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Post by sd40dash2 on Dec 26, 2021 4:20:47 GMT -8
VIA F9B 6653 was originally built in 1954 as CPR #1905 for their world-famous 'The Canadian' streamlined passenger train. After more than two decades of hard service the unit was sold to VIA in 1978, rebuilt by CN PSC and renumbered to 6653 by 1981. The new VIA paint couldn't hide the unit's true heritage for long though. More and more of the 1970s era CP Rail action red was revealed as more and more of the black roof paint peeled throughout the 1980s. The black paint also didn't adhere well to the stainless FARR grilles. 6653 pulled various VIA trains until it was stored in 1988 and sat dead at Mimico for a few years before it was finally scrapped in the 1990s. This beautiful Rapido model was released in 2020 in the as-rebuilt 6653 configuration. The work I did was to straighten and re-attach a few bits, build water filler skirts, cut off the coupler trip pins, repaint/buff the knuckles and weather the model following end-of-life prototype photos. I also tweaked a few weathering elements and re-photographed 6653 after the earlier digital close-up photos revealed some flaws with my work.
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Post by Christian on Dec 26, 2021 6:32:47 GMT -8
VIA F9B 6653 was originally built in 1954 as CPR #1905 for their world-famous 'The Canadian' streamlined passenger train.
Yuck. Gross.  Uh, I mean - great bit of modeling!  |
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Post by GP40P-2 on Dec 26, 2021 8:45:32 GMT -8
photos revealed a few minor flaws with my work.
We are always our own worst critics. We also know every minor flaw, and the camera is no friend in pulling them to the front. But no one else knows. I think it looks great! |
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Post by dti406 on Dec 26, 2021 9:02:27 GMT -8
Good morning from sunny and mild Northeast Ohio! Managed to get a few cars done this week. A kit built already decorated Bowser PRR N8 caboose, these are nicely detailed kits and I added all the brake rodding and parts on the underframe. _IMG_1530.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) Intermountain ACF 1958CF Covered Hopper kit, painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red and lettered with Herald King Decals. This is the one of many of these cars I have built as the D&TS picked up 20 or more of these cars a day from the sand pit in Rockwood, MI. This was high mineral content sand that was used by the glass plants in the Toledo area. _IMG_1532.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) Red Caboose PC&F R70-15 Mechanical Refridgerator car kit, painted with Scalecoat II White and ATSF Red Paints, then lettered with Oddball Decals. The BKTY marking represent cars leased thru Bankers Trust (Owned by the SP) which is why the cars are built to SP specs and the BKTY markings meant they could be reclaimed easily if the MKT had any financial problems, they were used is moving perishible fruits and vegtables. _IMG_1531.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) Last week I took my Kato GP35 and a pair of Atlas RS-32's to the club to run a mixed freight of NYC and other RR's mixed freight. _IMG_1522.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds) Thanks for looking! Rick Jesionowski |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Dec 26, 2021 9:13:01 GMT -8
photos revealed a few minor flaws with my work.
We are always our own worst critics. We also know every minor flaw, and the camera is no friend in pulling them to the front. But no one else knows. I think it looks great! Thanks for your comment. In the interests of full disclosure, I got fed up just now and decided not to simply accept what the camera was showing and ended up revising the red patches on the roof several times. The prior photos made them look more like rust bleeding through the black which is not correct. The black is supposed to be flaking, revealing better quality action red underneath. So this time I worked on the bench with visor and camera, took photos, previewed and re-did the patches until they looked better according to the camera. This is very tricky work because in person the model looked quite good and it's very easy to overdo weathering. Hopefully the model looks better now and meets with the approval of the camera and you guys. |
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Post by TBird1958 on Dec 26, 2021 9:14:15 GMT -8
I get an unexpected snow day today, so I have so guilt-free quality time at the modeling desk. Here's the second of my Scale Trains flats to get repainted and decaled, this is an F68CH. I have to say both versions of this car are very nicely executed, with a nice integration of cast metal, wire and various plastic parts, there are very subtle differences in the sill between the F68CH and DH. Micro Scale 87-578 is good for most of the lettering except the TT logo, which was cut from an Oddballs auto rack set.  |
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Post by myoungwisc on Dec 26, 2021 9:54:26 GMT -8
There's some great modeling so far this week! I've wrapped another Soo Line/Lake States unit - GP9 #2412 which includes weathering and paint modifications to represent its appearance in 1987. The Soo did a fairly decent job in keeping the hood sides clean - the same can't be said for roofs - especially in later years. A Tsunami 2 decoder was installed but unfortunately, a current keep alive was unable to fit without removing a majority of the factory weight. Has anyone else found a suitable workaround which maintains a decent amount of weight?  Soo Line
