  |
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Post by kcjones on Mar 1, 2015 9:34:40 GMT -8
Yea...but will it last? I'm lucky if mine last a week! Btw.. What were you watching on your laptop?
JL
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Post by kcjones on Mar 1, 2015 10:47:02 GMT -8
Boy, what a difference it makes from an iphone to a real computer. Not only was it not a laptop, but you were watching a football game. Tbird..great job there. I always loved the GN blue. I still see a rare blue x-GN car roll through Vancouver every once in awhile.
JL
Vancouver WA
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Post by theengineshed on Mar 1, 2015 11:02:28 GMT -8
Cleaned the workbench and workroom....well its a work in progress..... I remember "the before" pics, that's looking good... TBird, that Seaboard car looks fantastic! |
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Post by nebrzephyr on Mar 1, 2015 12:57:53 GMT -8
Cleaned the workbench and workroom....well its a work in progress..... Jim......is this in preparation for your move? Bob |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Mar 1, 2015 13:06:28 GMT -8
Cleaned the workbench and workroom....well its a work in progress..... Jim......is this in preparation for your move? Bob A little yes and a lot of I'm tired of working in my own dirt. Plus, I think I could have lost the actual USS Missouri on the workbench because of the MESS, clutter, pig stye for which it had become. I'm one of those people that works and thrives in uncontrolled chaos most of the time. Why put something away when you might need it two weeks from now. Now that I've tidied up the bench, shelves, etc. I can't find anything until the bench looks like it is in an episode of the series "Horders - Buried Alive".... I'm a lost cause..... |
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Post by jbilbrey on Mar 1, 2015 14:10:52 GMT -8
Since I've been talking about detailing on the Detail Associates and SD70ACe threads, I thought I would share some of my recent (as in the last year or so) projects.
Starting off the parade of projects is an NS GP38-2. It started off as an undec. P2K model bought right after the sale of Life-Like to Walthers. The radiator and D/B fans, the filter hatch (the P2K part was missing the door), cab (with interior), rear anticlimber, and short hood were replaced with Cannon & Co parts. Cal-Scale horns and windshield wipers were used on the hood ends and cab ends. Other parts changed include class-light blanks (BLMA); some of the grab-irons, cut-levers, and drop steps (DA); plows, MU hoses & cables, walkway lights, air-tanks, and bell (DW); and lift-rings (Plano). The handrails were a mixture of P2K and Atlas handrails. The fuel tank was cut down to the proper length and more Cannon & Company parts were added to it.
In the end, I ended up making NS 5239 a dummy. In the nearly 10 years that I worked on and off on this project, I raided the underframe/drive-train to fix another P2K GP38-2. I'm not too concerned about this as I have a NS Genesis GP49 that I'll run with it.
The CSX SD40-2 started off as an Intermountain model. After looking at various photos of the prototype, I made the following changes. I added the toilet hatch (Cannon & Company), flange lubricator cabinet (Custom Finishing), classification lights (DA) and replaced the horn (DW) and moved it to just in front of the radiator fans. DW air-brake hoses and plows (modified with the 3-rail "notches") were fitted to both ends. I also removed the sunshade track on the conductor's side of the cab.
My son, Nathan "photo-bombed" this pictures. Despite being only 4, he is already very interested in model railroads. I could have retaken the photos without him in the background, but he is the future of the hobby. My daughter, who is 7, is a budding railfan.
James Bilbrey LaVergne, TN |
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Post by ssw on Mar 1, 2015 14:33:07 GMT -8
Almost done with the MP 3 bay cylindrical covered hopper. Decaled yesterday, just waiting for the Central Texas weather to get up into the 50's or 60's (hopefully tomorrow) to get a coat of dullcote on to seal the decals. Car is an Atlas ACF 3 bay cylindrical, with the endcages chopped up, and modified, and a Plastruct ladder added. The roofwalk is stock atlas, and has been chopped and modified to fit photos of the cars. Painted the car white, based on some cars I had found photos of, but when getting further decal references, found a shot of a fresh repaint in light grey. Whoops, guess I'll fix that in weathering! Decals are Microscale, from the MP/TP/C&EI 2 bay cement hopper set. Bradley  |
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Post by TBird1958 on Mar 1, 2015 15:00:19 GMT -8
Almost done with the MP 3 bay cylindrical covered hopper. Decaled yesterday, just waiting for the Central Texas weather to get up into the 50's or 60's (hopefully tomorrow) to get a coat of dullcote on to seal the decals. Car is an Atlas ACF 3 bay cylindrical, with the endcages chopped up, and modified, and a Plastruct ladder added. The roofwalk is stock atlas, and has been chopped and modified to fit photos of the cars. Painted the car white, based on some cars I had found photos of, but when getting further decal references, found a shot of a fresh repaint in light grey. Whoops, guess I'll fix that in weathering! Decals are Microscale, from the MP/TP/C&EI 2 bay cement hopper set. Bradley
Thanks for posting your progress on that Mopac car, it's looking great! The first shot you posted a few weeks inspired me to gather the parts to give one a try.
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Post by runs2waynoka on Mar 1, 2015 17:22:07 GMT -8
Had to dig into the vault since I've not managed to get any pictures of the recent projects I've finished yet. These are Atlas ACF 4650s that I weathered a couple years ago, these were the first cars I ever seriously "proto-weathered." These were done using oils almost exclusively, I've since moved on to incorporate more mediums such as acrylics....
LCGX 744
LCGX 749
LCGX 751
These LCGX cars were common on BNSF grain trains a few years ago, they were owned by Cargill, they were sold off and now have NOKL or ATGX reporting marks...
