Sunday Photo Fun 6/19/2022

[TBird1958]

A couple of Atlas/Branchline RBLs that I've added/exchanged a few parts on, steps from Exactrail, Plano cut bars some Tichy wire for the brake rods etc. 

  


Here they've been given a coat of gloss prior to starting the weathering. 

Have a great Sunday!
Mark Hillsl


 

[tom]

Back around 2000 Branchline Trains released there 50' boxcars. Back then I was eagerly awaiting them and finally got them a little later. I have built dozens of them in the last 20 years of so. They were a much needed boxcar back then and nothing really has replaced them.

This is one from 2002 so it has now been in service for 20 years. It was built from a old RMC article that showed how to kitbashed ACF cars using the old (even then) Athearn plugdoor boxcar. I loved this article and one of the cars I made from the article was a Rio Grande welded side box.

Here is mine:



It was built from a Branchline welded side car where the 9' door was replaced with a 8' door. A Plano roof walk was also added. Car was painted with the then new Polly-Scale paints and lettered with Microscale decals.



I made the QL lettering on my computer and printed in on a laser printer (not bad for 20 years ago).



I also replaced the Branchline trucks with Kato trucks. The Branchline car with the Plano roof walk still holds it own with more recent boxcar releases.

[TBird1958]

Badass cool car Tom!

[riogrande]

Nice Rio Grande boxcar Tom. I think Atlas offered a similar boxcar painted for D&RGW but the body had tabs hanging down where the stirrups are. Your is straight across more like the prototype (the Atlas body would need to be modified to better match).

[valenciajim]

Tom-

At first glance I thought the middle phono was a prototype photo that you added for comparison purposes. Then I realized it was a model. Fantastic modelling!

Jim

[valenciajim]

Rick J always posts excellent models every Sunday. I believe last Sunday he said he was going in for open heart surgery after he completed the models he posted pictures of last week. I hope he is doing well. I am looking forward to more great models after he recovers.

[riogrande]

I think Rick had posted on MR forums post surgery so he seems to be ok, but I'm sure in recovery mode.

[valenciajim]

Jun 19, 2022 11:15:43 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I think Rick had posted on MR forums post surgery so he seems to be ok, but I'm sure in recovery mode.

That would be surprising if he had open heart surgery and they busted open his chest. But hopefully you are right.

[riogrande]

Rick himself posted somewhere that he had had open heart surgery. I can't remember where I read it.

[tom]

Jun 19, 2022 11:05:49 GMT -8 riogrande said:

Nice Rio Grande boxcar Tom. I think Atlas offered a similar boxcar painted for D&RGW but the body had tabs hanging down where the stirrups are. Your is straight across more like the prototype (the Atlas body would need to be modified to better match).

Thanks! I checked the Atlas archive and Atlas did release a Rio Grande car similar to mine except that they incorrectly released it using the riveted side car because it came with the 8-foot door. The actual Rio Grande car came with welded sides which was why I used the Branchline welded side car and the used an 8' door instead of the supplied 9-door (plus the Atlas car was about 15 years in the future when I built mine).

[timvanmersbergen]

Finished up IC 3054 modeled as it appeared in 1969 with snow shields.  Details West makes SD-sized parts but the GP-size is shorter so I built them from sheet styrene, Archer rivets, and the door bulge cut off the longer DW part.






Seems a lot or railroads dabbled with snow shields on second generation EMDs around 1970 but not many stuck with them.

Tim VanMersbergen

[cera2254]

Those IC geeps are great, Tim. I’ve always liked the look of geeps with the snow shields.

[simulatortrain]

I got a PSC mill gon this week, destined to get Reading paint. This called for Taylor trucks, which I recently located drawings for:



Note this particular one was my test and I didn't sand out the layers from the top.

Since that car is in need of black paint, it seemed like a good time to get my NW G72 out of the flat kit stage:

[dti406]

Jun 19, 2022 11:45:43 GMT -8 valenciajim said:

Jun 19, 2022 11:15:43 GMT -8 riogrande said:

I think Rick had posted on MR forums post surgery so he seems to be ok, but I'm sure in recovery mode.

That would be surprising if he had open heart surgery and they busted open his chest. But hopefully you are right.

