Union Pacific 844

Starting Saturday April 11th Union Pacific 844 is taking a month long journey to California from its headquarters in Wyoming, visiting 4 states. Here is a link to the schedule.

844 Daily Schedule

Western Heritage Tour Page

A fun thing on the Western Heritage page is you can track the 844 online through GPS and you can follow the 844 on Twitter.

Photo from UP Media kit on 844

Another Tractor

I got another John Deere GP tractor for Christmas. It adds a lot and looks good.

Ready for delivery

Farmer Joe's order is on its way

K-36 #481

One reason I haven't had many projects was because I drained my train funds (the wife even let me have a small loan) to make a big purchase. Model Mountain Import On30 K-36 #481.

The box arrives

Snug fit

K-36, 2-8-2, Flying Rio Grande, Black Boiler, Road #481

Oiling instructions and wiring diagrams

Lots of foam

More packing, here comes the engine.

Nice.....

Survived UPS

Tender Packing

Tender

Needs some coal and water

First look together

The K-36 is bigger than my K-28 and requires a minimum turning radius of 28-30 inches to run smoothly (current layout curves 26 inches). Instead of redoing my whole layout, I simply removed the trailing truck and it works pretty good (now it's a 2-8-0, but nobody will know...oh wait, its the internet...dang)

#481

K-36 and K-28

Rio Grande K-36

Difference in size


Tenders


Narrow Gauge at its finest

Photo & Model Contest

As part of the Holsters train show they invite people to enter the photo contest and the model contest. Last year I only entered photos and came away with a first and third place finish.

First Place 2008-Rolling Stock


Blue Ribbon

Third Place 2008-Steam

The photos are all spectator judged, meaning you vote for your favorite in each category. I was lucky to get anything. The stock car is the one on display in Antonito, CO at the station, and the K-28 is up at Cascade Wye near Silverton, CO. I picked to model my stock car after the one in my picture since I had good luck with number 5747.

This year for the contests I entered six pictures and two models. There was a lot of good competition, but I didn't leave empty handed. For pictures I got a third place in the Model Railroad category. The background is actually a big rock in our front yard. Since I don't have scenery on my layout I was trying to figure out how to make a picture of my K-28 look interesting. I Photoshoped the lights in to give it the apperance that is was on.

Mixed freight on the move

Third place 2009-Model Railroad
(Fancy 20th Anniversary ribbons)

For the model contest I entered my D&RGW Stock Car and my D&RGW Tool Car. For the models they do a spectator vote and they also have judges judging the models. There was a lot of good entries, but I was able to get a second place judges ribbon for my D&RGW Stock car 5747.

D&RGW Stock Car 5747



The Holsters' web site mistakenly identified my box car as the winner for a couple of days and had this picture on display.

Waiting to be jugded.
(Freight cars was a large category, it took up two shelves)

Second Place Judges Choice-2009 Frieght Cars

Rio Grande Tool Car 04549

This is one of the projects I have planning for awhile, but finally got around to it. This was straight forward and was not difficult. I started with an unlettered Bachmann On30 box car.

Out of the box

I airbrushed two coats of ghost ship gray and a lot of touch up paint to get a nice even coating.

First Coat

Second Coat

I purchased D&RGW Maintenance of Way decals from San Juan Decals. This allowed me to get the basics, but still needed the decals for the word "Tool Car" and the 04549. I actually looked around a bunch and then found the perfect decals online at Microscale Decals. The only draw back is they require you to have a minimum order of $20.00, so I ordered other items I really didn't need. Anyway I purchased the HO number and letter decals that would let me proceed with my Tool Car.

Decal Placement

I used a picture of the proto type for placement of decals

For this project I used Micro Set (used for 'gluing' the decals down) and Micro Sol (used for softening the decals so they conform to uneven surfaces). This was the first time I used Micro Sol and it worked great.

Good team work

After the decals where dry I finished it off with a flat clear coat. This helps secure the decals and gives it a nice finishing touch.

Decals still drying

Finished Product

Hostlers Model Railroad Show

One of the best train shows in Utah is this weekend. See below for details or visit their web site.
www.hostlers.info

Jackson & Sharp Passenger Cars

Growing up riding the Durango & Silverton railroad, I have become quite accustom to the "Golden" paint scheme that the passenger cars have. I was excited when I learned that I could get models of these. Some History of the Jackson & Sharp Car Company.

Jackson & Sharp had its beginning in April 1863 at Wilmington, Delaware as a partnership of Job H. Jackson (1833-1901) and Jacob F. Sharp (ca. 1815-1888). Jackson had quit school at an early age and worked as a tinsmith and mechanic. Sharp had worked as a carpenter and bridge-builder before taking a job in 1840 at the Halan & Hollingsworth car plant.

Jackson & Sharp built the first narrow gauge cars in this country for the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1871. In the following years, Jackson & Sharp were to build a good many cars for this railroad. They would produce more than 400 narrow gauge passenger cars by 1876.

Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge Coach Denver built 1871 by Jackson & Sharp. Too narrow (7' wide) for the usual two seats on each side of a center aisle, this car had two seats on one side and one on the other. The arrangement was switched at the middle of the car to “maintain balance.”

Information from http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/builders/jacksonsharp1.htm

Bachmann has done a good job recreating these cars. They come ready to roll out of the package and have lights inside.

Baggage Car (Needs more decals)

Combine Car #211

Passenger Car #284

Passenger Car #290

Passenger Car #307

Ready to roll

Bachmann only sells #284 as a single passenger car. I wanted more passenger cars but different numbered cars. I was able to find #290 and #307 on eBay that come from set that Bachmann sells. (This is also how I got my D&RGW engine #138)

The Jackson & Sharp cars are a classic sign of the D&RGW and a great addtion for a Rio Grande model railroad.