This interesting unit was going west this morning on NS 17N. I think it is Headed for the Illinois Rail Museum. It was Last classed as E33 by Conrail and PC but was built for the Virginian Railway in the 50's as EL-C class. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginian_EL-C">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginian_EL-C</a><!-- m -->     Charlie

Hi everyone---hope this works

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My Conrail dedication does not rest and I need to run some "true blue" engines. The geography of Freelance 2017-2 inspired by the Bronx is fine but the time needs to be changed into the 1980s (I prefer the plain blue scheme without the quality scheme, quality should be in the product and not on the outside ;-). )

Following the usual "Bronx 1980s" standards should that result in a scenery of burned and devastated buildings.
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Wikipedia writes
"the South Bronx was considered one of the most blighted urban areas in the country, with a loss of 60% of the population and 40% of housing units"
But that means there must be some documentation of 60% of the structures still in place!
I found this side <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=222552">http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=222552</a><!-- m --> concentrating on the the other aspects of the Bronx. It shows very interesting street views and structures like this
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It has a lot in common with the area in central Hamburg where I grow up. The mix of buildings and waste land due to destruction is quite similar.

I will certainly need some help from older New Yorkers and ask one or more questions over the time.

My topic for today is swapping street and rail cars. That is the easy beginning.

Working on a small toolhouse that I got from Interaction Enterprises about a year ago.

A few years ago I built their large CPR #3 toolhouse, added an interior and lit it.


This one has no windows and only the double doors. I should be able to knock it off in a couple evenings work.

Even though it is a small kit I'm pretty impressed with the detail that was added to the structure, individual rafters and interior framing.

I started with staining all the walls in a pine stain from Testors model FX.

then I painted the exterior walls and trim with Ceramcoat Barn Red. This is my standard railroad structure color.
The trim is made of a thin resin board (also laser cut)

and the interior framing. This too is a resin board. I didn't paint the interior framing so I can see the contrast.

Under the bridge


At the warehouse

Hello friends---Looks like I've been side-tracked for a while but you can be sure I'll continue to be a "looker"---it was a great ride while it lasted---keep up the great work

I've been working to clear the stash of Alloy forms vehicles that I've been accumulating.
First up, 1955 Chev 2 ton stakebed.


Pretty easy build. the most difficulty I've ever had with AF vehicles is the fit between the body and frame. Usually I just need to file the frame down just a bit front or back. I painted the cab with Testors Teal and weathered the stakebed to make it look well used.

1949 Buick Roadmaster


Painted in Badger's Canadian Pacific Tuscan. I was sort of inspired by the Tuscan color of the Hudson in Driving Miss Daisy. but I did find this color was available on the Buick. The roadmaster has always been one of my favorite cars with those portholes in front of the doors. The Whitewalls are peel and stick vinyl that come with the model. This is the first time I've used them and I like how they turn out.

1948 Studebaker


I painted this one in a Badger BNSF green. It too came with the whitewall stickers. It's a bit of an odd duck, with the trunk and hood sort of resembling themselves.

Just finished building this a week ago. I've been on a bit of a tear with vehicle builds lately.

I had to assemble it with 5 minute epoxy, due to it's rather delicate nature.

I painted it with Vallejo Orange Rust to replicate the Insley orange. I also replaced the kit thread with some thread that was a bit thinner.
I have it placed on my layout, about to take down the remains of a burnt-out building.

Allow me to introduce my layout, the Southern Pacific Burbank Branch. It's small and portable since I rent, but also designed to be expanded. Some things I've modeled as close to exact as possible, while artistic license was used on others. Mostly, I try to find low cost ways and quick results, so scratchbuilding is preferred.

I've documented this build from day one, and much more is posted on my Youtube and Flickr pages.

Here are links to the newest videos, So sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery!


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