These cars can represent

These cars can represent times from the 1920s to the early 1960s. I model 1927.  - Jim

I like this photo because it

I like this photo because it does a good job of depicting railroading in the Midwest back before the Great Depression when railroading was in its prime.

A temporary work station......

I took a shelf I had cobbled together and turned into a temporary work area.  It gives me a places to go through all the bits and pieces I have as well as my tools. Took for a spin and shook the boxes on some old kits to help populate the layout.  For no effort or cost it works well.  Now if I can just find my truck reamer......

@ Jim - I like that photo too because it is awesome - as usual.

@James Six

Exceptional work.

Nice

Nice James!

Joe

End of the Frisco

Late 1980 and 3100 the Frisco's last locomotive they received in revenue service. the end is near.

 Thanks to  fellow MRH member Bob Thomas for the GP-15!

PFM-United ATSF 1950-class 2-8-0

The good ol' Santa Fe 1950-class 2-8-0 by PFM-United. One of the most numerous brass locomotives ever produced with 8,450 locos built between 1956 and 1975 (Ref: Stephen L. Redding's "Illustrated Guide to Santa Fe HO Brass Steam Locomotive Models"). I have two of them. This one was painted and weathered for me by a local professional custom painter. My other one represents #1991 which ran a fan trip to San Jacinto, CA in May-1947 - the same month/year that I was born.

This Week -- More Frisco

I grabbed a second one of these new Athearn GP-7s this past weekend when up in Dallas.   Thought that I would share this photo.   Sorry to recycle the same portion of the layout from last week. 

Thanks Steve for the shout out! That is a good-looking weathering job on the GP-15!  Much better than sitting in storage at my place.

Still need some weathering, but seem like very nice models. 

-Bob T. 

Lighting experiments

Over the last couple of days, I've been playing around with some lighting ideas...

I really like how this turned out. No photoshop was used and was only cropped from the original version:

Harshaw Chemical

There was a Cleveland, Ohio chemical company named Harshaw Chemical. It was located at a crossing of two B&O routes bisected by the Wheeling & Lake Erie. I thought it was a good name to bestow upon my version.

This is a work-in-progress. I'm still adding details, lighting and signage.

Thank you, Ed

@ Modeltruckshop

Steve - those red/white Frisco locos look great on that winter dio! Keep up the great work

Terry

Thanks

Thanks Terry.  Hope you will have something to show off here soon too.  

Lyndon

That PFM model was a great model then and remains a great model now in your hands. I loved it then and seeing you model l live it even more now!

Jim    

Great work by everyone this week.

Bob you’re gonna have to slip a combine on the back of one of these trains one day. I love those old Frisco mixed trains wandering down those old branch lines.

Photo "FUN" this week

was more like photo "EXPERIMENTATION"

Testing out a new to me (commonly called used) camera body to see if more pixels is worth the bucks. Not sure that the pixel count has really been answered yet, especially when being dramatically reduced by the website, but I have spent a boatload of hours learning how all the different options work. Yikes! I either know more now or I am just more confused by all the options and interactions. Anyway, the trains are in the background of the photo but this is the test shot I set up to determine whether the camera was going to be put into service or listed back on Ebay. Think I'm going to keep it but time will tell.

Please click on photo to restore 1600 of the 6000 pixels of width used. 

A new Apparatus Never hurts'

Hi Rick', that is a great looking photo'..What kind of fruit are we growing, sure looks like a nice healthy crop coming in.  When I super zoom in on the pic, I feel as if I'm in the midst of the entire scene.  Outstanding work as usual and it also looks like you've got this new camera down pat'.. What did you get?  

Hi Goob!

How 'ya doing? I was thinking about dropping you a line to make sure you've woken up from the Rip Van Winkle new year nap. Me, I'm still kind of sleepy. Just a little energy to play with cameras.

Oranges on the right. Pistachios on the left.

I recently entered a couple of pics to the MR photo contest (not these.....fresh stuff,,,,unseen by grown men before) but had to use my Canon T4i. It really gave me a workout to get what I was after so I laid the problems on not enough pixels......complete BS but I wanted to try something new anyway. Couldn't afford a full frame camera and new lenses so I picked up a used Canon 80D body on Ebay and will sell my T4i on the bay later this week. I'm using the same lens (10mm-18mm) so I could keep the credit card from exploding.

 Anyway, today I'm getting used to it and here's another test shot with the new (old) camera and the VE's second locomotive a new (old) Atlas GP40 that JT at Scale Sound put a Loksound 5 and some neat lighting into. It's a beast!

I've posted this bridge scene before but I think this is the coming out party of the GP40.

 Take care my friend,

 Rick

Looks good

I think you are getting the hang of it quickly Rick. Nice shot

To James & Rick

To James Six: yes, the 1950-class was always a favourite since the first day I saw it in a PFM catalogue and just has to have one. This one I bought new in 1965, still runs well but these days tends to sound a bit like a coffee grinder!

to Rick Sutton: love your work and your latest photos are great. Have you ever uploaded a track plan on MRH?

Posting photos of the prototype eh?

Really now, some photos are indeed tough to tell if they are the real 1:1 item or not. Rick I really like these new SoCal photos from your layout, great work on the orange trees and of course the bridge, very very nice palette of colors on the girders of the bridge.

Steve great winter scenery there!

@Rick

Rick,

Those two photos are superb!  Money and time well spent on the new camera set up.  I particularly like the 2nd photo with the heavily weathered bridge and loco - my kind of stuff!  Have you documented your construction and painting/finishing techniques on the bridge somewhere else?

Please keep the photos coming - very inspirational!

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA

WOW Rick! Absolutely

WOW Rick! Absolutely outstanding work and modeling. You are definitely a 1-percenter, that is, in the upper 1% of modelers with you layout, structures, backdrops and everything else. Yes, I am a big Rick Sutton fan.

Jim

Thanks...........you guys keep pushing me to do better

I really appreciate the comments. You folks have taught me so much and it really is a gas to work hard on a project then get feedback here. 

Mr. Truck. I gotta ask. Is that real snow on those great Frisco pictures? I have to put on an extra sweater every time I look at them, and I look at them a lot.

Lyndon. Love that photo of the 2-8-0. Could I ask how you lighted and took that photo? It has a beautiful, very even light on it that really enhances the beauty of the model. To answer your question.....no, I haven't uploaded a track plan. You'd all laugh if I did!

Yannis. Your comments about my efforts are always so appreciated. The oranges are just about ripe. I'll save you a few.....yum!  Right back at 'ya buddy!

Al. Yeah, that bridge is the local tagging target but the VE does its best patch it when needed. I did that quite a while ago and IIRC it was shown in progress in a past issue of MRH "Yes it's a model". If I can find that photo I'll post it. The bridge is two Exactrail spans put together with a steel stiffener along the back that can't be seen. The support and abutments are plaster pieces from AIM, chipped up with a #11 xacto then washed with oil paints.

Mr. Six. You sir are the tippy top of the 1%. You are one of the people that inspire me to keep pushing my limits and I really appreciate that you hang out around here!

Again, to all of you.........you make this community a very special place to be and always an inspiration to try harder. And, it's just plain ol' fun hanging with you!

STRONG POSTS EVERYONE

Rick, that orchard looks GREAT!, is that some water I see in the canal? also your GP40 looks NICE. Kevin