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.

BNSF 749

Just before the dawn sets on another year, I have finished one last engine. BNSF C44-9W #749. The prototype had some front end damage along the way and BNSF took a few years to get it into the paint shop. I modeled it as it looked in 2008, with the patched nose, the orange A/C unit and a nice coat of road grime.

I hope to get it out for a natural light photoshoot tomorrow, but the Vegas weather is cold and windy, so we will see.

I installed an MRC sound decoder in it, it runs and sounds great! This was an interesting build, it was challenging, but it got me fired up to finish my own -9s. 

BNSF 9838

I hope everyone is recovering from Thanksgiving. I managed to get some projects wrapped up over the weekend. One was BNSF SD70MAC #9838.

 This started out as a standard Kato 70MAC.

I gave it the full detailing, including rebuilding the electrical cabinet behind the conductors side of the cab.

This one must have had a warm engine at some point, because it discolored the upper stripe around the prime mover. The fading makes this one look like it has seen its fair number of days on the rails.

The fan details, I love them.

Here we can see it leading the SUPNTW. Soon it will be on it's way to Chicago!

November Update

Going by post count, you'd think that the Skally was sitting dormant for the last month. That couldn't be further from the truth. I figured I would lump a whole bunch of updates into a single post.

Normally this is the time of year where I start to try to figure out how I'm going to get a dozen engines built over the next month, but I'm not doing this year. I'm focusing on finishing 2 engines for my friend Harz S., an SD70MAC and a C44-9W. I try to be efficient when I paint, so as I paint the 70MAC, I am throwing a bunch of other engines I needed in orange into the booth, to get the best bang for the buck. The -9 is a silver and red warbonnet, so it will be in paint later. Here are the future BNSF engines (green will be the next color 3 of them get hit with, one will be a swoosh).

I'm also working on some rolling stock projects. I have some special graffiti projects that will be unveiled later this year, but for now, here are the ones on deck. This HiCube was an Exactrail advertising car. I stripped the paint and tried my friend HK's new method of Rustoleum painting. The decals are Highball. I know it is the wrong model of HiCube for the number, but most people will never notice as it rolls down the Hinckley Subdivision.

My friend Mike P. has been showing me his weathering techniques. He helped teach me on my new Exactrail gondola. All I have left to do is seal it up with some Dullcote.

The layout expansion continues... I built a second corner. This one is 125 degrees, to coresponds with the angle of my Hinckly Modules. I hope to run the track power bus line tomorrow and then get the fascia on. It will be getting its own legs, the tool box just happened to be in a nice spot for test fitting the module.

On the structure side I started building the Skally engine house. This will hold all 4 SCXY engines, just like the prototype. It is a scale 280 feet long, just like the real thing.I'm trying to figure out how to make the doors operable. I'm sure an idea will hit me.

So I am rocking right along. I may move the Willy's (the 1948 CJ2A) in the garage so I can get more of the layout strung together, but that will have to wait for a nice warm day.

2 Down, A Bunch To Go...

Two locomotives have made their way from the workbench to the completed file. I times it out so I could paint them at the same time. The first was Clichfield 919. This was a fairly easy build that took some basic details and an odd conversion to get the fuel tank right (the shell sits on the frame backwards).

Next out was BNSF GP50 #3158. This was a labor intensive build that I am glad to be on the back end of. It was fun, but now it is time for something else. I have a whole slew of BNSF engines I am going to try to get done this month. I'll keep you posted as progress happens!

BNSF 616 Intro

Happy Labor Day everyone! I started work on my latest article, so I figured I'd give you a little sneak peek. This will be a Frankenstein type engine. BNSF 616 is a C44-9W that BNSF had rebuilt to ES44C4 standards. It will probably be designated as an AC44C4M. I'm using a Kato shell, with the electrical cabinet section off a FVM ES44AC. It is going to be fun.

There will be plenty more to come on this one...

Skally Vehicles

I've been working on some vehicles to make the Skally Line look a little more inhabited. You may have noticed a few of them in earlier posts. I want to thank Showcase Miniatures for really stepping up in the N Scale market to bring us some cool kits.
The one I have completely done is this BNSF "I" Type MOW truck. This one makes Hinckley look like BNSF is keeping an eye on the trackage of the Subdivision.

I modified another of the "I" Type trucks to be used my the BNSF mechanical department. I built a traction motor for the back, so it looks like they just swapped an idler axle under a locomotive.

The cab-over semi is used in grain hauling service in Rush City. I'd like to decal it for the Peterson Mill at some point. The trailer is a modified kit I cast myself in resin. The axles, landing gear and mudflaps are from Trainworx.

Another vehicle is in the works for Hinckley. It will be a BNSF signal maintainers truck. The box is from Shapeways. It still needs paint and details, but it is a start.

Just like so many of my other projects, these are started, but not done. They will work as fill-ins until I get a little more time to blast out the detail items.

Random MN Railranning Pics

This month will be a little quiet on the modeling side. I just finished a work trip that had me going from Minneapolis to Vegas to L.A. to Portland to Atlanta and back to Minneapolis, and that was the easier half of the month. So I don't go too long without a post, I thought I would share some random shots I took last time I was home.
Independent Locomotive Service in Bethel is getting a new office, er... should I say depot? It looks like construction was well underway so hopefully the office staff can stretch their wings a little in this new building.

