What's on your workbench, March 2019?

[Keith Hayes]

A couple years ago I picked up a Leadville Shops 4000-series boxcar. I enjoyed building the laser cut wood kit with etched brass bits.

I have long been fond of the large D&RGW lettering, and the decals that come with the kit look a bit small to my eye. Turns out this is the 1904 ( or previous) lettering.

Enter Mr. Pat Student, Dean of all things D&RGW in these parts. Turns out he is handy with a computer and has been cooking up some pre-1923 decals. Pat edjumacated me that the lettering I like is the 1913 scheme with 12" tall lettering. Pat shared some of his product with me at the recent Symposium in Seattle.



The lettering crew got on it and gave the car a light overspray of brown to hide the old lettering and laid out the newer scheme today. Note the hastily applied "W" sans period? Mr. Student pays attention to the details! Thanks Pat!!

Oh, and is that a new building up at the Penrose?

[pizlinard72]

Something completely different.
While I have not been able to build some C&S models, I have been working on European narrow gauge models in 1:45 (0m). I have the possibility to use a Formlabs 2 printer. Here are the results. I have only removed the sprues and given the model a light grey coat. Could also have been used by the section men on Boreas Pass...

The model is one inch long.
This is the original.


Christian

[Ken Martin]

Not exactly on my workbench but I have just spent three days helping build an 8' x 15' storage shed for my train club.
Picture below is after day two.

Ken Martin

[Chris Walker]

You're not leaving me much to nit pick these days Keith!   That W added to the old D.& R.G. should be much brighter than the older(lettering) is about all on that one.  

Keeping an eye on your "Penrose" workup with interest.

[Keith Hayes]

Ha! Is this better,  Chris?

[Dave Eggleston]

Inspired by the beautiful modeling I'm seeing, I'm tackling the 1880 Colorado Central UP-built boxcars in HOn3, specifically the five I can tie to the Boulder branch (1608, 1620, 1650, 1704 and conductor/caboose/head end car 026552), and maybe three others that I can't tie to the branch but that show the lettering variations across the breed (1566, 1626 and 1660).

Comparing existing plans, Rudnick's guides and various photos I've made preliminary design sketches and have cut basic styrene shapes for a first proof of concept car. It has been years since I've worked in HOn3; this model will hopefully flush out issues and mistakes...and verify compromises.

Next up, some test scoring of the siding to see if I can at all replicate the beaded boards in this scale (using a technique I saw Jim Courtney use on his Sn3 boxcar build) and also making some jigs for construction and drilling. I'm trying to grab 30 minutes daily to work on this project to keep it moving along. We'll see how much summer conspires to derail that.