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RL, Thank you. Check out Page 15. In post 146 I show most everything I use. I've put out feelers for an indexer but no one has volunteered. Especially me! I like the shorter caboose as well. Since I'm drifing to On30 I thought this would be a good project. Jim
So here is that final shot. Still needs some work on roof seam, but the rest came out pretty good. About roofs: Sometimes you can get away with murder by simply putting down this black paper over everything! You seam will be gone and who's to say 'tar paper' never adorned the roof of a caboose. Not me. Jim
Well, I turn 70 tomorrow, so this afternoon the wife and I and our best friends are going camping later today. Be back Sunday a year older! Here is a present for you all. Jim
I wish I had known it was your 69th last year Jim. I would have sent you a 70th birthday card then with the words, 70-1 and counting. . Have a good one.
I am a real newby to model railroading. I am just planning my first layout to start building with my 4 year old grandson. all of you tips and ideas leave me a bit intimidated on one hand and excited on the other to see if I can live up to these standards. You attention to detail and realism is wonderful. I have not even read through half of the posts and cant wait to return from the local Halloween Parade to continue reading.
Thanks for the nice wished fellows. Had a great time.
Phil, Have fun with your grandson. Unless he lives with you you should have time to work on your skills. He will learn the simple things from you and you can give some of my offerings a go. This isn't a beauty contest, simply some of my thoughts to help inquiring minds. Visit and use the sight as you wish. Nothing for sale here. Jim
RL, I take zero credit for this boxcar, other than being online and seeing an "entire collection for sale" post made 10 minutes earlier. I went through this fellow's list and got this boxcar. He said it was custom made. Certainly he did the RVR and weathering, but I'm not sure about the car itself. It looks factory made, but has no identifiers. I do wish I had a couple more of them. Jim
Jim it took me oh I don't know how long but finally made it through your thread and it was amazing. Had a question for you seeing as you seem to model alone which is similar to myself as well my layout to me is quite large which yours also appears to be. Question is once your track is down and assuming you are using a plan for suggestion of direction to go in, do you tend to put scenery so that the layout gets filled in and then change as you go to add structures or different landscape as you go?
Thanks
Lynn
Lynn, Congratulations! You may go to the head of the class.
About layout building: First my room is not very large. 11x10 feet.
I always draw out my rough plan like it this photo. I use it as a reference all the time. When I'm finished it is surpising how close I am to the plan. You may be confused about how I have to do my scenery. Because of reach, sometimes over 4 feet, I have to build the back of the layout first then the front half. This is not the standard, or recommended way to build. What it does for me is allow more layout in my small room.
Sometimes modelers are not satisfied with their finished layouts. I've shown some examples of refurbishing and redoing layouts. I recommend trying refurb first before tearing a layout apart and starting over. Hope this helps. Keep asking questions. Maybe some shy follower here will learn something too. Jim
. Have a good one.
