Weekend Photo Fun 2-24-23-??

.......work on the new layout continues......

This long spur, which was brought down to table level to provide clearance for the Oblong Box Company, is to be the site of animated Lionel accessories.

My dilemma: these accessories need to be serviced/repaired from time to time. If the track is ballasted, it could be a mess!

My solution: use Rustoleum stone-textured paint to simulate the ballast.

I brought the track down to table level sanding down the RossBed.

Making sure I don't plug my screw holes.

Painted.

Dried.

Track replaced. I am pleased with the result.

Accessories on the ready........

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

This week I have mostly prototype pictures for a change that I meant to post last week. About two weeks ago, I attended a train show at the Chippewa Township Fire Hall, about 30 minutes from my house in suburban Pittsburgh and less than 15 minutes from East Palestine, Ohio, site of the huge Norfolk Southern train wreck that I’m sure you’ve all heard about. They had lifted the evacuation order a few days earlier and started running trains through the town, so I just had to check it out.

Here are a few photos I took from an adjacent parking lot of a ceramic factory. NS crews were still doing cleanup as you can see in the third image, so I stayed off the railroad property. The same image also shows a train headed west on the reopened trackage. Obviously a real disaster.

On a brighter note, here is a photo of an eastbound NS train passing under the PA Route 75 bridge at Port Royal PA. The structure is about 112 years old and is in bad shape.  It is about to be demolished and replaced. The bridge is one of the signature structures of the Middle Division, and as such it is modeled on my layout (I’ve posted photos of it here on the site numerous times).

On my layout, it is set in 1957, when it was “only” 47 years old, so it is in much better shape than is the prototype today. But note on the pilaster to the right I have modeled the same crack, but it is much less severe than it is today. I included a number of cracks based on what it looks like today but I tried to “adjust” them to make them appear as they might have looked like roughly 65 years ago. I added some efflorescence (minerals leaching through the cracks) using light gray paint applied with a fine tipped brush. The deterioration is obviously much worse today.

You can also see the Port Royal station in the distance. Passenger service ended there in the late 1940’s, but the station remained until it was torn down by Penn Central in 1969.

That’s it for this week…enjoy!

This week, I’ve been running a model of Boston & Maine F2 #4257 on my 12’-by-8’ layout. It was made by Atlas O (1606-2) and delivered in 2006 with MSRP $479.95. It’s been a smooth running model during 17 years of operation but the pilot recently developed zinc pest so I replaced it with the fixed 2-rail pilot supplied with the engine. It now requires O-72 curves.

Boston & Maine #4257 was built for freight service in July 1946.

The video shows it pulling two MTH Boston & Maine wood-sided passenger cars and an unlettered wood-sided coach that I built from a wood kit by Labelle Woodworking.

MELGAR

@Putnam Division posted:

.......work on the new layout continues......

Peter

I always love the sight of a sprawling 3-rail layout under construction!

I've loved it ever since this little artistic render I saw in my "Model Railroading" Bantam book waaaay back as a lad!

This little book has provided me so much enjoyment off/on over the many decades I've had it...

Andre

I realize it is Friday in Lent, but some 'Q' would be really good about now.

This weekend is a very busy one for me, so here is a video of my Weaver Torpedo from a few years ago.  Starts with a blue screen.

Thanks Scott for getting us started!   Here are my " hot and cold "  photos of the fun kind for this fine weekend!  Have a real fine weekend everyone!

@Putnam Division posted:

.......work on the new layout continues......

This long spur, which was brought down to table level to provide clearance for the Oblong Box Company, is to be the site of animated Lionel accessories.

My dilemma: these accessories need to be serviced/repaired from time to time. If the track is ballasted, it could be a mess!

My solution: use Rustoleum stone-textured paint to simulate the ballast.

I brought the track down to table level sanding down the RossBed.

Making sure I don't plug my screw holes.

Painted.

Dried.

Track replaced. I am pleased with the result.

Accessories on the ready........

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Lookin' real good, Peter.

