It has been an absolutly crazy few months...
Last time I was here was August, oh so very long ago, and I gotta tell ya boys and girls, I see why model railroaders do not blog very often. We as a group tend to have a one track mind. However, we never know what track it will be on that day. I personally think "oh I will have so much time to write about my experiences and communicate with the world!" Then suddenly my train is on a completly different track, one that takes me far away from my intended destination. In the case of the past several months, I have been on the work late track, paint the house track, go to relative's homes track, just a whole interchange of tracks. Finally one has led me back here.
August and September I was met with a huge deadline at work, one that actually could determine not only my continuance but also the ability for the company to make money this year. Fortunately my company pulled together and we got through it (and even made some money!). Then at the end of September, a friend from my old train club while I was in college invited me to come run at their open house in October. I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw that! But, I was in the middle of working on all of my locomotives, so I had to focus on getting something done to be able to run. That was the most concentrated month of modeling I have ever experienced. I even brought little figures to work to paint on my lunch break. November was fraught with family visits and fun back pain due to a pulled ligament. So that turned into a "decompress from everything" month. Now I am working on getting my house ready for family to stay for Christmas. Nothing says fun like weekends spent painting and walls and rearranging furniture...
But I digress.
I will be back as soon as the dispatcher of life grants me the warrant to do so, and hopefully soon. I have a lot I want to talk about, pictures to share, and experiences to convey. Like you've read, a lot has happened. For now, take care and enjoy life everyone!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Removing Factory Decals Without Re-painting
Howdy again! Today I will go over my experience with removing factory decals (and painted on words/numbers) and adding news ones without completely re-painting. I find this a very useful technique for quick roadname changes.
To begin, several months ago I was craving a Southern Pacific SD45T-2. Fortunately, Athearn produces this locomotive (click word for link) in several road names and numbers and they are really beautiful. The best details are the L-windows on the SP/SSW units and the walkways have treads! Adding aftermarket treading gets pricey and I am not very good at it. Being such iconic locomotives, and with my love of the SP, I decided I wanted one but only if I could pay less than $80 for one. I eventually got a Cotton Belt version through HO Interchange. This loco is just like the SP bloody nose scheme, except with the Cotton Belt roadname. For only $70 it seemed like a good way to get a cheap loco and it could be perfect with a quick paint job. It arrived a short time later and I set to work deciding the best way to paint over the lettering. I checked everywhere online and all of the advice I found was to remove the lettering instead of painting over it. This ensured that the paint would stay even and that there would be a good surface to apply the new decals. And after seeing the results, I have to agree. Here is what I did.
To begin, you order a set of decals. Microscale is the standard for quality decals so I found a set with Southern Pacific speed lettering. I used the set for the GP38-2 since it was hard to find one for tunnel motors. The next step was to remove the current lettering. I followed the simplest procedure I could find that had consistent results: pencil erasers. Yes, of all things, pink pencil erasers! There happened to be a lot of old No. 2 pencils sitting in one of my drawers so I grabbed 'em up and started using them. You use them by rubbing them against the lettering to be removed like you are trying to, well, erase it. What I found to work best was to focus on the lettering and use small, short strokes with a slight bit of pressure. If I pushed too hard or used long strokes that it began to remove the factory paint, and in one spot a bit of door detail. So use plenty of patience. **At your own risk, I have heard some use a small bit of 91% iso. alc. to aid in the process. I did NOT do this!**
All of the lettering came off after about 15 minutes per side. I had to do a little touch up with Pollyscale SP colors. I can pick out those spots in the above picture but they almost disappear once the new decals are on.
These are all cell-phone pictures so I apologize for the bad focus. These are the four pencils I used. As a warning, be careful of the metal eraser holder. That can really scratch up a model if it scrapes it!
Next I went through the typical procedure for applying a decal.
I think it turned out rather well.
And there you have it! A speed-lettered Southern Pacific loco where there wasn't one before. I will eventually lightly weather this loco so that everything blends in perfectly.
