Sunday, November 1, 2015
Changing of times on the NS&P...
Hi everyone, so I'd like to announce that the NS&P now has it's own Facebook Page, which can be found here: NS&P Facebook Page. With the introduction however of the Facebook page, this might very well be the last time I update this page. All of my previous posts will remain here, however, starting with the December Shop Update, everything will now be posted on the Facebook page and if applicable, also update on my main website as well at nsprr.webs.com. I hope that everyone sticks with us through this time of change and I hope to have more frequent updates and posts at the two links above.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
November Shop Update
Well, fall has arrived and my long absence from the NS&P shops continues. However, I finally do have some details on some new acquisitions that were mentioned briefly in last month's update, so let's get into the details.
North Shore & Pacific: Ideas for projects to accomplish and begin continue to trickle in as I patiently wait for mid December to roll around. At this time, I'm still waiting on some components from Boulder Valley Models to arrive to put on the #3. At some point as well, I plan on tackling the tank for the engine, so as to convert it from the straight sided coal bunker to a flared oil tank as appropriate for the prototype. As well, I'm still working on ideas on how to improve the lighting in #1002 (#218) as the "as delivered" lighting from Bachmann is too yellow for my taste and also has a tendency to flicker due to the smallest patches of dirt from the tracks.
General: In the biggest news this month, the NS&P has acquired some new equipment in a series of trades. In exchange for cash considerations, a Coast Daylight Observation Car, and the surplus parts from Burlington Northern #6615, the NS&P has acquired a new On30 0-4-0T Porter flatcar and gondola, in addition to, Southern Pacific SD45T-2 #9404, Southern Pacific "Hydracushion" Boxcar, a Cotton Belt "Hydracushion" car with an operating EOTD (End of Train Device), and a Amtrak Phase IVA Superliner Coach/Baggage. At this time, I'm not quite sure what my plans are for these particular new acquisitions but I won't receive them to December as well so I have some time to plan. As well, the NS&P also placed an order for a 4-4-0 American which will be delivered by the time this is posted, which will become NS&P #2. #2 is slated to be broken in and test run prior to the holiday season where she will be the main source of motive power for the NS&P.
North Shore & Pacific: Ideas for projects to accomplish and begin continue to trickle in as I patiently wait for mid December to roll around. At this time, I'm still waiting on some components from Boulder Valley Models to arrive to put on the #3. At some point as well, I plan on tackling the tank for the engine, so as to convert it from the straight sided coal bunker to a flared oil tank as appropriate for the prototype. As well, I'm still working on ideas on how to improve the lighting in #1002 (#218) as the "as delivered" lighting from Bachmann is too yellow for my taste and also has a tendency to flicker due to the smallest patches of dirt from the tracks.
General: In the biggest news this month, the NS&P has acquired some new equipment in a series of trades. In exchange for cash considerations, a Coast Daylight Observation Car, and the surplus parts from Burlington Northern #6615, the NS&P has acquired a new On30 0-4-0T Porter flatcar and gondola, in addition to, Southern Pacific SD45T-2 #9404, Southern Pacific "Hydracushion" Boxcar, a Cotton Belt "Hydracushion" car with an operating EOTD (End of Train Device), and a Amtrak Phase IVA Superliner Coach/Baggage. At this time, I'm not quite sure what my plans are for these particular new acquisitions but I won't receive them to December as well so I have some time to plan. As well, the NS&P also placed an order for a 4-4-0 American which will be delivered by the time this is posted, which will become NS&P #2. #2 is slated to be broken in and test run prior to the holiday season where she will be the main source of motive power for the NS&P.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
October Shop Update - NS&PRR and DTNX
Hi everyone, so from here on out, I've decided to do monthly updates on my On30 and Ho progress, with the On30 being filed under the North Shore & Pacific and the Ho being filed under DTNX for the time being as I don't have any active layout projects going in Ho scale at the moment.
North Shore and Pacific: As some of you may or may not be aware of, I'm currently away from the shops so nothing new has happened. However, I am making plans for my return in December to work on various projects once more. For the interest of time, the two projects that I'm focusing in on are the #3 and the new caboose, soon to be NS&P #218. The caboose, which is currently Colorado Southern #1002 will get new decals and also will have red window trim added. Another future project on the #218 if I get to it is reworking and painting the interior, as well as redoing the lighting to add a new lantern on the rear as well as marker lights in addition to remedying the flickering on the existing interior lighting. The #3 is going to receive some minor work as well, which includes work on the headlight (removing the excess metal and adding a SMD Led) though at the very least I would like to get the headlight on. In addition to actually get the headlight on, I as well need to trim the down the headlight mount, as the new arc has a much smaller footprint than the previous electric light. The new cap stack is still on order and has not been shipped out yet but I'm hoping that it will be here soon, which if that is the case will be installed at this time as well. Two additional projects that I hope to complete as time allows are removing the second, rear sand pipe as the real #3 had it's rear sand pipe removed when it was rebuilt in 1958 prior to entering service at the park and painting the domes a gloss black color. At the time of this writing, the #271 and #1031 projects have been put on the shelf indefinitely.
