Model Train Journal

Happy Friday

Back from 10 days in my home state of NJ! Survived the car ride w/ 3 kids, wife & pug! Giovanna celebrated her first birthday! It was good to relax & catch up w/ family & friends. I found some time to do some railfanning & visited some old CNJ relics while I was up there. Still have many pics to go through.

Didn't do much on the layout this week, as we got home Monday & then everyone was back to work/school.
Main thing I did was this bridge over my Newark Bay. I would have LOVED the 213 lift bridge, but the base was a bit to large as was the price.
A buddy of mine who does woodworking was nice enough to build me a bridge to cross my version of Newark Bay. Was able to install it this week & run a test train over it.




Painted it a flat black last night -




CNJ RDC cars pass through Elizabeth, heading to Jersey City


Background flats are being installed , as well as a signal bridge


CNJ H-16-44 1516 leads a short local on the Freehold Branch


RDC cars heading to Raritan



NJT ALP45DP 4524 leads a Sunday afternoon Raritan bound train through Hillside, NJ


The only surviving CNJ steam engine in operation, CNJ 0-6-0 113 (renumbered to 115 for this occasion) prepares to couple to it's excursion train in Minersville, PA




Recently rebuilt NS AC44C6M 4004 rests in South Yard w/ a another AC44C6M & a T4 GEVO




NS 29G heads through Shawsville, VA with Dash-9 9590 leading




NJT Veterans ALP46 4641 shoves a Trenton bound local train out of Metuchen, NJ

Nice bridge!!!!

Those ALP electrics are butt ugly, Especially the ALP45DP. It makes the old "toasters" look good in comparison. I swear it looks like they made the cowling from Lego's!

chuck wrote:Nice bridge!!!!

Those ALP electrics are butt ugly, Especially the ALP45DP. It makes the old "toasters" look good in comparison. I swear it looks like they made the cowling from Lego's!

The ALP45DP has to be one of THE ugliest engines I've seen!! Doesn't anyone design things that look nice to the eye?

chuck wrote:Those ALP electrics are butt ugly, Especially the ALP45DP. It makes the old "toasters" look good in comparison. I swear it looks like they made the cowling from Lego's!

christopher2035 wrote:The ALP45DP has to be one of THE ugliest engines I've seen!! Doesn't anyone design things that look nice to the eye?

I disagree. My contempt is reserved for the look of modern freight diesels, with their Porta Potty cabs.

Christopher, is the fire escape part of the backround photo, or a 3D model?

Project: build constant current driver for U.S. Army Switcher #41 head light.

Used to be able to buy individual parts for such projects from local Radio Shack. Now all the Radio Shacks in Tucson are closed.

DaveJfr0 wrote:I cant imagine anyone going to RS for resistors unless you need just 1 in a pinch.

Go to ebay and buy 100 for a 96 cents, shipping included and be done with it.

RIP RS.

If I do it again I suppose I will have piles of parts left over after each one-off project.

99 leds
99 68 ohm resistors
99 1N4001 diodes
99 LM317T voltage regulators

Roy wrote:Christopher, is the fire escape part of the backround photo, or a 3D model?

It's part of the background flat.

christopher2035 wrote:

You should call it "The Rising Sun Bridge"

I was going to replace a swing-down access section of my layout with a bridge, but with my new layout plan I don't need it. I still might build a bridge though, I have a section that is at the top of the stairway that has to be narrow and a bridge would fill the gap and look cool!

christopher2035 wrote:

That's some pretty ornate fret-work supporting the bridge...looks very sharp all around.

Nothing happening here. Had a bunch of big tree limbs come down on the roof of the garage in a storm this past week...working to get that cleaned up. York this coming Friday...see if anything interesting turns up.

Healey

Pretty cool weekend.

Friday was my birthday. I'm 39 (again). Had a very nice dinner out with my wife and a couple of friends.

Saturday was the Eastern O Scale 2-rail meet in Strasburg. Stuck, er gave Rufus a media cabinet I didn't need. Also picked up this little gem.



And the new issue of OST came out with my article.

Not too shabby, at all.

George

Now there is something I'd like to see Revell re-issue. Sweet!!!!!

Seaboard Air Line Fan wrote:

christopher2035 wrote:

You should call it "The Rising Sun Bridge"

I was going to replace a swing-down access section of my layout with a bridge, but with my new layout plan I don't need it. I still might build a bridge though, I have a section that is at the top of the stairway that has to be narrow and a bridge would fill the gap and look cool!

It does remind me of a rising sun as well!

chuck wrote:Now there is something I'd like to see Revell re-issue. Sweet!!!!!

Thanks! Yes, I agree. I would like to see more of these types of kits. I had a red tanker truck kit they did as well, but it disappeared.

At the last Eastern O-Scale meet I picked up a number of 1:48 model kits of various flavors, mostly 1930's sedans and touring cars. Should be fun little projects when the model railroad work gets tedious.

George

christopher2035 wrote:Happy Friday

Main thing I did was this bridge over my Newark Bay. I would have LOVED the 213 lift bridge, but the base was a bit to large as was the price.
A buddy of mine who does woodworking was nice enough to build me a bridge to cross my version of Newark Bay. Was able to install it this week & run a test train over it.

Happy Tuesday Christopher.

I really like your new layout, but the bridge I find disturbing. If the stays had to support the roadbed, the upper member of the bridge would sag and the bridge would fail. Sling bridges have an arched upper member.



Or the stays simply attach to a verticle member.