Modeling

So after finishing the paint and decals for my BN b unit, I started brain storming for the chassis. after some  time and thought, I decided the original trucks were just too ugly and out of scale, especially when compared to the GP18 that would be pulling it half the time. The decision was made to get different trucks, which then lead to why not power it if I'm going that far. So here I go. I decided to use a older style Life-Like chassis from a GP18, the wheel base is real clse to a F7.

Import Image from Service:

Well I've finally settled in enough to start modeling again. In June I moved from Colorado to Illinois, so life's been a little hektik. Still don't have a work area set up, but I've been moving my plate-glass work-surface from table to table. While rummageding through some stored stuff I found a older bachmann F7 B-unit and decided to strip it and rework it as a BN F7B. Figured this would be an easy project to do. Basicly removed the end over-hangs, added back-up lights, installed wire grabs, shaved down the skirts, and painted and decaled.

Import Image from Service:

This holiday weekend gave me time to work on the layout and start covering the ugly pink color of the foam. As a start I did the assemble the Walton Lumber yard and with a lot of help  from my wife, we set it up on its place in Karolville.  My wife bought some Woodland Scenics ground cover sheet and we glued to the foam, then we placed the 2 buildings and added the details.  Hope to continue with more industries and roads for Karolville in the next couple of weeks.  Keep you posted. Here is a picture from the gallery:

Here's my roster.

Atlas GP9:

Atlas GP30:

Atlas H-15-44:

Group photos:

Well, Scenery Project 09 for Alligator Lines is getting close to being done now!

A lot has happened in the layout since the last time i posted. I finished laying all the track in the left side of the plan. I came up with a name for the layout Karoltown and Miriamburg RR. And came up with a central theme for the layout. 1. The Karoltown and Miriamburg is a fictional branchline that connects these two fictional cities to the Boston and Maine railroad. 2 The era is modern day but certain steam engines will still run in the summer for the tourists!. 3 There will be a passenger service between the two towns and a connection to Boston.

Some time during this weekend (May 18/19), the Alligator Lines web site reached, what is for me, a significant mile stone. It had its 10.000th visitor!

When the site was first started, back in October 2005, it was a fun project, mostly for me to enjoy doing but with the hope that a few others might find it of interest.

Today it has many readers and has become my way of sharing my passion for model railroading with anyone else who is at all interested (as someone said, not only do you need a passion but you also need to share it with others) and there are reciprocal links with seven other sights! The links are on the Alligator Lines Links page reciprocating with:

• Fifer Hobby Supply: Links Page and on every How To (example) page that originated from Alligator Lines.
• Scale Rails Online: Resources/Links  page.
• Michael Denny's Model Railroader: Links page (where is Michael, we haven't heard from him for awhile?)
• Rails USA: N Scale Layouts
• Rail Serve: Model Railroad Layouts
• ModelRailroads.net: N Scale Layouts
• Last, but definitely not least, our very own nScale.net under Links->Layouts.
  

I've been quiet for the last little bit, but with good reason. In my last blog post I mentioned that I wanted to get some turntables onto my layout and Gene (epumph) gave me an excellent link to the 2 Guyz and Sum Trainz site. A How-To article on how to convert a ho-hum Atlas turntable into something more. (Here is the link Gene gave me: http://www.2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=11.html , thanks again.)

Import Image from Service:

I am exhausted! I just kept working and didn't know 4hrs past. well its done anyways. I don't think I blinked for two hours. I am going to try to write up the how to at work tomorrow. I forgot to mention I like to add lots of detail. almost the whole thing is made from styrene stock.

Let me know what you think of the end product.

Do to the requests, I have started on a new Gondola to feature in a How To. It is similar to the Evans I modeled before I chose an ACF 41'6" gondola, orginally purshased by SP&S, GN, and NP. This car was featured in an article by James Kinkaid in Nov '03 mainline Modeler.  So far I have a main parts cut and the underframe is mostly completed. I'm gonna estimate that this will take about 10hrs to build the first one. Do to my current work schedule, I only get a few hrs a day to work. I hope to have the article up by this weekend.