Although it’s an exceptionally smooth runner, my Model Power switcher has been plagued by maddening stuttering and pick up problems. After literally years of head scratching the issue appears to be related to something in the axle needle point tip and cup it resides in. Piling lead weight on the tender improved performance tremendously. The […]
It’s hard to believe but only one structure left to build for the Brooklyn Terminal. Tracks cutting through the corners of buildings are a fairly common feature on the prototype so to close things out I want to represent that at least once. The location above, 3913 2nd Avenue, will be used as a loose […]
Armed with custom decals from Bill Brillinger, I painted and weathered a Kato NW2 in Brooklyn Terminal livery. Inspiration was taken from photos of NP and Detroit terminal switchers both of which showed a pretty heavy light sand colored weathering pattern. I took advantage of the fact that putting rubbing alcohol over Dullcote produces a […]
The challenge in adding lineside details to a layout is that, if not handled carefully, they have a tendency to look contrived. To get around this I’ll study prototype photos of scene similar to what I’m working with and just copy what I see. Case in point being the large grassy areas near the yard […]
Having the book for Kalmbach done frees up a lot of time for modeling. This week’s projects involved two structures along First Avenue. The one shown above I call the “fire escape building”. I wanted the sculpture effect of the escapes as you look lengthwise down the street. The building itself is a kitbash of […]