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Post by cemr5396 on Dec 26, 2021 10:50:04 GMT -8
I finally got my Genesis CN and BCR C44-9WLs last Thursday, not a bad Christmas present I might say  I've already gone ahead and put a modified Kadee 119s on the BCR one to match the real thing, now I just need to dig up a pair of 153s for the CN one. Other than adding the yellow frame stripe to the BC Rail unit to match my era, that is all the work these need. To say I'm impressed with these would be an understatement. They look amazing, sound amazing, and run silky smooth right out of the box. I can't wait to get them down to the club and really put them through their paces. And to think that I always thought if I wanted one (or more!) of these I would have to build them myself.... |
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Post by csxt8400 on Dec 26, 2021 10:54:11 GMT -8
Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. In my constant pile of things, I've taken one of my KATO SD40 projects back out and went to finally drill the old bearings out enough to clear the DW timkens. Also added some quick and easy bolt holes to the face of the now-exposed truck face, although they arent as symmetrical as I'd like.  Also took my two Inland cars out of the case and went after the trucks and couplers. I will end up dullcoating these and perhaps some deliniations for some patch panels. Otherwise they will remain rather simple in appearance.  The way my railroad is set up, these cars wouldn't normally touch my rails much at all, as they were bound for Inland Steel in East Chicago which means they have to jump off CSX for the jump over to the NS (ex CR) side. So with that said, these cars will be "Bad Orders" setout en-route, which will facilitate their dragging into Barr Yard for the car shop. That's the story, anyway. |
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Post by Funnelfan on Dec 26, 2021 13:34:20 GMT -8
I just finished fixing up this Kato HO scale Material Handling Car for a 80's/90's Empire Builder consist. I found that the power pickup strips above the trucks impeded the turning ability of the trucks that would probably cause it to derail. So I hard wired the marker light to both trucks. I installed the Kato Kadee coupler conversion kit. I also added the handbrake rod, chain and guides detail to the model that really stands out. I also painted the sub frame parts black like they were in my modeling era. Finished off with some light weathering.
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Post by Christian on Dec 26, 2021 14:27:53 GMT -8
I also added the handbrake rod, chain and guides detail to the model that really stands out. That bit of work has a big payoff. |
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Post by trainboyy on Dec 26, 2021 15:58:23 GMT -8
My Christmas gift to myself is my very first freight car superdetailing project, and it's starting out with a bang. a 5-unit Thrall well car from A-Line/Intermountain, I've already bought pretty much every detail necessary to make these cars look awesome.. got the load guides built, pilot holes ready, and in one of the pictures I test fit the lift rings. This is gonna be fun.. up next is assembling the walkway and test fitting that (no gluing until painting!), but these are pretty much ready for the next step!    Last photo is from before all of the walkways were removed. Test fitting the lift rings, looking good! |
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Post by fr8kar on Dec 26, 2021 16:29:03 GMT -8
My Christmas gift to myself is my very first freight car superdetailing project, and it's starting out with a bang. a 5-unit Thrall well car from A-Line/Intermountain, I've already bought pretty much every detail necessary to make these cars look awesome.. got the load guides built, pilot holes ready, and in one of the pictures I test fit the lift rings. This is gonna be fun.. up next is assembling the walkway and test fitting that (no gluing until painting!), but these are pretty much ready for the next step! Last photo is from before all of the walkways were removed. Test fitting the lift rings, looking good! Please do keep us posted on this! I'd love to follow along as you detail this car. |
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Post by fr8kar on Dec 26, 2021 16:30:05 GMT -8
VIA F9B 6653 was originally built in 1954 as CPR #1905 for their world-famous 'The Canadian' streamlined passenger train. After more than two decades of hard service the unit was sold to VIA in 1978, rebuilt by CN PSC and renumbered to 6653. The new VIA paint couldn't hide the unit's true heritage for long though. More and more of the 1970s era CP Rail action red was revealed as more and more of the black roof paint peeled throughout the 1980s. The black paint also didn't adhere well to the stainless FARR grilles. 6653 pulled various VIA trains until it was stored in 1988 and sat dead at Mimico for a few years before it was finally scrapped in the 1990s. The model is another beautiful Rapido product that was released in 2020 in the circa-1979 as-rebuilt 6653 configuration. The work I did was to straighten and re-attach a few bits, cut off the coupler trip pin, repaint/buff the knuckle and weather the model following end-of-life prototype photos. I also tweaked a few weathering elements and re-photographed 6653 after the initial digital close-up photos revealed a few minor flaws with my work.
