Weekend Photo Fun 12/07/18 HONGZ

I got somethin' to post this week!

Not much... but it's SOMETHING!

I'been a' piddlin' with a KC&G passenger F at the workbench tonight...

I'm needin' to make hay while the makin's good... so I hope to get several KC&G projects that have been on my shelves for years into paint and DCC/Sound installed. Long ways to go... but it's a start!

ALSO... got a "Version 1" track plan drawn up for the lower level of a KC&G "Ozark Subdivision" theme for my out building.

It's great to actually be moving forward and making progress on a theme again!

Andre

Apple Valley Mode RR Club

Something different this year....

Yesterday I came across this Varney kit of a H0 reefer kit; I think the printed tinplate sides and ends look very good:

I had not seen any Varney before and as an old Dutch guy I like this still unmade car.

Regards

Fred

I decided to build the Varney kit:

Regards

Fred

Fred:

WOW! That Varney reefer looks GREAT! You did a superb job assembling/finalizing details/etc. I'm going to start keeping my eyes open for such Varney kits... they look PLENTY "good 'enuf" to run among kits of more recent manufacture.

If I hadn't read your previous post, I would NEVER guessed that is a litho-printed product!

Andre

All:

Since my above post, I've got that F unit ready for paint/decals/weathering. Here's a pic of it:

(NOTE: It's on the left in the above picture.)

On a roll, I took one of my Atlas "Gold" DCC/Sound equipped GP7's and got it to the "ARTP*" stage.

* Almost Ready To Paint

Here's a pic of it:

Strange little offering, that Atlas GP7. Supposed to be Atlas' latest and greatest top-of-the-line offering. BUT... working on it caused some of those "WWTT?*" moments in me. 

* What Were They Thinking??"

Consider:

* The ESU decoder works really nice. Good lag before moving which allows the prime mover to rev a couple/three notches before the smooth start begins. There is a momentum feature which helps with the lag and also helps there to feel like there's "heft". Once moving you can play the throttle up/down which gives variation in the revs, but the momentum helps maintain a nice steady movement.

* The ESU sound is excellent. I really like the Roots blower whine. Almost all of the sound decoders are really coming on in the sound department.

* The engine's running characteristics are excellent. No complaints there. Very quite and smooth. Creeping along is not a problem.

So far, so good (great, even!) HOWEVER...

* NOT impressed with the way the Chinese factory has handled the handrails. They do not fit so that 90 degree bends are as they should be. (Not square, etc.) I am going to have to "tweak" them in some way to make them more to my liking.

* The handrail-to-step joint is a huge step backwards. You can see what I'm talking about in the picture. In the the "fitting of details" respect, P2K's GP7/9's have it all over this Atlas/China GP7. (I mean, come on, the end of the nice looking scale-sized handrail fits into a five gallon bucket??)

* The supplied nose ladder grabs proved to be cut too short to be of use. I ended up using Detail Associates hand grabs that I re-bent to fit the holes and angle on the nose and rear of the hood.

* The end cut bars and MU details are too loose fitting. (I'm spoiled to light press fit.) They will have to be secured once final assembly is accomplished.

* I didn't like the "mannequin" look of the engineer... he was sitting stiffly at a weird angle and sat too high. Same with the fireman figure. SO, I cut off the figure's mounting stems and glued on a piece of styrene inside the cab mount to use as a mounting platform. Some Tacky Tack and presto: They look more natural and can be easily removed/repositioned.

* Another step backwards: There were little "nubbins" (bumps) cast-on the roof top that were supposed to be "lift rings". No joke, cast on nubbins (ala Athearn of the 1960s!)... on a so-called "state of the art" Atlas Gold unit?? Needless to say, the chisel blade made short work of the nubbins, and once holes were drilled, preformed wire lift rings (Detail Associates) were installed and the "nubbins" were no more.

SO... recapping: The Atlas "Gold" does indeed perform, and sound, like a "Gold" line engine should. However, their attention to fit of the details is, IMHO, below standard. In that respect, the old P2K GP7 shell/details/fit is superior.

All fer now!

Andre

Impressed with Fred's Varney reefer, I just purchased these:

I fully intend to clean them up, equip them with Kadee's and steel wheels, maybe throw on a bit of chalk weathering... and run 'em once my layout is up and going!

Andre