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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Update: January 2014

Well, its been almost six months since my last update and it is certainly time for a new one.  Another continuing theme that is constantly plaguing me is my lack of time to complete any projects.  Planning has so far completely come to a standstill on the layout and the forney still remains in storage and unfinished.   I'm hoping to finish some plans soon but at the rate that this layout has been progressing, anything is still up in the air.  On the other hand, I have managed to finish some projects in HO scale, including the extremely prolonged process of replacing couplers on my rolling stock.   Much of my collection is now outfitted with Kadee #158 couplers with the exception of a few Bachmann coupler boxes that are really stubborn about accepting the new Kadees.  As well, the locomotive fleet has grown with the addition of an Athearn RTR SD45 in Rio Grande paint, #5319.  Another big project that has finally been tackled is three older locomotives that have been in storage for quite a while, a Bluebox F45, Bluebox GP9, and Life Like GP38.  I am planning to take the shell of the GP9 and use it to build a new On30 diesel that will use the chassis of the F45 while the Life Like GP38 will be repowered with the GP9's old chassis.   For now, the GP38 shell was found to be longer and narrower than the GP9's frame so some work will have to go on there.  For 2014 I hope to be more consistent with blog posts but for now that's all I have.

Update August 2013

Well, the summer has come and gone and yet still nothing has been completed

on the NSPRR. Fortunately though the NSLW has been able to complete some projects over the duration of the summer.   We've been able to work on a Super Chief set for a friend of mine, refurbishing a set of old Tyco passenger cars as well as an A-B-A of Tyco Santa Fe F7s, of which we are finishing up the last A unit, Santa Fe 4015.  Also for another friend of mine, we are nearing completion on a fictional Union Pacific Auxiliary Tool Car to accompany his Union Pacific Veranda Turbine. The inspiration for this car came from UP 9336 which is a Tool Car that serves UP 844 and 3985 and presumably in the future, 4014 as well. The car was rebuilt and repainted from an old UP reefer and will be dedicated when it is delivered. The tank for the Gurley has currently been set aside in light of a new fleet upgrade to Kadee #158 scale couplers, of which ATSF Mechanical Reefer 55360 is the first to receive as well as weathering. Also since the last update, the NSP locomotive roster has revived a new comer in form of Southern Pacific GP38-2 4837, delivered from Athearn this past June with Tsunami Sound, a first for any NSP locomotive.  With 4837 now in service along side 3851, 3507 has now been disassembled to begin its rebuild, joining the long line of pending projects.  Well, that's going to do it for this update, but to end it, here's a photo taken from the NSLW's Shops of (front to back) ATSF 55360, UP 200713, and ATSF 4015.

Update April 2013

So spring is well under way and the weather is starting to warm up outside. There hasn't been much progress on the railroad as I have been fairly busy with other things. As you may or may not have noticed, the NS&PRR now has it's own website (nsprr.webs.com) in addition to the Blogspot (nsprr.blogspot.com). My plan is to have about one to two updates per month and I will post to both websites to keep all the information up to date. Also with this new website, I'm moving all my other railroad related projects to the North Shore Locomotive Works, which will be a fictional "division" of the NSPRR. You can find updates for these projects under NSLW on the NSPRR website. So far on the railroad, the number one priority of finishing the tank for #3 remains. The remaining two side walls need to be fabricated and test fitted before assembly. I have also continued to work on the depot that has been an ongoing project. I do not know where it will go on the layout yet but I know it will be used since I like the look and it will also pay homage to my first railroad, the Grand Valley Western. I'm hoping that I can have the next update out some time in early May, and hopefully with some progress.

Update 4/9/13

Well nothing really new has happened as of late. Life had kept me fairly busy recently and I haven't had much time for my railroad projects. I have weathered a Shell 40' Tank Car and my childhood Santa Fe 50' Reefer. Also I have continued painting my depot that I may use for the main station on the NS&PRR. I plan to continue working on 7395 and 2307 as well.

New Ho Additions-2/19/13

Hi everyone, so as of now, I have decided to add on updates on my Ho scale trains as well the On30 stuff.  This past few weeks has been pretty busy, but I have managed to aquire some new equipment. First off is an Athearn 50' ATSF "Santa Fe All The Way" Boxcar.  Second is perhaps the most exciting addition, which is an Athearn Genesis Southern Pacific GP9R, #3851. I recently installed a "temporary" DCC decoder in there until a new ESU Loksound 4.0 can be fitted in.  Overall the engine is fairly nice, but it is a pain to install DCC decoders since there is very little clearance on the inside.  Also, the handrails are on the fragile side but other than that it is a very nice solid model, an 8.5 out of 10 in my books. There hasn't been anything new on 2307 or 7395 yet, which I have yet to do more work on. 

