I recently reactivated my Instagram account. It's mainly about model railroad topics. You may visit me at https://www.instagram.com/jpachl/

     Last year my wife and I moved from our large home of 28 years in Newberg, Oregon to a much smaller rental in Garibaldi Oregon. Our new coastal house is only 2 bedroom , our old house was much larger with a 13 foot by 35 foot train room in the basement. My current available layout space is 13 feet by 13 feet and must be shared with a substantial collection of historical research and previously built models built for my old layout(s).

I've started a new series on Youtube. These will be short, vlog-style videos where I tackle a single subject related to model railroading. In the first episode I ask and try to answer the question: "Why Model Railroading?"

https://northcountrytrains.wordpress.com/2019/05/27/looking-back-on-my-layout/

With a move on the horizon, Penn Lake 8 is currently on hiatus, pending disassembly.

Nick

Here is the mid-year layout update video:

One a work trip a couple of years ago I built this Tichy 40 foot flatcar during the evenings in my hotel room.  CN rostered a siginficant fleet of these cars that were inherited from Canadian Northern, built in the 1912-1918 timeframe.  I got the car painted CN red and set it aside until I could locate some appropriate decals and prototype photos.

I got my hands on a Blue Box depressed center flat, and I'm superdetailing it.

The first thing I had to do was drop one span bolster into hot water, and press it flat.  That worked out just fine.

I stripped off the paint using rubbing alcohol, with a toothbrush needed in places.  The car's going to be a DODX car,

I used lift rings and brass wire to make the train line that runs along one side of the car.  The molded on grabs have come off, and I've put new ones on.