New Blog

Come check out my new blog, The Kit Works!

Three New Projects

Hello,
      I have been cracking away at a couple projects since my last post. But before I speak about them, I would like to say that progress is existent on the O&A, just it is very slow. I will post once the new foam has been painted and installed. Now, on to my projects.
      The first is a small diorama which I am building to hone my skills before I tackle the proper layout. I do not have a picture of it right now, though I do have a picture of the main industry.

      This industry is based on Tew's Lime and Cement from Model Railroader's Beer Line Extension. It will receive carloads of gravel or coal from the siding.
      The other two projects are Airfix kits. One is a Cromwell Mk.III tank and the other is a Gloster Gladiator Mk.I.

Cromwell Mk.III

      The gladiator is painted as No. 26, Irish Air Corp.

Gloster Gladiator No. 26, Irish Air Corp

       Both kits were easy to put together, though the tank's tracks were a bit troublesome. To finish out this post I will leave you with some more pictures of the gladiator. Happy Modelling!

(All pictures taken with an "infinity board" setup created by taping a piece of white card stock a wall with the other end resting on a table. Two non-defused lamps used for lighting)

Progress!

      Hello, exciting things have been happening on my end. I have the near final track plan drawn up and construction has started. 

The New Layout Plan
(Color Coming Soon)

The layout has increased from twenty square feet to thirty square feet and Alexandria is now five feet long. This was changed from the original 2' x 10' layout because of difficulties in the Alexandria yard. A backdrop runs down the center of the layout and this version also includes an office. The 3' x 2' area closest to the front that says optional is, well, optional. Instead of that section representing the Rappahannock River, I might have a staging cassette to represent trains coming from the front and for storage of rolling stock. Another improvement over the other plan is, this version will be controlled by an NCE Power Cab.

      I will be posting pictures and updates as work ensues. Happy Railroading.

New Year's Resolutions (Sort Of)

Hello,

      for 2017 I have started a new website, partially about the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in the Civil War, but also with many trackplans (one of my favorite parts of the hobby) and layout ideas. I also will try to post more often in conjunction with the progress of my layout this upcoming year and update my website. Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!

WWI Revisited

Hello,
      sorry about not posting in a while. I have been quite busy and as such have not had that much time for working on the layout not to mention the blog. Today I began a WWI diorama 
and I also have been building a cannery. 

The WWI Diorama

      The diorama was made with three layers of 1" foam insulation board as a base, had the crater holes and artillery hollows carved out, then painted a dark reddish-brown, and finally had mulch (as shattered trees) and other scenery materials applied. As I mentioned before, I find that typical garden mulch, the dry wood stuff not the black kind, makes great shattered trees and is available cheap right out of your garden. You can also buy 15 pound bags of the stuff and you'll have enough to last you a lifetime.
      The diorama is not complete, however, the light rail tracks have to go in still and the road is yet to be laid. The artillery and troopers also need to be ordered. 
      The fish cannery will have its own post as soon as I complete it and I will also describe the project that is for. The O & A layout still needs to be painted but once that is done I can proceed with that project.
      Until next time, Happy Railroading!

Happy 100th Birthday Tank!

       Happy 100th Birthday Tank! Yes, today, September 15, 2016, is the 100th birthday of this revolutionary war machine. The tank was rushed into battle at what would come to be called Flers-Courcelette which was part of the Somme campaign. If you want to know more about this amazing machine here's a link http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37302722. See you soon.

I'm baaack........

Hello,
      I'm back from vacation and have discovered some new projects. One of which is a Jordan Mack 15 Ton Switcher Kit that I most likely will motorize once I find a mechanism. Also as I mentioned in my previous post I visited the Colorado Railroad Museum and was inspired to construct a diorama of small, narrow gauge railroad locomotive maintenance facility and will have a post on that soon. I also saw the RTD system in Denver (their light and commuter rail as well as bus system) and thought that I might be able to model a new extension to the system that they are working on. You may be wondering how I know about this extension, my uncle is project director of it. That would go on the other side of the Civil War Layout but who knows my mind is ever changing. Anyway that's all for this post See ya Later.