Latest video is out!: July 2018 update

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

Video on sound installs tips and an update of the replaced scenery

Finally an itch to scratch: Modeling time!

Spent the past weekend at the Great Scale Model Train Show up near Baltimore, Maryland and this may have been the thing to get me going.  One of the show owners needed some help manning his tables all weekend.  I gladly obliged and I even had a 2 tables to sell my excess.  I did quite well both days and even found a few great deals.  It was a great weekend and I want to thanks Mike for inviting me and all the hospitality.  I may even be helping out with all their shows in the future!  In case you have never heard of the GSMTS, here's some info about it:
Great Scale Model Train Show

This show is one of the biggest in the mid-Atlantic and is held 4 times a year.  The fall and winter show are the most popular and larger ones.

Look what I found!  My lost work desk and it's clean.

Picked up this kit at the show.  An older Walthers kit.  A kit is always a good thing to get your modeling juices flowing again.

Never put one of these together.

Deal of the show.  Like I need another locomotive! But this one was too good to pass up!  A Bowser VO-1000 that has Tsunami sound, $50!  had to get it.

 

The new year is off to a good start!

Being off the last 2 weeks you would think I would have time for lots of model railroading right?  Not so much.  Been busy on the homestead with shopping, cooking and the holidays.  Modeling time has taken a back seat and really I haven't been feeling the MR vibe.  I've done a few things, but nothing major. The last two days have been productive and I'm probably realizing I have to go to work on Monday!  I also have been rolling out of the bed at 8:00 or later too so that doesn't help much.  So in the last two days, I've installed a Tortoise on the lower level on the Mine Run Branch, removed a Lok sound decoder from a loco and installed a Tsunami, and for some reason started to install a valiance over the layout.  I've wanted to do this for a while now and just got started yesterday.  It will greatly improve the look of the layout room, like the floor has.  It's a two person job for a bit but my wife is gone shopping so the main 7 foot section will have to wait until this afternoon.

First section is done.  The blue bags are for debris from drilling holes.  It will hopefully give the layout a more professional look.  Do I do anything professional?

The next section is the longest part.  It will hide the light fixture and the all the wiring.

Last section to be installed.  Not idea what to do for the yard since it has no shelving above it.

GP39-2 #274 is back in service.  This is one of my newest engines that for some reason I put Lok Sound in.  Lok Sound sounds great but but adding a capacitor like a (Keep Alive) is not possible.  Even tried to add it but still the sound was in and out.  I believe Lok Sound has their own KA, but I believe it's in the $50 range.

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.

    

Scenery is complete at Orange: Video

Been in a scenery rush to get the lower level done at Orange.  The scene is like a upside down "T" when viewed.  I had to do the scenery in the back because it was unreachable unless you access it from the access hatch behind the fascia on the right.  It turned out better than I thought.  It has a building and road crossing.  You will see the building about halfway through the video.  Enjoy!

First How to video: Installing a TCS Keep Alive capacitor in a Tsunami sound decoder

Installed a TCS Keep Alive capacitor and decided to do a how to video on it.  Several videos later it's done.  I also decided today to do some scenery on the layout.  Did the ground cover on the former wood chip loading spur on the VC.  That will be an extra storage track and occasional team track.  Pics of this later.

West end signals are installed and working/ other projects

Finished up the last signals on the layout over the weekend.  All my signals are controlled by toggle switches on the fascia.  Since op session only consist of 2 people, I'm the one who will throw them.  I installed 2 Tomar regular 3 light signals and one BMLA searchlight signal.  The 2 Tomar signals are going into Battlefield Yard and the other is right across the track going west to Orange (hidden staging).  The searchlight signal is different and controls trains coming off of the Virginia Central branch line.

The other pictures are other things I'm working on this week:

The two Tomar signals.  There will be another bridge between the signals and the other overpass.

 

 

These BMLA signals are very detailed.  Definitely different on the layout.

Got another Alco, this time a RS1.  She will work for the F&NN and will be patched.  Really liked the black and yellow!  It has a Tsunami in it and was the most challenging one I have ever had the pleasure to put in.

A high and wide load.  Gotta have a interesting load during some op sessions.  Finally got the brass wire I need for tie downs.

A side dump for a MOW train.  Gotta get some VMID lettering on it.

No this is not HO but an On30 Forney getting a new tender.  One more good days work and she will be complete.  Maybe 2 with the paint!

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

Weathered freight cars

Been doing some weathering on some freight cars in the last week and a half.  Been on Spring break this week but the railroad has not received as much attention as I would have liked.  Things like yard work and other house projects have taken up a lot of time.  Here is what I have got done.  A loco or freight car doesn't go on to the layout unless it has been weathered.  Just a pet peeve of mine!

Central of Chicago hopper.  A super detailed Accurail hopper.

RF&P gondola #3112 custom done using a Walthers gon.

Central of Chicago hopper #2.  Another super detailed Accurail hopper.

An Exactrail covered hopper.  Still got to put some scrapes and rust spots on that yellow paint.

This is a rare car I picked up at a show.  It's a Custom Finishes metal kit that turns out well.  Definitely a different car on the layout.

My 4th BB hopper.  I changed the number and tried to darken it as per the prototype.  The others were weathered too lightly.

On my Intermountain F3, I finally broke down and put a Tsunami in it.  I patched out the B&A on the sides and put the F&NN lettering on it.  I am not 100% sold on the font I chose.  The Fredericksburg and Northern Neck is a shortline that makes a occasional appearance on the layout.  They mainly bring a train in to Battlefield Yard from staging, drop their cars, pick up cars and leave.  Their line is not modeled on the layout and this fictional railroad would run the old RF&P Dahlgren Branch.

I put a Soundtraxx Tsunami in this F3 (former B&A) Still needs to weathered heavily.

Some more completed projects

Been working on a few projects this week and I did get one finished and a few have been done.  I want to get these loco and freight car projects out of the way so that I can work on the layout some.  That seems to always be my dilemma: work on the many projects I have or the layout.  The freight car and loco projects are one of my favorite parts of the hobby and since the layout is operational, it gets the backseat.

Here are a few of my completed projects:

Got this Idea from a recent trip to the local BJ's.  These Rock trailers were owned by the RF&P at the end of their careers.  This one was based off of one used as a tire trailer.

 

The trailer is an Athearn 45 footer.

The prototype at my local BJ's warehouse.  The trailer looks to be renumbered but on closer inspection, the blue numbers are over the same smaller original RI numbers.  I have seen a few of these in my lifetime.

VM #200 was replaced by GP11 #280.  I wanted a high hood Geep on the layout.  She has been rebuilt from the looks of the 4 stacks on the roof.  Still need to weather her.

I recently acquired a Intermountain F3 for the Fredericksburg and Northern Neck (F&NN) railroad.  This railroad will be incorporated into the layout as a tiny aggregate hauler on branch line to the east. This F3 and a MP15AC in the Soo bandit scheme will be it's main power.  I loved the blue on this loco and it runs well with a DCC decoder installed!