A view from my kitchen today:

Since my train layout is in my home’s living space, I get to see the trains and layout all day and consider myself very lucky! BTW, it was my wife’s idea to have the trains in the “great room” of our home when it was built 8 years ago. YES, I know I am a lucky guy!!

And here’s the side of the train table not seen from the kitchen:

@CAPPilot posted:

This weekend is a very busy one for me, so here is a video of my Weaver Torpedo from a few years ago.  Starts with a blue screen.

Ron did you remove the shrouding?

Ron

@PRRronbh posted:

Ron did you remove the shrouding?

Yes, I removed some of the shrouding to make the model look more like it did in the late 40s.  Still need to remove some more, and maybe cut some holes to match a picture of it from around 1947.  Need to weather it too.  Obviously, I am not worried about reselling it.

Key Imports did a deskirted one a while back.

Torpedo

Made a visit to the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, TX.  In addition to the staggering amount of windmill exhibits, I was surprised to see a large G scale railroad featuring hundreds of feet of track, a double tracked helix which brings the trains to a suspended right of way going around the walls, and a diverse variety of trains.

A 2022 Christmas Layout memory

for some perspective.  I thought having a boyscout camp near a lake seemed right.

walt

Spent a couple hours getting 623 back in running order:

An estimated thirty years of accumulated dust, dirt, and rock-solid grease removed, with a new lubrication of a wee bit of grease on the gears and some clock oil on the axle bearings. Runs like Christmas morning, 1953.

Nice scene, Walt, and a nice holiday layout in 2022, I'd say.

PD

Stuck in a garage...somewhere near the swamps of Jersey.    

One last hurrah in NJ for a Rail King Chicago & Western Indiana RS1, MTH Caterpillar SD-90MACs, an Atlas Great Northern SW8 and a New York Central Visionline Hudson.  Thanks for the memories.  

A couple of weeks earlier.

And finally one from the Archives.

            New layout progress today, more to follow........

Sirt,

Your groundcover and road are really well done and you have blended them into the backdrop masterfully. This is turning out to be a scene that most of us have probably seen somewhere before. You're really on the roll with your progress.

Dave

Here are some pics of my recently weathered engine by Harry Hieke.

SIRT: that scene shows off your talents perfectly.  I knew you were an expert at doing things with rolling stock but this shows, to me, a new side of your talent.  Looking forward to seeing more.

walt

Peter great idea for ballast.  Rustoleum is really helping us out making different colors and textures.  Which color did you use?

Sirt maybe we should start calling you Memorex.

SIRT,  often times the layout terrain doesn’t match the backdrop and they really don’t blend together. You nailed it. It looks totally seamless at the transition.

That interesting because it's not finished yet. Thanks guys.

@walt rapp posted:

SIRT: that scene shows off your talents perfectly.  I knew you were an expert at doing things with rolling stock but this shows, to me, a new side of your talent.  Looking forward to seeing more.

walt

Guess you haven't studied my other layout, now 20 years old? Check the link it's going away in March. No more share on shutterfly. Thanks.

@SIRT: yes, correct.  I haven't seen images of your 'old' layout.  Guess I should check it out .

walt

@coach joe posted:

Peter great idea for ballast.  Rustoleum is really helping us out making different colors and textures.  Which color did you use?

Sirt maybe we should start calling you Memorex.

Stone.......sometimes it's hard to find, so I stocked up when I saw a good deal.....

Peter

Running with the Trackers at the TCA WB&A show Sunday in Annapolis.

I debuted my new Lionel Rock Island Hobo boxcar at the end of the train, I had to wait over a year for it, but it was well worth the wait, it’s a fun addition, I heard a few spectators point it out.

@Putnam Division posted:

My dilemma: these accessories need to be serviced/repaired from time to time. If the track is ballasted, it could be a mess!

My solution: use Rustoleum stone-textured paint to simulate the ballast.

I brought the track down to table level sanding down the RossBed.

Peter

Brilliant! Looks great.

@bigtruckpete posted:

Brilliant! Looks great.

Thank you!

Peter