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Surprised nobody mentioned Kato Unitrack, especially if you desire to use the track/roadbed sectional approach. It is an excellent product.

😲 Wow. I can see how that would leave an impression!

A lot of times those trapezoidal footings are used where three ground freezes and thaws regularly. The base wider at the bottom locks it into the soil and prevents frost heave, which could throw the shanty off kilter and damage the signal cabling.

Well they aren't exact. Modeling tank cars of a certain era you have to take what you can get. They are outwardly similar in length, barrel diameter, fittings, saddles and brake arrangement. That checks a lot of boxes for me! You can see differences between the clay slurry car and the...

Sergent couplers are definitely not for the faint of heart! I don't know how the new couplers are from Innovative Models, but I might find out next week when I visit a friend who just got some. I converted my fleet over in 2013 or so with a few bulk packs of couplers and lots of dummy...

I love that flat aluminum! Those Kadee shelf couplers are not a bad approximation of the SF couplers the prototype car has. SF couplers are huge compared to SE couplers, which are the standard double shelf couplers you see on tank cars today. SF couplers were used on tank cars built in the 70s...

The construction of the DART Silver Line is well under way on the former Cotton Belt from DFW airport through Plano. I'm not sure what this means for the Fort Worth & Western or Dallas Garland and Northeastern. I live near the former Cotton Belt northeast of Fort Worth and I can't recall the...

Here's that UP local hauling cars out to the Trinity tank facility from my vantage point at the Sunnyside sand plant: Later on I found myself waiting on Amtrak next to the Trinity spot and pull tracks where these strange and unfortunately spotless tank cars were tied down: In the...

Don't forget the Frisco! Their main line from Tulsa stopped in Carrollton where they picked up the Rock Island (now owned by DART) at Tower 77 to Irving. Originally the plan was to use the Cotton Belt from here into Fort Worth and they might have for a time. Fun fact: Frisco's telegraph lines...

There are some other facilities in the area that would make a good industry to model. If you go south on I35W at the SE intersection of NE 28th Street and 35W was a plant on a triangular shaped plot of land next to the old joint T&P/MKT line between Fort Worth and Whitesboro (now the UP Choctaw...

That's the place! Sometimes I go that way to work but there's not a good place to stop and take photos when I do see something. That place used to be a contract shop and not actually part of Trinity. It was a much smaller operation then. The two main tracks on the right side of the aerial are...

The tank train cars are still out there. I spied some last year at a Trinity tank facility northwest of Fort Worth getting some work done.

That is a huge improvement. Less is more, especially on white.

I like using a pencil eraser to touch up panel line accent. It leaves the stuff behind in the recesses but gets it off the surface without damaging the finish of the paint. Looks like you were quick enough with the mineral spirits that wasn't an issue. Pencil erasers are good when working with...

I would love to find one of these kits! Looking good so far.

If that's how much one sideframe costs, how much is the whole locomotive?

Just buy a set of replacement sideframes and install a new one. Then you'll have three extra in case another one breaks. Over the 35 years I've been running Athearn trains I've broken more than four I can promise you that!

Same problem here. It roars sometimes. Too much time in yard engines... that's where I noticed the difference. The exhausting air destroyed the part of my hearing that playing in bands hadn't already done in my youth. I'm drilling lots of little holes in little plastic parts right now, so for...

Looks like you've been paying attention, Willie! Loaded tank containers cannot have anything loaded above them. If they are positioned with another container in a well, such as two 20 footers in a 40' well, the tank outlets must face the end of the car and not face the other container. I...

I've never had trouble with my Front Runner cars, but I agree they are lightweight and likely to be intolerant of some manufacturers turnouts. I installed Intermountain wheels in mine and used a Reboxx truck tuner to make sure they roll well.