Driline HO crane and transfer caboose

Billboard

Not a recent project, but here is one of several billboards I built in S-scale a couple of years ago.

More Power

After languishing on a shelf under the layout for years, two more of my old Kato SD40-2s have been readied for service.  I finally removed the RailCommand decoders, added new ones from NCE, and they ran great from the start.

Wire grabs and lift rings were installed, plus the remaining factory parts that were still in the original boxes.  I used appropriately colored decal film to "paint" areas like steps, and used other decals for things like builder's plates. These still need prototype specific details and weathering, plus a few additions like MU hoses

How Much is That Dog Food in the Window? / Track Laying A-Go-Go

Ignore the mess - focus on the fact that track is going down near Buck & Loretta's place. Dog food cans (and any canned good) make great "free" weights.  BTW, the Buck & Loretta diorama has been permanently attached to the benchwork by removing part of the 2" foam bench top and setting the assembly down (with shims) on the frame.

Update...

Here's a shot of my scratchbuilt packing shed that I showed last week, after a bit of progress. 

And here's another project I've been working on and it's also not quite done yet.  It's a Rib Side Cars model of a 50' MILW boxcar that was built out of a stretched 40' car.  It's an interesting kit, that has three sets of doors and two roofs, so one could model pretty much any variation of these cars.  I won this in a raffle at a RPM meet.  I based mine on a picture of one of these cars I found on the internet.

A first posting for me with this shot of....

Midnight shift begins and time to ready the power for another "midnite Alice" the weekly mine run. 

Very nice stuff guys! Here's

Very nice stuff guys! Here's a shot I call "end of the shift": 

The ballast cars and caboose are by Atlas, the spreader is by Walthers, the figures are by Prieser, and the scenery is by Mother Nature.

Driline

that is some nice rust on that crane! 

midnight Alice

 Great shot Tom !  Seeing a 1500 makes me get all nostalgic.

David

Beatton Bridge progress

Recently completed the benchwork and placed the bridge components in place on the Beatton River scene which is the lowest of the three decks of my layout

Adding details

Driline, excellent crane and transfer caboose.  Rico, very nice "end of shift" photo.

Here are a few shots of a Southern RS-3 by Bachmann with MU hoses and cables added, and an NW caboose by Atlas with cut levers, air hoses and a few other small details.

Tim

At the crossing

Very nice stuff guys! Here's

Really great composition and lighting effect.  Nice!!

Bob B.

Going to the dogs ...

Rick, I'm a little surprised Buck didn't make off with all that "free" food for Spike.

Charlie

Dash 9 Fire Damage

This weekend, I decided to give one of my Dash 9 locomotives some fire damage. The inspiration for this little project came from BNSF 5118, which suffered a fire a while back. There are some very good photos on the web. When it was repaired, it was repainted in primer over the damaged area, so there is a large red area in the middle of the locomotive. I have seen numerous BNSF locomotives with similar evidence of a fire, and decided one of mine should get the same.

I might add that when I asked a mechanical department employee about the primer once, on a 1:1 scale locomotive, he explained that, "The paint in that area must have gotten hotter than the manufacturer thought it would."

I have included my reference photos so you can see my vision a little better. I did exercise a little "artistic license" with the roof.

Before:

I have one more area to paint tomorrow, but this is what it looks like after the first round:

Victorian Railways N scale

Y109 pauses at the station of Noorinbee. Victoria (Australia) N scale layout based in Gippsland. 

Nostalgia

As I can't show anything new yet herewith some pictures of a Märklin layout my brother and I made 25 years ago. The layout is already history but recently my brother found some pictures of it and brought back good memories.

Blast from the past

 Two SOO Engines build and weathered by Javier Carcano and a Bulkhead Flatcar with steel plate load build and weathered by Jered Slusser.

Added to layout today

Placed on the layout today is Intermountain kit built HO modified 1937 boxcar representing ATSF class Bx-37 #142086 built in 1941 and re-painted in 1961 with the large circle herald scheme using Champion decals.  I kept the weathering light as my time frame is early 1960's.

Bob Bochenek 

I like that Black and White Jürg!

My contribution to the weekend photo thread...a Conrail x72 that started off as a LifeLike toy train boxcar. Originally painted in Vlassic Pickles, It was stripped, new ladders, crossover platform, a Details West 50' underframe, and new trucks. Painted and weathered, tried to get the sides to appear "wavey" the jury is still out on if it's to my liking.

Chris

(No subject)

take a chance

 For quite some time Ive looking at the railway design kits on Evilbay. Ive read all the posts and reviews I could find. I kept coming back to the idea "how bad can they be?" Well this is where I stand with it I bought the delaney Iron kit. a little squadron putty on the stone building disguised the corner seams. It did take about a half hour filing and sanding to miter the brick walls. sure the window openings are not all the right size but a little filing took care of that. I still have some work to do detailing. but Im happy. For 36.00 I got 3 buildings. and some fun modeling. I'll post more as I do more if anyone is interested.

It being snowy in parts of

It being snowy in parts of North America already, I thought i would show a wintry scene.  Norfolk & Western ran their FM's long hood forward, so savvy viewers would wonder why the short nose is apparently leading in this shot.  Well, it happens that the unit is shoving an MOW consist and crew into a tunnel to do some cleanup from a rock fall inside the tunnel.  To the crew's relief, they can breathe and stay in the cab with the prime mover running inside the tunnel because the cars ahead of the unit are at the point of cleanup.

Crandell not bad for a diesel

Crandell

 Nice snow, but steam would have been better. LOL