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.  

200th Post on the Blog!

This is my 200th post on the blog and one I've been looking forward to for a long time.  At this posting, I have had 93,000 plus visits to my blog.  Last month, I had my busiest month, with over 4700 views.  This shattered my record of this past July of 3800 plus.  Must have been the blizzard of 2016?  Thanks to all who have visited and I look forward to the return visits.  Thanks for all the emails and comments because if it was not for you guys, this post would not be possible!

My first post was back in December 10th 2010: First Post to the Blog

Most popular posts:
#1 1648 views:  From July 22nd 2014:
 Bench work on extension is almost done and bigger horsepower
This was about my extension for my aggregate loader.  Also had some new horsepower for the Virginia Midland

#2 1013 views: From November 22nd 2012: Industry tour on the VMID Part I
This was a start of a tour on the industries on the layout.  This covered Klotz industries.  Don't know if I ever finished.  I redid this this past December with a video series.

#3 717 views: From December 30th 2011: The On30 Layout
At one time this blog covered 2 railroads.  I had a On30 layout on the lower level at one time.  Really loved it and it was the number one blog post for a long time.  There are several posts about the On30 layout on here.

#4 598 views: From January 13th 2014:
Scenery Update, USPS frustration and a sketch of the lower level trackage
Scenery in battlefield Yard and USPS madness.  Also the beginnings of the lower level.

#5 421 views: From August 17th 2011:
Detailing late RF&P GP40's and GP40-2's Part I
Detailing RF&P Geeps.  There was a second part to this also: Detailing RF&P Geeps Part 2

End of August update You Tube video

Here's an update video on my progress on the layout this summer:

End of the week update: July 26th 2015

Not a whole lot going on on the layout this week.  Most of the things I have gotten done were earlier in the week.  The layout has not had much progress on it since the redoing of the track to the helix.  I need to get that scenery back complete.  This week has been devoted to installing laminate flooring to the living room.  300 plus square feet of it.  Hard work but it looks great.  We are just about finished. One section of shoe moulding and a little paint is it.



I did get some motive power updated with some Tsunamis in the last two weeks.  Here they are:

Finally got MP15 #284 back in service.  It was a QSI sound chassis at one time but sold it because it sounded terrible.  Picked up a non-sound chassis to have Tsunami but on it like her sister #285.  Finally got it installed.  Not an easy task at all.

GP40 #299 finally go a Tsunami installed in her.  I even put an operating beacon in also.  I used a tiny LED and installed into the beacon.  These LED's are perfect for this.  Just cannot remember who makes them.  

New VC power #105 SW1200 got weathered up a bit.  No sound yet.

Hey who's layout room is that?  That would be yours truely from MRH discussion this week about small layout rooms.

    

Decaling overload, motive power update and continuous running

This week has mainly been getting 2 new locomotives onto the layout and getting some needed freight cars onto the layout.  The Mine Run branch is complete, or is it?  Thinking about putting in a lift out portion of track to connect the lower level at Orange and Mine Run for continuous running.  Not sure on it yet and this would change Orange a little.    Lets get to the locomotives:

Here is VMID GP40-2W in fresh paint.  She will receive the newer logo and will be weathered.  Her number will be #288.

The new SW1200 for the VC has received her paint and now waits for decals during my decal purge today.

My decaling tools of the trade.

My many sets of decals.  Boxed up and unorganized!

More progress on the decaling.  The SW1200 has her logo.  Patching and reporting marks were the main thing today.

Alot of work on this chip hopper.  Even did a VMID ortner Ex-SP.

VMID #288 is nearing the end of her decaling job. 

TBT: July 8th 2015

Well it's Thursday again so time for some older stuff.  These two are from back in 2005 and 2006.

Original VMID power.  These are two of the first green & gray locomotives I painted.  These are both GP40's.  The 299 still occasionally shows up on the layout.  The 290 was sold years ago.  Great looking lashup.  The layout is nothing like it is today.

Looking back at some of my extreme weathering, this one sticks out as being pretty good.  The hand drawn grafitti I think is simple but effective.

Happy Fourth of July and update on trackwork and motive power

Wanted wish everyone a happy 4th!  Be safe this holiday weekend!  I've been pretty busy on the layout this week and even today, as we aren't doing much except a cookout and checking out the fireworks display in town.  This is also my 150th post on the blog!

  Here's some projects I've worked on this week:

Mine Run Branch:
Trackwork is complete but still need to add several feeder wires

View looking north.  The entrance to the scene is in the upper right corner.  Track splits into a double track.  The spur on the left is the wood chip loader.  The track also crosses a river.

Looking the opposite direction.  The track goes back to one and the spur to the sand mine is on the left.  

The spur to the sand mine.  The mine is not featured on the layout.  The main reason for the rearrangement is to allow for longer trains.

The bridge over the canal/river had to be widened.  This canal will be filled with trees and a weeds.  It will also have where the canal sides have given way to time.

Another view of the bridge.

New motive power is also in the works:

This is new power for the Virginia Midland: an Atlas GP40W that will have Tsunami sound.  It's been detailed now time for some green and gray paint.

This is new Virginia Central power: Proto 2000 SW1200.  She will be painted yellow and will not have sound at this time.

Video of what's on tap for this summer on the VA Midland HO railroad

Here's a 15 minute video on my overview on the layout right now.  Included is what I want to get done this summer, motive power update, vehicles for the layout and more.  Make sure you check it out!

