The "Do-over"

Ok! I call a do-over!

Currently in the midst of tearing up the umpteenth iteration of the HCD layout. I first laid glue to foam about 10 years ago.

It was never near completion anyway, and I figured with a day off, I might as well do something. So, up it comes. Going to start fresh with new foam, etc.

The door is actually 32x80, so first order of business is to add a 4-5 inch extension piece to one side, instead of the kludgey way I did it before, with a 1x2 on one side, and a bunch of cut 2x4 blocks on the other. If I get ambitious, or the track plan dictates, I may also add to each end of the door.

Also, I _plan_ on documenting my build better!

Island Model Works

I was disappointed to learn today that Island Model Works will be (or has) phased out it's n-scale resin line of passenger cars. They were the only one that made Comet II and Comet V's representative of NJ Transit.

I only have 3 (plus one "second" that needs a lot of work). BUMMED!

Lumber Loads for Centerbeam Flats

As a follow-up to a previous post, I've been looking at The NScale Addict's blog, and noticed his exquisite lumber loads he created for his empty Red Caboose Centerbeam Flat cars. They looked WAAAY better than the ones I had created for myself last year. Mine were done at a low resolution, etc. etc. So... Needless to write, I'm redoing every single one I've previously created.

I don't know how long it takes NScaleAddict, but I can assure you, it takes a few HOURS of prep time in a graphics application like Gimp or Photoshop to make them look good. Even then, the type of printer and paper you use may be MORE important.

Here's an example of what I do: (this is one that I'm redoing, yet again!

To save ink on the inkjet printer, I only print what will show.

Maybe one day, I'll do an actual "how-to" on how I create these...

Weathering Projects - Conrail #7883

Originally Posted: Friday, 08 April 2011

One of the first locomotives I've extensively weathered is this Atlas Conrail GP38. I tried to follow the few prototype pictures of #7883 I could find in it's heyday. Note that the blue painters tape is still on the 'glass' ;-). I did this with my airbrush at 10-12 PSI with unthinned Medea paints. First with a light white fade coat, then soil, transparent smoke, and some rust. I will be finishing it up with a coat of dull coat (airbrushed) and probably some chalks.

As you can see, I'm still on the pink foam plains of my door!

The NEW, North Jersey Lines...

After much deliberation, I am moving North Jersey Lines from my own hosted solution over to Blogger. It seems a lot easier to keep the content fresh. At the same time, though, I feel like I am losing a bit of control... I guess that's the price we pay!

Please bear with me as I move old content to this new space.

OneTrak Module

Since I haven't made much progress on my HCD (Hollow Core Door) layout, and am rethinking it YET AGAIN, I decided it was the perfect time to start another project! This time, it's a small 1x4 OneTrak module. I figure it is small enough to hold my interest until it's complete. Another bonus is low cost. The design will be simple, with a single mainline and a small siding housing a lumber dealer.