Weekend Photo Fun 5-31-24-??

Operated at Bob's large basement layout here in the western NC mountains yesterday. Premiere NKP Berkshire has sounds restored now thanks to suggestions from several helpful Forum members.

Handsome MTH Geeps in WP colors that I've not seen before of Bob's - very nice and terrific smokers

L&N is another of Bob's favorite roads to model.

Bob's SR Alco's in an ABBA configuration utilizing my E8 B unit and Lionel E6 trailing A unit

2016 issue Premiere SR E8 with Weaver E8 B unit with Lionel E5 repainted as SOUTHERN E6 2800

Weaver B unit is from many years ago and had long shanked couplers that gave me vast distances between the two A units. Bob had some old K-Line dummies and quickly installed them for a much more pleasing close-coupled look.

NJHR member Steve Maier joined us and and a great time was has by all

I visited the Danbury (CT) Railway Museum last week. Although I expected that the railyard would be closed, the purpose of my visit was to look for railroad books in the gift shop – which also was closed. But I took some photos of the locomotives and cars that were visible from the parking lot, and the historic station built by the New Haven Railroad in 1903 that houses the Museum’s gift shop and indoor exhibits.

The first photo shows New Haven Railroad EMD FL-9 #2006 and Sperry Rail Services #135 Rail Flaw Detection car. The second photo shows the Sperry car and two 1954 New Haven “washboard” M.U. combine passenger cars. The third photo shows a Pullman observation car that was leased by the New York Central Railroad for use on its 20^th Century Limited.

The station once served the New Haven Railroad and its one-time competitor, the New York & New England Railroad. The yard itself lies within a loop of track and the station’s platform has a curved canopy.

MELGAR

Some old photos from earlier layout iterations:

The Disney park.

The theater district.

The City Zoo.

An overall shot of the layout.

Lots of things have gone on this week……

First: the modular group works on road testing modules  for our July Tractor Museum show. Four of us belong to the River City 3 Railers and National Capitol Trackers……the three modules in the middle are Tracker modules and the ones on the end are “transition modules” built by Gilly and I in 2022 so that we could run with the Trackers……you will be able to tell where we used flex track to be able join RC3R specs with Tracker specs….

Second: A few weeks back I laid out paper to decide where the sidewalks would go. I’m using 1/8” Balsa and then started to replace the paper. First, I would carefully cut the wood to the dimensions. Then, I carefully scribed sidewalk lines. Then, textured Rustoleum spray paint (desert bisque). I think it will need some light gray dry brushing down the road……

Then, I kept running my military consists up and broke out my PennCentral ALCOs……

Have a great and safe weekend, everyone!

Peter

Here's my photos of the fun kind for this fine weekend!  Thanks Scott for getting us rolling!  Have a super weekend everyone!

@Putnam Division

Peter:

The modules look to be great! What tool did you us the scribe the lines in your sidewalks? I have tried an Xacto knife, and the paint keeps covering up the thin scribe marks.

A 2023 Christmas Layout Memory

- walt

@Randy Harrison posted:

@Putnam Division

Peter:

The modules look to be great! What tool did you us the scribe the lines in your sidewalks? I have tried an Xacto knife, and the paint keeps covering up the thin scribe marks.

A number 2 pencil…….then, I went over it with the long edge of my short metal rulers.

I also use the pointed metal scribe that I use to scribe glass and metal……..it’s on the top of the rolling cart to the bottom right…..next tp one of my short metal rulers…….

Before I adhere them to the surface, I’ll likely go over them again and do some cracks.

Peter

Didn't do much this week as work was crazy but I did pick up a MoPac GP20 & caboose from my LHS over the weekend -

Broke out the TCA special to run on Memorial Day

From my next video on the Century Club1 engines, the NYC F3 ABA diesel set.  This has been a fun series to do and I've actually added some items I didn't have before I started.

@Craignor posted:

Trump Train!

@Craignor

Craig:

That is an impressive train, 40 freight cars.

I trust that you and your family are doing well?

