It's been a busy year in modeling and posting here on the blog. Let's look at a few pictures from this year that were fun projects! Links to the blog articles are provided below as well.
Overview of 1950s Time Table Operations
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| Santa Fe No.4 holds the main track at Bealville while No.7 drops into the siding during a Time Table-Train Order Session |
Posts about the La Mesa Model Railroad Club in San Diego, CA, have become one of the highest hit-count topics on the blog over the last year. I hope to be making more posts about operations and TT/TO in the future.
Prototype Modeling of Passenger Consists
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| A very easily modeled Shasta with only four cars |
One of the early topics I've come back to hit on is passenger train consist modeling. The first blog post was on the Shasta, followed by one on the Owl, and then one on the Mail (Nos.55/56), the last one I've covered in detail is options for modeling some of the SD&AE's Passenger Trains.
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| SP 1190, a Ken Kidder coach brings up the rear of No.55, the Tehachapi Mail. |
Prototype Modeling of SP Steam
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| SP 3202 in Los Angeles between 1946 and 1947. Eddie Sims Collection |
I've covered a couple of topics of Modeling SP Light and Medium Steam Road Switchers. It's been fun writing about the various models that are available to us today for building accurate models of SP's steam engines.
I've also revisited issues over my 10 Years Working on Intermountain AC-class Models, including repairing some damage to a 3rd run model.
I also wrote a blog about Swapping SP Tenders around between different models to get historical photo correct models.
Prototype Modeling of SP Cabooses
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| SP 286, a C-30-3 sits awaiting its next assignment - Looks like the trainman's heading for the office. |
The SP Caboose series of posts have been fun so far. I plan to continue them soon once I get a few more suitable projects going and photographed.
Prototype Passenger Car Modeling
I've noticed that I've done most of the modeling blogs this year on passenger equipment, consists, and multi-part blogs on certain cars as I've worked on them.
SP 5199 (Part 1)
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| The longest running blog post so far has been the SP 5199 project using a SC&F 69-BP-30 resin kit. Turning this.... |
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| Into this! |
There are several modeling Index pages here covering Modeling SP Heavyweight Cars, Modeling Pullman Heavyweight Sleepers, Modeling SP-Pullman Lightweight Cars, Prototype RPO History and Detailing.
The other passenger modeling blogs and pages this year focused on affordable and kitbash-able models for various Southern Pacific passenger cars including;
SP 2701 60-CC-1 Chair Car - using a Model Power 67ft coach
SP 1005 & T&NO 777 60-C-5 Coaches from Soho models
SP 1050 - Ex-EPSW 70ft Coach
SP 6233,, 6236, 6047 - 60-B-9/10 from MDC Baggage Cars
SP 6102 - an ex-RPO 70-B - kitbashed from MDC parts
SP 2424 & SP 2436 Athearn-Genesis 77-C-3 Chair Cars
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| SP 2424 with new trucks, A/C hatch and Antenna Stanchions! |
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| SP 2436 with lit marker light |
Pages About Daylight Cars!
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| MTH Daylight Triple-Unit Diner shows off upgrades to details and paint work |
There were also a collection of several reference pages cover other models and prototype information including one just on upgrades to the MTH Daylight cars.
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| SP 3302 is refitted with new Antenna Stanchions and decal work |
I also started into some major projects cutting up MTH Daylight cars to make other versions of the cars and also installing a Track Ceaning "Slider" Pad to the bottom of the kitchen unit.
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| Here's the Kitchen with the new pad and old water tank |
Heavy Daylight "Bashing"
SP 3301 - Bashing
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| 'Bashing a 79-CB-1 into a 77-CB-1 without the baggage elevator! |
For modelers needing the earlier 1937 car and who don't have a Soho 77-CB-1 around to start with, this is about the only other option.
SP 10251 - Backdating the Kitchen
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| Chopping into the left side to remove the end doors! |
In this project I'm backdating the kitchen unit of the SP 10251 to the pre-1952 look with only one loading door.
Bashing the SP 10250 - Diner-Lounge
In the same post I also discuss reconfiguring the Diner to be a Diner-Lounge during the "off season" of the San Joaquin Daylight.
Something for the Santa Fe Modelers!
A Trip Over Tehachapi on Santa Fe SCX-BI
While I've not made as many posts for the Santa Fe modelers out there, In February 2017, I posted a blog recalling a trip on a Santa Fe freight over the La Mesa Club's Tehachapi Pass during Timetable Train Order Operations.
Waycars!
I have also quickly hit on easy Modeling of Santa Fe Way Cars (Cabooses) of the 1940-1950s, which mostly covers Walthers 1300-class and Athearn models for the steel cupola way cars in the 1500-2100-classes.
Soho Daylight Cars In the Paint Shop!
One of the other fun projects coming up soon are these Soho brass cars which will be upgraded to be comparable to the MTH models above.
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| SP 3300 with its orange window band of paint applied, red will soon follow. |
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| SP 10400 (77-D-11) with orange window band paint applied - red will follow. |
The model of the SP 10400 will be needed for Modeling the SP's Starlight during the 1949-1953 era. As I get a few more of the signature cars for the Starlight done, I'll make a post about that (linked above). Also the 1950-1953 Owl (Part 2) post has been sitting for some time waiting for me to get some pictures and write up the consist lists, that post should be coming soon as well.
In Closing
I look forward to another year of fun modeling projects and writing interesting blog posts for all the modelers out there. I'm planning to start including more freight car modeling on here soon, but first I need to get all the varnish off my work bench!
Hopefully these posts will continue to be encouraging and educational to everyone.
Jason Hill
Now THERE'S a body of work, not simply a pile of projects. Nice work, Jason!
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