Weekend Photo Fun 10-3

[johntealon30]

Spent some of the afternoon scratchbuilding a low loader trailer.

John
RJR

 

[Selector]

Crandell,
What did you use for snow?
...

Woodland Scenics, in the clear plastic quart bottle with the red plastic two-sided flip top.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The next big project.

 

[GrampysTrains]

Hi all: Great photos everyone! I'm a little late this week, spent the weekend in the mountains. Here's what I've been working on this week, Black Wood Coal Co.

 

[Airslide]

good one Jeffery. Until right now i didnt realize CSX even employed any F units.

 

[UP2CSX]

Nice job on that flat car deck, Jeffrey. Looks like a real model now.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

 

[Trucula]

Couple "better late than never shots" 1st one of one of the last of the season camping trips to our club's "Lake Seldom Seen" (a camping area we created for a bare spot between Horseshoe Curve and Gallitzen Tunnels) And one of a Broadway Limited passing the Sand Plant pulling a freight.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Came home from my appointment at the foot doc and found a big box (18"x18"x6") by my door. What was in it? My Digitrax DCS50 and 8 DZ125 decoders. After I go through the manual on this thing I'll see about hooking it up. Looking at the back of the unit it appears to be fairly easy. All those decoders will probably take a week to install unless I get on a really good roll, then I could knock them out in a day.


On my other project, shoehorning a Bachmann LH crossover into my yard area, I looked at the area and noticed right off that the tracks are way too far apart. I have two options. 1) Pull up a bunch of track and re-lay the front part of the inside loop so the tracks connect to the crossover, or 2) cut the crossover in two and work the two halves into their respective places in the passing siding and the inside loop and put in a straight piece of track to join them. In the following photos the choice I made will be immediately obvious. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed then Mohammed must go to the mountain.


This is how the crossover started out:

And after being cut in two and trimmed:

The trackside shed (under the straight piece) and two of the turnouts will be removed. If the turnouts can be salvaged I may be able to use them elsewhere. If not, they'll be ripped out in pieces. The other two existing turnouts will have their diverging tracks cut and the points soldered in the through track position. This is gonna take a while.

 

[Steve B]

John for your Dawlish inspiration,,,

 

[IronBeltKen]

There's alot of really good stuff on here this week, I'm short on time so I won't be able to comment on everybody's work, my apologies to those I miss...

...
The CSX layout was very popular, ...

Well of course it was Steve! I thought they were all sharply detailed HO locos, until I saw the image with one of your boys standing in front and I realized they were O!

Ray - for a second there, I thought maybe I was seeing Dave Frary

Crandell - that snow shot looks so real, I can practically feel myself shivering!

Jim - I see you got headlights in some of your vehicles - lookin' good! Or were they there all along and I just didn't notice them before?

Gramps - Love that high-contrast shot of the coal drag!

I was out of town this past weekend so no new modeling. But before then, I was working on a Walthers turntable kit (the cheap kind, without the motor). I'm still in the process of weathering the pit, but here is where it's at so far:

 

[Selector]

Ken, I'd say its first class so far. The pit bottom is kind of a conundrum, isn't it? Should there be oily water, grime, sludge, some grass or weeds and dirt....what? I ended up painting mine with cheap acrylics, in a blend, to look sort of muddy and contaminated with oils and such. I may modify it some time, say with grass or something.

-Crandell

 

[jbaakko]

Great weekend guys. Worked the airshow again this year. Got sick, again, this year... No photos this time, worked traffic, had no time.

Got to see the Red Bull helicopter out doing flips, and the F22 Raptor fly for the first time at our show!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I just spent the evening setting up my new Digitrax system. I've already programmed the headlight on my F7 A-B set to be steady in reverse (only setting that would work) and be a gyralite when going forward. Programming is a snap once you get around the x's Digitrax splatters all the codes with.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Got my Digitrax system yesterday and I'm busy putting it through it's paces. I've already readdressed some of my locos and reconfigured the headlight on my Athearn F7 A-B set. Now it's a gyralight in forward and a steady light in reverse. I've also reset the starting voltage on one of my Atlas GP40's. It has a cannabilized decoder from a Bachmann DCC OnBoard GP40. I may get time today to install more decoders. I have a pile of DZ125's here that are in search of locos.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Work on the crossover is progressing steadily. I'm not taking any prisoners.

 

[sparkyftw]

nice silo of ballast.

Also, I love the pile of cars on their sides in the middle of the picture.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I had to put them somewhere where they'd be out of the way. They'll be back on the track soon enough. Meanwhile, work presses on.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

The crossover is in place.

Now the real fun begins. Getting the track leveled and set in plaster. Messy!

 

[sparkyftw]

I think you have managed to get more work done in the last few hours, then I have gotten done on an entire layout in the last couple months