305 replies to this topic

[Dirk]

Very nice work!

[willysmb44]

I swore I saw the scale ghosts of conductor Cy Crumley and engineer Sherman Pippin. I snapped some shots, thinking when I looked later, they'd just be of empty track. Halloween came early for the ET&WNC!







They just walked out of the cornfield at the Ensor farm, looked around, and Cy walked down the tracks to near the grade crossing at Sadie. Sherman went directly for # 11, which was sitting cold at the time. A chill came over the air...
As these two were gentlemen in life, I expect no evil from them now. As the locals said after I showed them the photos (taken from my Speed Graphic box camera), "Them ain't haints, they's wouldn't do nary a bit of evil h'yar!"
In other words, such distinguished men wouldn't come back as bad spirits. At the worst, I was told I might get spectral letters of admonishment over some of the working conditions on the layout.

[kanemono]

Great layout and photography!!

[willysmb44]

I changed the number plates on three of my locomotives, using modified photos of the real plates (9 and 11's are in private collections, 12 still has a replica cast from her original plate)

[willysmb44]

The 4X4 inch negatives were marked for July 1943 in the old, dusty box.
Sid Richardson, photographer/artist for the Elizabethton Star, was taking shots of the ET&WNC Stoney Creek branch, a rare doubleheader passing through Winner, Tennessee.
Exact date is unknown:

[Dirt Detective]

Looking good Lee..a little OT but have you gone out to see the Big Boy 4014 making its rounds around the U.S. ? 

[willysmb44]

a little OT but have you gone out to see the Big Boy 4014 making its rounds around the U.S. ?

Not yet. It hasn't come within several hundred miles of where I am yet. But the Union Pacific does run within a few miles of my house, so maybe someday. UP is trying to get the most out of the money for buying/rebuilding 4014 to operation. I've seen UP 3985 and ridden behind N&W 1218 (a 2-6-6-4) when she was still in steam, but nothing as big as 4014!

[willysmb44]

Random shots, mostly around Hunter, Sadie and Winner, Tennessee...

[Proud Kraut]

Excellent, the first one in your last post is my favourite, well done!

[willysmb44]

Coming soon, some changes to the Army RR operating unit area...

Excellent, the first one in your last post is my favourite, well done!

Thank you. Those were taken with a cell phone at as close eye level as I could get. It gets pretty good depth of field for the most part.

Edited by willysmb44, 06 December 2019 - 09:20 AM.

[willysmb44]

Another random cell shot, of # 9 rounding the curve before crossing Stoney Creek Road at Sadie, TN:

[manayunkman]

A wonderful layout.

I never stop enjoying your posts.

[willysmb44]

On Friday, I got a diecast/plastic 1/43 scale model I'd ordered from Estonia of all places. It's a Chevy WW2 1.5 ton truck, a model that is nor marketed anywhere in the US or Western Europe (I assume because they didn't get the rights to make it with the brand name). It wasn't cheap, but it was way cheaper than the few I've seen on eBay. I immediately stripped the Russian markings off it, put on mid-war US markings (and butchered two decals when I masked off the windows, but managed to cover that with weathering), then weathered it for a hard service life stateside. I know I weathered it a little too much, but I like how it turned out.

[Proud Kraut]

That's a great truck, never have seen this kit before. Fits perfectly with the dio, well done!

[willysmb44]

That's a great truck, never have seen this kit before. Fits perfectly with the dio, well done!

It's not a kit. It's a pre-built truck with a diecast cab and the rest is plastic.
It's a Russian company called Start Scale Models that makes these and they don't market them in the US. Maybe you might find them in Europe?
The vendor I got this from was modelsshop.eu, but I don't see them on their site now...

[72psb]

Lee,

Lay out is always interesting.Hope all is well.

