I live in the wrong part of the world:wah::wah:

How the heck did I miss that update?! That's a beautiful looking water tower and coaling station there August, love the weathering, particularly the coal dust effect on the coaling station. :yep::yeah:

It's been awhile so I thought I would post a few new pics for you guys:

A hobby shop used caboose that I repainted and decaled to MEC scheme. I wish I could say I put in those led marker lights but that was the previous owner. Now that i've seen how it's done though it's not that difficult.
http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...20007%20cr.jpg


Another repaint job. This little guy lives under my coaling station.

http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...20010%20cr.jpg

This was a former Dutch Cleanser Hopper car.

http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...6-06%20006.jpg

Here's a Pennsy GG-1 I picked up at the LHS for just five bucks.

http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...gust%20037.jpg

Looks great August. Makes me want to start my own. There is not enough time in the day.

I do just a little bit at a time and it's very relaxing.

Five bucks for a GG1, very nice indeed! Powerful beasts the GG1s, but with an odd sort of beauty to them. I presume she'll be being dragged by a diesel perhaps off to a maintenance shop somewhere? Don't recall seeing any overhead cables in the other shots.
Love the caboose too, fantastic bit of weathering there, LED lights are an excellent addition to any stock, and indeed to buildings too, can be very atmosphere to turn the lights off and watch the railroad run in the night.
Have you thought of replacing the plastic coal in the coal hopper with a layer of crushed real coal?
Something a bit like this (although this is a tender, not a hopper):

https://www.model-railways-live.co.u...ose%20coal.jpg


Also, I remember one...magazine I think it was, showing a way that if you get an empty hopper or wagon, measure it up and create a load that slots into the wagon but is easily removed, then you can simulate empty and full loads on the layout.

Some links that might be of interest, UK based but I'm sure that they will still be relevant to a US layout:
http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot...ill-em-up.html

https://www.model-railways-live.co.u..._Tips_number_3

That's a good idea Ob. I still have to do the landscaping around the coaling tower and when I do i'll change out the cap for some scale coal. It'll look a lot better than the plastic load.

Lookin' better all the time. :sunny:

Looking really awesome August :cool:

Model railroading was a passion of mine that was never given voice. I never had the ideal conditions for starting and building a good layout, and still don't. <sigh>

My father ignited the passion by getting my brother and I a nice Marx 666 electric train set that we usually set up once a year around the Christmas tree. It kept two precocious little boys occupied during the holiday season. I think it was O gauge but I'm not sure.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...07/marx666.jpg
I found this shot of the die cast locomotive that came with the set. The last time I had the engine out, after 40+ years, it still worked but showed extreme signs of aging. The tender had a missing axle that made it impossible to hitch a load of cars to it. My elder brother was rough on our toys. He always broke his toys, then turned his sadistic nature toward mine. Many a fight ensued. Now, here I am in my golden years, disabled and unable to work, with nothing but time on my hands to pursue my passions and no money to accomplish them. We also had an HO set, but I hated the thing for being too small to set up without some sort of permanent foundation. So I guess I'll just live my dream vicariously through you fine fellows. Please continue posting shots of your goodies.

The trainroom is closed up for the winter so I've set up shot next to the woodstove and have been working on rolling stock and other stand alone projects.

This the latest.

http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...ccad14abeef220

A trip down memory railroad, eh? The ambiguous shoebox, if there was a job needed doing there was probably a shoebox to do it with.

Love the weathering! :yep: Is the photo from your unit?

Yes it is. That's my RaTT rig from my first tour with the Mechanized Infantry.

Love the rolling stock :cool:

http://home.comcast.net/~rdsterling/...gust%20037.jpg

Nice pics all. There's a rusty GG-1 parked not far from where I live; they say they're going to restore it but I doubt it will happen.