Skip to main content

1/3 steamer, 2/3 combine coach.  Today l got back to working on my steam coach, first time after York. Almost done....just front and rear headlights to mount. Ooops..bell and whistle, too. Stack from front of smoke box passes straight up through clerestory roof.  This is a neat looking critter, and preceded the commercial steam coaches that came from Baldwin, Alco, and Unit-Stanley. I want models of the B., and U.S., too  Model puddy might be ready to sand...back to work...

Tomorrow (5/13) is National Train Day, even if Amtrak HAS abandoned it, and the Razorback Traction Company will be debuting the Mark VI Gi-raffe and Brakeman Actuator FastTrack section at the former Frisco depot in Fort Smith, AR...

GEDC3062

Note the full-length brass contact, so that even the most sluggish of brakeman solenoids will operate properly! 

The top bit of the telltale mast broke off, so I drilled the mast out, installed a piece of 1/8 brass tube and fabricated a gi-raffe flag from a toothpick and a couple of Giraffe Express logos printed on adhesive paper... 

The 1666 in the background is slated for decaling so that it resembles Frisco 4003, resident at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum.

The 1666 isn't a Mikado, of course, but other than that, there's a resemblance if one squints a little...

Mitch

Attachments

Images (1)
  • GEDC3062

As usual great work everyone.  Elliot congrats on your daughter graduation and the success of your open house and the new group of volunteers offering to develope an operating system. Of course the in exchange to play on your layout.  As in the field of dreams. If you build they will come.

AG have always liked your work either way it works. Candy shop on a dead end street just has to be a front for something Or a bail bond operation on a dead end street. Just like crime a dead end occupation.    

I swore I wasn't going to do this but added to my layout.. I had bought a K line diner a while back for the new layout and the other night I decided to wire it in and put it on the current layout..

DSCF6519DSCF6520DSCF6521DSCF6529DSCF6530

Attachments

Images (5)
  • DSCF6519
  • DSCF6520
  • DSCF6521
  • DSCF6529
  • DSCF6530
Last edited by suzukovich
suzukovich posted:

As usual great work everyone.  Elliot congrats on your daughter graduation and the success of your open house and the new group of volunteers offering to develope an operating system. Of course the in exchange to play on your layout.  As in the field of dreams. If you build they will come.

AG have always liked your work either way it works. Candy shop on a dead end street just has to be a front for something Or a bail bond operation on a dead end street. Just like crime a dead end occupation.    

I swore I wasn't going to do this but did added to my layout.. I had bought a K line diner a while back and the other night I decided to wire it in and put it on the layout..

DSCF6519DSCF6520DSCF6521DSCF6529DSCF6530

Wow, with something that good looking I am surprised it sat for so long! I have to say it looks great! Now I am going to have to keep my eyes open for one down the road! Once again Looks just GREAT!

suzukovich posted:

As usual great work everyone.  Elliot congrats on your daughter graduation and the success of your open house and the new group of volunteers offering to develope an operating system. Of course the in exchange to play on your layout.  As in the field of dreams. If you build they will come.

AG have always liked your work either way it works. Candy shop on a dead end street just has to be a front for something Or a bail bond operation on a dead end street. Just like crime a dead end occupation.    

I swore I wasn't going to do this but added to my layout.. I had bought a K line diner a while back for the new layout and the other night I decided to wire it in and put it on the current layout..

DSCF6519DSCF6520DSCF6521DSCF6529DSCF6530

That Diner looks great, makes me want to head down there for some coffee or better yet, dinner!

Hi Mike.  Thanks.

The anchor winch goes on the fore deck.  You can see the anchor chain leading down through the hawse pipes.  The big winch with the cables is a trawl winch which goes on the after deck and the small winch is a cargo winch which will go on the middle deck, aft of the twin funnels.  The cargo winch is used in conjunction with a jib, to load and unload cargo from the wharf.

As the build continues, I'll post up the photos so that you can see it develop.

