Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Odds & ends

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Odds and ends are the order of the day so long as our latest edition remains unable to sleep on her own...and thence allows me more modeling time each evening.

My C&S caboose has been waiting for a few details and paint for some time. I added the grab irons to the interior and assembled the sinks quite recently amongst other little things. I can't really do anything else until I get an appropriate color for the interior (the top half of which was buff). I'll paint the bottom half an oxide red just as the recently found 1008 has. (I lacked some confidence in the paint used on C&S 1006 and 1009...but the 1008 was recently found in Los Angelos and had a more classic scheme...buff and red).

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I've also been working a little bit on applying a surface to the roof on my first OR&L coach.
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My Colorado Central lime car has finally received her truss rods...what an improvement! I need to add them to my stock car soon...

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The most interesting project to me has been reworking my Waycar. The sides were bowed in (and were from initial assembly). It became on acceptable to me and so I cut out the old windows and added internal bracing. I also removed the fascia strips (sign boards) from the roof and attached them to the body. The new fixed window panes look quite a bit better imo. The removed parts are visible in that photo.

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This photo shows the other new photos...assembled over a period of 15min this evening. You can also see the bracing I added to the car. Perhaps she'll also receive a new interior...but with a buff and green scheme rather than buff and oxide red... My next waycar will be straw yellow and then a long one in oxide red.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A temporary scale back

Since child #2 was born in January, the hobby has been far more difficult to partake in. With one child, it was easier to work it into the day. But now, I'm lucky to have any energy left when I get to my hour of free time (if I'm lucky). Additionally, it isn't a good idea to use solvents (glue) in the presence of a 2 month old. So, I'm now focusing on finishing up my various projects (new windows for my DSP&P way car, finishing up the various cars which are greater 90% of the way complete). Earlier this week, I managed to finish my C&S coal car and she is now resting on the layout...getting to my LHS to purchase some flat finish was far more difficult than in the past. Today, I'm hoping to make nice strides on my way car's new windows, the C&S caboose's interior (which I can't finish until I get an appropriate depot buff paint), finish the CC gondola sides, and either touch up my OR&L coach's paint or work on trussrods/brake rigging of my DSP&P stock car. My family is at grandma's today...so I have some freedom.

I might work a little on the pattern work for the DSP&P coaches and the OR&L combines/baggage cars, but they won't make it into full scale production until after things calm down around the house (and the newest addition learns how to go to bed in the evening without being held constantly).