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    Weathering Flat Cars (TOFC)

    I get some 2"x8" scale lumber, cut a two pieces (one short over the stake slot, one slightly longer for the overhang around the stake hole) as patterns, then lay them board-by-board across the desk with superglue, scar them up and use some rough sandpaper, then age them with a wash of grimy...
  2. W

    weathering and graffiti

    Oxidized paint If you have a junker car for experimentation, try misting on some grocery store bought isoprophyl alcohol and let dry. It fogs the paint like oxidized paint. :)
  3. W

    Adding weight to Blue Box Athearn Engines

    Athearn iron wheels I replace my powered Athearn loco wheel sets with NorthWest Shortline or Jay Bee 42" 110 tread nickel silver sets, which costs about $10 per loco. The nickel silver wheels stay clean much longer. I also switch out the stock plastic wheels on the dummies with the Athearn...
  4. W

    An excellent way to have trains go through a backdrop.

    My dad used to work for the California Highway Dept. in the '40s thru the late '60s. Old U.S. 40 up there is a beautiful drive, and a nice lookout point over Donner Lake near the top. You can still throw snowballs up there into early June during some years. My dad was part of the rescue of...
  5. W

    Can an Athearn RTR SD40-2 make a 18in curve???

    Make sure you have enough coupler swing so the loco won't pull the cars out of the curve.
  6. W

    Ho=1/87 ???

    I see you bought Lurch. :D
  7. W

    Latest Rustbucket

    I think I love this guy....
  8. W

    How wide is that wagon?

    From AMERICAN NARROW GAUGE RAILROADS by George W. Hilton: "Fleming treated as the first narrow gauge passenger car the Denver, one of the two first-class cars Jackson & Sharp built as part of the D&RG's same order. The car was 35' 0" in body length (about 40' 0" overall) by 7' 0" wide and...
  9. W

    building your own handrails...

    I've used .020 steel piano wire, seems to be the same stuff as the old athearn metal handrails, two tweezers/clamps locked tight, and bent them by eye VERY carefully. I've had some very old Athearn kits, wires aged and got brittle, "pop," when I tried to tweak the bends a little to get them to fit.
  10. W

    I've had it with HO, I'm switching to G!(photo intensive)

    I've never seen such incredibly detailed work in HO!:eek:
  11. W

    Mutiple engines

    If I recall, EMD sold A-B-B-A F7s in the late '40s as 6000 horsepower road power (cabs on each end, each unit 1500 hp x 4 = 6000 hp). Only foresee-able (ugh, spellin') with running locos back-to-back on a layout would be possible direct short on metal shank Kadees mounted on the metal...
  12. W

    Kadee installation

    Quote: "I have between the rails magnets mounted on my code 100 & I didn't remove the ties. The magnet is level w/the top of the rail. If your couplers are set at the right heighth they won't hit the magnets. Larry" Ditto for the magnets between the rails on code-100. Coupler...
  13. W

    Model Train prices going way up.

    I prefer to build it myself; pain in the arse to have to take it apart, pull off the plasticy generic stuff, then put on the after market parts. I'm about half-done with WP F7 #913 (second loco), rolling pumpkin with pilot plow, circa 1974. Some chop and cut work on an Athearn single headlight...
  14. W

    Walthers Trainline GP9M?

    If you want odd power on the Rock Island, Rio Grande GP7s went to the RI, kept the D&RG paint, but were restenciled with the RI logos while they were being used, #4206, 4205, 4203 which became 4288. Late 1973 or so. See page 40-41 of RIO GRANDE DIESELS A PICTORIAL HISTORY - VOL. 2 by Joseph A...
  15. W

    rolling stock information wanted:

    The paint job on the Kennecott Alcos looks easy enough. Orange, but not too orange. What about rolling stock? The only thing I've seen is a very late period HO Berwick boxcar, and the early steam stuff, which is too early for my interests. ???
  16. W

    Odd bits and pieces. Any suggestions?

    Find one of those women's craft shops. I made telephone pole loads out of a bag of sticks, beat them up a little, then a wash of grimy black and spray clearcoat over them to give them that creosote look. Small costume jewelry chain comes pretty useful, too, and a bag of floral arranging wire...
  17. W

    Strip Mall project

    I suggest looking up doll house shingles to use as plywood, say like having the windows being boarded up?
  18. W

    HO Locos/Rolling Stock & 18" Radius Curves

    No problems with geeps on 18" curves and #4 switches and engine runarounds, but the Athearn SD9 fouls up on #4 switches/yard crossover and binds on the 18" curves. I tried grinding off the flanges, a la Virginia & Truckee 4-6-0 steamers for tight curves (center axle of a three wheel truck), but...
  19. W

    rolling stock information wanted:

    Thanks for the pictures! The photos I've come across are after the museum took over, and show what I thought was RS3s lettered for Nevada Northern. I acquired the Alcos to give me some variety from Athearn EMD locos on a switching layout.
  20. W

    rolling stock information wanted:

    I'm building (at least one) Nevada Northern Alco RS3, but having a devil of a time finding any information on the Nevada Northern's diesel era rolling stock, if any. Anyone got a suggestion for distinctive late 1960s and later rolling stock photos? HO scale.




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