My parents moved a few years ago, and when they did a box of old HO cars from my youth wound up my house.  

Replacing wheels, couplers, and weathering are easy projects that can keep me busy when I only have 15-30 minutes here and there to model, and my workbench is crowded with other "to dos".  Doesn't make much financial sense to fix the old Tycos and Bachmanns, as the parts cost more than the car is worth.  But it is fun.

Here are some Athearn F7s, One of the first locomotives I bought with my own money when I was about 13 or 14.  I repainted them using craft paint from wally world, bought some decals, fixed a broken step, broken truck sideframe, broken axle gears, added a close coupling kit and diaphragms, and used a kit to make the windshields more prototypical  Still needs some finish work, but it runs for the first time in about 25 years.

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Train Miniature HO Scale Reefers; Here are 95 or so of my TM reefers.  Please see them and enjoy them. I am trying to share here in a large if all works out.

Frank


Here are the first 6 photos only 93 left to go.
A&P Atlantic and Pacific Tea. Co.
   
ART 22783- MPL
   
ART 46965 N&W MPL
   
ART 91660 Kansas Packing Co.
   
American Stores ACO MILK- AMSX 1223
   
American Stores ASCO MILK- AMSX 12076
   

I've always intended on creating a believable fictional railroad, not based to specifically on any particular towns or cities.  Why?  I feel if I try model an actual line, I will get caught up in rivet counting and inaccuracies will bug me enough that I won't get anything done.  Plus, nobody can point out how I did something wrong.  Thus, for many years I have settled on Southern Arizona mining railroads in the 1910-1930 time frame.  Generic towns based on real towns and generic equipment that has the same general feel as what was really used in the area.

I haven't done a whole lot of modeling for the past few years due to family commitments, but I also feel like I am losing my "itch".  Right now I feel more like just "running trains".  Of course, I no longer have a permanent layout, and joining a club is not something I want to do right now.  Another drawback of a fictional railroad is the custom lettering and painting of rolling stock vs just pulling something out of a box, adding a little weathering, and rolling it down the rails.  

Anyone else face this crossroads where you give up on the direction you have been going for years and go a different way?

My next project:

   

My branchline to the stamp mill needs this to complete the trackwork to it and the future logging camp.

     

I've never built a wooden bridge kit before. I have a Howe truss bridge further down on the branchline but I had given the kit to my Father many years ago to build as me skills weren't up to the task at the time. 

   

Opening it, it's more like a scratchbuild with the parts supplied. Some of the lumber is cut to size, some isn't. it includes some metal castings for the hardware and water barrels as well as wire for the tension rods.

Conrail MOW truck checking for downed trees across the tracks in Galloway.

Bruce

   

WP-40 makes its way along Division Street, through the lower end of Whiskey Point.

Bruce

   

This January went fast!!!

It's time to open up the Monster Energy Redneck Racin' game!
Reply here if you would like to join in!!!!

any one familiar with the older walthers work train cars ? if so would replacing the cast on windows and doors with tichy work train windows and doors be worth the effort ?

Shore River spotting cryo cars loaded with frozen french fries at Garden State Freezer.

Bruce

   

Being 90% of what I have is vintage trains, I'll share them here.
frank

I'll start with a small freight set by HObbyline. Set was released in 1956. A little NYC 0-4-0t shuttles a couple of freight cars on a short local run.
This is actually a HObbyline 1956 train set #412 "the Shuttle Bug" as it would be seen in an old 1956 catalog. The freight cars and the caboose are all original in fit and finish, Even the road names are the same on the loco and cars as seen in the 56 catalogs.