Layout Happenings Updated: Changes in the Last Year

It's been a long time since my last big post in May, 2014. It's now April 2015, so I guess I better get cracking with some new stuff!

A lot has gone on in the past year, my locomotive fleet being very different from the last time. I sold my last Athearn CP AC4400CW(9502) in December, but I do own a couple new ones now! Then I got rid of a few railcars, and at the same time I got some new railcars too! I'm currently trying to get student membership for the Southern Alberta Model Railway Club, I'm just waiting for them to find the fee for it. Now to talk about my locos.

Starting off with a new(to me) locomotive I got in October, is this Athearn RTR SD40 CP 5541. I bought it off a guy in Prince George, BC for $25 as a dummy. I plan to repower it and repaint/renumber it to CP 5553 in the CP Rail "Action Red" scheme, as it was when retired in 2001. The unit currently has some slight detailing to make it a proper GMD, with a Miniatures by Eric headlight casting on the nose, scratchbuilt bell bracket made from styrene with the original bell mounted to it on the cab, and the single beam headlight on the rear, also MBE. More work is on the way for this guy, but so far its doing great as a dummy.

Fresh from shipment, original factory model with no gears and drive shaft, plus slightly weathered around the vents.

Current model. Detailed to look GMD. More work must be done to get it to a prototypical look of CP 5553.

My top purchase of 2014 was my Rapido GMD-1(DCC Ready). I put this puppy on hold in October at the hobby shop, Model Baron Hobbies and bought it right after Christmas on December 27. The detail is truly outstanding, plus its drive mech. The lettering and other decals are sharp, and stand out well. The model came with a sheet of optional numbers for renumbering and I quickly took to that, renumbering it to 1063 on Dec 29.

Original unit, fresh out of the box. CN 1012

Renumbered to CN 1063, the unit has not changed much, other than some slight detailing around the grab irons(cannot be seen in this photo)

My CP GP38-2 has seen a huge makeover, most changes taking place between December 2014 and February 2015. 3126 was stripped of its original markings and painted over with gray and maroon to become the Royal Canadian Pacific back up diesel, plus heritage freight locomotive CP 3084. Painted in CP's 1960s "Script" scheme, the unit is the only one on the entire fleet, in revenue service to wear the paint. My model got its final decals on and sealed with dullcote on February 20, after a couple months of preperation and work to get it here. Decals used were Microscale, while paint was sprayed on using a rattle can, gray being by Testors and maroon by Tamiya. Extra detailing followed suit soon after the paint was done, and the vents have been reweathered lightly.

CP 3126, before repaint to 3084. Note dynamic brake housing already cleaned of most of its weathering.

CP 3084 now. A ton of detail work has been done to the unit after the repaint. Exhaust stacks chopped and changed to the circular openings using a thin strip of styrene. Another piece of thin styrene helped create the welded plate on the cab roof, with rivet detail done by poking a thumbtack into the bottom before application. Classlights were done using expanded ends of fibre optic tubes, and coloured to match the prototype. Cab dripstrips above the conductor and engineer windows were done using a standard staple(originally using styrene). New headlight casting is a Miniatures by Eric. Sandfiller hatch completed using styrene.

My GP9u project is still in the works. Not too many changes done around the hood section, but plenty of work on the front has been completed. From the classlights to the MU cables on the pilot. This unit has got quite a facelift since last post… literally.

CP 1597 as of now. GMD vertical-style steps on the front, made from styrene. Classlights done using fibre optic tube ends.  MU pockets scratchbuilt from styrene, and MU cables are Details West. Grab irons done using #10 staples, hand bent and cut to length.

                                       

That's most of it for this post. Sorry about the long delay! Its a bit hard to do this using my iPod, but since I can't always grab a computer, it will have to do. I will let you guys know when a new blog post is out through my YouTube videos. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this one!

Braedan