New Addiction Found

Spent today running trains back in the 1960s on the Lehigh & Hudson River.  I worked most of the day as Yardmaster at Warwick yard and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

For a while now I have wanted to weather my freight cars.  I have a few factory weathered cars and absolutely love the look.  I had purchased supplies (Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders) a while back, but never got around to trying it.  Well, tonight I tried it for the first time.  I was quite pleased with the results.  My goal was to create just a light weathering on the cars which I feel turned out nice.  See pics below of two cars I worked on tonight.  I really enjoyed it and now see myself with a new addiction of dirtying up the fleet.

 

 Factory new model

 

First attempt at weathering with weathering powders

 

Comparison of the two

 

Another comparison

 

Notice the trucks weathered vs. factory black

 

I wasn't quite sure how to weather this one, so I just rolled with a little bit of this powder and a little of that powder.

 

A close-up

 

Top view

Also, here are pics of the past week's progress / changes:

  

The spur at D&D News now is on the side of the building. 

Vandelay Industries was added next door making the industrial area more dense as typical with Chicago.

 

Vegetable Oil track removed from ADM Milling in Stockdale

Progress Report 07.07.11

CRI&P Management signed the lease with Vandelay Industries in Blue Island today which will provide latex gloves and other medical supplies to distributors on the east and west coast. 

The former Interstate Chemical and Midland-Davis Corporation spur tracks were joined as one double-ended spur track for the new Keller Mills that is under construction.

Progress Report 07.06.11

Removed the switch for the second track at ADM Milling.  The vegetable oil business has dried up.  Installed a turnout for the new industry in Blue Island.  As of yet, I haven't decided what this small business will be.  Any ideas?  Anyone?  Anyone?

Progress Report 07.05.11

Worked on the layout tonight.  First, some changes in industries.  The poor economy has been too much for the Interstate Fuel Company and Midland-Davis Corp.  A much stronger competitor in the business world, Keller Mills Inc has signed lease agreements with the ROCK.  Keller Mills Inc will bring in loads of grain via rail and barge and will ship out bulk flour to various cereal manufacturing plants from California to Michigan. 

I removed the HO cork roadbed installed under the spur track at D&D News.  I relaid the track with N scale cork avoiding the slope downgrade into Blue Island.  I also modified the building where the cars are unloaded on the side of the building vs. inside the building.  The building itself is the same size, just turned sideways now. 

Also, planned is an additional small industry adjacent to D&D News.  This will be switched by the Blue Island local.  It will add some more operating interest as this industry spur is out in the single track west of town. 

A turnout was added for Oberholtzer & Sons.  Previously, to switch D&D News, it required pulling the cars from Oberholtzer all the way out to Burr Oak Yard to shove cars into D&D.  Now, crews can use various industrial tracks to make shorter switching moves to accomplish their tasks.  Old Man Oberholtzer will surely be upset still over cars being placed on his spur track, but not nearly as mad as before when his cars were moved and came back some time later.