Long shadows of morning cast across down town Richmond, the county seat of Fort Bend County in Texas. The court house is a heavily modified Bachmann Plasticsville "Georgia Mansion" with part of a plastic Easter egg used as the dome. The clock tower is cobbled together from parts of a old Pola kit that Model Power still sells. A Priser figure is on top with a balance scale for the statue of the goddess Justice.
There's been a lot of talk about everyone wanting heavyweights, myself included. I especially want more of them after finishing this conversion of a Bachmann shorty coach with brass JnJ sides. It makes up into a nice model but don't expect to complete it over a weekend. I still need to add some weathering.
Very nice Bill. Rivarossi, Lima/Model Power and the old Bachmann shorties are still about all the heavyweights out there. At least some brass sides are available but they seem to all be head end equipment. Well, I did build up a Harriman coach using J&J sides on a Lima car. M&R makes some nice brass sides for mostly Santa Fe heavyweight head end cars.
OK, That bridge was scratchbuilt by Scott Lupia. He not only custom paints engines & cars,makes cabooses,& he's also a master at bridge building. He's a big DL&W/EL guy. Its Paulinskill Viaduct in Hainsburg,N.J. It was the centerpiece of his layout. He gave it to me 2 years ago. So,for 2 years I've been thinking of how to utilize this piece of "art".Every place I've looked,I just can't get it in. I'm sure I'll get,or I'll rip down what I have & start overmg:.
Wow! The bridge really gives the layout the "large city, industrial, rough side of town," look. You can put lots of smaller scenes under the viaduct.
Wolfgang- If that truly is "Goofy's Scrap Yard", why is there a man there? Shouldn't it be a ................... Whoops, what exactly is Goofy? Pluto is a dog, Horace Horsecollar is the Disney horse, but WHAT IS GOOFY? The yard looks great, by the way.
New freighter in the harbor. Not a very glamorous shot, but she's a good ship, the Madison Rose. Have to make decals tomorrow. And put a bit of rust on her. 185-foot, 450-ton coastal freighter. Still without antennae.
Whoa, Pete, your gorgeous recently overhauled vessel is of such a vintage that she would have a four-wire "aerial" strung between her main and foremast, fed by a Marconi Spark-Gap Modulator. You would have severly confused Sparks, since only insects have "antennae", doncha know......:teeth:
Very nice work all! I managed to put in all but about 7 feeders on the mainline this week--the basement's nice and cool, outside, it's 85+! No pics, but track weathering will begin after feeders are finished. After track weathering, scenery will then commence.
I really like that panoramic shot of the town, Russell. I felt like I was in a hot air balloon and about to have an altercation with the dome! That shorty HW is sweet! Please show us how she looks when weathered. Here is a very recent image. UP 3984 seems to be having little trouble on the 2.8% grade out of Seneca Falls.
Maybe. Could you give me some advice? I know about the 4-wire aerial. But this gal lasted into the late 60s. So would she have whip antennas/antennae of 2-, 4-, and 8-meters? She does have a modern radar, for 1957. Not a bedspring radar. I really don't know these things. I'm trying to learn so much about so many things about trains, bridges, ships . . . Anyone who can educate me on any of these things, please, you're welcome.
The question is not what electronics would have been available in 1957, but when was her last major overhaul, and how much money did her current owners budget to upgrade electronics vice that needed to just keep her afloat for a few more years so they could maximize her meager profits as a tramp steamer. You didn't say, but I suspect she was launched before 1920 judging by her straight bow and canoe stern. Secondly, it's probable that her current owners bought her on the cheap as "War Surplus", planning to put no money into her except to keep afloat with engine running. I assume they intended to use whatever electronics was installed after she had been requisitioned by the US Government to support the war effort. Therefore, her radio (probably only one) was HF with a long-wire aerial. Radar was not available for shipboard use until very late in 1944 or early 1945, and then only installed on high-value military vessels, i.e. carriers, battleships, and possibly heavy cruisers. Sadly, she would have been considered an expendable asset during the war, even more so than the Liberty and Victory ships, although the Merchant Mariners who served on them didn't like to think about that.....:sad:
