What did you do on your layout today?

Well I think I’m going to end my Productive  weekend with this.  Since I backdated I’ve lost my Mack b81 heavy haul truck  so I decided to drag this one out and finish it I started it  about a year ago I got this from Don Mills back when he so kits probably about 10 years ago.  Today I primer and painted it enjoy the pics 

Paul, the trees are outstanding, and the fallen trunk is a great detail. Lee, breaking out the classics! Great video. For someone with arthritis and eyesight issues, you sure can build! Bob, I’m in your camp. I hate the “selfie” too, but glad to see the addition in your profile. 

Andy 

Here is the video of the finished slash burner

Lew, I glued down the new stuff also, but this time I just used Elmers White school glue! LOL

SantaFe52, Cool looking Monorail!

Paul, the broken tree looks great & the white paint really makes things pop! Nice work!

Lee Great pictures! Looks Great!

David, you sure have a couple of sweet looking engines there!

Bob, Nice Picture update! Next time you need a change you can always put a picture of you in the snow! LOL

So today I got all the old glue sanded off and the new plan laid out somewhat! I changed a few things cause I didn't like how it was looking for me. Here are a couple of pictures!

CSX Al posted:

Here is the video of the finished slash burner

Wow! An awesome looking model wasn't enough? It has simulated fire too? Great job Al.

If you put a fan powered smoke unit inside too my head might explode.

RSJB18 posted:

CSX Al posted:

Here is the video of the finished slash burner

Wow! An awesome looking model wasn't enough? It has simulated fire too? Great job Al.

If you put a fan powered smoke unit inside too my head might explode.

Aw, you weren't supposed to say anything. 

Thanks guys going to call it a night keep up the great craftsmanship you guys go I’ll drop in this week some time 

Today I tinkered with fixing some scenery issues and took some photos of the layout when the natural light was still good.  I've included some of those photos here.  The photos are mainly of Mt. Randolph as I experimented with some slightly new camera angles and my back can verify that LOL! 

Last weekend I weathered a new K line A5 Pennsy switcher.  This was my first extensive weathering project for a loco.  I've included some photos ... some of before and several after shots.  I was mindful to splash coal about the tender deck, as real railroad coaling operations were not a neat and tidy operation, I'm sure  .

Nice progress Mike! Al, the video of the burner is wild! I like the base too. Great stuff.

Andy

I picked the last powerhouse  brick up at my local hobby town.

TrumpTrain, Great Pictures! But WOW what a wonderful job on weathering the switcher! Looks great!

Loganup1982, glad you got your brick. I hope you will show us some pictures of your layout after you get it hooked up!

Brian, You must be thinking about a trip north of the boarder! LOL Great Pictures!

I might get a little time for the train room today, but have Dr. Appt's so you never know how long that will take! I hope everyone had a good Monday!

trumptrain posted:

Great job weathering!   First time you say, well done!   I really like what you did with the tender.   Someday, I would like to weather my fleet.   Did you use chalk and/or paint, other? 

Cheers, Dave

Wow, CSX Al ..l built a kit of a slash burner, but it has no fire,  much less smoke. Great looking model. Today l am stymied ..kitchen doll furniture for logging cook house "lost in mail"; no coaling chute apparatus at Lombard=two unfinished structures, although the coaling tower can get detail paint and roofing.

Pat, the weathering looks good!  A hard working yard engine!  Nice views of Mount Randolph!

Mike, it looks like you are back since you redid the roadbed!

Logan, That's a great investment in power!

Brian, Nice photographs of CP!

Found some time to kit-bash the MTH "Drain Surgeons" building into a road-side stand depicting a local landmark, "Kelly's Roast Beef", on Revere Beach in Massachusetts - the oldest public beach in the U.S. - with a little light weathering.

Only problem is, everytime I look at it, I get hungry !

I’ve come to the point of what to do about disguising the hinges on the lift up section. The photos below show newly installed, the hinges painted, and now disguised. I think it looks pretty good. I also put down some ground cover on the lift up section.

