Another weekend is in the books. How did you do with your project list? As I figured on Friday, only house projects and model airplane projects were accomplished. This is my busy time of year for work related shows with a new airplane show happening just about every weekend until the first weekend in November. So how about you? Did you get everything done on your model railroad project list? Let us know how you did, with pictures if you have them. We'll do it again on Friday the 16th. Until then... ​High Greens!
Does shopping count? This was sales-tax-free weekend in Massachusetts. I took full advantage of it. I've got a locootive on order, so I went to my LHS and paid for it, even though I won't see it for a couple of more months. I got some paints, glue and decals too. I also went to the hardware store and picked up the rattle-can paints I use for structure building. The microwave oven failed last week, so I got a new one of those. Installation is a chore, and that took my Saturday afternoon. Sunday, I noticed a leak from the heating system, so I had to hang around while that got repaired. I did get a little bit done. I tried the drywall compound method for mortaring bricks. It seems to work very well, and gives me a clean look, something which other methods don't. And, I can use whatever paint I like. I finished assembling the walls for another tannery building, and started mortaring those. I also cut thin strips of brick sheet to use for the insides of the roof parapets on another building. That came out pretty well. I still need to glaze the windows and paint the roof, but this building is done enough to sit it on the layout as a placeholder instead of a cardstock mock-up.
I managed to crank out a few more items this week: The BQ23-7 is nearly complete - I just need to do the two vertical handrails on the cab front, then paint. Decals are making their way from woo woo woo for the Family Lines version - I am still debating the idea of an SBD paint out. Pics when we get a little farther along. I also began rehabbing this tank car (bought for a dollar at Timonium sans trucks, couplers, or much of anything else) I like the Gold Metal Models kit, but I bod mounted the couplers as stand ins for Gary & Ed's fine boxes, and is I take off the plastic decking on each end to add the etched walkways, then I'll have to figure out a non-screw mounting method. I also welcomed a couple of new additions to the fleet: And I got the Elkins/Baton Rouge yard (formerly from Lee Weldon's WM Western Division Lines) finally secured in it's permanent resting place. This means I have a trackwork challenge connecting to the existing "mainline": There's a joint to the top left of the photo where that bit of flex track comes off - so I am thinking about removing it and then either getting a curved turnout, or doing something else. The wall corner is fixed - there's a bathroom on the other side. And I need a HCD cut-off the make a pretty rounded corner filler.