DTNX: Work on the diorama (check out my Flickr page) has stalled projects prior to my time away from the shops, but I have several queued up to work on once I'm back, first and foremost #5319. The engine when I left had just had it's fuel tank weathered somewhat successfully with powders and acrylics, though I'm not sure I will carry the methods over to the trucks and rest of the locomotive. Along with weathering the rest of the engine, I'm going to look into prepping this engine for a sound decoder, possibly the WOW Sound decoder from TCS. I had originally intended to install a sound decoder first in #3851 but after deciding that I wanted to detail that unit and renumber it as #3859, I decided it was probably in best interest to add sound to #5319, as all it needs is weathering. Speaking of #3851/#3859, and as well #4109, I've put both those projects on the back burner for the time being as I'd like to focus on actually finishing the #5319 though as far as #4109 is concerned, I will continue to collect detail and rebuilding parts for when I'm ready to continue on that project.
General News: Though I'm not fully ready to discuss the details at this time, I currently working on a trade that might bring new power to the railroad in exchange for two units I currently have. The details are not yet final, but at this time, all I can say is that the project will affect the #1031 project so change might have to be made for the long term plan for that engine. I will most likely have more details revealed in next month's shop update.
North Shore and Pacific: As some of you may or may not be aware of, I'm currently away from the shops so nothing new has happened. However, I am making plans for my return in December to work on various projects once more. For the interest of time, the two projects that I'm focusing in on are the #3 and the new caboose, soon to be NS&P #218. The caboose, which is currently Colorado Southern #1002 will get new decals and also will have red window trim added. Another future project on the #218 if I get to it is reworking and painting the interior, as well as redoing the lighting to add a new lantern on the rear as well as marker lights in addition to remedying the flickering on the existing interior lighting. The #3 is going to receive some minor work as well, which includes work on the headlight (removing the excess metal and adding a SMD Led) though at the very least I would like to get the headlight on. In addition to actually get the headlight on, I as well need to trim the down the headlight mount, as the new arc has a much smaller footprint than the previous electric light. The new cap stack is still on order and has not been shipped out yet but I'm hoping that it will be here soon, which if that is the case will be installed at this time as well. Two additional projects that I hope to complete as time allows are removing the second, rear sand pipe as the real #3 had it's rear sand pipe removed when it was rebuilt in 1958 prior to entering service at the park and painting the domes a gloss black color. At the time of this writing, the #271 and #1031 projects have been put on the shelf indefinitely.
DTNX: Work on the diorama (check out my Flickr page) has stalled projects prior to my time away from the shops, but I have several queued up to work on once I'm back, first and foremost #5319. The engine when I left had just had it's fuel tank weathered somewhat successfully with powders and acrylics, though I'm not sure I will carry the methods over to the trucks and rest of the locomotive. Along with weathering the rest of the engine, I'm going to look into prepping this engine for a sound decoder, possibly the WOW Sound decoder from TCS. I had originally intended to install a sound decoder first in #3851 but after deciding that I wanted to detail that unit and renumber it as #3859, I decided it was probably in best interest to add sound to #5319, as all it needs is weathering. Speaking of #3851/#3859, and as well #4109, I've put both those projects on the back burner for the time being as I'd like to focus on actually finishing the #5319 though as far as #4109 is concerned, I will continue to collect detail and rebuilding parts for when I'm ready to continue on that project.
General News: Though I'm not fully ready to discuss the details at this time, I currently working on a trade that might bring new power to the railroad in exchange for two units I currently have. The details are not yet final, but at this time, all I can say is that the project will affect the #1031 project so change might have to be made for the long term plan for that engine. I will most likely have more details revealed in next month's shop update.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
A New Project
Yes, I finally got a project underway. This time for a small display diorama of sorts that is essentially a beefed up display stand and is a test bed for some things that I would like to incorporate in a future project. As I am moving in a few days, I'm challenging myself to have this project 90% complete within 7 days and using only materials that I have on hand currently. So far, I'm on Day 4 and I'm a good way to making good with my goal. Photos of all my progress and descriptions can be found on my Flickr here: TFN5459 - Flickr
Friday, September 4, 2015
Finally...an update
Well, I'm finally back after an extended absence. With the hobby as of late, I tend to get small things done over a short period of time but often I've been really lazy when it comes to updating all my sites (this one included) so hopefully I can get everything I've done out of the way during this update.
