Getting ready to modify my IHC Presidental pacifics, I can only do one right this minute as I only have one number plate for the smoke box. But my main question for you is. When I go to repaint the smoke box after I modify it should I use, grey, or Black? right now it's got grey, but I found a photo of one of em with a black smoke box and I have to say I like the look of it. but at the same I like the grey


Photo is from rr-fallenflags.org

I've got a few undec spectrum coaches, and I was thinking about turning one into an open air coach. I'd cut out a few of the window supports, modify the window glazing, and detail the interior a little more(like add in walls for the toilet rooms, and cover the workings of the couplers). It would be a coach used on the business train to show off the line to potiential and currect customers of the line. I may rework the entire interior and make it a coach/diner by adding a snack bar at one end and a couple of tables while the rest would be normal seating for a coach.

What you guys think?

Also the car would be painted in B&O Blue/Grey scheme.

Years ago my RF16 Shark A unit fried its PCB board(my fault, ran it over a point set against it) and decided Sunday to order a new one and install it. Welp, got it 3 days later and was a bit dissapointed the wires needed to be soldered(I'm still learning that skill). I saw that the bored had solder on it and went ahead with the repair myself.

Thanks again Bachmann for the fast service and unexpected help(with solder on the board).

Back in 2006/2007 I Found an old engine underneath a shelf at a hobby shop i worked at during a move into a larger store. I bought it in hopes of restoring her(it was badly banged up as you can see below) At a train show I bought it a new tender, domes, smoke stack, forgot a headlight, and for years i'd look at a pic of the engine wondering what was missing, in the 1st pic below you can see how beat up the engine was, i had already attached the tender.



In the next photo you can see I painted the engine up into a B&O Fictional paint scheme, also used a fictional name and number. She became B&O #11 Akron using Microscale decals for the name, and walthers decals for the tender and number, I can't remember why i painted it up like this, but I think it was the only paint i had, can't remember. as you can see no headlight attached, and for the love of me, I couldn't figure out what was missing. Until recently that is



Fast forward to 2014, here we see B&O 84, acting shop switcher, pushing #11 "Akron" into the shops for headlight installment and new paint scheme. as you can see something was clearly missing, and i knew something for for a long while, just couldn't figure it out.



Now the engine went into the shops 3/2/2014, here she is coming out tonight, 3/3/2014 fresh coat of paint, new number, new name, new paint scheme. and most importantly, looking right with a headlight. I present B&O 4-4-0 #45 "Baltimore" as she is being pulled out of the shops by the acting shop switcher #84

Decided to take a photo of my 4-4-0s, as you can see i have a bunch, and they are mostly bachmanns as well.

Will you guys ever re-release the 2 truck climax? I mainly ask because i'm in need of parts for them.....whole new drive lines for 4 of em. From the gear box down including inside the gear box. The gear on the driveshaft inside the gear box one two of em will not engage, i tried switching it with one from another that worked and it worked fine, except that the piece of plastic that couples onto the gear has also come off and is split on one, rest it has just come unattached from the truck. Was going to order the indivdual lines from gear box to trucks, but $72 for em is a bit pricey(4 each), i'd rather spend 80 and get 4 whole new drive shafts that go from end to end. gears in the trucks seem to be good, when i turn an axle the other moves as well.

Thanks

Edit: I tried to make atleast one working one out of all 4, but all 4 suffer from the drive shaft coming loose from the trucks, and two suffer the gear wont engage in the gear box.

Bought a open air excursion coach by bachmann and converted it to look like a flat converted into a coach. Came out well even though the real M&PA had open sides, not enclosed like i did mine, but I don't have the ability to do such small details. Below is photos of the completed car , you can also see a RPO(Model power) painted by me and a coach(con-cor) painted by me, caboose and engine were painted by bachmann,






not sure if i painted it in the correct colors, but it works for me and all photos are black and white and the bottom(flat car) looks different from the top(ad on for passenger saftey)



Before and After, After is on the right, the second one will become a B&O MOW car based on drawings inside a book i have of B&O Non Revenue equipment. gonna do the flat part black, sides and posts red, roof red.

Lately I been undertaking a large project in renumbering all my custom B&O engines into more prototypically correct numbers. Also adding the Loco class on the cabs as well as other details usually not applied by factory makers(tho Bachmann is one of the rare ones that put the class on the cab!)

I also B&Onized my Bachmann Berk somewhat. As you will see in this first pic i remounted the headlight higher, i moved the bell as well but I would like to get a different one as now it looks to high.