So if you are looking for a simple, easy way to change to road names without going through the whole process of stripping and re-painting a loco, then this is the way to. As with most things, it is scary to begin but is much simpler than you realize. Do not be afraid, just take your time and it will turn out the way you want.
Comments and thoughts are always appreciated! See y'all next time
To begin, several months ago I was craving a Southern Pacific SD45T-2. Fortunately, Athearn produces this locomotive (click word for link) in several road names and numbers and they are really beautiful. The best details are the L-windows on the SP/SSW units and the walkways have treads! Adding aftermarket treading gets pricey and I am not very good at it. Being such iconic locomotives, and with my love of the SP, I decided I wanted one but only if I could pay less than $80 for one. I eventually got a Cotton Belt version through HO Interchange. This loco is just like the SP bloody nose scheme, except with the Cotton Belt roadname. For only $70 it seemed like a good way to get a cheap loco and it could be perfect with a quick paint job. It arrived a short time later and I set to work deciding the best way to paint over the lettering. I checked everywhere online and all of the advice I found was to remove the lettering instead of painting over it. This ensured that the paint would stay even and that there would be a good surface to apply the new decals. And after seeing the results, I have to agree. Here is what I did.
To begin, you order a set of decals. Microscale is the standard for quality decals so I found a set with Southern Pacific speed lettering. I used the set for the GP38-2 since it was hard to find one for tunnel motors. The next step was to remove the current lettering. I followed the simplest procedure I could find that had consistent results: pencil erasers. Yes, of all things, pink pencil erasers! There happened to be a lot of old No. 2 pencils sitting in one of my drawers so I grabbed 'em up and started using them. You use them by rubbing them against the lettering to be removed like you are trying to, well, erase it. What I found to work best was to focus on the lettering and use small, short strokes with a slight bit of pressure. If I pushed too hard or used long strokes that it began to remove the factory paint, and in one spot a bit of door detail. So use plenty of patience. **At your own risk, I have heard some use a small bit of 91% iso. alc. to aid in the process. I did NOT do this!**
All of the lettering came off after about 15 minutes per side. I had to do a little touch up with Pollyscale SP colors. I can pick out those spots in the above picture but they almost disappear once the new decals are on.
These are all cell-phone pictures so I apologize for the bad focus. These are the four pencils I used. As a warning, be careful of the metal eraser holder. That can really scratch up a model if it scrapes it!
Next I went through the typical procedure for applying a decal.
I think it turned out rather well.
So if you are looking for a simple, easy way to change to road names without going through the whole process of stripping and re-painting a loco, then this is the way to. As with most things, it is scary to begin but is much simpler than you realize. Do not be afraid, just take your time and it will turn out the way you want.
Comments and thoughts are always appreciated! See y'all next time
Friday, June 14, 2013
New Home
Howdy again!
Well, after over a month of absolute crazy we have finally made it in to a house! When my wife and I started on this journey, we thought to ourselves "why wouldn't any one want to buy a house? Apartments are never yours, can cost as much, and always have downsides you cannot fix (i.e. only a wall separating you from others, tons of cars, etc, etc)." Personally, I hated not having a lawn to mow and being told I cannot change the crappy landscaping... Anyways, now we know. It isn't the down payment, closing costs, fees, or anything having to do with money surprisingly. It is the process in general. Jeez, we had to find a house put in an offer, begin negotiations and then deal with some of the most ridiculous events and that was only the beginning! We had planned on closing (the official purchase and paper signing for those not familiar with house buying) no later than the 25th of May as our apartment lease ended on the 31st. We began the paper work in mid-April. Then the shenanigans began. We did everything we could to keep the process moving but the sellers were slow, their realtor only worked part-time, and the title company (Stewart Title Co.) I would swear was trying to screw us over. I have no problem giving their name, and if you want to know why and how much they screwed contact me privately. There are horror stories. And this was after being one step away from buying another house when the sellers went crazy... Goodness house buying is as crazy as anything anyone can imagine.