Cheers

handyandy posted:

Not much "on" the layout, but working in the backshop to put recently acquired Marx F-units into service. Armature bearing is seized up so had to cannibalize a different armature from a parts motor.

backshop1

Got her all buttoned up this evening. Motor has had the armature and brush plate replaced and some pieces tweaked to get the loco to pull well. The loco and caboose polished with some toothpaste.

diseasel6

Attachments

Images (1)
  • diseasel6

In Muncie, IN for a wedding. There's a Menards 2 miles down the road. It was awesome! They had put away the train stuff but it was accessible and they let me peruse it. Grabbed a burnt train shed. Saw the track first hand too. Their Denver Die Cast were $3 and I found a nice Navy transport van. The staff were all so great, too. I've been a fan club member for a while, but this sealed the deal. Now we need them to come to PA. 

mike g. posted:
suzukovich posted:

As usual great work everyone.  Elliot congrats on your daughter graduation and the success of your open house and the new group of volunteers offering to develope an operating system. Of course the in exchange to play on your layout.  As in the field of dreams. If you build they will come.

AG have always liked your work either way it works. Candy shop on a dead end street just has to be a front for something Or a bail bond operation on a dead end street. Just like crime a dead end occupation.    

I swore I wasn't going to do this but did added to my layout.. I had bought a K line diner a while back and the other night I decided to wire it in and put it on the layout..

DSCF6519DSCF6520DSCF6521DSCF6529DSCF6530

Wow, with something that good looking I am surprised it sat for so long! I have to say it looks great! Now I am going to have to keep my eyes open for one down the road! Once again Looks just GREAT!

Mike is right Doug!  The diner really looks great!

John D. posted:

In Muncie, IN for a wedding. There's a Menards 2 miles down the road. It was awesome! They had put away the train stuff but it was accessible and they let me peruse it. Grabbed a burnt train shed. Saw the track first hand too. Their Denver Die Cast were $3 and I found a nice Navy transport van. The staff were all so great, too. I've been a fan club member for a while, but this sealed the deal. Now we need them to come to PA. 

John,

Take heart; last year Menards opened a store just across the Ohio line in Warren, O.  I know you are on the opposite end of Pennsylvania from me, but they are getting closer.

well it is 1 am and I just came up from the trains after spending 12 hours installing miller engineering signs and wiring buildings with street lights. mounted the flag on top of the bank building and added a street light in front of the bank. tomorrow I will go under the layout and hook up all the wires I dropped down today. now that will be fun for an old fat man as myself. added another bridge side today also. maybe 1 more tomorrow can be glued up. as best i can figure there will be 5 more bridge side left to do. so good night every body.

Carl

John D. posted:

In Muncie, IN for a wedding. There's a Menards 2 miles down the road. It was awesome! They had put away the train stuff but it was accessible and they let me peruse it. Grabbed a burnt train shed. Saw the track first hand too. Their Denver Die Cast were $3 and I found a nice Navy transport van. The staff were all so great, too. I've been a fan club member for a while, but this sealed the deal. Now we need them to come to PA. 

John, I think your right, Menards is a class act, but it also helps to know you can contact Mark the Menards guy here. When I went to North Dakota to visit family we went to the Menards and they packed everything up and put it in storage. I posted on here and the next day they had the train stuff back out with some great deals! When I walked in the manager knew who I was ( the guy from Seattle), I am sure Mark let him know I would be coming back!

Great company I just wish they would build one here near Seattle!

Mark Boyce posted:
mike g. posted:
suzukovich posted:

As usual great work everyone.  Elliot congrats on your daughter graduation and the success of your open house and the new group of volunteers offering to develope an operating system. Of course the in exchange to play on your layout.  As in the field of dreams. If you build they will come.

AG have always liked your work either way it works. Candy shop on a dead end street just has to be a front for something Or a bail bond operation on a dead end street. Just like crime a dead end occupation.    

I swore I wasn't going to do this but did added to my layout.. I had bought a K line diner a while back and the other night I decided to wire it in and put it on the layout..

DSCF6519DSCF6520DSCF6521DSCF6529DSCF6530

Wow, with something that good looking I am surprised it sat for so long! I have to say it looks great! Now I am going to have to keep my eyes open for one down the road! Once again Looks just GREAT!

