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About this blog

The build of my former HOn3 layout (the M-K & Eastern RR), now an On30 layout and some excursions into the art of modeling.

Entries in this blog

Part 49: ready to paint a brass K-27

Westside models K-27 #460 in HOn3 dismantled in preparation for painting. These engines are like Swiss watches in their build quality. A pure joy to work with. I have prepared it for LED lights in both the front and rear headlights. It will get a Soundtraxx DCC sound decoder with a sugar cube speaker. The D&RGW #460 is a very odd engine. It was never modernized to piston valves, neither did it get a shortened smokebox. The version I'm painting will represent how it looked in the mid -30's. I
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Part 48: Finished my brass K-27

My brass Sunset models K-27 is finished. This has been a long road.... First I had to sort out the power pickups, and added phosphor bronze wipers. Then I replaced the worm with a new one from NWSL. The next was installation of a Econami decoder with stay alive and dual speakers. The worst problem was that the drive wheels were out of gauge (and so was the tender wheels...). I corrected that, and finally I could paint it! I used Scalecote 1 engine black and baked it in the oven. Then I painted t
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Part 47: Photos of my favorite builds so far.

Some of my favorite builds in HO/HOn3.   Coach in HOn3       Combine in HOn3       Caboose in HOn3       Boxcar HOn3       Paper model scratchbuilt.       Miller & sons diorama.       Station close up.       Station       20 t Shay in HO       Bi-level station       Gas station   Leadville building in HO       Modified Lindbergh tug in HO       Weathered brass C-19 in HOn3       FSM engine house for HOn3        
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Part 46: Finally some layout building!

Finally some progress! I've actually managed to clear out the space for the layout. The room as it looked...   Insulation and moisture barrier installed.   Sheetrock... We all love to do some sheetrock and mud and sanding, and mud and sanding....   I rounded two of the corners. I made a backing from two layers of 1/8" hardboard.   I used 1/4" sheetrock that I wetted and bent to shape in the corners.   The backdrop is now the next step (almost..) I need to install the lighting firs
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Part 45: The Nevada City fire station, ancient kit built.

The HSM Nevada city fire station is done! It was a real challenge, mostly printed cardboard and some sticks of wood...but it went really okay I think. The bell tower has 28 parts.... Fiddly, to say the least. The interior light is a led mounted above the ceiling and has an orange colored diffuser to make it resemble gas light.                
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Part 44: 3D printing and model railroading.

My latest build: A Stamp mill in HO scale for my HOn3 layout. I've made it from plans in the "Old wood and stone buildings​" book. I CAD converted the drawn plans and as I have a 3D printer, I printed the timber frame, windows, doors, smoke stack and loading platform. I then covered the frame with Northeastern wood and the roof with cardboard covered with surgical tape. The stays for the smokestack are made of piano wire. The painting is acrylics on mineral spirits soaked wood...It makes it so
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Part 43: Sierra west Hotel.

Hi all! I just finished the build of Sierra wests Hotel in HO.   I made very few changes away from the manual. The peeling paint that is described in it was a bit too uncontrolled (sort of...). So I made the peeling paint by brushing on turpentine and then brush on Vallejo white paint.   I really like the way it turned out. Take a look at the pics and let me know what you think about it.                     I added a few figures.       Thanks for wa
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Part 42: The Leadville house

Hi all, this is the latest build for my layout: CM's Leadville house! It was a real joy to build, and the mfg delivered the missing parts very swiftly (thanks!). I think it is a really good looking house that I wouldn't mind living in in 1:1 scale! My wife asked when we should start building it.... I have put real glass in all the windows, as I do on all my builds now. That will show the interiors really good when I have installed the lights in it. I will also build a small shed/garage
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Part 41: The Minturn stn.

At the local narrow gauge convention, I bought a Detail associates kit for the "Foothill station". The kit is sold out since many years, so I guess it could be hard to find another one.... It is a mixed media, but mostly wood, kit with plastic windows and doors. The building is made for two levels of terrain which I will use to serve two railroads. A standard gauge railroad on the upper level, and a HOn3 narrow gauge on the lower. A bit like John Allen did with Corsa on the G&D. So, he
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Part 40: The Minturn, Kings divide & Eastern RR

Hi all, I felt that it has become a lot of changes to my model world . So much so that it required a new layout thread . It all started with my Middletown, Kensington & Eastern RR that I built for the 2010 challenge. A layout that would depict a fictional New England in 1943. Thanks to a move to larger premises etc. I started to build on it, and add on to it a little, but felt that it did not really work ... : (   My good friend and museum owner Peter Haventon offered then to aquire the
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Part 39: HOn3 Bachmann Shay conversion.

Hello! I 've had a Bachmann three truck 80 ton Shay in HO in quite a few years now. The original:     The Shay has experienced quite a few revisions, among other things, the exchange of the cracked plastic gears with metal gears from NWSL . The largest revision was when I had gotten tired of the lousy tracking of the middle truck. That was when I rebuilt it to a two truck version:   (see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/638/entry-5254-part-6-shay-conversion/ )   Now
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Part 38: Pratt truss bridge.

