From the Workbench (for everyone to contribute):

[Ashley]

(snip)

And that Westerfield PRR X25 which almost kicked my backside...it did NOT want to go together due to a badly unflat floor and a twisted roof, which is why I let that topic die. But I fought back, called in the heavy artillery (big mill files, clamps and other weapons) yielding this result...

 

All three are looking good, and all you have to do now is weather them.

[CraigZ]

Ahh, the satisfaction of projects being "finnished-ish". I say "ish" because as of Monday they locked my balcony where i could use my airbrush setup so they can repair them at my apartment building, which means both of the projects below are waiting on final clear coats to seal the decals. I thought i had another week's time before i lost my ability to airbrush without driving an hour to my parents house where the layout is.

 

First up, a GATX 2600 AirSlide Hopper, Athearn RTR, repainted with custom decals for one of the cars leased by Redpath Sugar/Dominion Crystal here in Canada in the 1950's.

 

Second up, a major overhaul of an Athearn Blue Box SW7 that i bought in 1995ish when i was a High School Student. This locomotive had been re-painted by me once to be a CNR Locomotive, but was badly done by brush and without any detail parts to Canadianize the SW7 to a more realistic SW1200RS Appearance. This locomotive now has a Cannon & Co Cab, Miniatures By Eric SW1200 Kit (Light/numberboard assemblies, drop steps, exhausts, pilots), MBE Fuel Tank, MBE Truck Sideframes, Detail Associates sunshades, MV Lenses, no longer powered (was a crap runner and i don't need it as a working loco) and scratch made end handrails.

 

Not the best pictures i've taken, didn't bother to get out my big camera, just using my point and shoot to grab some quick shots.

 

Nicely done...I particularly like the Airslide! Who made the decals? And the switcher doesn't look much like a blue box Athearn now!

[sjgardiner]

Nicely done...I particularly like the Airslide! Who made the decals? And the switcher doesn't look much like a blue box Athearn now!

 

Thanks,

 

I don't know who made the decals for the Redpath Hoppper, there is no manufacturer name on them, but i bought them from the TMR Distributing booth at a show, not sure if they made them themselves on an ALPS printer or had someone make them for them, as they were some of the thinest decals i've ever seen. If you email Terry who runs TMR through their website i'm sure he could get you some - http://www.tmrdistributing.com/

 

-Stephen

[Talltim]

Acually doing some building. A Canfield/McGlone Philadelphia and Reading HPa hopper bottom gondola

Its not as neat as I would like, but its my first time in resin and using CA is a whole new ball game for me.

[Ashley]

Looks promising though.

[CraigZ]

Promising indeed...getting the sides/ends square is 90% of the battle. A tip is to not use CA to fit up the parts; use a contact cement and use it sparingly. When satisfied with the fit up, the cement will tack stuff in place long enough for you to apply the CA.

[Ashley]

That's a good tip.

[sjgardiner]

That is a good tip Craig, thanks for that. One of my next projects is a grey resin tank car kit, and i think that tip may come in very handy in forming the tank from the slightly misshapen rolled casting in the kit.

 

My update is an older project that i finally got around to taking a better photo of, and a fresh off the press project i completed last night (aside from the seemingly inevitable touchup's you find when photographing, the camera be a harsh mistress for the models).

 

Both models are part of my project to create the stock of the Toronto Railway Museum where i volunteer in HO Scale.

 

First, a project i finished back in April, our Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Caboose No.70 as it will be when we are done restoring it.

 

Real Life:

 

And the Model:

 

 

And the 2nd Project, completed last night when i got the rerailers installed, Canadian National Railways High-Nose GP7 Number 4803:

 

Real Life:

 

And the Model:

 

Started out from one of the new Bachmann GP7's: http://www.mainstation.co.nz/image.ashx?product=5715

 

 

More pictures of both as well as a couple of an older project to model the TRM's 50 Whitcomb Switcher: http://www.flickr.co...ken/2012/08/27/

 

-Stephen

[CraigZ]

ATSF 136308 now with added crud and grime...Speedwitch resin kit, Floquil ATSF Oxide Red paint, weathered with acrylic washes and Bragdon powders.

 

[sjgardiner]

Another project starting to resemble something on my workbench. Last year another volunteer at the museum gave me a Miniatures by Eric CLRV Streetcar kit. The kit is a resin shell and parts, the castings are a bit rough and there are some areas that aren't perfectly accurate, but it's the only modern TTC Streetcar in HO scale out there. I finally got around to ordering trucks and a chassis from CustomTraxx in October, along with the decals, and have started making progress on the model. I made the decision early on that this wasn't going to be a runner, as I'd rather use the interior space to provide a detailed interior of the car, so some construction decisions reflecting that have been made in the installation of the bolster to hold the front truck, and of the trolley pole on the roof.

 

First couple of rough pictures (i really need to shoot with my good camera).

