Weekend Photo Fun 10-9-20-??

I thought you slept in and started another but have deleted...

So re-posting these here!

With Christmas around the corner the Polar Express freight is hauling some decorations into town!

Here are some photos of a bridge I’ve been working on for about a month which I just finished. It’s a model of a bridge carrying 8^th Street over the PRR east of downtown Altoona. The real bridge was a steel pony truss, but since I already have one of those on the layout, I decided to model it as a concrete “T beam” bridge which were common in the 1930’s through the 50’s. Besides capturing the structural details, I also accurately modeled the architectural style of bridges built in that era. Piers are based on those used to carry a road over the east end of Conway Yard west of downtown Pittsburgh.

I sure didn’t want to buy all that strip wood which would have cost a fortune, so most of the structural elements including the pier columns and girders were made out of a single piece of clear 1 X 6 I ripped the concrete beams and pier columns. The rest was cross cut. The deck is a piece of 3/16” thick MDF, and the parapets are made out of 1 ¼” X ¼” lath. A few pieces of strip wood from the hobby shop were used for the architectural trim. The concrete grooving is all done using pencil and white paint markers. The bridge was painted a beige color, then weathered with chalks. The efflorescence and salt seepage through the expansion joints was recreated with acrylic paints.

The first picture shows the completed piers glued in place which had to be done with great precision to make sure they were precisely centered between the tracks and absolutely vertical due to close clearances between the tracks. The second shows the prototype piers at the Conway Yard overpass.

The lights are HO Walthers street lights typical of the incandescent ones commonly used in that era. Wiring was installed between two of the concrete girders. All that is missing are the traffic lights at the end of the bridge which still have yet to arrive in the mail. For the most part, the scenery on my layout was planned out pretty precisely, but this structure was more of an afterthought, and I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

Toy Train Museum in Strasburg, PA.   (Summer 2008)

                      Period era Modeling at it’s best! You’ve learned well.

Action on the Seattle & Yakima RR

Looks like a BLACK & WHITE Weekend!

Thanks to Ben, Mr. Muffin, George and Midge for the help on the project. When the new MTH PC RS-11 arrives soon, this collection will be complete.

Last weekend we had a members operating day at the Garden railway club. The garden railway had not been open to the public at all this year.

The large green bridge is modeled after a local railway bridge. It stands 6 feet high and is operational lifting the center span , we had some bridges as shown here donated from someone removing his garden railway as he sells his home. These bridges will be added to an extension of the garden railway.

I ran my 2 rail O scale trains on the dual gauge G/O tracks; a string of Canadian National freight cars most of the front cars were Atlas love the detail on these. The rear 1/3rd of the train are mostly old Atlas 1970's cars that I have repainted and decaled for CN. The powered MTH and dummy Atlas CN engines I custom painted.  The caboose is Weaver brass as is the Weaver Steam engine which pulled this long string of a fairly heavy train with ease.  The other trains shown are G scale other members are running.

This model of New York Central P-2b #223 (MTH Premier with PS-1) is one of my long-time favorites. The on-bridge views were taken on my 12’-by-8’ layout completed in 2004. I built the 36-inch bridges from kits by Miami Valley Products. As I recall, they are made of spruce wood.

MELGAR

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

Here are some photos of a bridge I’ve been working on for about a month which I just finished. It’s a model of a bridge ...

As a Bridge Troll, I have to tell you that's a great build. We still have a few of those standing in the Los Angeles area.

A (sad) 2019 Christmas Layout memory

One of my guests thought he knew more about how to SAFELY run my layout than what I asked for him to be careful about.  Him not listening led to me having to dismantle the layout 2 weeks earlier than I wanted to because I couldn't reach the area that caused the problem (derailment/collision).

- walt

what it looked like before:

I tried moving a minimum amount of scenery in hopes of reaching the wreck:

When I couldn't reach it, even with my 4' long gripper, I had no choice.  You can't see it here but there is a crossing "X" sort of under where you see the cordless screwdriver:

- walt

Photos of fun for this fine weekend!  Enjoy your weekend everyone!  Be safe = Be well!

Switching the team track.

The morning sun and crisp fall air makes for a nice combination in helping these fellas get the job done.

Ma & Pa brakeman protects the rural grade crossing.

The freight yard.

@MELGAR posted:

This model of New York Central P-2b #223 (MTH Premier with PS-1) is one of my long-time favorites. The on-bridge views were taken on my 12’-by-8’ layout completed in 2004. I built the 36-inch bridges from kits by Miami Valley Products. As I recall, they are made of spruce wood.

MELGAR

I am a huge fan of the NYC's Lightning Stripe scheme and your P-2b looks great in it.

Now all I need to do is figure out a way to have a P-2b navigate my 0-42 curves.... haha!

Bryce

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

I am a huge fan of the NYC's Lightning Stripe scheme and your P-2b looks great in it.