Andy 

Richie, Looks like a lot of other folks are hungry too!  Good job on the World Famous!!

Andy, what hinges?  I don't see any hinges!!!

Brian, the PRR looks good

Richie C. posted:

Found some time to kit-bash the MTH "Drain Surgeons" building into a road-side stand depicting a local landmark, "Kelly's Roast Beef", on Revere Beach in Massachusetts - the oldest public beach in the U.S. - with a little light weathering.

Only problem is, everytime I look at it, I get hungry !

I'm hungry!  And it's all Richie's fault!

Steamfan77 posted:

 

And

Great hide!  Cheers, Dave

mike g. posted:

Mike, Glad to see you moving forward again!   I like the new track plan.    Cheers, Dave

Steamfan - Andy - very clever hinge hiders!  Looks great! 

Andy, great idea covering the hunges. I wouldn't even know they were there. 

Mike, good to see progress on your layout. 

Sorry, I did not do anything today and tomorrow will be a short day. Another Tuesday night get together So I guess I'll just surf the net looking for something to buy.........Paul

Vincent Massi posted:

Richie C. posted:

Found some time to kit-bash the MTH "Drain Surgeons" building into a road-side stand depicting a local landmark, "Kelly's Roast Beef", on Revere Beach in Massachusetts - the oldest public beach in the U.S. - with a little light weathering.

Only problem is, everytime I look at it, I get hungry !

I'm hungry!  And it's all Richie's fault!

Waiting on line at the deli in my local supermarket. Just decided to order roast beef. I have no idea why??????🤣

darlander posted:

Steamfan77 posted:

 

And

Great hide!  Cheers, Dave

Hinges? We don't need no stinkin hinges!

Great job Andy. 

Thank you Dave, Patrick, Paul, and Bob!

Andy

RSJB18 posted:

Vincent Massi posted:

Richie C. posted:

Found some time to kit-bash the MTH "Drain Surgeons" building into a road-side stand depicting a local landmark, "Kelly's Roast Beef", on Revere Beach in Massachusetts - the oldest public beach in the U.S. - with a little light weathering.

Only problem is, everytime I look at it, I get hungry !

I'm hungry!  And it's all Richie's fault!

Waiting on line at the deli in my local supermarket. Just decided to order roast beef. I have no idea why??????🤣

Richie strikes again!

darlander posted:

trumptrain posted:

Great job weathering!   First time you say, well done!   I really like what you did with the tender.   Someday, I would like to weather my fleet.   Did you use chalk and/or paint, other? 

Cheers, Dave

Thanks so very much Dave!  I really appreciate you taking time to comment.  

My process was first to spray the engine and tender with Testors Dullcote.  Once that dried, I hit some some spots on the engine with Testors flat black spray paint... mainly up around the smoke stack, back around the boiler, and firebox near the drive wheels.    Next I used pastel chalks ( rust, black, and gray ) purchased at an art supply store.  ( Good thing the colors are labeled on the sticks because I'm color blind )  I made the chalk marks at the top of the tender and rubbed the chalk downward with my fingers.  I primarily used more gray at the bottom of the tender to give the kicked up ballast dust look. Once I finished with the chalks, I applied some glue around the outer rim of the coal bunker, gang way coal access doors ( where the fireman would load his shovel), behind the water hatch, behind the back up light housing, and on the slanted tender deck.   Then I sprinkled some loose scenic coal over these areas to give the spilled coal effect.  

I took a few photos to check if there was any glare reflecting from any part of the locomotive/tender ... and of course there was.  I then sprayed those areas with flat black to loose the glare.  Once the paint dried I went back and worked over some of those areas with the pastels being careful to leave some of the flat black exposed.   I took one more set of test photos which turned up negative glare.  I then sprayed both loco and tender with another coat of Dullcote.  Walla .... all done!  Well having said " all done " I will more than likely go back and tweak the weathering a bit more at some point in the future. 