Wow! The paint failure effect is very convincing, especially on the grilles. It looks really good. I love this model. |
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Post by fr8kar on Dec 26, 2021 19:11:11 GMT -8
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Post by sd40dash2 on Dec 26, 2021 19:28:45 GMT -8
The Floquil green is really light ... More outstanding modelling by you. I seem to recall using MKT green as a closer shade to used BN green. Love the way you weathered the intakes. Was that dry or wet brushed? |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Dec 26, 2021 19:30:38 GMT -8
Wow! The paint failure effect is very convincing, especially on the grilles. It looks really good. I love this model. Thank you for your kindness. I am still tweaking the model at this late hour if you can believe it. Everytime I look at digital photos I see some other flaw. |
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Post by cemr5396 on Dec 26, 2021 20:10:02 GMT -8
Finally got the decals done on this thing. The Floquil green is really light compared to my other models from Athearn, ScaleTrains and Atlas, so some weathering to darken the model is in order. Thanks to forum member slowfreight for reminding me to kick this thing closer to the finish line! looks good Ryan! This has nothing to do with the quality of your work, but I have always thought that a lot of the 4-axle GEs built after the U Boats - the various flavors of Dash 7s and especially the B40-8s and 8Ws - looked goofy. The big gap between the trucks and the pilots always made them look kind of like a big burly dude trying to walk on a tightrope, with all the mass concentrated in the center and then reaching wayyyyyy out for balance  |
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Post by fr8kar on Dec 26, 2021 20:28:30 GMT -8
Thanks, guys! The intakes just have a bit of brown Tamiya panel line accent on them for now, they'll get some dusty powder later. Now that Minuteman owns the Scalecoat line of paints we can get them in Texas. Back in the day you had to smuggle it in, like Bandit and Snowman sneaking Coors into Georgia. I have a fresh bottle of BN green that will probably be the starting point for my next round of BN models.
I'm in complete agreement that these things looked goofy. GE was literally kitbashing as they went along and the models looked like it. The B39-8 is my favorite because it looks like it was put together by the prop guys at Industrial Light and Magic instead of someone actually in the business of building locomotives. It really has the overbite thing going on more so than any other four axle GE with its set back front truck. Even up to the first group of Dash 9s the old round roof of the Universal Series could still be found mashed in between angular boxes and overhanging radiators. Now they're all angles all over.
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Post by markfj on Dec 27, 2021 4:25:17 GMT -8
The bar keeps getting set higher and higher with each week’s photo posts. Really outstanding paint and model work all around!
Thanks, Mark
Reading, PA
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Post by ChessieFan1978 on Dec 27, 2021 16:18:24 GMT -8
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Post by nsc39d8 on Dec 27, 2021 16:36:42 GMT -8
So a day late with all the chatter about the new items. Worked on the NS RPE-4D some during the break. Redoing the dynamic blisters that were rebuilt when NS Roanoke shops built these units.  The reason for this brass is the Athearn dynamic from the GP9 is not long enough and neither is a P2K. Here is an Athearn dynamic against my build. The dynamic section is fifteen feet long.  Overall picture:  Lots of great work again this week. |
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Post by simulatortrain on Dec 27, 2021 21:18:49 GMT -8
A recent project, WM SW1200 based on a real but canceled order:  I also picked up this BLI T1. I figured since I'm modeling Hagerstown in March 1975, and that's when and where the restoration took place, I had to...  And finally, though it's not HO, I started on this small layout. My grandpa built me a coffee table for an N scale layout at least a decade ago, and I figured it's high time to finally finish something for it. The original idea was SP and ATSF in the desert, just not what I want to do anymore. I thought this would be the perfect excuse to do some VGN electric modeling.  |
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Post by Funnelfan on Dec 28, 2021 12:11:16 GMT -8
Finally got the decals done on this thing. The Floquil green is really light compared to my other models from Athearn, ScaleTrains and Atlas, so some weathering to darken the model is in order. One thing that can really help the light green with the very good looking B30-7AB model, is to mix some clear gloss with very diluted black to darken the model.
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Post by fr8kar on Dec 28, 2021 14:23:43 GMT -8
Finally got the decals done on this thing. The Floquil green is really light compared to my other models from Athearn, ScaleTrains and Atlas, so some weathering to darken the model is in order. One thing that can really help the light green with the very good looking B30-7AB model, is to mix some clear gloss with very diluted black to darken the model. Funny you say that because that's exactly what I did on some Athearn SD40-2s I painted awhile back. It really changed the color dramatically but it is very close in color to the ScaleTrains BN green now. The difference is I hadn't applied decals to those Athearn units yet. Hopefully the black gloss doesn't cover the decals too much. |
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