Here is something I can contribute.

About 2 weeks ago I painted a Lehigh Valley  tugboat that was put together and originally painted by another modeler. I painted it because the original blue color shown in the photo below clashed with the blue color of my water:

The photo below shows my paint job, which I found to be a relatively easy, relaxing and enjoyable project:

Working on a couple buildings for Atlantic Avenue behind South Station in Boston.

Prototype and my attempt.  The brick work is an ongoing experiment in hand painting all the bricks.

This was the easiest and simplest scenery/structure project, maybe of all time:

Popsicle Sticks with their ends nipped off as a cross-walk.

But, it's important. Why?

Take a close look at the guys in the background sitting outside Sully's Tavern. They need that crosswalk so they can saunter over to this Annheiser Busch boxcar:

LOL, Arnold

PS: I may paint or dirty up the planks on the cross-walk.

I've posted this in the past but here it is again.This is a built up HO factory, I believe it's a Walthers, the box is in the attic, that I've converted to an AB Clydesdale barn.  I've added a floor and a photo of a horse barn interior with stalls.  The photo was printed on photo paper which bends in an arc from one side to the other giving the appearance of depth.  This barn will eventually be part of a scene with a Dept 56 Brew House and several other buildings I have in the planning stage to represent the AB brewing facility in St. Louis.  The AB Eagle logo is in the transom window and the Clydesdale reliefs are paper prints glued to clothing buttons to add depth.

Note the lower portion of the barn, most likely from the windowsills down, will need to be painted to try to match the grayish color of the bottom of the brew house.

@coach joe posted:

I've posted this in the past but here it is again.This is a built up HO factory, I believe it's a Walthers, the box is in the attic, that I've converted to an AB Clydesdale barn.  I've added a floor and a photo of a horse barn interior with stalls.  The photo was printed on photo paper which bends in an arc from one side to the other giving the appearance of depth.  This barn will eventually be part of a scene with a Dept 56 Brew House and several other buildings I have in the planning stage to represent the AB brewing facility in St. Louis.  The AB Eagle logo is in the transom window and the Clydesdale reliefs are paper prints glued to clothing buttons to add depth.

Note the lower portion of the barn, most likely from the windowsills down, will need to be painted to try to match the grayish color of the bottom of the brew house.

Nice work Joe. So when's the layout going to be built?

Bob

Arnold, Dave, Coach and Bob,

Nice postings. Thank you for picking me up today and enjoying the construction projects on your layout. Keep up the good work.

I decided to change things up a little, and, board up a window.....next, a little weathering.....

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

I decided to change things up a little, and, board up a window.....next, a little weathering.....

Peter

Love the little things, Peter, like your boarded up window.

Just about finished.

Fishin' on the dock of the bay:

It's made of paper:

You guys have to try to figure out where I am. I am giving you three sorry pictures. I will tell you I am in the state if vermont.

OK, are you folks ready for some serious, highly skilled scenery and structures?

Well, you won't see anything like that from me. LOL

IMO, you don't have to be very good at scenery to have scenery that you, and maybe a few others, like on your model railroad.

Here is one of my favorite structures:

That dilapidated Plasticville switch tower was in a pile of broken and damaged American Flyer trains that avfriend gave to Mr for free. Today, I used a hot glue gun to attach the gray smoke stack on the roof. The original smoke stack had broken off and was missing. That little piece of plastic was a piece of gray flashing that was left over from some other model I put together years ago. The brown door is a piece of cardboard from the cardboard back of a pad of paper that I cut out, painted brown and glued on.

The broken windows? That's my favorite thing about it, that's how I originally found it, and the main reason why it's on my layout.

I have another Plasticville switch tower in perfect condition, and I much prefer this dilapidated one.

Arnold

Here's another one of my favorite structures and figures, that sit behind home plate and the backstop of my Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium:

What did I do to this? Absolutely nothing but find this Newstand and paper boy in a pile of junk under the table of a vendor at a train show 10+ years ago.

What did I pay for it? Nothing or next to nothing. It was probably a throw in while buying something else.

I call this the Find and Plop method of making scenery on a layout. I found it somewhere and plopped it on my layout.

Anybody can be a Finder and Plopper like me, and make model railroad scenery. LM..O, Arnold

PS, I hope you folks find posts of mine like this one entertaining. That is my goal.

@Alan Graziano posted:

You guys have to try to figure out where I am. I am giving you three sorry pictures. I will tell you I am in the state if vermont.

Alan, I can't remember ever being in Vermont, but believe Stowe, Vermont has, or is, a famous ski resort.

Are you in a very nice bar in Stowe, Vermont?

Alan I'm guessing the ski lodge at Stowe or Oktoberfest at a serious German restaurant in Vermont.

Ok Guys,

Thanks for guessing. I am at Casey's Caboose in Killington Vermont. Great food and the restaurant is constructed from rail cars.

Based on what I see on the right of the second photo of Casey’s caboose, it’s a place where you can really get ploughed.

I’ve been working on a friends U30C a lot lately, soldered on a rotating beacon and wired it up with a 602 SMD LED. Installed new number boards and decals, speakers and LED head light and nose walkway lighting. Still have a little more fitting to do installing a Loksound5 DCC/sound decoder but getting close to putting the car body back together. Converting it from a tank drive to tower drive too.

Also picked up this used Lionel 66’ mill gon over the weekend. This is my first one but have to say wow these are nice looking cars, definitely going to try to find the rest of the BNSF cars Lionel produced.

John

John,

Looking good! Is this the O scale diorama you were speaking of a couple of years back?

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

John,

Looking good! Is this the O scale diorama you were speaking of a couple of years back?

Dave

Thanks Dave,

yes these modules are a continuation of the dioramas I am building for my layout These specifically are for my loco maintenance shop and team tracks, which will plug in to my layout eventually.

I'll be moving to a new home in several months though so will probably begin breaking modules down for transport but until then trying to get as much done as I can.

John

@EmpireBuilderDave posted:

Working on a couple buildings for Atlantic Avenue behind South Station in Boston.

What did you use for your brick sidewalk?

Ricky

@Texas Eagle 77 posted:

Hi Ricky,

I've had these sheets of brick for a long time and don't recall where I got it other than I think it was a bulk purchase with some buildings from another modeler.

Update - Found it!  It is:

Lemax Village Collection Large Brick Road #34914

What I got from the modeler is actually both brick and cobblestone sidewalk:

Lemax 34917 BRICK and PEBBLE ROADS Christmas Village Paths Road S O G

It's a vinyl like product that came in a full size sheet that I cut down to sidewalk size.  I may use the cobblestone under the road in sections where it is "worn away"   

EmpireBuilderDave: I can see why you want to model that building: what a beauty! Please keep us up to date as you accomplish more.

@Golden Prairie Railroad posted:

EmpireBuilderDave: I can see why you want to model that building: what a beauty! Please keep us up to date as you accomplish more.

Will do! thanks for the interest.