Not a lot going on with the layout this summer, except for one of my wife's cats who decided to jump onto the layout and do his best impersonation of Godzilla. My crossbuck signs were completely obliterated, and some of my rolling stock took a fall to the floor (fortunately no damage to them). I am going to have to make the new crossbucks removeable so they can be taken down when the layout is not in use. I also rigged up a couple of black tablecloths on the layout valance to discourage the cat from jumping onto the layout. So far it works, and the good thing is it's easy to take down when I want to operate the layout.
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| Tablecloth clipped to valance. |
I have also started weathering my fleet of freight cars. My first attempt at weathering cars was back in 2007 with a couple of my Athearn Blue Box and Accurail cars. I was never really happy with my weathering attempts, so I neglected to weather the bulk of my rolling stock. Over the years, I have watched several videos on freight car weathering as well as reading several old model railroad books on the subject. I still have a bit of a mental block when it comes to weathering. I think it stems from the fear of ruining a model, especially my more expensive locomotives. I feel my techniques are improving, but I want to continue to learn how to improve.
I weathered these two Athearn cars using Monroe Models (AIM) weathering powders. I really like working with the powders more so than using pastel chalks. Pan Pastels are a medium I may use in the future.
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| Athearn Gondola |
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| Athearn/Bev-Bel 40' Boxcar |
I was able to attend the National Train Show in Collinsville, Illinois (St. Louis Area) this past Saturday and picked up a copy (only $20 at the show) of Mike Confalone's freight car weathering DVD (5+ hours; $29.99 USD). I really like how realistic Mike's layout looks, and his scenery and weathering work is outstanding. I am hoping to improve my weathering techniques through the lessons learned in this video and a whole lot of practice.
Layout lighting has not yet been installed due to supply issues. I am waiting for a couple of light fixtures that are on backorder. Hopefully they will be back in stock soon. I still need to paint my car card/waybill boxes black to blend into the fascia. Looking to have these last installations finished by Christmas at the latest. I hope!
Until next time,
Tom