 

First Shot: The unpainted shell being test-fit to the frame and trucks. I have drilled out the cast in lights and added divots where appropriate on the sides for using MV lenses for the markers, headlights and turnsignals on the car. Easier to do when it isn't painted so i'm not risking paint and decals.

 

Second Shot: Painted with the white which both acts as a primer and part of the finished paint scheme of the TTC CLRV, seats for the interior laid out in front of the car

 

Third Shot: The CustomTraxx Pewter frame for the Miniatures by Eric CLRV Shell with Bowser Trucks installed (with the MBE TTC sideframes painted and in place) and with spaces to raise the floor to the height it needs to be being test fit

 

I've made decent progress in a short period of time, but i am going to be slowing up for a bit as I'm struggling with the interior fit and don't have much in the way of free time from work in the next couple of weeks, but so far i am pleased with the way it is starting to take shape. The big thing for me was the first coat of paint and having it look like a streetcar, as the resin casing was generally ugly to look at!

 

-Stephen

[sjgardiner]

I've made decent progress in a short period of time, but i am going to be slowing up for a bit as I'm struggling with the interior fit and don't have much in the way of free time from work in the next couple of weeks, but so far i am pleased with the way it is starting to take shape. The big thing for me was the first coat of paint and having it look like a streetcar, as the resin casing was generally ugly to look at!

 

And, after clearing a bunch of stuff work wise at the end of last week, last weekend and my nights this week have been much more productive. Should be close to having it "finished" this weekend, or at least all the interior done, decals on, and together. The only other "finishing" touch i am debating is adding an operator and passengers, but thats a task i can do anytime that won't take that long to do later.

 

Test assembled & ready for detail decals

 

Interior seating installed, just the handrails that extend from the back of most seats to the ceiling to go to complete the look of the interior. Not 100% accurate, the seats are a bit big and should be raised off the floor, but given the constraints of space and the available seats, when viewed through the windows, it looks right, and that's what matters to me on this project.

 

Hopefully i'll be done and can post a couple of glamour shots of the finished car next week.

 

-Stephen

[Guest 40-something]

Some great projects on here, I add my Amtrak projects when I get them started!

[CraigZ]

My build of a Central of Georgia Rwy Historical Society ventilated box car, aka a 'watermelon car'. Note the ventilator louvers on the end (could be opened or closed) and that there are two doors on the side - solid and ventilated. The prototypes ran into the 1960s replete with the horizontal brake wheel arrangement adapted to AB brakes...

 

The kit itself was made for the CofHHS by Smoky Mountain Model Works, and it was a fine kit to work with. Very nicely done.

 

[CraigZ]

Another recent completion - a NYC rebuild where the railroad raised the roof on their USRA steel design cars from 8'7" to 10'3".  It's a Sunshine kit.  It does build up into a very nice looking car but suffers from the typical vague Sunshine instructions.  Honestly if the instructions were a little less generic...sheesh.

 

Now to weather it

 

[trisonic]

Does anyone do decent kits of modern freight cars, Craig?

 

Best, Pete.

[clark33]

At present am assembling a 6- pack of Tichy USRA SS boxcars. The decals supplied include those for DT&I cars leased from PRR (X26c) for automobile parts. The satory was exposed on the stmfc Yahoo list. In my minds's eye these cars will run back and forth to the Key West, Fla dockside for ferry to the Havana Cuba Ford assembly plant. Of course, I have a twist on history: the 1935 hurricane did not destroy the line; SAL has running rights from the FEC; Kennedy's trade embargo is in the future.

[Ashley]

I've not done a lot of railway modelling of late, but have been managing a project to produce under floor power bogies.

 

 

More on my bloge here: http://no-two-alike.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/slipping-into-new-year.html

[clark33]

So fare so good, have finished underframe cross members, next is the brake rodding and piping. This proceeds at an hour a day. I deal with the fdar too fdre sO FAR SO GOOD, HAVE FINIS

[clark33]

oops, try again.

 

So far so good, have finished underframe cross members, next is the brake rodding and piping. This proceeds at an hour a day. I deal with the far too frequent local electric utility blackouts (about 40+ permonth, some minutes some hours) by using a car battetry with an inverter to feed my light and small drill. Inverter is 12VDC/240VAC/300W from Maplin.

[clark33]

Digi-cam snapshots:

[clark33]

Then I realised Tichy had supplied 3 sets of doors. Original wood, original steel, rebuild steel. But the last two, steel, are 6 foot doors, but differing heights. I'm using the rebuild door. Then I pondered on the door runners. Which way up? Not obvious from the instruction sheet. So I studied some roof shots.

 

[clark33]

The doors.

[clark33]

The doors.

[clark33]

The doors.

 

The doors.

[CraigZ]

Another one to weather - a Smoky Mountain Model Works Seaboard class B7 'turtleback' car.  Yep, it's a resin kit.  Painted with Scalecoat II paint, decals are Speedwitch's outstanding Seaboard set.  The chalkmarks are decals from Sunshine.