Since I had such a good time making the maintenance video, I decided to chronicle my conversion of an older Atlas GP38M.  I have been putting off this (and other) conversions for quite some time, as I really have no place to run the trains when I get them finished. Ah well, It's fun and something to keep me occupied...

  Besides fiddling with my airbrush project, Free.Mo.N module, and Inglenook Sidings mini layout, I also enjoy participating and listening to Model Rail Radio (www.modelrailradio.com).  One of the topic that came up during the night was the reluctance, or possibly lack of skills in the current "ready-to-run" model railroaders.  I have heard this same sentiment echoed on other podcasts, forums, and even some magazines.

  After my success with a properly working regulator last time, I decided to break in my little Harbor Freight airbrush and shoot a base coat of white on the F7 shell i recently stripped.  I made a shortish video detailing my experience and stuck it on Youtube. Video

  I really enjoyed my first attempt and will continue documenting my progress as the project continues.  If this turns out well, I will be moving on to weather the track on my FreeMoN module and then lay down some dirt color.

  After my troubles with my old airbrush and compressor, I also had some problems with a cheap pressure regulator.  I got a much better one from my favorite hardware store - Parkrose Hardware.  It ran me $30+, but it works super!

  I have been wanting to get back into painting for quite awhile now.  Today I went to the train store to look for another older Atlas RS-3, since I already have the pilot conversion kit.  They didn't have one of those, but they did have a nifty Atlas RS-4/5 undecorated.  I figured I would pick it up and eventually get around to painting it up.  I picked up some PollyScale acrylics in 5 basic colors.  Then I headed home to drag out an airbrush and see what havoc would ensue!

This weekend I got around to finishing up the tail track so that I could run a train across the module and verify that all the feeders and trackwork was OK.  I found one loose feeder, possibly caused when the module set fell off the sawhorses in the garage.  The other problem was one turnout with a sticky point.  I got both those taken care of and shot a little video of the first train here:

  I went to the N scale "Meet-N-March" last month and got my juices going about building a module for either oNeTrak or Free.Mo.N standards.  I have been on the Yahoo group lists for a year or two now, and there had not been much activity in awhile.  I ran into some folks at the meet (Mr.

  Finally I have made some headway on the layout!  I got the last filler module glued and screwed together last night.  I drilled a largish hole for the wiring to pass thru the endplates and got all the modules bolted together.  They still need to be shimmed and then screwed to the shelf brackets.