Month: January 2016

unless a custom decal shows up, this car is done!

The current trainboard.com weathering challenge is a graffiti challenge, and I decided to weather a Southern Pacific Boxcar and attempt my hand at graffiti…I used cheap acrylics for the fade, roof and patch, an ultra fine Sharpie for the two tags (a Dead Kennedys logo and an Anarchy A)…and I am hoping for a custom decal to show up from tolerant Oregon…..

While I am not making an exact copy of this I really want this large Biafra tag.  I shot the floor with Krylon camouflage ultra flat brown and the trucks with Velspar blindfold…



The colors of acrylic paints used were a mix of brown and terracotta for the fade, terracotta for the patch and pavement for the roof….

From day one of the planning of the Standard Gauge Pacific Coast Railway, I have decided to really stray from the prototype and build a hill with a tunnel to hide the loop factor. My plan was to build a base with the same blue foam and then an old fashion plaster/paper towel hard coat. This morning, I braved my 42f/5c degree garage to start mocking up the mountain.  I am getting the basic shape in, and I am testing the clearances as I go. I am about to place a cover on the hill and then add height to the hill to bulk it up and justify the tunnel.

once I get the basic shape, I will ballast 5 or so inches into the tunnel and glue down the hill. The wife is going to be out of town in the beginning of February, my goal is to have the hardcoat on it then.

On a side note…I have been listening to Lionel Strang’s A Modeler’s Life podcast. Smoken’ Joe D’Amato from Micro-Trains turned me on to this. Joe’s 187 part interview was great to listen to, as well as Joe Fugate’s interview was fun to listen to, and gave great insight on Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine. I find listening to this podcast as a great way to keep focused on my project.