Yes, thanks to failing a physical for a drug study where they found a heart murmur late last year, I had an appointment with my GP who did an EKG and then ordered an Echocardiogram. After the Echocardiogram the GP set up an appointment with a Cardiologist and he performed a transesophageal echocardiogram and then set up an appointment with the heart surgeon who first wanted a CT Scan, but that could not be done as there is a world wide shortage of the contrast dye so I had a heart catherization instead, then 4 days later on 6/1 I had my heart surgery to repair the Mitral Valve prolapse, this included fixing the mitral valve as well as the little muscles that open and close the mitral valve. While they were at it they did some ablations to relieve my SVT attacks I have had in the past and well as removing some appendages on the heart that could break off and cause a stroke. I came home on the 6th and have been walking and doing some physical therapy since then, but I overdid it on Friday and spent the weekend recovering.

I completed the decaling on some cars I had built and painted prior to my surgery.

Red Caboose 1937 AAR Double Door Boxcar kit, I am surprised they made this kit as only one railroad had cars in this configuration. Car Was assembled with Yarmouth Scale Models sill steps in place of the plastic kit steps, then painted with Scalecoat II Boxcar Red #2 and Black Paints and lettered with National Scale Car Decals. As noted the car was used for automobile parts and furniture loading.



Next, Walthers 89' Piggyback Flat car kit, Painted with Scalecoat II ATSF Red paint and lettered with Herald King Decals. I followed the prototype here as the the DT&I acquired 100 cars from the Providence & Worcester, so I used the decal set from the Providence & Worcester except for the road name and reporting marks, the DT&I just used the reporting marks and painted out the road name. Cars were purchased for the Rail Blazer - Detroit to Cincinnati with connections via the Southern to Atlanta. I added a couple of trailers that I had finished previously



A pair of Athearn GP40-2's with a Southbound freight, led by a group of 40' and 50' XLI and RBL boxcars to be dropped off at Cambell's Soup in Napoleon, OH for loading.



Thanks for looking!

Rick Jesionowski

[riogrande]

Rick. Welcome back an glad you are recovering! Always great to see your work too.

[stevef45]

Making more leds with lenses for headlights. Decided to see if i can use these in athearn ditch light housings. Should've trimmed them down to proper length before gluing them in. But after these are trimmed they'll just be used on the rear of the sd70m-2's. I'll make the next 14 the proper length.
2022-06-20_07-28-46 by Tripps Pics79, on Flickr
Removed the rear weight off my sd50 to make room for the rear markers. Was not liking the ones that got installed with clear rod. Not bright enough. Will install the ones i made and install the scale sound systems speaker aswell.
2022-06-20_07-29-09 by Tripps Pics79, on Flickr

[fr8kar]

Slow and infrequent progress is being made on some 3D printed trailers. Paint is done and decals are being applied now. I got a little impatient with the decals on the PIE Nationwide trailer (the silver one with side stakes) and broke the decals in several places rather than letting the Microsol do its thing. On the ANR/Garrett trailer I let a drop of Microsol linger too long and it caused distortion on the Y in SYSTEM near the bottom of the door. The decals from PDC require more of a gentle touch than Microscale decals but once they get settled down the film nearly disappears.

[sd40dash2]

^ It's a sign of pretty incredible modelling when large digital photos like that show what appears to be nearly perfect work. Really great stuff!

[simulatortrain]

My wallet is NOT safe when Ryan makes all this 3D stuff available!

[nstophat]

Jun 19, 2022 17:17:34 GMT -8 simulatortrain said:

Since that car is in need of black paint, it seemed like a good time to get my NW G72 out of the flat kit stage:

Adam:

Where did you get the NW G72 Flat kit from? I could use a couple of those.

Russ

[simulatortrain]

Russ,

I printed the ends (they are available on my site) and the sides and underframe are scratchbuilt from styrene using NWHS drawings.

Hope that helps!



Adam

[valenciajim]

Rick, I am glad to hear that you are doing so well. Please don't overdo it. It sounds like they caught your condition in time. All the best, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Good new.s Rick J, all that work you’re going to have to post -2 or -3 on your cab sides…

[nstophat]

Jun 21, 2022 5:07:40 GMT -8 simulatortrain said:

Russ,

I printed the ends (they are available on my site) and the sides and underframe are scratchbuilt from styrene using NWHS drawings.

Hope that helps!



Adam

Adam:

Thanks, I will be ordering a few end sets in the next couple of days.

Russ