I regret to announce the passing of my dad, Don (EzDays) Day.  He was an instrumental part of this community and a founding member of this forum and even went back to the BBBT day (that's Before Big Blue Trains days, btw).  He considered all of you close friends and extended family and spoke of many of you often.

The family is planning a service at some point and I will keep you all posted as we progress.

My son & I are planning to rebuild our 28.5" x 68" layout. We have a sheet of white styrofoam that I bought from Home Depot. It seems strong and sturdy. But we want to do things right this time. We don't plan to dig down into the foam but do plan to build & add scenery on top of it.

Is it OK to use this white sheet of foam or should we purchase some of the pink or blue foam?

TIA.

Rob

I know it has been nearly eight months since the last run by post. I have been busy with life and work items that have taken up large chunks of my time. Also, these posts are quite time consuming as I am trying to figure out the best way to put them together. I currently have about twenty run bys in the pipeline. I just need to download them and organize them.

Executives of the Reading Railroad decided to give their recently acquired Fairbanks-Morse Trainmaster something of test. They assigned Trainmaster number 806 as the sole locomotive on the coal drag to the Philadelphia Electric Waterside Station in Chester, PA from Pennsylvania coal country.

Number 806 and its train of coal hoppers were caught crossing the bridges just past the platforms of Leiperville Union Station.

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Below is the link to the YouTube video of the Run-By
https://youtu.be/vguo-EggrIE

L1. Reading number 806 > Fairbanks Morse Trainmaster > Atlas Master Locomotive Series, Silver version, DCC/Sound Ready



1. Reading (RDG 82209) > Offset Side Hopper with Flat End > Atlas



2. Reading (RDG 82188) > Offset Side Hopper with Flat End > Atlas



3. Reading (RDG 86215) > Offset Side Hopper with Flat End > Atlas



4. Reading (RDG 63829) > Offset Side Hopper with Flat End > Atlas (Anthracite Railroads Historical Society)

Saw an ad on TV yesterday advertising a weight loss drug for what the announcer said was two ninety seven and the number was flashed on the screen for maybe a second.  The announcer left out a key word - hundred.  Yes, the drug was for $297.00, not $2.97 which is what the announcer sound like he was saying.  Not deceptive but very misleading unless one is paying close attention.  (end of rant)

I have three Diesels given to me to paint , well two and this:

   

The modeller wants all three painted in Pacific Great Eastern schemes. In case you didn't know PGE is the forerunner of BC Rail.
I found a photo of a PGE gas electric online:
https://images.app.goo.gl/cCU8qDN7kTMzjKjAA

I did discuss paint matching with the owner and we both came to the conclusion that an exact paint match would be near impossible so we're going with 'close enough'.
I figured that the photo was taken in the late fifties/early sixties so I'm thinking that the colors are a bit washed out. I decided to go with a slightly darker tuscan on the sides and a similar yellow.
   

I did my usual painting proceedure, strip the original paint, primer in a neutral gray. I used Vallejo gold yellow on the nose, masked that and then I used Badger's light tusan on the rest of the model. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 
I should be able to decal it soon, then turn my attention to the other two engines that will also be in the early PGE scheme, but much brighter.

Much talked about boxcars.
Show us your pictures!


This one was taken President's Weekend 2024.
It's pushing 50 years, still in service!

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So back in May I joined the Bricktown Model Railroad Association in Mt Union, PA, a local museum and model railroad club modelling the East Broad Top, though doing so in the transition era instead of my own. When I told them I enjoyed building kits they turned me loose on their big kit stash of cars so I have been working on those building up skills to tackle the more complex narrow gauge kits I have. Here’s a fair amount of the work I have accomplished there in photos.


All of these boxcars were built from Roundhouse kits, except the 50’ UP composite car in the middle which was an Accurail kit.


This was a purchased car but the previous owner glued the floor on and used Accurails little plastic truck pins, so I tapped the holes and replaced the pins with screws so the trucks could be more easily removed.


These are both from my own kit stash. They were used to teach me how to put cars through the club’s standards battery for consistent operation.


These are all coal loads I did. To make them I took the plastic coal loads from the car, sanded the sides a bit to make them easier to remove, and taped around the edges with masking tape. I added white glue to the load, spread it out with a brush, and then coated it in coal. I used the dried contents of expended Brita water filters for the coal. Once the glue was dry I removed the masking tape, knocked any loose coal off the top and sides, and glued a metal washer to the bottom so they can remove by magnet. This was taught to me by another club member.


This is an Accurail kit. On this kit I got a little ahead of myself and accidentally glued the little rib across the bottom of the hopper bays before adding the frame. I ended up having to cut the frame apart and cement it in in three pieces but it came out looking pretty good I would say.


And these are two more Roundhouse kits. These roundhouse boxcars were especially educational as I started batch-building them seeing as they are reasonably simple but missed that the door rail on several went in upside down and didn’t slow down and check that it was correct on each one before cementing. Important lesson! I went through with a hobby knife and shaved the proud rib down, cemented the doors closed, and then matched paint by eye to cover the cut plastic.

I will likely post any more of the work I do for them here, too, unless it’s something more interesting. Hoping to be a little more active in modelling through this winter as I am finding it much more difficult to model at home in the summer because I am outdoors a lot more often.

SMS Rail continues with switching duties for the Dock Street Railroad.  Caught them on Delaware Ave with a pair of gons loaded with scrap.

Bruce  

   

i offered this car to Charlie but he didn't have room for it if anyone would like it pm me.
Jim
free shipping to lower 48

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been off the model track too long so i  made the decision to build a Quonset hut that more reflects the era i model most of the surplus ones sold in the 50's were of the 16 by 36 size so I started by laying out an 8 ft radius piece out of .040 to use a mold to bent some plastruct ho corrugated sheet over it to start. now to cut it out.
Jim

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