Updated - 19 September 2010
This page will be periodically updated so that I can show you some of my latest Projects and "Progress" (a relative term) on my layout...
Picture #29: These are two old PBL kits - I believe they were the inital run - that I recently completed. I have jokingly referred to them as the 'Jurassic Boxcars'! I did several upgrades to them to bring them closer to the newer kits. Changes include new metal wheels, substituting a brass weight for the steel one, additional brake details, and revised couplers to eliminate the original Kadee #4's which were a way too low.
Picture #30: The cars were painted with Polly Scale acrylics, using the layered-paint and scratch-brushing method as described in the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette many years ago.
Picture #31: D&RGW 3469 is depicted as it would have appeared in the post-war years. The paint is beginning to show the effects of the elements.
Picture #32: My next project was a pair of the PBL drop bottom gondolas. I painted these with acrylics, and recorded the steps this time in a cyber-article that I did up for the NWNG-Sn3 Group:
Painting & Aging with Acrylics
Picture #33: D&RGW 821 is the second car of the pair. Most photos show these cars incurred heavy wear.
Picture #34: 'Kitbuilding Mode' continued, with a pair of PBL tank car kits. This is the narrow frame car, done up ca. late 1940's.
Picture #35: UTLX 88162 is one of the frameless 'Gramps' cars, also decorated ca. late 1940's. With their much crisper detailing, these plastic cars really put the old NJ Custom Brass and PSC imported brass cars to shame..
Picture #39: D&RGW 06084 is onw of PBL's Rail & Tie work flat cars, imported in early 2002. I resisted the temptation to get any of these until the NWNG Annual Fall Meet, when I succumbed! A neat feature on these models is that the upper car body is removable, permitting easy access to the lower deck for weathering.
Picture #40: D&RGW 06092 is PBL Wheel & Tie work flat car as imported bt PBL in 2002. The deck on this was similarly weathered as its cousin pictured above.
Picture #41: D&RGW 0580 is an OMI model that I painted and added operating marker lights to. I used a Miniatronics CL-011-01 Constant Intensity Lighting Unit to power some 1.5 volt 15 milliamp bulbs. As I operate with DCC, I found that I needed to install the resistor that was included in series with the input to the Miniatronics CIL unit. Subsequent to this photo, I also installed a 22 ohm resistor in series with the CIL output to reduce the illumination of the markers a bit...they looked just a bit TOO bright here, didn't they?
Picture #42: D&RGW 488 was a PBL unpainted second-run model that I've just recently finished painting. It looks fresh from the shops in this picture, but weathering will follow shortly. It is equipped with a silent drive (Lenz LE080XS) decoder in the locomotive for the motor and a sound (Soundtraxx DSD-150) decoder is mounted in the tender. Subsequently, I upgraded the sound decoder to a Soundtraz Tsunami TSU-1000 and the Lenz LE-080XS is utilized only to power the locomotive lighting. Special thanks to my very good friend Bill Adkins, who provided inavaluable advice and suggestions on how to undertake this task! I've done up a web page which details the methods that I followed, as below:
Picture #43: The future "Gunnison Valley Millworks" is one of Bill Banta's beautiful kits, with a few extra details added from my parts drawer.
Picture #44: After much reflection I came to the conclusion in November 2003 that the layout had simply too much motive power, given the size of the room and amount of rolling stock. Thus, I decided to see if I could find new homes for some locomotives that I thought were either incorrect for the era (1949) or for the envisioned location (3rd Division, west of Gunnison). I was very pleased that all of the models went off to new homes in relatively short order, and hope that their new owners will derive as much pleasure from them as they had provided to me. The above photo illustrates the new, less-congested Gunnison engine terminal, and below is a quick look at the locomotives that have now moved on:
D&RGW 3rd Division Surplus Motive Power
Picture #45: D&RGW 1048 and 1268 are a pair of high side gondolas built from PBL kits. The side stakes on each model were carefully matched to those on the respective prototype car.
Picture #46: The models were painted with PollyScale acrylic paints, using the layered paint technique. I varied my normal sequence of scratching between each coat, leaving my three wood colored coats to cure for a full day before applying the color coat to the exterior, and I let that dry another day before apply ing the decals.
Picture #47: After repeated applications of Microsol to help the decals snuggle down, I let the models dry overnight before applying a light coat of Clear Flat to protect the decals. Then I finally started the scratchbrushing sequence...! Note that prior to painting I beat up the top boards, as these cars were frequent visistors to the rotary dumper at Salida and tended to suffer accordingly as a result.
Picture #48: I always think that a bit of spillage left in the car adds some interest! I used diluted white glue (with a few drops of Windex to act as a wetting agent) and used a small brush to paint on select areas before sprinkling on some granular material. Once I was satisfied with the general look, I loaded up the brush and dabbed a bit more of the diluted glue over the granular material to provide some additional bonding, similar as to what one does with ballast.
Picture #49: These are a set of The Cimarron Works D&RGW maintenance-of-way box cars. The bodies are one-piece resin castings with a fully detailed interior and include PBL trucks, injected styrene detail parts, couplers, lettering, and brass wire - everything you need!
Picture #50: These cars were painted with acrylics and then weathered with a combination of airbrushing and Bragdon chalks.
Picture #51:Another Cimarron Works kit, finished and detailed ca. late 1940's per photographs in 'Narrow Gauge Pictorial Volume X'. The curtains were from a file that Greg Jackson was kind enough to send me when I was building my Ouray depot. As with the box cars, the body is a one-piece resin casting and the kit includes PBL trucks, injected styrene detail parts, couplers, lettering, screen material, and brass wire - everything you need!
Picture #52: The partially folded up screen is as per the prototype, NOT an "oops"...!The car was painted with acrylics and then weathered with a combination of airbrushing and Bragdon chalks.
Picture #53: This will become "Adkins Ales", which will become a major supplier to the residents of the High Country.
Picture #54: The other side of "Adkins Ales". The plaster castings were painted and stained before being assembled and glued to a base that had the final configuration of the structure plotted out on it.
Picture #55: The station at Cimarron was built from a Raggs to Riches Ouray depot kit. The curtains were printed out from a file that Greg Jackson sent me, as noted prevously!
Picture #55: Another view of the Cimarron station from the freight house end. The structure has lighting as well.
That's all for right now - I'll update this page again when I've got something new to share. If you want to return to my Home Page, the following Link will take you back there.
- jim
Copyright 2010 - James S. Brown