Hello everyone! I have built a bridge that I've longed to build for many years! Namely the Central valley 150 foot Pratt truss bridge in HO! It may probably be one of the trickier bridge kits on the market .. I think it may have something to do with that it is built of loose beams that has to be cut to the right lengths and angles ..... But the end result more than outweigh the difficulties. I built it as a dual gauge bridge with both HO and HOn3 gauges. With a bit of painting and weathe
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Part 37: Miller and sons machine shop

My latest build that I made to incorporate in my new layout. A Woodland scenics machine shop that I made a diorama of. I named it Miller & sons after the great Glenn Miller. I listened to a lot of his music during the build....           I'm very satisfied with the build so far. I was honestly surprised at the value of this kit! It has a few issues though, as it is (as I have understood it) an old Alloy forms kit thar WS have re-released. The white metal is VERY hard, and
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Part 36: Swedish class N3 locomotive brass build in HO

Hello fellow forumites! I'm starting a new project; the brass kit mfg HNJ's steam locomotive class N3! This is the contents of the kit:   Seems to me to be a good kit! :-)   This is the progress so far. The gearbox was a bit fiddly to get smooth, but after some fine adjusting, it is super nice! :-) The boiler is made from thick brass tubes and cast brass pieces. It was a job for the propane torch! Just going to add the smoke box overlay and the boiler bands before detailing it
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Part 34: A new beginning :-)

This is how I have planned my new layout to look. There will be some changes along the way I think.... :-) I have designed it to include my current layout along the left side. The size is nice to fill with landscape. The room is 6.5 x 4.5 meters. The possibility to have a decent sized harbour is really exciting! Almost true to scale liberty ship maybe? :-)
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Part 32: Relocating my world.... :-)

Evening all! Sometimes a lot of things happen at once..... After living and working near were we live for the last 12 years, we have now decided to relocate. We have just signed the deal for this house: Not so very far away though, only about 12 kilometers from were we live now, but it's a very much better accomodations for both me and my wife. Both the communications and the house is better suited for our current needs. My wife attends University for her theological candidacy, and I'
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Part 31: Kitbashed "Reading" Camelback in HO

As it was shown in another forum a scratchbuilt Camelback, I just felt like that was something I had to try! The one shown was a 0-6-0 type, but I don't have any suitable donors for that.... After looking in the Steam locomotive cyclopedia, I saw a Reading 2-8-0 Camelback. That meant we were in business!   To give some insight into the project we start by showing the donor for the conversion: A Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0 Consolidation with a Soundtraxx decoder (retrofitted). It's a fantasti
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Part 30: Railroad painting

Here is my latest, made today . I find these very enjoying to make. Size 6" by 6". Acrylic on canvas. Original photo by Kevin Burkholder.     Source: Railway art, show us your work :-)
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Part 29: Painting The M-K & Eastern RR's Harbour at night

Hi again, some news from the M-K & Eastern RR. I just finished a painting that I made that depicts the harbour of my layout at night. This one is acrylic on canvas and is 12" x 16". I just have to do some "regular" paintings sometimes.     Source: The M-K & Eastern RR Harbour branch
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Part 28: More re-modeling of the layout.

I finally got hold of a kit that I've been "needing" for some time now It's the Heljan Brewery! Every time that it have been on the market, I have either felt no direct need for it, or haven't had the finances for it.... But now I took the plunge and bought it! When looking at the kit, I can see why it's so popular! So many parts and possibilitys.... I can not build it as it's intended to be (and why would I? ). I started with some "bulldozing" of the part of the layout that will be the
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Part 27: Some weathered Swedish Ore wagons :-)

I had a client that had built these from kits (brass/white metal), and he wanted them painted and weathered. I primed and painted them with Phoenix paints, when I got to the decaling I got into trouble (wich didn't really show at this point......). There were 4 sheets of decals with most decals for all for cars on one sheet. The problem was that one of the sheets looked okay..... the rest looked "old"..... I applied them on a gloss surface and used both micro-set and micro-sol. There was som
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Part 26: Loksound in the Boxcab

I just installed a ESU Loksound V4 micro in my Boxcab (see part 19 & 20), I used the OEM-speaker and I think it is just wonderful! There is noticeable improvement with this decoder compared with the 3.5. I bought the "empty" decoder and used my Lokprogrammer to install the sound. There is no soundfiles for a 1925 AGEIR Boxcab though.... But until I can find some nice sounds to make a soundproject of my own for it,I will use the sound that I installed as a "good enough" sound. The sound
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Part 25: The history behind the RR.

I've had some thoughts about the freelance prototype when building a freelance layout as I´m doing .... When I started the construction of my layout, I envisioned it located in Maine somewhere (a bit vague ...) The name of the company came after the initials of me and my wife ;-) "M-K & E RR" = Michael & Kerstins Enskilda Järnvägar (Michael & Kerstins Private RR) Something has to give when you get to build the layout in the living room ... The "real" readout of the name
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