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The Bigbee Line

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  1. The Bigbee Line
    I'm still packing for the move and finding things that have been hidden for ages:


    This is a freelance excess height boxcar. Kitbashed from 2 Athearn 40' highcube boxcars. Very crude I'm afraid, but effective from a distance. Unfortunately the 2 bodies used were slightly different, one was nice and crisp, the other not so crisp.
     


    A coc-cor gondola lowered on Accurail trucks and kadees added. It needs the grabs etc tarted up. When weighted a reasonable runner.
     


    A Marx flatcar and bits of body from an Athearn wide vision caboose. When finished will be a Southern Transfer Caboose.
     
    There will be plenty of things to finish off when the move is complete.
  4. The Bigbee Line
    Just getting used to this blogging lark.
     
    I started in HO in the early 90's with the purchase of an Athearn F7 with a huge open frame motor and brass wheels. Instantly attracted to the slow running. A lot of water under the bridge since then.
     
    I am waiting a house move and will need to rationalise my excess stock (too many loco's).
     
    Currently trying to discipline myself into a south eastern US backwaters layout, prpoably dual period - 50's and early 90's.
     
    The images below are from my past test shots (2008) on a garage layout. Boards from 3/4 ply and track is some s/h code 100.
     








    Thanks, Ernie Puddick
  5. The Bigbee Line

    Bashing Stock

    By The Bigbee Line,

    My main road for US modelling is the Southern. Like the Southern in the UK they were very fond on innovation. They would have a idea and soon something would pop out of the workshop. Here are a couple of my test runs to use up some Athearn cars:-
    This is a Pulp Rack (used to carry sawn tree trunks across the wagon, no securing). Its an Athearn 40' flatcar with box car ends grafted on.


    The next a Boxcar with hopper doors, slope sheets and extended sides. I used an Athearn Reefer for this one.


    A couple of detailed cars.
    The first is a Concor 53' flat car. Lowered, wire grabs fitted, and Kadee #4's fitted. Note - It has different era decals on either side. Nice and heavy, track well. Need some weathering.


    A scale #58 fitted has been fitted at one end.


    The next is an exercise to modify and detail an Athearn Bay Window Caboose. So far only lowered.


    That's all for now folks, thanks, Ernie Puddick
  6. The Bigbee Line

    Southern GP7's

    By The Bigbee Line,

    An old shot from the archive.
     
    The black GP-7 is an Atlas/Kato from the early 90's. I went to the model railway shop in Eastbourne and asked to see the 'new' Atlas GP-7. The running was outstanding, at £42 very expensive. I went home with the non dynamic brake version. The following week I went back and got the other one. Both were in Canadian National green. They were repainted using Humbrol Dirty Black. A tip from someone else was to open the tin and decant off the clear liquid from the top, then top up with some brand new thinners. The tin was then sealed and mixed by keeping it in your pocket all day. The paint was then brushed on, quickly, without trying to brush it out. The result is a very thin coat with a semi gloss finish. The imitation aluminium stripe is part of the Microscale decal set.
    The Green GP-7 is a non powered dummy. Take an Athearn GP-7 and an Atlas/Kato body (Actually the hood, cab and glazing). Hack the hood and cab from the Athearn body, everything above the walkway has to go. I ditched the motor and trimmed the cast frame to narrow it down (As the Atlas/Kato hoods are scale width).
    Once they fit, glue the hoods and walkways together. The Athearn handrails were refitted. The U shaped mouldings at the bottoms of the side stanchions were sliced off. Once in place the bottoms of the side stanchions were set into the plastic walkways with a hot soldering iron (A tip I learnt from assembling the grabs on a Slaters NER wooden coal hopper). At the time it was a cheap way of adding a second loco at a reasonable price. It was fun at the same time.
  7. The Bigbee Line
    Just found these images of a 'bare bones', a 4 foot mini layout from 2007
     
    Take a some code 75 peco track and some second hand medium points. There is a small traverser that allows shunting between the sidings. This with the points allows limited run rounds. It got as far as some ballast and greenery before if went on ebay.
     
    Easy to operate, but not economically viable to sell. The postage is the killer.
     
    The stock is Kadee boxcars and an Atlas S-2 with an MRC sound decoder. It was easy to fit. I plan to tweak the position of the speaker to improve the sound.
     




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