Okay, now that the venting is over I can move on to the good stuff. Having a house is a wonderful blessing in today's America (or so I hear on the news). We absolutely love our new home as do our dogs. They really love going outside without a leash. Our new digs is a two-story recent build in the same subdivision as our apartment. We have fully moved in and are settling stuff out. Between moving furniture and working on minor honey-do-list items, I have begun work on the new train room! I do not have any pictures as it is still a mess, but it is an extra bedroom that is about 11'x13' with a 5'x5' closet. While I am sorting things out in the room, I am also working on a plan to fill the room. Back in the apartment I had some 1by boards up around the walls with Bachmann NS track just so that I could run something, anything to keep me from going crazy. Now that I have a permanent location I am looking at something more substantial. The current thought is a double deck, around-the-walls type layout with lots of switching as well as constant running. There is a lot to consider in this situation so as I go I will be posting my most recent thoughts. The only thing I know for sure is that the layout will be occupied by my Spindletop Rail Road. For now the trains will be running on the B-mann track on the floor.
The other nice thing about the new place is that if I look over the back wall (we back up to the end of the subdivision so there is one of those brick walls instead of wooden fence) I can see the local industrial sub operated by the UP (about a half mile away). Every now and then a lone GP40-2 with a yard number (Y-xxx) will saunter down and switch out the refineries and other industries. They run slow on the low-traffic line but that is right up my alley. Even better is I can hear the long-long-short-long grade crossing horn blasts as it goes back and forth between locales. I always smile when I hear it and run like a little kid to jump on the wall to watch.
So all in all, I am very happy right now. I am working on several different project that I will get to talking about eventually. Unfortunately I am one of those people who prefers doing things versus talking about them :) and even then, moving tends to push a lot to the back burner. Until then, take care and be safe out there! And for those in the great state of Texas, the Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas is moving their Big Boy steam engine to their new location on Sunday (6/16) so try to get up there and witness the history!
Well, after over a month of absolute crazy we have finally made it in to a house! When my wife and I started on this journey, we thought to ourselves "why wouldn't any one want to buy a house? Apartments are never yours, can cost as much, and always have downsides you cannot fix (i.e. only a wall separating you from others, tons of cars, etc, etc)." Personally, I hated not having a lawn to mow and being told I cannot change the crappy landscaping... Anyways, now we know. It isn't the down payment, closing costs, fees, or anything having to do with money surprisingly. It is the process in general. Jeez, we had to find a house put in an offer, begin negotiations and then deal with some of the most ridiculous events and that was only the beginning! We had planned on closing (the official purchase and paper signing for those not familiar with house buying) no later than the 25th of May as our apartment lease ended on the 31st. We began the paper work in mid-April. Then the shenanigans began. We did everything we could to keep the process moving but the sellers were slow, their realtor only worked part-time, and the title company (Stewart Title Co.) I would swear was trying to screw us over. I have no problem giving their name, and if you want to know why and how much they screwed contact me privately. There are horror stories. And this was after being one step away from buying another house when the sellers went crazy... Goodness house buying is as crazy as anything anyone can imagine.
Okay, now that the venting is over I can move on to the good stuff. Having a house is a wonderful blessing in today's America (or so I hear on the news). We absolutely love our new home as do our dogs. They really love going outside without a leash. Our new digs is a two-story recent build in the same subdivision as our apartment. We have fully moved in and are settling stuff out. Between moving furniture and working on minor honey-do-list items, I have begun work on the new train room! I do not have any pictures as it is still a mess, but it is an extra bedroom that is about 11'x13' with a 5'x5' closet. While I am sorting things out in the room, I am also working on a plan to fill the room. Back in the apartment I had some 1by boards up around the walls with Bachmann NS track just so that I could run something, anything to keep me from going crazy. Now that I have a permanent location I am looking at something more substantial. The current thought is a double deck, around-the-walls type layout with lots of switching as well as constant running. There is a lot to consider in this situation so as I go I will be posting my most recent thoughts. The only thing I know for sure is that the layout will be occupied by my Spindletop Rail Road. For now the trains will be running on the B-mann track on the floor.
