Layout Progress...Never too late!!! "Steel Mill Painted and Weathered" 6/25/24

That's a lot of detail and convincing weathering, Dave!  I had never heard of ITLA before.  Thank you.

Bill, Alex W, and Mark,

I really appreciate your supportive words. Just like most manufacturers, ITLA caters to the smaller scales. However, they have been regularly increasing their O scale products. I hope to see them put out at least one per year.

Dave

Nice looking build Dave. Like Mark, I have never heard of ITLA. I will check them out. I’ll also watch your build on YouTube. Thanks for the update, and good luck with your open house.

Andy

Thank you Andy! Let me know what you think about ITLA. I really like the flexibility of their products.

Dave

Great video! I never heard of ITLA but I like what I see so far. I'm still a long way away from that point on my own layout but I'll add them to the list for sure.

Thanks Bill! Hopefully once you get to that point, there will be even more product for O scale.

Dave

David,

I love the building. You did a great job on it.

Thank you my friend. That means a lot coming from you.

Dave

Here's the most recent tree building video...

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

Here's the most recent tree building video...

Dave

Dave,

Great looking trees! How did you apply the static grass? Sprinkle on or did you use a static grass applicator with the ground lead clipped to the tree armature?

thanks,

Bob

Excellent looking trees, Dave!  Thank you for the video,

Bob "O"- Thank you kindly sir. I sprinkled the static grass on. I probably should have demonstrated that part. I think I threw up a title in the video where I                             mentioned it.

Mark- Thank you much and you're welcome!

Dave

Dave, excellent method and execution. What a great final product, wow!

Andy

Thank you Andy.

Dave

Here are a few photos from my latest D.D. build. I show each step starting with the completed assembly of the walls, including the CEO checking things out. I got this kit with the perfect spot in mind. Check out the video of the build below.

Dave

Dave,

Looks great.  But "Rainbow Beverages" has a Confederate general as a CEO? 

Asking for a friend. 

George

Thanks George! If that's true you know more than I. Let me know when you find out so we can make the necessary changes.

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

Thanks George! If that's true you know more than I. Let me know when you find out so we can make the necessary changes.

Dave

I don't know.  That's just what the figure looked like to me. 

Oh I see, lol. I just thought he looked like a rich man with a nice coat. Plus he is the figure I use to make sure things are in scale around the layout. However, because you even would think such a thing, we will probably need to make some changes.

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

Oh I see, lol. I just thought he looked like a rich man with a nice coat. Plus he is the figure I use to make sure things are in scale around the layout. However, because you even would think such a thing, we will probably need to make some changes.

Dave

C'mon, Dave.  Even Confederate Generals need love.   

George

George,

This tangent has probably run its course. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Dave

That’s a really nice building, Dave!  Thank you for the video!!

Thank you Mark and thanks for watching it!

Dave

David,

Rainbow Beverages looks great. Nice work.

That has always been one of my favorite buildings and you have done a great job on it.  Where are you going to put it?

Art

Great work Dave, Rainbow Beverages is an interesting building in look and design. Thanks for the video.

Andy

Alan-I really appreciate it. Your encouraging words gave me the courage to start building kits.

Chugman-Thank you kindly. I am going to put it in a switching area on the layout. Video forthcoming.

Andy-I alway appreciate your compliments and you are welcome.

Dave

Dave! This is one Big project! You did a magnificent skilled job! This DD202  kit has always intrigued me! I have probably seen two in my train show attendance over the decades, All had issues. You rescued the broken parts, Awesome work.
you

Post continued ( I pad is jumpy!) Your dedication and artistic skills are motivating.

thank you for posting the video. I know the open house must have been very exciting for all!

Leroof,

I appreciate your supportive comments. With these classic kits, I'm finding that repair will come with the build. They have been around for so long and add in the shipping thing, you are bound to have something break. I've been fortunate that all of the ones I have purchased have been repairable with a little TLC.

Dave

Dave, I have two O gage interests in progress. My three rail traditional Lionel layout with accessories and vintage appropriate Postwar applications. Toys in action from the 50’s  with Plasticville structures.
My other involvement is O scale (2 rail) for which Downtown Deco kits await their build. I have several that still have the wrap on them! I have a couple that I bought already made and painted. But that Rainbow Beverages is a classic. I admire your fortitude and patience.
I believe that my attraction to DD structures “time machines “ me to the past. I saw quite a few of this type actual buildings in NYC back in the day.
Btw, how was open house? Any videos?

Leroof,

That sounds fun! The fun of a traditional layout and the realism of a 2-rail layout. It's nice to see people who can appreciate the two. I agree that the DD series definitely gives a nostalgic realism to a layout when executed properly. It easily takes me back to my youth. May I ask what DD buildings you have?

The open house went well and thanks for asking. I even got a few visitors who went to see Eric Siegel's layout, which is one reason I scheduled it on that particular weekend. I was hoping to get a few stragglers. Everyone was very complimentary regarding my efforts on the layout. Unfortunately, I was all tied up talking to people and helping to keep trains running and was unable to record any of it. It was 4 hours of in-and-out and some of the train club guys hung out  a big portion of that time and we chatted it up. However, I have something that I will posting related to the open house in the near future.

Dave

Along with layout work, I have been taking the plunge into 3-rail scaling my equipment. I have a had a lot of motivation over the  years from this forum, which gave me the confidence to finally take the plunge. Now there's no turning back.

Here are  some photos and a video of a couple of MTH Premier C&O GP30 powered units that have been modified. I've had these units since 2020, which goes to show you how backed up I am with this process. As everyone knows, there's always so much to do. More to come...

Dave

Excellent work Dave, the scene looks very realistic.

Andy

@luvindemtrains posted:

Along with layout work, I have been taking the plunge into 3-rail scaling my equipment. I have a had a lot of motivation over the  years from this forum, which gave me the confidence to finally take the plunge. Now there's no turning back.

Here are  some photos and a video of a couple of MTH Premier C&O GP30 powered units that have been modified. I've had these units since 2020, which goes to show you how backed up I am with this process. As everyone knows, there's always so much to do. More to come...

Dave

My first glance at the photos and I thought you had been train watching. The layout and equipment look real. I also like the vegetation climbing the wall. You have a very artistic touch.

Jay

Andy and Jay,

Thank you both for your very nice comments. Just to clarify, the photos were taken outside.

Dave

The engines really look great, Dave!  Also, I really like the diorama they are sitting on outdoors!

Thank you Mark! I'm happy with the outcome.

Dave

Good morning,

Here are some photos and a video of a pair of MTH Premier SD40-2 diesels that have been modified. These were actually the first diesels I weathered. The C&O diesels, in my last post, were the second go around. I started with the N&W units because, based on photos, I knew these would only need to be lightly weathered. In the video I didn't go through the entire process but briefly show a couple of steps before these went into service on the layout.

*Most of you fine modelers probably already know this but never spray dullcote that has been sitting in a cold garage. This created a very inconsistent overlay   on the models as well as a very noticeable speckling. Make sure to set the can in a climate controlled area until it's room temperature or put the  entire can/bottle in warm water. I knew this but was not thinking before I started spraying.

Dave

@luvindemtrains Thanks for the video and the tip about making sure the paint is room temperature.