B&O 2-8-4 Class R1 Berkshire 7852 B&O Planned a few berks using retired mikados and were to be classed R1. didn't make it off the drawing bored as diesels took over. The two I got(one Bachmann one LLP2k) will be used on Milk trains and Pershiable trains.


B&O Snow Plow, Tool Car, and Camp Cars . The Plow is made from an Con-Cor old time combine, IHC snow Plow and Athearn Caboose cupola. The baggage car is a Concor old timer. and the two camp cars are both converted cabooses, one is athearn, one is walthers.



B&O B18 4-6-0 with a commuter branchline train. Close up of the cab detail that I put into it


B&O RPO. made using an Athearn RPO

and not really a project but a straight kit build

Roundhouse Freedom Train cars. I plan on including them in the consist of my Freedom Train to be pulled by my T1 and 4449

this has happened 3 times on two of my 2-6-6-2 mallets(the C&O H5 version with long tender) i been fixing it by using a staple but it happened a 3rd time as i said, this time i noticed it while repainting it(i got undec versions to do in B&O, i'm "super detailing" it when it comes to decals by adding the class on the cab as well as more prototypical road numbers etc) I'm not exactly sure what its called but the rod coming out of the top of the cylinder that holds some of the valve gear in place dissapeared. donno if its inside the cylinder or what. is this a common problem? I blew up the exploaded diagrams(my new printer which i love can print on ledger size paper) and the part number for the missing peice appears to be H826X-00W3X2 for the front drivers(and the third time was a first for the front set) and H826X-MTB25X2.

Side note: i added the vandy tenders. these are not the newer runs that come with them.


hard to see in the pic as its from my phone but if you look by the cylinder you can see some rods hanging down.

and as you can see in thsi pic in the red circle is a staple i used to fix the one set of drivers with the same missing part.

I'm not too impressed with what is announced, another GG1 on a flooded market of em if you ask me,

One thing that looks good to me is the 0-6-0 Porter Side Tank engine, just wish there was an undec version.

Heavyweights making a come back, just a coach and combine for now, i may pick up both B&O ones if they are different numbers then what i've got

for a .pdf its on the home page of the bachmann site.

a CSX Train struck a tractor Trailer in Rosedale Baltimore, MD at 2:00 on 5/28. 3 or 4 Explosions were heard. Fire is still raging, and one building suffered major damage. live shot at http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/hazmat-crews-on-the-scene-of-train-derailment-explosion/-/10136486/20329436/-/pj7p56/-/index.html

Here's what I've been up to lately.

2 sets of Ma & Pa coaches (2 baggage and 2 Coaches)




B&O Caboose from a bachmann North East Style caboose


and current project is a C&O 2-6-0. Since it;s doubtful that Bachmann will do a run of the C&O #377 they are doing in N scale in HO Scale(a 4-6-0) I've painted up my own. Still gotta decal it but the main work is done. all hand painted


you can see my whole collection as well as other projects completed/on going at my collection page on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Balto-Ohio-RR-Fans-Model-Railroad-Collection/558701444163328

I may have reclaimed one of my stolen engines off ebay, I know how to identify that one if its mine or not as I had to repair it...

But my question is, I want to put markings on the underside of my engines and was wondering what would be the hardest to get off, yet bearly be noticeable? I was thinking of getting a marker with that ink in it that you have to use a black light to see but I have no idea where to get emor if they even make them. I was also thinking a black sharpie but that maybe to hard to see....

any suggestions?

here is most of my model locomotives I have. Still got a few to take pics of probably sunday or Monday since its gonna be bad weather here. Its hosted on my facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Balto-Ohio-RR-Fans-Model-Railroad-Collection/558701444163328

First the B&O Royal Blue Set in N Scale, and a previous release in G scale, but not in HO Scale, yet we have the locomotive and no cars for it to pull. And Now a C&O 4-6-0 in N Scale, and to top it off in a set with a C&O Bobber Caboose. I bought a HO Scale 4-6-0 to be repainted into the paint scheme that is down on the one in the B&O Museum but I ended up just doing a B&O one .

Since you guys are doing the OT coaches in HO Scale again, can we atleast get a Combine and Coach for our Blue B&O 4-4-0s?

Any chance of the freight cars being re-done, and also redone in more paint schemes? Old Time stuff is not really being produced anymore, and what is being done, is Midwest and western railroads.

....finally bought Pennsy engine and coaches..haha. I bought the Bachmann Liberty Bell special. I only wanted the bell car but it is not produced by itself....now watch it be released in a few weeks or months haha.

Hey Bach-Man any word on a B&O Royal Blue set yet like the on made in N Scale?

