American Freedom Train.......

[UP2CSX]

Johnny, I can hardly wait until you ship all these excellently detailed cars to me. They will really look good on my layout. BTW: Give Jim the bill. LOL

Rex, I'll pay the bill as long as I get to run it exclusively with rights over all other trains at the next ARG meet. I want to see you pounding away at your keyboard and yelling into the radio to clear the main as I come barreling through.

 

[enjineerbill]

Johnny, I can hardly wait until you ship all these excellently detailed cars to me. They will really look good on my layout. BTW: Give Jim the bill. LOL

I've often thought your layout would be the perfect setting for this train. Who knows, someday if my wife and I have some time to swing south, we could do a photo-op with the train and the gang, The Train Gang!

Thanks for following Rex.

Johnny

 

[enjineerbill]

Rex, I'll pay the bill as long as I get to run it exclusively with rights over all other trains at the next ARG meet. I want to see you pounding away at your keyboard and yelling into the radio to clear the main as I come barreling through.

Right on Jim! You want to lead with the T-1 or the GS-4??

Johnny

 

[RexHea]

Johnny: anytime you want to thaw out, come on down. You will always be welcome.

 

[sparkyftw]

I may have to make a drive to SW wisconsin in march to see these things first hand

Good thing its closer than Bama

 

[UP2CSX]

Johnny, I'll take the GS-4, thank you. Rex's layout really would be about perfect for a train that size and, with the quality of his trackwork, you could actually run the whole train and not worry about it taking a dive to the floor. I can tell you for sure that it would attract a big crowd of us Bama Boys.

 

[enjineerbill]

Johnny: anytime you want to thaw out, come on down. You will always be welcome.

Thank you Rex, I'd love to see your layout in person. We'll see how wifeys' schedule goes, but we were actually talking about places to go this fall and it just might work. It sure would be fun meeting some of the "Bama-Boys".

Johnny

 

[enjineerbill]

I may have to make a drive to SW wisconsin in march to see these things first hand

Good thing its closer than Bama

Hi Dan,

The train will make it's debut at the La Crosse Center on March 21 & 22. The La Crosse and Three Rivers MRR club is holding it. The train will be displayed as a static model(unless someone wants to run it). Make sure you introduce yourself if you make it.

Johnny

 

[enjineerbill]

Johnny, I'll take the GS-4, thank you. Rex's layout really would be about perfect for a train that size and, with the quality of his trackwork, you could actually run the whole train and not worry about it taking a dive to the floor. I can tell you for sure that it would attract a big crowd of us Bama Boys.

Hi Jim,

Good choice. It's the one I saw with the train in 1975 in Madison, Wisconsin so I'm partial to it as well.

I've watched with great interest Rex putting together his masterpiece. Just being invited to put the train on it is pretty cool I think. And meetin' the 'Bama boys?.....Well my friend, that there is just icing on the cake!!

Johnny

 

[RexHea]

Johnny, I'm sure that if you make it down here, there will be a full house of ARG'ers to meet you. Just send the train on down when you finish up at the La Crosse train show and I will get it familiar with the track and surroundings.

 

[enjineerbill]

A STAR is reBORN

When I first started on the Freedom Train, I idn't know a lot about the prototype or just how involved in it I would become.

The First Observation car I used for was the Lionel one that came with the set. I reainted it with airbrushed acrylics, including the stripes, then applied the appropriate decals. The original cars had blue underframes and to me this was the thing that absolutely had to change. So here is what my first effort produced. Not bad, but not right. (BTW)...this car is now on EBAY.

Stock Lionel car redone:

The prototype was actually made from a coach, so I followed suit and built mine starting with a Bethlehem Car Works Reading coach. I then crafted the observation end, and airbrushed everything once again. The result is a more accurate car that will soon have a home in PA. My personal car is a duplicate of this I just haven't photographed it yet. Two very different looking cars indeed.....

Redone AFT # 205:

Next up; The Showcase cars done for a commission.......

Johnny

 

[enjineerbill]

Showcase Cars finished for a client.......

Cars No. 41 & 42

This is car No. 40. It carries, from left to right, Liberty Bell, Route Map and a Lunar Rover.