Now all I need to do is figure out a way to have a P-2b navigate my 0-42 curves.... haha!

Bryce

Bryce,

As I'm sure you know, the P-2b is listed for O-72 - and it requires every inch of it!

MELGAR

Marty,

Had I known you had already started the thread I would have posted under yours. I uploaded my photos from my phone in a hotel lobby in Simpsonville KY.

Scott Smith

Amtrak Downeaster Friday Oct. 9th

Pan Am business train.  Rigby Yard, South Portland, ME.

Busy work week.....but I did build a new billboard for the Menards' unit.....

....and, I did check out my retirement countdown clock......the day the "retirement train" leaves the station is fast approaching!

Have a great and safe weekend folks!

Peter

Peter,

Hope that your retirement comes fast and that you enjoy it. It's the best job I've ever had!

Thanks SIRT and AGHR Matt for your comments about my bridge. Matt, we don't have many if any of those left. All the deicing salt that they started to use heavily in the 1950's caused these structures to deteriorate prematurely, so there aren't many left around here today.

Your comment motivated me to go back and take a close up shot of some of the early deterioration I tried to simulate on the bridge. I didn't want to much since back in the 50's these structures would have been fairly new and in good shape, but this is how it started as water seeped through expansion joints which were not sealed in those days and de-icing salts began to accelerate the process.

Photo on the left shows the prototype (contemporary photo) with salt damage to a pier cap due to a leaking expansion dam. The image on the right shows how I simulate the early signs of such damage. I first weather the concrete with black weathering chalk, then recreate the efflorescence by dry brushing it on with light gray and flat white acrylic paint. Very easy to do, and adds a nice touch of realism. Now I ask you, does that model photo look like real concrete or what? FYI, white the model is that of a concrete T beam bridge, the prototype is that of a steel I beam stringer bridge which looks as if it has not been painted since it was built in the 1950's!

@MELGAR posted:

Bryce,

As I'm sure you know, the P-2b is listed for O-72 - and it requires every inch of it!

MELGAR

MELGAR,

I am sadly aware of this fact.

However, this YouTube Video gives me hope! A gentleman modified a PS1 P-2b to have LC+ and the ability to run on 0-31 curves. Given the chance, I too would modify one to handle my much tighter curves (0-42) and I would upgrade it to PS3. Alas, I do not have as much free time as I would like so this is on the back-burner.

Bryce

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

MELGAR,

... this YouTube Video gives me hope! A gentleman modified a PS1 P-2b to have LC+ and the ability to run on 0-31 curves. Given the chance, I too would modify one to handle my much tighter curves (0-42) and I would upgrade it to PS3.

Bryce

Bryce,

MTH Premier (PS-1) P-2b #223 inverted. The inside axles of the powered trucks have flangeless wheels, and the trucks can pivot about 15 degrees. I didn’t run the numbers, but the bigger issue seems to be the pony trucks – which may need to move further laterally. Rotation of the pony trucks causes the couplers to contact the pilot cutouts and it would probably be necessary to open the cutouts to increase the rotation of the pony trucks. This is a very heavy die-cast model.

The video does not show what was done to the running gear and pilots to operate on O-31. Would be interesting to see.

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

MTH Premier (PS-1) P-2b #223 inverted. The inside axles of the powered trucks have flangeless wheels, and the trucks can pivot about 15 degrees. I didn’t run the numbers, but the bigger issue seems to be the pony trucks – which may need to move further laterally. Rotation of the pony trucks causes the couplers to contact the pilot cutouts and it would probably be necessary to open the cutouts to increase the rotation of the pony trucks. This is a very heavy die-cast model.

The video does not show what was done to the running gear and pilots to operate on O-31. Would be interesting to see.

MELGAR

MELGAR,

Thank you for the inverted images! I agree with your statement on needing to modify the pony trucks.  I sent the gentleman a message asking how he made these modifications. I will pass on what he tells me.

15 degrees  of pivot seems fine since my scale Williams GG1 can pivot about the same and it is rated for 0-42 but it would be best to test it out in-person.

From what was shown in the video, the pilots on the pony trucks are absent (1:15 in the video). Assuming I am correct, everything circled in blue needs to be removed to allow the couplers to move through the tight curves. As you said, the pony trucks must be allowed to swing more so the openings need to be extended closer to the edge of the pony trucks (red circles).

This might be a very fun project for the winter months!

Bryce

@scott.smith posted:

Marty,

Had I known you had already started the thread I would have posted under yours. I uploaded my photos from my phone in a hotel lobby in Simpsonville KY.

Scott Smith

Scott

This is your baby. I just started it when I didn’t see it going. No worries.

                                                            Another RARE find!

I just finished this Tank. I had to custom build the wood armor, as well as the steel armor and metal spikes. This will eventually be a flat car load.

Greg