Nick_Burman Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 5 hours ago, 298 said: Now I remember where I've seen it before- as a yard marker in the Cuban photo in this book... https://morningsunbooks.com/products/electric-railways-of-north-america-in-color That sign indicates the beginning of yard limits. Any moves within this are under the control of the yardmaster or station agent. The sign also indicates how far out a locomotive on switching moves can move out on the main line on a switching move before needing to request block occupancy. Cheers Nicholas 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 Bit of a strange visitor to Alonzo Mill, in the sense that I haven't run my Rapido GMD-1 since deciding to focus on 1950s Hershey. If I build enough stock for the later era then this will run with the Budd railcar and a couple of Boxcar Coaches that the Steeplecabs also pulled. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 17, 2023 Author Share Posted July 17, 2023 Messing around with some Plastruct and York Modelmaking N gauge trusses to make an open sided loco servicing shed as inspired by an article in RMC as sent to me by @doctor quinn about ten years ago (I knew it would come in handy one day). The horizontal beams are for a travelling crane, I probably still need to add some to the sides and am thinking about how much more cladding to add (or remove according). At least if it is too tall I can cut it down... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 17, 2023 Author Share Posted July 17, 2023 (edited) I've also had a nice surprise today thanks to Continental Modeller, but it wouldn't be appropriate to mention it for another month.... Edited July 17, 2023 by 298 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor quinn Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 Looks good Andy, that'll keep the rain off the workers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 18, 2023 Author Share Posted July 18, 2023 (edited) I've added additional detail to the crane rails and given it a quick rattlecan primer paint job between rain showers. Once fitted it certainly looks like it belongs in place and passes the test that the area looks empty once removed. I'll finish painting it the next time I have the airbrush out. Edited July 18, 2023 by 298 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 19, 2023 Author Share Posted July 19, 2023 On 02/01/2022 at 07:03, TEAMYAKIMA said: I have only just seen this layout thread and TBH I haven't yet read every post, but I've just had a wild thought. If i was rich enough to subsidise it, wouldn't it be nice to have a two day 'foreign only' exhibition with as wide a range of concepts as possible, not just American HO switching layouts but all sorts of 'different' layouts which the average exhibition attendee never sees. @TEAMYAKIMA Interesting editorial in the August edition of Continental Modeller, basically lamenting the loss of Globalrail and the European Railway Society shows, and highlighting the problem of trying to find a willing and skilled exhibition manager and assistants to volunteer their spare time to organise such an event. I'm not sure what the solution is in the current era, apart from to promote good modelling and exhibition standards and possibly try to commit to more than two or three shows a year. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 (edited) A tale of three switchers, the first being a plain yellow Bachmann 70 tonner that is now wearing the name of another nearby Central whilst on loan from General Electric. I don't think they will be keeping it because it has the standard chassis and factory decoder which is dire. I filled sheet up with decals for other Cuban and US projects and John at Precision Labels printed and posted it in super quick time. The Hershey brought two 44 tonners (16 and 17) and two 70 tonners (14 & 15) in the early 1950s, they survived as FCdeC stock but eventually succumbed to a lack of spares. Edited July 30, 2023 by 298 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davknigh Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Rapido is doing a GE 44 tonner that you might find interesting and probably a better runner than the Bachmann model. They even have a generic one in yellow planned. https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/44-tonner.html Cheers, David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 #2 is another Bachmann 70 tonner numbered 15 (the other being 14), I originally painted and decaled it in 2014 and and use it for switching and the mixed local on the unelectrified branch to Jaruco, but the home printed Hershey lettering was starting to blur. In theory it should have been a quick job to strip and re-apply the lettering, but having redone the artwork but something didn't tie-in with the spacing. It took me a while to realise using recently acquired images that I had originally followed the Bachmann grills based on blurry images when painting the red stripes and these are too long, and so the letters are bunched up instead of one per bodyside door. It's fairly easy to correct but I'd need more black decals and a chopped up body to basically move the doors forward so there are two plain ones in the middle. The Bachmann 70 tonner body is definitely showing it's age and although they run well with a good decoder, they aren't as well detailed as the 44 tonner that Rapido have announced so if I do start again you can guarantee that a manufacturer will release a new one as soon as I've finished.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 10 minutes ago, davknigh said: Rapido is doing a GE 44 tonner that you might find interesting and probably a better runner than the Bachmann model. They even have a generic one in yellow planned. https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/diesel-locomotives/44-tonner.html Cheers, David Project#3 is indeed a Bachmann 44 tonner, originally painted plain silver in 2014 but stalled because of a lack of information regarding the red stripes- I basically had an end view in b/w in a background shot. I've since seen a side view without lettering and a front quarter with it patched so still aren't exactly sure where the Hershey lettering and numbers went. I'm not sure which version it is and how it relates to Rapido's proposed range but I had to chop the twin headlights from a 70 tonner and still haven't refitted the doors. The stripes were masked using 2.4mm strips cut from Tamiya masking tape and sprayed using a mix of slightly faded Tamiya red so they aren't as faded as the NSE red I'd originally used- at times I wondered whether it would have been easier to produce these as a decal as despite using the trick of sealing them with clear varnish there was still quite a lot of bleeding underneath that needed cleaning up and painting over. It has a DCC Concepts Zen black decoder and Digitrax stay alive that fits in one of the hoods. Having lights isn't really important but I did manage to fit square SMD LEDs on stalks into the original bulb mounts making it fairly easy to swap bodies if needed. Despite my first proper US loco purchase being one of these I've previously only used them for their chassis so it makes a change to be able to complete one. I've already tried it on the mixed local... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 9, 2023 Author Share Posted August 9, 2023 Although I haven't yet seen a physical copy, I can confirm that there are eight pages of Central Alonzo as Railway of the Month in the September issue of Continental Modeller.... 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 13, 2023 Author Share Posted August 13, 2023 Anyone would think I've been raising stuff belonging to the Missus and kids. I have been working on a gantry crane to fill some of the air space in the maintenance shed. The wheels (Lego roller skates, brought especially) run on the I beam so can be positioned. The chain is from the spares box and is probably too thick, the thinner one is a gold chain brought for the upper arms of high-speed pantographs. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koala Creek Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 Just read your article in the September issue of Continental Modeller. Great article and fantastic photos! In the article you mention that you had a look at a nice laser-cut kit for a large sugar mill, but that it would need quite some adjustment for your layout. Which kit is that? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 (edited) 57 minutes ago, Koala Creek said: Just read your article in the September issue of Continental Modeller. Great article and fantastic photos! In the article you mention that you had a look at a nice laser-cut kit for a large sugar mill, but that it would need quite some adjustment for your layout. Which kit is that? It was from Bergen National Laser, but I'm not sure if it is still available. This is why you shouldn't read your own articles- there are bits that aren't fully explained such as why I wanted to model something with pantographs but without saying the public didn't understand operating the Yakima layouts with trolley poles meant constantly fiddling with them and getting in the way, and the photo of the diesel hauled mixed train didn't make the cut. But I was up against a 2000 word target. The height of the pans on the Steeplecabs also grates with me in the photos due to a 2mm error in height and an extra 1mm for the magnets, so I have been trying to reduce their bases without breaking them... Edited August 15, 2023 by 298 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted August 15, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 15, 2023 Looks great in the pics Andy. I’ll save reading until the paper copy arrives so o can enjoy the pics ‘full screen’ 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, PaulRhB said: Looks great in the pics Andy. I’ll save reading until the paper copy arrives so o can enjoy the pics ‘full screen’ I'm not sure why the cover is different, they usually don't have a full page as per last month's preview. Unfortunately we'll probably be away before my sub copy arrives so I'll be scouring North Wales for one... Edited August 15, 2023 by 298 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Young Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 On 15/08/2023 at 13:56, 298 said: I'm not sure why the cover is different, they usually don't have a full page as per last month's preview. Unfortunately we'll probably be away before my sub copy arrives so I'll be scouring North Wales for one... Only just stumbled across your thread, I must look at the foreign pages on RMWeb more often! Shall have to look out for a copy of CM and have a read. If your trip includes Tywyn, the newsagent on the High St stocks a full array of railway mags. Andrew 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 19, 2023 Author Share Posted August 19, 2023 On 17/08/2023 at 21:50, Andrew Young said: Only just stumbled across your thread, I must look at the foreign pages on RMWeb more often! Shall have to look out for a copy of CM and have a read. If your trip includes Tywyn, the newsagent on the High St stocks a full array of railway mags. Andrew I did find a copy in Pike's Newsagents in Porthmadog this morning, I might go back and ask them to put it in the window.... I'm not sure if we'll be travelling as far south as Tywyn, might do so to escape the weather that seems to channel itself up to Ceredigion Bay. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted August 19, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2023 As my copy dropped through the letterbox finally I thoroughly enjoyed reading it this morning. Now to resist ideas! 😆 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 22, 2023 Author Share Posted August 22, 2023 On 19/08/2023 at 17:26, PaulRhB said: As my copy dropped through the letterbox finally I thoroughly enjoyed reading it this morning. Now to resist ideas! 😆 I'd be interested to see or hear other people's ideas based on this- I'm still finding it fun to operate (as well as leaving one of the Interurban cars running on the ABC shuttle) but a Mill was probably a bit of a cliche- there was a Rum distillery next to Santa Cruz del Norte but photos of it are scarce. I'll probably go ahead and make the proposed second fiddle yard beyond the town scene for use at home but am in danger of going beyond the initial concept of small and achievable.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted August 22, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 22, 2023 I like the interurban cars and the steam, would love to do a small countryside bit with a station but so many other projects I’m resigned to enjoying it in books, DVD’s and models like yours 👍 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 On 22/08/2023 at 21:56, PaulRhB said: I like the interurban cars and the steam, would love to do a small countryside bit with a station but so many other projects I’m resigned to enjoying it in books, DVD’s and models like yours 👍 I know that feeling, I've seen a lot of Narrow Gauge this week and I'm now hoping that I don't find a lost Quarry Hunslet that needs a home... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted September 14, 2023 Author Share Posted September 14, 2023 Short video today showing the Interurban set testing Hershey's home made "train line" which often gets asked about, the existing trolley poles would contact with strips on adjoining cars to connect the 1200v overhead supply along the train. Only the centre car is powered and has working poles (Bowser), the rest of the metalwork is 0.7mm brass although I eventually need to replace parts of it with T section. In theory it is possible to use this for the headlight connections from the decoder. 4 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted September 15, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 15, 2023 That’s looking great and working well too. Shows off the detail and weathering on them, stunning job! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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