She's getting ready to come inside for a good cleaning, weathering job, and then she'll be put back to work moving some real freight trains.
Not TOO dirty! LOL Actually, I will let you in on a little secret. While I was first testing the track, an Atlas switch got picked. One that had track to nowhere but the concrete floor below. Thats the route she took. So the weathering is actually going to be a cover up to some paint that came off. When I first heard the 'CRASH' I feared the worst. But the worst was a broken front coupler and a missing horn. The minor was a scuff mark by the rear radiator grill and a little missing paint. I was relieved!!!!!
Wow! Yeah, she looks like she came through the fall real good. I have had freight cars hit the floor, concrete like yours, that were totally destroyed! You have to get on your dispatcher for lining the wrong route! Heres a site with pics of 7347 to help with weathering her. http://espee.railfan.net/sp7347.html Thom
Yep....those black grills should do the trick! And it did have a white horn....but I like the brass one in those photos! The new one is going to be brass.
I was the Dipatcher. LOL I had stuck a nail in the cork to hold the point over, but in hammering or sanding or something constructive, the nail had come out. I had been running trains through the trailing point direction for a while, and then on this particular day, decided to run them the facing point direction, and with nothing holding the points against the rail.......
The ocean looks fantastic, Jerry. You've come a long way from a single sceniced photo track with a picture of the Mississippi River behind it!
And here's my sweetheart. Now that I have something that looks more like a 'layout' and not just benchwork, she was inspired to clean and vacum. Or maybe it's the thought of all these visitors coming over!
I liked the way the SD40 work train 'pan shot' looked so I thought I would try it again with some steam. Here, AFT 4449 rolls through Pinole at track speed.
Jerry, outsanding scenery work. Please share how you plan to keep all the little critters out, since the area is open to all. I have a big bug problem in an enclosed building, mostly minute spiders running everywhere and spinning small , small webs. Al
Awesome layout, Jerry. I missed a lot of this thread, and will have to get back to it, to pick up some tips.
Well, eventually the big garage door is going to be off and the front will be all closed in with just windows. I actually hope to make the front look like the front of a ATSF Station. Kind of a 'false front' look. As for the critters, I'm in the south like you, so there will be a constant supply of Raid of the shelf.
For now, 'work' will consist of running trains, and I may....OK, I am, going to get more of the Ozal Yard benchwork in. No heavy lifting there since it's just a basic 'shelf'. I have placed an order for ATSF ballast from Arizona Rock, and until it gets here and I can start ballasting the ATSF Line, the Pinole section isn't going to get much done in the next couple of days. This weekend I also plan on getting all the feeders wired into the main wiring. Going to seem pretty boring compared to the instant rewards the scenery brought.....but.....it's still got to be done.
Looking good Jerry! So you like the CMX cleaner car, eh? It's an expensive little critter, isn't it ! But worth it in your opinion?
Yes Dave, I really think it's a great track cleaner. Believe me, this track was dirty! One pass and it was clean. I did let it go about three times around, just because it still had alot of liquid left in it. (I used thinner. But you can use a number of different cleaners in it.) Yes, they are a little on the pricey side, but every once in a while they list them on EBay, and I got mine there for about $40.00 less then they sell for. But, if this one ever breaks or stops working, I would pay the full price for another one.
