I see that a couple of members have posted more than one challenge. In that spirit, and somewhat tongue in cheek, I offer this. However, it does fit the requirements, as this is the fourth house I've had the shelf at, but the first where I've actually put it up...

I'm posting from my phone again, so hopefully the photo comes out right side up. For some reason it looks correct to me, but others see it upside down.

   

Andrew

I'm very late joining the fray here (as usual). I've had some computer issues so I've not been able to post here, but in November I had set myself my own challenge, which involved getting a long overdue project underway and finished of a Proto2000 GP9, which I wanted to strip, detail, and paint as a Southern Pacifici kodachrome GP9 .

So I started off by taking off the shell, and while still painted I removed the bits I didn't need, such as the rain gutter above the cab window, the vents on the battery box and a modification to the sill. I also cut of the original light castings.

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

After I removed the bits that I didn't need, I stripped the shell and started adding the new parts. I also added the sander doors in both noses, scratch build from Cannon&Co long hood doors, cut to size. This gave me a nice latch detail.

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

After all parts were fitted, time for Tamiya primer grey.

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

Then I used Vallejo Model Air yellow to airbrush the yellow.

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

Then Masking the areas to remain yellow, and airbrush on the red, followed by another mask and then the black.

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

GP9R Kodachrome build by Koos, on Flickr

After this, it's time for decals.

WPMA-29 working the Whiskey Point area.

Bruce

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Hey everyone,
I've pulled an F&C PRR H30 kit off my shelf that has been dust collecting for a couple of years and actually started it. But I'm looking for some help with the color for the kit. Did Pennsy just use white for they're white looking covered hoppers? Or is it more of a light grey?

Any help is appreciated,

Thx,
Mark

Good morning everyone,

Over the last 18 months or so I've been working on a portable HO switching layout designed to take to shows.

The layout started out initially as an Inglenook fed from a sector plate, with the addition of a kickback spur from one of the fork spurs.

Here is a trackplan of the layout in it's initial format - known then as West Allen Street:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxJ0XC...FFSbG9sVGM


The layout was built on a budget of £200, that was to include locomotives and rolling stock, but not the DCC controller or tools used to build the layout.

That said, the cost of the DCC locomotive could have equally gone to the cost of a DC controller and a DC locomotive, which makes the total cost still perfectly feasible.

All locos and stock were purchased second hand at train shows to keep the cost down.

The first incarnation of the layout was successfully built to the stated budget, including 2 DCC fitted locomotives (Athearn CF7 and Bachmann GP40) and 10 freight cars - all Athearn blue box.

It was exhibited at the Trent Valley North American Modellers exhibition in 2015 in this first incarnation.

Since then, the layout has been improved upon and expanded - the cheap ground cover (sand used to represent gravel) was dug up and the whole thing redone with DAS modelling clay painted to look like asphault and packed dirt.

This - plus expansion of the locomotive roster and freight car fleet - was completed ready for the layout's second exhibition at Mansfield Model Railway show 2016


After this, and the purchase of a small fleet of gondolas at Mansfield (they were a real bargain - £20 for 6 Blue Box gons!) I decided that the layout needed more operating potential, and wanted an industry to make use of the gon fleet.

Thus came the plans for the first expansion of the layout - Thawne.

Scrap yards are overdone, IMO, so I decided on a stone masons, with large blocks of stone brought into the layout in gondolas, unloaded into the factory, and stone products shipped out in gondolas, boxcars and bulkhead flats.

One of the main issues I had with the original layout format was loading cars onto the sector plate, due to the narrow gap between the backscene and the factory on the kickback spur which was used as a view blocker to hide the sector plate itself.

As such, the first requirement of the extension was better staging. This evolved in the form of a single spur (made from the old sector plate!) attached behind the backscene on the extension, with train disappearing through the backscene to reach it.

Naturally, the stonemasons would be fed by kickback spurs and sit in front of the hidden staging.

In addition to the single spur feeding the stonemasons, another curved spur was added to the front of the layout to act as a locomotive stabling point and caboose track. This track also proves useful when switching the masons.

Unfortunately during initial testing of the track layout, it became apparent that the curved spur was not long enough to fit my longest locomotive on it, so a small extension was added to the front of the layout to correct this.

The idea of the curved spur was to represent an older industrial branch that was no longer rail served, and has been abandoned.

Future plans for the layout include a new extension on the left end of the layout including a coal trestle and a heavy travelling crane to serve the Handy Co. metals factory. After that is finished I have an idea for a third extension moving from the locomotive stabling/caboose track on Thawne.

Below is a link to my Google Drive folder with a couple of hundred pictures of the layout through it's various incarnations. I would appreciate any feedback you could give me.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxJ0XCy-hiT6QjJ6MGRTY1YybWs?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing</a><!-- m -->

With the Cary F-3b shell that I'm working on in the other thread, I also have two of the Cary S-2 shells:

One will be painted in an early CPR scheme:




I took these pictures this past Summer in Calgary, Alberta. The engine stands as a gate guard to Heritage Park, alongside a CPR 2-10-4 Selkirk.
The other will be CN in Black and Yellow. Unfortunately I don't have pictures for that that I can share.

I've been collecting parts for the two including the Athearn drives and a pair of Mashima tan-can motors so I can convert the engines to DCC later.
The other day I glued the front and rear pilots and well as the rear cab wall, exhaust stack and top grills into place. they're ready to have the hole drilled where the grabs, lifting eyes and other details added.

The Freelance 2016-2 thread ended with:

"The long scrap yard in the foreground made the layout quite crowded. .... It will stay as wasteland. ...."
IMG_5263 by faraway52, on Flickr

The alternative 2017 is a plain long structure. It has a similar optical effect but emphasizes the industrial impression better.
Pressboard is a great material to get robust larger structures. I have not decided about the skin to be used.
IMG_5269 by faraway52, on Flickr
IMG_5270 by faraway52, on Flickr

I recently found an inexpensive F-7b and a free F-3b shells. The F-3b is a cast metal Cary shell:

and the other F-7 shell:

I'm not sure the manufacture of the F-7 shell. I think it's a Bachmann.

I drilled both shells for the hand grabs and lifting eyes on the roof. The F-7 was pretty easy, since it was plastic. The F-3 was considerably more challenging. The casting is thicker and the cast metal is soft enough to gum up a hand twist drill. (I drilled all holes with a #76 bit) I used some Vaseline for drill lubricant.
After drilling the lifting eye holes I installed the lifting eyes, then I airbrushed the CN yellow in the sides.

A leased MP15AC is doing the switching for the Dock Street RR. Caught them pulling a car from City Supply.

Bruce

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