Some track!

Some track is progressing, as of this post it is up around the wye at the end of this section.

And it Begins...Part II

Roadbed is cut and risers installed on the first branch line and onto the Wye back to the mainline. Managed to get the first bit of roadbed installed tonight as well, tomorrow should be laying track and running the first section of bus wiring.

The Paint Shop

Some of you might remember the giant paint project I took on a few months ago. Located Here. Turned out....sort of..The replacement colour for Polly S Reading Yellow is listed as Model-flex Railbox yellow, let me tell you, not even close. So into the brake fluid they all went, and stripped back to plastic. Now fast forward a few weeks/months and I am ready to paint again, problem is all my Polly S Reading Yellow I have is almost solid in the bottles. Happened to watch the MRH what's neat video, and saw the part about using an oscillating tool to re shake the paint. Works like a charm!

So with Model-flex Reading Green and Polly S Reading Yellow we are in business! Now I just have to wait for decals to be completed.

And it begins...

Well with work getting back to normal, and my evenings and weekends free. Things are starting to take shape. My birthday recently passed and my oldest bought me gift cards to home depot, so lumber shopping I went.  The first section of bench work up is the branch line to Kingston on the left side of the previously posted track plan. This weekend I am hoping to get the bench work up for the staging yard. And if all goes well my order of track and switches should arrive soon!

TADA!

Well Bob Sprague over at Annapolis Junction RR certainley knocked this out of the park. Can't wait to head to the lumber yard and start building this :)

And the planning still continues.

A few of the different pain schemes on the line, the C-424 is an experiment tonight. Not sure which i like better.

The layout plan continues...

Received the latest update to the new track plan, now the designer is just working on the two branch lines. Getting excited to start building this....

A step closer.

Progressing with the large scale locomotive paint job, all cleaned and once dry will be sprayed to start their transformations.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe

Cant decide which one to use.....

And the project continues

This is just to give you an idea of before and after on these engines. 
 

 

And the next project starts.

Well now that I have a new workbench in place, it was time to do something. So why not paint 18 locomotives, first we have to get rid of the gobs of paint their previous owner used to make them all some weird form of CN. There was so much paint on some of these engines that it seeped through the body and chassis and became glue. Took about two hours to separate all the frames and bodies, so now while the painting is happening all the chassis will be stripped and cleaned as well.

About that workbench....

Well, the workbench is up. Now to unpack everything that goes on or around it. Then to build a new spray booth.

Why I like swap meets....

Went to the local spring swap meet today in Edmonton, and wasn't disappointed. There was the usual people asking retail for used junk from 1995. Then I found 4 tables of N Scale being manned by two sisters and their mother. Their dad had passed away and they were clearing out the estate, and WOW! He had a large collection 3 2'x8' tables of stuff stacked 5 or 6 jewel cases high, and there is apparently more at home. They did at least do some research to make sure they weren't being taken advantage of, which I have seen before in Winnipeg. Still worked out to $25 a locomotive, and 4 have decoders already in them.

Now granted this gentleman had an interesting way of painting the units as seen below. I am not sure if it's nail polish or thick testers paints from Walmart. It's a good thing these are being stripped and painted into my own roads colours. The GP-9's are just for the DCC ready chassis & motors for some existing units I have.

I guess I better get the workbench setup and start working on the layout construction soon.

Where to begin.

Well, as some know I have moved for my work. This meant taking this layout apart, which wasn't too bad since I spent the last few years working away from home most of the time. Now for the good part, a new house and a new basement. With No obstructions or walls to get in my way.... This time though I am not designing my layout, Bob Sprague at http://www.annapolisjunctionrr.com/ is helping me this time.

Here is the rough mainline configuration, there is still all the industries and details to add. Here is a rough Google map of the territory that is being used. Though I am only planning on modelling from Wilkes-Barre to Lehighton. The plan is based on Lehigh Valley, just adapted to the free lance EH&S. Which also means I have a bunch of motive power that doesn't need to be repainted :)

The end of an era....

Well, as some people know this layout is no more. I have relocated for my work back to Alberta. They good news is the new basement has a wide open basement.... So the plan should be along some time soon. In the mean time here is the video I did a while ago.