Piedmont Blues - US O Scale (2 rail) switching layout

Thanks Keith. Nothing like a show to light a fire under me, that's for sure! Hopefully it'll look even better by Seaboard Southern.

Steve - not sure when I'll manage to get that structure done - I'm thinking of rebuilding the raised foundation for it, as the wood is annoyingly warped. I'll see how it looks in it's eventual position on the layout before I decide if I need to hide the foundation some or completely remake it.

Gary - Thanks. Fingers crossed the purchase of THIS house doesn't fall through - I can't keep affording all the initial fees only to get nothing for it, as each time it's eating into my deposit money. Oh, the joys of adult life!

 

Thanks Pete, it was very nice to meet you as well.

Sorry I wasn't all that talkative, I was absolutely shattered from being up late the night before getting everything ready. I think by the end of the weekend I'd replaced my blood with coffee, I drank so much!

Fingers crossed I can get the woodchip car and the kaolin car finished soon - I've got a friend in the US sending me over some Highball decals to complete the lettering.

In the meantime I've started working on some more boxcars that I've got in pieces in my spares box, I've fitted trucks to three, and couplers to one of those three. I've got two more that need both, however I'm out of suitable screws, so I've got to wait for the postman to deliver more.

 

Look what turned up in the mail from my O scale supplier, Mr. Dickie!



Which immediately went into the paint shop, and now looks like this:



Interestingly, #100 was the first RS3 built for the L&N by Alco, way back in... November 1951. No idea what became of her in the end, but on Piedmont Blues she still lives! Or she will do, when I've finished weathering her up.

 

Here she is after further application of Pan Pastels. Almost unrecognisable from her B&M origins.






More work coming as and when I get the chance.

 

Thanks Ron!

Hopefully I can have the entire fleet of locomotives and stock weathered up ready for the next show in September.

 

Yup. I thought it was both ends until I painted this!

In fact, I actually did the yellow on both ends and then had to spray the short hood grey again!

 

Not much of an update this week, as I've been relaxing and playing xbox, as well as hitting the gym to try and get in better shape for a Tough Mudder event at the end of July.

I've done a little more work on L&N #100, trying to get the model to look more like the prototype photographs I'm working from.

Still a loooooong way to go, so be kind!





Please ignore the blu-tac covering the headlamps, I'm trying to keep paint/powders off them.

 

Only a quick update for today. I had an hour this afternoon and managed to fit - and do the initial testing of - an ESU Loksound L V4 in my GP35. I need to build a speaker baffle to better fit the speaker into the fuel tank on the bottom of the loco, which will be a project for another day.



The decoder fitting was surprisingly simple. I do still need to wire in the headlights for the loco though, but again - project for another day!



I'm happy - it works.

 

The bell was there, for a short time.

I'm definitely interested to see how it'll perform once I can get the layout fully set up again in the new house.

 

Hi Gary,

They do, though this one is the EMD prime mover for the Southern GP35.

I'm hoping to get another Loksound L V4 at the start of next month to go in L&N #100, with a nice throaty Alco growl, and an Atlas smoke unit to really make her stand out.

 

Inspired by suggestions from a user on another forum, I've had a go at a second draft of the proposed track plan. Much more interesting, I think.