I gotta say tho I'm impressed with the details on the Bell itself. far beyond what I expected. I feel like a traitor but the car will see some time behind a B&O engine here adn there for specials.

I regret that it took me two years to finish one, while the other two i had done within a year of their deaths, but my 3 dogs Funeral Trains are complete, well mostly just need to get some passengers for their trains now. Sarah (put to sleep January 23 2010 of illness) train was post here before, Purdys (Died July 10th 2010 of natural Causes) i only had the engine and casket car done, and Elvis (put to sleep Nov 4th 2012 due to illness) i finished up with Purdys. More detailed pics to come but here are some shots of their cars while being worked on. I got the idea of the train from the Lincoln Funeral Train. I used realistic paint schemes on all the equipment of the B&O (with the exception of Elvis's) but Purdy's and Sarahs use real schemes with touchups here and there to make em look more ceremonial)

The Locomotives, #7 Sarah, #12 Purdy. #125 Elvis. Each engine number is their age, since both Purdy and Elvis were both 12, Elvis was close to being 12 and a half so i gave him 125.  Each has their casket cars behind them. Elvis's wasn't done yet.


Sarah with her train, since then i've modified her portrait on the front a little bit., features two Bachmann Open Air Excursion cars(one turned into a casket car) and 2 Con-cor/Rivarossi old time coaches w/ interiors.


Interior of Purdy's casket coach.


Elvis Casket car, its a modified Roundhouse 34 foot flat car kit(As with 2 other of the 4 cars)


More pics coming once i finish construction of my photo studio which will be later today..i hope.

I'm trying like crazy to come back into the hobby of Model Railroading, though there have been two setbacks as of late. One which I posted about was when I had some of my engine collection stolen from me. No work yet on those, probably never see them again unless I buy replacements. One of which was a very special one for me as the real thing sits at the B&O Museum in Baltimore, MD, the American Freedom Train #1 (i had the PCM Model)

2nd was I lost my job so i would be unable to fund the hobby.

3rdly and what kinda is helping me back into the hobby was I lost my last pup of the three I had. Had to have him put to sleep back on November 4th. I say its helping me get back into the hobby as now it gave me a project to do, which you can see below. I did a funeral train for Sarah, the first one i lost, Did the casket coach and engine for Purdy, 2nd dog i lost, and now i have the engine done for Elvis's train. I'm aiming at using old Roundhouse old timeFlatcar kits as they are of the old time stuff and come with stuff to make em into gondolas.


Sarah's is painted B&O Blue to be like the later versions of the President Class Pacifics on the B&O, Purdy's is painted Pullman Green to be like the most known version of the President Class Pacifics on the B&O and Elvis's is black and will have freight cars converted into service as a funeral train. The whole idea for this came from the Lincoln Funeral Train.


Pic of the engines and casket cars, as you can see Purdy's is a AHM/Rivarossi coach but the interior(yes it has an interior) has been modified to fit a casket stand etc, Elvis's car isn't started yet, and Sarah's is a Bachmann Open Air Excursion Car. it too has a casket, preacher, and 2 mourners.


Detail of the inside of Sarah's casket coach, she so far is the only one with a full train of 4 cars, 2 Open Air cars, 2 Rivarossi/AHM old time coaches w/ interiors



Interior of Purdys coach, see next post for more another project i finally painted up and finished.

Currently in mine is my IHC B&O Heavy Weights. I'm repainting the roof on them from grey to black. Along with them is the Casket Coach for Purdy's funeral train(never finished it but its so close!) and some odd ball projects.


one on the right has been painted, just finishing up the one on the left now, 6 to go! you can also see the casket coach body at the lower left.


Inside of the casket coach.

Whats in your yard?

Wow been a very long time since I've been on here. Probably close to 2 years. Anyway, here is a pic of my C&O 2-8-2 which was one of the last projects I did before going on break. I plan on fitting it with a Bachmann Long Vanderbuilt tender in the future. I took a Rivarossi C&O 4-6-2 and mounted the shell on a IHC 2-8-2 Premeir series chassis. Took the old Rivarossi tender and put the circuit bored inside it. Since i took my break i've bought a dremel tool which should make adding a better draw bar to it(right now just uses a piece of wire glued in a U Shape on the tender).

In the pic below you can see my C&O 4-6-2 on the left(i did nothing to it) and the C&O 2-8-2 I did on the right(painted and lettered by me).



In this one is the engine with 3 roundhouse Coaches(Yes i know that it didn't really pull those, but at the time i took the pic i wanted to sneak them into a shot haha)



I'll post more things i've painted/kitbashed/etc later if anyone is interested.