This is car No. 41. It carried, left to right, 1904 Olds, Gen. Washingtons' fire pumper and the B & O Arabian steam loco.

Next up; the power cars No.111 & 200 for my train......

Johnny

 

[UP2CSX]

Great work as usual, Johnny. That observation car made from the coach really does look different but it would never have caught my eye if you hadn't mentioned it.

 

[enjineerbill]

Well, well. March is here and the debut of my American Freedom Train is only 3 weeks away. Along with other work that is underway for clients, I decided to build a suitable place on which to display the train. I don't belong to any modular groups so it will be a static display.

The dioramas have to be small enough to travel in our car so it was decided to make them 3 feet wide X 2 foot deep. There will be a total of 4 of these modules so it will be 12 feet long and 2 feet deep viewable in the round when assembled. The scene, a middle-sized midwestern town in 1975. This town has just witnessed the arrival of the American Freedom Train which has just finished being spotted for unloading and viewing. The AFT flatcars will be unloaded on the piggyback ramp that still loads/unloads trailers daily. This is a dying part of railroading at this time, a few more years and these facilities will all be gone. These early shots show 2 dioramas still together. The split will come at the end of the station platform and run straight to the back.

When it came time to construct the beast, I decided I didn't want to spend a lot(economy) on new materials. So I dug into older stuff I had packed away and found enough to provide me with a good overall look. Yes, they are "everybody has one of those" but they suit me just fine for the purpose they will serve. After all, I really would like the train to be the main attraction.

Here then are some progress/mock-up shots of my AFT. Hope you enjoy.

Johnny

Bare-naked foam....

Foamcore streets and scratchbuilt crossings....

Roughing in details....

Early mock-ups to get a "feel" for the scenes..........

 

[UP2CSX]

Johnny, I think the diorama will look great. As far as the "everyone has one" thing with structures, it's because they are good looking buildings. With some paint and details, you can personalize the Walther MR2 and the Atlas station to look really good. I have both and the Atlas station has always been my favorite small town station. The only change I would make would be to paint the track a rail brown color to blend the ties in with the ballast. Flouquil makes some really nice detailing paint pens with both rail brown and rust so you can paint the side of the rails too. Makes the tracks look a lot more realistic.

 

[enjineerbill]

Hi Jim,

Yeh, I agree and that's why I went ahead and used 'em. I can't count the times I've been to a show and gotten ideas from other modelers who have done something unique with a very popular structure.

I'm not all that good at color balancing the camera. In person, the ties are more brown colored. They are srtiking somewhat because of the "pink lady" ballast I use to represent the CNW line. The ballast I use is from Arizona Mining company and needs to have the glisten taken off once all the details are down. It actually sparkles a little now. If nothing else maybe I'll give them a roof brown wash.....

BTW, Cudos for the shot of the farmers' market on the photo site. Nicely done.

Johnny

 

[RexHea]

It's looking good Johnny and will provide a nice surrounding for the Freedom train. Yup, I have the ideal spot; just send it along with the train.
Let me know when you need my address.

 

[enjineerbill]

It's looking good Johnny and will provide a nice surrounding for the Freedom train. Yup, I have the ideal spot; just send it along with the train.
Let me know when you need my address.

Hello Rex! Good to hear from you. Looking for some good Anvil cases to pack it in. I've got $25.00 to put towards a whole set of three. When I can find 'em for that price......They'll be on the way!

Johnny

 

[UP2CSX]

Thanks, Johnny, I like adding details and scenes to my layout.

I thought the ties looked brown in some pictures and black in others so I didn't know if you only painted some of them. I think you're right about the ballast, it looks so bright that it throws the camera off. I think a light overspray of rail brown when you're ready would help blend things together.

 

[enjineerbill]

Thanks, Johnny, I like adding details and scenes to my layout.

I thought the ties looked brown in some pictures and black in others so I didn't know if you only painted some of them. I think you're right about the ballast, it looks so bright that it throws the camera off. I think a light overspray of rail brown when you're ready would help blend things together.

Hi Jim,

Arizona Mining is about the only place that has the CNW style ballast so I just dull it all down when everything's in place.

I took a little more time lighting and adjusting this image. It's getting to where I want it to be....Wasn't Kodachrome fun??

Johnny