Our first official open house for our fairly new "Boonslick Area Model RR Club" here in Missouri was a success. After the public left I took a notion to see what the Chessie System GP-38 would do in the number of cars pulled.
Loco is the DC version.

Putting together all the cars Kathy and I had brought made a train of 23 cars 40ft & 2 cars 50ft, of assorted brands, plus a Bachmann Chessie caboose.
Train length in real feet was just more than 4x four foot modules, 16ft
Which is longer than our entire shelf layout at home!

Loco seemed quite capable of pulling that train on level track for as long as we cared to feed it juice.
"Railfannned" for about half an hour chilling out watching it make laps.

How does that compare to what that HO loco would be generally expected to handle?

Not sure if this 30 second clip has all 25 cars or not, it took a bit to round up all our cars and some got added as they were located.

My Chessie meeting Mike's MoPac heritage unit running light
http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa309/FSW4picts/Boonslick%20Area%20Model%20Railroad%20club/videos/?action=view&current=MVI_8996.mp4

And somewhere in the middle of the open house we managed to get swapped from running right hand main to running wrong main, eh, so what 

Hey Y'all;

Okay, yeah, started on this almost 2 years ago, an on and off project between
other things.
Set comes with fancy 1870-ish painted woodburning 4-6-0 numbered 26 and combine
and observation in 1930s yellow and green.
There was indeed a real V&T 4-6-0 #26 but it was a 1907 build and in a rather less fancy livery. So what, I like this one better  

Loco is having some details altered, among them extended smokebox shortened, and
paint modifications.

Bought undecorated baggage and coach; those plus set cars are being painted in
1870s red/cherry/wine/maroon with tan roofs.
Ferrell's V&T book mentions a local news article which states in some year, I'm not going to go get book and look it up, the red/cherry/wine/maroon painted cars had "yellow trucks". Okay, but what yellow, canary yellow, chrome yellow, desert yellow?
And what paint is going to stick to the flexible plastic model trucks anyway?

Not finished with train yet, but had out today on Mike's garden railway just to see what it looks like at this stage. November 13, 77degF, 4 to 8mph wind, not a cloud to be seen till about sundown.

What stock set looks like from listing here on website


This paint job's a little different, eh?


Yes, needs headlight and bracket.
And air plumbing.
And valve lube lines.
And cylinder cocks.
And sand operating rod and lever.
And bell rope.
And whistle pull.
And the guys.
And ...
And ...

I'm looking at how crooked that headlight is and thinking I paid good money for this 4-6-0.
Interestingly, LHS has an old second-hand Reading 2-8-0 with ringfield motor and its h/l is just as crooked.
Am going to get the old 2-8-0 and turn it into a dummy unit to double-head with a 2-10-2 like one is a helper engine.



Granted, the 4-6-0 has sat in its box for several years through moves and life changes, but that h/l being that way from the factory on that quality a Spectrum model bugs me more and more and more.
Working on how to fix it without destroying it or the smokebox paint - guess it depends on how much super glue holds it on.
Have some super glue debonder but it is super runny and dissolves paint and styrene.

Hey Y'all;

Working on making some mods to an 0-6-0.
Attempt at a pan shot isn't perfect but it serves to show space between cab and tender; way too much, that's gotta change.



Alright, short enough to look better but spaced enough to be able to make super sharp 12 inch radius industrial park curves, hmm . . . how to do 
Came up idea to take a foot off cab roof overhang.
Shorten drawbar by about same.



Don't have a shot of shortening the drawbar but will say that at discovering that it, and the screw that held it on, were super glued in, there were thoughts of employing some very specific hate speech. 
With assistance from some Jet Debonder got drawbar free. Started to measure but then noticed an ejection pin mark right about where the new hole was intended to be. Forgot about measuring and simply drilled new screw hole a hair aft of center in the pin mark. Used different screw to attach drawbar.
Satisfied.

--> NEXT STEP -->

Oh boy, how do you get a Kadee on the front of this thing  there isn't enough there to hold it 



And why after all these years is a switcher still manufactured without a working front coupler.
I do not understand.

"No one would ever have both a cupola and bay windows on a caboose, that's just silly."
.
.
.

You know that saying about never say never ...
  http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2448322

Around here we railroad where we can when we can - a still then an 11 second clip

Dude, if I were you, I'd be gettin' my little kitty butt outta that tunnel real quick like 



Even though there's not enough to see, apparently he caught the smoke? 

Hey there;

For Happy birthday to me this month bought the two gondola kits which have been sitting at out little bitty LHS for 2 years.

Nice kits.
Except for they don't tell you that you need to install underframe before adding grab irons to end beams as underframe won't clear tabs which hold those grab irons on.

Oh well, kits aren't in this year's catalog anyway.

Last year I bought a rotary cutter with intent of making this cab awning out of brass wire; an ancient cotton handkerchief; and fabric paint.

While PRR 4-6-0 doesn't need them, note air tank and sand box under cab of 2-8-0, which is in Kalmbach's Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia. This copy is around 30 years old, I don't know if it is still in print.

Hey Y'all;

Slooooooowwwwly plodding along. Have had good days this week taking an hour here and there to add some homemade details to Glenbrook Valley 4-6-0 Big Hauler.

