Search results

Pretty excited to finally be finished with my first major project in many years. This is a friend's Tower 55 ES44DC that I repainted from NP "fantasty" colors to BNSF H3/Swoosh. We chose the experimental yellow-lettered 7695 since we figured T55 would be releasing the standard...

I just got a screaming deal on a new/unused Athearn RTR SW1500 complete shell to upgrade an older Blue-Box SW1500. The upgraded detailing is OUTSTANDING, I am more than impressed. But with all the grinding and filing I had to do on the old chassis to make the new shell fit, I should have just...

That answers that... I like Floquil for painting anything unless I'm putting decals on it. Since it dries flat, you either have to add gloss to it, or spray it with a gloss coat. I've never gotten good results putting a gloss coat over a dull coat. It always ends up "satin" and I have a head...

Are you referring to Floquil's Pollyscale acrylics or their old-school lacquers? (Is lacquer the same as enamel?) For the old stuff, which I still have a large collection of, I thin it 25% with hardware store lacquer thinner, and can spray on plastic with no ill effects. I use a...

I have a small 2x10 shelf railroad under construction. A small brewery complex is planned for one end along the backdrop. I was planning on having a warehouse for outbound loads of beer - room for two or three insulated box cars. Then on an adjacent track I would have an unloading area for...

My cars will be all be carrying lumber. How is the shaft mounted? Is there a housing on the end sill of the car?

I was only referring to their exquisite detailing & fragile parts. Things don't run too smoothly on our club layout, and derailments and other mishaps happen not 1/87 as often as the prototype, but at least 87 times more often. I just don't worry as much as about the Walthers units as I would...

I've got a few older Athearn 50' flat cars that I'm working on getting upgradedd and "loaded". They have a strange brakewheel mounting on a housing sticking up from the side of the car. I think the brakewheel should be mounted near the end, with the shaft verticle. I've been unable to find...

I just picked up three B40-8/W's from a friend in a trade. He is upgrading to Atlas units, which offer FAR better detailing, hands-down. However, they are incredibly smooth running units. They are perfect "club runners", I've got no problem runnning them around the club layout, whereas my...

Like the old-school Floquil, not Pollyscale (which some guys refer to in my parts as "Floquil"?)

I am in the process of repainting a Tower 55 ES44DC into BNSF's current swoosh/power-bar for a friend. I've always used Scalecoat I or II paint, I love how it sprays and covers, and has always had accurate colors. However, myself, my son, the owner of the loco, and even my wife think the...

I have an Atlas GP40 with factory dual-mode decoder. I don't have DCC, but once on a friend's layout we ran it on DCC and "played around" a little with it. I don't like directional lighting, so I think we programmed it to be selectable for forward/reverse. That was 18 months ago. I noticed last...

1-1/2" scale Northern Pacific "Yellowstone" 2-8-8-4 #5002. Just completed this year by a member of the Central Oregon Area Live Steamers (COALS) in Bend, OR.

Thanks for the info. Looks like a good upgrade for my old SD40-2's! I never liked the old style shell mounting anyway.

How different are the "new" Athearn SD40-2 shells from the old? I know they don't have the "pin" style mounting lugs. There are a bunch of new-style shells available on eBay, I'd like to update some of my old-style chassis. What is involved here?

I have a couple of older Atlas/Kato RS-3's that are smooth runners but have molded on grabs, and need repainting. I see a couple of newer Kato RS-2 shells are available on eBay. This would be an easy "fix" IF they fit. Does anyone know if the new Kato units sit on the same chassis? If they...

I recently purchases a Precision Scale WP outside-braced caboose on eBay. A bargain at $41. Was I surprised to find out it was a kit! Any suggestions on assembling this thing? I have access to a resistance soldering outfit, but have never used one. Can this be assembled with an iron, solder...

Two weeks ago I purchased a RPP SD38 shell on eBay. I've been wanting to build a McCloud River SD38 or -2 for some time. I wasn't sure if Athearn was ever to do anything with the rest of the RPP shells, so I decided to proceed with the RPP shell. That night a friend of mine and HUGE McCloud...

Here in Oregon we have one of the strictist boiler codes in the nation. I should know, as I just spent five years (through an apprenticeship program, not just studying for the test) getting my Class V Boiler & Pressure Vessel license. Anyway, I've been amused by the lack of inspections for...