In a few hours my Lionel New Hope & Ivyland #40 2-8-0 Cosolidation will arrive to become part of my railroad. Until then, here is a great memory of the REAL locomotive that I visited many times before moving to CA about 10 year ago:

Okay - Here it is - arrived a couple of hours ago and already placed in service!

Lionel did a nice job!!

@Randy Harrison posted:

@Craignor

Craig:

That is an impressive train, 40 freight cars.

I trust that you and your family are doing well?

Randy,

All is well. I hope you and yours are ok too.

Spent the Memorial Day weekend mostly at home with time to make some layout progress.  First landscaping for the recently functional upper level.  I wanted some undulating terrain, so made a mess with green insulation foam.  Materials used included lots of static grass, custom painted flex stone walls, rock molds, carving plaster, a plasticville building and an old Lionel coal building that survived my childhood abuse.

Also spent some time experimenting with materials for gravel roads.  First attempt was using some leftover polymer sand from a home project.  Just spread it out and wet it with water and it will eventually turn rock hard.  It’s easy to work with, takes simulated tire tracks well, but looks more like new gravel instead of seasoned used roads.

The upper level is in progress of getting roads out of glued down clay kitty litter.  The clay is crushed easily to look like worn road tracks, but requires several applications of glue.  The kitty litter needs more wearing and weathering before I am satisfied.

@jstraw124 posted:

Spent the Memorial Day weekend mostly at home with time to make some layout progress.  First landscaping for the recently functional upper level.  I wanted some undulating terrain, so made a mess with green insulation foam.  Materials used included lots of static grass, custom painted flex stone walls, rock molds, carving plaster, a plasticville building and an old Lionel coal building that survived my childhood abuse.

Also spent some time experimenting with materials for gravel roads.  First attempt was using some leftover polymer sand from a home project.  Just spread it out and wet it with water and it will eventually turn rock hard.  It’s easy to work with, takes simulated tire tracks well, but looks more like new gravel instead of seasoned used roads.

The upper level is in progress of getting roads out of glued down clay kitty litter.  The clay is crushed easily to look like worn road tracks, but requires several applications of glue.  The kitty litter needs more wearing and weathering before I am satisfied.

Nice job, it definitely adds a level of realism to the layout. I like the idea of using polymeric sand.👍

Gene

@Craignor posted:

Randy,

All is well. I hope you and yours are ok too.

@Craignor

Other than a few new health issues for me, we, also, are all doing well.

Chris, I love your MPC engines.

@jim sutter posted:

Chris, I love your MPC engines.

Thank you Jim !

At Grant Funk Railroad yesterday.  

Different view of BACHMANN ‘s two truck climax

The Pennsy's N1s was an interesting engine.  Built in 1918 for heavy drag freight and limited to 35mph, the 1st and 5th drivers had lateral side movement while the center was blind to allow operations on tight curves.  Most had the shorter 100-F-85 slope side tender.  The Pennsy divested a lot of engines in 1950, including nearly all the 60 N1s.

3rd Rail.

@CAPPilot posted:

The Pennsy's N1s was an interesting engine.  Built in 1918 for heavy drag freight and limited to 35mph, the 1st and 5th drivers had lateral side movement while the center was blind to allow operations on tight curves.  Most had the shorter 100-F-85 slope side tender.  The Pennsy divested a lot of engines in 1950, including nearly all the 60 N1s.

3rd Rail.

@CAPPilot

Ron:

That is impressive! I have never seen an N-1 before. Also, your layout is GREAT!!!!!

@Randy Harrison posted:

@Craignor

Other than a few new health issues for me, we, also, are all doing well.

Randy,

I have you in my prayers.

@Randy Harrison posted:

@CAPPilot

Ron:

That is impressive! I have never seen an N-1 before. Also, your layout is GREAT!!!!!

@Randy Harrison  I think I have a long way to go before my layout is GREAT.  But thank you for the compliment.

In O scale, only Sunset/3rd Rail did the N1s and I don't think they did a lot of them.  I am hoping they do the N2sa (rebuilt USRA 2-10-2) sometime in the future.