Bob

[willysmb44]

Doing okay, Bob Really need to call you sometime soon...


last night, I got my brand new Bachmann On30 gauge Baldwin Class 10 2-6-2T 'trench' locomotive (a belated 50th birthday present). This one will eventually wear the Army markings similar to the Davenport copies wore during WW2 at Fort Benning (which were black, not OD green as the incorrectly painted one at the museum at Benning wears today).
I'll be doing a review of this for O Gauge Railroading magazine very soon. Until then, see how good the sound system is on this tiny little locomotive:

https://youtu.be/oPs1xkBu0zo

[willysmb44]

Yesterday, I did the weathering on my Army 2-6-2T and put a couple of GI figures into the cab of my Baldwin 1917 'trench' locomotive.
Notice the number plate, I created that myself on my computer.


If you look along the forward part of side water tank, you can see where I tried to re-create the look of recently added H2O to the tank, spilling over the side somewhat.
So, why a road number of 5069? Well, I just turned 50 and was born in 1969. This was a delayed birthday present to myself, and 5069 was a road number carried by one of these engines as-delivered from Baldwin, so why not? If not that, it would have been 5044, for my Jeep's deliver year of 1944...
The decals were one character at a time. That took a while with magnifying tools to get that right (keep in mind, this engine was just about the size of a GMC 2.5-ton truck, so even in O scale it's very small).
A few days before, returning to Atlanta airport from visiting my parents in Florida for Christmas, I swung through Fort Benning to take several photos of their Davenport locomotive. These were made as copies of the Baldwin design and most stayed here in the states. This is one of the few left:

I just wish they hadn't painted it in (now heavily faded cheap government issue) OD green (to include the running gear!), as none were painted like this in service.

[willysmb44]

Two updates over the weekend...
First, I got some paints (mostly washes from a company called 'AK', made for military modelers), as I'd read one made to show fuel stains makes an excellent finish for greased side rods on a steam locomotive. Others were for rain streaking and other grime effects. They worked great, and was worth the long drive to a hobby shop to get them!

Long ago, I wanted to make a fictional insignia for the railroad operating Battalion. Last night I decided to draw it out on paper, as someone would have done in real life.
Originally, I was going to do it with a ET&WNC locomotive, but I realized that would be very complex and hard to put on an Insignia. An Army 'trench' locomotive made a lot more sense to me. I drew the stump underneath the locomotive, alluding maybe to something that it happened to one of their engines in the past. Somehow the motto 'stump jumpers' popped into my head as I was drawing it.

I'm going to put it on signs on the layout and paperwork. I wish I still knew someone who could make a short run of patches, as I'd love to have some made of this.

[willysmb44]

Last night when I checked the mail, I was very surprised to have a thick mailer from White River Publications, with whom I've bene published on a couple of their magazines in the past.
Thinking it was a mistake after seeing the "Author copies" stamp (I shrugged and thought, "well, at least it'll be something to read", I opened it and found that a photo of my layout made their narrow gauge modelling calendar for 2020!
https://shop.whiteri.../products/ngc20
I'd had NO idea this was going to happen.

[willysmb44]

I created a RR unit sign on Photoshop, using the Insignia I recently created. I used a background photo of boards painted in white, then ran ghost lines through the lettering and Insignia where the board lines would be. I think it worked pretty well, and could possibly fool the eye of anybody looking at it in person. The back has the same white board graphic with no lettering.

One thing's for sure, it doesn't look like your normal model railroad sign, where someone just printed it out on white paper.
I made the frame out of scale lumber, just needs another hit of dull coat. Now, I just need to figure out exactly where I want to place it.

[BILL THE PATCH]

Thats really cool sign, I love looking at models it's one of my favorite threads. Forum member patches used to models when we were younger he was really good at it. Not me fat fingers, and no patience.

Sent from my XT1031 using Tapatalk

[mikie]

I've been trying to think of something different from what I've said before here.  But can't come up with anything.  So I'll just go back and say that this is amazing.  Wonderful display.

 

Mikie

[willysmb44]

Thanks much, gents!

I'd considered not posting here anymore due to some troll activity my posts had gotten here, but I've gotten emails from some regulars here asking me to pick it back up...

[Hookemhorns88]

The attention to detail is fantastic. I really appreciate the effort that you go through for an authentic look. Enjoy checking in for updates.