New power for the Virginia Midland

Been working on some new motive power for the Virginia Midland here lately.  Finally had a weekend to sit down and do some sound installs.  I prefer the Tsunami 2's over ESU/Loksound at this time.  I think they sound about the same but prefer the T2 with the plug-in for their Current Keeper.  This gives me reliability in the sound on dirty tracks.  So, since I have backdated the layout some to about 1988, I've got some older power on the layout.  Not that I didn't have older power already! I've always wanted to provide a history on the layout too.  Older paint schemes and patch out schemes tend to be the norm on the Midland.  So instead of having new logos and paint schemes, I'm looking for older ones and ones that could just make do. 

Here are new locomotive projects: Ex-PC H16-44, RS3m chop nose, and a SDP35.  Very random locomotives but all will be headed for the Midland.

Added the Tsunami 2 to this yesterday and she runs and sounds great.  It will be patched and be one of the first locos for the Virginia Midland.  It's use on the layout will be switch jobs and reserve power.

This RS3m started from a shell CMR products shell and I added the details.  It will run on an older Tsunami until it can be up graded.  I need to redo the rear light.  I totally botched it as seen in the next photo.   The paint job will be a green dip job with the older Virginia Midland spelled out.

Definitely have to redo that headlight.  A case of my eyes aren't what they used to be!

My inspiration for the chop nose RS3m: Mike Confalone's Allagash #302.  Photo by MRH/Mike Confalone

My last loco was a Train show find for $50.  I love the short 6 axle power on my SD20-2 (Ex- SD35) so I found this SDP35 ready to be painted for a great price.  Most of the details were already added.  But I'm missing a stanchion for the rear hand railings. It will be in the standard green and gray scheme.

Even had time to try some new weathering products.  These weathering washes are simple brushed on.  Does a great job on brown boxcars since they tend to be hard to weather.  

The Vallejo products I used.  Lighter to darker.  

The other untouched side.  

Back dating the layout?

Well, not much time on the layout as usual but still doing some model railroading things like shows and a RPM meet.  The main thing I have been contemplating is a possible back date of the layout.  How far you may ask?  I'm thinking the mid 1980's.  I'm currently in the early 1990's.    Why would you backdate it?  That is the magical question isn't it?  One reason is to possibly get older cars on the layout. Another is to get some older locomotives on the layout.  I've grown on F units in the last year and would like to still have them living out their last days on the layout.  A good friend of mine is a F unit fanatic.  That doesn't help either.  I also want to incorporate a few of the Kadee PS-1 50' boxcars too.  I think it is a great transitional time in railroading.  I have even been "floating" around a way to add a car float to the layout!

What's has to possibly change?

The track work is fine for this change.  The industries would have to be examined but I think most are fine.    I'll have to look at some of the freight cars that might be too new for the era.  Of course, I'll have to buy a few new cars like the PS-1 50 footers but when did 40' boxcars quit showing up in the 1980's?  Vehicles seem to me like one of the biggest time setters on the layout.  I'll have to look at each and figure out which can stay and which will need to be sold.  Vehicles for the 1980's are already a black hole.  Not much is out there.  Locomotives will also have to be looked at.  Most of my power is older but a 1984 short line would not have a SD40-2.  Still would have a lot of 1st generation Alco's and EMD's.  That fine with me!  This would let me incorporate the F units on to the layout.  A RS-3 in VMID paint would be a nice touch.  My GP10 still would be OK on the layout.

This is a easy attainable change for the layout.  Not a whole lot of work.  But is it worth it?  I don't know yet.  More research is need and I'll talk to a few other people about it.  But its definitely an easy change to do!  Let me know what you think in the comments!

How do you not like the many different paint schemes of F units?  Possible paint scheme of the Virginia Midland?

Locomotive calendar shoot pics

Did some staged shoots of the matching locomotive power.  Perfect for a calendar next year!

Happy Memorial Day! And maybe some modeling on my part?

Wanted to take time to thank all of our service men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could have this great county we live in.  I took time to visit a local civil war cemetery in Fredericksburg on Saturday night.  They do a illumination every Memorial Day where they set out 15,000 plus candles by each headstone.  It's a Union cemetery for the battle of Fredericksburg.  I took a good friend there for the first time and he was just blown away.   Let us not forget all the lost soldiers that shaped this great nation.

Model railroading has taken a backseat the last couple of months to life but it will hopefully start to ramp up soon.  I've got 3 weeks of school left, but a shorter summer since we start in early August this year.  I've picked up I few items over the last few weeks, including another locomotive: a 70 tonner.  I want to put sound in this and paint it into a simple paint scheme like below.  So if you don't mind, I'm going to get off the computer and head into my layout room and get a few things done.  Might even have to clean up for a bit before again gets accomplished.  Take care!

Picture from Warren Calloway

Model railroading and Spring don't go together

As we approach the month of May here in Virginia, it seems winter is still holding on by a thread.  I've spent several evening baseball practices this month watching my boys, freezing from the wind.  Looks as if we will finally be past that this week as Thursday is calling for temps near 90.  The good thing is that I just cut grass for the first time last weekend!  So, that gets me to model railroading.  For most of us, it takes a back seat this time of year.  We have so many things to do around the house after winter, there is hardly any free time.  Throw in three kids 12 and under, and you time is very limited.  I have not accomplished a whole lot, but mainly have gotten started on a few things.  I finally have figured out my favorite part of the hobby, building locomotives.  It seems that I am always in the middle of one of those projects.  You will see, I am actually in the middle of several.  Plus I have a few in the my storage drawers that are about 80% done!  Plus with a train show just about every month, that gets me shopping and thinking of future loco projects. Anyways, on with my pictures:

Should have seen my work desk before I cleaned it.  Just got the big stuff off.