The other nice thing about the new place is that if I look over the back wall (we back up to the end of the subdivision so there is one of those brick walls instead of wooden fence) I can see the local industrial sub operated by the UP (about a half mile away). Every now and then a lone GP40-2 with a yard number (Y-xxx) will saunter down and switch out the refineries and other industries. They run slow on the low-traffic line but that is right up my alley. Even better is I can hear the long-long-short-long grade crossing horn blasts as it goes back and forth between locales. I always smile when I hear it and run like a little kid to jump on the wall to watch.
So all in all, I am very happy right now. I am working on several different project that I will get to talking about eventually. Unfortunately I am one of those people who prefers doing things versus talking about them :) and even then, moving tends to push a lot to the back burner. Until then, take care and be safe out there! And for those in the great state of Texas, the Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas is moving their Big Boy steam engine to their new location on Sunday (6/16) so try to get up there and witness the history!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Getting on Track
As is usual with life, things have gotten busy. With this being a side project, I do not expect to update as much as I would like to. I always wonder how some people have spare time to update their blogs as often as once a week.
Anyways, I have been working on a few projects for the railroad. My wife and I recently began the process of buying a house and as such I have begun planning the layout for the train room. Currently the idea is a scenicked upper deck, with half of the deck being a large industrial complex with multiple industries and challenges and the other half being scenery reminiscent of Southeast Texas, and a lower deck with a staging yard and little to no scenery. To connect the two, I am thinking about using an around the walls one way only transition track.
Another project has been converting a Cotton Belt SD45T-2 into a speed-lettered Southern Pacific. I have always loved the friendly SP and so I am trying to find ways to incorporate their locos into my world. My plan is to modernize the loco and use it as some of the other shortlines do. Most simply leave the paint scheme as is and add their own logo somewhere discreet. I think this may be the best way to go as the current story line involves the SP being absorbed like it was in real life.
The other current priority project is adding working ditch lights to my locos. I only have one that is really of use right now, but it served as a good test bed for my self-made ditch lights. I will cover these and other projects in later posts.
Anyways, it is back to work for me.
Anyways, I have been working on a few projects for the railroad. My wife and I recently began the process of buying a house and as such I have begun planning the layout for the train room. Currently the idea is a scenicked upper deck, with half of the deck being a large industrial complex with multiple industries and challenges and the other half being scenery reminiscent of Southeast Texas, and a lower deck with a staging yard and little to no scenery. To connect the two, I am thinking about using an around the walls one way only transition track.
Another project has been converting a Cotton Belt SD45T-2 into a speed-lettered Southern Pacific. I have always loved the friendly SP and so I am trying to find ways to incorporate their locos into my world. My plan is to modernize the loco and use it as some of the other shortlines do. Most simply leave the paint scheme as is and add their own logo somewhere discreet. I think this may be the best way to go as the current story line involves the SP being absorbed like it was in real life.
The other current priority project is adding working ditch lights to my locos. I only have one that is really of use right now, but it served as a good test bed for my self-made ditch lights. I will cover these and other projects in later posts.
Anyways, it is back to work for me.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Welcome!
Howdy and welcome to the home of the Spindletop Railroad!
I have set up this blog as a place to document the development of my freelance HO scale railroad and eventual layout as well as a place to leave the various other railroading and modeling items I decide to ramble on about.
