Operational Session with Norm Wolf

Yesterday I had a planned operational session with Norm Wolf on the layout.  He's been wanting to come over for a while now and yesterday our schedules worked out.  He ran the V100 which runs out of Battlefield Yard (BY) to the Fredericksburg Flats industries.  He took 8 cars with him and returned with 8 cars.  Not an easy task but Norm did well.  The flats have 3 trailing industries and 3 that require you to run around your train.  The layout acted up a little but 80% was operator error (running through switches).   You can guarantee that your layout will have some shorts, a derail & a pull apart when you want to show your layout to someone.  It's Murphy's law! This stuff never happens when it's just me.   I ran the other trains that came out of staging to BY and did the switching in BY.  We ran a total of 3 trains on the layout.  The V100, a G200 grain train from Orange and the F&NN local. Here are the pics:

RF&P #124 brings in the rest of V100 train.  Norm had to wait on their arrival before he could head to Fredericksburg Flats.

F&NN power brings their small train (3 cars) into the Battlefield yard.

VMID # 292 is the yard switcher today.  He's making the RF&P's train up and just complete the F&NN train.  The F&NN train is at the top waiting to head east.  The Virginia Central cars sit on track #4.  The Virginia Central was not operated today.

Norm catches up on paper work while the F&NN train passes.  He had to clear up for the train heading east.

The G200 grain train comes into Battlefield yard.  This train came from Orange and power had to run around it's train to get into Battlefield Yard.  Older power leads this train with VMID #256 "the Red Baron".

RF&P #124 has it's train assembled behind him.  The G200 power waits in BY for it's next assignment.  A H/W load sits on the engine track.

Norm finishes up his switching since he has no other trains coming through his switching.

RF&P #124 gets an approach signal to leave Battlefield yard. 

Some of Norm's pics:

It's me switching in BY.

A B&O sand hopper bound for the VC.

The G200 grains train prepares to run around it's train.  The VC depot is in the foreground.  Norm's engine #281 sits in the upper left corner and in the clear of G200.

The BY engine track has a high & wide waiting on it's assignment.

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

Messy work desk syndrome

Some people do their modeling on a work bench.  I do mine on a work desk.  A work bench is something you have your tools on in the garage!  Anyways, is it me or is keep your work desk clean hard or what?  This evening, I cleaned it of pretty good.  I had a few items I wanted to finish up,  So, I cleaned it off pretty much.  Got my little bit of work in and boom!  Its a mess again and that's the way I left it until tomorrow.  Now, I got a question.  If we cleaned up at the end of the day or a project, would be get more stuff done?  Probably!

My main work desk.  Being organized helps me big time and this was something I did about 5-6 years ago.  Labels help you find stuff faster.  But being organized doesn't keep the desk clean!

Side desk.  This area seems to collect overflow from the main desk.  The On30 layout is above this area  and HO engines are even on it.

New shot I'm using for the blog now.  These are my main engines for the VM on the layout.  There are a few missing but the "Red Baron" CF-7 makes an appearance behind the tree. 

Regular updates and actual modeling time

Been enjoying my time off from school and trying to get some modeling done.  I got 2 custom locomotives I'm working on right now for a gentleman in Texas.  I'm about about half way done with those.  I also want to get back to updating this blog every week.

The 2 SD22ECO locos I'm building for a customer.

 So what been going on lately with me?

-Yardwork: it seems like it never ends around here.  My grass is terrible and full of weeds but its green because of all the rain we've had.  It seems that we have had storm after storm the last couple of weeks.  Had a nasty one yesterday and now the yard is calling to get up all the branches all over it!

The storm that came through yesterday.  It was a doosy!

-Deck work:  My deck was looking quite old and unstained.  I decided to get the Restore covering from Rust-oleum.  Looks really good but I need to put one more coat on it but I cannot get it done because of all the rain.  It needs a good day to dry.  Its hard work going on but it looks 100 times better.

-9th anniversary:  My wife and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary yesterday.  She's the best wife and mom than I could have ever asked for. 

Now trains:
I'm still working on that list of all the things I need to work on this summer.  That will be out soon.  I did the show up in Timonium this past weekend.  Sold several things.  Norm Wolf joined me up there as a last minute fill in.  Kevin Olson who usually sells with me could not make it down.

Heard about a multicolored textured paint by Rust-oleum somewhere in my travels on the internet.  Cannot remember what they used it for, so on a recent trip to Home Depot I picked some up.  I was looking for the perfect weathering inside of open hoppers.  I have a few aggregate hoppers on the layout and I usually mask the edges of the hopper and spray a primer brown in them.  So with this stuff, I do the same.  It takes a bit to dry and comes out of the can quick so be prepared.  I thought they gave it a good weathered look.  It looks to me like spray on sandpaper.  You could also use it on gondolas.

A RF&P stone hopper.  Gives a nice used looking inside.

A VMID stone hopper

Another VMID stone hopper.  These are made out of shortening a Walther 2 bay Greenville hopper.

 

Another year done... now to some modeling!

Just finished another year teaching and coaching, my 14th year.  As you might know, I have not done any posts since April.  Coaching in the spring takes up all my free time.  At one stretch, I believe I did not go into my train office for 3 weeks straight, not once.  I do get a little down time at the end of May and did get a little modeling done on the Memorial Day weekend.  I have some big modeling plans this summer.  I will post those in another post.  The main one is that I want to get the scenery finished.  That means no plywood showing.  That should get done. But on to what I worked on Memorial Day weekend.

I've been wanting another diesel for the Midland and ready wanted a B40-8.  I stumbled onto one at a show in April.  The price tag was a real deal.  It is in the GE red scheme so I blacked out the GE logos and did a simple VMID under the cab.  Looks good and no reason for a short line to paint a engine that's got a newer paint job. I also put a Tsunami in it with the newer GE engine.   So, the 808 is the second red engine on the VM roster.

The VM #808 looks good in the red and yellow.  Still need to weather it up.   

I also had a HH660 that was numbered 33 and was for a sand plant that was off the layout.  This concept never took off and Battlefield yard took that area.  I finally settled on it as "older power" for the Virginia Central.  It's smaller engine and used when #3 & #5 are not functioning.  I added a generic VC decal and this too has a Tsunami. 

HH660 #33 waits on the conductor for it's next move.

 

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.