Update-1/20/2013

Well, here's a new brief update on my progress so far.  I did recieve the Forney and it is a beautiful model.  I decided to start with the tank in the back since the Gurley's tank has higher sides and also a flared edge that is not on the Bachmann model.  I traced out templates out of a sheet of paper and test fitted them to the engine.  This past weekend, I finally cut the first side of the tank out of styrene and it looks good so far.  The new tank's demension will be a little off since the original drawings for the Gurley are for a 36" guage, not 30" guage.  I also swapped out the outside frame pilot truck for an inside frame one.   On a side note, my HO collection has also received attention.  I currently have two projects in the work, Southern Pacific GP40-2 #7395 as she appeared in 1989 and Santa Fe GP38u 2307 as she appeared in 1993.  Both engines are going to be kitbashed from Bachmann GP40s, one from my childhood Santa Fe 6067 engine and the latter from a Bachman DCC Equipped #3507.  So far, I have removed all the plastic light bars from the 7395 in order to remove all the paint to get an empty shell to work with for detailing.  As for the 2307, I'm in the process of removing the numberboards on the long hood since it appears that the ATSF GP38s were delievered without them.  Hopefully I get some more work done on this long weekend and I will have some photos up on my Flickr shortly.

Update-1/1/13

          Aloha!  Well it seems that 2013 has come, and it has also brought a LONG overdue layout update.  First off, the North Shore and Pacific has aquired a Bachmann ON30 Baldwin 2-4-4T Forney that will be delivered shortly.  The engine itself will undergo a few modifications to resemble Disneyland Railroad #3 "Fred Gurley": and then will be placed into service as NS&P #3.  Secondly, phase 1 of the North Shore and Pacific Railroad is approaching the final stages of planning and will hopefully be under construction shortly.  This first module is 12" by 39" and will contain a station and some small other details that will be finalized later.  The station itself is a Design Preservation Models #5187 Woodland Station kit that was recycled from my old Woodland Scenics Grand Valley layout.  Even though it is a HO structure, from what I have measured, a six foot tall person in O scale could comfortable walk through the doors and look out the windows of the building.  I'm going to kitbash the depot itself to fit in better with the layout, but presently I don't have any specific plans for it.  With the mainline looping around the layout and running behind the station again, I had to put in a viewblock to seperate the two scenes.  However given the nature of trying to keep the whole module at a 12" width, I was left with about an inch between the back of the depot and the mainline. I have decided to make a "wall" of plants and bushes that will be underneath a canopy of Palm trees.  At "night" I plan to light this vegetation up with lighting to give it nice effect. With this being my first railroad that I have designed on my own, this first module will be the "guinea pig module" that I can experiment with and try things out on. I'm planning on trying out some "special" effects that will make the module come to life.  These effects that I'm planning are some semaphores that will add some animation and then trying out the Dreamplayer to add to the ambience with the sound of Hawaiian music, birds chirping, people milling about in the depot, etc.  I know this is very hard to visualize and I'm working on a sketch that will hopefully be up soon.  Mahalo for following along.

Update-10/22/12

There hasn't been much progress on the NS&P as of the past few months, school has taken a serious toll on my schedule.   I have been making small tweaks to the overall look of the layout in recent days, inspired by some recent trips to both Hawai'i and the Disneyland Resort.  I plan to keep the track plan pretty much the say although some small adjustments might come here and there, it is pretty much finalized.  As for my Fred Gurley project that will lead into the railroad, I have been getting a to do list together and hope to purchase the Bachmann Forney soon.  I plan to get another update posted soon and hopefully I will have some progress in the form of some concept drawings or other. 

Update February 8, 2012

Well, so here is the actual first concept sketch (still a work in progress) of the North Shore and Pacific Railroad V3.1 as renedered in Google Sketchup 8 (sorry for the bad picture quality).

Merry Christmas to everyone from the North Shore and Pacific Railroad. An update will be coming real soon within the next few days.

December 11 2011

Not much progress to report...I have realized that the "Northwest" area where the loops will be is just not enough real estate to fit an old fashioned logging camp based on the Grizzly Peak Recreational area at DCA. I have instead moved the Cascade Peak Station up to just about the start of the curve so I can move the train's overall stopped position up to not obstruct views of the gardens and small world in the background. I also removed a chunk of the horseshoe tunnel so I can have a small open air ravine/small canyon where the upper loop goes over a curved trestle and crosses over the lower main. Sigh, as for the logging camp now I will put that idea on the shelf until I can find space for it.

Welcome Aboard the NSPRR!

This blog here is dedicated to the North Shore and Pacific Railroad a fictional ON30(2 1/2)line based between 1895 and 1930 focusing on steam. Inspriration for this comes from many famous raillines such as the Denver and Rio Grande Western, Colorado Southern, Southern Pacific, White Pass and Yukon Route, various Railroads in Hawaii and many more. The main basis of this layout however is the Disneyland Railroad. Here Walt Disney brought his dream and passion for Steam Trains to life inside his Magic Kingdom, Disneyland. In my opinion Disneyland doesn't have enough railroad theme to it so I took the Disney style theme and merged it with a railroad park kind of an idea like the ET&WNCRR's operation back East. I will post continous updates here as of December 9 2011. Any previous information can be gotten from my other website www.tfn5459.webs.com. Thanks:)