DanielB

The mirror card trick looks good, giving more of a suggestion of something beyond the bridge. Plus the reflected light makes it look sunny on the other side of the bridge, which wouldn't happen if you used a photo backdrop instead.

Interstate #4 has had it's lettering applied. If this rain stops I might be able to seal it ready for painting.

Not a lot to show lately, but a few things to report. The renumbering of the additional coal cars has been completed, and three extra caboose have had their factory road markings removed with Isopropyl Alcohol and Q-tips ready for painting/lettering, though two will need the same treatment as cab #14 before I can get to that stage. I've also received and replaced metal wheels on 9 more freight cars, I've a pack of Kadee #5 couplers waiting to be fitted, and another order of metal wheels and a few more freight cars coming from Kent Garden Railways. Hopefully I can have some more photos up on the thread later in the week.

Thanks Nick. I just got an email saying Ellis Clark have dispatched the double pack of C&O caboose so I should have a couple more to work on later this week. In the mean time, I received 8 more Accurail coal cars lettered for the Interstate this morning from a gentleman in Tennessee - $120 shipped and they arrived in less than 5 days. As such, I've started renumbering them using what's left of a pack of K4 Decals. Tonight's night shift efforts should see more progress done on the fleet.

Minus the correct trucks which will come at a later date, INT #14 is ready to roll. :)

INT #6012 and #7088 fully completed and ready for their first loads. Now they'll return to their boxes to keep them safe until I can afford to get the bench work, track and electrics finished on the layout. :)

Cab #14 painted and lettered, and ready for weathering. :) I think I'll have a go at 3D printing the ladders and steps on the two other C&O cabs I'll be kitbashing. 🤣 I've also ordered a Bachmann 2 axle bobber caboose to kitbash into a representation of INT #4 - the sole 2 axle cab remaining on the INT roster at the time I'm representing. It was kept around due to the tight clearances at the Stonega tipple, the other three examples being scrapped due to their terrible ride when used on the end of hill jobs hauled by the INT's powerful mallets. The Stonega job was often done by consolidations so #4 wasn't so rough a ride for the crew.

The kitbashed caboose is now ready for cleanup and paint. :) really happy with how it's turned out.

Over the last couple of days I've been working on turning a Walthers C&O wooden caboose I bought from a train show back before lockdown, into an Interstate prototype using images found on the INT fansite and in Ed Wolfe's books. The two I have on order will become another couple of examples, but this one will end up as pre-rebuild #10, as seen in the attached photo from the fansite. At the moment it's about 50% finished as far as the kitbash goes. I need to add wire handrails, correct ladders, Kadee caboose trucks, and the underframe tool boxes. Once the kitbash is complete I'll paint everything accordingly - red body, yellow steps and handrails, black roof and underframe - then add modified coal hopper lettering from my stash from K4 Decals.

Not a lot of progress to mention at the moment, however I have made an inventory of all my rolling stock - for the 1950's I have around 60 freight cars that I can use on the layout, though a lot of them need metal wheels and kadee couplers before they can see use. I've also ordered a twin pack of Walthers C&O wooden caboose, as these are about as good a starting point as I can get for Interstate cans without spending $80 a pop for craftsman kits of accurate INT cab models. Also, a gentleman in Tennessee is shipping over 8 more 50T hoppers lettered for the Interstate. All I'll need to do is change up the road numbers and they'll be good to go. Once those arrive, my coal car fleet should be pretty much sorted. :)

Three more coal cars weathered today. I didn't see much point in working on the trucks on the fleet until I've got metal wheels and Kadee's for them all. Then I can weather the wheel sets before I swap them out. Included in today's batch is a car which has been 'chalked' with the inaugural "First Coal Loaded..." lettering for Renima Mine. The Stonega Coke & Coal company did this to 'Christen' new mine tipples, and there are a few photos of such cars in Ed Wolfe's second book on the Interstate. Renima will be the name of the mine and coal camp depicted on the layout. It was the name my late grandfather gave to his home. He was a coal miner for most of his life, and as some of you may have spotted, Renima is 'A Miner' spelt backwards. My layout will be set in 1952, so the year was set in stone already, however the day was always going to be December 2nd - his birthday. There will also be a few HO scale geese on the layout once it gets built, as Goose was the nickname we gave him when I was a child, due to my young cousin at the time pronouncing Grandad as 'Ganda'. The date chalked on the car should also give clues as to the scenery that will appear on the layout - winter trees, dead grass and a lot of snow. :)

Truly incredible layout. Absolutely superb.

Six hoppers finished today. Until I can afford to have the layout built, I'm enjoying making progress on the fleet. :)

Whilst clearing off my work desk I moved the work in progress structures onto the layout to give a general idea of how it'll look. I'm not sure the metal warehouse extension looks right at this stage. I might shorten it and add a concrete block tower on top to connect the skybridge to.

Two more down. :)