Winter Progress

Progress is always good. I've been working on a series of HD flat cars, and wile doing that I decided to finish off some other fun projects. 

The first was a Reefer Kit I got at the Chicagoland RPM. This was a great event filled with like minded modelers. I'm planning on using this car in some vintage Skally Line photo shoots. I just need to build a corresponding NP W-3 and caboose.

I also wanted to build a BNSF Scale Test Car. This was a 3D print I had to detail out and build a frame for.

With the scale test car done, I decided I needed to finish the scale at Ardent Mill in Rush City. I poured concrete in the North ends of Track 4 (right track in the photo), 5 (center), and 6 (left side and home of the Mills scale). It felt good to finally finish that up. I do need to add the concrete pad for the car puller on track 4, as well as detail the interior of the building. I have plenty of time to get that done.

So much to share!

I know it has been a while since my last post (2 months, sorry about that). I've been getting an amazing amount of things done. I will break this into three posts, the first one will be layout progress. The second will be freight car projects and the third will be my latest magazine article.

I added another grade crossing, this one is 420th St. I wanted to add this crossing for the unique NP style crossbuck posts. I painted them myself and I added the switch stand for the sand plant.

 Here it was in the rough stages.

 I added more trees and a switch stand in Hinckley at MP 74.

Yesterday and today in Rush City I ran trains. Sometimes it can be therapeutic to have an ops session.

I was having some camera fun and shot this picture of Ivy Farms Trucking. I have a new special edition Prairie Shadows/TrainWorx James Bond Edition Kenworth coming that should look right at home here.

 I added the 415th St crossing to Zinpro and Titan last month.

 As well as signage and trees at Titan Lansing.

Zinpro progressed rapidly from foam core mock up to styrene structure. I still have a lot of work to do, but it looks better than an empty scene.

I also built the loadout shed for Zinpro. This really changed the look of the scene too.

So most of the progress has been scenicing. It is nice to be getting the layout to a more finished state. I hope to get back into tree making soon, that always helps.

Feb/March Update

I was hoping to get this update out last month, but I've been busy. Right now I am trying to get Rush City closer to completion. There are so many details my mind (and camera) remember that it is hard to capture them all. There are some gaps to fill in, but I'm getting there.

Grade crossing are close to done. I still need to figure out detection so I can have the lights and bells operate.

The forests continue to grow. I found I can make about 80-90 N Scale trees out of one box of Super Trees.

The Mill is getting detailed, here the loading dock progresses. The parking lot is next.

The garage for the funeral home is in. I didn't feel like scratch building it, so I had it 3D printed for me.

 More Mill details going in.

 Details for the Masonic Lodge. They now have garbage service!

It will be a few weeks till I get any more done, work is keeping me busy right now! Thanks for watching!

Happy New Year!

I find when I get on a roll making progress, I forget to document it. I missed December altogether, so I will get you up to speed.

First I want to take a look back to a year ago to remind us what the Skally Line looked like then:

Since then I replaced the foam-core mill with the styrene version (still not painted), I finished the engine house and the speeder shed. I have done a bunch of ballasting and ground cover as well. The same scene looks a lot different today:

Taking a step back we can see the park across from the Masonic Lodge. I've started making SuperTrees where appropriate.

Here is the view looking south at the Mill. You can see the north engine house switch that got added just after the prototype last year. I finally got some good PD hoppers for hauling flour, thank you BLMA/Atlas. These are amazing looking cars.

Ivy Farms Creamery has started to take shape just north of the Mill. I still have a building and a half to finish there, but the scene feels more complete already.

Here is a look at the Masonic Lodge before I installed it on the layout. After sitting for two years I finally finished the front stoop, the front door, the fire escape and some other details. I just need to make decals for the signs now.

I'm glad I got the pictures looking back. When you stare at it every day, it doesn't feel like much has happened. But then you look back and see how much you really did get done. I hope this year yields the same amount of progress.

The November Break

In November I have to start making sure I take days off, before New Years hits. I took advantage of the time to make some Skally progress.
I've been working one end of the line to the other... in Rush City I added the roof to the engine house. I need to add some details and then paint it up. I also weathered all the new flour cars, so they don't look so... new.

 I added some sidewalks to 4th St. Now I need to fill in the park and add an artillery piece.

I forgot to mention I also started the electrical substation that sits just North of the Ardent Mill.

 I added the newest customer on the line, Interstate Energy. The LPG cars are already off-loading.

