Good call out Alan. Yes each Rapido cola hopper comes with it's own magnetic wand. The wand is used to easily remove the coal loads, Makes it easy. Makes me wonder if the M/T magnetic wand works on these too. Need to try that. As for the noise, all 4 cars make it. Seems very odd. My Rapido boxcars do not make any noise. I'm probably going to experiment with one this weekend and see what I can find. I promise to post some more about it and some pictures of the cars and loads when I get a chance.
Thanks sir. I see a lot of pipe loads that are that light green color. Thinking I may do a second set of these pipes for a gondola load. Not sure if they will be green or black.
Well...i like less work. Sooooooo... https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Drinking-Straws-Inches-Standard/dp/B07B4HS4ZY/ref=sr_1_2?crid=6ZW66HFHFQR7&keywords=green+plastic+straws&qid=1683064350&sprefix=green+plastic+straws,aps,178&sr=8-2&th=1 Green...black...white...red....
Not really a lot even though it seemed like it when I was working on it but here we go. Got more work over the weekend on the freight car loads. This one could stand to have some of the supports redone but it's good enough for now and looks better using the 3 ft rule. Same goes for the tractors. Then there's this.... I'm so so on the look here But when I put it on the layout next to a M/T factory weathered car, it does look a little more passable...... maybe? That's all the pics but I did get some metal wheel sets installed and I thought for sure I had taken a pic of what work I did on the pipe load but I guess not. Didn't get a chance to do pics of the Rapido coal hoppers (not "cola" hoppers and I misspelled in an earlier post) but that is still on the to do list. After seeing George's (mtntrainman) wash rack, it's really got me wanting to do an add on locomotive servicing facility. Some day I guess.
I have plenty of the G Scale ladder and lots of 'straw brushes' left. If ya wanna build one let me know. I would be more then happy to sent you enough to build ya one....JS
Personally, I prefer the hand-weathered car. MT's factory weathering is detailed, but ] the printed-on weathering never quite has the same depth as something with multiple layers of hand-applied weathering. And IMO depth is 2/3 of good weathering. Also I love the road in the foreground. A DeLorean, Mini Cooper, Herbie, and something green and just on the tip of my tongue (MG?). Gotta love it.
Thank you. I've not really done much of my own weathering and this one was more a side effect of removing the graffiti decal than an intentional weathering job. Thanks for noticing the cars. The green convertible is an MG by Oxford Diecast along with the Mini and Herbie. They are sitting there for now until I find just the right spot for them on the layout.
That little guy is a Brakeman that comes with a Bachmann under track uncoupler magnet. There is actually one under that section of track right behind him. Early on when I was building the layout, I was using him and some other push pins to mark the locations of the uncoupler magnets. As scenery progressed, I replaced those push pins with signal and relay boxes like the one next to him to mark the magnet locations. For some reason, after installing that signal box, I just never pulled the pin and now he's kind of a fixture there
I can understand that. I was/am having the same problem. If my layout was built with a dedicated 'wash rack track' things would have been fine. I finally took all the caboose off the caboose track and am using that. I like the looks of caboose but my time period just doesn't really have them. The scratch built wash rack is just a quirky little addition that I wanted to drop somewhere. I believe it will be fine where it ended up. Rule #1 applies!
I'm a big fan of Rule #1! As for the caboose track, that is one trade off I guess but you can always justify a few caboose's on the layout. Case in point is this shot from BNSF's North Yard in Ft Worth. I took that shot on 4/15/2023.
Yup.... I have a caboose on my MOW train. I have a caboose attached to my yard switcher. I have some others around. I just don't need a caboose track full of them...LOL.
Stupid question time... What are cabooses used for these days? I can see the need for extra crew transport on MOW trains, but what is one used for on a yard switcher, unless to comply with Rule #1? Outside of a yard, I guess a caboose could be used as (part of) a 'handle' on short industrial tracks not rated for the loco's weight...
Transfer caboose/pushing platform. strange thing is...some RR weld the doors shut so the crew can't get in...even on freezing days. Go figure. *WIKIPEDIA * A recent variation on the transfer caboose is the "pushing" or "shoving" platform. It can be any railcar where a brakeman can safely ride for some distance to help the engineer with visibility at the other end of the train. Flatcars and covered hoppers have been used for this purpose, but often the pushing platform is a caboose that has had its windows covered and welded shut and permanently locked doors.
^^ What mtntrainman said ^^ Shoving platforms is about all I've seen them used for lately. I know some private companies and the military have their own that will accompany certain types of special moves. I'm actually a little surprised we haven't seen and models come out painted for any of those. I guess it's special enough of a scheme that companies don't think they would sell well but there are some kool ones out there like these for KRL
Warning: This is just some miscellaneous stuff. Read on at risk of your own boredom. The last two nights, I finished up with the metal wheels I had left. The more I use them the more I like them. they do look good on the cars. Heres a random shot of metal wheels To be ramble a little, if I hadn't switched to Kato Unitrack, I'd probably have not started using metal wheels. My trackwork skills were never up to the level of what is needed for the low profile flanges of metal wheels when I was using cork and flex track and such. So, the switch to Unitrack was a big win for me and now being able to really enjoy metal wheels on my rolling stock is a second big win. Anyway, since i just had a few sets left from the latest acquisition (most went toward finishing up my coal hoppers), I pulled out a box of random cars to use. Some things from the box that got these wheel sets were these two orange Santa Fe cars. These are old MDC/Roundhouse cars. Usually when I would get and of the MDC/Roundhouse kits, I'd paint the underframes a grimy black before assembling them but that apparently never happened to this pair so not sure what happened when I got them. Guess that will be another project for sometime soon. At least they have metal wheels now. Since I have been on the loading of freight cars kick lately, adding metal wheels to these two previously loaded cars was appropriate. A BNSF mill gondola with a scrap load. It's washed out in the picture but in person, the load is more metal colored. Maybe I could run a wash of indain ink over it to bring out some of the highlights? Then there is this car. The lumber load on this car was from a kit I got at an NMRA show in Birmingham AL back in the late 80's. Have no memory who made the kit and i don't remember it costing much. It's not the best looking job but from a normal viewing distance, it looks fairly nice. it's been fun going through cars and working on them. I'm surprised at how many different ones trigger memories. Many more to go through.
