Change change change...

Man, almost an entire year since I posted anything. But life does get in the way. The job I took last year has kept me busy. Getting into unplugged woodworking has also been taking up time, along with the garden. Then, my first grandson showed up Dec 1st.

So, it's time to get back into modeling. I moved my bench into a closet set up to make my office bigger. After measuring the work space I use, I figured out that when I'm building I use a 24" x 30" space. Everything else is storage. So, I've made a 25" by 36" bench to build on. All the parts, glues and whatnot go above on shelves. The paint booth is next to the bench. Here's a picture of it after getting everything done this weekend..

Right now modeling is going to be split between railroads and plastic models (modern US Mil hardware, big rigs and EMS) I have plans to start a shelf layout this spring as well. I'm leaning more towards an N scale industrial layout, but I haven't given up on narrow gauge just yet.

More to come when I get further along..

New diesels..

So I'm working on some power for the FdT. On the deck now is a pair of end cab switchers, built onto a pair of N scale MP-15 chassis with DCC. Good running engines, so these should work well for yard and local power. Here's a shot of the chassis.

I'm working on the cabs and hoods now.

I also went out to the Des Moines GTE this last weekend. For a guy who's been to a bunch of west coast shows, the Midwest was a big change. No junk vendors, lots of good stuff and some hard to find items. Got some more 20 foot containers and found a fellow from Green Bay that sells sheet stryene in different sizes for good prices. Like almost half of Evergreen.

JMD Plastics is the company name. John the owner is a GB&W modeler and will ship sheet stryene all over. I got a big pile for $16, enough to build just about all the steel boxcars I want for the layout. If you want 1 or 2 sheets, it will be pricey, but if you want 1' x 8' sheets or a pile of 1' x 2' .020" sheet, he has really good prices. He also does black stryene as well.

Several vendors also had Blackstone equipment out there, just to tease with. I really wish they would stop. If I wind up in a different house with a proper basement, it will be hard to not convert everything to HOn3..

Okay, back to work on the diesels..

Painted and weathered Railbus..

She's almost ready for service....

I used Vallejo washes and some homebrew washes for the finish. I may add a little more, but she's got a decent used look to her. Now I need to add a trailer to her.

Working area..

I took this photo this morning for a thread on Model Railroad Hobbiest and it got me to thinking that it's time to start cleaning up this joint. So, since I'm off due to not wanting to skid all over getting to work today (5-8 inches of snow expected here), I'm gonna clean it up. I also need to finish a couple of projects that are waiting. One is the bus, which is sitting there now. Another is a pair of 1/25th fire trucks that need for me to get off my rear and finish.

I've also priced out the materials for my starting point on the layout. So with luck, I'll pick them up next weekend and get started. I've also found the power units for my small switchers in HOn30, so that's a project I'll start. Then there's the moving of the bench and desk to make room for the other bench. Gonna be a long day....

Railbus update..

Okay, got my yardwork out of the way this afternoon (shoveling snow) so I could spend the rest of the day working on the railbus. I've got the platform on the top finished. Here's a couple of shots of her..

The rack is all out of scale styrene. The ladder stock is the Evergreen kit. I figured wider ladders would be easier to climb with a chicken under your arm. The rack looks rough and homemade, which is what I'm looking for. Now to build the trailer for her. About the same length, with a half boxcar/half flatcar look.

Cleaning time...

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. I've got lots of reading material for the new year...

Spent the week working on a couple of small projects in my room to get it ready to move everything. I also started sorting through boxes of stuff. And I have a lot of stuff! But I've decided I'm not going to get to all of these projects, so it's time to clean them out. So now it's either toss junk or sell it and add the funds to the layout kitty. One thing I plan to do is keep some N scale stuff (Amtrak and some freight cars) and get involved with the local T-Trak guys. There's also talk of a Freemo HO group forming, so I may be getting some HO stuff. I think that's gonna be 1950's equipment. And the home layout will be narrow gauge. The boss doesn't have a problem with this, which is surprising.

Anyway, I'm gonna tinker with the railbus tomorrow. Look for an update later this week.

Poking around..

So I'm still here, with no layout built so to speak. After a lot of thought and consideration, I'd decided that the narrow gauge bug isn't going away anytime soon, so it's time to indulge. I've got time to work on stuff for the next few months, before spring and garden season. :-)

So how about a picture of a rare beast?

 

 

This is a Railway Recollections Railbus. I don't know if Barry still offers this kit, but it's a neat one. I'm not sure if still has the power conversion kit available. It uses the Bachmann MDT switcher motor and one axle for power. I added a Lenz decoder, light and the brass castings you see. I want to add a trailer to it and some more details. Jordan Models has a similar bus kit out, so you may be able to convert it with Barrys power kit. might want to contact him via www.railrec.com

 

That may be my project this week. I've had this model forever, so it's time to finish it. Okay, time to post and hit the rack. I'm going to try to update this blog in 2014 once a week or so. We'll see how I do.. :-)