Quanah, Acme and Pacific (QA&P) - West Texas - Fictitious Model Railroad Layout Agriculture Industry

Discussion in 'Freelance' started by skyraider, Oct 13, 2019.

  1. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Sherrel,

    We have Windstream. It's high speed of some sort. DSL? Upload and download speeds are both good. Fiber optic will be here in less than a year. They're already laying the cable.

    Paul
     
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  2. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Hi Don,

    Live steam is way beyond my skill level. But I did briefly consider it!! We've got some O scale (scale--not tinplate), and my wife and I have discussed how to do a garden layout with the O scale...or selling the O scale and buying some G scale. But there are several things about the property that would truly make it difficult. The garden layout is still on the radar, but we would have to figure out how to work around it
    the entire property has to be mown. You can't run over the track with a 750 pound zero turn mower.
    My wife works the pecan orchard--we have 48 trees
    wildlife...this winter we had a pretty serious wild pig problem. They can really tear the place up. At night I would go out and shoot at them. I got one, but that didn't deter them. One evening there were 15 pigs rooting on the property.

    Anyway...we're considering the garden layout option.

    Paul
     
  3. frisco1522

    frisco1522 Staff Member Staff Member

    Well if you're going to start throwing facts and reality around, then forget it. LOL
     
  4. Coonskin

    Coonskin Member

    Nah... we can still dream. I'm sure your dreams of live steam include large and wonderful creations based on the Frisco. I'm a bit simpler in what I think I would enjoy. Here's a good example of the type of live steam I could definitely be interested in. (IF this FB link will work.) This is a fellow's little "Karen Ann" funnel stack 19th century steam engine that, when under load, has great stack talk for such a small (compared to a Frisco Mountain) model.

    https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=838135033338054

    SO, we can enjoy live steam vicariously through those that have the space, pockets, and skills to produce them!

    Andre
     
  5. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Finally found some old corrugated roofing metal (lots of people call it tin, but it's galvanized steel) to used on the sides of the benchwork to give the layout a rural look and hide what's stored under the layout. It will be trimmed with "weathered" wood--pieces of cheap pine that I beat up and stain to give them an aged look. There will be doors made from the weathered wood and corrugated metal to access the storage. It took a couple of hours to clean all of the metal, but now I know what kind of shape it is in. It will probably receive some rust somewhere along the line.

    It's going to be fun!!

    Paul Moore

    IMG_3354.JPG IMG_3359.JPG IMG_3362.JPG
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
  6. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    We finally rearranged the house yesterday and today to put my wife's craft room in what used to be our bedroom ( 26' X 20' bedroom--seemed kind of a waste of space to have a bedroom that big, so now it's the craft room). The railroad room is smaller than ideal (19' X 19' plus 8' X 2' of the adjacent enormous closet for a staging yard), but at least it's something, and I'm thankful for that. We put the Colorado layout in the room today, and it all seems to be coming together as planned.

    Today I also ordered ceiling mount LED light fixtures for the layout room. The company--Build.com--was terrific. Good prices and great customer service. Once we get the lights installed, I can proceed with the benchwork and finalizing track plan and scenery.

    Paul Moore IMG_5479.JPG IMG_5480.JPG
     
  7. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    A little progress on the layout. Some scenery, a few details, etc.

    paul moore IMG_3453.JPG IMG_3454.JPG IMG_3457.JPG
     
  8. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    A little progress on the layout. It's starting to look a little more like West Texas (though the real West Texas doesn't look it's part with all the rain we've had). My wife helped me attach one half of the old layout we brought with us from Colorado. It might actually work out and look pretty good with the new layout. Added the base level of some scenery today, and planted a few trees.

    The hill on one edge of the layout may look a little odd since it stair steps up and has some faint whitish rings at each stair step. But that's what they really look like here. About 15 miles northwest of our home is a small peak named Kiowa Peak. Up near Quanah are three of them named Medicine Mound. Attached a a google earth shot of Kiowa Peak so you can see the stair step effect.

    Our good forum member and engineer Tom Holley was kind enough to sell me some extra motive power. My little QA&P is growing and needs some QA&P, Frisco, etc., power on it. They look great with the west Texas scenery.

    The room isn't just a layout--it's kind of a tribute to railroading, west Texas agriculture and oil industry, and aviation. As a result, there are quite a few wall hangings, and more will be added.

    Room was left between the scenery and the wall to add a 15" tall backdrop depicting scenery typical of the area and a little sky.

    Have a great week,

    Paul Moore
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    Last edited: May 27, 2020
  9. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Greetings from warm, dry West Central Texas. We've been in the mid '90's all week, but it's been nice and dry. The overnight low has been anywhere from 55 to 65--pretty nice weather.

    Attached are a few more shots of the layout. The stock pen is in; several other additions have been made. After several run tests, the track that is installed runs great so far. This layout is probably much more arid than most of you really like, but my home state is Texas--not Missouri, and we really like living here. So the layout is a reflection of the western flavor that appeals to us. The QA&P is the railroad granddad was a lineman on, so it's a tribute to him, as well.

    Last week I built a simple grain bin kit from Rix Products. It was a three hour build--including paint and a little weathering--from start to finish. the photos show it on the layout in a location that it won't be just to give it some live. It's not bad for a $14 kit.

    Paul Moore 2.jpg IMG_3570.JPG IMG_3578.JPG IMG_3563.JPG IMG_3564.JPG IMG_3574.JPG IMG_3551 copy.jpg
     
  10. rjthomas909

    rjthomas909 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Looking great. Also been cool morning s here in San Antonio. A nice relief.
     
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  11. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Thanks, Robert. Been awhile since I was in San Antonio. Just northwest of you is my favorite area of the state as far as scenery and geography go. A company I worked for many years ago was based out of Kerrville and I was there on business nearly every week.

    Paul Moore
     
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  12. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Made a little headway on the layout the last six weeks. It's hot in Texas this summer, so it's a good time to work on something indoors (last 10 consecutive days have been over 100 where I live; three were 109 / 113 / 113). The motorcar shed is a project I started in Colorado. It's now nearly done. With the framed interior, individual plank floor, detail parts, it will have a removable roof. Should I add a little set of wooden shelves next to the stove? The shed isn't in it's actual location in the photos. The actual location is on a portion of the layout that is currently leaning against the wall.

    The portion of the layout that is built is now completely wired and the control panel is installed. The yard is laid out and the track joints are soldered. Once the scene with the depot is complete (have to wait for the sculptamold to dry before painting it), I'll get working on the yard and town. The rock formation and hill behind the depot will be red sandstone.

    Have a fun summer,

    Paul Moore IMG_3642.JPG IMG_3640.JPG IMG_3616.JPG IMG_20200711_120731884.jpg
     
  13. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Great pictures Paul.
    Looks like your MRR is coming along, nicely. Good job of transitioning to the new part of the outfit too. I bet you are liking that yard too.
     
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  14. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Sorry. I’m speechless right now.
     
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  15. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    You're right--it's nice having at least a small yard. The old layout only had a small narrow gauge yard.

    Just for kicks, here are a few photos of the oilfield production storage facility I'm scratch building. The tanks are cut off pieces of caulk tubes. They're almost the correct diameter for 300 barrel tanks, which are the most prevalent here. All the other parts--walkways, stairs, handrails, vent tubes, etc., are just stuff that was in my junk box. The photos are cell phone shots, so they're not that good. It will look better once it's painted black. IMG_20200719_163945241.jpg IMG_20200719_163949715.jpg

    Paul Moore
     
  16. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    A few more things done on the layout. The weather has been too hot to do anything outside so it's a good time to work indoors!!

    Finished the oil storage facility, about finished the corner depot, installed the church and cemetery, and put an interior in the machine shop. The machine shop was given to me by a friend who had a machine shop for 30 years named Calibre Manufacturing. It was a cheap kit that someone else built. I tore it apart, redetailed it, removed one panel to install a delivery door, made the ramp, interior, etc. The kit is a Pola or some German kit with a weird horizontal extension sticking into the interior space from the exterior walls. As a result, everything had to be spaced away from the walls 3 1/2 scale feet. I could have cut off the extension, but I was afraid of destroying the building.

    Also started hanging the corrugated sheet metal. The first round didn't come out very good, so I may redo it. I figured a better, cleaner way to hang it.

    Have a great rest of your summer,

    Paul Moore
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    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
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  17. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    Some of those Faller, Vollmer, et al European brick buildings look really good, there are quite a few.
     
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  18. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    That's true. Especially if you modify them a little to make them look a little more American. Occasionally you can find one or more cheap on ebay and use them for kit bashing. Kits have gotten so expensive that I seldom buy and build a kit. I kit bash, scratch build, do anything to avoid paying through the nose for a modern kit.
     
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  19. patrick flory

    patrick flory Member

    It’s the medieval looking half-timber construction buildings that don’t work well for us, or the ones with huge glass roofs that make sense in sun deprived Northern Europe but not in the American Southwest. But some of those large brick warehouses and stations are quite suitable for us if you simplify some of the occasionally overwrought details. Or replace the continental glass and heavy tile roofs with shingles or even corrugated tin.

    The machine shop shown is a great example of a suitable European prototype. So is the Pola/IHC/Tyco warehouse visible in the distance in another photo.

    Imported stuff from Europe is ridiculously priced new. The secondary market is good though. I’ve gotten a couple of buildings from an LHS selling already built estate stuff. It’s incredible how bad some people are at kit building. Really bad and glossy paint color choices. Plastic cement fingerprints, badly fitted corners, the what seems like a whole tube of plastic cement used on one corner, etc. But most of the time you can overcome those issues and reconstitute a nice repainted and improved building for cheap. Give a dog a home.:LOL::ROFLMAO:
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2020
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  20. skyraider

    skyraider Member

    Patrick, you are dead on in your assessment. This model was one of the ones that an entire tube of cement was used on. And the paint was scary bad.

    Which structure is the other Pola / Tyco you see in a different photo? Is it this one? This model and another nice warehouse are ones I found at a swapmeet for $25 for the pair. It's pretty nicely done with corrugated roofing, individual rafters, etc. The windows are the only substandard part of the model. If it's one of those plastic european models, somebody completely redid it.

    But I may--just for kicks--have to build a medieval half timber building complete with a glass roof!!! That glass roof would be great here in the West Texas hail...

    Thanks,

    Paul Moore
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