I'm looking for a modern day 50' boxcar but with working/sliding door(s), do they even exist? I always see 40' boxcars with working doors but it seems like 50'+ boxcars that are produced all have doors that are part of the mold. Ready to roll, undecorated, single door, double door, anything..

I got two old Athearn Blue Box BN SW1000 and BN SW1500 dummies. They shall join my powered BN SW1500.
Problem is I need remove the shell from the drive. How to do? I am afraid to use brutal force. I rocks but it does not open

I assume I have to press or spread the shell at a specific location? Where is that point?

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Case closed. Spread at the center. I found it 20 seconds after posting.....

Since the Big Boy is gaining so much interest....

Great news for this grand lady! The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad announced today that it will acquire #1309, a C&O 2-6-6-2 mallet, and return the locomotive to operation. The 1309, the last domestic steam locomotive that Baldwin ever built, will be the first articulated locomotive in the east to be fired up since N&W #1218 last saw service two decades ago.

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The hardest part about getting started is always the first step, so I guess I am glad to be finally sharing the beginning of my journey to build my first model railroad. To put it lightly, my parents very fond of my hobby. Also, being only 16 doesn't help me when petitioning my parents for a corner to build with in the garage. They think I am too old for trains. But this restriction has at least allowed me to do extensive research as to what I would really like in a model railroad. Being only and hour from Tampa, and with the amazing Downtown Spur of Lance Mindheim, you can be sure I wanted to capture some of the south Florida feel in my first n scale layout. After numerous drafts and revisions, I have decided on this design:



Obviously, this is very influenced on Lance Mindheim first East Rail layout. I tried to resist this "plagiarism", but I found the design so elegant that I couldn't resist! All of the industries come from various parts of CSX's Clearwater Subdivision. The goal of the layout is to capture the feel of the subdivision while being operated like the terminus, the Southside Industrial Spur in downtown St. Petersburg that was torn up mid-2005.



All of my rolling stock and motive power has been acquired, and I will posting some it later perhaps. For now, please share your thoughts and any criticism on my rough trackplan

The Los Angeles Division of the NMRA will be holding the 5th annual SpringRail Meet on May 17
2014 at the First Christian Church 220 5th St Alhambra CA 91801. SpringRail starts with a swap meet. There will be clinics all day on a variety of subjects including diesel painting, freight car weathering, grass modeling, DCC installation, layout wiring & backdrop painting. During the lunch there will be a Hobo auction. And there will also be Time Saver switching contests on 3 different versions of John Allen's layout. See the attached flying for more info.


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Hello!

One and a half dozen of secondhand purchased rollig stock arrived me yesterday. All are freight cars from P2K, Intermountain, Trix and Westerfield. All of these are high grade kits or RTR models.
Time for me to look what is really of rolling stock in my inventory. Too much.
There were old Athearn Blue Box freight cars, some toy train cars from Model Power, AHM and other of this sort. Cars with moulded on details, often rather relative coarse comparised with state-of-the-art models. All of them have had their first outcome (NEW) about in the 1960's.
All of them were upgraded with Kadee #58 couplers, metal wheels and in some cases with body mount coupler boxes years ago when i was becoming an US model railroader. In technical manner they ride satisfiying and make no trouble. But the details ...
Anywhere they have to go. Swapmeet or anything else. But there were the Kadee #58 Scale Head Couplers and the metal wheels. And these cars will only sell on the cheapo side. I do not belive any of this potential swapmeet buyers will pay even a cent more for Kadees and metal wheels.

So started to salvage them.


Right side an old Blue Box car with Kadee #58 and Kadee wheels.
The Kadee couplers and wheels were demounted and stored.
They were replaced by plastic wheels and the coupler clash like Kadee clones, Mc Henry, EZ and so on; left side on the photo.
Over the years a pretty stock of plastic couplers and plastic wheels has collected which have to go also. And here it is useful.

The salvaged Kadee parts will be very useful when i start building the Westerfield kits and upgrading the P2K and Trix cars.

My attemps to improvements of my rolling stock is to raise the quality level, not the quantity.

Lutz

I'll offer what I think is my best video effort so far. It includes a demonstration of how I determine the make-up and work of a train and the use of a switchlist.

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Here are some items I'm putting up for sale.


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PLE gondola with rock load. KD #5 couplers.


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Milwaukee flat car with wood slab load. KD #5 couplers.


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Burlington wide vision caboose. KD #5 couplers.


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Still in box. Model Power flat car with 155MM Howitzer and a couple of Army men.


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New in box. Walthers flat car with simulated log load.


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Still in box. Atlas bulkhead flat with pulpwood load.


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IHC wrecker with tool car. X2F couplers. Amtrack MOW paint.


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Pennsylvania flat with wood dowel load. KD #5 couplers.

10.00 dollars each. All eight for $60.00.
PM me if interested.

The Golden Gate Model Railroad Club layout is facing demolition.
There is a nice article on the layout and the club website has information on saving the layout.

http://www.dailyturismo.com/2014/04/the-...8904183825

http://ggmrc.org/

It would be a shame to demolish that layout. Their Junior Engineer Day looks like a great time.

Paul

Here's one to make Les happy (me too)

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Charlie