  I encourage you to select a locomotive from your fleet and give weathering a go.  With chalks we can always go back and wash them off if we don't like what we see.  All in all  I found the entire process to be fun and meditative. 

That's about the best introduction to weathering that I have ever read.

The transformation is complete. Still need a clear coat.

This is from yesterday actually. I bought 2 loops of Super O track at a show this past Saturday. My dog Patch didn't like that I took her spot on the great room floor. 

 

RSJB18 posted:

Wait.......I'M A BAD INFLUENCE?????????

HEE! HEE!

Come on guys... let’s all play nice. I think we can agree that we are ALL, to some or another extent, bad influences... just some of us (Brian) are badder that others    

Sincerely;

A. Nother Pot.

Jon1443 posted:

I spent all last week in Calgary, but came home yesterday to a ZW on my porch (thank you kind neighbors for not stealing it). Removed and disassembled my old control box that housed one of my RW’s and started redesigning it for the ZW

 

 

I use two PW ZW’s to power my layout (with the addition of a bank of modern circuit breakers to protect my TMCC/Legacy engines). They are really great transformers.

continued the slow progress creating Starkweather Ave......

gandydancer1950 posted:

continued the slow progress creating Starkweather Ave......

Absolutely stunning work Gandydancer!!  I love how you capture the atmosphere.   The way you photograph the shadows allows a whole other dimension of realism to your already wonderfully crafted scenes.  Well done!  BRAVO!!!

Vincent Massi posted:

That's about the best introduction to weathering that I have ever read.

Why thank you Vince!! 

Ok Guys time to catch up!

LEE, Great start on the Mack Truck! I bet its going to turn out just like the other ones! WONDERFUL!

Mark, thank you sir, I am Back! Its nice to get back in the train room again!

Richie C. great job on the Kelly's Roast Beef! I am glad its morning or I would be heading to the nearest BBQ place! LOL

Andy, nice job on the hinges!

Brian, great job on the PRR Pictures!

Dave, thank you Its going to be a slow build for a little while!

Ralph, wonderful job on the transformation!

Ward, if you can get her to move a little she can sit in the center and watch the train go around and around!

GandyDancer1950, I love your progress reports! What a great layout!

Yesterday I ordered some more switches. But its going to be a slow build as I will only really have the weekends to work on the layout! Next Friday I start 8 weeks M-F of  Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to assist in the healing from 7 1/2 weeks of radiation . But I will be doing my best to keep up with you all!

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

gandydancer1950 posted:

continued the slow progress creating Starkweather Ave......

A refreshing scheme.  City modeling offers something that suburban and rural modeling do not.  A lot of opportunities to include one hell of alot of detail.  You have certainly done an outstanding job, capturing the nitty gritty of a downtown scene.

Apples55 posted:

 

RSJB18 posted:

Wait.......I'M A BAD INFLUENCE?????????

HEE! HEE!

Come on guys... let’s all play nice. I think we can agree that we are ALL, to some or another extent, bad influences... just some of us (Brian) are badder that others    

Sincerely;

A. Nother Pot.

          he made me do it...

WOW guys I've missed a LOT of stuff.   Its been a mad house around here!

Mike I sure hope you do well with the treatments!  

I did get my cows finally!   Found a few minutes Sunday to open the packages and set them up.  Left the cow poo in the Woodland Scenics pack so I didnt lose it : )  

Mowed most of the day Sunday.  At home and at the shop building.  Then hung some new LED lights under the loft over there.    WOW are they bright!!  Was going to use a set like them in the train room but thats not going to happen!  Too bright for the train room!  But will be great for working on cars! 

Jim

Just as I did for my SD9's a few weeks ago, I setup this Railking B&O  GP9 dummy with LED lighting & cab figures configured to run long hood forward. The 2nd unit is the powered unit and this way it can start up and  run short hood first - no harm no foul. I've done this for at least three locomotive sets and it works quite well. The powered unit has no problem pushing the dummy and pulling the train.

Short video: