"What are you working on?" Thread


CBCNSfan

CBCNSfan

Registered Member
Staff member
Well the Festivities are over for another year, so it's time to get back to the workbench and start another project. I was wondering what projects y'all were planning, and when you'd be starting on it.
For myself, since I'll need at least six cabooses, I thought I'd start with that.
I thought I post my progress with the project here, sort of a report as I go along. I'm no craftsman at this, I make silly little mistakes. If someone has a serious suggestion, by all means post it, BUT NO NIT PICKING or rivet counting, I just do the best I can with what I have.
I am hoping more members will join in and post a sort of report about what they are doing. Everyone is welcome, and your project can be any scale, about anything that has to do with model railroading.

Cheers Willis

The Doomed.
 
Well, even though i got the railroad running for Christmas, :D I still have more scenery work to go. I also have about five more engines to put receivers in. hopefully, my kids will give me back my digital camera, and i can take some pictures. :confused: :rolleyes:
 
I'm working on a general design for my layout. Unfortunately I've got a rather diverse collection of rolling stock (and interests). I'm not sure what I'll end up modeling, but I am sure you can't fit the PRR, BNSF and northwest steam logging all into 11 x 17...

So my first project is to establish priorities and decide what my focus will be. I'm also giving serious consideration to what radius curves to use and whether to include easements. 22 inch radius looks great with 40 foot freight cars. A GG1 and my Sounder train make it look a lot sharper... ;)
 
I got a hankering to work on some cheapo IHC Heavyweight passenger cars I had stashed away, so I started those the day before New Years, while watching TV. Besides body-mounting the couplers and swapping out wheelsets, I assembled the interiors and populated them with various Preiser figs.

I'm working on one particular heavyset fellow who's in the optimum position to be seated on "the Can". Biggest issue now is to kitbash the trousers down by the ankles....

:D

Kennedy
 
Grain hoppers and more grain hoppers. A friend and I photographed the same hopper Sunday from different angles as it passed by, so I'm working on modeling it. It's a dead ringer for the P2K 4427 kit (HO scale), except for a minor variation in the outlet gates. It's even missing one of its jacking pads, which P2K had the foresight to include as separate parts, but unfortunately I didn't check the photos closely before attaching it (doh!). Now that it's assembled, next step is to begin the rusting process because this car is one of the rustiest cars I've ever seen. This should keep me busy for a few days...
 
Rain, Rain, Go Away!

My primary goal is to get the Garden Railway up and running. To that end, I've pulled most of the weeds, but found that during the recent heavy rain, my track has "floated" in places. That means it's time to get some more fine ballast and re-level the roadbed. The good news is that the storms have done a great job of compacting the existing ballast --- that stuff ain't going ANYWHERE!

I also have a Piko "farmhouse" kit to assemble --- a great rainy-day project!

Another project in the works is to get the HO set in better shape for next year's Christmas display. We spent more time rerailing cars than we did running the train this year, but the granddaughters (not to mention the cats) were quite entralled with the whole thing, simple though it is. I'm going to add some scenery, and look into replacing the plastic trucks.

You experts will be hearing from me! :)
 
Not much - I had a couple blue box covered hoppers to assemble from Christmas.

Unfortunately I found that the frames on these things are oddly warped, causing the trucks to sit at an angle from (high) center to (low) end. A bit of filing helped.
 
Oh my, kind of forgot about these goomers. I stripped the Conrail paint and logos off. Got them painted and now they're waiting for CBNS decals and dummy couplers. Photos not the best but they're 4 bay hoppers.
Cheers Willis
 
JeffShultz said:
Not much - I had a couple blue box covered hoppers to assemble from Christmas.

Unfortunately I found that the frames on these things are oddly warped, causing the trucks to sit at an angle from (high) center to (low) end. A bit of filing helped.
Click to expand...

The filing helped, I'm sure, but I think the screw holes are tapped at an odd angle, causing the trucks to mount the way you're talking about. I've had that problem with virtually every Athearn covered hopper I've ever had. The only thing that really fixed the "warp" and the coupler height was to mount Intermountain trucks with Intermountain 36" wheels on mine.
 
I'm working on 2/3s of my rolling stock fleet all at once. My Oscar and Piker kits.

I'm taking pics as I go and will post them when I get a few more.

Weather has been below 20 degrees for the last 3 days, with 2 more to come, then more snow. Should be close to being done when the snow flies.
 
RC, I take it the Intermountain trucks that you mean are the three piece ones that sorta swivel in more than one direction?
 
Yes, Jeff, the equalizing trucks. Ray Devine (CNW on Atlas HO forum) sent me about a dozen pair of his unused NIP Intermountain equalizing trucks. I replaced all my Athearn PS 4740 fleet's trucks with them. They take a bit of tinkering to get used to how to make them work well, but once you've got that figured out, they operate wonderfully. No more "one loose truck, one tight truck" on your freight cars. You tighten them up so that they only swivel and don't rock and the equalizing action takes care of the rest. In fact, the equalizing action can take up a small amount of the warp you're talking about. Plus, they look great, IMHO. Much better than the stock Athearn BB trucks.
 
My project is my first decent layout. What better time than the new year to get started. I purchased a house with a 12 X 40 foot basement room that I have the wife’s permission to completely utilize for an HO layout.
I have to decide what I want to do. I model the C&O of 1953 with a three-year fudge factor, so I can run everything from 1950 to 56. I am getting lights installed and completing other room preparations. I hope to get started in earnest this winter. I am in the middle of layout design 101:)
Any other C&O transition era modelers out here? What are you modeling?
Jim Butler
 
I'm working on a little 20" by 30" N scale table-top display. There is a loop, but it's not powered. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a layout, because it's basically just a few tracks on "shelves" that I'm attempting to make look like a mountain. Its all foam (base, mountain, road bed) so far, but I'm adding plaster rocks that I'm casting in Sculpy clay (worked great! if you don't like the mold, just roll it up and start over). I'm planning on on creating a shell with plaster cloth over the areas that don't have cast rocks. Nothing spectacular, but having never constructed a layout before, it's a learning experience for me.
 
Nothing spectacular, but having never constructed a layout before, it's a learning experience for me.
Click to expand...
hehehe So's my Garden Railway a "learning experience!" The only difference between us is that I'll be able so SEE my railroad, something I wouldn't be able to do in N scale. :D
 
I have nothing exciting going on really. I'm still ironing out a plan for my reconstruction. Getting a list of things I have that need to be repainted, things that I'd like to acquire some day, etc.
 
Niko at home said:
I have nothing exciting going on really. I'm still ironing out a plan for my reconstruction. Getting a list of things I have that need to be repainted, things that I'd like to acquire some day, etc.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, Nick. It will help you stay disciplined once you have exactly what you need to buy on the list in your hand. It's prevented me from making many impulse purchaes. The ones I have made have caused another item to be scratched from the list in its place (e.g.: my high hood Southern U33C project took out a future Southern SD45 project from the list).

A list is also a good idea to help prioritize your current and impending projects. If you're like me, you have half a dozen things you're "working on" but only one or two really active projects. Since you mentioned repainting, you might find you have three different projects needing some gray paint. If you consult your list first, you might only load the airbrush one time to knock out all the projects. It's little things like that...

I remember a time when money and time weren't really much of an issue - I had enough of either to buy and build what I wanted. These days, if I don't work "smart," I won't get much of anything done. Your mileage may vary. :)
 
No modeling too lately. I'm planning on that SW-1500 project at some point, but funds won't allow me to start yet. I did start messing about with a paintscheme idea for it though....
 
Well a progress report on one of mine. The first victim has been selected and stripped :eek:
WARNING Photo may not be suitable viewing for all members! Parential guidence is recommended :D

Cheers Willis
 
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