Mike is right Doug!  The diner really looks great!

We had been cleaning the house before the Property Appraiser showed up since I am in the process of refinancing my mortgage. Discovered a few things I forgot I had.  Good news I have plenty of Atlas track so it looks like I will not need much more for the new layout. The Diner just keep begging to be used and Winteron needed a eatery to feed the crews. I gave in to my urge. It is cool though but now need to weather it some. Funny thing when he saw the layout he rolled his eyes, I guess he just doesn't get it. Good thing My mortgage broker saw the appraisers pics and loved it.

The rains continue to drench Protestlandia so we laid another 20' of track, out of the 140' we're adding, a upper level to the layout, --- the Cabin Lake Sub.  About 40' left to lay, including a couple of #6 turnouts.  Then it's a week of wiring up the drops and the turnouts.

May be able to open the sub to traffic by mid-June.

Kerrigan posted:

The rains continue to drench Protestlandia so we laid another 20' of track, out of the 140' we're adding, a upper level to the layout, --- the Cabin Lake Sub.  About 40' left to lay, including a couple of #6 turnouts.  Then it's a week of wiring up the drops and the turnouts.

May be able to open the sub to traffic by mid-June.

That's what it does here in the north west! but spose to be nice next weekend! LOL

Well, been thinking about my train buddy....LACY....actually been missing her alot since i have been working with the trains more lately, been just over 2 years now, still think about her when running the trains......she really liked them......

 

she knew when i would turn on the transformers, and get excited....

and chase the trains from room to room....

still have her claw marks on one of the mountains where she would put her front paws up on to see the trains......

Attachments

Images (4)
  • mceclip0
  • mceclip1
  • mceclip2
  • mceclip3
Last edited by briansilvermustang
briansilvermustang posted:

Well, been thinking about my train buddy....LACY....actually been missing her alot since i have been working with the trains more lately, been just over 2 years now, still think about her when running the trains......she really liked them......

 

she knew when i would turn on the transformers, and get excited....

and chase the trains from room to room....

still have her claw marks on one of the mountains where she would put her front paws up on to see the trains......

I am an animal lover and I understand the pain of your loosing your buddy.. I've lost 2 of mine in the last year.. She looks like she was well cared for and a very happy companion!!!

National Train Day, and the Razorback Traction Co./Gi-raffe Express was live at the Frisco depot in Fort Smith...

GEDC3063

Naturally, Fortescue J. Gi-raffe and his pals were present...

GEDC3067GEDC3069

The Mark VI Fastrack Gi-raffe Brakeman Actuator worked like a charm, even at slow speeds...

Kids and parents alike had a great time! 

GEDC3071

GEDC3073

GEDC3075

Across the street:  More gi-raffes!

GEDC3074

The Fort Smith Frisco depot is known for being made of stone with large quantities of fossils.  Here are a couple.

GEDC3070

Mitch

Attachments

Images (10)
  • GEDC3063
  • GEDC3067
  • GEDC3068
  • GEDC3069
  • GEDC3070
  • GEDC3071
  • GEDC3072
  • GEDC3073
  • GEDC3074
  • GEDC3075
Videos (1)
GEDC3064

Coming soon, an Army unit to my layout.

0513172229a-1_resized

Just finished decaling my Bachmann On30 Whitcomb 50 ton unit, the dull coat on tbe engine body is drying right now.
I took a good look at the running years and frame on the locomotive, and realized it would be an Unholy nightmare to try to paint over that. So for now, those stripes are going to stay until I can figure out what to do with it.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • 0513172229a-1_resized

Just got the Whitcomb back together again after putting new decals and detail parts on and I still need to do some weathering with it, but I think it looks pretty good so far. 

I'm really glad I put a soldier figure in the cab, as it wouldn't look correct with the engineer figure it came with otherwise.

I'm not going to weather it but just a little, as it's going to represent a brand new locomotive that just got delivered.0513172313a_resized0513172315_resized0513172317_resized0513172315a_resized

Attachments

Images (4)
  • 0513172313a_resized
  • 0513172315_resized
  • 0513172317_resized
  • 0513172315a_resized

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×