Well, another year of writing blogs has passed. Much has happened in the last year, and much hasn't happened as well. Let's dive in and see what the highlights have been in the last 12 months around here with the NightOwlModeler.
Stats of the NightOwlModeler Blog
Not to blow my own whistle, but let's take a quick look at what you all have been looking at this last year.
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| Screen shot of monthly views over the lifetime of the NightOwlModeler blog. |
The all-time view count is now over 250k, covering 162 posts and 196 comments. Most months average around 5000 views. I'm glad to see many people still finding the blog posts useful and interesting to reference for their modeling and research.
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| Most "Viewed Posts" during the last 12 months. |
Surprisingly the SP 1050 rebuild and upgrade of my Walthers HW Paired Window Coach leads the pack with 501 views, this post from 2016 just keeps drawing the views! In second place, the classic SP Road Switcher - Small Engines post with modeling notes with 488 views. My new Jawbone Branch post then takes spot number three with 481 views, followed by several more Jawbone posts in the top 10 posts list.
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| Most "Viewed Pages" during the last 12 months. |
The top 10 Pages haven't changed much, as these are my reference pages that you should be able to quickly find on the right side of the blog and go to, which then branch out to other posts. It is good to see that they are still being used by many people and touch-stoned regularly.
New Videos This Year
Let's look at the videos that I've been posting to YouTube in the last year.
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| Link to my newest video on YouTube - My trip on Private Car "Tioga Pass" in 2017. |
In May I finally edited together the video on Weathering Tutorial on Flatcar Deck that I shot in early 2020.
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| Link to Weathering Tutorial for Flatcar Decks. |
I have a couple more videos that are shot, which I'm working on editing together, so hopefully those will be published soon.
Highlights of Blogging in 2021
Let's take a quick recapping look at the July 2020-July 2021 posts.
SP Jawbone Branch
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| SP 2335 & SP 2350 mid-Owenyo excursion for arrival of SPNG #1 - Oct 1954 - Alden Armstrong photo |
In November 2020, I started planning a new layout for my shop space based on the northern (RR Eastern) end of the Owenyo Branch out of Mojave, CA. In January 2021, I started construction. So far there are 27 posts in this series! (Link to Jawbone Branch Index Page) The posts cover everything from construction to research and planning.
Kitbashing SP C-8/9/10 from Bachmann-Spectrum 2-8-0 with OMM Conversion Kit
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| Bachmann-Spectrum 2-8-0 with pre-production OMM dome, cylinder and yoke/rod conversion kits installed |
This is a new series to help fellow modelers sort out what prototype engines they can model with the upcoming OwlMtModels conversion kit for the Bachmann 2-8-0 engine. There's still room on the order as 2020 delayed starting of production, so get your email off to me and get in on the reservation. Things are finally moving, so hopefully we can get this into production in 2021!
Converting Athearn-Genesis 120-C-6 Tender for Brass Engine Pairing
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| I did a quick post on converting the drawbar mounting on Athearn-Genesis 120-C-6 plastic tender. |
This class of tender is hard to find in brass, so I converted the odd Athearn-Genesis drawbar system to a more conventional screw mount, which will work with standard brass engines. Future posts will cover the rest of getting this engine in service with sound and DCC, etc.
Tender Swapping (Part 2) - Tender Migration
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| Tenders move in pairs during migration |
I continued playing with tenders with the long awaited Part 2 of Tender Swapping series.
Modeling SP Boxcars
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| SP B-50-21 class from Branchline-Yard Master series (Atlas) |
This last year I also launched into a long dreaded modeling topic I've avoided for 15+ years... Modeling SP boxcars! In several posts I've covered:
Supply Boxcars, B-50-12 (USRA-Single Sheath),
SP Pre-WWII Boxcars (B-50-18/19/20/21/23 classes),
SP Post-WWII Boxcars (B-50-24 thru 33 classes),
Plastic Options for SP B-50-8/10/11 class Single-Sheath Boxcars.
Supply Boxcars, B-50-12 (USRA-Single Sheath),
SP Pre-WWII Boxcars (B-50-18/19/20/21/23 classes),
SP Post-WWII Boxcars (B-50-24 thru 33 classes),
Plastic Options for SP B-50-8/10/11 class Single-Sheath Boxcars.
In Closing
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep posting new and interesting modeling blogs on various projects through 2021 and into 2022! Also note that Blogspot is discontinuing email notifications of new posts. Please email me at NightOwlModeler at g-mail (dot) com if you want to be placed on a personal blind-carbon-copy email notification which I'll send out each time I post.
Jason Hill
A Year of Modeling in Review - 2017
Happy anniversary! A huge thank you for sharing your knowledge and skill. Keep up the great work but have you really not done anything to the Jawbone branch for over a month? Not a complaint, just someone who precariously models by watching and learning from what you are doing. Once again, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and compliments Jeff.
I need to get some electrical stuff together before I can do much more. I did some work on the lighting about a month ago, but I injured or aggravated a rotator-cuff issue in my shoulder (Pain level 8+ unlocked!)... So wrestling with major layout sections, like building Owenyo #3 (west end with the NG trestle dump) or doing more wiring is not a good idea until my should heals up some more. I have done a bit more on the plans for the NG trestle, and have some ideas of how to build it... nothing really ready to make a post on though.
I've also been spending more time working on the computer for OMM, and hope to have several new projects to announce soon for everyone to enjoy! :)
Jason