Ho Scale: Well as far as my Ho scale roster goes, not much has changed. I've recently decided to address a trio of old diesels that I have: a Tyco GP20 Union Pacific #5628, an Athearn Bluebox GP9 Union Pacific #130, and an Athearn Bluebox F45 Burlington Northern #6615. I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to model an F45 in my fleet so I first eliminated that from my decision making process (more on the F45 later). Second, the GP9 was nice, but my biggest gripe with the engine was that Athearn made the engine a four scale feet too wide, which earned the early Bluebox engines the reputation of being "fat", so I eventually ruled that out of my list as well. Lastly, I came to the Tyco GP20, which surprisingly for it's toy like quality, matched the major demensions of the prototype. I eventually decided to try my hand at kitbashing and detail the Tyco model to match Southern Pacific GP20E #4109 (the real #4109 is still around but is now San Joaquin Valley Railroad #2036). The mechanism however in the Tyco unit was shot and was horribly outdated, it was at this point in time that I read an article on the web about using Athearn trucks and mechanisms to repower Tyco GP20's, which I conveniently had lying around in Union Pacific #130, which I had planned to get rid of. It was also at this time that I realized that although the Athearn GP9 shell was too wide in Ho Scale, it might just work well in O Scale. Overall, I made the decision to do the following: 1) Rebuild the #5628 as SP #4109 using the trucks and chassis of Union Pacific #130, 2) Use the shell from #130 and the chassis and trucks from #6615 to build an On30 diesel, 3) restore #5628's trucks because they are just that old ;) and 4) discarding the shell of #6615.
Ho Scale: Well as far as my Ho scale roster goes, not much has changed. I've recently decided to address a trio of old diesels that I have: a Tyco GP20 Union Pacific #5628, an Athearn Bluebox GP9 Union Pacific #130, and an Athearn Bluebox F45 Burlington Northern #6615. I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to model an F45 in my fleet so I first eliminated that from my decision making process (more on the F45 later). Second, the GP9 was nice, but my biggest gripe with the engine was that Athearn made the engine a four scale feet too wide, which earned the early Bluebox engines the reputation of being "fat", so I eventually ruled that out of my list as well. Lastly, I came to the Tyco GP20, which surprisingly for it's toy like quality, matched the major demensions of the prototype. I eventually decided to try my hand at kitbashing and detail the Tyco model to match Southern Pacific GP20E #4109 (the real #4109 is still around but is now San Joaquin Valley Railroad #2036). The mechanism however in the Tyco unit was shot and was horribly outdated, it was at this point in time that I read an article on the web about using Athearn trucks and mechanisms to repower Tyco GP20's, which I conveniently had lying around in Union Pacific #130, which I had planned to get rid of. It was also at this time that I realized that although the Athearn GP9 shell was too wide in Ho Scale, it might just work well in O Scale. Overall, I made the decision to do the following: 1) Rebuild the #5628 as SP #4109 using the trucks and chassis of Union Pacific #130, 2) Use the shell from #130 and the chassis and trucks from #6615 to build an On30 diesel, 3) restore #5628's trucks because they are just that old ;) and 4) discarding the shell of #6615.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Final Post of 2014
Hi everyone,
Finally back on here after yet another long, unplanned absence (I swear! ;) ). I was in the process of overhauling my main site (nsprr.webs.com) but for some reason, Webs.com and their sitebuilder have somehow miraculously managed to stop working for me so those upgrades will have to wait for the time being. For now, I will be posting updates here until things change for the site, which could be a while, we'll have to see.
New Locomotive: After quite some time as having #3 as my only On30 engine, I finally went out on a limb and purchased yet another locomotive, this time used and from "The Bay". The engine is a Broadway Limited C16, lettered for the Denver Rio Grande & Western as their #271, which has been detailed, weathered, and had it's decoder swapped for a Tsunami C - Class decoder. The engine is need of some work (minor wiring work, getting a new plow, fixing a broken stack, etc.) but should be good to go soon. It looks great and sounds amazing, at this time I plan on keeping it as is save for getting a new cow catcher for it but I like the way it looks presently.
Well that's all for now, hopefully things change on my main website and I can go back to using this blog as well...a monthly blog page. I have several projects that are in the "on deck circle" but I'll post them when I get to them
Finally back on here after yet another long, unplanned absence (I swear! ;) ). I was in the process of overhauling my main site (nsprr.webs.com) but for some reason, Webs.com and their sitebuilder have somehow miraculously managed to stop working for me so those upgrades will have to wait for the time being. For now, I will be posting updates here until things change for the site, which could be a while, we'll have to see.
New Locomotive: After quite some time as having #3 as my only On30 engine, I finally went out on a limb and purchased yet another locomotive, this time used and from "The Bay". The engine is a Broadway Limited C16, lettered for the Denver Rio Grande & Western as their #271, which has been detailed, weathered, and had it's decoder swapped for a Tsunami C - Class decoder. The engine is need of some work (minor wiring work, getting a new plow, fixing a broken stack, etc.) but should be good to go soon. It looks great and sounds amazing, at this time I plan on keeping it as is save for getting a new cow catcher for it but I like the way it looks presently.
Well that's all for now, hopefully things change on my main website and I can go back to using this blog as well...a monthly blog page. I have several projects that are in the "on deck circle" but I'll post them when I get to them
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Update: November 2014
Hi everyone, I apologize for the lack of posts here but I'm transitioning websites right now but will keep this page as a separate entity. I'm experimenting with some new coding on this site as well so check back soon for a new format and new posts.
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