If you're going to use a custom painter, there are a few things you should find out before deciding on one.

First is what is the cost. Is this based on difficulty, # of colors, type of paint used, are the decals included.

Second is how long will it take. Many painters have a backlog of several months, and some will take on your job, but not actually get to it until August.

Third can they show you some examples of their work. A custom painter that can't show you some good close-up photos of their work, wouldn't be one that I would use.

Fourth can they tell you their process in painting, as in, "I will disassemble the loco down to the chassis, clean all the old grease and oil out, strip the old paint, and make any detail repairs of parts that fell off doing this. Then the loco will be media blasted to give the body some teeth for the paint to hold to. Then the loco ....."

You need to find all this out. A custom painter that answers these questions is one to trust. I was a custom painter for almost 30 years. When I got a "bid" on a paint job, this was just some of the information I provided to the client.

Quote from: napa15 on January 14, 2013, 03:42:16 PM
Carey,

I'm in Birmingham (technically, Hueytown) and am well aware of The Wrecking Crew and the work the club does. My family and I come out to see the exhibits at The McWayne Center every Christmas. You guys are truly gifted. Didn't you guys used to put on a train show over at the Bessemer Civic Center once or twice a year also, quite a few years ago? I know I remember going out there to some, but can't remember who put it on. I'm not a member of a club. I've considered it.

Yes we, along with the Steel City Division of the NMRA put those on. Been hoping that we'll be putting on more.

What part of Hueytown do you live in? I'm in Hoover. I have a friend who lives there, and he's N-scale. We're building his layout now, from a design of mine.

Edit; Napa, I have sent you a PM.

Mine was a wind-up Marx steamer, no tender, a boxcar, tanker and caboose.Except for the engine, which was plastic, as was the track, the cars were lithographed steel. I was 4

My next set at 6yo was a dual AF, with an Atlantic steamer and a PA-1. The Atlantic pulled freight and the PA pulled the passenger cars. I never wanted lionel, as it had 3 rails and didn't look a thing like the real one, and I didn't want it. I basically loved this set to death.

At 8 I got a Silver Streak Dbldr 40' SRR boxcar. Been in HO ever since, and I still have most of the cars I've built in those 50 years!

There's no scenery yet, as the construction of the tracks isn't finished. Except for what is hidden track, like the staging yards and the hidden track up the nolix, the vast majority is handlaid.

Rather than post a ton of pictures that may be slow loading for some folks who may still be on dial-up, just click the Alabama Central Railway in my signature. It will take you to my Railroad's Website.

Although not a climax, but a Shay, I can remember my Dad saying, they'll come at you sounding like they're running at 90, but you can walk faster than they move.

As stated before these were very powerful for their size, sure footed and very slow runners. Pound for pound the geared locos were the most powerful steamers made.

I have kept much of my rolling stock as well from when I first got started when I was 8.

I even have my first car kit, a Silver Streak 40' dbldr boxcar lettered for the SRR. I've upgraded it over the years and now it has complete stand-off ladders and grabs, complete A-B system etc.

This is a pic from before its last upgrade. Not bad for car that's 50!

I have used Xtrkcad since it was first offered as a free download many years ago.  About the only thing it doesn't do is a 3D rendering of the layout.

I also use it to design layouts for others, and since its free, my clients can download it and I can send revisions to them via e-mail. This has made planning and delivering a finished plan to my clients a lot easier than when I just used pencil and paper.

I have even used it on my own layout, and I have 10 layers to draw it in its entirety. For a 3 level layout, (staging level, main level, branch level), this includes separate layers for benchwork, wiring, and the actual track plan itself. Plus I can "run" the trains on it to check the operations, look for possible bottlenecks, and to make sure the plan does everything I want.

I am extremely pleased with the software. It can be obtained here;
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xtrkcad-fork/

Quote from: electrical whiz kid on March 27, 2012, 08:03:51 AM
Hi;
I believe that, in the world of prototype, the 2-8-2 MIkado was the most-built steamer, built by several builders, and many roads...

Actually it was the 2-8-0. It was built over a longer period of time by more builders than the Mike ever thought about being built by.