Down on the Minnesota Commercial the late January snow slowed down the Hugo Line a little. Here, some gondolas bound for Hugo are left on the run around track at Structural Wood Products in White Bear Lake. A crew would run them North another day. The three leased high-side gondolas are a nice change from the usual low side MNNR gons.

Up in Cambridge on Feb 3rd, congestion at Northtown Yard had sidings plugged all over the Twin Cities Division as trains couldn't be processed over the NTW hump fast enough. Here we can see the SB CP manifest passing an idle BNSF SUPNTW. CP SD30C-ECO #5017 passes INDR (CEFX) SD60 #6011.

Back down in Saint Paul, a BNSF Z Train just backed out of Midway Yard onto the main. A very clean BNSF ES44C4 #7183 and BNSF C44-9W #5468 prepare to depart for Chicago.

At the same time the Z train was getting ready a nice 3 pack of MNNR power was getting ready to take the cars for BNSF interchange from the MNNR "A" Yard over to NTW. MNNR SF30B #42, MNNR B39-8E #84 and MNNR B23-7 #43 were all looking great in their new colors.

A warm weekend

Over the weekend, I was able to get out and get some photos around St.Paul and Minneapolis. A good time was had. BNSF had plenty of extra SD60s sitting around, including CEFX 6001 and INRD 6011. The rotary plaw set can be seen in the background, waiting for a little more snow.

CP has not had a problem with color lately, this train being led by CEFX AC44CW #1002.

CP also has a WB Oil Can being led by CSX power. I got this shot of CSX SD40-2 #8128 crossing the old Soo Line Bridge over East River Road.

The St.Paul side had plenty going on too. This BNSF manifest was led by BNSF ES44AC #6268, BNSF SD70MAC #9496 and CSX C40-8 #7575.

I caught the #8 (EB) Empire Builder at Short Line Hill and chased them back to the better lighting at the bluff. AMTK P42 #174 leads the train.

But tucked into the consist was AMTK F59 #467, not a usual site on the Builder.

All in all, a fun couple hours out and about. I'm glad I chose those days versus, the -15F I woke up to today.

BNSF 8781

Well, I have finished my first engine of the year. It sounds so much easier than it actually was. I will be doing a full write up on this one very quickly, but for now, here are the teaser pics of my new BNSF SD70ACe. You will notice this is an isolated cab, with the headlight in the nose.

It is not perfect, but it is much closer than the stock Kato. I used parts from Trainworx, BLMA, Atlas, other Kato units. Some parts (like the PTC pods) I made from styrene. I think I used decals from 4 or 5 different sets. There are some minor issues if you know what you are seeing, but all in all, I'm very happy.

I got it weathered up this morning and I couldn't wait to show it off. As soon as I get a sunny day I will give it a proper photo shoot out on the Skally Line.

I'm waiting for some capacitors to show up, when they do, I'll be doing a decoder upgrade per an article in MR last year.

Tuesday at the Bluff

I finally had a little sunshine on a day off, so of course I ran down to Daytons Bluff. Any day at Pigs Eye is a good day. I followed a BNSF Oil Can down the hill. I got set up in time for the DPU, it was BNSF C44-9W #4955.

Waiting to come into the Pigs Eye was CP SD30C-ECO #5005 with DME SD40-3. The look of the new ECOs is growing on me.

I've noticed DME 6095 has some interesting modifications. The blower intakes are patched over and there are some extra louvers at the rear of the long hood. I like it, a lot.

 The BN-UP Transfer came down the hill with some good looking power on it. BNSF SD40-2s #1832 and #1922. These two are still flashing the Cascade Green.

 CP ES44AC #8863 was getting a little tune-up at the shops.

And a special surprise hidden on the BNSF side of Pigs Eye, BNSF GP35u #2639 was working the auto unloading facility. There were 6 tracks full of autoracks in the yard, it looked like it was going to take a little time to sort it all out!

A Little Buffer Zone

The Skally Line brings HCl to one of its customers. These tank cars are hazmat and need to be handled carefully, which involves using a "buffer car" to separate the cars from the engine. Today out on the Skally I found SCXY 1363 making a run south to Zinpro with a single tank car to drop off. The buffer car of choice was one of the new BNSF "Heritage Hoppers", this one with the BN logo.

The BNSF Trinity hopper is an Intermountain hopper I stripped, repainted and decaled using a couple different Micro Scale decal sets. I have an undecorated Trinity hopper on it's way. I plan on making that into one of the BNSF NP Heritage hoppers (If anyone knows what their road #'s are that would be a huge help, thanks!).

The tank car was an undecorated body I picked up off ebay. I used a Gold Medal Modals detailing set for all the etched metal parts you see attached to the car. I replaced the brake cylinder with one from a Red Caboose covered hopper. Then I painted the car Polly Scale Reefer white and decaled with a few different sets from MS again.

I needed several of these cars to fill out the amount I need to switch out Zinpro in North Branch. To get the Athearn version of this car was costing more than $30 a car. I was able to build this one for about $10. The detail level is better and I can say I made it myself. I have 3 more of these I need to finish painting and decaling, but I wanted to get one done to see how it would look.