Recent content by mondo1948


  1. M

    Ballasted and Weathered Track

    You're right....that tank car does need weathering. Here's a photo of our dog that we rescued about 3 years ago. She was 6 or 7 years old then. When we first saw a photo of her from the animal shelter, we thought she was a larger dog....about 35 lbs. or so. She is tiny....only 12 pounds...
  2. M

    Ballasted and Weathered Track

    I use a bright boy and an eraser made by "Perfect"....if you google track cleaner, it will come up within the Hobbylinc website. The Perfect eraser doesn't seem to have the grit in it to make scratches like the Bright Boy. I don't clean the track till I'm finished with all the painting and...
  3. M

    Ballasted and Weathered Track

    Since I live in Connecticut, I have to model the New Haven. We live in Westbrook, which is on the shore and we watch New Haven passenger cars and freight cars go by all the time. I get to watch them from my basement windows and sliding door while I'm building my layout. Mondo
  4. M

    Ballasted and Weathered Track

    Thanks for the compliment, Willie. I'm glad you didn't tell me the photo before the weathering looked better. Mondo
  5. M

    Ballasted and Weathered Track

    Hi Guys and Gals, I've just finished painting a section of my HO code 83 track, ballasting it and then weathering the whole area. Attached are some photos, including the last one that illustrates what my ballast and rails looked like before the final weathering, where the ballast was all a...
  6. M

    Industrial backdrops?

    Thanks for the compliment! No, I didn't add anything....the photo is of the building as taken. I think these larc photos add more than just using building flats, which as the title says, they are flat.
  7. M

    Industrial backdrops?

    Hello, I bought some cd's several years back from larcproducts.com. They contain photos of buildings taken all over the country. I print them on matte photo paper, glue them to black 1/4" foam board, then trim them using an x-acto knife and use them like the ones shown above available on Ebay...
  8. M

    Cleaning locomotive wheels.

    Hi GEE TEE, I use the same method but instead of placing the paper towels on the track, I took a piece of 1x3 lumber, attached a 1 1/2' section of track to it and taped a small, train set power pack on top of one end of the board. Then, I soldered wires to the track and attached them to the...
  9. M

    How to deal with varying thicknesses of Homasote

    Hi Mike, I like your idea because it will probably be easier than trying to shim with cardboard or some other material. Also, using a wide putty knife, I will be able to create a smooth transition for the lower Homasote to the higher/thicker Homasote. It won't be as messy as sanding the...
  10. M

    How to deal with varying thicknesses of Homasote

    I like to elevate the mainline from the surface.....hence the cork roadbed. I hear you regarding shimming between the homasote and plywood but I have already glued down the homasote to the plywood. I kind of ignored the fact that there were different thicknesses as I was working diligently to...
  11. M

    How to deal with varying thicknesses of Homasote

    Hi Fellow Modelers, I just finished building my benchwork and for my top, I used 1/2" plywood, with 1/2" Homasote glued on top of the plywood. I know there are "new and improved" methods, but I've been using Homasote for my top layer for over 25 years. Unfortunately, where various pieces of...
  12. M

    Florescent Lighting Color Correction

    I agree that the UV light that is given off by florescent tubes will discolor scenery which is why 17 years ago I bought those clear plastic tubes that go over florescent lights that filter out the UV light for a couple of bucks each. However, I recently started a new layout and got rid of the...
  13. M

    How to Cut Homasote without the Mess!

    I appreciate you thanking me for my idea.....like I said, I love sharing information. I was amazed at how my jigsaw cut through the Homasote, leaving a nice clean edge and absolutely no residue. Eighteen years ago when I built my last layout, we cut the Homasote outside because of the mess the...
  14. M

    How to Cut Homasote without the Mess!

    Hey Guys and Gals, Having been a teacher in the past, I love sharing info with other folks and in this case, those in model railroading. I've heard many times and have experienced the problem first hand that cutting Homasote with a circular saw creates a mess and can ruin the circular saw...
  15. M

    Am I the only one who just wants to watch trains run and not worry about "operation"?

    Hi Lloyd, You say that your layout will require 6 guys to operate, which is how many I needed to run my previous layout. I never could get 3 guys over the house and most of the time, we ended up just watching trains run and gabbing. I really love building scenery.....here are a couple of...



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