 I scratch built the unloading racks. I'll go back an spruce the scene up later, but it works for now.

 I finally made it back to the Rock Creek bridge. Sorry for the bad exposure on the shot. I hope to get some track permanently set soon on this one.

Tiller, or should I say "Titan-Lansing" now has started to materialize. I mocked up the sand sorting and cleaning tower (to scale) out of foamcore and I built the loadout shed (out of styrene). The construction trailer is there to remind me to finish the scene...

Lots of progress, but nothing done, so it goes.

Ardent Flour Mill

A recent arrival got me to make some progress on the permanent Ardent Flour Mill for Rush City. I had a foam core mock up in place for the last year. It was time to start the upgrade. A couple pounds of styrene later, it's starting to come together. I need to detail it and paint it, but it already looks better than the stand in. Next I have to add all the concrete floors inside, the scale on track 6 and the floor grate on track 4. One thing at a time.

In this area I will add the fall protection system over the tracks. It will also get the weather sealing around the loading lock doors and small roofs above each door. In this shot you can see part of the reason for all the progress: the new BLMA PD hoppers (more info below on those).

Inside the north end doors there will be a scale house (yes it's inside, between tracks 5 and 6) as well as a bunch of other mechanical stuff.

The BLMA (now Atlas) hoppers. Wow. I have been in N Scale for 30 years and these take the cake. I got them in three reporting marks, CITX, GACX and TILX. I need to weather them all, but that will be a little ways out.

The cars are fabulous. Body mounted couplers, metal wheels, air hoses, reporting marks stenciled on the trucks, the blue bearing caps.

The trucks are mounted with screws instead of pins. Check out the rear profile on the wheels. You don't see that on FVM.

 The cut lever, etched metal walkways and crossover platforms.

The underbody piping runs to both sides of the car (something Walthers never tried). The pnuematic lines are even painted!

A side shot to show off some of the fine printing. In full disclosure I did have some flash I had to trim inside of one of the couplers to get it to couple just right , but if that is the worst thing that happens, I am one happy camper. 

I'll get all of the ones I bought out of the boxes soon. I picked up 15 total. That helps my layout out pretty well. I'm hoping they rerun the TILX cars so I can add more of those to the fleet, but this set gets me a great flour hauling start.

Skally Changes

It was so nice when I was a half hour south of the Skally, but now it would take me a three hour plane ride to get there. Google finally updated the satellite maps and Rush City was as I had seen it last, just more complete. I was there as the engine house was being built. An old NP well had been found and was being capped on the day I was there last. So there wasn't much for surprises there. The Ardent Mill (new name as of last year) look the same as ever, with the new engine house and speeder shed in this picture. This picture has north to the left.

The surprise came on the south end of Rush City. My friend HK had asked me about a siding south of town and I thought he meant the tiny spur to Federated Coop. I couldn't have been more wrong. There is a new passing siding (2400 feet long I'm guessing) with a long passing siding (2000' maybe) turning West to the south end of the commercial park. There is a crossover so the siding can be accessed from the main. Interstate Energy will be building a new propane transfer station on this site. Propane will come in by rail and be shipped out by truck. This photo is orientated with North at the top.

I am planning a trip back to MN next year, but I'm not that patient to see what's going to be built.

Layout Progress

I've been bouncing between projects, try to get a little done across the board. I'm getting Rush City v3.2 ready for track. I gave it a coat of paint to seal the cork. Then I glues down all the PCB ties for the module ends. Next up is drilling all the holed for feeders, throwbars and so on. This 12 feet of modules will hold over 1 scale mile of track, the SCXY Corp. HQ, SCXY engine house, two grade crossings and the Ardent Flour Mill when they are done.

Up in Hinckley I'm getting ready to install the crossing gates. I picked these up from Azatrax for a good price.

Here is the north end of Rush City v2 getting ready for re-purposing. I pulled out my #10 crossover for use in v3.2. I saved as much track as possible for the new destination.

A short while later the track was pulled and this module became the South end of Hinckley. I grabbed some foam to rough up for the new Hinckley Hwy 61 overpass. I will be installing a #10 switch for the South Hinckley Switch. Then the SCXY interchange track will be in business.

Over on the old South Rush City module (now Rock Creek) I got the cork in and smoothed out the land forms. I need to build the bridge piers, but I am short one #10 RH switch for this module, so it will probably be placed on the back burner until Atlas gets more switches in the U.S..

Well, that's all for now, I'll be posting more layout and locomotive progress soon!