Brad
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Post by tankcarsrule on Mar 1, 2015 17:28:56 GMT -8
Lots of great looking builds guys. Here's my two cents worth. This is a 48,000 gal Vinyl Chloride car in progress. It's long been finished, but I've done nothing in the last six months. Thanks, Bobby  |
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Post by peoriaman on Mar 1, 2015 17:33:53 GMT -8
^ OK I'll be the guy who has to follow the proto-weathered cars with some unpainted plastic... Tichy 10,000-gallon tank car kit I made good progress on this week; all it needs is the handrail, ladders, placards and some smaller details. Hoped to have it done in time for a coat of paint, but that was not to be. I followed the instructions except for the brake system - I modernized it with AB brakes instead of the K brakes the kit came with. Trucks are by Tahoe Model Works.  |
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Mar 1, 2015 17:34:40 GMT -8
Lots of great looking builds guys. Here's my two cents worth. This is a 48,000 gal Vinyl Chloride car in progress. It's long been finished, but I've done nothing in the last six months. Thanks, Bobby What is length of the prototype? That car looks nearly as long as passenger car. |
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Post by tankcarsrule on Mar 1, 2015 17:50:01 GMT -8
Lots of great looking builds guys. Here's my two cents worth. This is a 48,000 gal Vinyl Chloride car in progress. It's long been finished, but I've done nothing in the last six months. Thanks, Bobby What is length of the prototype? That car looks nearly as long as passenger car. Yes sir, it is indeed as long as a passenger car. Would you believe 92' over the strikers. They sometimes ran in groups of four or five cars. One of the main products that uses Vinyl Chloride is PVC. It was the largest of the railwhales that went into production. It's loaded weight was 526,000lbs. There were two larger tank cars, but they were one offs. Regards, Bobby |
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Post by mrl250 on Mar 1, 2015 19:11:48 GMT -8
Outstanding work everybody!
Glenn Hoover
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Post by icrr3067 on Mar 1, 2015 19:15:00 GMT -8
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Post by brotherlove on Mar 1, 2015 20:14:35 GMT -8
I'm in a caboose mood. Working on four cabooses.
They look great! Where did you find these as I am looking for a couple of them?
Thanks, Malcolm
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Post by slowfreight on Mar 1, 2015 20:28:01 GMT -8
What is length of the prototype? That car looks nearly as long as passenger car. Yes sir, it is indeed as long as a passenger car. Would you believe 92' over the strikers. They sometimes ran in groups of four or five cars. One of the main products that uses Vinyl Chloride is PVC. It was the largest of the railwhales that went into production. It's loaded weight was 526,000lbs. There were two larger tank cars, but they were one offs. Regards, Bobby How did these whales get approved to exceed 286k gross? |
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Post by mlehman on Mar 2, 2015 7:29:11 GMT -8
SNIP How did these whales get approved to exceed 286k gross? Bobby probably has a more exact answer, but I think that they weren't. These really huge tank cars came before restrictions limited their size. That and more hazmat paranoia means no new cars of such size have been built in decades. |
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Post by canrailfan on Mar 2, 2015 9:22:21 GMT -8
I think the 286K limit is for 4-axle cars.
David
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Post by tankcarsrule on Mar 2, 2015 11:41:55 GMT -8
Mike is correct. The new rules took effect in 1971. That was the last year the large tank cars could be built. All have hit the 40 year rule and are gone. There is one exception, the CELX six axle cars received a 10 year extention, they haul Acetic Acid. Regards, Bobby Finished car.  |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Mar 2, 2015 17:23:58 GMT -8
Mike is correct. The new rules took effect in 1971. That was the last year the large tank cars could be built. All have hit the 40 year rule and are gone. There is one exception, the CELX six axle cars received a 10 year extinction, they haul Acetic Acid. Regards, Bobby Finished car. View AttachmentExcellent car, Bobby. As an aside that Vinyl Chloride was real "methyl ethyl bads**t" as we used to call the worst hazmat stuff in the fire service. It has a flash point of -108 F. When it burns the product of that combustion is phosgene gas as used in WWI. |
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Post by tankcarsrule on Mar 2, 2015 18:17:34 GMT -8
Thank you Karl. Good info on VC. I knew it was nasty but that's extra nasty!
Regards, Bobby
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Post by stevef45 on Mar 2, 2015 18:53:43 GMT -8
Took out my NYSW SD60's that I started 2 years ago and almost finished before the paint looked like crap and i striped them all down. Adding more details this time. I am almost 100% done with these. Found a whole bunch of athearn MU hoses and only had a few DW ones, so i put the factory ones back on. I'll add the mu cable's or receptacles to the pilot's tomorrow and then just go over everything on the shells and frames. I think i modified all the frames for the air lines from the air reservoirs and i might need a bell or 2 reinstalled. The coupler cut levers are the one part i am really not wanting to do since its such a pita.   |
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Mar 2, 2015 20:50:42 GMT -8
They stripped down nicely, Steve.
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Post by stevef45 on Mar 3, 2015 18:48:20 GMT -8
They stripped down nicely, Steve. I learned my lesson trying to strip floquil paints a few years ago. These soaked in castrol super clean for days, i think nearly a week. It didn't get it all, i still hit it with my harbor freight pencil air eraser to get some stubborn areas. But it turned out just fine. Had to reglue alot of details as the super clean eats or loosens anything thats glued. Will be going over them tonight and adding details to other models aswell. I am so looking forward to painting with tru color paints. The SD60's will get the last of my floquil, everything else is tru color. |
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