Bell rope from model ship rigging thread. Craft eye-pin provided guide loop at base of steam dome.
(still need to replace whistle from last year when Georgie knocked a shelf down on loco siting on floor)


Classification flag holders from odds and ends of brass and plastic with paper flags - white for running extra (as in not a scheduled train)
(Also note loco was changed from wood-burner it came as to a coal burner)
Also pilot deck from Plastruct treadplate sheet. Real one of this vintage likely was not treadplate but I like the visual texture. Plate still needs side sills added.


Control rod and lever for sand dome made out of brass wire and strip. Strip is press fit into slot made by drilling 3 holes then nibbling between with #11 blade.

Hey, if you guys ever want to do up a Virginia and Truckee freight set with same 1870s engine livery in the 2009 "Silverado" passenger set, here's what the caboose could be painted like.

Obviously needs lettering: am slow, I'll get there.

Hey Y'all;

Want to build a grade crossing on a section of Bachmann G track.

Three conditions:
1.) Has to remain suitable for "carpet running"
2.) Available materials are balsa, basswood, mat board.
3.) Want it to look "steam era"

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?



(painted the ties and rails with Rust-oleum brush on rusty metal primer)

Can Bachmann still not say what paint is best to fix PRR coaches where letterboards peeled?

It is still difficult to accept that you guys can't tell me that.

I guess that since you can't tell me what is compatible that means you have no real idea what they're using in China. Which implies you haven't a clue whether it is toxic or not.

Here's a couple closeups of track comes in sets.
It is essentially folded tinplate.

Now, before anyone starts dissing that kind of track, please submit a report on prices per foot of outdoor track with UV resistant ties and show pricing of sets with that track substituted for factory track. Or alternately, pricing of sets including material and tools to construct handlaid track.

not shown are clips which secure sections to each other

Now that's an interesting paint coincidence.

Went to backdate paint scheme on PRR passenger cars to dark olive green frames and trucks with boxcar red or brown roofs.

When pulled the low tack blue masking tape off letterboards both roofs lost a bit of letterboard paint at end over toilet window.

If BOTH roofs lost paint in same area it is probably not something I did.
Something in factory handling affecting adhesion in that area?
Ya think?

-->Next question, what color of what paint to use for touch up?
Have lots of Tamiya and PollyScale on hand.
And an airbrush.
(needs a new tip though)



 
WHY can't Bachmann projects go right THE FIRST TIME???

Hey Y'all;

The question is, how to route the wiring on PRR's pilot beam markers?
So here's some thinking out loud.

As well as having smokebox mounted class lamps, at some point (1920s?) PRR started mounting marker lamps on steam loco pilot beams and rear tender corners. Used to know why, don't any more.
Even though probably an earlier era loco than when PRR really did that I want to do so to Big Hauler 4-6-0.

Lamps are Aristo Pacific parts which come with incandescent bulbs: ex Christmas light 3mm LED will be substituted. 
Castings will be eventually painted green.

Also want them to be powered by sound system battery, probably hard-wired to be on when battery is present, so loco can be found in dark at opposite end of garden if (when?) track power might be lost, that has happened.

While wiring tender lamps is a breeze, getting juice from there to way up at other end is a question.

Current line of thought on getting power between tender and loco is to do so in a manner which represents water hoses from under water legs to injectors. Some kind of easily releasable hookup will be needed in order to separate loco and tender for stowing in original set box.
After that it's an open question.

Something just struck me about the observation cars: the observation end is the one with stove and toilet enclosure which keep car from having any back windows to observe out of.   

And it looks like you can't simply turn the floor around because of the way the clips for the battery box and the light switch come up under the seats. 

Hey Y'all;

Have had some repainting success - so far . . .

Am changing Virginia & Truckee cars in 1890 - 1910 yellow with green trim to 1870-something wine/maroon/dark cherry.

Took a gamble and tried some Burgandy color Krylon FUSION for plastic yard furniture and stuff over factory yellow.
It worked   

Even worked over hunter green Krylon Fusion where had previously painted yellow underframe to better match later yellow and green scheme.

Paint did do a couple tiny bits of odd texture over gold lettering, but that's okay, will be overlaid with decals.

--> Next question, will Fusion work over that gloss black paint on a Durango & Silverton boiler?

And do they have the color I want anyway?
Hmm . . . be back in a moment.

http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/

huh, no metallics 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=328887

Quote from: Walter Scriptunas IIRemarks: Tweetsie #12 (ex- ET&WNC) speeds along the line in this 1/8th sec pan.

Y'all have got to see these gorgeous Heisler photos.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=328476

QuoteRemarks: After tackling the steepest grade on Cass Hill, at 8.7%, the former Meadow River Heisler #6 enters the station area at Whittaker Camp. At this location, the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park has numerous logging displays, including a fascinating Ligerwood Tower Skidder,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=328479

QuoteRemarks: With her brakemen winding up the hand brakes, a Mower Lumber Company log train descends off the 8.7% grade below Whittaker Camp. The power for this trip is the 90-ton, former Meadow River Heisler #6, lettered as a Mower engine for today's photo session. Although this Heisler is of similar size to some of the Shays at Cass, she's actually the second most powerful locomotive in the stable, behind WM Shay #6.

Hey Y'all;

Reflection of sky in this restored and running CP loco's boiler jacketing is pretty near same color as silver-blue used on some 4-6-0 boilers.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=328065

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=258672

When not angled for bright sky reflection it is more grayish.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=200200