My RS3M "Dewitt Geep" project.  Not happy with the color or the hand railings.  I will paint this Conrail blue and patch it for VMID

This a Proto 2000 chop nose Geep I got from a good friend.  The hard work is done, just have to check the drive (Proto crack gear issues) and decide on a paint job.  

An Intermountain GP10 painted in the MidSouth scheme.  I will patch this for the VMID.  Already has Lok sound installed and in VMID colors

Bad habit: For me, piling up stuff on unfinished scenery is a norm.  As you can see, not much time in the office tends to add more piling up.  I need to get the scenery done on the lower level!

Update video

Here's a video I did this week reviewing my new motive power and a new industry on the lower level:

Finally an update!

It's that time of the year when everything is is full go.  Yes, it must be September.  I'm back at work, the kids are in school and there's not a lot of modeling going on.  Heck, I'm reflecting on this past summer and I didn't really get anything done on the layout and had plenty of time.  It seems that is my biggest and probably most blogged about topic: TIME!  No wonder everyone waits until there retired to get started in this hobby!  I will admit, my time management for my hobby is not the greatest.  I would really know how the guys with basement size layouts get it done?

Anyways, not a much has been happening this month, but I did get a few different things done, most before and during Labor Day.  Most were locomotive projects, which are my favorite.

Got this Proto S-2 off Ebay for $25 shipped and hardwired a decoder and added LED's to it.  It's already weathered too.  Now to find a need for it!

I rebuilt this Proto SW800 from parts I had.  So I decided to paint it up for a industrial switcher.  I also put sound in it ans the sound decoder I was going to but in a 70 tonner would fit but the loco ran very terrible so now I have a Cummins diesel in a SW800. 

The only layout work that happened was this addition on a turnout on the Orange end.  This spur will run through some hidden staging behind my control panel to a small aggregate or sand hopper loading area. 

Another locomotive project that is close to the finish line.  About 4 years in the making.  It needs some dark weathering to hide the too light gray paint I applied!

Didn't know the Midland had a sister railroad in Florida?  Could not resist this locomotive!  

Picked up some more 7000 cuft woodchip hoppers.  If you don't know, these are hard to get and go for big bucks on Ebay.  I got these at great prices.

Drawerzilla and other projects

I finally completed the freight car drawers or as I call it Drawerzilla.  This was a major undertaking as it turned out bigger than  I planned.  I finally put the finishing touches on it Saturday and brought it in the house.  Between wood and redoing my deck last week, I bet I went to my local Home Depot everyday last week.  I still need to paint it and get another drawer liner and dividers for the last drawer.  I decided to put wheels on it to be able to move this behemoth.

Here is my 6 drawers of freight cars.

Holds 3 50' cars across, with space to spare.

The dividers are wood.  Not Ideal but made installation easy.

Tank car storage.  These were the hardest to store in my opinion.  Too many fragile pieces compared to a boxcar.

The last drawer need to be completed

The drawer liner keeps cars from rolling and moving.

Finally got the chevron stripes on the VC #107 now to add the grabs and weather.

Did a custom Southern woodchip hopper based on a prototype.

In between working on Drawerzilla, I worked on these two locos.  I wasn't going to add the VM logo to the C430, but man does it look great!  RS11 #204 is a Norfolk, Franklin and Danville prototype loco.

And my birthday present to myself, a SD40F "Red Barn"  I'm currently working on Econami Sound install.

Summer modeling has begun!

Had some time this past week to get some modeling done.  Nothing on the layout but some side-jobs like locomotive painting, decoder installs and running some trains.  My oldest son, Cameron has really took an interest in trains this last few weeks and he's been wanting to go into the train room more than me!  This has came out of nowhere!  So, since I was at the train show last weekend, I decided to get him a locomotive.  I did this because he passed all of his SOL tests this year on the first try.  He really likes Amtrak, so he decided he wanted a P42 locomotive.  I could not get him to settle on the F40 that would have been time wise correct for my layout.  If you know anything about the Kato P42's, they are not DCC ready and required some work to install a decoder.

Kato P42 #66 in special paint

The board has a few changes to be made.  All per Kato's reference guide

Kato is so far a head of their time.  The motors and flywheels on each truck saves room for decoders in the middle of the locomotive.

 Besides working on some custom weathering for a client, I also finally got some details and paint on Virginia Central's newest loco, a GP7.

VC #107 with all the details added.  With freelancing, you can add whatever details you want.

Yellow paint like the RS36 #106.  Can't wait to dirty it up!

Mid-December Update

Christmas is real close and it's that time when model railroading starts to begins to take off.  A lot of young kids will get their start in the next few weeks in this great hobby.  My oldest son worried me to death about putting a train around the tree this year.  He will be 11 next week. We have not put the train up in a couple of years but he saw it in the attic when we were getting out the rest of the Christmas decorations.  So I definitely got it down to put under the tree.  It's a Lionel North Pole Express and we have extra track and cars for it.  An actual oval under the tree.  After getting the wiring fixed on the track, it worked well.  Him and sister have played with it just about everyday since its been working.  They do occasionally run trains on the layout.  I definitely need to get them involved more!

I also finished up some aggregate cars for a customer of mine:

MCTR 1472 getting it's finishing touches

2 bay Greenville hoppers by Walthers are a favorite of mine.

VMID #281 prepares them for interchange.

A railfan grab on the street.

VMID #281 continues to switch the aggregate cars.