WEEKEND PHOTO FUN 5/16/14-??

I tried to grab some CSX for a shot.

I saw the above Tuesday morning in Staunton, VA.

Scott Smith

Enginear-Joe, NIIIIICE!!!!!!  My favorites.

Rick

Running a good looking reproduction tinplate freight set my dad(Tinplate Bob)lent me.

Dan

Williams Semi Scale 60' B&O Passenger 4 Car Set. I bought off of www.trainworld.com this week 

very nice!

The block is filling up. Some details left to finish but mostly complete.

Love the Rock Island, Alan, I wish I had a pair of those....

We hosted a group from a local retirement community on Wednesday afternoon this week. The joy on their faces as we ran trains was sure delightful. There were several hanging back as they were loading the bus to go home - Mrs Muffin and I thought we would have guests for dinner.....

Here's a MTH Premier T-1 I caught pulling a string of Lionel passenger cars while they were here..... Saw the thread on who models PRR and I thought, well not us.... except for the T-1; the S-1; the FF-2's, the shark set, the FM's, a gaggle of GG-1's..... a mountain, the Decapods - short and long tender, a couple of Texans.... LOL.... okay - we too model the PRR!

Got a new addition to the Beawslaiw Police Department.  I got the diecast 1950 Ford SFPD squad car.  And...can you imagine that...one of the townfolk got pulled over practically in front of the station!  Must've been pretty blatant!  Matt

Seeing this nice Ford police car reminded me of one we had on the Key West section of our old layout. Don't remember what year it was but I think it was a Dodge?  

Fabulous pics!

Peter

For those following the VMT Layout picture tour....

after the gorge the lower two tracks emerge from the tunnel into Roanoke:

Under the Roanoke part of the layout is another kids level window:

Scott Smith

New Amtrak Legacy Dash 9 has gone into service. The new elevated trolley line had first operational testing today. All can be seen in action over on Weekend at the Movies.

I was in Chicago with the wife this past week celebrating our 10th anniversary and was able to grab a few shots of the "L"

Chicago is really a beautiful and very photogenic city.  I'm glad that you had a good visit.  We take these scenes for granite, but seeing your pictures reminds me of how cool they are.

Art

I love Chicago, nice shots!

Thanks guys. 

We had a ton of fun there!   Wish I had more time to do some train watching but the wife wanted to shop!

Scott,

I really love that layout, but I see what you meant last week when you said it needs trees.  It looks like the mountains were clear cut, and then they ground the stumps and hauled that away. 

However, with a little TLC, it will look really great!  Wish I still lived in Virginia.

Your Chicago shots are great!  We are going to be visiting there this summer.  We are driving our son across the USA to take him (and his car) to his new job with Oracle in Boston, MA.  One of our stops is the Windy City.  Matt

Care to guess where these photos were taken?

Charlie,

I love the humor you put into your block of buildings, especially the Acme Corporation. Great job.

Alan Graziano

Thanks Alan, that means a lot coming from you. I don't quite have the talent or patience to build fine scale models of the sort you turn out, but I do what I can. One of the goals is to model things from movies, tv, etc that people will recognize. I'm trying to come up with a few that kids, not us big kids, will relate to. I think I'm going to ask my daughter to donate some game pieces from Life, a Sponge Bob Square Pants edition. The figures are just about the right size to use. Maybe I need a Crabby Pattie Shack........... I did Moe's tavern from the simpsons, complete with the gang at the bar. It's just a printed scene, but if you look thru the door you can see them. I've got a Williams, old one, GG1 in the black paint scheme, that today I'm going to try to apply the decals I made for it. Gotham City Rail. I've got a couple of Maddison's that I'm going to paint black and decal the same. I've got a number of Hero Clix, Batman, Joker, Penguin and some hench men that will help populate the cars.

I had another tremendous cab ride in Western Maryland Scenic #734 yesterday. If ever interested in a steam cab ride, this is the place to do it. I've done it multiple times and this isn't a museum loco putzing around at 5MPH! Actually, I've only been to WMSR to ride in the cab! One heck of a ride! Engine rides rough, heat is incredible, beautiful scenery! Whistle valve got stuck going around Helmstetters so a stop was required and our engine crew (a couple of really nice guys) crawled out to bang on the whistle with a hammer. They are VERY excited to have the 1309 up there, and even more excited to run it and mentioned that CSX is being very cooperative with moving it this summer (plan is to move it in August up the B&O Old Main Line through Harpers Ferry and on)! WELL WORTH the $250. Also a nice surprise was the little "goodie bag" the WMSR put together for this year. Includes a 734 Engine Crew hat, gloves, goggles, and ear protection. Goggles are a must!

We had 6 cars, and a GP30 for dynamic breaking. I also stopped at Sideling Hill on I-68. I've been through here multiple times but never stopped at the info center they had and overlook. This is one of the best examples of exposed rock and the various geological "layers" that formed millions of years ago in the country. 

SJC, believe it or not, I remember the rough ride of that locomotive back when it was on the LS&I hauling ore in Negaunee, MI. The crew had seen me train watching so much that one day they invited me to ride along down to the Mather B mine. You have motivated me to do a cab ride reprise this year!

More from the VMT:

The overhead windows can make the Roanoke area of the layout difficult to photograph.

After the Roanoke the upper two tracks leave the tunnel.

Below this area is a Plasticville setting on kids level:

Scott Smith

Twin Whistle offers a kit for White Castle/Tower Burger Joints.  I have the kit, yet to be built, and my co-worker has built his.  Here it is...

Cheryl,

Awesome Kit. where did you get it? Would love to get one too.

I just completed my A&W kit... these kits are great. Here is a picture of a completed kit. I will have to post a picture of mine this weekend...

Super kit Cheryl!!  Your coworker did a nice job on his!  I remember a White Castle on the North Side of Pittsburgh near the Heinz plant when I commuted into downtown for college back in the mid '70s.  I think it must have been in the way for the expressway construction in the late '80s.  Thanks for the photos.

Quite a reasonable price too!  I may have to think about one myself.  Thanks J Daddy and Cheryl

WOW, that brings back some memories.  I remember A&W Root Beer had a drive in place by me when I was a teenager.  My wife, then girlfriend, used to go there all the time for their hot dogs and root beer.  Ahhhhhh, man, my taste buds can still taste them.  MMMMMMMMMMMM

Rick

Must have been a very rough ride. you look a little "saddle sore" in that photo!

Bet is fun though while it lasted!