A bit of background on me: I am and always have been a foamer. My parents swear the third word I ever learned was "choo-choo". For newer than me people, a foamer is the term used to describe railfans who going a bit above and beyond the normal, whatever that may be. I received my first HO train set around the time I was 7 years old as a Christmas gift. My parents stayed up all night to assemble an F3, 4 cars, a caboose, and a loop of track. They were all Athearn Blue Box and I still have all of them to this day. I even plan on updating the loco to DCC and detailing it. I converted to N scale in high school due to the convenient size and built my first layouts while in college. A year and a half before I graduated, I converted back to HO when I joined the local club. Those were some of the best guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Today, I live near Houston, TX and work as a Manufacturing Engineer at an oil and gas pipeline facility and am happily married. I am looking at joining a local club but have yet to get around to going and visit any of them. But enough of the boring stuff.
Currently the SRR is only an amorphous idea I have rattling around in the 'ol noggin but I am working on getting the back story written and set. The basis for the SRR is a modern day regional/shortline that is headquartered out of my hometown of Beaumont, TX, and extends out to other areas in the state. My current train of thought (pardon the puns. There will be more though, just a friendly heads-up) is having the line run primarily in the Southeast Texas area, from the coastal waters up into the Piney Woods. That is likely to be modified as time goes on and I develop the idea though. I will be posting updates to the story as I come up with them so be sure to check for updates! Hopefully I can get the first draft up by the week's end.
My current layout is a simple loop and passing siding of Bachmann EZ Track that travels around the walls of my apartment's train room on 1-by wood planks. There is not much to realism (heck, not even any scenery yet) but it does give me a place to let the trains run. Which is what is most important in my opinion! This is only a temporary layout as the wife and I are planning a move into a more permanent location in a few months. Once we move, I will begin planning the new layout. I am hoping for enough room to do decent amounts of switching work as well as continuous running. For now though, I am happy painting some boards green and calling it grass hahaha!
So welcome to the blog and feel free to comment or ask questions!
I have set up this blog as a place to document the development of my freelance HO scale railroad and eventual layout as well as a place to leave the various other railroading and modeling items I decide to ramble on about.
A bit of background on me: I am and always have been a foamer. My parents swear the third word I ever learned was "choo-choo". For newer than me people, a foamer is the term used to describe railfans who going a bit above and beyond the normal, whatever that may be. I received my first HO train set around the time I was 7 years old as a Christmas gift. My parents stayed up all night to assemble an F3, 4 cars, a caboose, and a loop of track. They were all Athearn Blue Box and I still have all of them to this day. I even plan on updating the loco to DCC and detailing it. I converted to N scale in high school due to the convenient size and built my first layouts while in college. A year and a half before I graduated, I converted back to HO when I joined the local club. Those were some of the best guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Today, I live near Houston, TX and work as a Manufacturing Engineer at an oil and gas pipeline facility and am happily married. I am looking at joining a local club but have yet to get around to going and visit any of them. But enough of the boring stuff.
Currently the SRR is only an amorphous idea I have rattling around in the 'ol noggin but I am working on getting the back story written and set. The basis for the SRR is a modern day regional/shortline that is headquartered out of my hometown of Beaumont, TX, and extends out to other areas in the state. My current train of thought (pardon the puns. There will be more though, just a friendly heads-up) is having the line run primarily in the Southeast Texas area, from the coastal waters up into the Piney Woods. That is likely to be modified as time goes on and I develop the idea though. I will be posting updates to the story as I come up with them so be sure to check for updates! Hopefully I can get the first draft up by the week's end.
My current layout is a simple loop and passing siding of Bachmann EZ Track that travels around the walls of my apartment's train room on 1-by wood planks. There is not much to realism (heck, not even any scenery yet) but it does give me a place to let the trains run. Which is what is most important in my opinion! This is only a temporary layout as the wife and I are planning a move into a more permanent location in a few months. Once we move, I will begin planning the new layout. I am hoping for enough room to do decent amounts of switching work as well as continuous running. For now though, I am happy painting some boards green and calling it grass hahaha!
So welcome to the blog and feel free to comment or ask questions!
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