Throwback Thursday

I'm hopefully going to do this new Thursday theme every Thursday.  I'm going to find a picture (or pictures) of the layout or model and post it on here.  Hopefully I can find one for each week!  I should be getting back into the swing of things in the coming days and weeks.  Got 2 medium size changes for the layout and will talk about them in another post.  So here we go with Throwback Thursday, VMID style:

Know where this is on the layout? This the corner leading into Battlefield Yard.  This is from Jan. 09 and on the left is the track leading down to the lower level.  Very steep grade and it was eventuall ripped out for an On30 layout.

This GP40 #299 that I still have.  She was was the first locomotives to receive the green and gray of the VMID.  This is the original scheme.  I put working front ditchlights that were an absolute pain in it.  After that I decided to "move" out of the ditchlight era.  It's sitting near Old Dominion Foods area with no scenery.  Jan. 2009.

Finally got back to some scenery

On Sunday, I decided to get back to the layout for a little scenery.  I really like building/ weathering freight cars and locos, so when I work on them mainly, the layout gets neglected.  I have plenty of cars and locos for the layout, so it's a no-brainer that the scenery could be finished up in a month or two if I really applied myself. This past week I didn't get anything done. Call it laziness or whatever.  Just was not motivated.  Hopefully I can motivate myself in the coming week.  In the meantime, let me show you the progress.

Back at the area I working on this August, I finished the former woodchip loading spur.  I decided against the woodchip loader because of the small nature of the Virginia Central  railroad.  They have enough traffic with the aggregate industry.

This spur on the VC will be a storage and a possible team track.  VC locos will also be parked here.  I decided to bury the tracks for non-maintained look.  Still have to put bushes and weeds in there.

Over in Battlefield Yard, I started working on the yard crew building and parking area.  Added some weathering and a few details.

Finally finished the newest loco on the VM.  GP39-2 #274 has been weathered and I am very satified with the LOK sound decoder.

Another view of #274

Fall modeling is a go (sort of)

Well my Fall modeling is in full effect but I'm not really getting much done at the moment.  The MLB playoffs are in full swing, and as long as my Tigers are playing, modeling will take a back seat.  I have been meaning to update the blog lately and today I finally have some time.  I got a few things going on.  First, I finally got a picture in a model railroading magazine: Model Railroad Hobbyist.  I have picture of a B&O sand hopper  in the September issue in the "Yes it is a Model" section.  I was pretty happy with that.  The only modeling I have done lately is a new loco for the VM.  It's a Atlas Trainman GP39-2 phase 1.  I've been working on it for about 2 weeks, very slowly.  It's a new paint job and more of a dip job in green.  I like to have a few different schemes on the railroad and this would be the newest.  Instead of a Tsunami install, I bought my first LOK sound decoder.  All I can say is WOW!  It sounds great and motor control is great.  It sounds like a tsunami but a little better.  The pics below show my work.  The loco will have white hand railings and grab irons to break up the green some.

Pretty much a standard Atlas shell with out the grabs.  GP39-2 phase 1

My junky work desk.  Why is it your always working on a tiny space on the edge of the desk?

The Lok sound decoder is in the front and the VM #289 U23B Tsunami chassis in the back.  I'm adding a KA capacitor to the U23B.

Need to detail the hand railings with white and add a beacon and the snowplow.

One thing I was not looking forward to on this shell was drilling the grab iron holes.  MicroMark had a mini drill bit holder for drills.  So I tried it out.  Instead of breaking several #79 bits with a hand drill press and taking 30 minutes, I used this and broke none.  I was finished in less than 5 minutes!

Scenery tidbits at Battlefield Yard and a new industry?

Did a little scenery to Battlefield yard towards the end of the week.  I did a Scenic Express order earlier in the week and wanted to try some of their grass mats.  It seems a lot of modelers are using them on their layouts and are getting decent looking results.  I also used some of their scenic dirt and used that in the parking lot/roadway.  It looks good but I need to go back and pick out the bigger pieces.

A new industry I want to put on the layout is a wood chip loader.  I've always wanted one but could never find the right spot.  I even did some research and thanks to some guys on Trainorders.com, I was shown pictures of a small loader in the northwest.  The facility is hundreds of yards away but the loader is across the road.  Mine will be across the tracks.

C424 #292 stops on track #5 beside the grassy meadow.  I will tone this down a little with bushes and darker grass materials.

BB #3002 waits for it's next move. 

The conductor prepares to climb down off of #292 for a little break.

Looking for that dirt/ballast/sandy parking area.  I believe I have found it.

This loader is pretty close to what Walthers has.  I already have it built!

Talk about the facility been away from the tracks.  

I would send the loader pipe across the tracks to the left at and angle.  The perpendicular angle does look right.  I've been struggling with the bridge scene in the background.  That's also perpendicular and harder to fix. 

New operating session partner

Spent a little time in the layout room this evening with my "new" engineer in training.  My oldest son Cameron (7) decided he wanted to run some trains tonight.  My middle son (age 5) got bored really quickly with a switching layout earlier in the week.  Cameron on the other hand picked it up pretty quickly and seemed to get use to slower pace.  I use NCE DCC and the power cab is really easy to use once you get used to it.  Cam picked it up (he's used it a few times before) quite well.

I decided not to use a switching list and we only switched out 5 cars and brought 4 empties back to Battlefield yard.  I just installed a TCS stay alive capacitor in my SD20-2 (SD35 frame) and it runs perfect.  Before it ran like crap even for a 6 axle engine.  I recommend them with Tsunamis!

Cameron blows the horn and slows while backing out some cars

Running a boxcar back to Mid-Atlantic Feeds after the empties have been pulled.

Cameron did not want to block Industrial Drive but he didn't have another option to set the empties for a bit. 

Also completed 2 locos for a customer this week.  MCIS SD22ECO #2290

MCIS SD22ECO #2291