Workshop Wednesday

Did you have to remove the fireball? What did you use? What kind of work did you have to do? I picked up a Bachmann 2-8-0 that is lettered for Baldwin loco works so I need to remove lettering on the tender.

 

I use Solvaset soaked paper towels Gary. It works well on factory lettering. Just soak a little piece and place it over the part you want removed. After a few minutes use a qtip to wipe off. It should not effect the base paint color.

 

Here it is, in all its white-striped glory:



I ordered some Frisco steam decals from K4 pacific, as mentioned in this thread, so I thought I could try them out. Let's see, what else this week...

I fixed my power supply that I shorted out. I found a 14v, 3A transformer with which I replaced the burnt-out one:



I used it for some break in running on my K11. A little lube and run time is quieting it down:



I ran my K4 on my friend's layout at the end of a scenery session:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=665916060495191

The same friend has an Athearn Genesis Big Boy that took a dive to the floor. He said the front set of drivers weren't working, and asked if I could fix it. Honestly, I did nothing--I just snapped the front set of drivers up, but it seems to have worked, so I programmed it for DCC for him:

 

Gary, that’s more like it from your mad scientist lab. 5 random acts of modeling. HA!
I have dropped one model and seen a couple others of mine hit the floor. That is a horrible feeling. Glad you could help him out.
Years ago I was moving and my parents helped. My mom loaded up some boxes like it was old work shirts that didn’t fit. Turned out to be two 1/25th scale scratchbuilt trucks. Oh well right?
I have been on the plus side though having repaired a few brass U25b models I have picked up cheap after people have sent them crashing, becoming decent additions to my collection.


Steve

 

Gary:

Looks like you're on your way to having a smooth running Pacific! Good job of helping your modeler friend.

All fer now.

Andre

 

I have two Big Boys on the layout now, the old Rivarossi pizza cutter and now this Athearn Genesis one. It's amazing how it can make around my 25" curves, even with the tender as close coupled as it is. The overhang on both of them is ridiculous, though. The sound is incredible though LOUD so the first thing I did was turn it down.

My friend is modeling the Soo Line in North Dakota, (pronounced "NorT DakOta") so a Big Boy doesn't fit his layout, either, but he has enough space to run it.

 

The shell of the tender will come off. There is a single screw that holds it on. I tossed the whole thing in some rubbing alcohol and painted back with some flat black krylon. Mine also had a red roof that I masked around and painted flat black. I couldn't get the cab letting to budge so I just painted over it.
The K4 decals will work good enough. I use the second biggest Frisco lettering for the cab. The tender numbers are a little small but serviceable.

 

Well, I think that I totally missed last Wednesday for some reason. Things here in San Antonio are starting to warm up, so more time for yard work and less for trains. However less does not mean zero!

Managed a few hours here and there to work on wiring modules. The old mine module did not have wiring up to the standards of the new modules, so working on some re-wiring. Also, the small extension for a switching layout needed wiring, in particular switch machines.

Working-wiring-modules by rjthomas909 posted Apr 17, 2019 at 9:10 PM

I also made it to the New Braunfels, TX train show this past weekend, and snagged a Digitrax Zephyr Express controller to use until my malfunctioning DCS 150 can be repaired. It includes USB interface, so going to give it a try with JMRI. I hoped to have the switching layout fully functional to show today, but did not quite meet that goal.

However, a new arrival appeared on the Crawford and Cherokee:

Quanah-Route-Boxcar-2 by rjthomas909 posted Apr 17, 2019 at 9:09 PM

Quanah-Route-Boxcar by rjthomas909 posted Apr 17, 2019 at 9:09 PM

A treasure no doubt! Looking to get some couplers on this guy and some weathering. I am sure it will appear frequently and prominently in future layout photos. Many thanks @gjslsffan !


Take care all,

-Bob T.

 

Besides getting close to done on my GMC Cannonball I had a couple kinda quickies I wanted to do for myself. I don't approve of graffiti by any means but I am amazed at some I see. This was a picture I stumbled on to and knew I needed to add to my shelf. I had a couple undecorated cars so I have worked on it the last couple nights.Lots of super thin layers of acrylics.

 

Here's another I am working on. I have always wanted to figure out a way to make wavy panels on boxcars or covered hoppers. I was talking to a military modeler about this and he said he had used canopy glue for a wavy effect on WW 1 plane models. I saw one of his and it looked good. So I tried, it needs some work, but I think with practice it can be done. So a mild success here this week. What do you guys think???? I need to use proto photos to make better shapes I think, and as they dry they seem to get a little dip in the center. But smaller "waves" might eliminate that. Enjoy, Steve

 

@modeltruckshop , that chain saw graffiti is awesome! Makes me consider switching modeling eras......maybe.

 

Thanks Bob! Glad you enjoy it. HMmmmm 36' wood boxcars with fulltags perhaps? HA I have a couple terra bytes of tag pics when you are ready.

Steve

 

Is that a salute to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

Like you, I don't approve of graffiti but I am amazed at the artistic skill of some of the taggers:

 

Great catches there!!

 

I worked on my K-11 this week, installing a decoder:



I took it to my friend's house last night and ran it around:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=672858309800966

My wife wants to paint the living room, so she was trying paint samples. She had a jar with water that she put her brush in, and it looked like it would make a good wash. I tried it on some old buildings and flats:





One of the buildings was unpainted, but the wash killed the shine as well as filling in the mortar lines.

One of my friends helped with an estate and came back with a bunch of freight cars. I got the Frisco ones and couple others. Metal wheels and Kadees and they're good to go:

 

I'm amazed at the cost of the paint and the effort that must go into painting (defacing?) the entire side of a rail car. You would need a ladder and who-knows-how-many rattle cans of Krylon to finish the job of painting something you may never see ever again once the car is moved.

GS

 

Finally inventorying and photographing my HO models.

 

I also found an old Roundhouse kit I started bashing to be 1295 about 30 years ago. I'll probably not live long enough to finish it. The Spectrum I did as 1290 suffices.

 

Great stuff Doug. I have always liked that 553 of yours...... And the others.