Finals...

Enough said right?  I will be back Monday evening, then not until the 14th when the whole ugly mess is over.  I hope it all goes smooth.  Congratulations to my girl on graduating!  Until next time y'all.

New (to me) Weathering Concept

Okay, so the idea of weathering with an airbrush has been around for awhile.  Basically, you used compressed air from a can or a compressor motor to pull a vacuum across a jar of paint that is mixed to your liking then applied as lightly or darkly and narrow or wide as desired.  However, compressors are expensive.  I got a cheap Badger Airbrush starter about a year ago for $25 but never bought the $250 compressor.  I used the canned air but at 15 dollars a can, it adds up quickly since they are basically one day use only.

On the latest project that I finished (that is coming soon I promise!) I got a random bit of inspiration.  I saw my general purpose can of black flat spray paint, and to my surprise, its use was a success!  Once I ran some tests, I set to using this to a new advantage on the quick and cheap weathering front.  Here is my Cheesie Geep before, with the protective tape over the windows (lights and numberboards will be covered later, I just didn't get a picture).  It is regular painters tape, cut with an Exacto blade to fit the windows.

Next I took the shell outside and set it on some newspaper I was using as an overspray protector.  Then, I made several quick passes with the spray paint shown below, starting before the shell and ending the pass after the shell, giving a good smooth coating on all sides, ends, and hood tops.  *NOTE: always test each can, each time, as performance can always vary.  This is very very very very important*

Next is the picture of the results.  You can also see the tape on the numberboards.

Here is the final result!

The only things done since have been painting the fuel tank and around the exhaust stacks.  That was done by masking off the loco outside of the top area around the stacks and then cutting a hole in a sheet of paper to spray more accurately with.

End result: a loco with a basic weathering job that doesn't go overboard, looks acceptable, and still gets good reviews from club members.  The total price: <$5.00  The total time to complete (including taping the windows): <45 minutes

Personally, I am glad it worked.  Next time will be the big project I was working on for two weeks.  Happy Railroading!

Colorful power in Aggieland

I got lucky and caught this manifest with 5 engines and 4 Class 1 Roadnames.  I especially enjoyed the last horn blast.  I apologize for the shaky video.  It was from my phone and my seasonal allergies are in full bloom.  I recently finished up a major project and I will post the results here soon.  Editing photos takes longer than thought, and even longer when you leave the finished product at the club...

Update 3/27/2011

Well, the sound decoder post will have to wait.  I ordered and recieved a Digitrax SFX0416 sound only decoder, installed it, only to have it burn out the next time I put it on the rails.  It worked for the first attempt, but then on a different system it melted.  Literally.  The pic shows the damage to my engine's shell...

Now, this is no knocking of Digitrax or their products.  They are actually quite nice, both the service and product.  This was my first sound decoder, and I made a mistake somewhere along the way, not them, and they just simply took it back in for repair.  I have to admit that it was beautiful  hearing the sounds of a train coming from my locomotive.  Nothing like it in the modeling world.

However, let's get started with other things.  The locomotive above is a Bachmann GP7 painted in Chessie System scheme, number 5606 (B&O).  It was about $55 through Micro Mark.  This is probably the part where someone says "Bachmann is crap/not worth the money/something negative."  However, having ran this locomotive over half a mile (in 1:1 scale), I have to disagree.  The locomotive comes equipped with an NMRA compiant DCC decoder.  There is room in the fuel tank for a 28mm speaker.  The motor is exceptionally quiet and causes very little vibration when moving.  It has a reasonable drawbar pull and can do almost anything that other "better" locomotives can.  There are a few downsides though.  It needs a little speed to get through turnouts despite both the wheels and turnouts being in gauge.  If it is moving too slowly it hits the points and frogs and noticably slows or stops.  Grades are not as bad as turnout problems.  There are no nose or back end grab irons, and no guide bumps for them.  However, there is rumor a company does make the template for it.  I'm not sure who but that is what Google is for.  Overall, with a good weathing job and a few extra details this will be a good looking and respectable locomotive.  I threw on some MU hoses from Details West, and did a quick job on the truck sideframes.  I sprayed them with Model Master Dark Tan then dry brushed them with grimy black.  Once it is done I will be more than pleased with the locomotive.

There is going to be some further weathering.  I am not sure how I will do it or how heavily.  I am also looking into a way to put figures into the cab as that would be a neat detail at train shows and when the club has visitors.  I hope to eventually have another one to pair up with this one to be able to perform more prototypical operations.

As always, I am open for comments, questions, and suggestions.  Until next time.

Changes

Okay so there is a new layout around here and a new header (edit: turns out there is a trademarked Model Railroad University so I have to change this one) and that means things are finally getting under way here.  I'm on spring break but when I return I will have a sound only decoder to put in my HO engine, and I will explain how I weathered my first car in HO.

Til next time.