Quote from: riff99 on June 19, 2010, 04:09:14 AM
Wow...a "Q" FT now.  There is a TON of terminology going on in this hobby that I seriously have got to find a "Model Train" Thesaurus   
Cheers, Gents!

Riff;

Kinda surprised this hasn't been mentioned as yet, but here goes my 2 cents worth!

For great information, and even a glossary of terms, one website you should look in to is the NMRA, the National Model Railroader Org at www.nmra.org.

One the left hand side of the page under "Education" is a beginners guide. This is something that everyone new to the hobby should read. Also on that page is a section labeled "Community". Under that is Regions and Divisions. Here you can find the NMRA division that you are located in with contact information. This can lead you to local folks who may be willing to assist you with your projects.

Quote from: r.cprmier on October 03, 2007, 04:33:07 PM
Woody;
I have a friend who, as a kid, was given a Tenshodo Challenger.  By today's standards, this engine is a f'real bow-wow!  I wouldn't run it on my railroad if it were given me free.  I have a couple of Challengers that have since been done, and they-far and away-eclipse the old 4-6-6-4! ...


Rich

Rich;

Don't know if you are aware or not, but the wooden boxed Challenger from Tenshodo was a very early version of this model from them. Having painted aprox. 35 Tenshodo Challengers for others, (yes they mostly came painted, but not everyone wanted the engine in UP or with the number supplied), I can say from personal experience that the later production units that came in a "regular" brass engine box, (cardboard), were surperb runners. The Crown versions are superior to any other model since released by any other manufacturer, IMHO. Most of these locos could be tuned to the point where you literally could NOT here them running at all. If you did hear them, it was just motor noise and very subdued at that.

Nowadays any that I do paint that are Tenshodos, get a can motor placed in them for even quieter operations, or DCC installations.

Quote from: Hobojim on October 29, 2007, 10:57:22 PM
Hi Gene,

Yes they are plastic wheel on silver color metal axles  have orderd a bunch of metal wheels so will change.. i tryed changing wheel set from a couple cars and can not seem to make them hold.. works ok on track but if lifted they come right offf again..
hobojim

If after changing to another axle, the axle drops off when lifted, The best permanent repair is to replace the entire truck.

This topic was done earlier this year as well.
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,141.0.html

Go here to read some more about some more forum members.

Quote from: SteamGene on September 19, 2007, 09:52:09 PM

As noted by at least one other, the South has a long memory.  "...old times there are not forgotten..."
Gene

Amen, Gene, Amen!

Didn't the RF&P call their 4-8-4's, General and Governor class locos based on class numbers?

I do wish that people would really read what others write.

I never said the Cutty Sark was the fastest clipper. It wasn't. But the Tea Clippers AS A WHOLE were faster than any other sailing vessel for the distances covered.  The Tea Clippers day was in the years after the war. They were wider and longer, and their cargo capacity was greater. After the tea trade went to the steamers, Australian wool became the "cargo of choice" for the clippers and many a race took place between the ships in this trade. If anything the Wool trade was more cutthroat than the tea trade. The American clippers heyday was prior the 'Great Dissagreement Between the States'.The American Clippers time was only about 15yrs, if that long, while many of the tea/wool clippers worked for 30-40 yrs after the tea trade.

Atlantic Central;

The USS Constitution was not a revolutionary war ship. It was built after the war and served against the Barbary Pirates, in the minor war with France in 1803 and in the War of 1812, where it won great distinction. The British Parliment considered during the war to brand the American Navy Frigates as pirates as the British Admiralty considered the American design as "unsporting". 

The American frigates, built to a 44-60 gun configuration, were built longer and wider than the typical British and French Frigates of the time, (38-44 guns), which provided a more stable gun platform than the typical British design. The British thought this was "unsporting" because the British ship of the line classes started with a 64 gun minimum and they considered it piracy that the American "frigates" carried almost as many guns as their nominal ship of the line. It wasn't "sporting" for a frigate to fight a ship of the line, "as true gentlemen didn't fight wars that way".  The American frigates also carried more carronades, (the really big guns, 24-40 lb or more size shot), than the British frigates.